Martial God Asura Chapters 21-25: Thousand Bone Graveyard's Secret & The Spirit Power Prodigy

The chill of the Spiritual Medicine Mountain’s night was a palpable thing, a silent predator that seeped into bones. For Chu Feng, however, the cold was the least of his concerns. Trapped within a clearing that defied reality, surrounded by a sea of gleaming white bones that hummed with malevolent energy, he was a spectator to a scene from a forgotten nightmare. Before him, three members of the Sword Alliance, who moments ago had been his hunters, were now writhing on the ground, their bodies convulsing as ethereal, strange gas forced its way into their skulls. Their agonized wails cut through the eerie jijiji sounds emitted by the gas itself, a symphony of torment that ended as abruptly as it began. Their bodies went limp, faces swollen and purpled, blood seeping from every orifice, hair falling out in clumps. Death had claimed them in the most grotesque fashion imaginable.

Chu Feng’s blood ran colder than the mountain air. His gaze, wide with terror, snapped from the corpses to the spectral gas that now, having finished its grisly work, was seeping back out of the dead men’s heads. Then, as if sensing fresh prey, the misty tendrils began to coalesce and drift toward him. Panic, pure and instinctual, seized him. He looked desperately toward the source of this entire horror—the mysterious old man who stood calmly at the clearing’s heart, untouched by the gas. The area around him was a sanctuary.

“Please save me!” Chu Feng cried out, his voice strained.

The plea did not evoke pity. Instead, it seemed to agitate the gaseous entities. With a collective, whispering shriek, they shot toward him with lightning speed. “Damn it!” Chu Feng cursed, lunging toward the old man, hoping to reach that safe zone. He was fast, but the gas was faster. After only a few steps, a searing, tearing pain exploded inside his skull, as if a thousand needles were being driven into his brain. “Ahhh—!” His scream joined the echoes of the recently deceased. The pain was all-consuming, a fire in his consciousness. He lost all control, collapsing to the ground, his body thrashing violently against the cold soil just as the Sword Alliance members had.

Through the haze of his own agony, he saw the mysterious old man watching, the strange smile on his face slowly fading, replaced by a look of profound disappointment. It was as if Chu Feng was failing some unspoken test. But just as despair threatened to swallow him whole, something within Chu Feng rebelled. A guttural snarl tore from his throat, and from his head erupted a brilliant white light. It swirled outward like a protective whirlpool, scattering the invasive gas away from him as if it were mere dust. The ear-piercing jijiji noises dimmed to fearful whispers. Spent, Chu Feng lost consciousness, but the swirl of white light continued to orbit him, a silent guardian.

The old man’s disinterested eyes finally showed a flicker of emotion—pleasant surprise. “Hm?” With a casual wave of his sleeve, a powerful wave of energy pulsed out, commanding all the strange gas to retreat into the white bones from whence they came. As the gas vanished, the protective light around Chu Feng also receded, sinking back into his mind. A low, satisfied murmur escaped the old man’s lips. “After waiting for almost a thousand years, I finally met a mouldable person. I hope that you don’t disappoint me.”

He glided over to Chu Feng’s prone form. Extending a finger, he pointed at Chu Feng’s chest. Several points of light, like captured fireflies, flew from his fingertip and passed seamlessly through Chu Feng’s clothes, embedding themselves into his flesh, causing his chest to glow faintly from within. The old man watched until the glow faded, then closed his eyes. A moment later, a terrifying dark green hurricane erupted with him at its core, swirling with oppressive power. Yet, instead of ravaging the forest, the hurricane plunged downward, dragging the vast field of white bones deep into the earth. When it subsided, the forest was undisturbed. Only Chu Feng and the three grotesque corpses remained under the moonlit sky.

