Dugu Xingfeng hesitated no more. He clenched his hand, and a stream of boundlessly powerful energy gathered at the center of his palm. In an instant, golden martial power began to surge as it glimmered with dazzling radiance. Dugu Xingfeng was clenching onto the rock so hard that even his knuckles started to crack.
“Crack, crack~~~”
The noises of his knuckles cracking grew louder and louder. Even the veins of his hand and arm started to bulge. From this, it could be seen that he had used enormous strength.
However, when Dugu Xingfeng opened his hand again, that stone was still inside his palm. There was not the slightest trace of damage to the stone.
“Senior, what you said is true. This Ancient Era’s Testing Stone is so tough that it’s simply indestructible,” Dugu Xingfeng came to believe what the Yan Clan’s Ancestor had said. That was because he had exerted all of his strength in clenching on that stone earlier. In fact, he had even used a martial skill during his clench.
While that clenching of his had appeared to be very simple, it was actually extremely frightening and possessed enormous power. If he were to point his hand toward a city and clench it in the manner he did the stone, that city would be completely annihilated. If he were to point his hand toward a mountain range, that mountain range would be leveled to the ground.
However, even after he exerted all of his strength to tightly clench this tiny piece of crushed stone, he was unable to do any damage to it. From this, it could be seen how hard and solid that Ancient Era’s Testing Stone was.
“In that case, this means that this Ancient Era’s Testing Stone was not destroyed by Chu Feng. This is all a misunderstanding. Could it be that this Ancient Era’s Testing Stone shattered by itself through the pa.s.sing of time?” Dugu Xingfeng seemed to have come to an understanding of some sort.
“No, it’s Chu Feng who destroyed it,” The Yan Clan’s Ancestor said.
“What? How?” Hearing those words, Dugu Xingfeng was completely stunned.
“Senior, exactly what do you mean by that? Why is it that I cannot make sense of what I’m hearing?” Dugu Xingfeng asked earnestly. He was truly muddled by the Yan Clan’s Ancestor.
“Haha, Xingfeng, let me say it this way… it is practically impossible to shatter this Ancient Era’s Testing Stone through the use of external force. It is indestructible. Not to mention you, even if Emperor Qing, Qing Xuantian, were to be alive and tried to damage this Ancient Era’s Testing Stone, he would not be able to succeed.”
“However, according to legend, there is a way to destroy the Ancient Era’s Testing Stone,” The Yan Clan’s Ancestor said.
“What is it?” Dugu Xingfeng asked hurriedly. He truly wished to know exactly how such an indestructible stone could be shattered.
“I have mentioned to you before that this Ancient Era’s Testing Stone will bring one into an illusion to test one’s potential.”
“That illusion world is this Ancient Era’s Testing Stone itself. Thus, if that illusion world is to be destroyed, this Ancient Era’s Testing Stone will also be destroyed with it,” The Yan Clan’s Ancestor said.
“Senior, you mean… you’re saying that Chu Feng’s potential destroyed this Ancient Era’s Testing Stone’s illusion world?” Dugu Xingfeng was incomparably shocked and frightened by what the Yan Clan’s Ancestor had said.
“That’s right. Although it is very unimaginable, there is no other possibility apart from this,” The Yan Clan’s Ancestor said.
“In that case, does it mean that Chu Feng has stepped onto the eighteenth step that no one has reached before?” Dugu Xingfeng asked.
“No, you’re underestimating his potential too much. If he had just stepped onto the eighteenth step, he would only need to defeat all eighteen of those ominous creatures. It is simply impossible for this Ancient Era’s Testing Stone to be shattered by that.”
“As for Chu Feng, not only did he defeat all eighteen ominous creatures, he also destroyed the entire illusory world, along with this Ancient Era’s Testing Stone.”
“Do you understand what I mean now? If you do not, I can explain to you in simpler terms. Chu Feng’s potential is unmeasurable. It is so frightening that it could destroy a world. His potential is something that has never been seen before. He has surpa.s.sed the overlords. He is able to reach a level that no one before him has reached.”
“One day, if he is to mature, there will not be anyone in the entire Holy Land of Martialism who is capable of rivaling him. That’s because, at that time, he will be able to destroy the entire Holy Land of Martialism by himself.”
