Chapter 837: The Final Wish

The yellow-furred fox’s body was completely bald, looking weathered by time. Its eyes were dull and filled with sadness.

It had followed its powerful master for many years, only to be cast down into this realm, forbidden to ever return. This place would become its burial ground, a thought that left it incredibly heartbroken.

“Yes, he abandoned this realm,” the fox said. “He had originally expended immense effort, intending to refine this realm into a supreme time treasure. Following the refining methods described on a partial map brought from a certain forbidden zone, he had consumed endless spiritual resources and poured in too much effort. Yet, he abandoned it just like that.”

The reason for all of this was the gray substance. Even a powerful being like the yellow-furred fox’s master, a formidable cultivator from the Yang Realm, was ultimately terrified.

The gray substance in this world was inexhaustible. Even the great cultivator from the Yang Realm was wary of it, feeling a chill run down his spine. He had been refining this realm for many years, and it was almost complete, waiting for the supreme treasure to mature.

However, because of the gray substance, he became afraid. The yellow-furred fox had once seen its master’s hands trembling, his heart greatly disturbed. In the end, he painfully gave it up.

“He was refining this realm into a time treasure based only on a partial map?” Chu Feng was astonished, truly shocked.

“That’s right. By a stroke of luck, he was fortunate enough to unearth some ancient map fragments from a certain forbidden zone. He was also very lucky not to have disturbed anything slumbering within the forbidden land. He successfully left with the map fragments and used them to refine a realm into a supreme time treasure.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Feng gasped. Just how powerful was this great cultivator from the Yang Realm? And that forbidden land must be unfathomably deep, beyond all conjecture, to think it contained such map fragments.

Ultimately, Chu Feng grew even more wary of this fallen land. Even such a powerful Yang Realm cultivator, the petrified fox’s master, had abandoned this realm. It was clear how serious the problem was.

Especially when he remembered the green gourd he carried, filled with the gray substance. This substance… it could make even Yang Realm beings dizzy with fear. Was he courting death?

“Senior, please take a look.” Chu Feng took out the green gourd.

“Oh, a natural divine object born from chaos. You have good fortune,” the fox remarked.

Facing a gourd formed from an innate spiritual root, the yellow-furred fox reacted with such composure, not overly surprised. This demonstrated its terrifying breadth of knowledge and its immunity to being shocked by such items.

Yet, in the Yin Realm universe, such an item was considered a supreme treasure.

“Senior, I’ve collected a gourd full of gray substance,” Chu Feng said.

“You…” The lame fox heard this, and its fur bristled. It couldn’t help but step back, saying, “That kind of substance, others avoid it as if their lives depend on it, yet you collect it.”

It sighed softly, warning Chu Feng that once this substance attached itself, it would be extremely difficult to get rid of for a lifetime. He must not allow the gray substance in the gourd to corrode his soul light, otherwise, the trouble would be immense.

The yellow-furred fox looked at the world around them and said, “You and I cannot see it, but in fact, this gray substance pervades the entire world. This is also why I said, it’s the terror of living here for too long. The entire world has fallen ill because of it, heading towards decay.”

According to the fox, this gray substance might have a profound origin. That day, it saw its master’s fingers trembling, perhaps having discovered some clue.

However, when the yellow-furred fox inquired, its master did not respond.

“Seeing some truth through that substance… and then, the great Yang Realm cultivator was terrified!”

Chu Feng felt his head spin. The more he pondered, the more he realized how deep the waters were here.

Then he thought of Purgatory, the City of Light Dead, and the cave at the end of the reincarnation path. Were these artificially arranged?

Furthermore, he recalled the Little Daoist Priest mentioning their realm, which had a “First Forbidden Zone.” Such places existed in the Yang Realm, and there was one in the Little Daoist Priest’s world. Both could yield a certain kind of ancient talisman paper.

This paper seemed like a token, yet also contained supreme opportunities. Holding it, one could even traverse the path of reincarnation.

Chu Feng felt a headache coming on. His thoughts were straying far. Entangled by the gray substance, could one choose reincarnation to completely “format” oneself?

He vaguely perceived an invisible hand at play. Reincarnation itself might be man-made, not naturally occurring. And the talisman paper was a token, buried in the most terrifying forbidden zone of the Yang Realm.

