Chapter 1068: 大梦魂土

The so-called Pure Land is now nothing but a dead wasteland. No birds or insects can be seen, vegetation is scarce, and the entire ruins exude an air of desolate lifelessness.

In the past, people would visit to mourn, reflect on history, and seek opportunities. However, after countless years, various groups found nothing, their interest faded, and no one came anymore.

"How tragic, how lamentable, how pitiable," Chu Feng sighed, sitting on a weathered rock and gazing at this ancient land. He could perceive that this area once concentrated heavenly and earthly treasures, absorbed ancestral qi from the earth's veins, and was a place where dragons reposed and phoenixes nested. Every inch of its soil once pulsed with fragments of the Great Dao, and spiritual energy constantly rose and enveloped the area for eons. It was, without a doubt, an immortal paradise.

Yet, it was utterly annihilated, deliberately eradicated by someone. Its inhabitants were slaughtered until blood flowed like rivers and corpses piled up like mountains. Within a million-li radius, all life was extinguished; every creature perished.

It was truly hard to imagine how powerful the main enemies of the Great Dream Pure Land must have been. After all, this place was once one of the ten most prominent evolutionist sects in the Yang Realm!

"Things have changed, people are gone; the world has transformed beyond recognition!" the Nine Netherworld Being also lamented, filled with deep sorrow.

Recalling the past, the Great Dream Pure Land was renowned throughout the Yang Realm. Even in prehistoric times, it was universally revered. Back then, it wasn't called the Great Dream Pure Land, but rather the Ancient Dream Dao.

"How was it annihilated? Could it be that, after rapidly developing, it tried to seize the ultimate breathing technique of another top-ten clan but failed and was destroyed instead? That's unlikely; it doesn't fit this sect's style. Or was it targeted because it possessed a valuable treasure, like the secret recipe for brewing True Dragon Liquid, which drew envious gazes? That reason is also far-fetched."

The Nine Netherworld Being shook its head. Having personally experienced that era, it had some understanding of this once immensely powerful evolutionist sect and did not agree with several theories circulated in later generations.

Chu Feng was silent, looking at this wasteland. Not even so-called broken walls or ruins remained; there wasn't a single piece of rubble. Everything had been carted away.

In those years, the Ancient Dream Dao was immensely powerful, dominating the Yang Realm. After its unexpected downfall, various factions swarmed in. In search of the sect's scriptures and ancient techniques, not even a single tile was spared; everything was plundered.

People hoped that perhaps some rubble might contain spatial dimensions, like a Cosmic Ring. Others suspected the clan's scriptures might have been imprinted on stones or artifacts.

So, not only were the magnificent palaces, bronze halls, and golden pavilions removed, but even colossal mountains were uprooted. They now stand within the territories of various powerful clans.

Chu Feng sat there, gazing at the desolate land, feeling helpless. His thoughts inevitably turned to the people from the Lesser Netherworld.

There was also a Great Dream Pure Land there, which was utterly destroyed, leaving nothing behind. Except for a few individuals who escaped to an asteroid, all disciples and followers perished.

Even Qin Luoyin died in that battle, ambushed and corroded by golden matter, ultimately perishing. Only sorrow and regret remained.

Chu Feng fell silent, lost in thought. Looking at this wasteland and thinking of the people and events from the Lesser Netherworld, he remained motionless for a long time, as if sculpted from clay or wood.

Qin Luoyin had died, and their child, the little Daoist priest, had also reincarnated in the Yang Realm. Back then, he had gone mad over this, cultivating obsessively in an alien land and even drawing grey matter into his body.

In the end, Chu Feng succeeded, killing some of his enemies. He even forced his way through reincarnation to reach the Yang Realm, seeking to avenge his parents, Qin Luoyin, the Big Black Ox, and others.

His usual jovial demeanor concealed the heaviness in his heart. The blood and tears of his old friends were still vivid in his mind, seemingly yet to dry. He could not forget.

Seeking revenge on Taiwu, Hunyi, and others was one of his main purposes for coming to the Yang Realm.

At the same time, he also hoped that one day he could see his departed friends again.

"Those people, like withered flowers wilting in the wind, scattered without a trace," he wondered, "could they ever be seen again?"

Putting aside the heavy feelings and no longer reminiscing, Chu Feng activated his Fiery Golden Eyes to explore the area thoroughly.

What was the point of talking extensively or showing sorrow? The road ahead was long, and he wanted to live and move forward. It was better to save his efforts for future action.

Chu Feng made no attempt to conceal his actions; golden beams of light shot from his eyes, illuminating the entire underground area. He was certainly looking for something deep beneath the earth, hoping that some things had been left behind by the people of that era.

The stone coffin vibrated, startling the Nine Netherworld Being. If its senses weren't mistaken, this was... the Fiery Golden Eyes?

This ability couldn't be activated simply by being powerful; it required special opportunities and other conditions to be mastered. It was considered an uncontrollable innate mystical art.

"Hmm, there's actually something?!" Chu Feng was stunned. After learning so much on the way, especially upon arriving here, he had already lost hope.

Not even a single tile was left behind. Even the mountain ranges had been moved. What could possibly remain in this barren, plundered land?

Yet now, Chu Feng sensed something unusual beneath the ruins of the Great Dream Pure Land—an extraordinary substance.

"Come on, second brother, let's go down and take a look." Chu Feng detached the stone coffin from the donkey cart and sank into the earth, descending deep underground.

The donkey spirit remained on the surface, keeping watch.

He descended very deeply this time, losing track of how many miles he had gone. The underground world was pitch black. Yet, he didn't encounter a single brick or anything at all.

He mused that even the soil here might have been taken away, and what remained must be later accumulations of wind-blown sand.

