Chapter 596: The Destiny of All Souls

Outside the City of the Dead, corpses lay piled high, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Chu Feng had lost track of how many days and nights he had stood there. He periodically stretched, practiced his fist techniques, and displayed his mental powers. He was using the immense pressure of the place to temper himself, refining his breathing method, physical combat skills, and spiritual abilities, undergoing a profound transformation.

He was in a unique environment, where he periodically gained insights. This was because the area contained ancient fist imprints, sharp sword intent capable of rending the starry sky, spear energies that could pierce the cosmos, and even the trajectories of massive axes that appeared capable of splitting the heavens.

It was hard to imagine what caliber of masters had once existed here; their power was simply unfathomable!

Whenever Chu Feng encountered a terrifying fist intent, saber intent, or the remnants of a celestial halberd that had torn through the starry sky, he felt as if he could hear the breathing of an ancient entity—incredibly powerful and terrifying. Each of these beings seemed capable of single-handedly overwhelming the world!

And so, Chu Feng continued to gain insights and hone his skills here. He constantly stretched his limbs, utilized his spiritual power, and remained immersed in a wondrous state.

He hadn't obtained specific methods, but simply by coming into contact with these various intents, he found it sufficient to propel his own progress, like endless nourishment ready to be absorbed.

After several days, Chu Feng noticed a significant transformation within himself. His understanding of both physical combat techniques and spiritual warfare had increased by a large margin, a truly rapid advancement.

Given such remarkable gains in just a few days, Chu Feng believed that if he could continue to meditate and refine himself here for an extended period, he might undergo a fundamental transformation.

He attempted to activate the Dao Yin Breathing Technique, hoping to grasp specific methods from the lingering fist intents and spiritual conceptualizations in order to further strengthen himself and be reborn.

However, he had not succeeded immediately.

This area, filled with various spiritual imprints and martial arts trajectories, was truly a blessed land. It allowed an evolver to comprehend and draw nourishment, potentially leading to a breakthrough, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon!

This was not merely a desolate and dead city; it was also the ultimate sanctuary for evolvers!

Of course, the prerequisite was survival; only then could one truly experience all of this.

Normally, other beings who came here would not have survived; they would either be shredded into bloody pulp or, if powerful enough, leave behind intact corpses.

Chu Feng possessed a stone box, which was why he could survive and maintain his vitality.

After several days of profound immersion, he felt mentally fatigued. Moreover, he had prior injuries; dozens of his bones had been broken upon entering this space.

Although his bones had re-knit and flesh healed, his intense cultivation here was still somewhat exhausting.

Chu Feng took a break, retrieving food from his spatial pouch and devouring it ravenously to replenish his body's needs. This was the distinct advantage of his voracious appetite.

The celestial meat and other rare delicacies he had saved earlier now proved invaluable. Otherwise, though he wouldn't starve to death immediately, he would certainly be overwhelmed by hunger.

For someone with his injuries, these were crucial supplements.

Furthermore, having captured numerous Divine Scions and, at the last moment, looted Qin Luoyin, Chu Feng naturally possessed an abundance of potent elixirs and spiritual pills.

Chu Feng had already consumed some earlier. Now, as if they were mere sweets, he popped a large handful into his mouth, chewing them loudly.

Anyone witnessing this would undoubtedly be dismayed, believing he was squandering precious resources—a clear case of casting pearls before swine!

The effects were astonishing. After several such instances of gobbling down these precious elixirs, these "sweets," Chu Feng's body and spirit were greatly invigorated. His internal vital energy surged, and his spiritual essence pulsed vibrantly.

In fact, he felt somewhat over-energized!

At that moment, Chu Feng mused how advantageous it was to be born into a top-tier cosmic orthodoxy; their spatial storage bracelets were simply overflowing with resources.

After consuming the medicinal liquids and potent elixirs left by Qin Luoyin, his bodily vitality surged, and he made a full recovery. Furthermore, his strength had increased even more due to his comprehension of various fist intents and imprints of spiritual martial techniques within this place.

