Chapter 1059: Second Brother

Below the stone cliff, silence instantly fell, so profound that a pin drop could be heard. The stone coffin lay rigid and motionless, like a lifeless body, completely still and silent.

“My dear brother!” Chu Feng stood at the edge of the sinkhole, a brilliant smile on his young face, as radiant as forsythia in early spring, his small figure gleaming golden.

The Nine Netherworld Being inside the stone coffin was certain he hadn't misheard the voice. A nightmarish sensation surged through him, and then, with a clang, he lost his footing in shock and slid down from the stone cliff.

“Ah, help, I’m… falling again!”

The Nine Netherworld Being panicked. Just a moment of distraction caused his body to tremble, sending the stone coffin plummeting, repeatedly crashing against the rock walls along the way with loud clanging sounds. Fortunately, he wasn’t far from the exit. The upper part of the sinkhole had many vines and creepers. The falling coffin smashed through the dense vegetation, finally coming to a halt again.

The stone coffin, trembling, was maneuvered by the Nine Netherworld Being onto a rock ledge. He truly wanted to curse, to burst into expletives. “You damn little bastard, you actually waited for me here… for four years! I could *curse*!”

At that moment, his feelings were beyond description. After more than four years of climbing, he had just resurfaced, only to encounter that brat again. What incredible perseverance! Had he really been waiting there all this time? He truly felt speechless, unable to comprehend. It was outrageous! To deliberately wait there just to kick him back down? At this point, the Nine Netherworld Being felt like crying, believing himself incredibly unlucky. Encountering such a prime little brat left him utterly speechless.

Chu Feng, adopting a mature demeanor with his small hands clasped behind his back, said, “My dear brother, what’s wrong? Why are you so emotional? I, your elder, have been waiting for you for a long time. We should be closer.”

To hell with “dear brother” and “being closer”! You were the one who kicked me down all those years ago. What are you pretending to be now, a saint? The Nine Netherworld Being truly wanted to devour him alive.

However, after a moment of silence, he conceded, lowering his posture. From inside the stone coffin, he spoke, “Brother Chen Zhou, what exactly do you want?”

Chu Feng lifted his head, hands still clasped behind his back, gazing into the distance rather than looking down at the stone coffin in the sinkhole. With a profound air, he said, “Do you know why I waited here?”

“No idea,” replied the Nine Netherworld Being. Secretly, he was cursing: *You rotten scoundrel, festering from head to toe, aren’t you just guarding this place for me?*

Chu Feng sighed, “I am here for the sake of all sentient beings, to save the mortal world. I stand here, savoring the solitude of ages, contemplating the vastness of human existence.”

The Nine Netherworld Being: “…” He wanted to say, *Please speak like a normal person. You’re so tiny, have you even been weaned? How dare you spout such nonsense? I’d be embarrassed to put on such an act myself.*

Chu Feng gave a light cough and then said, “My dear brother, you’ve lived here for a long time. Have you seen any Meng Po Soup? Please get me two bowls.”

Abruptly, he just changed the subject like that? The Nine Netherworld Being’s heart skipped a beat, but he remained silent. He just knew this brat was after something specific, and now his true intentions were revealed.

Chu Feng was very serious. “My dear brother, this is very important. For the sake of all sentient beings, I need two bowls of Meng Po Soup.”

*What a hypocrite!* the Nine Netherworld Being longed to retort.

Sensing his silence, Chu Feng lowered his head to look and was also startled. The stone coffin had toppled onto its side, revealing a terrifying section. There were numerous claw marks on the coffin, incredibly powerful, almost tearing through the sarcophagus. This stone coffin, which even the Nine Netherworld Being himself couldn’t break or escape from, had been clawed open like this by some creature. Had it nearly been split apart?

“My dear brother, what terrible things have you endured these past few years, to the point where even your own resting place was nearly broken? You’ve truly suffered. What happened?” Chu Feng assumed a look of great concern.

The Nine Netherworld Being, however, wanted to spit on him, or better yet, stamp his face with a shoe sole. *What’s going on? Don’t you know? You threw me into this sinkhole four years ago, and now you’re shedding crocodile tears? How dare you pretend to care?*

“My dear brother, your elder brother is very worried about you. What exactly is in that underworld? You’ve fallen to such a state; you haven’t sustained any serious injuries, have you?” Chu Feng inquired with feigned warmth.

