Chapter 836: The Whole World Is Sick

Over a hundred years have passed, and the ordinary people of this world have been completely replaced; even some weaker evolutionaries have lived their lives and passed away. In this land of decadence, ordinary evolutionaries have short lifespans; their longevity only increases somewhat with their cultivation level. Yet, even becoming a god only extends one's life to six or seven hundred years before it reaches its end.

"A hundred years," Chu Feng sighed softly, feeling an inexplicable sense of desolation. An era had passed; mortals over the past century had renewed generations, and many life imprints from the past no longer existed.

"Living beings are too insignificant." He looked up at the vast sky, where the sun and moon endured and the firmament remained unchanged. Looking into the distance, the heavy earth bore billions of lives, and no matter how time flowed or how years erased, it remained steadfast.

Even a stone on the ground could last far longer than any form of life.

Life is a miracle, yet it is also fragile. Throughout this vast world, a moment of carelessness can mean its disappearance.

"One hundred years have passed. Is it just Yaoyao and I left now?"

Chu Feng had long understood that souls who hadn't undergone the divine beast blood baptism couldn't remain long in this world overflowing with yang energy. They would be eroded and burned by the yang energy, and even with continuous cultivation and training, they would only last about twenty to thirty years, perhaps forty to fifty at most.

Now, thinking back, Yuan Shicheng, the Undying Silkworm Prince, Yuan Yuan, and others, whom he hadn't seen since they parted ways in this world, must have already returned. Even Ying Zhexian, the Great Black Ox, and Qin Luoyin had returned decades ago.

Although he knew he could see them again in their original universe, Chu Feng now felt a sense of immense change, as if seas had turned into mulberry fields, experiencing the partings of life and death in this world.

"It's a sobering thought," he mused. "When I return to my original universe, I must remember to cherish what I have."

Chu Feng's soul light was robust. He had almost touched the Sub-Saint realm, and around his body, shimmering threads appeared one after another. These were rules and order, incomplete yet connected to him.

This was the path of a Sub-Saint!

However, Chu Feng dared not truly grasp them or merge them into his body. He feared that if he suddenly achieved enlightenment and became a Sub-Saint, his physical body would be burned to ashes upon returning to the Great Dream Pure Land.

While others would desperately cultivate, comprehending the ultimate truths of the world and capturing the patterns of order in hopes of becoming a Saint, he, conversely, restrained himself, afraid of a genuine breakthrough.

His life soul light was dazzling, connected to many crystal-clear lines of order, but this was not Chu Feng's greatest gain. His greatest strength now lay in the steady improvement of his domain mastery. Over a century, he had spent most of his time contemplating this field, studying various complex terrains and arranging domains.

Chu Feng grew stronger still, advancing from the mid-stage Grandmaster to the late-stage, and recently, he made the most crucial breakthrough, becoming a Great Grandmaster! The ranks of domain masters were few: from Master to Grandmaster, then Great Grandmaster, and finally, Saint Master! Once one reached the Saint Master level, it was terrifying; they could effectively and directly eliminate Saints!

Now a Great Grandmaster, Chu Feng no longer feared Sub-Saints; at the very least, he could use domain techniques to slay beings of that level after careful arrangement. Of course, he would need to be fully prepared, as he was only in the early stage of Great Grandmaster.

Chu Feng stood in the mountains. It was autumn again, with yellow leaves covering the mountains and plains. The autumn wind rustled, and with each gust, countless leaves fell. Chu Feng's soul light was powerful, but he felt unstable. Subtly, an inexplicable spatial force pulled at him, drawing him upwards, intending to pull him from this world.

He knew it was the energy of the vortex!

This world was repelling him, while the vortex was calling to him. Too much time had passed, and this world was pushing him out, to send him back to his original universe.

"Leaving like this feels a bit unwilling," Chu Feng thought. He had once said he would gather divine medicine for Yaoyao, but he hadn't yet acted on it. He glanced over; Yaoyao was still in seclusion, not appearing. Her soul light there was immense, with wisps escaping even through the domain, all entangled with chains of divine order, forming a terrifying pressure.

Yaoyao had grown stronger again!