A gentle, chill wind stirred Chu Feng awake. He sat up, massaging his throbbing head, and looked around in confusion. The nightmare landscape was gone. “Was I dreaming?” he muttered. But then his eyes landed on the three dead disciples. The horrifying evidence was undeniable. “That’s too scary. Why is there such a strange place in this Spiritual Medicine Mountain? Thousand Bone Graveyard… Who was that mysterious old man?” The questions swirled in his mind, more unsettling than any answer. The sound of approaching footsteps snapped him from his reverie. Shashasha. He couldn’t be found here. Without a second thought, he turned and fled deep into the forest, needing to put as much distance as possible between himself and the inexplicable scene.

As he ran, a new sensation dawned on him. His perception of the world had shifted. Every rustle of grass, every whisper of the wind through leaves, was amplified and clear. He could feel the life of the forest in a way he never had before. “Is my head so sensitive because there is too much spiritual energy here?” he wondered. Then, he stopped dead in his tracks. His heightened senses had picked up something specific, a pulsating, familiar energy signature. It was faint but distinct, and it called to him. “A Sky Spirit Grass?” he whispered, astonished. This was no trick of the night. His ability to detect spiritual medicine had been magnified a hundredfold. The strange gas from the graveyard, which had targeted his brain, had left a gift within the trauma: an unparalleled spiritual awareness.

The Hunter Awakened

Driven by a mix of curiosity and excitement, Chu Feng followed the sensation. It grew stronger with every step, confirming its reality. Pushing through a final bush, he saw it: a beautiful plant glowing with a soft red light, its branches like embers. A Sky Spirit Grass. “Little thing, after toying around with me for a whole day, I’ll see if you can escape me this time,” he grinned. He shot forward, spiritual energy surging to his feet. Just as he reached it, the grass shimmered and vanished, attempting its signature invisibility. “You want to run, but can you?” Chu Feng’s hand shot out, grasping at empty air. A sharp cry sounded, and the Sky Spirit Grass materialized, trapped in his fist. It struggled with surprising strength, far more than a Ground Spirit Grass, but to no avail. It soon stilled, transforming into a harmless, half-inch red herb.

“It seems that this is certainly not an illusion.” He stored it away, his heart soaring. This power was a game-changer. The Spiritual Medicine Mountain was no longer a challenging hunting ground; it had become his personal garden. For the next nine days, Chu Feng fell into a relentless rhythm. He hunted Sky Spirit Grasses through the night with uncanny efficiency, his detection power making their hiding places laughably obvious. By day, he would find a secluded spot and refine his massive haul. His dantian swelled with spiritual energy, fed by the Divine Lightning that hungered within him.

On the dawn of the tenth day, a profound change rippled through him. The Nine Lightning Beasts in his dantian stirred and transformed once more. A surge of raw power, several times greater than before, flooded his veins. He had broken through to the 5th level of the Spirit realm. “With this power, I should be able to battle against people that are on the 6th level,” he assessed, feeling the potent energy coursing through him. His Three Thunder Styles would now be a formidable threat. His bag was full, his rations depleted. It was time to leave the middle-circle. A new ambition took hold: to venture into the dangerous inner-circle and seek out the legendary Saint Spirit Grasses, beings said to rival rank 6 Fierce Beasts.

A Beauty in a Thicket of Monsters

He hadn’t traveled far into the inner-circle when his enhanced senses screamed a warning. Two powerful auras clashed ahead. One was a dense, malignant cluster—dozens, perhaps a hundred, Saint Spirit Grasses, their spiritual signatures thick and aggressive. The other was a human aura, blazing with the intensity of the 7th level of the Spirit realm, but it was fluctuating, trapped and under siege. Curiosity overpowered caution. Who would be reckless enough to challenge such a horde alone? Chu Feng moved silently through the trees until the battlefield came into view, and the sight stole his breath.

