Chapter 949: Smuggling into the Living World

Chu Feng traveled a long distance to the ancient mine where the Ancestral Demon Cauldron was buried, and waited there.

The starry sky was filled with discussions about him. The reappearance of Chu Feng, the great demon, caused a huge sensation. Celestial Venerables from the Yang Realm had died in the Great Abyss, but he had survived.

Some, believing they were on Chu Feng's kill list, lived in dread, anxious and hiding in uninhabited parts of space. Others were excited, engaging in heated discussions on platforms like Black Blood and Primal Beast.

However, none of this concerned Chu Feng; he had no time for it. He was calmly waiting for the Ancestral Demon Cauldron to emerge.

At this moment, a tiny, ancient crack appeared in the Sea of Chaos. Unbeknownst to most, it was a secret path connecting the Underworld Universe with the fragmented Chaotic Universe.

Now, someone was setting off. With long silver hair cascading to her waist, a tall and elegant figure, and a graceful back, she trod the secret, ancient path she had walked millions of years ago, moving forward.

If Chu Feng were there, he would surely recognize her: the woman from the ancient mine at the foot of Kunlun Mountain. She had hidden on Earth, shedding her skin over countless years, reborn from death.

Coincidentally, Yaoyao's grandfather had also sought her out, asking for the medicine to save Yaoyao.

This woman, originally from the Yang Realm, had hidden on Earth. When disturbed, she had emerged from Kunlun carrying a pair of silver door panels, slaying Reflecting-level figures from the Underworld Universe.

Now she had embarked, heading alone to the Chaotic Universe. More accurately, she was attempting to smuggle herself through!

"The world is balanced," she murmured softly yet firmly. "The hardships I've endured will eventually be compensated for in the Yang Realm. My dynasty, my kin, and the Celestial Venerables of my clan—you have perished for over ten million years. No matter how great and glorious the past, it will eventually be forgotten by the world. I will rise and reforge a prosperous era!"

Clearly, the downfall of such a powerful dynasty could not have been orchestrated by ordinary individuals; at the very least, a Celestial Venerable must have been involved in the conspiracy.

The silver-haired woman was leaving, seizing this rare opportunity to return to the Yang Realm, where a much broader stage awaited her, without limits to her potential development.

The highest cultivation in the Underworld was merely the Reflecting level, revealing the end of the path at a glance.

Her enemies, however, were unimaginably powerful. Only by soaring above the Nine Heavens in the Yang Realm would she have a chance to become a paramount expert.

"I apologize to some of you in the Underworld," she said. "I resided here for many years, but I couldn't help you, because I wanted to live. I must fight my way into the Yang Realm to shake the foundations of those who conspired against us back then!"

She had effectively died back then. Her newly transformed self, carrying old memories, had just revived, making it the perfect time to enter the Yang Realm.

"People of the Yang Realm, you have opened the path," she whispered. "I can just borrow your way. Heaven's will allows my return!"

Otherwise, returning to the Yang Realm would be incredibly difficult for her, with no discernible path.

Her initial arrival had been an accident during a supreme battle where her clan's Celestial Venerable, before dying, had torn a rift between the two realms. She had fled through that very gap.

Now, that rift leading to the Yang Realm must have been closed for countless years.

A grim atmosphere pervaded the fragmented Chaotic Universe, with raging waves crashing and undercurrents surging. The death of one of Grand Martial Celestial Venerable's avatars was an event of immense magnitude.

No one dared to venture back to the Underworld; apprehension filled their hearts.

Those who remained were deeply uneasy, fearing Grand Martial's true body would reprimand them. Jiang Zhou, Xu Hong, and others who had revived were particularly pale with dread.

It was their report, after escaping, about the discovery of an ultimate treasure in the Yang Realm that had prompted Grand Martial Celestial Venerable to set out.

The silver-haired woman, named Ming Chuan, entered the Chaotic Universe. She then retrieved a secret treasure: a broken bronze lamp that ignited on this day.

Back then, Ming Chuan's clan had established an immortal dynasty, ruling over hundreds of millions of miles of land. Naturally, a Celestial Venerable had supported them from behind; otherwise, it would have been impossible to occupy such fertile ground in the formidable Yang Realm.

Unfortunately, the Celestial Venerable of her clan was ultimately slain, which sealed their decline.

This bronze lamp was left behind by that very Celestial Venerable. Although it was a damaged artifact, after countless years of recovery, it could be lit once more, signifying its power to protect her as she forced her way through.

While in the Underworld, Ming Chuan had not dared to activate it, fearing it would be swallowed by the Great Abyss.

Once in the Yang Realm, with such a formidable treasure by her side, she wouldn't have to worry about being divined by spiritual masters.

In the Yang Realm, the order of heaven and earth was complete, and the Grand Dao was vast and magnificent. No one could arbitrarily divine heavenly secrets, especially those wielding peerless ancient artifacts that disrupted celestial phenomena, making them even harder to foresee.

The old weasel had once said these very words when targeting Chu Feng: it dared to risk its life acting in the Underworld, but would never "act recklessly" in the Yang Realm.

This was because the Underworld was incomplete, merely a confined space in their eyes, not a truly ordered heaven and earth.