"Divine medicine!" Chu Feng spread open an old beast-skin map. He wanted to gather a divine medicine for Yaoyao to aid her cultivation. He was already a Great Grandmaster, and the domains of this world could hardly stop him. However, once he gathered divine medicine, it was highly likely to alarm gods, and in that case, it would be extremely dangerous, making escape difficult! Previously, sacred medicines were not valued by gods, and it didn't matter if they were taken, but divine medicines were different. Even deities paid attention to them.

Chu Feng glanced at the mountain range, left a message for Yaoyao, then he left alone, traversing the land, moving by controlling the earth's energy. Each teleportation covered thousands of miles.

He first arrived at the Ferocious Beast Plateau, where he was astonished to learn of a major event that had occurred over the past few decades. The Moon Goddess had entered her twilight years and was killed, replaced by a new god who called herself the Dark Moon Goddess. The entire lineage of the Moon Goddess had been purged! This was the land of decadence, incredibly cruel, where even gods, once they entered their twilight years, met a tragic end, being directly slain by those who coveted their position. In fact, they themselves had risen to power in the same way. Every divine throne was stained with blood, with countless corpses behind it. The Moon Goddess, once graceful and seemingly sacred, had also ascended by devouring an old god in her time.

In fact, not only gods, but even ordinary evolutionaries engaged in brutal combat, using peculiar techniques to slay opponents and then refine divine particles to advance their cultivation. Overall, this world was extremely cruel, and the path to power for the strong was steeped in bloodshed.

"The Witch God has also reached his twilight years; only the Martial God is still robust. The changing of power on the Ferocious Beast Plateau is indeed a bloody storm," he mused.

Chu Feng lingered here. After learning enough, he realized that the Witch God was in his twilight years, and his divine medicine garden was an ideal target. However, he didn't act immediately. Instead, he hurried towards the abyss, wanting to check on the divine beasts.

Passing through the desolate plain where Qin Luoyin, the little Daoist, Ying Zhexian, and others once resided, Chu Feng paused briefly, and soon, to his astonishment, he saw a familiar creature. The lame fox's yellow fur had almost entirely fallen out; its hindquarters were petrified, but it was still alive, basking in the sun before a cliff. This was the fox that had claimed to be a Heavenly Venerate from the Yang Realm. Its eyes were slightly cloudy, and it was clearly in its twilight years, not in good condition.

"Senior Heavenly Venerate," Chu Feng paused and greeted it.

"You are..." The lame and petrified fox paused slightly, then quickly realized, "Ah, it's you. You haven't left yet. This world truly isn't that good. Every extra day you live here adds another layer of danger in the future. It's nothing like your own universe."

Chu Feng was surprised. This petrified fox knew so much; could it really be a Heavenly Venerate from the Yang Realm?

"Then why don't you leave, Senior?" Chu Feng asked.

The yellow-furred fox gave a bitter laugh, its petrified hindquarters shifting slightly. "I am an abandoned piece," it said. "Someone threw me here. Where can I go? Leaving here might mean death."

Chu Feng said, "Senior, since you dared to call yourself a Heavenly Venerate, who would dare to throw you in here? Just go back."

He was very curious about this mysterious fox. Clearly, this petrified fox had an extraordinary identity and an unusual past.

"Go back?" The lame, petrified fox seemed lost in thought for a moment, then its face filled with desolation, displaying emotions so human-like, subtly showing joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. With a sense of wistfulness and heartache, it said, "I can't go back."

Then it drifted off into thought, saying, "The Yang Realm is vast, boundless, and filled with experts. Even a Heavenly Venerate wouldn't dare claim invincibility there. That is the true battlefield for prodigies. Prodigies nurtured over countless eras in other universes, like this one or the Underworld, would likely only shine in a small corner if they went to the Yang Realm. To truly step onto the grand stage and compete with the disciples trained by those old-timers, or contend with the heirs of ancient, glorious traditions, they would still fall far short. The Yang Realm is too brilliant; there's always someone stronger, never the strongest. Some powerful beings have been in seclusion for countless generations. Some sects have risen and fallen, rebuilt many times, with one lineage replacing another within their gates. Yet, occasionally, from the most ancient soil beneath those gates, the slumbering progenitors of the founding sects emerge alive, striking awe into people. And there are forbidden lands, eternally existing, which even the great powers of the Yang Realm dare not attack, filled with endless mysterious legends that people yearn for. Even I want to know what or who is truly hidden there."