The Nine Netherworld Being ground his teeth, truly wishing to bite him to death. Yet, hearing the mention of his experiences in the underworld still sent a shiver down his spine; the hellish torment still made his scalp tingle. Submerged in the nether-earth, there were horrifying wails that made one’s scalp crawl, and a strong stench of blood and earth. Moreover, terrifying sharp claws would scratch at him from within the soil, almost digging through his coffin, a sarcophagus made of astonishing material. Even now, the thought made his blood run cold. He truly didn’t want to experience such a dreadful ordeal again.

“Why are you so silent, my dear brother?” Chu Feng asked him.

After a long silence, the Nine Netherworld Being spoke, his voice hoarse: “Stop calling me ‘dear brother,’ it gives me goosebumps. Let’s make a deal.”

“Speak!”

The Nine Netherworld Being said, “Over the past four years, I’ve collected all the unearthed Meng Po Soup. I can give you some, but you must swear not to play any dirty tricks and let me leave.”

This time, it was Chu Feng’s turn to be silent, no sound for a long time. It wasn’t until a mountain breeze swept by that he suddenly let out a loud shout.

“You scoundrel! So it was you! I wasted four years waiting for nothing; it turns out you took all the Meng Po Soup!”

This time, it was Chu Feng’s turn to explode in anger. Their roles had reversed. Chu Feng was furious; if not for the half-a-pill forged from Six Paths Reincarnation Blood, he would truly be at a loss.

“You little brat! Now you finally realize you need something from me! Hurry up and let me out!” At that moment, the Nine Netherworld Being, conversely, became calm and threatened Chu Feng from below.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!* Over a dozen divine magnetic stones flew down, forming a special pattern, landing several feet away from the stone coffin. Then the Nine Netherworld Being cried out, as the entire coffin shook violently, turning everything upside down.

“There really is some?!” Chu Feng was astonished. He saw several crude stone vessels, sealed, hanging on the other side of the coffin. He used his domain power to vibrate the area, shaking two of the vessels loose.

“You little bastard, how dare you! You… you’re stealing my stuff!” The Nine Netherworld Being was furious, beside himself with rage. No one had ever dared to steal from him before, yet now a mere child was plundering him so openly, so brazenly!

*Whoosh, whoosh!* The domain vibrated, and the two stone vessels moved away from the coffin. With a hissing sound, Chu Feng threw down divine magnetic stones, which glowed and formed a small domain, protecting the two sealed vessels.

*Boom!* The coffin emitted a red glow, and a blood mist rose. The Nine Netherworld Being wanted to retaliate and reclaim the two stone vessels that had rolled away. However, it was too late. He was beyond reach, blocked by the domain. Furthermore, the entire area was in chaos, the terrain violently shaking, and the stone coffin could be toppled into the depths of the sinkhole at any moment.

“There are still six more jars of Meng Po Soup?! More!” Chu Feng shouted.

“You’re dreaming!” the Nine Netherworld Being roared. Having had two jars stolen, he was already furious. Now this brat wanted more?

“Are you going to give it to me or not?” Chu Feng threatened.

“No!” The Nine Netherworld Being stamped his foot. He actually wanted to negotiate; what good would it do to just give it away now?

However, Chu Feng was decisive. Standing at the edge of the sinkhole, he picked up a massive boulder, weighing thousands of pounds, and hurled it down.

“Thud!” A violent tremor!

“Ah… you little bastard, I’ll kill you!” The Nine Netherworld Being screamed. The stone coffin, having been hit, could no longer maintain its position and plummeted from the cliff, heading deeper into the sinkhole.

“I just climbed up! Four years! I had just seen the light of day again, and in the blink of an eye, I’m back to square one! Don’t you know how to negotiate? Don’t you even bargain?!” He cursed loudly, utterly disoriented and filled with terror.

Chu Feng looked down into the sinkhole and shouted, “Don’t worry, there’s a large stone platform down there that can catch you. You’ll probably be able to climb back up in half a year. Take your time climbing, and we can talk again in six months.”

“You jerk!” The Nine Netherworld Being was so enraged he felt like he would explode.

