Chapter 970: Just Saying Goodbye

The little Taoist priest's delicate face completely collapsed, turning ashen. His expression clearly showed utter despair.

He wailed, vowing to fight Chu Feng to the death.

Then, as if having a heart attack, he clutched his chest, crying out in pain. He stumbled unsteadily, nearly falling to the ground.

He seemed to age dramatically, unable to stand firm, exasperated and determined to challenge Chu Feng to the very end.

The little Vermilion Bird was dumbfounded, finding the father and son pair quite odd.

The Lame Heavenly Venerate was equally speechless. This father-son duo was truly bizarre; he had seen mischievous children who "tricked" their fathers, but never a father who "tricked" his child to such an extent.

"Son, be strong!" Chu Feng supported the little Taoist priest, wearing a "solemn" expression as he encouraged him.

Seeing Chu Feng like this and then looking at the corner of the tattered talisman paper in his hand, the little Taoist priest truly wished he were dead. He wanted to bash his head against the ground but ended up forcefully ramming into Chu Feng instead.

He was utterly despairing. He used to hold onto hope, waiting for Chu Feng to return it, but now he saw that only a fingernail-sized piece of the black talisman paper remained; ninety-nine percent of it had been used. He felt as if struck by lightning, all hope lost.

"Chu, you great devil! I want to fight you! You snatched my talisman paper on the path of reincarnation, and now you've blocked my future! Waaah... I'm so pathetic, I don't want to live!"

His eyes were red and swollen as he wiped away tears, feeling incredibly wronged. If Chu Feng weren't his biological father in this life, he would truly want to get rid of him.

"Sigh!" Chu Feng sighed and patted his head. The little Taoist priest tried to bite him, then again treated him like a stone pillar and head-butted him.

At that moment, the little Taoist priest's eyes were blurry with tears. He had grand plans, hoping to surpass Heavenly Venerates and command the Yang Realm, but now... things were just too difficult.

As he hung his head, his eyes red, swollen, and tear-filled, everything blurry, he suddenly noticed his father dangling a long, narrow object in front of him.

"Great devil, get away from me! I admit defeat!"

He was furious and indignant, pondering whether to settle the score with his own father. It was too hateful, too shameful; he was simply beside himself with anger.

"What... what is this?!" Suddenly, he stammered.

Although his eyes were still teary, he could vaguely make it out. Why did it feel like... a vibrant red talisman paper?!

He immediately rubbed his eyes, squeezing out all the tears to see clearly. Before him was a reddish glow, the crimson talisman paper gleaming brilliantly, adorned with mysterious patterns.

"It's... that kind of talisman paper?!" The little Taoist priest cried out, snatching it into his hand. He turned it over and over, his eyes practically glowing with excitement.

He instantly stopped crying, saliva almost dripping from his mouth. For a long time, he caressed it as if touching an peerless treasure. Only then did he come to his senses, gripping the talisman paper with both hands, cautiously backing away while watching Chu Feng.

"Son, do you like the gift your father gave you?" Chu Feng, looking like a doting father, was full of kind smiles.

The little Taoist priest was startled. Had his biological father changed his ways, actually giving him a talisman paper? Where did this talisman paper come from? It was too strange.

However, after a brief moment of distraction, the little Taoist priest's face darkened slightly.

He gradually realized that the more he thought about it, the more something felt wrong. His father was truly dishonorable, clearly doing this on purpose, tormenting him and enjoying his utter despair.

"How shameful!" he muttered through gritted teeth, his small face scrunched up. Was this still his biological father? So vile, so hateful; he wanted to hit someone.

Especially now, seeing Chu Feng's "doting father" demeanor, he was absolutely seething with rage and wanted to challenge Chu Feng to a decisive battle!

Chu Feng cleared his throat, deciding to stop there, otherwise, the little Taoist priest would truly lose his temper.

The little Taoist priest was still unhappy; he had never seen a father who messed with his son so much.

However, he soon recalled some past events. He suspected that his biological father was likely holding a grudge and trying to teach him a lesson.

When they were in the foreign realm, he had tricked Chu Feng into tears for the family heirloom. Was this... payback?

"You owe me compensation! Tell me, what exactly is our family heirloom?" The little Taoist priest was truly unwilling to give up.

"Our family heirloom is contained within these eight words. Remember them well," Chu Feng said with a solemn expression.

Upon hearing this, the little Taoist priest immediately became serious. Had his father finally had a change of heart and was about to tell him the truth?

Chu Feng stated with utmost seriousness, "Remember: loyalty as vast as the sky, honest and pure kindness!"

The little Taoist priest was so enraged he wanted to hit someone and stopped wanting to speak to him. Weren't those the very words the Reincarnation King and Demon King Chu used to falsely gain fame?

"Come, let me introduce you. This is Heavenly Venerate Stone Fox, and this is Sister Zhu Yan."

