Chapter 844: The Terrifying Glimpse of the Truth

A vortex, black as ink, its formation unknown. Behind it, there seemed to be a colossal beast from before the dawn of creation, its gaping maw quite unsettling.

Chu Feng ascended, his soul light about to return, not because he was forced back, but because he chose to leave.

For some time now, he had been struggling to control himself, constantly drawn by an inexplicable spatial force that sought to expel him from the Land of Degradation.

Now, the time for departure had come.

He took the little Vermillion Bird and plunged into the dark vortex.

"Chirp, chirp!" The fluffy little creature wailed sorrowfully. Its large, clear eyes filled with tears as it looked down at its mother and siblings below, weeping incessantly, sobbing in grief.

It was leaving its home, entering an unfamiliar world. Barring unforeseen circumstances, it might never see its mother again.

It was its mother who had personally sent it away, solely to give it a chance at life, to ensure it lived better, rather than remaining in this hopeless world to eventually be corroded by the grey substance.

"Don't be sad. When you and I are strong enough, you can return to this world and visit your mother," Chu Feng advised.

In truth, he knew the little Vermillion Bird would likely never see its mother again; this farewell was probably eternal. One day in the Netherworld Universe could be a hundred years here!

The entire Land of Degradation had been refined by a great being from the Yang Realm into a temporal treasure, making its time flow incredibly strange and terrifying.

Even if the little Vermillion Bird were to return one day, this world would likely have undergone drastic changes, with everything that once existed having perished. The strongest gods would have long turned to dust, and everything would have decayed.

By then, even the old Vermillion Bird's grave might have crumbled and fallen, returning to ordinary earth, no longer existing.

If it were to truly return, only sorrow and ultimately bitter weeping would remain; it would find nothing.

"Child, you must live on strongly!" The old Vermillion Bird's voice reached them.

"Chirp, chirp, I'm... so sad, I'll miss you forever!" The little Vermillion Bird made a weak sound, and then it disappeared with Chu Feng into the deepest part of the vortex.

"Go, good child!" The yellow-furred fox also spoke, sighing from below and waving a paw.

The Soul Bell glowed, protecting the little Vermillion Bird, which hid inside it. Chu Feng was also beneath the bell's body, truly fearing his own memories might cease to exist, making him forget everything.

The dark vortex was profound, rotating slowly, causing dizziness and confusion. An inexplicable energy surged, threatening to erode one's soul light!

"It's really here!" Chu Feng's hair stood on end. He could not accept having his memories severed and forgetting his experiences here; he wanted to return whole.

Then, an inexplicable mist drifted over. It appeared gentle, but when it finally touched the Soul Bell, it unleashed immense force, striking heavily against the bell's wall.

The resounding clang shook the heavens, causing the Soul Bell to vibrate violently. The bell's wall glowed and hummed, and for a moment, intricate cloud patterns surprisingly appeared on its surface.

This astonished Chu Feng. He knew well that this was a seed, not an actual metal artifact. How could it display patterns?

One could imagine the terrifying energy bombardment the Soul Bell was enduring. It was originally meant to erode Chu Feng's soul light, but now, blocked by the bell's wall, the mist turned fierce and domineering, launching a furious assault on him!

The bell's body glowed, densely covered in cloud patterns. Upon closer inspection, they seemed natural, as it was just a seed, not something carved; they were naturally formed, profound patterns.

"There's something to this, like order itself?!" Chu Feng was surprised. It was just a seed, yet it concealed patterns of rules and order.

The Soul Bell shook again, making Chu Feng and the little Vermillion Bird inside feel as if they would explode, assailed by the inexplicable energy.

"Are you trying to kill me?! What kind of trick is this? Is something controlling it?!" Chu Feng was alarmed.

Outside the bell's body, a layer of pure white immortal mist coiled. It appeared sacred and serene, yet it was terrifying, capable of obliterating everything, severing memories, and extinguishing soul light.

"By what right do you strip me of my memories? What exactly are you?!" Even in his soul light state, Chu Feng felt goosebumps, sensing as if a pair of eyes was watching from behind the pure white mist.