Chu Feng slowly climbed down. Amidst a pile of rocks, he picked up the two stone vessels and shook them, hearing the slosh of liquid. When opened, a rich, sacred glow shone forth, a clear fragrance permeated the air, and the liquid was crystal clear, shimmering with vibrant colors that captivated the mind. Chu Feng quickly closed the lid, fearing the efficacy would diminish. This was Meng Po Soup; he dared not drink it casually in this spot. If he were to temporarily lose his memory, who knew what might happen.

“My dear brother, reflect well. We’ll see each other again in half a year!” After shouting this, Chu Feng quickly climbed out of the sinkhole and vanished in an instant. He was impatient, wanting to rush back to the temple to drink the Meng Po Soup.

As a red sun rose, bathing the misty mountains in a crimson glow, Chu Feng stood before the temple, ready for everything, facing the morning light. He had already carved some words into the ground, just in case he lost his memory, to remind himself what to do. Then, he gazed at the Meng Po Soup: crystal clear and luminous, with an inner glow that occasionally burst forth, accompanied by astonishing Yang energy that felt almost strong enough to incinerate a person.

Chu Feng found a mountain wolf for an experiment, feeding it a tiny bit. As a result, the wolf noticeably grew stronger, its ferocity fully unleashed, and its eyes became sharp. Finally, he felt there were no issues, released the wolf, and began to drink himself.

*Gulp!* After taking a large gulp, Chu Feng felt waves of heat surging through his body, emanating from his very bones. His entire being was enveloped in a radiant glow, his internal organs becoming translucent, and his soul light was agitated. He quickly activated his breathing technique to adjust his state. Instantly, he felt an unknown energy proliferating within him, brimming with astonishing vitality, replenishing his limbs and bones.

“This is truly a powerful tonic!” Chu Feng experienced the power of the Meng Po Soup as it dissolved within him. It didn’t activate his latent potential directly, but rather, the liquid itself transformed into a mysterious energy that nourished all his body’s cells, without immediately leading to a significant increase in his physical constitution by unlocking special potential. However, he knew that his potential was rapidly increasing and strengthening!

*Gulp!* Chu Feng took another large gulp, then sealed the vessel. Feeling dizzy and disoriented, he vaguely saw a path to the underworld with a bowl of Meng Po Soup beside it. “I’m having hallucinations,” he thought, shaking his head vigorously. He dared not drink anymore. Eventually, his consciousness blurred, and his memory seemed to fade, truly as if he were losing his recollection. His various impressions became hazy and indistinct, and only then did he collapse to the ground with a thud and fall into a deep sleep.

The next day, when he woke up, he found Ji Hu, Pang Dun, and others standing guard, looking very worried.

“What happened to you? We saw your carvings on the ground. Did you drink Meng Po Soup?”

“What is that stuff? What kind of dreadful soup is that? Are you trying to die?”

“It’s nothing, perfectly normal. I’ll let you try some later, it’s a great tonic!” Chu Feng shook his head, stood up, and found his memory had returned. He felt refreshed and full of energy.

Just like that, half a year passed in the blink of an eye. Chu Feng drank both jars of Meng Po Soup dry, naturally sharing some with Ji Hu, Pang Dun, and the others. This substance could increase potential, and was especially effective at rectifying physical deficiencies, making it one of the most precious elixirs in the mortal world. Chu Feng’s spirit and vitality were clearly at their peak. Every cell in his body glowed, as if igniting one star after another!

Afterward, he went back to the sinkhole, because half a year had passed, and he figured the Nine Netherworld Being would be climbing back up again. This time, they could have a proper talk. In fact, every morning he would rush there to check on the progress of his “dear brother.”

“Hmm, I should take it easy this time. I don’t want to accidentally scare him into falling to the very bottom of the sinkhole. Last time was a close call; thankfully, the vines and stone ledges below caught the stone coffin.”

Down in the sinkhole, the Nine Netherworld Being was huffing and puffing, almost out of breath, as he was finally about to see the light of day again.

***

*Recent updates have been unstable, mainly because my cold and cough have persisted, never fully recovering, with recurring bouts. At their worst, I couldn’t rest all night due to coughing. Finally, the cold is no longer bothering my head, and two updates will resume soon. I’m preparing to start exercising. Don’t wish for anything but health; a good body is the most important thing.*