Chapter 818: The World is Silent, the Seas and Mulberry Fields Transform

“Chu Feng, why haven’t you come back yet?” This was Ouyang Feng’s message, seemingly incredibly anxious, his handwriting somewhat scrawled.

“Three months, Dad, can you still come back? You haven’t told me where our family’s heirloom is. Why didn’t you make a will in advance?”

When Chu Feng read this, he felt like beating the young Daoist to death; what an unfilial son.

Next, he saw Ying Zhexian’s message. It was elegantly written, concise yet full of spirit, soothing the reader. The last line wished Chu Feng well.

There was also Qin Luoyin’s inscription, delicate and fine, reserved in words but clearly showing concern.

Ying Xiaoxiao’s message, however, was pure “wailing,” filled with cries like: “Ah, brother-in-law, don’t die! Brother-in-law, hurry and resurrect! Brother-in-law, my sister’s going to be a widow…”

Chu Feng felt like hitting someone as he read it. He was perfectly fine; why was this silver-haired loli wailing for no reason? Besides, her sister didn’t seem to be experiencing any discomfort from their separation, at least not evident in Ying Zhexian’s writing.

“Chu Feng, rest in peace, travel well. I’ll take good care of my sister!” This was Ying Wudi’s message.

Chu Feng’s liver ached; he really wanted to grab him and give him a good beating. This brother-in-law’s desire for his demise was undying, and his infatuation with his sister unquenchable. He truly deserved to be suppressed!

The following messages deeply shocked Chu Feng, as they were all left by the young Daoist alone.

“Dad, it’s been ten years, and you still haven’t returned!”

“Dad, it seems something happened to you. A hundred years have passed, and you haven’t returned. May you rest peacefully underground. I’ve already advised Mom that this love can become a memory; she shouldn’t suffer and should marry someone else.”

When he read the first part, Chu Feng’s heart trembled. A hundred years had passed? He wondered what they had all experienced in this world. Then, seeing the latter half, his face darkened slightly. He wanted to grab the young Daoist and beat him, for actually advising his mother, Qin Luoyin, to remarry soon?!

At the same time, his belief began to waver. No wonder all the gods eventually believed in fatalism; perhaps there was indeed some basis for it. Otherwise, how could he have just renamed the Six Paths Time Art, and here there was already some kind of echo, also... “this love can become a memory.”

Further on, there was a note from the young Daoist, informing Chu Feng that since Chu Feng’s disappearance, the stone mill had undergone a transformation, once emitting a tremendous glow.

“Except for me, no one else can approach this place anymore. I suspect it’s related to the talismans, as I’ve also had contact with them and have their mysterious energy within me.”

This was the young Daoist’s message.

“Oh no, Dad, we can’t go back. There’s no way to return to the Great Dream Pure Land through the vortex in the sky; we’re stuck in this world, and the vortex is gone!”

“The Demon Ancestor’s Cauldron was damaged, and another path is also cut off!” According to the law, people from Mount Immortal once came to this world and held a second path, but that path was eventually severed by the powerful intervention of gods from this world!

Chu Feng then saw that messages were inscribed on stone after stone, all etched by the young Daoist alone. According to him, no one else could approach the area anymore.

“Dad, we’ve been stuck in this world for one hundred and fifty years, far exceeding the hundred-year limit. Everyone wants to leave, but we can’t find a way out.”

“Dad, Ouyang Feng asked me to tell you, ‘He will take care of your wife, do not worry.’”

When Chu Feng read this, he was so furious that smoke nearly came out of his seven orifices, and he almost jumped up. What kind of nonsense was that scoundrel Ouyang Feng saying?

Then, he saw the young Daoist’s annotation: Ouyang Feng’s literary skills are too poor; he merely meant to say he would take care of Dad’s wife and relatives, so don’t overthink it.

Then why inscribe it? Chu Feng wanted to beat Ouyang Feng, and he also wanted to punch his son.

“Dad, I want to cry. We really can’t go back. It’s been two hundred years, and there’s no way out. Mom’s soul-hairs have lost their luster, and white hairs have taken root. The lifespan of people in this world is incredibly short; lives are outrageously brief!”

When he saw these words, Chu Feng’s heart jolted. He remembered learning on the Savage Beast Plateau that people in this world evolved very quickly using exotic arts, but they also died very early, not much stronger than mortals, especially in old age when they would decline and suffer various misfortunes and terrible calamities.

“Dad, everyone says that after you jumped into the stone mill and let out a scream, something actually went wrong, and you might have died at that moment. I know this must be true. Now, everyone feels sad and wistful when they mention you.”

“Dad, two hundred and thirty years have passed, and we truly can’t go back anymore; there’s no way out. And a group of our people have died. I don’t want to say their names, for fear you’d be sad if you knew in the afterlife. They were all my uncles and aunts; they… are gone.”

“We haven’t become gods yet. Some were killed by that bastard Martial God. How is that scoundrel not dead of old age yet? His vitality should be declining. Our situation is grim now.”

“Dad, it’s been two hundred and sixty years. Mom has completely aged. She never remarried, always waiting for you. But you never came back; she didn’t get to see you one last time.”

As he read this, Chu Feng’s lips and heart trembled.

“Mom passed away, very peacefully. But her life was never happy. In her early years, she was entangled in a complex relationship with you. After I was born, you met again in this world, and things finally took a turn, making it possible for you two to continue together. But then you disappeared, most likely having died at the millstone. I know Mom never said anything, but deep down, she was very sad. I once saw her silently gazing into the distance, tears in her eyes as she faced the direction of the stone mill alone.”

“In her final moments, with not much life left, Mom called out the name of the Great Dream Pure Land, missing her relatives and master. I also heard her quietly whisper your name. Though it was very faint, almost inaudible, I truly heard it. You were always in Mom’s heart.”

