Chapter 966: This Underworld is Not the Real Great Underworld

Chu Feng felt a sense of world-weariness. Although only a year had passed in the Netherworld, he had indeed spent a century in the foreign realm. Those scenes flashed before his eyes; a hundred years had simply slipped away like a grand dream, leaving him lost in thought as space shifted and time became dislocated.

He sighed softly, finally returning. This was his world, and with only a year having passed here, it would be his main battlefield. From now on, he had only one goal: to kill his enemies! He was now a quasi-Divine King, no longer the person he was a year ago who could only watch helplessly as Heavenly Blade, Duke Lei, and Mandala Flowers self-detonated, and those around him died one after another. Now, he intended to slay gods!

"What's the situation now?" Chu Feng asked the Demon Ancestor's Cauldron, wanting to know the current state of affairs. Before he left, he had learned that the passage to the Yang Realm could remain open for over a year. So, he had vanished for a year, going to the foreign realm to increase his strength, intending to return before the people from the Yang Realm fully departed, to settle scores with certain individuals.

"The situation is a bit complex."

A year later, the Demon Ancestor's Cauldron was unchanged. It had stood guard here, ready for anything, and finally succeeded in guiding Chu Feng back. No matter how powerful one was, without someone from this world to receive them, even a god could not cross realms.

"Dong!"

The Soul Bell vibrated. Clearly, it was the commotion made by the Stone Fox and Little Vermilion Bird. The Lame Heavenly Venerate's intuition was strong; he had a premonition that crossing the boundary membrane into the Netherworld had been successful.

Chu Feng pulled out the magnetic marrow, releasing the two from the Soul Bell. Simultaneously, his soul light returned to his physical body, making him feel much more at ease.

"It's so cold!" Little Vermilion Bird shivered the moment she emerged. For safety, Chu Feng had her seal herself directly into the Sub-Saint state, fearing something might go wrong. She had always lived in the foreign realm and was unaccustomed to this frigid universe, being her first time here.

The Lame Heavenly Venerate, however, was much calmer. Its journey had been incredibly long, and even when in the Yang Realm, it had visited extremely yin places, which were even colder than the Netherworld. At this moment, it was experiencing, comprehending, and understanding the true situation of this universe. Its expression was complex; it had actually managed to escape the foreign realm and successfully cross the boundary. This meant that for the first time, it had broken free from its master's shackles. Its life had taken a turn, and it would break its destiny!

"Is this the Netherworld?" Little Vermilion Bird fluttered her large eyes, curious about everything.

The Demon Ancestor's Cauldron was about to speak to Chu Feng, but seeing two additional beings suddenly appear, it immediately fell silent, saying nothing more.

"This is not the Netherworld," the Lame Heavenly Venerate suddenly declared.

What was happening? Chu Feng had just been about to introduce the specific situation and some precautions to Little Vermilion Bird and the Stone Fox, but he hadn't expected to hear such a statement. If this wasn't the Netherworld, then where was it? Had something gone wrong with his return, or had he been tricked? In an instant, Chu Feng's heart tightened with extreme vigilance. He opened his Fiery Golden Eyes and looked at the demon cauldron, but... it was correct. He looked at the Stone Fox with suspicion.

"The Great Dao is damaged, and the order has severe flaws. Most critically, this world is too small. Rather than a universe, it's more like a confined, desolate space," the Lame Heavenly Venerate said calmly.

This startled Chu Feng and astonished the Demon Ancestor's Cauldron.

"Isn't this the Netherworld? How could it be wrong?" the Demon Ancestor's Cauldron asked, puzzled.

Chu Feng pondered. This wasn't the first time he had heard this. He also recalled Heavenly Venerate Taiwu, who had mentioned something similar last time, describing this as a small space, a mass grave, and questioning if it could truly be considered the Netherworld. Now, it seemed there really might be an issue.

