41: Exploring a foreign land, encountering an ancient demon egg.

With the Yun Family's affairs settled and the Northern Region stable, Nie Li was also diligently absorbing the Legacy within the Wind and Snow Realm.

Yun Feng wasted no more time, entrusting the Family's defenses to the optimized Zhou Tian Star Array Formation and his grandfather, Yun Fengs Grandfather, before quietly entering the Heavenly Illusion Sacred Realm once more.

Familiar with the route, he passed through the Shattered Star Corridor and arrived at the vast, snowy expanse of the Wind and Snow Realm.

Nie Li was still in deep seclusion; the Imperial Palace was covered by a thick layer of ice crystal Seal, its aura dense.

Yun Feng did not disturb him, proceeding directly to the glacial fissure where the spatial node was hidden.

Deep within the fissure, the cold was bone-piercing; ordinary Cultivators here would likely have their Soul Power frozen.

But for Yun Feng, it had no effect.

He stood before the faintly fluctuating node, and the System initiated another precise scan.

[Target spatial node is stable. Energy reaction on the other side is tending towards equilibrium. Chaos and demonic power attributes confirmed. Forcibly opening requires consuming 1500 points of Rule Energy. A stable passage can be maintained for approximately one hour.]

"Open it." Yun Feng did not hesitate.

Massive Rule Energy surged out of his body, acting like an invisible carving knife, precisely targeting the spatial node.

The previously void-like fissure began to ripple and twist like water, eventually forming a swirling, unstable gray vortex passage just wide enough for one person.

An ancient, savage aura, mixed with chaotic demonic power, wafted out from within.

Yun Feng stepped into it.

After a brief sensation of spatial-temporal reversal, he appeared in a completely unfamiliar region.

The sky was a depressing dark red, devoid of sun, moon, or stars, with only clouds hanging low like congealed blood.

The cracked earth was a sickly purplish-black, and everywhere lay the pale bones of massive, unknown creatures; some skeletons even stretched out like mountain ranges.

The air was thick with decay, silence, and that unique Chaos demonic power; Spiritual Qi was almost undetectable.

This was a true desolate wasteland, seemingly having survived an earth-shattering Great Calamity in ancient times.

"System, conduct a comprehensive scan of this area, assess the danger Rank, and search for valuable resources or information."

[Scanning... Environmental Rules are incomplete, energy is inert, trace radioactive decay energy exists... No signs of active life detected... Danger Rank: Low (relative to the environment).]

[Multiple high-energy residue reactions detected, suspected sites where ancient powerhouses fell... Special life fluctuation detected, coordinates (East 37, North 152)...]

Special life fluctuation? In this land of deathly silence?

Yun Feng's heart stirred, and he proceeded in the direction indicated by the System.

His speed was extremely fast, his figure streaking across the barren ground, leaving faint afterimages.

After about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he reached the target location.

It was a massive crater, resembling one formed by a meteorite impact.

The bottom of the crater was not hard rock, but a fleshy mycelial mat that subtly writhed like a living thing, emitting a dark purple sheen!

In the center of the mat, guarded by it, was a giant egg, about the height of a person, covered entirely in strange blood-colored patterns, slowly pulsating like a heart!

That special life fluctuation was precisely emanating from this giant egg!

[Target analysis: Unknown Demonic Egg (in a state of deep slumber/Seal). Contains extremely pure and ancient demonic power Origin internally. Life level is extremely high. Potential Rank: Unknown (suffering severe damage and rule suppression). Status: Extremely weak, instinctively absorbing residual external energy to maintain vitality.]

"A Demonic Egg from ancient times?" Yun Feng's eyes narrowed slightly.

To survive in this environment until now, the egg's Origin must be extraordinary.

The demonic power Origin it contained even made him sense a hint of purity.

He attempted to probe with his Divine Sense, but found that the blood-colored patterns on the eggshell formed a powerful barrier, blocking his Divine Sense externally.

He even faintly felt a weak, hostile, and rebellious Soul resistance emanating from within.

"Interesting." Yun Feng did not attempt a forceful Breakthrough.

This Demonic Egg was clearly no ordinary object; forcefully seizing it might damage its Origin and could even trigger unpredictable consequences.

He pondered for a moment and made a decision.

A Demonic Egg with such potential, if he could subdue or hatch it, might become a powerful aid.

Even if he couldn't, its research value alone was extremely high.

He did not act immediately.

Instead, he first used Rule Energy to set up a composite concealment and Spiritual Qi gathering Formation around the giant egg.

This would, on one hand, hide its aura to prevent detection by anything else that might exist, and on the other hand, slowly gather the faint residual energy in this silent world to nourish the egg and stabilize its condition.

Having completed all this, he did not linger.

The one-hour duration for maintaining the passage was running out.

He glanced around the silent, fractured plane once more, firmly memorizing the coordinates of the location.

"This place is broken and the Rules are incomplete, but it might hide other secrets.

When my strength is sufficient in the future, I may return to explore."

He turned, stepping out of the gray swirling vortex he had entered through, and his figure vanished from the ancient wasteland.

After he left, the vortex slowly closed, and space returned to calm.

Only the Demonic Egg in the deep pit, protected by the concealment Formation, continued to pulse faintly like a sleeping heart.

Upon returning to the Wind and Snow Realm, Yun Feng did not leave immediately.

He went to the outside of the Imperial Palace where Nie Li was in seclusion and left a Divine Sense message, briefly informing him of the discovery of a fractured plane and a strange Demonic Egg.

He mentioned that the egg's state was unusual and might be related to Nie Li's future, instructing him to decide for himself whether to investigate after he emerged from seclusion.

This was both a sharing of information and a further test and guidance for Nie Li.

He wanted to see how Nie Li, after receiving the Great Emperor Fengxue's Legacy, would handle this Opportunity and risk originating from "outside the Star Domain."

After doing all this, Yun Feng quietly returned to the Yun Family.

Although the time spent on this foreign exploration was short, the information gained was extremely important.

The ancient Demonic Egg and the silent, fractured plane all pointed toward a grander and more unknown past.

Furthermore, the fragmented information regarding the "world heart," the "Great Calamity," and the "Watcher" were like puzzle pieces, waiting for him to collect more fragments.

Yun Feng felt that he was gradually approaching some of the core secrets of this world.

And all of this required greater strength as a foundation.

"System, deduce feasible plans for rapidly increasing strength in the next step, including but not limited to Cultivation Technique optimization, resource utilization, and Rule comprehension."

[Deducing... Based on the host's current status and existing resources, recommended plans are as follows: 1. Deeply analyze the complete Formation chart of the Zhou Tian Star Array Formation and attempt to use the power of the stars for Body Tempering and Soul Refining (requires consuming a large amount of energy, risk is relatively high). 2. Utilize the "Life Sublimation" function to conduct deeper Bloodline tracing and potential activation on the host (requires meeting specific conditions and massive amounts of energy). 3. Search for and absorb high-Rank Rule fragments of the same Origin...]

Looking at the plans listed by the System, Yun Feng fell into contemplation.

The improvement of his strength was imminent.