The Saint Spirit Grasses were monstrous. One, standing three meters tall, was a writhing mass of purple thorns with a gaping maw full of teeth, more plant-like demon than herb. But Chu Feng’s gaze was instantly captured by the figure dancing through this deadly thicket. It was a girl. Her long hair flowed like dark silk behind her, her face was one of exquisite, delicate beauty, and her skin seemed to glow even in the forest gloom. Yet, her most striking feature was her eyes—filled not with fear, but with fierce, unyielding determination as she battled the monsters. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and her power at such a young age was astounding.

He watched, mesmerized, as she fought with graceful, deadly precision. But his Spirit Power, his newfound detection ability, screamed a warning she couldn’t perceive. A Saint Spirit Grass was lying in wait, buried directly beneath her feet, poised to strike. Without thinking, Chu Feng yelled, “Careful below!”

The girl started, her focus broken by the unexpected voice. She reacted on instinct, pushing off the ground with both feet and leaping high into the air. The moment she left, the earth erupted. A monstrous Saint Spirit Grass shot upward, its thorny vines snapping shut on empty space. The girl landed lightly, a flicker of lingering fear in her eyes before gratitude took over. She looked toward the source of the warning. When her eyes met Chu Feng’s, her beautiful face froze in shock. “It’s you?!” she exclaimed.

The Alliance of Necessity

Chu Feng was taken aback. “You know me?” He scrutinized her. She was young, likely only fourteen, and wore the badge of the Wings Alliance. He was certain he’d never seen her before.

“Who knows you? Hurry up and leave, this isn’t a place where you can come,” she retorted, her gratitude evaporating into clear irritation. She turned back to the fight, but Chu Feng could see she was surrounded, her strength slowly waning against the relentless, coordinated attacks of the Saint Grass army. He couldn’t just walk away. As a man, letting this girl be torn apart by plants was not an option.

With a decisive breath, Chu Feng leaped into the fray. The moment he entered the clearing, a wave of the monstrous plants turned their attention to him. Regret flickered, but it was too late. He had to go all-out. Spiritual energy roared through his meridians. “Three Thunder Styles, First Style!” His body became a blur, shooting into the air before diving down like a meteor, a human blade spinning into the heart of the floral monsters. Bang! The impact scattered petals and leaves, cratering the ground and killing one Saint Spirit Grass. The power was immense, but he had hoped for more. These things were tough.

“Do you want to die?” the girl shouted, hearing the commotion. When she saw Chu Feng nimbly dodging attacks he shouldn’t have been able to see, her anger turned to astonishment. He moved with a preternatural awareness, using a skill whose power she recognized as rank 4 or higher. “He just entered the 5th level and can use rank 4 skills?” she muttered, impressed despite herself.

“Careful on the left!” Chu Feng yelled again, his back to her. She whirled, her hand shooting out to grab a thorny vine aiming for her side. With a sharp clench, she shattered it, then followed with a palm strike so sharp it cleaved the attacking Saint Grass in two. The precision of his warning confirmed her growing suspicion. This boy had something special.

Chu Feng landed beside her, sweating and with a few shallow cuts on his clothes. The battle was taking its toll. “Oi. If you want to get out alive, listen to my instructions,” he said bluntly.

“You want me to listen to you? In your dreams!” she fired back, pride stung.

“Are you even making sense? I came in here to save you! Also, didn’t you notice these things aren’t attacking randomly? They’re coordinated. Going head-on will just tire you out.”

“Rubbish. That’s obvious. I already knew that,” she lied, inwardly acknowledging he was right. Seeing him prepare to leave, a spike of fear cut through her pride. “Oi, don’t… Fine. I’ll listen to you.”

A smirk touched Chu Feng’s lips. “That’s better.”

Grudgingly, they began to work as a team. Under Chu Feng’s direction—his Spirit Power mapping every movement of their enemies—the girl’s formidable 7th-level strength was unleashed with devastating efficiency. He was the strategist, she was the weapon. Within an hour, the field of near a hundred Saint Spirit Grasses lay still, transformed into inert, finger-sized plants littering the ground.

