Chapter 253: Observing the Calamity

After chatting with Wu Tong for a while, Ye Feng took out the seal from his pocket. This was a fourth-tier item that couldn’t be stored in the storage cabinets of the second-tier void realm, nor could it be placed in a storage ring, so Ye Feng had no choice but to carry it with him.

He didn’t have many third-tier items either—just a set of armor and a pair of gloves. Since these two items had already been bonded to him through blood recognition, they remained hidden within his body most of the time, causing no significant inconvenience.

After taking out the seal, Ye Feng turned to the elderly clan leader and asked, “Clan leader, could you tell me what this seal is and what its purpose is?”

The old clan leader forced a smile and nodded at Ye Feng. Wu Tong immediately leaned in close.

Ye Feng noticed that the old clan leader’s voice became even softer, and his speech grew more slurred. He couldn’t understand what the old man was muttering.

After a while, Wu Tong finally raised her head. “Grandpa says this seal was carved by a powerful person who gave it to him. The character ‘Dao’ on it embodies that person’s understanding of Dao. Through deep contemplation of it, one’s cultivation and mental state can improve.”

“Then how should I contemplate it? If I place this seal on any object, it will cause devastating destruction. I won’t even have time to see the character before the object disappears,” Ye Feng asked, expressing his confusion.

The old clan leader seemed to have anticipated this question. With a smile, he whispered a few words in Wu Tong’s ear again.

“Grandpa says the character ‘Dao’ carved on this seal isn’t about its form but about the heart. If you deliberately pursue its form, you’re going down the wrong path. Even if you find something that can withstand its power, it would be putting the cart before the horse, failing to grasp its true essence. Grandpa also says that whether you can gain insight depends on your own understanding; he can’t help you.”

Seeing that the old man had said enough, Ye Feng nodded. He knew that sometimes, talking too much could hinder one’s own understanding. Different people have different experiences and ways of thinking, so the old clan leader’s method might not work for him.

After resolving his doubts, Ye Feng bid farewell to the two of them and returned to his hut.

“I might not have time to accompany you two these days. You can go about your own affairs, but I have a task for you—keep an eye out for outsiders on this planet. Don’t miss any outsiders. Inform me immediately if you hear anything.”

The two beasts had no complaints and readily agreed, clearly liking the environment here. Free movement meant they could have fun to their heart’s content, while the task given to them by Ye Feng was mainly to keep an eye on that guy named Dil. On this seemingly large planet, most areas were infested with magical beasts, and there were not many witches—less than a thousand in total, all gathered together. Almost everyone knew each other, so any extra person would be immediately noticed. Moreover, witches generally possessed the ability to sense each other’s thoughts; without their own shielding, there could be no secrets at all. Even if Dil came disguised as someone else, he would be recognized by the other witches right away. In short, as long as Dil showed up, he would have nowhere to hide. After assigning duties to the two beasts, Ye Feng sat cross-legged and took out the seal from his bosom. After listening to the old clan leader’s explanation, Ye Feng finally understood the crux of the problem. He had always wanted to imprint that character to see what effect it would have, but he hadn’t realized that true understanding was more important. He placed the seal on the coffee table in front of him, sat cross-legged in front of it, and slowly closed his eyes. Ten days earlier, he had stared at the seal in the same position for nearly a day without any progress. “It’s not about form, but about the heart…” these words flashed through Ye Feng’s mind. With his eyes closed, Ye Feng slowly extended his mental energy. This time, instead of wandering over the seal as before, he turned his mental energy into his own eyes to observe the seal from afar. One minute passed, ten minutes passed, an hour passed, a day passed… Ye Feng spent an entire day only to find that the seal remained a seal, though a voice in his mind told him to wait patiently… Like a monk in meditation, Ye Feng sat there for three days… But his determination grew stronger. At the moment three days and nights passed, he seemed to see the golden dragon’s whiskers on the seal twitch for a moment. Ye Feng was overjoyed but also afraid it was just an illusion. Just then, the golden dragon’s long whiskers began to move on their own, its head raised high turned, and its small eyes stared at him. Ye Feng could hardly believe what he saw—he never expected the little golden dragon perched on the seal to come to life.