Behind the gray substance, there also seemed to be some great horror that terrified even the great cultivators of the Yang Realm.

All of this… it was as if there were faint threads, interconnected, all bearing an inexplicable, indefinable relationship.

These things, these powers, delved into the abyss of time, ongoing from ancient times to the present.

As for the space involved, it spanned from the Yang Realm to these abandoned worlds, ubiquitous.

Chu Feng felt unsettled. The deeper he thought, the more his heart trembled. He had, after all, once walked the path of reincarnation. Truly, ignorance was bliss.

Such an act was akin to inadvertently stumbling into an enormous scheme. One wrong step, and he could be eternally doomed. His strength was too insignificant.

Fortunately, these schemes were too vast. Those behind them wouldn't constantly pay attention; they could span hundreds of millions of years, flowing through eons.

“I must go to the Yang Realm!” Chu Feng felt that, relatively speaking, his original universe was too isolated, too desolate, too barren, utterly devoid of resources.

He didn’t even have the conditions to rise or to confront challenges head-on.

In the Yang Realm, at the very least, there were various orthodoxies, some existing for hundreds or even tens of thousands of years, and even immortal Heaven-Venerate sects from ancient times, and ancient evolutionary dynasties.

With such foundations, and those slumbering great beings, he could at least have goals to pursue and powerful evolvers to seek guidance from.

“Yes, if you want to escape everything now, you can only go to the Yang Realm,” the yellow-furred fox advised him. “Otherwise, your fate might be very tragic. Having been tainted by the gray substance and coming to this world, something major will eventually happen.”

Then, when the yellow-furred fox learned which universe Chu Feng came from, it sighed deeply and said, “That place is merely a graveyard; it can't be considered a true evolutionary civilization.”

Although people from the Yang Realm couldn't cross over and delve deep into the Yin Realm, Chu Feng’s universe was truly too desolate for them.

“Ultimately, they are all Yin souls. In terms of life level, they are far below beings in the Yang Realm,” the yellow-furred fox commented.

It believed that Chu Feng would only truly be considered a “person” when he escaped the Yin Realm universe and appeared in the Yang Realm. Before that, he lacked even the most basic characteristics of a Yang Realm being.

Then, Chu Feng inquired about many things concerning the Yang Realm. He even brazenly mentioned breathing techniques and divine arts. The yellow-furred fox, however, remained silent.

“I dare not pass my techniques on to you,” the fox stated. “Once you master them, even if you hide in the Yin Realm, it might not be safe. My master might kill you across the Yin and Yang realms!”

“That powerful?” Chu Feng asked.

The yellow-furred fox nodded seriously and said, “Far more powerful than you imagine. Once he knows, he will always find a way.”

Chu Feng realized that the yellow-furred fox’s master was a ruthless individual, vengeful and not to be provoked.

In fact, if he were truly a magnanimous master, he wouldn't have crippled his own disciple and cast him into this fallen land, banished forever, unable to return.

This was a place where even that great Yang Realm cultivator was ultimately terrified, abandoning a worldly supreme treasure, yet treating his disciple this way. This showed his ruthlessness.

For a moment, the yellow-furred fox fell silent. Its petrified rear body became even duller, and even its eyes were cloudy.

“The path of evolution is too perilous,” the fox said. “In the initial stages, we enjoy the transformation, the change in life levels. But later, it becomes something truly terrifying, because you don’t know what you will become—like my master!”

Finally, the yellow-furred fox mentioned some things about its master, but dared not elaborate.

It was as if it feared its master could hear, even across the cosmic barrier. How terrifying was that?

“On the normal path of evolution, with the experience of predecessors, we know what will happen,” the fox continued. “However, once you reach the end of the road, if you wish to evolve further, to become even stronger, you can only rely on your own exploration. It’s hard to say what you will transform into—it could be a supreme existence, or it could turn into a great horror…”

The yellow-furred fox brought this up again, seemingly implying it was also related to its master.

Its words were few, but they sent a shiver down Chu Feng’s spine. He keenly sensed something.

In the end, no matter how Chu Feng pleaded or questioned, the yellow-furred fox remained silent.