They even, at one point, suspected that the flawed world Chu Feng and his companions inhabited was not the true Underworld of legends!

On this day, a fiery light blazed across the small path connecting the Chaotic Universe and the Yang Realm. A silver-haired woman surged forward at extreme speed. Along the way, some were awakened and frantically tried to block her, only to be reduced to ashes themselves.

This small path was extremely perilous. Complete chaotic lightning bolts, some as red as blood, others roaring silver arcs, flashed nearby from time to time, powerful enough to slay Divine Kings and terrifying beyond measure.

The silver-haired woman proceeded without mishap, rushing along the path towards her destination. Enveloped by the gentle light of the bronze lamp, she forcefully traversed the divide.

That day, disciples of several sects were shaken. The Chaotic Universe rumbled. Just after a Celestial Venerable's death, someone had so brazenly killed their people and smuggled themselves into the Yang Realm!

In this conflict, one god died, incinerated into ash by the mysterious Celestial Venerable's fiery lamp. A substitute death talisman exploded, but due to the significant difference in power levels, it had no effect.

Even more Reflecting-level cultivators perished, exceeding ten in number. As for the younger disciples, their fate was even worse; a whole group died without even a whimper.

In the Chaotic Universe, the Grand Martial, Hun Yi, Primordial, and Chaotic Sky lineages were deeply shaken. This attack had primarily caught them off guard, but it also revealed a problem: their carelessness.

Especially since most of their gods had followed Grand Martial to the Underworld and subsequently perished.

Only a few gods remained, and only one was stationed at the passage.

"Pursue!"

"I don't believe she can pass through the Yang Realm's boundary membrane!"

Jiang Zhou and Xu Hong shouted, their faces turning pale. This was their most serious dereliction of duty—allowing a being from this universe to enter the Yang Realm. While it could be downplayed, if someone truly targeted them over this, it would be a major crime.

In the end, they were disappointed; they failed to catch her.

Ming Chuan used the bronze lamp to unleash its most powerful strike, piercing the boundary membrane and successfully forcing her way into the Yang Realm.

"I'm back!"

Carrying the revived Celestial Venerable's ancient lamp, her beautiful face filled with excitement, she deeply inhaled the abundant Yang energy. From then on, she could leap like a fish in the vast ocean and soar like a bird in the high sky!

She vanished instantly, intending to live incognito and quietly await her rise.

A wisp of grey mist appeared at the Yang Realm's boundary membrane. With a whoosh, it also slipped through the still-open gap, letting out a chilling sneer before vanishing into the world.

"She is Empress Ming Chuan!"

In the Chaotic Universe, the old weasel shrieked. Through divination and deduction based on the residual traces Ming Chuan left behind, it figured out her identity.

"Was she the last empress of that dynasty in the Underworld Ridge region from back then?" Jiang Zhou gasped, taking a sharp breath.

That was an old story from millions of years ago. Young Empress Ming Chuan possessed exceptional talent, considered a super genius even in the vast Yang Realm, ranking among its peak figures.

Unfortunately, her fate was dire. She became the last empress of that dynasty, hastily elevated to the throne after the old emperor's death with no one else to inherit. At that time, the empire was on the verge of collapse, her clan nearing extinction, and she was still far from fully grown.

Many knew that history: the downfall of an empire supported by a Celestial Venerable, with terrifyingly powerful conspirators suspected to be more than one Celestial Venerable intervening!

In the Underworld Universe, at the former burial ground of the Mechanicus Race's Vajra Ancient Ancestor, brilliant light burst forth, and auspicious radiance surged. The Ancestral Demon Cauldron emerged, having repaired itself.

The Starry Sky Mother Gold bracelet, the rarest material in the world, had been completely absorbed by the Ancestral Demon Cauldron, merging into one. Specks of patterns and faint starlight appeared on the cauldron's walls.

"You've recovered?" Chu Feng asked, having meditated there for several days.

"Thanks to the Mother Gold you provided, I've progressed even further!" The Ancestral Demon Cauldron expressed its heartfelt gratitude.

"Where do we go next, and what shall we do?" the Ancestral Demon Cauldron asked him.

"First, back to Earth," Chu Feng replied.

"Alright!"

With the Ancestral Demon Cauldron by his side, there was no need to use planetary teleportation arrays. It could instantly pierce through heaven and earth, traversing the Underworld's starry sea.

This would certainly not be possible in the Yang Realm, where the order of heaven and earth was complete, and rule backlash would make even gods tremble.

Soon after, they arrived in the space outside Earth, looking down upon the vibrant world below.

"You seem troubled. Is something on your mind?" the Ancestral Demon Cauldron inquired.

Chu Feng spoke very solemnly, "I am going to undertake a great endeavor, to act madly just once. But before that, I must resolve any lingering worries and fulfill a promise."

The Ancestral Demon Cauldron fell silent. What lingering worries could Chu Feng possibly have now? Everyone close to him had died; he was utterly alone, a truly desolate sight.

"How do you intend to do this?" the Ancestral Demon Cauldron asked him.

"Before I act madly, I need to make sure I see my parents, Luo Yin, and the Yellow Ox one last time. I want to resolve all hidden worries."

The Ancestral Demon Cauldron was stunned!