"I wonder how Qin Luoyin is doing?" Chu Feng murmured.

He was certain that if she were alive, she would undoubtedly discover this mysterious city, which shone exceptionally in the darkness—it was too unique, like the sole beacon in the night.

However, he also knew that, barring unforeseen circumstances, she would certainly be unable to approach it. At most, she could only observe from hundreds of miles distant. Any attempt to force entry would result in certain death, her form and spirit utterly annihilated.

With his body and spirit fully recovered and now surpassing his former peak, Chu Feng's physique was robust and exuding vitality. After a few more days of meditation, he grew anxious, wanting to enter the city and see for himself.

If the outside was like this, what lay within the city?

Finally, Chu Feng set off. He decided to enter the city and explore, feeling confident because the stone box he possessed could protect him.

Even a Golden-bodied Arhat would see their golden form shattered, and even a Bodhisattva might not escape unscathed. Yet, this stone box was peculiarly mysterious and incredibly potent, capable of keeping Chu Feng safe.

It was his greatest reliance at the moment!

When he first found this item at the foot of Kunlun Mountain, he never imagined it would prove so extraordinary. Now, it struck him as exceedingly bizarre.

Stepping over mountains of ancient corpses and traversing the blood-soaked ground, Chu Feng encountered countless races. Over ninety percent of them were unfamiliar, entirely new to him. He even wondered if they were truly creatures from this universe.

He had researched the races of the starry sky using his personal device and was familiar with many powerful species, yet he found the vast number of biological corpses here utterly alien.

In his view, this city was nothing short of a hell, a receptacle for the remains of beings from across the cosmic sea and even beyond its boundaries, annihilating everything.

"Perhaps Earth's ancient inhabitants were also exiled here, massacred in countless numbers, yet they represent only a fraction of the dead," Chu Feng mused with a frown.

He reached the foot of the city walls. Along the way, he saw some corpses from Earth's ancient period, which matched the recorded appearances and attire of ancient races.

The magnificent city walls were imposingly tall, originally built from massive, primitive, and ancient stones. But having been drenched in blood, they were now stained crimson.

The entire city, though blood-stained, emitted a dazzling light.

It was immensely tall, its walls extending like a colossal mountain range, exuding an awe-inspiring, ancient grandeur.

Chu Feng frowned, realizing that in this space, he couldn't fly and could only climb.

After a thorough observation, he confirmed there were no lethal energy fields. Then, like a massive gecko, he scaled the rough wall, moving steadily upwards.

He frowned, feeling the immense weight of millennia on the walls. If he had to estimate its age, he felt as if this city had existed even before the dawn of time itself!

The walls were exceedingly ancient; the marks of age suggested an origin from the very end of the river of time.

Chu Feng attempted to leave a mark on the wall, but despite employing every method, he couldn't make a dent. These stones were large and rough, appearing ordinary, yet with his strength, which far surpassed that of other evolvers in the Visualization Realm, he couldn't even leave a scratch.

What kind of stone was this? Its hardness was utterly incredible!

If a large piece were taken outside, it would likely be considered a material of immense value by major cosmic sects, despite its exceedingly ordinary appearance.

Finally, Chu Feng ascended the city wall and gazed upon the scene within.

In that very instant, his entire body went rigid, muscles tensing, freezing him in place. His pupils widened then shrunk as he stared intently at the sights within the city.

This was an ancient city, capable of housing millions of inhabitants. Its scale was not excessively vast, yet certainly not small.

Inside, the city was densely packed with corpses, nearly overflowing and piled as high as the city walls. Each one exuded a terrifying aura and burst with radiant light.

Undoubtedly, these were all powerful beings.

Despite his prior mental preparation, Chu Feng was still deeply shaken and utterly astounded. The city was filled with the corpses of powerful beings, beyond counting. How many beings had met their end here?

The corpses occupied one-third of the city's area, with another third being empty space.

The final section, however, was what utterly shocked Chu Feng and caused his body to stiffen.

