Chapter 601: The Other Shore

It was pitch dark here. The railings were old and exceptionally rough, appearing to be relics from an ancient, or even more distant, age. Moreover, there was still fresh blood on the stone steps, each of which was more than a person's height, clearly not designed for normal beings.

Chu Feng felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, chilled from head to toe. He had been so startled just moments ago that he nearly tumbled from the steps. Who could have imagined that in such a sinister and deathly silent place, the moment he looked up, he would see a dark figure sitting cross-legged above him, gazing down? It was truly terrifying.

He was an illicit traveler, inherently nervous about being exposed at the end of this Path of Reincarnation, yet he had suddenly encountered a living being. Behind him, billions of spiritual entities were plummeting into the black abyss like dumplings, even true dragons and phoenixes wailing as they slid down the stone wall. It was a perilous place; all normal crossers had failed. Chu Feng was an illicit traveler, having come with the humanoid creature holding the golden talisman paper; otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to reach this point. He felt a headache coming on, regretting that shout. Perhaps it would have been better to feign death, remaining in a daze like the humanoid creature beside him holding the golden talisman paper.

However, he waited for a moment and found no movement. At this critical juncture, he dared not use his Fiery Golden Eyes, and thus, in the absolute darkness, he couldn't see clearly for a while. With such silence now, Chu Feng looked doubtful. His courage had always been great, otherwise he wouldn't have followed them here. He now leapt up the massive stone steps. Behind him, the person holding the golden talisman paper also moved. He seemed a bit confused, passively following Chu Feng.

Chu Feng ignored him. He had already crossed to this shore and wanted to explore thoroughly, wondering what kind of place this so-called 'other shore' was, a hidden wonder within the Land of Reincarnation.

Above the nine stone steps was a shrine, where the dark figure Chu Feng had seen earlier sat cross-legged.

"A clay figurine?!" Chu Feng was surprised; this was completely different from what he had imagined. Earlier, he had even felt someone watching him, but upon closer inspection, it was just a clay figurine? To be precise, it was covered in dust and eroded by time. One couldn't even tell if it was male or female as it sat there motionless. It was humanoid, similar in height to a normal person, but dressed in very ancient, never-before-seen attire, with a somewhat primitive style. Its simple daoist robe, sewn from beast hide, somewhat resembled a monk's robe. It was covered in so much dust that its original appearance was barely discernible, though one could still feel it was made of leather. Chu Feng observed it carefully for a long time but couldn't make anything of it.

Finally, he looked left and right, finding nothing else. He then suddenly opened his Fiery Golden Eyes and scanned the "clay figurine". However, in an instant, his eyes were overwhelmed by light, causing them to sting. The ancient attire on the clay figurine was too dazzling, more powerful than any supreme treasure, giving him a suffocating feeling. Chu Feng's heart pounded. What kind of statue was this, wearing what appeared to be ultimate battle armor from beyond the heavens? He hastily closed his eyes, no longer using his Fiery Golden Eyes. At this moment, he noticed that the stone box was heating up, and on its surface, where the mountain and river diagram was etched, a golden light spot flickered and disappeared. His heart pounded furiously. Were those tadpole-like golden symbols, identical to the dozens recorded on the stone grinding disk, reacting?

Chu Feng's heart sank. He even suspected that if not for the stone box, he might already be dead. Indeed, the moment he looked back, he saw the person who had been following him trembling, prostrate on the ground, as if they had witnessed something incredibly shocking and terrifying. Moreover, a corner of the golden talisman paper in his hand had burned to ashes, and a terrifying aura was slowly dissipating around him, clearly having threatened this person as well. At the same time, Chu Feng noticed that in the abyss, countless spiritual entities that had leapt up, attempting to reach the other shore, all instantly disintegrated into a rain of light, utterly annihilated. He gasped, unable to imagine what kind of origin the old robe on this clay figurine had. In Chu Feng's opinion, even ultimate weapons wouldn't be this powerful, would they? Just a glance, a slightly brighter look, resulted in such a terrifying backlash?!

This was insane! He couldn't see through this clay figurine. He was even a bit horrified, wondering if it was truly made of clay beneath the dust, or if it was a real body that hadn't moved in countless years. Furthermore, after careful sensing, he confirmed there was no life force. The place was filled with an aura of decline, only dryness and stillness.

However, the robe on the clay figurine was too astonishing. Chu Feng couldn't help but look at it again, this time without his Fiery Golden Eyes, just observing normally. Beneath the thick dust, an inexplicable Dao charm emanated. In an instant, Chu Feng's mind wavered; he felt as if he saw the robe's true origin. It was a terrifying and boundless fierce beast that appeared in the starry sky, opening its gaping maw to roar, shattering star seas. Countless evolutionaries died tragically, a true catastrophe for living beings. As it moved, a single turn brought it from the depths of the universe to its farthest edge, nearing chaos.

