Chapter 171: Revival

"Xiaofeng... are you really gone?" In Chu Feng's home, his mother, Wang Jing, had swollen, red eyes, having just wept. She was overcome with sorrow.

"Don't cry," Chu Zhiyuan comforted Wang Jing. "That child is resilient; he might not be in trouble, and he could be back in a few days." But he, too, looked haggard. He was their only son, and the unfortunate news had struck them like a bolt from the blue. The couple was consumed by anxiety, and their spirits seemed utterly broken.

At Yu Xu Palace, Lu Tong sighed softly. He stood by the window, gazing blankly at a vibrant green willow tree outside, deeply regretting that he had agreed to Chu Feng's journey to the west. When he first heard the news, Lu Tong held onto some hope, believing Chu Feng might not have died in the Vatican. However, four or five days had passed with no sign of him, and he had given up all hope.

Major conglomerates like Bodhi Gene, the Extraterrestrial Civilization Institute, and the Tonggu Alliance were trying to ascertain what exactly happened in the Vatican, with many also attempting to determine if Chu Feng had truly died. Ultimately, they reached a unanimous conclusion: Chu Feng must have died there. Otherwise, given his personality, he would have already retaliated and caused a huge stir!

"He truly is dead this time. Who would have thought that the infamous Demonic King Chu would ultimately die in the West?" some variants sighed softly. To them, the Demonic King Chu's reputation was immense; this young human king had indeed been extraordinary recently. Even those transformed variants, including the offspring of major royal families, had become much more cautious after entering human society because of him, not daring to act recklessly.

"Haha... The Demonic King Chu is finally dead! What a relief! Otherwise, we were planning to set a trap to ambush him, but he died in the Vatican instead!" Many variants, such as the Peacock and Azure Wolf clans, naturally detested Chu Feng, harboring a deep, mortal enmity towards him and wishing for his immediate demise.

The East was in turmoil. Everyone was discussing what exactly happened in the Vatican and what the truth was. Not only the major conglomerates but also ordinary people were skeptical: had so many king-level beings truly died because they triggered a restriction? Particularly, the deceased Chu Feng was implicated, with rumors circulating that he and two beast kings from Kunlun Mountain had trespassed into a forbidden area, leading to the demise of others. Many prominent clans remained skeptical and said nothing.

"Demonic King Chu, you truly deserved your death! Even in death, you implicated others. Your demise is no loss!" Finally, a few individual clans, who had always been at odds with Chu Feng, seized the opportunity to attack his reputation immediately after such a major event.

"Who is slandering my brother? I'll go wipe them out right now!" On Kunlun Mountain, the Black Ox was enraged, his eyes bloodshot. Chu Feng had met his fate while single-handedly luring away numerous powerful enemies to cover the escape of the Black Ox and the Yellow Ox. By now, even the Black Ox and the Yellow Ox had despaired, believing Chu Feng had died in the West and not survived.

They were preparing for a major battle, a decisive showdown with the so-called Eastern Expeditionary Army at the foot of Kunshan Mountain, aiming to spill blood and avenge Chu Feng. The Black Dragon King and the Arctic King were leading their forces on an imminent Eastern expedition. These were all formidable king-level beings, advancing aggressively with immense ambition to conquer Kunlun Mountain and seize the Home of Ten Thousand Gods. This had stirred up a colossal upheaval, and now the entire world watched, with global attention focused on the unfolding events!

"Ox King of Kunlun Mountain, are you still trying to clear Chu Feng's name and your own? If not for you, why would so many people have died?!" Some individuals, with malicious intent, sought to muddy the waters and tarnish the reputations of Chu Feng and the two oxen.

"How dare you lowly scoundrels slander my brother! The truth will be revealed soon!" The Black Ox truly wished he could swat those petty individuals to death. He knew that Chu Feng's enemies were involved, such as certain variants, and even king-level beings from the Vatican's Eastern Expeditionary force, all aiming to distort the truth and sow confusion. How could he and the Yellow Ox remain silent? The two oxen were meticulously detailing the events to make them public.