In the city's center was a colossal millstone, crafted from rough stone and impossibly vast, actually occupying a full third of the ancient city's expanse!

It was hard to imagine who had fashioned such a millstone. It was still slowly rotating, as if it had turned ceaselessly since antiquity.

Chu Feng's scalp tingled, goosebumps erupted across his skin, and the hairs on his arms stood on end!

He witnessed a horrifying sight: the corpses within the city were periodically lifted by an unknown force, dropped onto the millstone, fell into its apertures, and were then pulverized.

The scene there was too horrifying to witness.

One could sense that unimaginably potent battle intents and spiritual obsessions were all ground away, transforming into pure spiritual seeds.

Moreover, the physical bodies of the deceased still held terrifying power; each had been immensely powerful in life, yet they were easily pulverized, blood flowing out, accompanied by the diffusion of the most primordial energy.

Everything was pulverized, from flesh to spirit, returned to its fundamental essence!

The colossal millstone was like a precise instrument, operating ceaselessly since antiquity, processing this endless stream of corpses.

Its efficiency was incredibly high. In a short time, the vast quantity of corpses in the city quickly dwindled, on the verge of being completely pulverized.

Suddenly, countless corpses poured down from mid-air like dumplings, landing with a clatter and instantly replenishing one-third of the city's area.

Like the city itself, they all glowed, their internal energy alarmingly dense. Every one of them had been a formidable powerhouse in life.

Where did these corpses come from? They were innumerable, constantly being pulverized by this colossal millstone. It was like a daily routine, exceedingly bizarre and utterly terrifying.

True to form, after another period, once the corpses were consumed, mountains of corpses again fell from the void, filling one-third of the city's area.

Chu Feng was profoundly shaken. Had it been like this since time immemorial? The millstone, like a flawless instrument, was perpetually in motion. How many corpses had it pulverized throughout history?

He stared at the corpses; some had died from grievous wounds, a tragic end, while others were perfectly preserved, as if they had died peacefully of old age. Yet all had ended up here.

Chu Feng observed carefully, noting that some corpses were remarkably lifelike, as if they had only recently perished.

Simultaneously, he noticed the remains of Saints among them. Upon falling into the millstone, they too were crushed, reduced to bloody pulp, and ultimately decomposed into their most primordial energy, returning to the fabric of heaven and earth.

It was known that a Saint's body was indestructible, and immortal even in death—exceedingly difficult to destroy, harder even than obliterating a planet. Yet it was instantly disintegrated upon landing on the millstone.

Furthermore, Chu Feng observed the same fate for the half-body of a Vermilion Bird. It was completely pulverized, divine blood splattered as it returned to its primordial essence.

Moreover, the fierce resentments and powerful obsessions lingering in this area were seething one moment, then utterly annihilated and completely purified by the millstone the next.

Chu Feng had a feeling that the millstone resembled a land of passage, guiding souls into reincarnation.

Indeed, he saw that after some resentments and obsessions were ground away, they left behind only empty spiritual seeds.

After watching for a long time, he gained an insight: at the culmination of reincarnation, all things would conclude. Past glories, former splendors—all would be pulverized, vanishing forever.

Chu Feng walked along the city wall, surveying the city, until he reached the scene on the other side of the crude millstone. He was utterly astounded, his body and spirit trembling violently.

His earlier observations and understanding had not been mistaken: all corpses were pulverized into bloody pulp and then decomposed into raw energy. Only faint spiritual seeds, erased of all their imprints, remained, and they were very weak, not powerful.

On another side of the millstone, a faint path appeared. All the spiritual seeds that had been ground away, reduced to faint, shadowy vestiges, emerged from the millstone and moved along this path, leading into unknown depths shrouded in mist.

That path seemed to connect to an entirely different realm.

"Is this... the final destination for all spirits?!" Chu Feng felt a shudder of dread.

Then, he felt a powerful force; the crude millstone was attempting to draw him in, as if the power of reincarnation was at play.