Chapter 616: Unveiling the Truth of the Universe

Chu Feng’s expression changed repeatedly. This news was astonishing and deeply impacted his thoughts. According to this mysterious entity, was the current universe merely a ruin?

What then was the fragmented universe within the chaos?

Furthermore, what forms did these other universes take?

Chu Feng had many questions, countless thoughts swirling in his mind. The mysterious entity's statements provoked a flood of ideas.

"The fragmented ancient universe in the chaos, though broken, still retains the form, outline, and order of a grand universe. This place, however, is nothing but ruins."

The mysterious figure commented on this starry sky. According to him, the truth was astonishing. Who was he, and how could he know such secrets?

Chu Feng couldn't help but ask him some questions directly, such as his identity.

"I am quite ordinary, merely a shore flower blooming before the underworld," it said with remarkable candor, describing itself as insignificant.

Chu Feng was stunned. It was a shore flower, yet so powerful, and it spoke of itself so simply—it was overly modest.

"What are people from other universes plotting by reincarnating into this starry sky?" Chu Feng asked.

"I speculate that something went wrong during their transition to a higher life form, and some ended up in our universe. You could understand it as being 'reborn into the wrong universe,' but in my view, it's merely a transformation of life form."

The powerful being, transformed from the shore flower, once again mentioned reincarnation, clarifying that this process was actually a journey of the life imprint, a change in form.

Chu Feng was speechless. If he were to truly delve into the details, it would likely turn into an academic debate.

The figure in the light cluster then said, "From the perspective of beings in some universes, perhaps all living things in our universe, this ruin, are ghosts. Do you agree?"

Chu Feng was dumbfounded. What kind of arrogant, nonsensical universe was this, to consider its inhabitants as spirits?

"Well, they are full of vitality and vibrant 'yang' energy, believing themselves to be living in the true human world. This starry sky, however, has been destroyed; it's a ruin, teeming with spirits of the dead and overflowing with 'yin' energy."

Upon hearing these words, Chu Feng was momentarily lost. This... how did it sound somewhat plausible? Could it be that everyone in this world was a ghost, unaware of their own nature?

This made him feel uneasy all over, with a chill deep in his heart.

Especially hearing its theory of ruins, that the entire universe had been destroyed and buried... the more he thought about it, the more terrifying, and somewhat logical, it seemed.

Chu Feng was dumbfounded. The entire universe being full of spirits of the dead... this shattered his worldview and hit him incredibly hard!

The shore flower said, "In your view, you are full of vibrant 'yang' energy and boiling vitality, while I dwell in the underworld, shrouded in 'yin' energy. So, I am a ghost, and you are human; it's that simple. Similarly, people from other universes view you all the same way."

Chu Feng wanted to laugh, yet he felt a chill in the deepest part of his heart. His emotions were quite complex; what he heard today overturned many of his perceptions.

"Since this is a ruin, heavily laden with 'yin' energy, and considered the underworld by other universes, what can those people do by coming here?" Chu Feng asked.

"Generally, they wouldn't come. As I said, it might be an accident, but their arrival will definitely cause an impact here," the shore flower replied.

At the same time, it frowned and said, "The grand universe outside, which is the 'yang' realm—perhaps what you call the human world—might be in turmoil. That's why some people are reincarnating into this 'yin' realm of the universe."

"Senior, please don't be so frightening!" Chu Feng said, speechless. Was this truly the definitive nature of things? This place was the 'yin' realm, the underworld, and the outside universe was the 'yang' realm, the human world?

"The truth is often cruel," the shore flower sighed.

It then added, "Of course, this is relative. It's enough that you believe you aren't a ghost."

Chu Feng had no more patience. Even having to struggle with whether he was human or ghost—life felt too grim.

"That universe beyond this domain, that human world, has an excessive amount of 'yang' energy. For beings here, it might feel like being consumed by fire."

Chu Feng quickly interrupted, "Alright, I get it, Senior, please stop. So our entire universe is the underworld, full of spirits of the dead. Is that sufficient? The more you talk, the creepier it gets, undermining the confidence of the entire starry sky."

The shore flower smiled and said, "Yes, I'm motivating you. One day, when you are strong enough, go to the human world and become a human, not a ghost."

Chu Feng truly didn't know what to say. His facial expression was stiff, appearing dazed.

"After all this, Senior, why did you seek me out? You insisted on bringing me into the underworld. Speaking of which, the entire universe is a place where spirits of the dead reside, so what is this even more 'yin'-laden place where you, an elder, stay?"

The shore flower said, "I just wanted to have a chat with you, a casual conversation. I won't hide it from you: seeing that you bear a resemblance to someone, I just made a casual move, a 'pawn' in my game."

"You are truly direct and candid!" Chu Feng had never encountered such a being before, one who would openly admit to making a casual move with him.

"The underworld I inhabit is quite small and relatively 'yin'-heavy compared to you all. But to those from beyond this domain, this entire universe is no different from my small patch of underworld; they are both realms of the dead, teeming with 'yin' energy, and we are all ghosts."

"I am not a ghost!" Chu Feng corrected.

Then, he further asked, "What exactly do you, Senior, want to achieve by bringing me into the underworld?"

"Nothing much. I just wanted to forge a good connection and chat. One day, when you go to the human realm—yes, after you become human—just do a small favor for me."