The Revelation of Spirit Power

As Chu Feng happily began gathering the spoils, the girl sat catching her breath, watching him with new eyes. He had used high-level skills continuously without showing signs of exhaustion. “Did this guy train in the Mysterious Techniques?” she wondered. Only such rare techniques could explain such rich spiritual energy and combat power at his level.

She stood and walked over, hands behind her back, adopting a more scholarly tone. “It seems that not only is your Spirit Power impressive, you have plenty of spiritual energy as well.”

Chu Feng paused. “What Spirit Power?”

“Still playing dumb? If you didn’t have the Spirit Power, how could you clearly see the attacks of the Saint Spirit Grasses?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You’re talking about my detection power?” Chu Feng said, finally connecting the term to his ability.

“Detection power? My Gods, you called the Spirit Power the ‘detection power’? You really are a bumpkin,” she scoffed, her disdain mingled with amusement.

“It’s normal to not know. Would you know if you were male or female when you were born?” Chu Feng shot back, continuing his harvest.

A sweet, genuine smile broke across her face. “Oh? Your temper is quite short.” She followed him. “Did you know that not even one person out of ten thousand have this Spirit Power?”

That gave Chu Feng pause. He turned to her. “You seem to really understand this Spirit Power?”

“But of course. The Spirit Power is the favour of the heavens, it is brought by nature and unobtainable by cultivation. Those who have it are a dragon among men. No wonder my elder sister looked at you and asked our Wings Alliance to invite you.”

“Your elder sister?”

“I forgot the introductions. I am Su Mei, 14 years old. And you certainly know my elder sister. She is called Su Rou.”

The connection clicked. “You are Elder Su Rou’s sister?” The charming, powerful elder and this fierce, beautiful girl were siblings. It also explained the earlier invitation. Su Rou must have seen something in him during the entrance exam, likely his hidden strength or perhaps an early hint of this very Spirit Power.

Su Mei nodded. “My sister saw you were a talented person. From my observations, you do have the qualifications to join the Wings Alliance. As a member, I hereby officially invite you.” She gave him her most disarming, pure smile, clearly trying to charm him into acceptance.

Chu Feng’s heart did flutter, but his resolve held. He smiled back, then said firmly, “I refuse.”

The smile vanished. “You bastard!” Su Mei exploded, her gentle act shattered. “Chu Feng, who do you think you are? How many people wish to join the Wings Alliance? Today I personally invite you and you still refuse! Is your brain wedged by a door? So what if you have Spirit Power? You’re just at the 5th level!” She ranted, but Chu Feng simply ignored her, continuing to pick up Saint Spirit Grasses. Then, his fingers brushed against something different—a small, purple bead that radiated intense spiritual energy. “What’s this?”

Su Mei’s anger was instantly forgotten, her eyes lighting up. “Waa, is it? It’s a Spiritual Bead!” She rushed over.

“You recognize this?”

“Of course! It’s a top-quality spiritual medicine. From several hundred Saint Spirit Grasses, only one forms a Spiritual Bead. You don’t refine it; you swallow it directly, and it transforms into pure spiritual energy. One bead is worth a hundred Saint Spirit Grasses, or 100 taels of gold! I’ve been searching for one!” As she spoke emotionally, Chu Feng calmly pocketed the bead.

“You want to keep it to yourself?!” she shrieked.

“I’ll give you a few extra Saint Spirit Grasses,” he offered.

“These were originally mine! You can’t compare high-quality medicine to a top-quality bead!”

“If not for me, you’d be in two pieces. Could you be here dividing anything?” he retorted logically.

Su Mei fumed, biting her lip. She wanted to recruit him, not alienate him completely. She had to swallow her anger. In the end, they gathered 78 Saint Spirit Grasses. Chu Feng, feeling the Spiritual Bead was worth at least 50 of them, took only 30, leaving 48 for her. To his surprise, Su Mei only took 40, leaving him with 38. The message was clear: she was calling him a “3-8,” a petty insult. Chu Feng could only shake his head at her childish wastefulness.

