Chapter 1077: Gray Area

At night, the city was ablaze with lights as Chu Feng drove his donkey cart through, heading towards the ends of the earth without stopping.

He recited a verse: "The east wind at night set off a thousand trees of flowers, the wind blew them down, and stars fell like rain, a precious donkey and a spirit carriage filled the road with fragrance."

He recited as he embarked on his journey through the night.

The demon donkey was speechless.

Jiu You let out an inarticulate sound, wishing it could overturn the donkey cart!

Along the way, Chu Feng repeatedly questioned him, but Jiu You only sighed, explaining that his elder brother, in a fit of rage for a beauty, was preparing to attack the Great Underworld, but an accident occurred before he could depart.

It was unwilling to disclose anything further.

"Let me tell you this," Jiu You said. "Although it's widely believed my elder brother is dead, deep down, I still don't believe it. I don't think he should have ended like that!"

Inadvertently, Jiu You revealed extraordinary information, the implications of which, if fully explored, could unleash a catastrophic storm upon the Yang Realm.

Attacking the Great Underworld, an accident, possibly not dead—these keywords, when linked together, subtly wove a tapestry of conspiracy, or perhaps a unique predicament.

Seated in the donkey cart, Chu Feng said, "I also think your elder brother isn't dead."

"Why?" Jiu You asked, surprised.

"It's commonly said that good people don't live long, but scoundrels live forever. Someone as deranged and prone to underhanded tactics as your elder brother couldn't possibly be easily killed; he'd have to live for at least several 'eternities' to match his true nature."

"I feel your words are so unpleasant; you should just shut up!" Jiu You retorted.

Chu Feng let out a dry laugh and urged, "Don't be like that. Tell me more about your elder brother. I always feel I have a connection with him."

Jiu You scoffed dismissively from within the coffin. "What kind of connection? Separated by eternities, who would he know you are? Someone like you isn't even as powerful as the grandson of his opponent's grandson from back then."

"You old geezer, only ill words can come from your mouth!" Chu Feng retorted, driving the donkey cart across Qingzhou's land in the dead of night, speeding into the distance.

Suddenly, Chu Feng bared a set of snow-white teeth in the darkness, his smile eerie. What was most terrifying was the bone-chilling coldness that emanated from him.

In an instant, the stone coffin seemed to freeze solid. Jiu You was utterly shocked; such an aura could never be emitted by a child, and it made its heart pound with dread!

At that moment, Chu Feng's smile turned eerie, his eyes deepening as he gazed down at the stone coffin. "Second brother," he said, "don't you feel that I've returned? Right by your side!"

With a thud, a collision and a muffled groan echoed from within the stone coffin. Jiu You was considerably startled, its head having slammed firmly against the Celestial Gold Stone lid. A bone-chilling coldness welled up within its very core.

The sudden fright also caused it pain, making it grimace. "Little thief," it exclaimed, "don't you know that humans can scare even ghosts to death?"

Chu Feng then spoke softly, "Second brother, it seems you've truly forgotten me. But you should be able to feel my aura. Don't you find my style strikingly similar to that of the prehistoric era?"

In the dead of night, a surge of sinister Yin energy emanated from Chu Feng’s body, enveloping the entire stone coffin and causing the temperature to plummet instantly.

Inside the stone coffin, Jiu You was stunned, its very soul turning icy cold. What kind of experience was this? It had come alive from a corpse, regarded by some evolvers as a malevolent ghost, yet now, its soul-light trembled uncontrollably, and it felt a profound sense of unease.

An inexplicable chill was invading it!

At the same time, upon closer consideration, this "little thief's" demeanor truly resembled that of his elder brother; neither of them seemed like benevolent individuals, nor did they look like good people.

Chu Feng's body emanated a black mist, his entire being chilling as if from the underworld, his eyes hollow. He exuded a powerful, unsettling aura, strongly hinting at reincarnation.

"Second brother, I'm right by your side. Don't you feel that for all these years, there's always been a pair of hollow eyes constantly watching you from behind? That's me."

Such a cold and terrifying aura was completely unlike what he knew!

The intense and potent scent of reincarnation made Jiu You utterly disbelieve his senses. Could it truly be... his elder brother? It felt as if a soul was returning to life through a borrowed corpse!

Or perhaps, his elder brother was hidden deep within this child's soul, now awakened and communicating with him.

"You... are you really my elder brother? Could you please stop being so terrifying?" Jiu You's voice dropped to a whisper, filled with doubt and a hint of belief, reasoning that Ji Dade, under normal circumstances, could not possibly exude such an intimidating aura.

"Second brother, I cannot fully revive from this physical body yet, nor can I communicate with you for long. I need to recuperate deep within his heart. But you must know, this physical body is mine. Now I give you a task: help me properly regulate this body."

Jiu You fell silent for a moment, unable to utter a word.

After a moment, it finally erupted in rage. "You little bastard," it exclaimed, "you dared to try and deceive me! Who are you trying to scare?!"

A thunderous boom followed!

Darkness enveloped the land, spreading from Chu Feng's body. An overwhelming Yin mist surged forth, and the terrifying aura it exuded was many times more horrific than the Yin mist and blood-light that had originally emerged from the stone coffin.

"Second brother!" Chu Feng's voice was exceptionally stern.

