Chapter 1316: Back Turned to All Beings

The ancient black giant beast was ravaged by illness, its fundamental existence deeply wounded. Otherwise, with its power in its prime, it would not have to struggle simply to survive each day. Old tears rolled from its dim, lifeless eyes. Its words were heavy with sorrow and melancholy, for their era had passed. Even powerful figures like the first generation's 'Golden Group' had withered and dispersed.

“I am willing to die and never reappear for eternity, if only you can be saved!” it swore, its voice deep and full of emotion. Its cloudy old eyes looked skyward, recalling their era and their glory.

On the altar, the black 'Three Lives Medicine' blurred once more, poised to be teleported to the desolate world where the black giant beast resided.

“It’s here. I hope this time it’s real, the herb that can save Emperor Ming!” the black giant beast murmured, its voice low. It hunched its trembling body, uncertain, fearing another futile attempt that would leave only despair and regret.

In that desolate world, blood was everywhere. Much of it had long since dried, but some parts remained fresh and red, or eerily black, or shimmered with other hazy halos—all the blood of unfathomable powerhouses.

The Three Lives Medicine vanished from the altar, but it did not teleport to its intended world. Instead, it landed midway, amidst a desolate and broken star graveyard. That area was filled with stellar remains, a shattered starry sky enveloped in a deathly aura.

“Repair the altar, then continue the transmission,” the black giant beast commanded, annoyed and urgent.

In that area, amidst walking corpses and even more dilapidated altars, one was quickly set up, and the Three Lives Medicine was placed upon it once more.

The black giant beast stared intently at the Three Lives Medicine. Even from a great distance, it meticulously identified it, trembling with excitement. It painstakingly extended a massive claw, as if wanting to immediately seize it.

Its body began to shrink as it let out a long howl towards the sky, unable to conceal its excitement, though sorrow mingled with it. To think they had fallen to such a state where survival was so difficult, a daily race against death.

“This life, I will save you!” Its words were firm; it was ready to die. It would extend the life of the man lying on the great bell, for the Heavenly Emperor’s soul-light had scattered long ago. Now, it would burn its own true soul to refine the last remnants of his aura from years past and reassemble his destiny.

As it shrank, a broken medicinal furnace with a chipped opening was already prepared, filled with various precious auxiliary ingredients. If anyone were to know its contents, they would be astounded!

For the furnace contained herbs mentioned only in ancient legends, minerals so rare that no second sample could be found anywhere in the world, and top-tier exotic treasures from various foreign lands.

Every substance in this medicinal furnace was a peerless treasure. It could be said to encompass rare materials from all heavens and realms, seldom seen throughout history.

Aside from the Three Lives Medicine, just this single batch of auxiliary ingredients had been prepared by the black giant beast over endless eons. Its value was astonishing; it would probably be impossible to gather such a furnace of medicine again, neither in heaven nor on earth.

The black giant beast had already begun preparations for refining the medicine, only lacking the Three Lives Medicine as the main ingredient.

In the dense fog, Chu Feng watched eagerly, staring at the collapsed world behind the scavenger. He already knew it was merely a projection, and the true black giant beast was far away.

Chu Feng knew that once the chopstick-length black wooden spear was teleported, it would be boiled into medicinal porridge and cease to exist. He felt conflicted and pained. To him, it was a powerful weapon, capable of saving his life, but now it had been taken to be refined into medicine.

“By the way, what’s the background of the person who provided the herb?” Just as it was about to begin refining, the black giant beast suddenly spoke.

It seemed to sense something, abruptly raising its head and projecting its gaze towards Chu Feng. At this moment, Chu Feng was not facing it directly, showing only half of his profile.

“Eh, you are… why do you look like this?!” When the black giant beast saw his profile, it let out a strange cry of surprise, as if wanting to extend its massive claw and snatch Chu Feng away. However, it was separated by countless miles of space-time, and so injured and ill that it was nearing death. Ultimately, it failed to project its full form, only making grasping motions through the void.

“Am I truly running out of time, my old eyes failing me, seeing him so strangely? You… what’s your name? Turn your head and let me see your true form.” The black giant beast urged.

Chu Feng, currently in the guise of Cao De, had not revealed his true appearance. A shiver ran through him when he heard this. The other party was too perceptive; could it perceive part of his true form? He immediately smeared a handful of ‘Reincarnation Soil’ on his face, fearing he might fall victim to a spell. Some ancient methods and secret techniques for controlling subordinates could take effect with just a name or blood, and he genuinely feared being unknowingly controlled. By all accounts, this black giant beast was truly extraordinary.