"Here's the truth!" The Yellow Ox stepped forward, meticulously detailing the truth about the Vatican in a ten-thousand-word account, describing the approximate sequence of events during his, Chu Feng's, and the Black Ox's journey to the West. This was what he and the Black Ox had agreed upon.

The world erupted in uproar. If what the two oxen wrote was true, it was truly shocking: had so many king-level beings been ambushed and killed?! Were Schiller, the Black Dragon King, and the Arctic King truly so terrifying? Was everything a trap set by them? Even the major powers felt a shiver of dread.

Was the Vatican aiming for greater power? Many people thought of the legendary Holy See, a colossus in mythology. In its most glorious era, when it issued a decree, who in the entire Western world would dare to disobey? In particular, people remembered the Crusades.

"Absurd! If it truly was Lord Schiller's trap, do you three small fry think you could escape? This was entirely due to your greed," someone rebutted, targeting the two oxen.

"I can testify that Chu Feng was the true culprit, overestimating his abilities. He coveted the sacred ancient tree in the Vatican's forbidden area and rashly acted, triggering the restriction and causing the demise of numerous king-level powerhouses." The Golden Lion, Jackal King, and others stepped forward. They claimed to be from Africa, asserting no ties with people from Europe or the Vatican, and thus presenting the "truth" from a "neutral" stance. The Lion King was actually alive and had made such a statement, which greatly astonished both oxen.

On that day, this lion was extremely domineering and indeed powerful, having broken four shackles. He had looked down on Chu Feng and the two oxen, intending to kill them! In fact, he was outrageously strong; if Chu Feng hadn't used the Vajra Loop, the three of them would have been in grave danger that day.

"The situation is not good. Behind the Lion King is an old lion, rumored to have been nearly invincible twenty-one years ago. That's a terrifying existence who has broken six shackles." The Black Ox felt the problem was serious. The alliance with Schiller was not as simple as just the Black Dragon King and the Arctic King. The entire world was in turmoil. Major powers were skeptical, and even with the Lion King stepping forward to make a statement, the waters were growing increasingly murky.

The Black Ox and Yellow Ox naturally couldn't stand by and watch them distort the truth. They rebutted vigorously, but this only sparked more discussion and a war of words, leaving neither East nor West in peace! In the Western world, some people were still quite pleased, as the deaths of so many beast kings reduced the pressure on them. Consequently, some European parliamentarians were slightly inclined to believe the Vatican was innocent.

"I only have one question: Who gave the order that day to shoot down more than a dozen planes taking off from the Vatican? That person indirectly caused my brother Chu Feng's death, and this matter is not over!" The Black Ox exploded in rage, vowing that this debt would be settled sooner or later. This naturally caused a huge uproar! Chu Feng had been shot down from the sky, missing the best chance to leave; otherwise, he would have long since returned to the East via Greece.

"Chu Feng... died too soon, what a pity." Many lamented his passing, as he was very young with immense potential. Most other king-level beings were old monsters who had seized great opportunities and risen earlier during the minor environmental changes twenty-one years ago. Chu Feng was a newly ascended king-level powerhouse, yet he had died prematurely.

The Black Dragon King and the Arctic King summoned their forces and embarked on their expedition. This sparked a massive storm; they weren't just talking, they were acting! "The dispute is merely a pretext; they want to lay claim to the Eastern Immortal Mountains!" People realized that this would be a major clash between East and West. Kunlun's significance was immense, heralded as the foremost immortal mountain of the East and the Home of Ten Thousand Gods. The Black Dragon King and the Arctic King, filled with boundless ambition, were actually launching an Eastern expedition to conquer Kunlun!

In the Mediterranean Sea, a massive thousand-meter-long black creature, bleeding from its body, rapidly traversed the entire ocean, speeding away. It was a giant whale! Ordinarily, such creatures shouldn't exist in the Mediterranean, yet a Whale King had appeared there. It had broken five shackles, and when truly enraged, its vital energy surged sky-high. A creature of this size could churn rivers and oceans; a single flick of its tail could cleave underwater mountains.