“Senior, please tell my fortune.” Seeing that the fox would say nothing more, Chu Feng asked it to tell his fortune. He vividly remembered the time decades ago when the yellow-furred fox predicted a bloody calamity for the Little Daoist Priest, which indeed happened, and spoke of a divine war on the barren plains near the abyss, which soon came to pass, with the old Vermilion Bird slaying gods and sweeping across the world.

“I can’t predict it. I’ve been observing you for a long time, and I can’t tell your fortune,” the yellow-furred fox said straightforwardly.

Chu Feng was astonished. Wasn't this a divine prognosticator? Had it actually lost its ability?

“If I could predict everything about you, I wouldn’t be talking to you so much,” the yellow-furred fox explained. “It’s precisely because I sense some variables that I hold a sliver of hope for you.”

The yellow-furred fox was quite frank.

Then, it asked if Chu Feng carried anything peculiar or had experienced anything unusual.

Upon hearing this, Chu Feng hesitated and dared not mention the stone box and the three seeds. These items were too significant. He always felt they were connected to the grand schemes and major karmic implications that had caused him headaches and wild thoughts earlier.

He truly dared not reveal them, even though the fox was nearly petrified and had frankly stated it was crippled. He still dared not speak further.

“I’ve been to the Land of Reincarnation and saw a clay figure there.” After careful consideration, Chu Feng revealed this secret, primarily as a test.

“What?! You can go to such a place?!” the fox exclaimed. “There’s a… clay figure there? Don’t mention it! It’s best to erase everything about him from your memory!”

Unexpectedly, the yellow-furred fox reacted with extreme shock. It seemed terrified.

“The waters are too deep here,” it said. “The ignorant are fearless and can speak of it. But those who have truly come into contact with it will… be afraid, they will be terrified!”

It spoke thus, and then explicitly stated that even its master was extremely wary of such matters and dared not speak carelessly about them.

“The higher the level, the more one understands, the greater the awe,” it added. “My master might be qualified to enter the game.”

Even it was unsure if its master was qualified to enter the game, and it had once considered itself a Heaven-Venerate!

Later, the yellow-furred fox sighed, saying that its life was as good as over. It had nothing left to live for; its path was broken, and its heart was like dead ashes, utterly devoid of any desire to live.

“My only obsession is to return to the Yang Realm,” it pleaded. “Young friend, if you gain strength in the future, could you come here, take my remains, and bury me in the Yang Realm?”

This was its last wish. At the same time, the yellow-furred fox told Chu Feng it wouldn’t ask him to do this for nothing.

“If I gain that ability, I will certainly help,” Chu Feng nodded.

“Good. I’ll tell you a location; you must remember it,” the fox said. “This is something I brought out from a certain forbidden land when I was with my master. I buried it somewhere in the Yang Realm and never told anyone.”

It even suspected its master might be looking for this item.

However, it had been crippled by its master and thrown here. It was impossible for it not to harbor resentment, so it never reported the item to its master.

Chu Feng memorized the coordinates.

Then, he also sighed and said, “I also have one last wish: I promised Yaoyao I would help her gather a divine medicine. But I’m not confident I can do it now. Senior, can you help me?”

The yellow-furred fox looked at him, its cloudy eyes deep and thoughtful. Finally, it sighed and said, “I’ve discovered that you possess a very good quality, one that is well-suited for development in the Yang Realm.”

Chu Feng was surprised and quite interested. He asked what quality it was.

“Your absolute shamelessness!” the yellow-furred fox commented. Only having just met it and become slightly familiar, Chu Feng so brazenly asked for its help, and so naturally at that.

In its opinion, this was an innate talent.

Chu Feng’s face instantly darkened. Was this even a compliment?

“The Yang Realm is terrifying; there are too many cruel things there,” the fox continued. “To survive, and to live well, a thick skin and a dark heart are the most basic and fundamental qualities. Back then, I wasn't ruthless or thick-skinned enough. I reflected on that for a long time.”

Chu Feng was speechless, but he ignored these remarks. He then asked again, “Senior, can you help? I truly still have this one last wish.”

“This truly is talent!” the fox mused. “I’ve just called you that, teasing you to your face, yet you don’t care at all. Your skin is far too thick.”