Boom! Suddenly, the dense fog exploded, and the three battlefields trembled. Chu Feng’s area shook violently, as the evening glow reappeared, along with eerie stars inverted in the sky. Chu Feng was startled. Had the black giant beast attacked, or was it the scavenger?

He retreated, but now, having lost the black wooden spear, he found it difficult to resist. Hmm? No, that’s not right! In an instant, he realized that the void was cracking open, and an inexplicable passage appeared. It was like a projection, very faint, but it was descending. It wasn't the black giant beast's doing, but someone else's!

Why did it feel somewhat familiar? He sensed a special resonance. Chu Feng’s heart trembled. In an instant, he knew what it was: a path related to reincarnation! The next moment, he decisively scraped off the Reincarnation Soil from his face, put it into the stone jar, his body crackling, and continuously retreated into the dense fog. Was it truly a path of reincarnation?! It was about to fully appear and descend upon this place!

Chu Feng felt extreme danger. He continuously retreated, submerging himself deep into the dense fog, disregarding everything else, and sinking underground. The scavenger did not follow him.

Chu Feng wanted to use field techniques to escape. He no longer thought much about the black wooden spear or the black giant beast; he believed a great storm was approaching, the retribution of the reincarnation hunters. Unfortunately, he failed. He had only escaped a few tens of miles underground when he was blocked; this area, both above and below ground, emitted a hazy glow.

Chu Feng frowned. These were incomplete golden symbols, sealing this place. They looked similar to the characters within the massive, rough stone grinding disk in the 'Dead Light Darkness.' However, what he saw before him was damaged and incomplete; only a few golden symbols sealed this place. He could sense that golden light was pouring down from the heavens, illuminating all directions, locking down both heaven and earth, incredibly overbearing.

The sky grew increasingly brilliant; the incomplete golden symbols blossomed, and the path became less blurred, more clearly visible, about to descend here. “It’s coming out!” Chu Feng felt a chill. He immediately entered the stone jar, hiding himself, worried that a world-shattering battle was imminent and everything might be shattered.

However, soon, he piloted the stone jar, rushed into a large tent, and took the unconscious Yu Shang away, once again lying low.

Moments later, a clear ancient path descended. It was very similar to the path of reincarnation Chu Feng had walked, but definitely not the same one; it was quiet and deathly.

Those incomplete golden symbols flickered in and out of sight, which surprised Chu Feng. It seemed the other party, though not possessing the complete set, had comprehended many secrets. This made him determined to fully understand them later, as he possessed the complete golden symbols!

“Throughout ancient and modern times, who dares insult reincarnation, who dares destroy the hunters we dispatched?” A calm voice echoed across the three battlefields, making everyone fearful.

The scavenger looked up, and from the collapsed world behind him, the black giant beast’s roar echoed even louder. It was urging to quickly teleport the Three Lives Medicine, fearing an accident.

“Do you not wish to come and apologize?” The voice spoke again, not revealing its true form, only appearing as a mass of mist. However, around it, a team of reincarnation hunters appeared.

“Apologize? You dare ask us to apologize?!” The black giant beast roared, seemingly enraged. Even though it was extremely urgent and wished to immediately retrieve the Three Lives Medicine, it still responded, buying time. If it were by itself, it would not fear the beings on the path of reincarnation.

If it weren't for its physical infirmity, it would have long since attacked. Because this kind of questioning, this descent, and condescending gaze was an insult to the 'Golden Generation Group' of yesteryear. Even the person behind reincarnation could not do this!

Chu Feng’s heart trembled violently. This was the first time he had seen a player on the path of reincarnation, a creature of that level. It was hard to imagine their strength, yet the black giant beast dared to challenge them without fear.

“No one is an exception. Who in this world does not go through reincarnation? What’s wrong with asking you to apologize?” The figure in the mist on the ancient path spoke indifferently and calmly, looking down below. Through the mist, a pair of emotionless blue eyes were revealed.

“Reincarnation? It’s not as if we haven’t fought our way in before. I admit, the waters there are deep. True reincarnation existed even before the Emperor Fall era; perhaps you don’t even know as much as we do. You dare ask us to apologize?”

The black giant beast spoke, its tone transcendent, yet it also seemed to calm down.

“You care deeply about that small black wooden spear, are you stalling for time?” On the ancient path, the being in the mist spoke, its voice becoming cold and sharp, its blue pupils somewhat frightening.

Because its spiritual perception was too keen, it realized that the black giant beast, proud and with extremely deep origins, originally disdainful of all things, was now deliberately talking more, caring only about the black wooden spear.

The black giant beast ignored him. It quickly acted, extending a massive claw and projecting it forward, attempting to directly snatch the Three Lives Medicine.