A Walk of Infamy

With their time in the mountain nearly up, Chu Feng began the trek back to the outer-circle exit. Su Mei, however, stuck to him like a shadow. “Girl, what are you following me for? You didn’t fall for me, did you?” he teased, though the envious and hateful glares from every male disciple they passed were becoming a burden.

Su Mei laughed, deciding to match his audacity. “I have indeed fallen for you. Do you dare to marry me?”

Chu Feng stopped, turning to appraise her seriously, his gaze sweeping over her well-developed figure. “Marry you? Why wouldn’t I dare?”

His blunt, scoundrelly look was too much for her. A blush crept up her neck. “You…You dare marry, but I don’t. Damn hooligan.” She had lost the game of shamelessness.

“Oh? That’s great. You really aren’t my type,” Chu Feng said with mock relief, walking on.

“You…you bastard!” she fumed, stomping after him, more determined than ever to make him pay. Their journey became a public spectacle. She would provoke him, he would tease back, and she would respond by hammering his back or biting his arm in frustration. Several would-be heroes, seeing a beauty seemingly being bullied, stepped forward only to be cursed out or even have their ribs broken by a furious Su Mei. The sight of her Wings Alliance badge quickly cooled any remaining heroic aspirations.

By the time they reached the crowded outer-circle gathering point, they were the center of attention. Hundreds of disciples preparing to leave turned to stare. Among the crowd, two familiar faces paled—the Dragon and Tiger brothers, Bai Long and Bai Hu. They tried to slip away.

“Bai Long Bai Hu, help me stop this bastard!” Su Mei’s voice rang out, freezing them in their tracks. Resigned, they exchanged a look. They had to obey Su Mei’s previous order to teach Chu Feng a lesson, or face her wrath later.

They leaped forward, blocking Chu Feng’s path with unfriendly faces. Without a word, they attacked, one aiming a fist at his stomach, the other a kick at his leg. Both were at the 6th level of the Spirit realm. Days ago, this would have been a serious threat. Now, Chu Feng sidestepped with fluid grace, slipping between them like the wind.

“5th level?” they thought, shocked by his speed and the feel of his aura. Being dodged by a lower-level disciple in front of everyone was humiliating. Their expressions turned cold. They changed tactics, unleashing a rank 3 skill. Dozens of visible wind palms shot toward Chu Feng, filling the air, leaving him no room to dodge without revealing his own extraordinary skills.

Chu Feng gritted his teeth. He couldn’t expose his full capabilities here. He made a decision, channeling spiritual energy to reinforce his body and angled himself to take the three weakest impacts on his back. Bang! Bang! Bang! The force was staggering, but he controlled the damage. To sell the act, he let himself be thrown forward, and as he hit the ground, he bit his lip hard, spitting out a mouthful of watery blood.

The brothers were alarmed. They hadn’t meant to injure him seriously. But before they could react, Su Mei was upon them. Her face was a mask of fury as she looked from the “injured” Chu Feng to the two brothers. She spun and delivered two sharp slaps—bang! bang!—across their faces with enough force to snap their heads back.

“Who let you hit him?!” she roared, her voice echoing in the suddenly silent clearing. “Are you looking to die?!”

The crowd erupted in whispers. “Su Mei! That’s Elder Su Rou’s sister!” “The genius girl!” All eyes were on her, then on the young man slowly picking himself up from the ground. Chu Feng wiped the blood from his mouth, meeting Su Mei’s furious, protective gaze. In that moment, he knew his life in the inner court had just become infinitely more complicated—and infinitely more interesting. The mysterious power from the graveyard had set him on a new path, and the fiery Su Mei had just publicly stamped her mark on his destiny, for better or worse. The real battle, it seemed, was only just beginning.