"Chirp, chirp!" The fluffy little Vermillion Bird chirped softly, its body fiery red. It was timid, hiding behind Chu Feng. After leaving its mother and its original world, it was filled with unease and inner weakness.

The pure white mist surged from the bottom of the Soul Bell, trying to get close to Chu Feng. It seemed determined not to stop until his memories were obliterated.

"Sizzle!"

The spell and energy left by the yellow-furred fox now took effect, emitting yellow light that spread out, blocking the strange and mysterious mist.

However, despite the yellow-furred fox's immense power, the contingency it left behind was surprisingly unable to withstand the mist; the mist continued to spread upwards.

This was somewhat terrifying, truly eerie. One had to remember, the yellow-furred fox proclaimed itself a Celestial Venerable, and even if crippled, if it dared to cast such a profound art, it must have been confident. Yet, it still couldn't stop the threads of mist.

Finally, Chu Feng struck the Soul Bell fiercely, sending out wave after wave of bell vibrations, blocking the white mist. He actually managed to successfully resist it and push it out.

The Soul Bell shook violently. The white mist was unwilling to give up, still attacking, transforming into immense force and smashing over.

However, the entire Soul Bell was sealed, rippling with energy, countering the white mist and preventing it from being eroded.

The vortex was like an abyss in the sea, drawing in this world. Chu Feng and his companion went deeper. All around them was pitch black; they could see nothing.

"Clang!"

With a violent tremor, a mass of white mist violently charged over again. Within it, there seemed to be a green eye, staring into the Soul Bell, refusing to let them go, determined to sever their memories.

Chu Feng saw clearly: there was indeed something in the white mist – a bloody eyeball, incredibly eerie and utterly blank. It didn't seem to possess consciousness, but it was strictly executing some command.

Chu Feng suddenly felt a sense of suffocation. His soul light felt cold, and he was filled with dread that he could actually discover such a truth.

Instantly, he felt a chill run from head to toe. Because, quite by accident, he realized this so-called passage might have been set up by a great being as a contingency.

As far as he knew, this path had existed for at least hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years.

Some beings' plans spanned millions of years. How ancient was this? What did he intend to do?

He immediately thought of the yellow-furred fox's master, who had once wanted to refine the Land of Degradation and turn the entire world into a temporal treasure. Was this his doing?

Chu Feng didn't think so. According to the desert fox, it shouldn't have been that ancient.

Were there other great beings who left backdoors here, or was this even from a more remote, unverifiable era? What was their motive?

Then, Chu Feng thought of the strange substance—the grey mist—which had sickened the entire world and led it towards destruction. Could it be related to this backdoor?

"But according to the yellow-furred fox, even great beings from the Yang Realm find it extremely difficult to cross the chaotic boundary wall and enter the Netherworld Universe. Unless they're facing death, they wouldn't waste their precious blood essence; they wouldn't even have enough time to preserve their own lifespans. So what's happening here?"

"Boom!"

The bell wall shook violently. The green eyeball in the white mist was dripping blood, utterly blank. It directly impacted the Soul Bell, aiming to break through the energy ripples and drill in from the bottom.

"This is bad!" Chu Feng cried out.

The fist-sized little Vermillion Bird trembled even more, hiding on Chu Feng's shoulder, softly chirping. Its large golden eyes were filled with unease and intense fear.

"Don't be afraid, I'll protect you!" Chu Feng whispered. Since he had promised the old Vermillion Bird to protect its child, and had even taken its divine medicine, he absolutely could not let this little creature be harmed.

Chu Feng hid it behind his back, positioning himself in front, blocking the green eye.

The eye was originally enormous, more terrifying than a mountain, like a planet. But as it approached the bell's body, it rapidly shrunk, tearing through the ripples, dripping blood, and finally entering the bell's interior completely.

Finally, it transformed to the size of a human face, and the flowing blood, while scarlet, was also mixed with black blood!

"Boundless Celestial Venerable, Amitabha! It's unstoppable!" Chu Feng was terrified. At most, he should only have his memories erased, but what about the little Vermillion Bird's physical body?!