At that moment, the golden dragon’s eyes suddenly emitted a blinding beam of golden light, instantly engulfing Ye Feng. Before Ye Feng could react, his entire figure was completely swallowed by the golden light. When the light dissipated, he found himself in another place—a desolate wasteland. Ye Feng was certain this was not Wood Planet, where the Witch Tribe gathered, as the ground was entirely scorched, with not a trace of greenery in sight. Ye Feng flew into the air and looked around, completely unaware of what had just happened or why he was in such a place. Just then, thunderous roars came from the sky, prompting Ye Feng to look up. To his shock, thick layers of colorful clouds gathered above him, their colors even more vibrant than those of the multicolored calamity clouds BeBernard had experienced. Ye Feng was terrified—“Nine-colored calamity clouds?!” “How could my heavenly calamity arrive without any warning?” He felt uneasy, knowing that without any preparation, his chances of surviving this calamity were slim. But he quickly calmed down when he saw a man of similar build standing less than ten meters away, staring up at the sky with a serious expression. His muscles were tense, as if ready to act at any moment. Ye Feng breathed a sigh of relief—this calamity was not for him but for that man. He didn’t bother to greet him and immediately dashed away to escape the range of the calamity’s impact. Although such a calamity was highly precise with a limited spread, its influence still covered several miles. Ye Feng didn’t intend to leave right away; he wanted to stay in a safe spot to observe this fellow cultivator undergoing the calamity. Though he didn’t know how he got there, he realized that a calamity of this scale might be something he would face in the future, and observing it would surely be beneficial. Unexpectedly, as soon as Ye Feng moved, the first white lightning bolt descended at a speed too fast to track with the naked eye. By then, Ye Feng and the man undergoing the calamity were only about ten meters apart, making it impossible for him to avoid being affected. He could even clearly sense the terrifying power of the calamity, carrying an aura of destruction.

In a hurry, Ye Feng immediately covered his chest with his hands, trying to endure this wave of heavenly calamity with his own body. If he could hold on, he would have time to escape from the area affected by the calamity. This heavenly calamity wasn’t targeted at him and wouldn’t pursue him.

As the calamity descended, Ye Feng clearly saw a bolt of lightning streak past his position before continuing on, as if he were just an illusion.

While he was puzzled, the man moved. In a flash, he raised the long sword in his hand and swung it through the air.

In the sky, a black crescent-shaped energy wave emanated from the sword and collided with the bolt of lightning. At the point of impact, space was violently torn open, creating a huge gap several meters long and about a foot wide. The black gap looked extremely terrifying.

Ye Feng watched in awe as the lightning struck. He could clearly feel the immense power of that bolt of lightning—it was on a completely different level from the calamity Bernard had experienced.

Even if he were prepared, dealing with such a calamity would likely be difficult. Yet this man, who seemed only a few years older than him, had effortlessly withstood it.

What surprised Ye Feng even more was that the long sword in the man’s hand was merely an elite spiritual weapon, and his armor was also just an elite spiritual weapon. His equipment was far inferior to his own.

He could also sense the man’s cultivation level—it was at the peak of the Calamity Crossing stage, not much stronger than his own. Yet his strength was still several times more terrifying.

Ye Feng knew that if he faced this man head-on, his chances of winning were slim. Of course, he also knew that with the help of various artifacts, he could defeat him, but that wouldn’t make much sense.

Ye Feng continued to observe the man’s struggle against the calamity—second bolt, third bolt… He realized that the man couldn’t even see him, nor seemed to be aware of his presence amidst the calamity…

He stepped forward a few times, coming to within two meters of the man, to observe more closely this battle between a human and the heavenly calamity.

As more bolts of lightning struck, the man, though severely exhausted, still showed fierce determination in his eyes. Ye Feng didn’t sense any fear from him; in fact, he seemed somewhat excited.

His swordsmanship, though unique, was far inferior to the single-move boxing technique described in the martial arts classics. Yet the power he exerted with it was somewhat greater than when he used that boxing technique.
Ye Feng carefully analyzed the power of the Nine-Colored Thunder Calamity and the uniqueness of the man’s swordsmanship.
As the ninth thunderstorm began to form in the sky, the man, now in a dire state, slowly closed his eyes.
Ye Feng clearly heard his breathing gradually calming down, the urgency fading as it turned more steady, and his heart rate slowing down as well.
He was inwardly amazed at such mental resilience—adjusting his state completely in just a few breaths without any panic, ready to face the final wave of calamity at any moment. Ye Feng also realized the gap between himself and this man; if it were him, he surely wouldn’t be so calm. The man’s skill level was far beyond his own.
As his emotions settled, the man’s lips curled slightly upward. Even as the calamity descended, he didn’t open his eyes. Instead, he gripped his sword and thrust it upward sharply. “Sword-Lifting Stance!”
That slash shocked Ye Feng greatly—it managed to split the final thunderstorm in half. The force of the slash continued unabated as it pierced into the nine-colored storm clouds, causing them to emit cries resembling those of a crying child…
At that moment, another burst of golden light flashed before Ye Feng’s eyes, and his figure was once again engulfed in it…