Chapter 951: If There Is a Next Life, Still Brothers

"I was suffocating, Grandpa Ox was suffocating! I felt like I had died in my sleep, trapped in a nightmare from which I could never wake up. Finally, I can speak!" After opening his mouth, the great black ox, though merely a faint wisp of soul light, gasped for air as if rescued from drowning.

"Pfft!" Ouyang Feng habitually spat, but a wisp of his soul light came out with it. He grew even more ethereal, nearly dissipating, which startled him into a strange cry as he frantically tried to re-absorb it.

The old donkey, bewildered, wiped what he thought was spit from his face. Coming to his senses, he immediately started brawling with Ouyang the Divine Beast, yelling, "Divine Beast, Grandpa Donkey is going to fight you to the death!"

The two of them started fighting!

The yellow ox, Zhou Quan, and the Northeast Tiger all revived. Familiar faces appeared before Chu Feng, who trembled with excitement. His hope had finally come true; these people had reappeared.

Just a short while ago, he had worried that this path would ultimately lead to nothing, leaving him in utter despair.

After all, only blood mist remained of these people; their soul lights had vanished, decomposed into energy matter, and all traces of their existence in this world were gone.

However, he had always firmly believed that the so-called true spirit—the core of a person's consciousness—must still exist, hidden within that energy matter, even though he couldn't perceive it.

Now, everything was the best possible manifestation of that belief.

"Howl..." Wailing cries pulled everyone back to reality. The stone millstone gleamed with golden symbols, grinding away at the gray matter, as various terrifying and extremely eerie figures emerged.

The old donkey stopped brawling with Ouyang the Divine Beast, the great black ox also fell silent, and everyone felt a chill in their hearts, standing quietly and watching everything in astonishment.

Chu Feng's heart jolted; he saw numerous species manifesting within the gray matter.

There were six-winged celestial dragons with blood dripping from their eyes, three-legged immortal birds entirely black and utterly devoid of divine aura, and golden-winged roc birds emanating malevolence with venomous gazes...

Then, their forms shifted again, exploding into gray matter before reassembling. Some became ancient figures draped in Heavenly Venerate robes, others mysterious statues seated high above the nine heavens. Yet, all had blood dripping from their eyes, or exuded monstrous malevolence, appearing grotesque, bizarre, and utterly abnormal.

Amidst the golden light, they exploded once more, the gray matter seething, unwilling to be obliterated, struggling fiercely.

"I am the Heavenly Emperor, ruler of the world!" As the gray mist churned, a figure emerged, seated cross-legged on a prayer mat, surrounded by various prostrating figures worshiping him. Yet, the figure on the mat also had blood streaming from his eyes, and those bowing to him were covered in wounds, black blood flowing, making the scene chillingly grotesque.

From the millstone, the golden symbols flew out, suppressing everything directly. They transformed into a large golden hand, grinding the figure on the mat and all the prostrate creatures to dust.

"Howl..." With a piercing howl, the gray mist churned, forming various faces that shrieked in agony. They were incredibly grotesque, with chilling eyes staring at Chu Feng and everyone else, seemingly defiant of the millstone.

Alas, it still disintegrated, crushed into oblivion and ceasing to exist.

What was this thing, and where did it come from? To have encountered such an utterly unnatural substance during their journey to the foreign realm sent shivers down everyone's spines, filling them with dread.

Had they not arrived here, Chu Feng would never have known the consequences would be so severe; everyone seemed to be burdened by countless malevolent spirits—it was terrifying.

Was it a creature, a strange substance, or perhaps some evil curse or rule?

Chu Feng individually punched the great black ox, the yellow ox, Zhou Quan, Ouyang Feng, and the others, then went to his parents' side. Due to their recent contact with the blood mist, they too had become tainted with the gray substance.

"Dad, Mom!" Chu Feng's voice trembled slightly. He had thought he would never see them again in this lifetime, yet he had succeeded here, rescuing them from the blood mist and energy matter.

"My child!" "Xiao Feng!" Chu Zhiyuan and Wang Jing both trembled slightly, recalling the final moments of their lives. They had a premonition, realizing this was a reunion between life and death.

"Brother, where are we?" asked the great black ox.

The group had endless things to say, but they were also very curious.

"Purgatory, the City of Death, beneath the stone millstone!" Chu Feng replied, briefly explaining the general situation.

Everyone was stunned. They had arrived at the edge of the reincarnation path, undergoing the millstone's crushing before rebirth, to be 'formatted' and thenceforth proceed to the afterlife?

Indeed, their courage was immense. After learning what Chu Feng had done, their feelings were complex—a mix of gratitude, wistfulness, and remembrance. It turned out their lives had truly ended; they were now truly dead.

Without Chu Feng, even their soul lights would have been extinguished.

