Chapter 1017: Stone Box's True Appearance

The box was deforming, its appearance changing. What was happening?! Chu Feng was truly shocked. This box was terrifyingly sturdy; how could it be twisting like this?

It was known as the ultimate treasure, coveted even by powerful figures in the Yang Realm. Several Celestial Venerables had personally opened paths to the Underworld in search of it, but to no avail.

This item had once been struck by Taiwu, yet remained unscathed. It had fallen into the Great Abyss, emerging completely unharmed. Moreover, it had pierced through the boundary membrane of other realms, passing through effortlessly, capable of inter-realm travel. It had also traversed the Sea of Chaos to a ruined universe, enduring the bombardment of creation lightning arcs along the way, yet still remained intact.

What's more, even the Samsara Road couldn't affect it, and the stone millstone in the City of Light and Death couldn't grind it down. To what extent was it tough?

But now it was losing its shape, becoming something else. Was it turning into a jar, or a stone bottle? There was a sense of unfamiliarity.

Chu Feng was dumbfounded, somewhat disbelieving that the stone box was being squeezed by external forces, gradually transforming. Was it going to be destroyed? A shiver of dread ran through him.

This final path of reincarnation was truly terrifying. Even this ancient artifact, which had likely endured several epochs and witnessed various evolutionary histories, was about to be destroyed?

Chu Feng was deeply moved, his nerves taut. He truly didn't want it to shatter. How could an ultimate artifact be annihilated like this? It was such a waste!

He felt a pang of regret for his recklessness, which was causing a mysterious supreme treasure to decay and possibly vanish from the world forever.

The stone box twisted, its transformation becoming more pronounced until it was unrecognizable. Had it become a stone bottle? It was still somewhat uneven.

He couldn't help but sigh. This path was so dreadful; it truly seemed capable of obliterating everything. Was even a supreme celestial object destined for destruction?

The stone box shook violently. During this process, Chu Feng was annihilated once again. The remaining Six Paths Reincarnation Blood, now very scarce, revived him once more.

Such a consumption was truly regrettable!

Chu Feng opened his eyes, astonished to find that the crystalline, semi-transparent stone box could now be called a stone jar, its six joining surfaces smooth and devoid of sharp edges.

Outside, vast waves crashed. Chu Feng experienced another great mundane world, but also felt the threat of death.

The lid also gradually transformed, becoming round instead of square.

At this point, even a wisp of circulating energy caused Chu Feng to die twice more. The creation matter within the jar sustained his life, allowing him to be revived with difficulty.

"A cauldron?!"

Suddenly, Chu Feng was stunned. The stone box was deforming, gradually taking on the appearance of a cauldron, the trend becoming obvious.

How strange!

He felt that something was amiss. It didn't seem like it was being destroyed; rather, this ancient artifact appeared to be recovering, its form changing, yet remaining solid and unbroken.

Could it be revealing its original form? This possibility suddenly occurred to Chu Feng!

He was then deeply shaken. The stone box wasn't its true form; it was only now gradually revealing the tip of the iceberg?

It was changing rapidly, looking more and more like a cauldron, though it had no legs or handles. Aside from that, it resembled a small, three-inch-tall round cauldron.

"This..." Chu Feng was dumbfounded that it had evolved to this extent.

Perhaps it could be called a cauldron-jar. This was its true appearance.

The lid was round, with a small protrusion on top, allowing it to be gripped and lifted.

It could be called a jar because, despite resembling a cauldron, it ultimately wasn't one.

Amidst its crystalline clarity, an ancient aura permeated the air, and white mist appeared around it, making it even more mysterious.

Amidst the waves, red mist and purple light encroached, capable of destroying heaven and earth, tearing apart great worlds, and piercing through vast universes. Yet, when the red mist and purple light enveloped the stone jar, they couldn't harm it.

"A small jar... shaped like a cauldron!"

Chu Feng felt that if it entered the Yang Realm, even the Celestial Venerables and powerful beings who had touched it before wouldn't recognize it. It was completely different now, without sharp edges, boasting smooth curves, and appearing utterly perfect.

He thought that even if he walked across the primeval lands, using it to cook the flesh of ferocious beasts and divine birds would be fine. No one would recognize it, so there would be no fear of exposure.

As Chu Feng's mind briefly wandered, he exploded once more, blood splattering within the cauldron-jar. It was a gruesome sight, and the pain drove him to the brink of madness.

This time, the last section of the Thirty-Three Heaven Grass's root was mostly consumed, with only a small piece remaining, enough to barely save his life one more time.

"Is this energy specifically designed to kill me, seeping in?" Chu Feng sighed, feeling it was inescapable; he would surely die if this continued.

During this process, he noticed that some creation matter could be preserved, perhaps because it was inherently resilient. But then, he wasn't particularly fragile himself, was he?

Boom! Next, colossal waves surged outside, and terrifying lights spread everywhere. It was the Great Dao taking form, crushing everything. It was the endless mundane world surging, unleashing terrifying secret powers.

Chu Feng couldn't withstand it. He felt he might perish here, dying on the path.

"At the ultimate land of reincarnation, I still held hope and saw a glimmer of dawn. But proceeding along this path has only brought despair. It's a bit pathetic."

He shook his head. Perhaps this was the end of the line.

Reincarnating with one's physical body, going through the process whole, was severely resisted and cut down by the Great Dao. There was no way it could succeed.

"But what if, by some miracle, I defy the heavens and successfully reincarnate with my physical body? What would happen?"

