Chapter 1366: The Bloody Flourishing Age

A chill flowed through Chu Feng's bones. Was everything he was seeing real?

The gates of the underworld wide open, ghosts coming out for a breath of fresh air? This was absolutely preposterous!

How could this be?

He was an evolver, and he had seen countless souls, but they were merely energy, destined to dissipate naturally after prolonged separation from the body, like rootless duckweed.

But now someone was telling him that the final resting place for all spirits was a prison, and that ghosts from multiple epochs ago were still being held captive. This simply didn't make sense!

Who was behind all of this?

"I'm drunk!" Chu Feng shook his head vigorously, hardly believing it. He had walked the path of reincarnation before, even to its very end, and had never seen a prison.

In his view, this path was more like a mechanical instrument, repeating the same task day after day: formatting all soul light.

He knew that some people carried talismans and were reincarnated with their memories.

At the same time, he had personally witnessed vast, immense quantities of soul light being cast into an abyss, its destination unknown. Did they truly undergo reincarnation?

Sometimes he even suspected that the beings who plunged into that black abyss didn't gain new life, but truly died, their soul light extinguished forever!

He even wondered if that colossal amount of soul light had become special nourishment, providing energy for some creature or "machine"?!

The waters were too deep, and every time he thought about it, a chill ran down his spine.

Now, hearing the claims of this ghost, who boasted of having reigned supreme for ten generations, Chu Feng again wondered: could that black abyss be where all ghosts from ancient times were imprisoned?

If so, then... that would be truly terrifying!

"Why are you always staring at my face?!" Chu Feng looked up and asked.

The young man carried himself with composure and dignity. He possessed an aura of majesty without needing to express anger, a kingly presence with a hint of intimidating charisma.

He also seemed transcendent, giving the impression of being detached from the mortal world, and ever since they met, he had been staring at Chu Feng.

"Your face is terrifying!"

Chu Feng never expected the man to say such a thing.

Indignant, he retorted, "Have you been imprisoned for so long that you've misunderstood something, confusing handsomeness with terror? Look closely at this face again; it's enough to make even heavenly fairies swoon!"

The young man looked at him and said, "Your face is streaked with bloodstains, etched with horrifying information, and bears strange marks."

A cold shiver ran down Chu Feng's spine. He instinctively stepped back a few paces and said, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

The youth, who claimed to have been king for ten generations, said, "You can't see it yourself, but I perceive it—faint traces conveying some vital information. Where are you from, and what is your name?!"

Chu Feng flicked his sleeve, and a crystal-clear mirror appeared in the air, reflecting his face.

Golden symbols flickered in his eyes, incredibly intimidating, pulsing with brilliant energy like burning flames as he stared at the mirror.

However, he saw nothing unusual. It was still his own face, with no so-called bloodstains or tears, but rather a handsome and remarkably distinguished countenance.

"Who are you trying to fool? It's still Chu Ultimate, the one who makes even true immortal maidens from beyond the realms swoon!"

"Haha, I must have been mistaken. Forget it. By the way, what should I call you?" the youth chuckled.

Chu Feng said, "Do you think I look familiar, so you first tried to intimidate me and make me confused, when in reality you mainly want to know who I am?"

The youth smiled and then sighed, gazing at the distant mountains and rivers in the deep night. He said, "At this moment, since you can see me, you can naturally also see a part of this world's truth. Look at those dim mountains and rivers, the desolate land stretching for hundreds of millions of miles, blood waterfalls cascading, the new moon veiled in dust, and smoke billowing everywhere. It's truly heartbreaking."

Chu Feng turned his head, looking again at the distant land. The endless mountain ranges were draped in blood, the ground was scorched black, lingering fires burned, and pools of blood had not yet dried.

He seriously doubted he was truly drunk; otherwise, how could this be? This was completely unlike the Yang Realm he knew and had experienced!

Was this the other side of the Yang Realm?

Was this the true world?

"Mountains and rivers are shattered; who can prevent it, who can do anything? In the bleeding myriad heavens and realms, who controls destiny? Amidst mountains and rivers filled with endless corpses, everywhere are old memories."

The youth sighed, lost in recollection. His heart was heavy, as if something was lost, mourning and commemorating the past, but all was in vain.

His past years, his passion and fervor, had all been spent. Too many people had died. He had once stood proudly at the peak, dominating the rise and fall and struggles of a grand era; otherwise, how could he have reigned supreme for ten generations, king of all under heaven?

Chu Feng did feel a bit unnerved. His Fiery Golden Eyes operated at their peak, revealing vast expanses of golden symbols. Looking down upon the mountains, rivers, and all things, the scene had indeed transformed drastically!