Chu Feng supported Chu Zhiyuan and Wang Jing, looking at the group. His pupils contracted, and a pang of sorrow hit him; after all, some great demons were missing, some had vanished completely!

The Kongtong Mountain Turtle was gone, the Black Bear King had vanished completely, and the Golden-winged Roc King was nowhere to be seen. The bald Horse King barely managed to manifest a wisp of a phantom from the energy matter of his fragmented soul, and even he was almost completely obliterated.

Wu Qifeng and the old Lama barely managed to emerge at the last moment, which was related to the amount of energy matter preserved after their soul lights had decomposed.

A silence fell, and everyone sighed. There was never anything perfect in this world. This time, Chu Feng had been given endless hope, believing everything was complete, yet in the end, there were still deficiencies and great regrets.

Furthermore, Qin Luoyin had not yet appeared. She had always been by Chu Feng's side, and her body was still there, suggesting her true spirit was trapped within it.

"Brother, are we going to be reincarnated?" asked the great black ox.

Their feelings were complex—reluctance mixed with bitterness. To be so easily erased, with no hope of avenging themselves, only to embark on a journey to an unknown next life.

"It's nothing serious; we'll fight again in the next life!" The yellow ox was resolute, not dejected, but filled with conviction.

Around them, blood splattered, making everyone, from Chu Feng's parents to the yellow ox and Zhou Quan, feel uncomfortable, dizzy, and on the verge of retching.

What was all this around them? Silver-patterned crocodilian dragons were being crushed, sending bone fragments and blood everywhere. Ants as large as wild elephants disintegrated, their black fluids flowing. Palm-sized metal figures exploded, turning into metallic dust...

The area around them was viscous, the liquid scarlet, as if they were submerged in ketchup, but they all knew what it truly was.

At the same time, they were gathering towards the center, about to undergo their final obliteration and be sent onto the path of reincarnation.

In fact, their situation was highly unusual; first, there was the strange substance, then the stone box's protection, which was why they had been spared from being crushed.

However, that was no longer the case. Apart from the living Chu Feng, the stone box no longer protected them, and a line of golden symbols on the rough, massive stone millstone began to glow, targeting everyone.

For some reason, they thought of the phrase, 'Heaven's net is wide, though it's coarse, it misses nothing.' Of course, they weren't heinous villains, but simply 'smuggling' themselves seemed incredibly difficult.

"Will we forget everything, and from then on, not know where we came from, who we are, or be reborn in a strange world?" Chu Feng's mother, Wang Jing, clutched his hand, her face filled with pain and sorrow. She was unwilling to leave, unable to let go of this place or stop worrying about Chu Feng.

"Mom!" Chu Feng held her, and though his heart ached, he assured her that he would find a way for them to remember everything and not forget this life.

"I don't want to forget this life either! I still want to drink huge bowls of wine, eat big chunks of meat, and chase down enemies with you. My lifelong grudges haven't been settled yet, how can I be content?" Ouyang Feng cried out.

"In the next life, we'll still be good brothers!" Chu Feng looked at them, offering comfort, and solemnly told them he would strive to ensure they reincarnated with their past memories intact.

The inevitable moment arrived. Chu Feng had them gather together, guarding the black talisman paper.

At this moment, Qin Luoyin also emerged from the range of Chu Feng's stone box and joined Chu Feng's parents.

As the stone millstone rolled over, Qin Luoyin's soul light emerged. She and Chu Feng looked at each other, their eyes filled with unspoken words and tears of the soul.

Chu Feng's voice trembled. He felt he had failed Qin Luoyin, not protecting her, forcing her to abandon her child and be reborn alone, with an unknown path ahead. His heart was desolate.

He told her everything in the briefest words, promising to seek her out in the next life!

Qin Luoyin looked back, full of too many regrets. She looked at Chu Feng, and it was also like a final glance at the netherworld universe.

A brilliant golden light erupted as the rough stone millstone rolled over, seemingly 'formatting' everyone, severing all ties to this current life.

The black talisman paper glowed, floating among the group.

Everyone's soul light trembled slightly, and from each, a wisp of gray matter floated out, forced from the soul lights of the yellow ox and the others!

Chu Feng's body grew cold; he felt a chill. This gray matter was incredibly troublesome, indeed intertwined with the soul light.

Even though he had anticipated potential remnants and believed that a complete reincarnation was necessary, witnessing it firsthand still filled him with lingering fear.

At the same time, he thought of himself: how much strange matter was intertwined within his body and soul light?

Finally, everyone fell from the millstone and stepped onto the path of reincarnation. At this point, they became temporarily dazed, forgetting everything, even with the black talisman paper present.

Just like the little Daoist priest who only awoke at the very end of the reincarnation cycle, these people would be the same.

Chu Feng personally escorted them, activating the black talisman paper, and rushing everyone along, ensuring no mishaps occurred.