"This..." Chu Feng was greatly startled. This was the obsession on the robe, or rather, the Dao charm left by the beast hide's true form, revealing scenes from the past. "Most likely, a Sky Reflection Realm expert, a forbidden fierce beast!" Chu Feng was truly shocked, for he had witnessed the power of Sky Reflection Realm experts. With a flip of their hand, planets would explode; with a lift of their hand, they could annihilate an ancient and powerful race! Such figures were justifiably called forbidden beings. They could tear apart the vast universe and destroy galaxies, and for them, killing a saint with a flick of a finger was effortless. A single drop of their blood was enough to wipe out a powerful lineage. A single fallen hair could cleave the starry sky and sever top-tier evolutionaries.

Chu Feng's hair stood on end. This robe had such a grand origin? Then, when he saw the string of hand bones on the clay figurine's wrist, he started to question life itself. They were horns, teeth, and unique Dao bones from different racial beings, each piece of extraordinary origin, no less powerful than the fierce beast from which the robe originated.

Chu Feng stood there, dumbfounded, truly bewildered. While in awe, he wanted to say, "What a waste! These supreme treasures are just casually left at the end of the Path of Reincarnation, worn by a clay figurine. Isn't this extravagant?" He really wanted to strip them off and wear them himself. If he were to go out like this and just shake, he estimated he could instantly kill a large number of powerful experts! However, he dared not act. Just a glance with his Fiery Golden Eyes earlier had nearly caused a disaster; if not for the stone box, he would surely have been annihilated, body and soul.

"How shameful, such a waste! So many treasures displayed here, aren't they afraid of getting moldy?" Chu Feng estimated that anyone in the outside world daring to be so ostentatious and dressed like this would at least be among the top Sky Reflection Realm experts. Their strength would rank among the very foremost, even within the top few, in the entire universe!

He searched this area for a long time, finding nothing else. Then, Chu Feng plopped down beside the shrine, squinting at the person not far away, and said, "You said you'd remember everything only at the end of the Path of Reincarnation, so why do you still look so dazed now?" That person was indeed in a dazed state, holding the golden paper, half-kneeling, half-sitting motionlessly for a long time. Upon hearing Chu Feng's words, he was momentarily terrified, then directly prostrated himself. Holding the golden paper with both hands, he bowed to both the shrine and Chu Feng.

In an instant, an anomaly occurred: the golden paper in his hand transformed into an incense stick, glimmering golden all over and inscribed with a symbol. It then spontaneously ignited, emitting curling smoke that swirled around the shrine.

"Even me?" Chu Feng looked surprised. Subsequently, he felt his wrist tighten as wisps of golden smoke diffused towards him, forming golden threads that coiled around his wrist, becoming a tangible substance. What was this? Was he, like a deity, enjoying offerings? Then he noticed that most of the golden smoke was absorbed by the clay figurine. The bone string on its hand, in particular, emitted faint golden light, and much of the smoky mist seeped into it.

"I received a benefit?!" Chu Feng's expression was strange. He knew well that the golden talisman paper was extraordinary, possibly used by an ultimate powerful being to protect their descendants, akin to paying a toll here. And he had unintentionally received a portion of the offerings. Too strange. Did this Land of Reincarnation also operate on personal connections? Could one cross to the other shore and receive extraordinary fortune by possessing a talisman from an ultimate powerful being?

Indeed, Chu Feng's guess proved true. After the clay figurine had absorbed the golden talisman offerings, the terrifying string of beast bones on its wrist glowed. Its light shone upon the adjacent stone wall, where a cave surprisingly appeared, accompanied by auspicious colorful mists. The person kneeling on the ground immediately became agitated. After sincerely kowtowing to both the clay figurine and Chu Feng, he stood up and immediately rushed inside. Upon reaching the spot, a wisp of purple energy, rising from the chaos, entered his body. In an instant, he seemed to awaken.

"I inherit the great luck of heaven and earth, thus reborn, infused with chaotic purple energy, destined to become an ancestor. Who can contend against me? I shall break the ancient path connecting my universe to the outside world... Huh, I think I just bowed to two idols, that's a bit strange."

These were the person's self-mutterings. He tried to turn back, but a wisp of purple energy coiled around him, and with a whoosh, it carried him into the depths of the radiant ancient cave, where he completely disappeared. He seemingly succeeded in reincarnation.

Chu Feng wore a look as if he'd seen a ghost. Even though he had walked to this area with millions of spirits and seen many ghosts, his heart was still immensely shaken. Because he had vaguely understood some things. He didn't know if the billions of spiritual entities plummeting daily into the dark abyss had reincarnated, but the person just now seemed to have succeeded. Moreover, that person had gained immense benefits and retained his memories! Whose methods were these? Chu Feng was somewhat doubtful. Such heaven-defying abilities were not something beings from his universe could manifest.

The glowing ancient cave disappeared, and the spot returned to stillness, leaving only the stone wall.

"That was a wisp of purple energy flying out of the chaos..." Chu Feng's thoughts ran wild. Because that kind of thing was too similar to a certain fortune recorded in the optical computer. In ancient times, infants born with a wisp of chaotic purple energy were called "Heavenly Infants". For once such individuals grew up, becoming a saint was easy, and they were destined to become Sky Reflection Realm forbidden figures in the end.

"I just let a great opportunity slip away. That kid... he reincarnated and can directly become a Heavenly Infant?!" Chu Feng gasped.

Suddenly, he heard voices, very clearly, which made his heart thump.