The little Taoist priest wouldn't believe there was a Heavenly Venerate right before his eyes.

Chu Feng set off with them again, heading west from Kunlun, traveling towards the Western lands.

Along the way, the little Taoist priest was stunned when he learned that the lame Stone Fox was indeed a Heavenly Venerate, and what's more, from the Yang Realm.

Immediately, he was given a new task: Chu Feng arranged for him to carry Stone Fox and seek much advice.

The Lame Heavenly Venerate looked suspicious, seriously doubting whether this smooth-talking little Taoist priest was truly a Heavenly Venerate in his previous life.

"Ahem, with the potential of a Heavenly Venerate!" The little Taoist priest feigned shyness, though given his thick skin, it was clear he couldn't actually be shy.

He was deliberately acting young and cute, attempting to disarm Stone Fox with his childish demeanor.

The Lame Heavenly Venerate quickly showed a surprised expression. This little Taoist priest, who moments ago looked utterly despairing, either had an incredibly good mindset or incredibly thick skin; he had composed himself right after crying, now seeking to extract scriptures and secret methods from him.

Especially after learning that Chu Feng and Stone Fox had teamed up and brought back four talisman papers this time, the little Taoist priest immediately clamored to revisit the forbidden zone, empty it out, plunder all its treasures, dig three feet deep, and leave nothing behind!

Chu Feng re-ascended Mount Olympus. Of the twelve plants from back then, only five or six remained; half had died. The black-gold vine was still there, shimmering with lightning, implicitly becoming one of the West's most formidable experts.

"Zeus?" He sighed softly and left.

Afterward, he visited the Papal Headquarters. The place, once reduced to scorched earth and ruins, still looked somewhat dilapidated, with an old man presiding over it.

Chu Feng vanished from there, reappearing at a volcano in the West. He delved deeper and deeper, entering a secret underground realm, a folded space where many plants grew amidst the churning magma.

He saw a black egg, covered in delicate patterns and emitting a crystalline luster, floating deep within the magma, in the realm's sacred core.

"The Undying Phoenix King."

Chu Feng showed a surprised expression. He had found this old acquaintance, who had undergone a transformation, performing a deep-level evolution—a true nirvana.

The Undying Phoenix King, formerly a queen with a cold and glamorous demeanor, was one of the foremost evolutionary practitioners in the West. She had encountered Chu Feng before, had been on a blind date in Shuntian City, and fought alongside him against Schiller at Mount Longhu.

After their last parting, he hadn't seen her again; she had her own fortuitous encounters.

In Chu Feng's view, it was enough that she was alive.

He didn't disturb her. He stood there for a moment, lost in thoughts of the past. Soon after, he vanished, having retrieved several precious trees from some folded spaces in the West and planted them nearby.

The exotic trees and precious herbs he favored, which revived along with Earth, were naturally extraordinary. If they grew to maturity, they would undoubtedly become the top-tier resources in the West.

Only then did he truly depart.

Chu Feng visited the Western Holy City, Jerusalem, the sacred land of the three religions.

He saw some evolutionary practitioners, and finally, in the nearest sea area, he discovered a blonde little girl riding a whale king, her eyes pure, as she perused ancient scriptures.

Chu Feng watched quietly from a distance, not wishing to disturb her. He had met this little girl before when he first came to the West; she had rescued a whale king.

With his current cultivation and strength, he could naturally see through her entirely, quickly discerning subtle traces within her soul light.

The little girl was a descendant of ancient Earth, a child of those who had miraculously survived among the elderly, weak, women, and children pursued by the Star Knights in ancient times.

The Yellow Ox was also among them, a descendant of those who escaped.

These survivors had lived incognito in the starry sky. After Earth's revival, this little girl, like the Yellow Ox, immediately returned to their ancestral land.

Chu Feng did not disturb them and quietly left.

He returned to the East. While revisiting old places, he saw some skeletons and sighed softly. Some powerful organizations had been destroyed, such as the Extraterrestrial Civilization Institute and the Pre-Qin Research Institute.

Furthermore, in the Taihang Mountains, he saw the massive skeleton of a snake—the white snake had died.

Finally, Chu Feng quietly watched a movie titled "The Return of Divine King Chu."

Watching the film, he reflected on the past and fell silent. Many things were gone forever, impossible to relive, and many people he would never see again.

He didn't bid farewell to Zhou Yitian but secretly prepared some rare fruits and potent medicines for him, all gathered from the depths of Kunlun's folded secret realm.

Shortly before his departure, Chu Feng discovered two of the original Four Extraordinary Individuals: Vajra and Silverwing Heavenly God. He had once fought the latter, but their past animosity had been forgotten with a smile.

He secretly offered them some assistance without revealing himself. Then he left.

This was because if people from the Yang Realm knew who he had been close to, it might bring disaster upon them.

With that, Chu Feng departed, leaving Earth entirely and officially embarking on his journey!