Chapter 945: Living

Chu Feng was utterly exhausted. Despite a fiery determination burning within him, this immense catastrophe had drained him completely. Witnessing his loved ones and friends perish one by one before his eyes, how could he not be consumed by profound grief?

Outside the great abyss lay endless darkness. It took a long time for Chu Feng to calm down. His soul light flickered repeatedly, and his blood glowed, yet he was unable to reconstruct his physical body.

He was deeply wounded, not just in spirit but also in body. This deadly tribulation left him with immeasurable sorrow. He stumbled, walking alone into the distance.

"I need to find a place to revive Old Black, Yellow Ox, and the others," Chu Feng whispered. He was haggard and intensely nervous, terrified that upon opening the Demon Ancestor Cauldron, he would find them gone forever.

The Demon Ancestor Cauldron, too, had fallen into a deep slumber, its surface scarred and almost completely shattered.

In this battle, this catastrophe, both beings and artifacts endured the most profound hardship. It was truly a struggle to survive and remain in existence.

The cauldron's walls were stained with dull, lifeless blood. Whose was it? Chu Feng's heart trembled, filled with intense unease.

Moving a short distance away from the great abyss, Chu Feng stopped in a tranquil spot, preparing to open the cauldron lid. His hands trembled, and a profound dread seized his heart.

This was entirely uncharacteristic of his usual resolve, simply because he cared too deeply.

"Don't move," the Demon Ancestor Cauldron's voice echoed. "I contain a world within me that can temporarily preserve our current state. Both of us are critically injured; we are currently powerless to reverse our condition."

The Demon Ancestor Cauldron had been roused and delivered this warning.

It was undergoing nirvana, cultivating new life. Having previously pierced through Xilin Star and Heavenly God Star, absorbing countless essences, it now contained a vast amount of vital energy from mountains and rivers.

Within its unique life-sustaining field, all deterioration had ceased.

Chu Feng's hand froze. He genuinely dared not open the blood-stained lid. A wave of relief washed over him; holding onto hope was far better than succumbing to despair.

In that brief moment, he felt incredibly strained. His soul light dimmed, and he experienced waves of weakness, having just endured immense pressure.

"Home."

In his moment of peak physical and mental exhaustion, he felt a profound sense of loneliness and helplessness for the first time. He longed to return to the place once brimming with laughter and joy.

Earth, Kunlun, his small courtyard, and the Indestructible Mountain—these were all the warm places he could recall.

He was genuinely very weak, having barely escaped death. Though he survived, only a faint soul light and some blood remained; his entire physical form had been obliterated.

Gazing at the few faint stars at the edge of the darkness, Chu Feng stood quietly. He mentally circulated his breathing technique to stabilize his soul injury, and his soul fire flickered, slowly regaining its intensity.

He was unwilling to negotiate with the Heavens-Connecting Wormhole Company to open a wormhole anytime soon, remaining highly cautious of them. For now, he could only rely on himself.

"Brother-in-law!"

Someone arrived in the desolate void, their voice young and tearful, whimpering as they anxiously searched the area outside the great abyss.

It was Ying Xiaoxiao, the silver-haired loli. Accompanied by an elderly servant, she had rushed from the Demi-Immortal Race and was now anxiously weeping and searching the area.

"Brother-in-law, where are you?"

The pitch-black First Forbidden Zone of the Underworld was eternally desolate and isolated, a place where living beings were never seen throughout the year. Only recently had any human presence been detected there.

Ying Xiaoxiao cried, for she found nothing. Only her voice, light sobs, echoed through the void.

A moment later, more figures appeared outside the great abyss. They had used several super wormholes to quickly reach the area and were now lingering there.

However, the great abyss was immeasurably vast, its territory boundless. Ordinary individuals seemed utterly insignificant here; even those with divine perception found it challenging to fully sense the area.

Some moved silently and swiftly, utilizing spatial artifacts. They traversed the area outside the great abyss, holding precious mirrors that emitted beams of light to illuminate their path.

Among them were renowned ancient survivors, individuals completely shrouded in voluminous black cloaks, and evolvers wearing special, imperceptible masks.

Many had arrived, each with a different objective.

Some were genuinely concerned for Chu Feng, eager to confirm if he had survived.

Others coveted potential secret treasures from the Yang Realm, wondering if the Heavenly Venerate had left any behind after his disappearance, hoping to acquire them.

Still others, having heard the rumors from the Yang Realm, knew that Chu Feng possessed a supreme treasure—one so valuable that even Heavenly Venerate Taiwu had been moved to descend personally. Many were intrigued, wondering about the nature of such an ultimate artifact.

While the area outside the great abyss was quiet, the hearts of those present were anything but.

Many were genuinely compassionate, bringing friends and companions, having come specifically for Chu Feng, hoping to find him and assist in a rescue.

Given such a massive catastrophe, a cosmic upheaval that ended in this manner, many held a favorable view of Chu Feng and intensely wished for his survival.

Nevertheless, some evolvers arrived with sinister intentions. Human hearts are complex and often unpredictable.

Taiwu himself had been devoured, and even the god-level evolvers who accompanied him had perished. The Underworld had found peace, and the external pressure had vanished.

Under normal circumstances, even if Chu Feng were still alive, he would be crippled and have little time left.

Some individuals harbored impure motives, determined to find the stone box by any means necessary—an object coveted even by Heavenly Venerates. How could the greed within this Underworld universe possibly be restrained?

In the quiet refuge, Chu Feng's soul light flickered, gradually strengthening. He suddenly opened his eyes, revealing a purple-gold bamboo in his hand, and the Demon Ancestor Cauldron also began to revive.

"Many people have arrived," the Demon Ancestor Cauldron informed him. Even in its weakened state, it remained one of the most formidable and extraordinary weapons in the starry sky.

