Chapter 1058: Meng Po Soup

Chu Feng and his companions returned to the outskirts of the Ji clan's tribe in a hurry. In fact, everyone was disturbed by the news and left with grave expressions.

The being from Yong Province, who had appeared years ago, was incredibly bizarre and terrifying. Originally a Nine Nether Being with a single head, he had comprehended his past life, unleashing a force so overwhelming that it crushed anyone who stood in its way, plunging the world into darkness and making the Yang Realm tremble. Even now, recalling that era sends shivers down the spines of those who witnessed it.

"People from the Yi family, aren't you going to stay and rest for a while?" Chu Feng, standing outside the tribe, watched the temporary palace not far away, where a group of people were stepping onto a super-teleportation magnetic platform. He shouted loudly from behind. He genuinely wanted to "talk" with them privately to find out who the little girl resembling Lin Nuoyi was and where her parents were.

On the magnetic platform, some individuals were friendly, turning back to smile and wave gently before vanishing in a shower of light, thus departing from the borderlands of Yu Province.

Holly glanced at Chu Feng and said, "Stop looking. There's something strange about that little girl. She doesn't seem like a toddler at all; her life force is too vigorous."

Chu Feng gazed out, looking again and again, but only the remnants of the temporary palace remained outside the Ji clan's tribe. Even the divine magnetic platform had spontaneously combusted, turning into lava.

Soon, he calmed down and asked, "Sister Holly, what's the story with that being from Yong Province?"

Holly, with her thick eyebrows, large eyes, broad nose, and wide mouth, spoke in a deep, booming voice, "His origin is so immense it could overturn ancient history. But let's not talk about him yet; let's talk about you. How did your physique improve so dramatically?"

Chu Feng raised his chin, coughed, cleared his throat, and then, with his hands clasped behind his back, adopted an arrogant pose, declaring, "A genius of my generation should be like me!"

To counter his pompous demeanor, Holly was simple and decisive, swatting him with her large, fan-like hand. "Speak plainly," she said, "there's a serious problem here."

"I drank true dragon fluid, slept in a dragon's nest, and with my innate talent, almost ascended to immortality. At the last moment, I craved the mortal world, unwilling to leave its affairs, so I forcefully suppressed the urge to ascend and remained in the Yang Realm. Now my cultivation is neither high nor low."

Seeing him gloating like that, with his small face flushed and laughing like a cockscomb flower, Holly was annoyed and nearly hit him, but at least she finally learned about his experience.

Upon learning that his current physique was comparable to an evolver at the Free-and-Unfettered level, Holly felt no joy. Instead, she frowned deeply and said, "Such rapid development early on is not good!"

"But I didn't use a catalyst for my evolution, so there shouldn't be any impact, right?" Chu Feng was puzzled. Moreover, he had drunk true dragon fluid, which was highly nourishing, so it shouldn't deplete his essence and cause premature development.

Holly replied sternly, "Although true dragon fluid is special and renowned as a heavenly tonic, some ancient powerful figures still suspect that it might lead to premature development, depleting one's potential ahead of time."

Chu Feng's smile immediately vanished. Although Holly said it was merely a suspicion and not necessarily the truth, he was still exceptionally concerned. In this life, he intended to rise and kill the Celestial Venerables such as Taiwu, Hunyi, and Luanyu. His early path had to be solid, without flaws, or how could he forge the strongest path?

Holly continued, "Of course, our lineage also believes that true dragon fluid isn't a major issue; only a few exceptionally cautious great beings hold that view. Your problem lies in undergoing nirvana once again by utilizing the dragon cave's terrain, constantly breaking through and improving your physique in such a short period. This is concerning. Too much is as bad as too little. How can we not worry about premature development when you've advanced three levels in a matter of days?"

"How can I resolve this trouble and hidden danger?" Chu Feng frowned, his cheerful demeanor gone.

"You absolutely must not enhance your physique recently. For the next few years, you need to recuperate and nourish your body with genuine tonics." A trace of worry appeared on Holly's face. After pondering for a moment, she decided that Chu Feng absolutely needed to recuperate, and to be safe, he would need to find a specific substance.

"Is it that serious?" Chu Feng felt uncertain and somewhat suspicious.