Jiu You was momentarily dazed, then his demeanor instantly shifted a full 180 degrees. "Elder brother," he asked, "do you wish for me to impart your previous life's breathing technique to this new physical body, and then retrieve the good fortunes we buried in famous mountains and great rivers to cultivate this vessel?"

"You know it well!" the small body on the stone coffin affirmed with a nod, its eyes hollow and terrifying.

"Oh, you brat, I'll kill you!" Jiu You was furious, having realized his trick. "Are you addicted to playing the ghost? I've figured out what you want! Did you truly believe that dense Yin energy and a strong reincarnation aura would subdue me? I've detected it; everything originated from the armor on your body, diffused from the soul flesh!"

Chu Feng returned to his normal state, realizing his spontaneous attempt to deceive Jiu You had, without a doubt, failed.

He had only recently discovered the wondrous properties of the Reincarnation Earth, which contained six terrifying auras that could be activated, including the Yin mist.

Chu Feng wondered if this was truly the accumulated soil formed from the souls of unimaginably powerful evolvers.

"You old fellow, you're really difficult to deceive," Chu Feng remarked, disappointed.

Upon hearing Chu Feng's precise words, Jiu You felt a pang of guilt. Not long before, it truly had been suppressed, only suspecting at the last moment that the overwhelming aura and Yin mist were merely emanations from the soul-flesh and a human's aura.

For the rest of the journey, Jiu You continuously cursed, desperately wanting to drag the "little thief" into the coffin, devour his vital essence, and teach him a lesson in manners.

"Aren't you going into seclusion?" Jiu You questioned. "What exactly do you hope to achieve by rushing along all night, crashing around like this?"

"I want to understand Qingzhou," Chu Feng stated, his expression serious. "I'm currently 'measuring' this land. I want to know the relationship between Taiwu, the master of this territory, and the Martial Lunatic."

This was because he noticed that the terrifying fist imprints the Martial Lunatic displayed when making a move on the Dream Ancient Path bore a resemblance to the Millstone Fist technique of the Taiwu lineage.

Jiu You nodded, acknowledging that the Martial Lunatic was indeed a figure worth investigating. It also expressed a desire to know if he was still alive and present in the world.

Unfortunately, for several days, Chu Feng investigated extensively, bypassing smaller cities to search within top-tier mega-cities, yet he could not unearth any information about the "Martial Lunatic."

He refrained from blatant snooping, instead conducting his inquiries subtly and carefully erasing any traces of his presence.

This was Qingzhou, Taiwu's domain. If the matter truly concerned the Martial Lunatic, any overt investigation by Chu Feng would be tantamount to seeking death.

Jiu You's expression turned solemn. "Forget it," it advised Chu Feng, "it's useless for you to search like this. The Martial Lunatic is an incredibly ancient being, from an era whose records are likely long faded in history. Given his immense power and fearsome nature, if he were still alive, such open inquiry could easily bring about a great disaster."

Jiu You decided to leverage its own connections for the investigation.

Chu Feng, upon hearing this, was somewhat incredulous. How could this ancient being, who had been dead for countless years since the prehistoric era, still possess any connections?

Jiu You explained that nearly everyone it had known was likely long dead, but some "gray areas" it was familiar with might still be preserved. Those places, it assured, would allow for a safe exchange of information without any incidents.

Chu Feng was deeply impressed, asking what kind of individuals had established such gray transaction zones, setting rules that no one dared to break.

Jiu You replied that no matter how powerful one became, it was always wise to maintain a degree of reverence for the world. All evolvers would eventually perish, but some organizations, he noted, had never decayed and had endured since antiquity.

Following Jiu You's guidance, Chu Feng drove the donkey cart into a renowned mass grave area in Qingzhou, a desolate, barren land that had been considered a Yin-laden place since ancient times.

It was originally an ancient battlefield that later transformed into a vast cemetery, which, over countless years, led to such a pervasive accumulation of Yin energy that even the midday sun could not penetrate its gloom.

However, Jiu You was disappointed. Although they successfully opened a secret realm by traversing the mass grave area, revealing a dim, secluded space, it was utterly empty, silent, and filled with the aura of death, containing nothing at all.

Jiu You wondered what had happened, noting that the place had been abandoned despite having survived an "evolutionary branch path selection" without being destroyed, consistently thriving until now. It questioned who could have cleared it out.

Jiu You's expression was grim, as it knew the bloody history behind this place, involving extremely high-level battles. This gray transaction zone had originally belonged to a terrifying organization.

At Jiu You's suggestion, Chu Feng left Qingzhou directly and entered Shangzhou, venturing once more into a desolate, uninhabited area of reddish, barren land.

Unfortunately, upon arriving and opening a particular secret realm there, they found it also empty and lifeless.

"Times have changed," Jiu You sighed, remarking that it was appalling that someone dared to act against such organizations.

It unhesitatingly suggested they leave Shangzhou and proceed to another state.

Following that, they entered Wuzhou!

As the donkey cart slowly entered a picturesque mountainous region, Chu Feng felt a majestic pressure and a vast, divine aura. This was a renowned mountain range.

Generally, such places should not be entered lightly, as strange occurrences often lurked beneath renowned mountains!

Jiu You, however, showed a flicker of joy, stating that the gray transaction zone in this area should still be active. It was unexpected that this place had been preserved. "Little thief," he announced to Chu Feng, "I'll take you to witness the 'Ascension Assembly'! This location is truly extraordinary!"