“Mom… she’s gone forever! Dad, I want to cry, I want to cry out loud. The whole world has turned gray!”

Upon reading this, tears welled up in Chu Feng’s eyes.

“Dad, I’m here again. It’s been one year since Mom left, but I still can’t help but miss her constantly! She passed away so quietly; I’ll never forget her. In her last moments, she murmured, holding my hand, unable to let go, and her gaze was always fixed in one direction. I knew her cloudy eyes were looking towards the coordinates of the stone mill. She died without seeing you return, filled with bitterness, reluctance, regret, and sorrow…”

“Mom, I don’t want you to go!”

Chu Feng felt as if he heard the young Daoist’s heart-wrenching sobs and saw those scenes of regretful, bitter memories surfacing before his eyes.

He clenched his fists, his heart trembling, his eyes stinging, and silent tears streamed down his face.

Those people, those events, seemed as if they happened only yesterday.

“I want to become a god. A hundred years ago, some of the uncles and aunts from Mount Immortal were about to become gods, but an accident happened, and many of them died. I will never allow that to happen to me. I must become a god and annihilate that old bastard Martial God!”

Through the rock, by means of these inscriptions, Chu Feng seemed to see the young Daoist’s unstoppable determination.

“Two hundred and seventy years. On this day, Aunt Ying Zhexian also passed away. Even in her final moments, she was beautiful, though her soul-hairs were white as snow. I know that even though she said nothing, she also wished to see you return in her last moments. She wasn’t purely rational or detached from the world; she was just too reserved. Before she left, she said nothing, only gazed blankly in a certain direction.”

Chu Feng’s heart ached, and crystal tears silently flowed from the corners of his eyes.

“My aunt, too, grew old. When she saw her sister off, she cried very sadly. She couldn’t accept it.”

“Uncle Wudi, Ouyang Feng, and a group of uncles from Mount Immortal passed away many years ago. I don’t want to elaborate on what happened, as I fear you would grieve if you knew in the afterlife.”

Chu Feng wanted to cry. Seeing these words, his eyes became bloodshot, tears flowed, and he couldn’t help but let out a low roar.

“Finally, Aunt Ying Xiaoxiao also departed. I’m sad, but I can’t cry because they’ve all left me, one by one. My tears have dried up from countless sorrows, making it hard for them to flow anymore. But my heart truly aches! This time, the whole world has become quiet, leaving only me. There’s nothing left to worry about; I’m going to become a god!”

“Two hundred and eighty-one years. I became a god!”

“I’m going to kill that immortal old Martial God and flatten the Savage Beast Plateau! Dad, if you know in the afterlife, or by some chance you’re still alive, please bless me. I must succeed; even if I die in battle, I’ll drag that old bastard Martial God down with me!”

“Dad, it’s now two hundred and eighty-two years, autumn. I’m here, alive, to pay my respects to you. I killed the Martial God and the Witch God, and flattened the Savage Beast Plateau, avenging those uncles and aunts! The process was tough; I don’t want to say much. Men shed blood, not tears of sorrow!”

“I feel there’s a big problem with exotic arts. Even before old age, some strange things have already begun to happen to me. Dad, I won’t be coming here for a long time. I need to meditate and research various exotic arts to find a solution.”

“Five hundred years, Dad, I’ve come to see you again. I’m slowly growing old too. The lifespan of a god isn’t much. The lifespan of cultivators in this world is too short; time doesn’t wait for me!”

“Seven hundred years. My life’s flame flickers. I’ve entered a desolate old age, with no descendants, no children by my side; it’s always just been me. None of you are left, only myself. My time is short, and many terrible things foretold are happening to me.”

“Now, I’m old, my vitality withered, but I can still barely look down upon the world; no one is my opponent. Yet, I am so lonely. I miss Mom, and I miss those uncles and aunts. I also miss Aunt Xiaoxiao and Ouyang Feng.”

“In old age, one always reminisces and can’t help but want to cry, but when I wipe my eyes, I find no tears left to flow.”

“Dad, I can’t say I have much affection for you. You didn’t raise me; Mom did. I no longer dwell on the old matter of you taking my black talisman; it’s useless to care now. I’m in my twilight years; a new god might appear, and I’m about to die…”

Chu Feng stood there, his body trembling, unable to bear it any longer, with soul-tears streaming down his face.

“Dad, seven hundred and fifty years. This should be the last time I come to see you in this life. My life is nearing its end, and various strange and unfortunate things are happening to me. A new god has appeared and might devour me at any moment, but I don’t want to take the path of the stone mill. I want to find a quiet place to end it myself.”

“I deeply miss the days I spent with Mom and Aunt Xiaoxiao. Though there were hardships, sorrows, and regrets, there was also much warmth, which I’ll cherish forever. Looking back on my life, it truly was a failure: born with the potential of a Celestial Venerable, yet stranded in a foreign land, dying far from home. But I am also content. The women were very good to me. This genuine affection is unforgettable. I wonder if there’s a next life, if I’ll ever see them again. In these final moments, all I can do is sigh to the sky!”

“In this life, I have many regrets. For example, between you and me, Father, we were father and son in name, but never truly connected. Well, speaking of these, I just thought of an old matter: what exactly is our Chu family’s so-called heirloom? It’s a minor unresolved issue, I suppose. It’s ridiculous that I’m thinking of it now!”

“Father, goodbye, or rather, let’s never meet again. This is the last message from your son, Chu Wuhen!”

Chu Feng stood there, his face covered in tears. Chu Wuhen… Did this mean “passed away without a trace”?

At this moment, Chu Feng broke down in tears.