"No, that's wrong. I clearly sensed something unusual underground," he muttered, surprised. "Why am I not finding anything now?"

He continued to descend, his Fiery Golden Eyes open. Finally, he confirmed that at the extreme depths of the earth, there was a mass of black mist and dark, extremely cold ground.

When Chu Feng was still dozens of miles away, he stopped. The coldness permeated his bones, threatening to freeze him solid.

What kind of place was this?

Furthermore, he was confident that even without his Fiery Golden Eyes, other evolutionists would notice something if they descended deep enough.

Not to mention those peak powerhouses—how could they have overlooked this place?

If it was a land of creation, it wouldn't have been left for a latecomer like him.

"The Underworld!"

The Nine Netherworld Being provided the answer. It had been resurrected in another Underworld and struggled to escape, so it knew such terrifying places best.

"You go investigate," Chu Feng urged it.

"Kill me, and I still won't go!" the Nine Netherworld Being flatly refused. "What a joke; the Underworld wasn't a place anyone could just trespass into. Even a creature like itself, which had awakened from within, was wary of it, showing how dangerous it was."

"So you'll go if I don't kill you?" Chu Feng asked.

"What do you mean?"

Chu Feng replied, "My point is, you originally came from the Underworld. Help me explore and see if this place has any connection to the Great Dream Pure Land, and whether its destruction was related to the Underworld below. Plus, there might be great fortune down there; search carefully, and we can make a huge profit together. Otherwise, if you keep refusing, I'll just use a teleportation array to send you straight in."

The Nine Netherworld Being wore a constipated expression, filled with resentment inside the stone coffin, then gnashed its teeth. Being threatened by a mere kid, and being told they'd make a "huge profit," was truly vexing.

But ever since it became a "hearse," it was under someone else's roof, with no choice.

"I'll give you a hand." Chu Feng abruptly hurled the stone coffin deep underground.

Boom!

The earth shook and mountains swayed as the stone coffin rapidly drilled into the ground like a javelin. In a blink of an eye, it was nearing the Underworld.

The Nine Netherworld Being naturally screamed; this little bastard was too strong. If it were thrown directly inside, it would take who knew how many years to crawl out.

No one understood better than it how terrifying the Underworld was.

The stone coffin emitted large amounts of crimson blood mist, its speed rapidly slowed, and it eventually stopped outside a mass of black mist. Not far away, fierce ghosts howled, creating a ferocious and terrifying scene.

"This place is the Underworld," the Nine Netherworld Being shouted after finishing its investigation. "It's no different from the one beneath the Borderlands Gourd Sinkhole. Both are death traps."

In fact, Chu Feng had already hidden in the stone jar, worried about any unforeseen circumstances. He waited a moment before emerging and continuing his descent.

"Old Nine, you didn't even go inside. What right do you have to speak?" Chu Feng retorted. "It's absolutely abnormal for the Underworld to appear beneath the Great Dream Pure Land. Just go in and take a look."

The Nine Netherworld Being immediately grew anxious upon hearing this. "Damn you, you black-hearted brat," it retorted, "it's easy for you to talk when you're not in danger! What kind of place is this? Can you just waltz in?!"

"I'm not asking you to go deep," Chu Feng clarified. "Just find the entrance and see if there are any messages from predecessors. What if it's a great opportunity?"

"Opportunity, my ass!" the Nine Netherworld Being scoffed. "Unless someone who is dead beyond dead wants to be resurrected, no one would want to go near this place."

The Nine Netherworld Being grumbled. Listening to the howls of fierce ghosts and roars of demons nearby, it genuinely felt a bit spooked. After spending time in such a place, it would never consider returning.

Ultimately, it moved, searching through the black mist. It found a correct path leading to a vast Nine Netherworld region, a gruesome place filled with death qi where the soil oozed blood.

Most importantly, the area outside this Underworld was also very spacious, a cavern that could accommodate many people.

"Nothing," the Nine Netherworld Being grumbled. "I told you long ago, how could there be any opportunities in a place like this? It's a land of sorrow, a place of decay. Even a Heavenly Venerate would disintegrate in body and spirit if they stayed here long..."

As it spoke, the Nine Netherworld Being let out a shriek. It was like a mortal seeing a ghost in broad daylight, utterly horrified, retreating as if fleeing for its life.

A ball of light erupted there, dazzling and incredibly sacred. It was as if an immortal realm had opened and the heavens had appeared, illuminating the entire outer space of the Underworld.

"Who first awakens from the grand dream? Throughout my life, I have known myself."

In the Underworld, a mechanical voice resonated, devoid of emotion or any fluctuation of feeling, like a cold robot speaking with indifference.

The Nine Netherworld Being's stone coffin tumbled out, looking as if it had suffered an unimaginable blow. Large amounts of blood mist evaporated from the coffin, and it shrieked in terror.

"Dream soil, soul soil. Insufficient soul flesh carried," the mechanical voice resonated again.

"What was that?" Chu Feng observed from the shadows, utterly disbelieving. This was the Underworld; how could such sacred light appear here? No record, of any kind, had ever mentioned this.

"Impossible, what is this place?!" the Nine Netherworld Being also shrieked.

At this moment, Chu Feng saw tiny specks of light ignite on the stone coffin. They were like eternal stars, seemingly capable of illuminating the entire universe, and though minuscule, they were incredibly dazzling and blinding at this moment.

"Wait, are you talking about soul flesh? It's actually that stuff?!" The Nine Netherworld Being trembled in mind and spirit, utterly unable to believe it.

"Soul flesh is required to activate," the mechanical voice echoed, emanating from the blinding light.

Chu Feng stared at the stone coffin. In an instant, he knew what the so-called soul flesh was, and a monstrous wave of shock surged through his heart. The things he had unknowingly collected were actually an ultimate creation substance?!