He felt that even in this most difficult predicament, he should still hold onto a glimmer of hope and not completely give up.

Boom! The endless waves vanished. The cauldron-jar pierced through, and Chu Feng felt as if he had experienced a thousand lifetimes, witnessing countless worlds and enduring myriad changes before emerging.

More precisely, the cauldron-jar had successfully broken through.

Chu Feng had a strange illusion: had he successfully reincarnated and arrived in the Yang Realm?

He even entertained an absurd thought: could this ocean, seemingly composed of mundane worlds, be the proverbial amniotic fluid of a mother, and he was in the process of transmigration?

It was peculiar and utterly ludicrous. He vigorously shook his head.

During the preceding process, the cauldron-jar had stopped deforming and had become astonishingly resilient. All external energies, including fragments of the Great Dao, were powerless against it.

Chu Feng was convinced that this was its true form!

Ahead, in the darkness, six ancient caves vaguely appeared!

Hmm? He was certain that the "amniotic fluid" theory was unreliable and just his wild imagination. He genuinely sensed a mighty power transcending the universe itself.

Even while inside the cauldron-jar, his heart pounded, and he nearly trembled.

Dazzling flames flickered, six distinct lights that were both indistinct and terrifying.

Chu Feng's heart jolted. Was this the light of reincarnation fires he had seen in purgatory? Here, several clusters were exceptionally horrifying; they must be the source!

"It can probably destroy everything!" he murmured with a sigh. If such a thing touched an evolving being, no one would be able to withstand it.

Vaguely, he saw blood flowing, also in six dazzling and mysterious colors, captivating and chilling, circulating between the six ancient caves.

Chu Feng gasped. Was that the Six Paths Reincarnation Blood? Was it generated here, making this place the true source?

With a hum, the cauldron-jar rushed in, plunging into darkness. Then, its surroundings became intensely bright again, with dazzling firelight burning and true blood flowing.

This was incredibly profound and terrifying. To encounter such complexities and undergo so much on the path to reincarnation?

He doubted whether a soul reincarnation would involve such experiences. He hadn't heard the young Daoist mention any of this!

Chu Feng mused that if it were merely a soul light reincarnation, it should be very smooth, without revealing so many terrifying truths. His current level was insufficient to deduce anything.

If a powerful being were here, they would certainly be able to deduce incredibly terrifying essential clues.

Chu Feng realized he was traversing through the six ancient caves, experiencing each one before finally plummeting as if into an endless abyss. Along the way, it suddenly became dazzlingly bright, as if he was surging towards an incomparably brilliant light.

It was a very strange transformation, and a terrifying experience—too mystical, full of suspense, making his heart pound.

Suddenly, Chu Feng's body tensed, and his soul trembled. He realized something bad was about to happen. The cauldron-jar vibrated violently, encountering an unprecedented impact.

Outside, it was alternately pitch-black, so dark he couldn't see his hand in front of his face, and then blindingly bright, illuminating the nine heavens, switching back and forth with incredible speed.

Furthermore, terrifying changes occurred inside the stone box. After a wisp of external energy rushed in, not only his physical body exploded, but various creation materials also burst apart.

This destruction targeted all matter!

Chu Feng discovered that even the Vajra Chakram he carried, a rare primordial metal, fractured and seemed to melt, becoming numerous droplets of liquid metal.

Not to mention himself—he exploded into a mist of blood, his bones reduced to powder, all in an instant.

The other creation materials met the same fate; none remained intact. The roots of the Thirty-Three Heaven Grass transformed into spiritual radiance, and the Six Paths Reincarnation Blood evaporated into mist.

"My seeds!"

Seeing all these things explode, Chu Feng's consciousness was gripped by sharp pain. Could the three seeds he had placed in the stone box be preserved? Would they also explode?

At such a critical juncture, when he himself was about to die and his body and soul were on the verge of annihilation, he still entertained such a thought, caring so persistently about the seeds. Even he himself was astonished.

The cauldron-jar continued to vibrate violently!

The only thing that surprised and relieved Chu Feng was that although the roots of the Thirty-Three Heaven Grass had exploded, their properties remained unchanged. The spiritual essence was still present, forming a cloud-like mist that nourished Chu Feng, allowing him to revive from the brink of death.

Inside the cauldron-jar, various creation materials swirled. Although not much was left, they still managed to revive Chu Feng multiple times.

"My heart feels like it's being cut by knives!" He realized that almost all the creation materials were gone. It was such a pity.

Just then, the tangible essence of the Great Dao, the true supreme secret powers, and everything else outside vanished completely. The alternating darkness and light ceased their flickering.

The cauldron-jar broke free from its previous restraints, surged out, and became stable.

Chu Feng sensed the aura of the primeval lands. He immediately realized that he had most likely arrived in the Yang Realm, having completely escaped the land of reincarnation.

"I'm here! I've successfully reincarnated, but what will I look like?!" His heart pounded with excitement.

However, just as he thought complete calm had settled and he had escaped the terrifying destructive power of the land of reincarnation, a beam of light flew from behind, engulfing the cauldron-jar.

Chu Feng cried out. Almost all the creation materials were exhausted. If he died this time, could he still revive?

In an instant, he disintegrated, his vision turning black, unable to see anything. Had he reincarnated, or had he died?

In his final moments, Chu Feng cursed, unable to believe that something like this would happen right at the end!

In the Yang Realm, in the Divine Continent of the East, there was a country called Aolai. Near its vast ocean was a mountain called... What had Chu Feng, the great devil, reincarnated as? With this, the story officially enters the Yang Realm arc.