Why didn't he see this normally? Were the mountains and rivers half-hidden?

Or rather, were these bleeding mountains and rivers, this scorched earth stretching for hundreds of millions of miles, somehow inexplicably ignored?

Chu Feng realized that the prosperous great world of the Yang Realm coexisted with these bleeding, broken mountains and rivers, like a black-and-white photograph, giving him a sense of being in a different era, a dream of prehistoric times.

On the land at this moment, desolation and prosperity intertwined, creating an incredibly bizarre sensation!

"Why can't I see this normally?" Chu Feng shook his head vigorously. He truly felt he might be drunk. What was this situation?

He gazed intently once more. This world truly resembled an old black-and-white photograph. Additionally, visible electromagnetic light continuously streaked across, blue smoke rose from the scorched earth, and remnants of blood and fire stained the landscape.

Upon the ruins, new cities of the current era stood tall.

"Normally, in my sobriety, I see prosperity, but now, in my drunken haze, I hear the echoes of decline and weeping blood. This is truly a blood-stained dreamland."

Chu Feng felt a pang in his heart and couldn't help but sigh softly.

The youth remained silent. He gazed at this land, these mountains and rivers where he had once proudly soared, the world he had once looked down upon with disdain, but now all had turned to naught.

The glory of his era was ineffable, indescribable. To this day, he could only watch in silence; even his old memories were fragmented, impossible to fully recall.

"Tell me, who exactly are you? What is your origin, and what was your era like? These mountains and rivers are abnormal, the sun and moon have fallen—what happened?"

Chu Feng asked earnestly; he truly wanted to understand.

Why did he normally not see this other part of the world's truth, yet tonight he actually saw another side of its brutal reality?

Was he drunk, and all this illusory? Or did the usual superficiality blind his eyes, preventing him from seeing the truth and essence of the Yang Realm?

He even momentarily wondered if this was the Great Yang Realm or the Great Yin Realm?!

Instead of saying he entered the Yang Realm from his homeland, perhaps he had actually arrived in the Great Yin Realm? And everyone simply mistook themselves for people of the Yang Realm?!

For a moment, many thoughts flooded his mind, all filled with doubt.

"Who I am, my name, is not important. Though I had a formidable reputation, reigning supreme for ten generations, in the end, didn't I still die?"

The youth's face remained impassive, remarkably serene. He paid no heed to personal honor, disgrace, prosperity, or decline.

However, there were things he did care about. He looked at the heavens and earth, at the ghosts fleeting across the sky, and said in a subdued voice, "Before every great turmoil in the world, the gates of the underworld quietly open, allowing us to come out for a breather."

So, the world was indeed about to descend into chaos? Chu Feng's heart turned cold. He asked, "How far will this great turmoil spread?"

"The 'great turmoil' you speak of will certainly affect all heavens and realms, spilling blood across myriad worlds. If it only involved one domain, what would that be?!"

The youth laughed, yet there was a hint of helplessness in his demeanor.

"The underworld is not the underworld in the ordinary sense. It's not a localized underworld of the Yang Realm, nor the Nine Nether Yellow Springs of the Lesser Yin Realm, but the underworld of all heavens."

He murmured softly, then sighed deeply, filled with endless regret. He said, "From ancient times until now, some places have been discovered, but not all of them!"

Turbulent waves surged in Chu Feng's heart; he couldn't calm down. If it wasn't just an underworld pertaining to one realm, then it was terrifying.

Were the ghosts from all heavens imprisoned within?

Including the Heavens above?

He couldn't help but ask, "Tell me more specifically about the underworld. What's its strange origin? How was it formed? How does it operate, and what is its ultimate purpose?"

"Do you know about reincarnation?" the youth asked him.

"Yes, I do. I've seen the path of reincarnation, but I never ultimately underwent what's called true reincarnation. I believe I am who I am!" Chu Feng stated.

Furthermore, he couldn't resist mentioning that there was also the Soul River deep within the path of reincarnation, and immediately asked, what exactly was going on there?!

"I didn't expect you to know about that place. The underworld, reincarnation, the end of the Soul River, the Four-Pole Floating Earth, the Heavenly Emperor's Burial Pit... if all these are connected, wouldn't that be truly terrifying?!"

How could he not be horrified? For a moment, Chu Feng's hair stood on end. He said, "These... are all connected?!" He was utterly shocked.

The youth drifted into thought for a moment, his face etched with loneliness, regret, and a sense of desolation. This was a man with a past, one who had known glory and stood at the pinnacle, but now wore this expression.

The youth said, "These are just the tip of the iceberg. Some people have discovered certain aspects; it's a boundless, vast scheme. If one were to ponder it deeply, the whole world would shudder..."