He couldn't just stand by and watch the little Vermillion Bird suffer harm!

The blank eyeball trembled, emitting a faint light, and struck towards Chu Feng. Indeed, in an instant, some of his memories were about to be stripped away, to be obliterated.

How could Chu Feng be willing to accept this? He struggled fiercely, desperately pouring out some negative emotions and useless memories from the past century to resist the eyeball.

This was very effective, blocking its path!

At the same time, the bell wall glowed, and the Soul Bell pulsed, sending out ripples, which also weakened the eyeball's light. The threat to Chu Feng was no longer as intense.

"No, this won't do. If this continues, I might not return to the Great Dream Pure Land successfully, and the little Vermillion Bird might be in danger!"

Chu Feng's heart sank. He realized he couldn't take such a gamble. At worst, he would lose his memories, but the little Vermillion Bird might pay with its life and blood.

He decisively piloted the Soul Bell, struggling desperately, reversing his path and rushing back towards the Land of Degradation. This was incredibly difficult, as the entire world was repelling him, and the abyss-like vortex was also rotating, pulling him in.

Chu Feng exhausted his energy, truly fighting for his life. He feared the little Vermillion Bird's tragic death; that would be too great a disservice. He wanted to fight his way back.

Finally, the bell chimed faintly. The soul array trembled violently, and even the bell's body dimmed, no longer emitting dark light. Chu Feng's own soul light also dimmed, and he felt dazed. He burst out of the vortex and fell from high in the sky.

"Ah, how can this be?!" The yellow-furred fox was startled.

"Child!" The old Vermillion Bird's heart trembled even more. It soared into the sky, not only catching the little Vermillion Bird but also protecting Chu Feng, bringing them back.

The little Vermillion Bird was fine, safe and sound, protected by Chu Feng without a single injury. Chu Feng, however, was extremely weak, almost completely depleting his soul light. Returning against the path was too difficult; he almost died from exhaustion.

However, with the old Vermillion Bird and the yellow-furred fox here, as long as he had a wisp of life fluctuations, he obviously wouldn't be in serious trouble.

Even so, Chu Feng needed to recuperate for three days and three nights. This was despite swallowing a drop of divine medicine fluid. One can imagine how severe his injuries were; his soul light was on the verge of collapse, and he almost withered away and died!

"Senior, I apologize, I failed your trust!" Chu Feng explained the situation, saying that in the end, he didn't dare risk taking the little Vermillion Bird directly.

"Thank you for caring so much and bringing it back safely." The old Vermillion Bird was very grateful. Chu Feng's desperate return showed immense responsibility.

Chu Feng said, "I'll take a few Vermillion Bird feathers and a few drops of its blood to test if they can be preserved after returning to my world. If there are no problems, I'll come back. After all, there's still the path through the Indestructible Mountain!"

He genuinely didn't want any accidents to befall the little Vermillion Bird, which was why he was so cautious.

"Alright, thank you, child!" The old Vermillion Bird nodded in agreement. It truly didn't wish for its child to be accidentally harmed.

Finally, Chu Feng set off alone. This time, things were unusual, extraordinary.

Once he entered the depths of the black vortex, the green eye, which had shrunk rapidly from the size of a star to a basin, directly attacked, rushing into the Soul Bell to obliterate his memories.

Moreover, Chu Feng saw clearly that many threads were connected to the entire dripping eyeball. These were threads of the power of order.

"Could this be formed by rules?"

If it were anyone else, they would have already blacked out, but Chu Feng withstood it with the Soul Bell. During this process, he also released some of his memories for the eyeball to obliterate.

For instance, useless experiences from the past century, minor affairs, and various negative emotions, were all cast out by him, allowing the green light to erase them.

Instantly, Chu Feng discovered this was very beneficial to him. He felt completely lightened, and his soul light gradually became as clear as crystal, no longer mottled or chaotic.

Although he hadn't noticed before, he indeed felt a trace of weariness within himself. After all, having lived in this world for a century, it was impossible for his mindset not to have aged at all.