However, it was too tired, struggling to live each day. In the past, the great paths of all heavens fell simultaneously, injuring its foundation. It was now too ancient and somewhat powerless. This attempt failed, but it consumed too much of its strength.

With a cold snort, on the ancient path, the figure in the mist erupted with immeasurable light, and the ancient path extended forward, surging into the collapsed world. The scavenger could not stop it!

The ancient path unrolled, boundless and endless. That being, with a group of reincarnation hunters, rushed into the broken star graveyard, grabbing at the Three Lives Medicine.

“You dare!” the black giant beast roared, its body swaying and unsteady. But it still did its utmost, terrifying beams of light shooting from its cloudy old eyes, seizing the Three Lives Medicine across countless miles of sky.

The Three Lives Medicine flew towards it. However, midway, it stopped among the void star remains as the ancient path glowed, golden symbols blooming, trying to lock down the Three Lives Medicine. In the mist, that person stood on the ancient path, attempting to snatch the black wooden spear.

“Touch reincarnation, and the outcome is always tragic,” he spoke calmly.

“If the being behind the most ancient reincarnation said such words to me, I might hesitate. But you dare to disrespect us like this!” the black giant beast roared.

In truth, it was powerless and felt desolate. It was indeed old and frail; this era was no longer its glorious prime, and its own survival was a major problem.

“Is there anything special about you? Heh!” the figure on the ancient path said indifferently.

“You don’t understand because you are ignorant and not qualified enough,” the black giant beast said, its voice low and somewhat mournful. “In our time, we even killed Celestial Immortals, bathed in the blood of beings from that world. Your ancestors and countless others probably only had descendants because of our protection!” It had fallen to this state, unable to fight, too decayed.

In the past, why would it need to say so much? It would simply act!

However, to revive the man lying on the broken bell, it did not hesitate to keep talking, even listing some of its past achievements. It felt pathetic and anxious, worried about unforeseen changes, fearing that the man on the broken bell might miss this chance of resurrection.

“Heh, how would you understand the Heavens? Even up there, one cannot disrespect reincarnation,” the man on the ancient path said. He clearly realized that the small black wooden spear was very important to the giant beast, and he went all out to snatch it.

The ancient path glowed, extending forward. He stood above it, continuously approaching the Three Lives Medicine, poised to snatch it away.

“You dare insult us? Though I am old, not the me of yesteryear, not the me who slew Celestial Immortals, if you dare to seize my great medicine, I can still send you to your death!” the black giant beast roared. Originally, it had wanted to preserve a trace of strength to refine the medicine, to burn its true soul to revive the man lying on the great bell, even if there was only a slim chance.

But now, even the Three Lives Medicine, the main ingredient, was about to be lost. How could it endure this? It suddenly erupted.

Accompanied by a beastly roar, a massive black claw, extending over countless miles, slammed towards the ancient path. It was truly terrifying, unprecedented!

“I insist on taking it. Let’s see what you, an old fellow with dried blood and a body about to decay into dust, can do to me!” the being on the path of reincarnation sneered, erupting with dazzling golden light as the ancient path extended, crashing forward.

However, at this very moment, in the deepest part of the collapsed world, the man lying on the broken bell trembled slightly. He was still facing away from all beings, but his hair gently lifted.

“You… are you back? Are you alive?!” Seeing this, the black giant beast cried out in excitement, old tears rolling down. However, it soon realized that it wasn't the man who had revived, but the broken bell that was trembling, causing the man lying upon it to stir.

A wave of bell sound blasted out, too brilliant, too fierce, illuminating ancient and modern times, and the future!

The black giant beast shed tears, its old eyes cloudy. It hated itself for having decayed to this point, devoid of power; at this critical moment, it was the man’s broken bell ringing on its own.

This was utterly terrifying. With a boom, anything in its path would explode, including the path of reincarnation!

At this moment, all heavens roared and trembled. All living beings in the world shivered, wanting to kneel, and for some unknown reason, felt a sense of sorrow.

The black giant beast murmured with a sob: “You turned your back on all beings because you fought on the front lines your entire life, facing the most powerful and invincible enemies. Behind you was the pure land, while before you, the heavens burned, broken paths were filled with blood, and boundless murderous calamities stretched endlessly. Behind you, all souls found eternal peace. This is you, with your back to all beings!”

The black giant beast trembled and shed tears. It knew that after this bell sound, it wouldn't need to exhaust its last bit of strength to act.

On this day, all living beings, both in heaven and on earth, heard this bell sound.

Extremely ancient beings were awakened, their voices trembling as they said: “That person, his bell has rung once more!”

Even the First Mountain, and individuals like Number Nine, were shocked.