“No, it’s not only the Holy Land of Martialism. The Four Seas, the entire world, regardless of what sort of Ancient Era’s Remnants, regardless of what sort of dangerous places, regardless of what sort of long-established races, regardless of what sort of developed civilization, Chu Feng will be able to destroy all of them, turning all of them to dust with just a single thought.”
The Yan Clan’s Ancestor said those words one at a time. At this moment, emotion filled his entire body. His blood was racing. It was as if the tinder that had lain dormant within him for many years had finally been sparked.
“Step, step, step~~~”
Hearing what the Yan Clan’s Ancestor said, Dugu Xingfeng involuntarily stepped back several steps. Even though he already thought of this too, he still felt enormous disbelief when the Yan Clan’s Ancestor declared that to him. In fact, he even felt it to be difficult to accept. That was because this had already surpa.s.sed the limit that he could accept.
It was as if a Martial Emperor had held a sledgehammer and slammed it on his head with a ‘bang,’ leaving him completely stunned.
After being silent for a long time, Dugu Xingfeng asked, “Senior, is this a blessing or a disaster?”
“It’s a blessing. This is an enormous blessing to us. The path of martial cultivation is without boundaries and never-ending. Everyone knows that Martial Emperor is not the peak, that there are realms above Martial Emperor.”
“However, due to the fact that we are unable to break through past Martial Emperor, we do not know exactly what realms are above Martial Emperor. Nor do we know exactly how many powerful existences there are in the vast starry sky. We, for our entire lives, and our future generations, have all been trapped in this region’s world.”
“Perhaps, we thought ourselves to be standing at the apex of this world, that we were unparalleled in the entire world. However, to the people outside of this world, we might be nothing more than frogs at the bottom of a well that view the sky from that well.”
“Why would this be the case? When all's said and done, it’s only because our talents are limited. That is why we can only reach this level.”
“Xingfeng, do you not wish to have a walk through that vast starry sky? Do you not wish to have a look and see whether there are cultivators on the moon? Whether there are other races on those starry planets? Whether there are true dragons like the ones in the legends? Whether there are other mythological animals in that starry sky? Whether there are those almighty ones that can tear apart the starry skies with their naked hands?” The Yan Clan’s Ancestor asked Dugu Xingfeng one word at a time.
“Mn, junior naturally wishes to know.”
“Even though this junior has been a peak Half Martial Emperor for a long time, I will always feel that I am extremely small whenever I look to the night sky. So small that I am inferior to even a speck of dust.”
Dugu Xingfeng sighed. He was not talking nonsense. Rather, he was lamenting from the bottom of his heart.
Even though countless disciples addressed him as their headmaster, even though he was seen to be a G.o.d among millions and millions of commoners, only he knew how small he really was - nothing more than a speck of dust in the vast universe. In fact, he was so small that he was inferior to even a speck of dust.
His life and death would not be able to change the rotation of the sun or moon.
His life and death would not be able to change the sparkling of the stars in the night sky.
He, he was nothing more than a little pebble. Even if he were to be thrown into the large river, he would only be able to create a small splash, but would never be able to change the flow of the river, nor would he be able to stop himself from being eroded away by the pa.s.sage of time. After many years, no one would remember him.
“I am the same. Unfortunately, as my ability is limited, it is difficult to change.”
“I fear that in this lifetime of mine, I will not have the chance to take a walk and have a look at that vast world,” The Yan Clan’s Ancestor stood with his hands behind his back and sighed.
The higher one’s cultivation was, the deeper one’s comprehension toward the path of martial cultivation one would have. In turn, one would realize with greater certainty how small one really was and how vast this world truly was.
“However, Chu Feng might be able to.”
“He possesses the potential that we lack. Thus, he should be able to accomplish what is impossible for us,” The Yan Clan’s Ancestor said.
“What senior said is reasonable,” Dugu Xingfeng nodded. At this moment, the impression that he had of Chu Feng took a complete change once again.
At the beginning, he thought highly of Chu Feng because he thought that Chu Feng would be able to lead their Cyanwood Mountain to the apex of the Nine Powers and then distance themselves from the rest of the Eight Powers.
However, it would appear now that the potential that Chu Feng possessed would allow him to accomplish things even more world-shaking. Not only would Chu Fengs doings be beneficial to the entire Holy Land of Martialism, he might even be able lead them to a completely new world.