Others saw it covered in cracks, believing it to be ruined, but it had endured!

It asked Chu Feng if he wished to meet anyone, or perhaps unleash a massacre.

"Back to Earth, to save Yellow Ox and the others," Chu Feng replied. He didn't want any further complications; time was too precious. He had too many regrets from that day and desperately hoped to rectify them.

As the Demon Ancestor Cauldron began to glow, Ying Xiaoxiao finally located the area and discovered them. She ran over, weeping with worry.

They were more than family. For a century in a foreign land, this group had shared hardships and faced life and death together.

She had been terrified, convinced Chu Feng had perished there. Upon suddenly seeing his familiar soul light, she burst into tearful laughter.

Chu Feng paused, watching her approach.

"Brother-in-law," she exclaimed, tears on her face, "this is a grand elixir, refined from the leaves of a divine medicine! I stole it from the Sky-Rank No. 1 Pharmacy. Please take it quickly!"

Like presenting a treasure, she carefully held a jade jar, her face streaked with tears, and offered it forward, along with other medicinal powders.

Chu Feng felt a surge of warmth and a hot current flow through him. He raised a hand to touch her head, but being in a soul-light state, the sensation of contact was unusual.

Furthermore, he couldn't consume the medicinal powders or any other remedies in his current state.

"Here are special remedies for soul light," Ying Xiaoxiao urged, her face full of worry, seeing Chu Feng's flickering soul light and feeling deeply uneasy. "Please heal quickly."

"I'm fine," Chu Feng replied, adding that the area was unstable and she should return to the Demi-Immortal Race immediately.

"I want to protect you!" she declared, calling to her old servant to join them and guard Chu Feng, hoping for his swift recovery.

"My sister will also be here soon, and my brother has arrived too; they're all looking for you. Although the saints in our clan used to..." She trailed off, not wanting to dwell on past unpleasantries, knowing she was powerless to refute the decisions made by those three ancient saints.

"Indeed, your clan's saints have arrived. Xiaoxiao, you should return now. Goodbye."

Chu Feng departed. The Demon Ancestor Cauldron pierced through the void, carrying him directly towards Earth.

The cauldron's ability to recover to this extent allowed Chu Feng to exhale a breath of relief. Otherwise, he might have faced more crises, given his current precarious state.

Revive his parents, revive Yellow Ox and the others, then venture into the Yang Realm, cultivate relentlessly, and slay Taiwu!

This was Chu Feng's sole desire. He prayed for success, yearned for a miracle, that all those within the cauldron would return to life, clinging to hope and unwavering determination.

Many people had arrived outside the great abyss, and the scene grew increasingly bustling. Evolvers from various factions, along with leading figures from different clans, had all arrived, searching for Chu Feng's whereabouts.

They approached the great abyss with reverence, each driven by a different purpose.

"I hope you survive!" Purple Luan and Yuan Mo, accompanied by their respective clan members, stood there for a long time.

Yuan Shicheng, Yuan Yuan, Ying Wudi, and others also arrived, as did the Undying Silkworm Young Master, whose clan had been annihilated. All sighed softly, while some even burned joss paper as an offering.

Not everyone believed Chu Feng could have survived. The great abyss had ultimately devoured everything, even the Heavenly Eye from distant regions had vanished.

Those who harbored ill intentions remained low-key, outwardly showing no difference, but for a time, they found nothing.

Ying Xiaoxiao remained tight-lipped, not telling anyone that Chu Feng was still alive.

However, the truth could not be hidden indefinitely. Someone discovered a few strands of Chu Feng's blood in the starry sky that still contained vitality and life force—blood essence, suggesting he might not be dead.

All this turmoil was, for the moment, irrelevant to Chu Feng. He had returned to Earth, where he buried himself and the Demon Ancestor Cauldron amidst famous mountains and rivers. There, he established a formidable domain to revive himself and repair the great cauldron.

Now, with all things revitalized and spiritual energy abundant, Earth, nourished by the vast quantities of exotic soil Chu Feng had collected, was fully reawakened. Mountains and rivers everywhere generated essences like grand waterfalls, and all life became sentient. Even some stones gained consciousness, and ancient trees could now speak.

The Demon Cauldron glowed. Inside, it contained a peculiar space, and within this unique life-sustaining field, a blood mist lingered and drifted, being nourished by potent life energy.

"You all must live!"

Chu Feng prayed every day, something he hadn't done before. Now, he cared too deeply, terrified he would never see those people again.

He utilized renowned mountains and certain special domains left behind by the Holy Master to restore both the Demon Ancestor Cauldron and himself. These included domains for nurturing weapons and vast areas for cultivating the body.

He even ascended to the moon, visiting the Holy Master's imperial palace.

Later, Chu Feng's face was pale as his flesh and blood slowly, painstakingly began to reform. He was still alive, but would the others be able to reappear in the world?

Finally, Chu Feng intended to go to the East Sea, to enter the True Dragon's Lair. This place, drawing upon the essence of heaven and earth and nurtured by underwater mountains and rivers, was an exceptionally valuable land.

The field researchers' notes had mentioned both Phoenix Nests and Dragon Lairs. If properly set up and utilized, cultivators meditating within them could absorb the spiritual essence of mountains and rivers, unlike others who relied on exotic fruits.

In Chu Feng's plan, once he entered the Yang Realm, he would employ this extraordinary method, seeking out ancient immortal caves, ancestral veins, and similar powerful sites to ensure his rapid ascension. Otherwise, how could he possibly slay Taiwu?!

Yet, at this moment, he felt deeply uneasy and apprehensive. Having already ventured deep into the East Sea, he wondered if those individuals were still there. Would he ever see the people in the cauldron again in this lifetime?