Along the way, he once again saw those ancient soldiers, their flesh nearly rotten and shriveled to their bones, each bearing a standardized reincarnation blade whose sheath had long since rotted away.

This time, he didn't stop and had no desire to acquire such a blade.

Finally, they arrived. A colossal black abyss lay before them, blocking the path. Countless beings surged forward, plunging into the darkness like dumplings falling into a pot.

No matter how powerful one had been in life, none could fly or escape underground here; they could only leap and pounce like wild beasts.

"Go!" Chu Feng took everyone, using the black talisman paper to cross the abyss. On the other side, there were railings, an ancient cave, and an ancient clay effigy sitting silently, guarding the end of the reincarnation path.

Upon reaching this point, everyone gradually awakened as if from a profound dream. However, they had still lost some memories, though thankfully not severely.

Chu Feng's heart sank. He knew this was likely due to having too few talisman papers; with so many people sharing, there were bound to be deficiencies.

During their final farewells, Chu Feng's father shed tears of the soul, and his mother, needless to say, was heartbroken. They were to part from their child, separated by a lifetime and by reincarnation!

"In the next life, you will still be my parents!" Chu Feng's lips trembled, his heart aching immensely. He couldn't bear it, but at this moment, there was truly nothing he could do.

Chu Zhiyuan calmed himself and said, "Don't create difficulties for yourself. I know it was already incredibly difficult for you to bring us here. Whether it was pain or hardship, this life was just an experience, an ordeal. It's time for it to end. Let's depart freely, taking nothing from this life, and travel lightly. In this life, you were our child; our kinship is eternal and will illuminate our entire existence. What we experienced was wonderful. Let everything freeze here once we finish this journey. Let's embark freely; don't be sad. Perhaps this is better. We will experience new wonders; there's no need for reluctance or pain."

Wang Jing wept, soul tears streaming down her face. She said, "Child, as long as you can live well, we can let go of everything. In this life, you were our son, and we are content. Your father is right; now, we should let go of everything and depart gracefully, to experience new wonders. Don't carry any heavy burdens."

The great black ox, the yellow ox, Ouyang Feng, the old donkey, and the others all came over, reluctant to part and filled with sorrow.

Qin Luoyin also looked at Chu Feng, her soul light trembling, tears flowing. Finally, she told him to take good care of the little Daoist priest.

"Don't be like this," Chu Feng said in a low voice. "You will all carry your past memories, and I will definitely go to the Yang Realm to find you!"

Then, he had everyone light the black talisman paper together and collectively offer sacrifices to the clay effigy.

"Will all of us appear in the Yang Realm?" asked the yellow ox.

"It should be so," Chu Feng nodded.

He had previously conversed with the little Daoist priest, who normally would have appeared in the Yang Realm. However, he had been ambushed by Chu Feng, had the talisman paper stolen, and an unexpected situation arose.

Those who possessed the talisman paper would have a very high cultivation starting point in their next life!

At this point, Chu Feng began to recite scriptures, all of them the most powerful breathing techniques: those of the Celestial God Race, the Buddhist Race, the Sub-Immortal Race, and also the Robber's Breathing Technique. He hoped they could retain this memory, allowing them to quickly rise in their next lives through these inheritances.

These techniques only reached the Illumination level, but they were sufficient.

If they were remarkable enough in their youth, after cleansing their marrow and washing their bones to transform their physiques, ancient and powerful Daoist sects in the Yang Realm would undoubtedly be willing to accept them as disciples.

However, Chu Feng also knew that with only one talisman paper, it was far too few to fully protect everyone. After traveling this far, their memories were already somewhat incomplete, and they might lose many more memories upon truly entering reincarnation.

"I hope you can remember some of the scriptures!" Chu Feng could only express this hope.

These individuals set forth, entering the ancient cave to truly proceed to the afterlife!

A small section of the black talisman paper remained unburnt, which Chu Feng picked up. He still needed it to cross the abyss and return to the netherworld.

Chu Feng took out the Vajra Cudgel. Previously, he had shared offerings with the clay effigy here, and when those mysterious reincarnators lit talisman papers for worship, glowing patterns appeared, wrapping around his Vajra Cudgel!

Now, he activated the Vajra Cudgel, simultaneously using his soul fire to try and ignite it.

Indeed, wisps of glowing symbols emerged. He took the remaining small piece of black talisman paper, intending to use it as compensation to further strengthen everyone's offering share, fearing they might lack enough.

"Farewell!" Chu Feng said, looking at the Reincarnation Cave.

"In the next life, we'll still be brothers!" the great black ox, the yellow ox, and others roared from inside the cave.

Chu Feng whispered, "I'll go collect some interest for you. How could you die so unjustly? I'll hunt gods, and if fate allows, we'll meet again in the Yang Realm!"