Chu Feng remained silent, listening quietly.

The petrified fox rambled on, recounting many things, some so shocking that even Chu Feng was astonished. For instance, it spoke of a sect with a legacy of eight million years, abundant with deities, overseen by several Divine Kings, and even having figures close to Heavenly Venerates. However, because they sought to unearth treasures in an inauspicious place, the entire lineage was wiped out overnight. All the deities of that clan met tragic deaths, and only one Divine King survived, driven mad, shouting to everyone he saw that there were deceased progenitors in the ruins and a great strangeness.

Divine Kings, how could they fear ordinary things and beings? Yet they were scared half to death and ultimately went mad. Just thinking about these things was terrifying.

"My master was so cruel, the most heartless among the great powers of the Yang Realm…" As it spoke, the lame, petrified fox actually shed tears.

It was very suppressed, having been in this world for an unknown number of years, living longer than many gods, because there was something on its body that allowed it to temporarily linger on. Then, speaking of its sorrows, its emotions became uncontrollable. Having been suppressed for a long time, it recounted some things to Chu Feng.

"Young man, I advise you to leave as soon as possible. If you have the chance, go to the Yang Realm; perhaps that can resolve your underlying illness," the lame fox advised.

Chu Feng was astonished. "What underlying illness do I have?" he asked.

"This is a land of decadence; the entire world is sick, let alone you. Not a single person here isn't sick. How long do you think gods can live here? Reaching the end of their lives at six or seven hundred years old—how is that possible!"

"I'm sick," Chu Feng murmured to himself.

"You've been in this world for a century; your illness is not light. The most effective method is to venture into a certain forbidden land and seek a fortuitous encounter. If you can bring out a mysterious talisman, and then reincarnate, that would be the most secure way. However, it's also the most unrealistic; you can't do it. Even great powers who trespass into forbidden zones are often slain; few succeed in such places, unless multiple great powers of the Yang Realm join forces to seek it." The lame fox offered him advice.

Chu Feng was silent. Was this world truly so terrifying? Would staying here for a century cause him major problems in the future?

"If that path is impossible for you, then strive to go to the Yang Realm. There are special mountains and terrains there, and perhaps rare fruits in some places, or a special Heavenly Venerate might be able to help you resolve it."

"Is it that terrible?" Chu Feng couldn't help but ask. The land of decadence was far too astonishing if merely living here for a century could cause such problems.

"It's even more terrifying than you imagine. Do you know that this world was long ago destined by my powerful master, who wanted to refine it into a supreme temporal treasure, but in the end, he abandoned the idea in horror?"

"What?!" Chu Feng was greatly startled.

He had already heard from the young girl Xi that this place was once called the Land of Decadence by the people of the Yang Realm, and that in those days, the gods had attacked the Yang Realm, tearing open a corner of it. However, all those gods, and even Divine Kings, were utterly annihilated by a great power from the Yang Realm and his disciples, leaving not a single one. Finally, that great power from the Yang Realm sought to refine this world into a supreme temporal treasure, which might also explain why the flow of time here was so terrifyingly fast.

Unexpectedly, Chu Feng was fortunate enough to learn today that such a great power from the Yang Realm truly existed, and his disciple was right here.

"To refine an entire world into a supreme temporal treasure—just how astonishing is that ability?" Chu Feng was shocked, looking at the lame, yellow-furred fox. He had many questions to ask, many things he wanted to inquire about; it was simply too astonishing. Chu Feng felt he had encountered an extraordinary being. This petrified fox was too terrifying; as a disciple of that powerful figure, it must have personally experienced these events. At the same time, this individual should also truly understand how this world became sick.

"Senior, are you his disciple?"

"Yes, back then I even acted alongside my master, killing the gods and Divine Kings of this world. Alas, it's also quite tragic that in the end, I myself fell into this world, destined to decay with it."

As it spoke of these things, the petrified fox was on the verge of tears, remembering painful memories.

"Master, how cruel you are!" the petrified fox murmured.

Chu Feng's heart was shaken, but at the same time, he felt invigorated. He wanted to inquire about the past events and understand all sorts of secrets.