But now, he was using this opportunity to cleanse and temper himself, actively severing all useless memories, making his soul light pure and flawless.

"No wonder ancient texts described powerful cultivators as having the 'heart of a newborn.' It truly makes sense. I suppose they also actively purged their weariness, washed away useless memories, constantly shed burdens, and preserved a pure heart."

Chu Feng suddenly understood, grasping some of the fundamental essences of evolution in that instant.

With the help of the Soul Bell, he successfully resisted the green eyeball's light beam. Neither his experiences as a Grandmaster of domains nor his grudges and emotions with certain individuals dissolved; they were preserved.

"Huh, what's that?!" With his memories preserved and some selectively discarded, Chu Feng's spirits lifted. He opened his Fiery Golden Eyes, and suddenly saw a terrifying truth.

As the vortex rotated, he saw it actually had cracks. Perhaps it could be said that this so-called black vortex was composed of many black fissures, with only a single central passage.

Behind the vortex's fissures, lay a terrifying world: a vast, greyish universe, shrouded in mist, lifeless, and chillingly eerie.

Was that the mysterious grey mist? Was that its source?

Chu Feng was shocked!

Then, he pushed his Fiery Golden Eyes to their limit, peering through the black fissures into the world within the vortex. It seemed like a dead universe, incredibly silent.

"No, there are living beings, there's something!"

Chu Feng saw giants, their eyes larger than planets, slowly striding, holding stone axes, forging a path ahead, attacking chaos!

Moreover, it wasn't just one giant; it was a group, a multitude. More accurately, they might be gods and devils!

Their forms were colossal. The smallest of these gods and devils had fingertips larger than planets. If not for his Fiery Golden Eyes and the power of order, Chu Feng would not have been able to clearly see their entire bodies.

They wore shackles, prisoners, some wielding giant axes, others iron swords, opening up chaos, digging for something.

In this lifeless universe, many enormous corpses of such gods and devils lay fallen along the way, all dead and unmoving.

Those still moving also had blank eyes, covered in blood. They had clearly lost consciousness, performing mechanical movements.

Grey mist surged, and the strange substance was intense. They were carving a path into chaos, and along the way, one corpse after another fell.

Chu Feng's heart trembled; he was utterly shocked. He didn't know what was happening, but he had a feeling he was witnessing a most terrifying truth of the universe. This seemed incredibly important for the future, involving taboos. Unfortunately, he didn't understand the situation now.

He truly wanted to go back and consult the yellow-furred fox. Perhaps even this fox, who called itself a Celestial Venerable, would be terrified.

However, at present, he had neither the opportunity nor the strength to reverse course again.

In the world within the fissures, with a *poof*, a golden sun in the sky exploded. It turned out to be a Golden Crow. Blood splattered, and it fell through the grey mist.

"Hurry, keep digging!" Suddenly, in that desolate universe, that world churning with grey mist, someone reprimanded all the sky-high gods and devils.

Chu Feng's pupils contracted. He saw a similarly tall figure, clad in ancient, tattered armor, carrying a standard-issue long blade on its back, its scabbard completely rotted away.

This was...

Chu Feng's heart trembled. This figure looked somewhat familiar. What it carried on its back was actually a standard-issue weapon—the Reincarnation Blade! Moreover, its armor resembled that of the dried-up, blank-eyed, mentally stagnant guardians of the reincarnation path Chu Feng had seen on the Road of Reincarnation!

However, the people here clearly still had consciousness, and were as tall as the heavens, like gods and devils.

From the side, he could see the figure's eyes were deeply sunken, its flesh shriveled. The entire being lacked vitality, and its gaze was already somewhat blank.

"What is this situation?!" Chu Feng cried out inwardly. Was this place also connected to the people behind reincarnation?

At the same time, he recalled Maiden Xi mentioning that the Reincarnation Blade was terrifying and connected to the Yang Realm.

"What do those great beings want to do? How strong are these so-called great beings of the Yang Realm?!" Chu Feng's heart stirred.

Ultimately, he vanished from this place, embarking on his return journey, heading towards the Great Dream Pure Land.