It had been injured during a fierce battle with another overlord. Although it had driven off its opponent, it had been poisoned and was now swimming towards a sanctuary it held in its heart. By the end, its consciousness was almost blurred, but it still swam at high speed, relying on instinct, heading towards its destination. Inside its belly, Chu Feng's condition was not much better; he, too, was unconscious. He had been sucked in when the Whale King swallowed seawater to detoxify itself.

Initially, he didn't move rashly, planning to use the Whale King's power to escape that sea area. But later, he found his entire body heating up, becoming frighteningly hot, and he could barely endure it. It shouldn't have been this bad; he had only consumed one flower bud, and the side effects weren't supposed to be so severe. However, during his evolution, he was constantly disturbed—first by a nuclear attack, then by intense battles with others, and finally a frantic thousands-of-miles escape. He was simply too exhausted. This severely affected his physical state, and the side effects of the Myriad Spirits Blood Elixir fully erupted.

Chu Feng became drowsy, on the verge of falling into a deep slumber. He struggled, unwilling to give in, but at the last moment, he found his body glowing, enveloped by a layer of mysterious energy that protected his tissues. Even when he stopped breathing, his body remained active. Then, he discovered that his physical body was dormant like a hibernating snake or turtle, while his spirit was "breathing," half-awake and half-asleep, guarding against the outside world and protecting itself from harm. Finally, he slept peacefully. His body was covered with a layer of energy, evolving and transforming, while his breathing almost ceased, like an animal in hibernation. For several days, Chu Feng remained in this dormant state.

Finally, the Whale King, exhausted, swam to a distant coastline. Its condition was poor; it was very weak. It had been bitten by that sea beast, and the venom was so potent that even at its level, it was struggling to cope. It came to this area seeking help because someone had saved it here once before.

A melodious flute sound drifted over, particularly enchanting in this bay, echoing above the sea and through the waves. The Whale King's spirits lifted, and its heart filled with joy. It knew that person was still in this sea area and quickly swam forward. On the shore, there was a child with flowing, luminous hair, emanating a serene and sacred light. She was a young girl with Western features, yet she was playing an Eastern flute. She was exceedingly beautiful, with a pure white, exquisite, flawless face and large, sapphire-like eyes. Her entire being glowed, and she appeared to be no older than seven or eight.

As her flute played, the entire coast fell silent. All around, many seabirds descended to listen to the melody, and countless fish swam towards the shore, seemingly trying to climb onto land. The Whale King approached, almost beaching itself.

"You're hurt again," the little girl said, radiating golden light. She put down her bamboo flute and, holding an ancient sheepskin scroll, began to chant scriptures. In an instant, her radiance intensified. The sheepskin scroll emitted golden light, covering her, and then beams of light flew towards the Whale King, which quickly regained its vitality. The Whale King spouted water, shaking its head and tail vigorously in the sea, displaying its friendliness to the girl.

Chu Feng was startled awake, feeling dizzy and disoriented inside the whale's belly. He abruptly sat up, and at that moment, the side effects of the Myriad Spirits Blood Elixir had vanished. He felt better than ever before, extraordinarily powerful! Finally, Chu Feng burst out, shooting forth from the Whale King's open maw. Simultaneously, he activated a special breathing technique; his physical body was no longer dormant, recovering its powerful vitality and emitting brilliant light.

Chu Feng landed on the shore, looking back at the Whale King and then with surprise at the little girl by the sea.

"Who are you?" the little girl asked, holding the sheepskin scroll, radiating light like a deity, her sapphire-like eyes wide with surprise as she looked at him.

"Where is this place?" Chu Feng asked. Behind him, the Whale King roared, emitting an incredibly terrifying aura.

"This is the coast of the Holy Land," the little girl replied.