"Some conservative aristocratic families at the top of the pyramid prefer their disciples to be ordinary and unremarkable before the age of sixteen, not caring how strong they are, only truly starting their ascent after seventeen or eighteen!" Holly explained that these were ancient evolutionary sects that had existed for hundreds of millions of years, extremely conservative due to having endured various great calamities throughout evolutionary history. Of course, mainstream families of the same era believed these conservatives were too rigid and unnecessarily cautious. This explained why individuals like Little Crow and Yingying had their physiques enhanced purely through various creation-grade substances by their clansmen, rather than breaking their shackles or opening new cultivation realms.

"There's a substance that can compensate for your physical depletion: Yang Spring!" Holly mentioned a "tonic," a top-tier rare substance in the Yang Realm that was difficult to find. It could perfectly replenish one's deficiencies. However, this substance was so precious that even families with Celestial Venerables overseeing them had limited reserves and wouldn't allow disciples to use it casually. Some orthodoxies didn't even possess a single drop. Every drop of this substance pulsed with surging Yang energy, renowned as the essence of the Yang Realm.

"It occasionally appears near the Yang River, but as soon as traces emerge, it's immediately snatched by those guarding the area, making it incredibly difficult to collect." The Yang River is an extremely ancient river in the Yang Realm, existing since antiquity. Its source is particularly unusual, flowing out from a stone mountain. Yet, from prehistoric times to the present, no one has ever been able to open that stone mountain. Anyone who has attempted to investigate it has either died or permanently vanished, never to reappear. The Yang River flows through several provinces, never diminishing. It's hard to imagine how a river flowing from within a stone mountain can flow continuously, always gushing forth consistently. The great river's heat waves are immense, capable of melting stone and gold. An ordinary evolver falling into it would instantly disintegrate, their flesh and blood vanishing, and their body perishing. Occasionally, special water splashes emerge in the Yang River, resembling gushing underground springs, accompanied by a clear fragrance and various miraculous phenomena, as if divine springs were bubbling from the river. After being collected, this fragrant substance was found to be a rare tonic for living beings, especially effective for early-developing geniuses.

"Is it very effective?" Chu Feng asked, surprised. This so-called Yang Spring was quite mysterious; how exactly did it form?

Holly nodded, "Extremely effective. Even the most conservative evolutionary aristocratic families admit it's one of the most precious substances for treating premature development!" However, this substance was incredibly difficult to find. Even a powerful lineage like the Divine Temple Fairy's had no stock. One would have to cross several provinces and guard near the Yang River, and even then, there was no telling how many years it would take to discover a single flow of Yang Spring.

Chu Feng was speechless. If it was unobtainable, wasn't it pointless to mention?

Holly said, "There's an alternative: a different kind of Yang Spring, which is found near the Underworld."

"You mean, at the Celestial Pit?!" Chu Feng's eyes widened in surprise.

"Exactly. I've seen traces there. I estimate it appears once or twice a year, usually at dawn. You can go and wait there." Holly explained that the Nine Nether Underworld was bone-chillingly cold, and any normal person entering it would surely die. However, as extremes beget their opposite, it was accompanied by small amounts of supreme Yang creation-grade substance.

"Is this substance identical to Yang Spring?" Chu Feng asked.

Holly nodded, "Almost identical, and even more effective. Some people call it Meng Po's Soup."

"What, Meng Po's Soup?!" Chu Feng was utterly speechless upon hearing this. How could it have such a name? Even if he found it, he was hesitant to drink it.

Holly nodded, "Yes, the soup is very sweet. Not only can it nourish the body, but it can also make people forget their worries. Of course, it has a slight side effect: a tendency to cause forgetfulness."

"A slight side effect? It's utterly severe!" If it meant forgetting his past, Chu Feng wouldn't drink it even if it killed him.

Holly looked at him and said, "It's not a major issue. You'll recover after a few days of sleep." Chu Feng had only ever heard of Meng Po's Soup as a folk legend, so he was dumbfounded and unnerved that it actually existed and was a powerful tonic.

Holly sighed, "You'll have to find this yourself later. Miss and I will be gone for a long time."

"I'll find Meng Po's Soup myself and drink it myself... What's wrong with me?" Chu Feng muttered.

"Little Pengpeng, you're back!" Just then, someone in the tribe shouted, walking swiftly, and upon approaching, directly slapped Chu Feng's shoulder.

"Uncle, who are you calling?!" Chu Feng glared at him.