Chu Feng genuinely disliked hearing this. He said, "Why does this sound so awkward? The more you talk, the more it feels like I was born in the 'yin' realm and we're all ghosts. It's too unpleasant."

The shore flower sighed, "Alas, those people in the 'yang' realm, the human world, truly see us this way. While it's not pleasant to hear, it might just be the truth."

Chu Feng rubbed his temples and said, "Forget it, I won't engage in an academic debate with you. And you say it's 'nothing much'? You're asking me to return to the 'yang' realm, to the human world—that's certainly a world-shaking, major event!"

"I don't expect you to succeed; it's just a casual move. Alas, in the past, I carefully arranged many good strategies, but they all became dead ends; those people all died. You don't need to worry; there's no agreement between us, and of course, I won't exert myself for this casual move of yours."

Hearing this, Chu Feng's heart stirred, and he immediately smiled. "Senior, you've brought me into the underworld, which damages my physical body. Shouldn't you give me some guidance or help me elevate some of my descendants?"

"You can forget about those. You suspect the breathing technique you possess is extraordinary, and it might be of great use, perhaps even revealing its true form, when you enter the 'yang' realm. I have nothing else to give you. Furthermore, I can barely protect myself. If you want me to help you, forget it. It's already good enough that I can barely survive in the underworld; leaving here would mean vanishing into thin air."

"Hmm?!" Chu Feng's heart trembled. Entering the 'yang' realm, or the human world, the 'stolen-source breathing technique' would be of great use, potentially revealing its true nature?

This stirred a storm of thoughts in his mind.

At this moment, he genuinely began to wonder: was he indeed a ghost, and would he one day go to the 'yang' realm to become a true human?

"By the way, Senior, you must know about purgatory, right? Have you been to the City of the Dead, and what's its situation? Also, at the end of that reincarnation path, across the dark abyss, there's a clay figurine that accepts offerings from people, seemingly capable of creating backdoors, protecting those who offer sacrifices so they can reincarnate with their memories. Is it incredibly powerful? Is it still alive? Oh, and Senior, please tell me the detailed situation of the reincarnation realm."

Chu Feng fired off questions one after another, all concerning major secrets of this world, making the shore flower gasp.

"You've really been to those places? You reached the end of reincarnation, crossed the abyss of samsara, and saw the clay figurine?!"

"I even stole its business once," Chu Feng muttered.

Across from him, the figure seated in the light cluster stumbled, nearly falling, clearly quite shocked.

"What have you done?!" it asked urgently.

"Nothing much, just recognized a bunch of relatives. They're all my great-nephews..." Chu Feng briefly mentioned that he had once marked numerous super-souls by carving characters onto them.

"My... heavens!" The shore flower lost its composure, nearly swearing. This was truly a hell of a "casual move"; it was practically asking for big trouble.

"We're even now; there's no connection between us anymore. From now on, I don't know you, and you don't know me!" the shore flower stated solemnly.

Chu Feng felt a pang of guilt at its solemn declaration and whispered, "Is it very serious?"

"A group of heavenly prodigies have become your great-nephews. I... I can't afford to get involved with someone like you."

Chu Feng was speechless. It seemed he had caused quite a significant stir?

"The 'yang' realm, the human world, is in trouble, and many are trying to reincarnate. With what you've done, alas, I don't know what will ultimately happen."

The shore flower's brows furrowed deeply, thinking about what Chu Feng had done.

"Where are they going to reincarnate?" Chu Feng asked.

"Each has their own destiny; it's hard to say. Most likely, they'll reincarnate into the 'yang' realm," the shore flower replied.

Then, unwilling to say more, it flashed with light, instantly sending Chu Feng flying onto the chariot pulled by the blue Qilin, heading out of the underworld.

"Hey, Senior, you can't just send off a guest like this! I don't want to leave yet. You didn't even let me have a drink of water or wine. I still wanted to talk to that bleeding stone Buddha and the Taoist priest carried by a swarm of ants!"

Chu Feng kept complaining, unwilling to depart.

The shore flower ignored him and tossed him out of the underworld.

In the desert, the boundless blue shore flowers vanished in an instant. The mist cleared, and a red sun pressed down on the horizon, with a vibrant, crimson evening glow.

So he was out of the underworld already? Chu Feng wondered if he had just experienced a dream or if it was truly happening.

"The entire universe has been buried, utterly destroyed, this whole starry sky is the underworld, and we are all spirits of the dead?" Chu Feng stood in place, his expression fluctuating, pondering, "Is this credible?"

"The 'stolen-source breathing technique' originates in the 'yang' realm, in the human world?" He thought of many things.

Chu Feng was deeply shaken. It was as if, after the cosmic upheaval, his worldview had collapsed, and now he was experiencing it almost again. He pondered if it was believable.

"It might not be entirely true, but it probably has some relevance. The truth... is often too terrifying," Chu Feng thought, then gasped.

He touched the stone box in his arms. The shore flower seemed not to have noticed it, which was truly strange. Chu Feng naturally wouldn't mention or expose it.

At that time, the shore flower had stared at him endlessly, focusing on his Vajra Ring several times, but it had overlooked the area where the stone box was.

"Well, I'll put all that aside for now. If I ever truly wish to return to the human world, I'll delve deeper then. For now, I'm back. I'll go see my parents and friends and tell them I'm alive! And for those enemies, who knows if they ever targeted the people around me? Just wait for my return!"