Chapter 1356: One Day I Will Return

The stone tablet was broken and weathered by time, clearly having stood for eons. It bore the marks of lightning, gashes from heavy weapon strikes, and the accumulated patterns of ages.

Most importantly, faint fragments of profound principles emanated from it, testament to its immense age, having witnessed the evolution of heaven and earth, and the destruction and rebirth of countless great realms.

Chu Feng paid no attention to these details; instead, he meticulously studied the inscriptions on the tablet.

Gradually, he got a feel for it. The Great Dao was profoundly simple; for beings of that level, anything they inscribed could endure for ten thousand generations. Their very script was a form of the Dao itself, capable of revealing its true meaning across different eras and diverse evolutionary civilizations. It was nothing less than a supreme scripture. Each powerful stroke and inscription revealed an unfathomable Dao to future generations, as if a supreme truth was descending.

"There is no true reincarnation..."

Chu Feng's heart sank upon reading this. Even that person said so; was this the ultimate truth? He continued reading, finding more text and profound symbols. He didn't know which era they were from, but they had endured through time. Chu Feng meticulously observed and deciphered them.

Whether reincarnation existed in the world was something that person had once pursued. In the end, he became aware and discovered a dilapidated Path of Reincarnation. Although he utilized it, he found it wasn't a natural cycle. It had been created by ancient beings, abandoned for countless years in disrepair, and then he unearthed it.

Upon seeing this, a chill ran down Chu Feng's spine. This reincarnation was shaped by beings, not naturally occurring, not a rule of heaven and earth?!

In an instant, he understood why that person had felt so disheartened in the end, their figure appearing so desolate. Perhaps they had discovered something amiss later on. Did this so-called reincarnation have flaws? Were resurrected individuals merely copies with identical memories?

There were still more characters, but unfortunately, the stone tablet was damaged, and the text below was incomplete. Chu Feng found it difficult to discern, and even as a Great God King, he couldn't fully comprehend the profound mysteries of that person's incomplete Dao or the supreme script of that era. It was a great pity. He truly wanted to know what that person had left behind, what explanations there might be, and where they ultimately went, sitting alone in the bronze coffin.

However, Chu Feng persevered, contemplating extensively, and finally managed to decipher a few words from the damaged section: "natural reincarnation!" Did the mention of this term signify a new discovery, or yet another doubt? Chu Feng's heart was filled with awe and boundless contemplation.

What sent shivers down his spine most was the question of what kind of being had created that man-made reincarnation. It had, notably, continued to exist until today. Since its excavation, it seemed to have resumed operation on a small scale, serving some special purpose.

After deep thought, Chu Feng found this matter somewhat terrifying. That supreme expert, who severed eternity with a single sword, was unparalleled, unmatched throughout ancient and modern times. Yet, before him, someone had actually devised such a Path of Reincarnation. What era was that, and how incredibly powerful must they have been? Although the text suggested the person who departed in the bronze coffin was fearless, Chu Feng couldn't shake the feeling that if that person had an enemy, it would likely originate from the creator of the Path of Reincarnation.

"They must have all discovered something?" Chu Feng muttered to himself. Number Nine and the Big Black Dog had hinted at this, saying they came to the end of the Soul River because of a discovery. However, the one who severed ancient and modern times with a single sword seemed to have encountered an unexpected event, departing in a hurry without thoroughly exploring the Soul River. Subsequent Celestial Emperors, on the other hand, were negligent and careless. They clearly fought their way here, sensing anomalies, yet failed to discover the final checkpoint. Ultimately, they too departed.

The Sea of Thunder exploded, the Soul River roared, the great mist dissipated, and sand and stones flew. Here, everything was dust formed from souls; the swirling river and gravel were remarkably peculiar. At this moment, Chu Feng seemed to hear the cries of countless beings across myriad heavens and realms, as if he saw everything, above and below, past, present, and future, stained red with blood.

The broken stone tablet vibrated, struck by lightning. The sand and gravel beneath it diminished, revealing another part of the monument. There was actually a final line of text there, and it was relatively clear. Chu Feng distinctly made it out.

"One day, I will return and reappear in the world!"

Such a statement! Where did he go? What kind of decision was this? As Number Nine had said, that person was peerless, his brilliance covering all of history! Wherever he went, he was the most dazzling and invincible. Yet, in the end, he vanished completely, unseen by anyone above or below the heavens. But here, there was his message, his words. He seemed to know that from then on, there would be no trace of him in the world, and nothing about him would remain in the vast expanse.

Chu Feng's heart pounded. Could that person have died? Why did that person speak in such a way? Upon careful reflection, it carried an ominous undertone. It was as if he had been forced to make a certain choice. However, it also seemed to leave a glimmer of hope, as if awaiting rebirth, that he would one day be resurrected and ultimately return!

Of course, this was just the worst possibility. Another was that the person had gone to a special place, the path too distant and difficult to reach, requiring an immense amount of time. Or perhaps the journey was too perilous, and he didn't know when or if it would ever end. Considering that the entire tablet spoke of reincarnation, and the middle section mentioned "natural reincarnation," did he make a discovery and decide to investigate it himself, or even attempt it?!

Chu Feng reread the inscriptions, finally discerning another terrifying character: "enemy!" Chu Feng's pupils contracted. A vague guess and association formed in his mind: had that person discovered traces of an enemy and gone to pursue them, or to challenge the ultimate foe? He shook his head, feeling overwhelmed. He was far from that level now, and there was no way he could decipher more from those fragmented characters. Moreover, for a being at his current level, dwelling on it too much was useless.

When he regained his composure, he was startled to find moisture on his hand. It was seeping from the stone jar. "This is the Sea of Reincarnation?!" He was quite astonished.

After the Sea of Reincarnation was absorbed by the stone jar, it formed patterns like pooling water. Now slightly faded and more primitive, having become mere markings, it had now been refined to produce some special liquid. Chu Feng was certain this was different from the Sea of Reincarnation itself; it resembled a special kind of water. "Primordial Creation Water?!" Chu Feng suddenly suspected it was very much like the legendary Primordial Creation Water that existed before the separation of heaven and earth, scarce even then and unobtainable in later ages. He hadn't expected such a substance to be present in the so-called Sea of Reincarnation, now refined out in small amounts!

Chu Feng gritted his teeth and attempted to absorb and refine it. He intended to cultivate the Seven Treasures Mystic Art, and if this was Primordial Creation Water, it would undoubtedly be the most potent water-attribute treasure, immensely useful to him. In the past, cultivators of the Seven Treasures Mystic Art had never gathered such luxurious heavenly treasures. Moreover, every rare substance Chu Feng had previously collected was ancient and unique, nearly impossible to find again. He felt that the Seven Treasures Mystic Art, cultivated in this manner, should be able to withstand the Martial Lunatic's invincible Time Art, which ranked among the top three.

"Hmm?!" Suddenly, Chu Feng was startled. The stone jar rumbled, emitting clear chanting, unlike the indistinct sounds heard earlier when resisting the pressure by the Soul River. Now, it was a different sound of the Great Dao! And incredibly, he understood it. This was a... scripture?! His heart pounded with immense joy and excitement. He listened carefully, determined to remember everything, feeling that it held immense significance.