"I'm recalling some old matters," the Stone Fox said. While it didn't wish to dwell on its master, it felt compelled to mention him. In the past, when its master discussed the Dao with another great being, they spoke of how there is always yin where there is yang, inherently opposing each other. If the Yang Realm was so brilliant, the Netherworld would be no less so. The Stone Fox explained, "My master was then deducing the Netherworld."

Upon hearing this, Chu Feng's brows furrowed deeply.

"I have a feeling that the Netherworld my master spoke of is not this place," the Lame Heavenly Venerate stated very seriously. Of course, its master had never left the Yang Realm and had not personally visited this universe. After gaining insights from the people of the Yang Realm this time, there should be a deeper deduction. However, as a discarded disciple, the Stone Fox was no longer privy to the subsequent developments.

"This Netherworld isn't the true Netherworld?" The Demon Ancestor's Cauldron was dumbfounded. If it wasn't the true Netherworld, then what was it? The Stone Fox said, "Theoretically, there should exist a Great Netherworld, cold and vast, with an extremely ancient history, standing in opposition to the Yang Realm."

This sent a chill through Chu Feng. It was truly shocking! The Stone Fox added seriously, "However, regarding that theoretical Great Netherworld, there's no conclusive evidence; it's merely a deduction by great beings." It was difficult to find factual evidence to prove such a theory, because no one could reach the Great Netherworld. At the very least, beings at the Heavenly Venerate level were utterly incapable of doing so and had never truly understood it. The Netherworld they knew was merely this "mass grave."

Chu Feng was lost in thought for a long time. The so-called deduction made a lot of sense: where there is yin, there is yang. Since there existed a vast and brilliant Yang Realm, there should theoretically also be a Great Netherworld, prosperous to a terrifying degree. He had always felt it unfair and improper that their universe was far inferior to the Yang Realm, and that the so-called yin and yang were too imbalanced! Now, he had a realization: if that theory was correct, the Great Netherworld had never truly appeared! Considering it carefully, the cultivators in this shattered world, with its flawed space, were truly somewhat pathetic, bearing the name of the Netherworld yet being suppressed by the people of the Yang Realm.

"The Great Netherworld..." Chu Feng's mind wandered into the void, pondering for a long time. Afterward, he snapped back to reality. He had only just returned today, so why was he spacing out? The priority now wasn't these matters; he could discuss them with the Lame Heavenly Venerate later.

He had spent a century in the foreign realm, while only a year passed in this world. Had anything changed? He quickly asked the Demon Ancestor's Cauldron if people from the Yang Realm had descended upon this universe again.

"Yes, some of them have come again," the Demon Ancestor's Cauldron truthfully informed him.

"I will slay them all!" Chu Feng declared, divine light flashing in his eyes after hearing this. However, he controlled himself well, preventing any divine-level energy fluctuations from erupting. He was filled with worry, his greatest concern for the little Daoist priest. With his parents gone, Qin Luoyin dead, and all his close relatives lost, only his child remained.

"He should be fine," the Demon Ancestor's Cauldron said.

Even so, Chu Feng immediately set off, taking them with him and soaring into the starry sky. Though he had been away for just over a year in this world, he had truly experienced a century. The thought of his only child made him restless.

In the universe, streaks of light flashed past. Even with Chu Feng suppressing himself to the Illumination Realm, his speed when rushing was terrifying, causing the surrounding star sea to appear to flow backward!

"Indeed, it's a confined, desolate space. In the true Great Netherworld, how could an Illumination Realm cultivator travel like this?" the Lame Heavenly Venerate remarked. If it hadn't overheard the conversation between its master and another great being, it would simply have thought that the so-called "Netherworld" was too pathetic. But now, it had increasing reason to believe that a true Great Netherworld still existed!

Chu Feng paid no mind to these discussions. All he wanted now was to see his child immediately. After a hundred years of separation, he had brought back several talismans this time. He wondered what expression the little Daoist priest would have if he knew. Perhaps he would be shocked, and then he would cheer with joy.