"You!" The burly man chuckled good-naturedly. "Don't you have a name? Brother Haishan and the clan elders thought it over and finally came up with a good one for you." Ji Hu, Fat Dunc, and others heard the news and also ran to the village entrance, enthusiastically calling him Little Peng.

Chu Feng's hair stood on end. This was truly karma... He was displeased that such an inauspicious and dreadful name had fallen upon him. He wouldn't accept it even if it killed him.

"It's too ugly, I don't accept it."

"Nonsense, what a good name! 'The Great Peng spreads its wings, despising the low sky!'"

"'Soaring ninety thousand miles straight up!'" A group of people clamored.

The simple-minded uncle enthusiastically explained, "Don't worry, your formal name is Ji Dapeng, and your nickname is Little Pengpeng."

Chu Feng's cheek twitched, his expression dark. "My name is Ji Dade. I already have a name. Anyone who calls me Ji Dapeng, I'll fight to the death!"

"Ji Dade? That's awful! How can it compare to 'Peng'? It sounds much better, has profound meaning, and implies a grand future!"

"You're still young and don't understand what a 'Peng' is. Later, Uncle will take you to dig out a nest of rock eagles and explain it to you by comparison, then you'll know."

Chu Feng was speechless.

Life was unbearable. He decisively fled, escaping with Holly to the back mountain, staying inside the temple and refusing to come out.

However, on that very day, Holly bid him farewell. She was leaving and might be gone for two or three years, undertaking dangerous tasks that would make her return difficult for a long time.

"So long? Sister Holly, what will I do when you're gone?" Chu Feng was still reluctant to part. He felt a deep sense of gratitude towards Holly, much more affection than he felt for the Divine Temple Fairy or the old woman. He could tell that despite Holly's rough demeanor and tendency to hit him, she genuinely treated him well.

"Something major has happened in the Yang Realm that you can't perceive. The being from Yong Province has emerged; he's truly terrifying beyond limits. No one could imagine he was still alive," Holly sighed.

"How strong can he be?" Chu Feng asked.

"His vital energy has seeped through the famous mountain where he lay dormant, piercing the sky. Now, more than half of Yong Province is dyed crimson. The more powerful a person is, the deeper they feel it. Gazing in that direction causes a stinging sensation in one's soul and incessant trembling, utterly indescribable!" Holly's words sent shivers down one's spine.

Holly sighed, "And this person is somewhat connected to the Ancestral Master of Miss's lineage who vanished. Miss has no choice but to go and investigate." Of course, they couldn't approach rashly. Instead, they needed to learn everything about the being from Yong Province, explore every detail concerning him, and then devise a strategy for safe communication.

Before leaving that day, Holly left Chu Feng enough rare minerals to sustain his body with concoctions for three years without issue. Finally, she thought for a moment, sought out the Divine Temple Fairy, and returned, presenting Chu Feng with a small jade bottle containing half a pill the size of a longan. She told Chu Feng that she had obtained it from Miss. Half a drop of Six Paths Reincarnation Blood, combined with various rare substances, had been refined into twelve such precious pills, each priceless. If word of this half-pill got out, it would undoubtedly cause a storm of bloodshed.

Chu Feng's emotions were complex. He had seen Six Paths Reincarnation Blood before and even used it to save his life, but... it had all been wasted! He hadn't realized it was so astonishing; half a drop was enough to change everything! At the same time, he was deeply moved, sensing that Holly had obtained this half-pill entirely out of fear that something might happen to him. Indeed, Holly told him that even if he couldn't find Meng Po's Soup, having this half-pill, ground into fine powder and slowly consumed, would sustain him for four years.

Time flew by quickly, and four years passed in the blink of an eye. Chu Feng, however, had still not found Meng Po's Soup, causing him to frown deeply.

One day, at the first hint of dawn, he stood by the Celestial Pit and heard a peculiar sound. Cautiously, he peered down and saw a stone coffin slowly ascending along the rock face, struggling greatly.

"Finally! Four years, and this old man has finally climbed back up again. To see the light of day again, it's so difficult, so hard! Gu Chenzhou, you little bastard, just you wait for this old man. When I break free from this stone coffin, I'll make sure you know why the flowers are so red and why this old man's face is so radiant!" The Nine Nether Being roared, looking deeply aggrieved. For the past four years, he had been utterly exasperated, having endured all sorts of life-and-death perils in the Underworld.

"Ahem, second brother, how have you been?" Just then, a youthful voice came from above the rock face.