Chapter 972: Each One's Return Path

“Haha, I’ve slaughtered a god! At just one year old, I blasted a deity from the Yang Realm into dust. My divine might is unparalleled; no one can compare!” The little Daoist priest laughed wildly.

However, his voice was tender, and his large, black-gem-like eyes fluttered, making it impossible for him to truly embody a heroic and formidable demeanor.

Watching him gloat and smirk, the stone fox was so furious it felt like both the first and second Buddhas had ascended to heaven. It couldn't stand the little rascal.

Similarly, the deity was also mentally shattered. Was it true that a mere child had thrown stones and shattered his body? He had actually... fallen to pieces.

A single drop of his blood could allow him to regenerate. Divine light surged as he rapidly reformed his true body, intending to retaliate. However, Chu Feng arrived, grabbed him by the neck, and dragged him into the chaos.

“I refuse to accept this!” the deity from the Yang Realm roared, feeling utterly humiliated. Nearly killed by a child, he looked at the little Daoist priest, then at the stone statue.

“What kind of stone is this?” If he didn't find out, he wouldn't rest in peace.

Currently, Chu Feng had him suppressed and unable to move, but he could still speak.

The stone fox's face turned darkly gleaming with anger. It was bad enough that it had been thrown, but this "hairy god" was effectively assisting by calling it mere stone material!

“You little godling, are you looking for death? I am a Heavenly Venerate!” the stone fox said coldly.

The god from the Yang Realm stared at the stone fox, scrutinizing it carefully. Finally, he let out a loud cry of terror, realizing that this was likely a Heavenly Venerate from the Yang Realm's past!

Panic filled him. This Heavenly Venerate had disappeared years ago, and now he was siding with Chu Feng?

Before he could think further, Chu Feng eliminated him. He activated his Minor Six Paths Time Art, obliterating the deity. Large quantities of divine particles flew out, along with faint traces of Dao Ancestor substance.

Chu Feng's entire body shone brightly, like an immortal divine king standing in the chaos. The divine essence within him increased, making him even more powerful.

Soon, he returned to normal, walking over with a smile to apologize to the stone fox, explaining that the "bear cub" hadn't known any better.

The little Daoist priest also gave a dry laugh, saying that in the heat of the moment, seeing the deity charge at him, he had thrown things randomly in self-defense, simply unable to restrain himself.

The stone fox glared, looking at Chu Feng, and said, “He’s definitely your biological child, no doubt about it!”

In its view, the father and son were too similar in nature; sometimes they truly lacked moral scruples!

Chu Feng pretended not to understand, his face remarkably thick-skinned. He said, “Of course he’s my biological child. Look, his nose and eyes are as handsome as mine.”

The little Daoist priest rolled his eyes hard, not wanting to deal with him. If not for Chu Feng, the great demon, snatching his black talismans, he should have been born in the Yang Realm.

The stone fox glared at the father and son. Encountering such an odd pair, it truly wanted to discipline them, but its movement was restricted.

The little Vermillion Bird was also speechless, watching the three of them.

“The affairs of the Netherworld are mostly concluded. We’ve finally eliminated all these gods,” Chu Feng sighed softly. However, it wasn't entirely over. From the soul-light of the recently deceased deity, he learned that there were still Reflection-level and Saint-level evolvers from the Yang Realm.

“Wait for me here,” Chu Feng said, then vanished directly.

With his power as a super deity, traversing this universe was naturally as easy as walking on flat ground. That very day, Chu Feng made eighteen consecutive kills, annihilating eighteen groups of people from the Yang Realm.

This shocked the entire Netherworld Universe!

Afterward, some claimed to have witnessed divine battles. Several deities from the Yang Realm had died, their lives reaped, with gods perishing from the Sea-Sky Clan to the Ice God Palace, and even at the very edge of the Netherworld Universe.

Unfortunately, no one yet knew who was responsible.

Chu Feng remained calm. After eliminating these individuals, there was no joy or excitement, as this was barely an appetizer; the true hunt had just begun.

The true masters, disciples of Heavenly Venerate Taiwu, Hunyi, and others, were mostly in the Chaos Universe.

Moreover, descendants with Heavenly Venerate bloodlines had personally arrived in the Chaos Universe. This was his primary objective: to hunt down the descendants of those Heavenly Venerate-level beings!

It was finally time to depart. Chu Feng looked at the Sea of Chaos, then at a large vermilion ship not far away, which had become masterless.

On board, half of a Heavenly Venerate's decree was still affixed, the other half having been destroyed when it crossed the Sea of Chaotic Thunder.

“If someone uses a Heavenly Venerate’s decree to kill me, can the stone box withstand it?” Chu Feng's pupils glinted faintly. This was, of course, the worst-case scenario; ordinarily, he would be extremely cautious.

At the same time, he wanted to conduct an experiment now.

“Dad, you’re leaving, and I can’t go with you to the Sea of Chaos,” the little Daoist priest sighed. He knew that if he went along, he’d only be a burden.

“I’ll travel alone; all of you stay here,” Chu Feng said.

At the same time, he took out a talisman from his person and handed it to the stone fox, intending for it to be used for its reincarnation. With this, Chu Feng no longer had any talismans on him.

He had thrown one into the great abyss, unsure if Yaoyao could reappear.

He had given one each to the little Vermillion Bird and the little Daoist priest; they were destined to reincarnate in the Yang Realm.

This last one, he gave to the fox, leaving no retreat for himself. He wanted to rise from ruin, choosing the path most cruel to him.

To sever the old self, nurture the new self, and await the transformation of the divine fetus!

However, the stone fox did not accept it. It was very serious and solemn, telling Chu Feng that the Heavenly Emperor’s old path was, after all, an incomplete chapter, lacking the corresponding breathing techniques, and urged Chu Feng to be extremely careful.

At the same time, it told Chu Feng to put away the shimmering purple talisman. No matter what, taking it on his journey would be a safeguard, so he wouldn't fear even an accidental death.

“Senior, you need it too, and after all, I still have another path I can take!” Chu Feng said.

The stone fox replied, “I don’t need it. Since I’ve escaped the exotic realm and come to this universe, it means I already have a chance to break free from my destiny.”

It possessed a certain grand ambition: to rely on itself to dissolve the restrictions its master had placed within its body, to break free from its confinement, and transcend.

“Either I die here, or I strive to survive through this tribulation, to be reborn here, so that when I one day face my master, I can confront him without fear.”

It made up its mind: either die, or transcend and stand shoulder to shoulder with its master!

It told Chu Feng to keep the talisman safe, as it might save him at a crucial moment, allowing him to reincarnate in the Yang Realm.

Chu Feng put away the talisman, no longer as wary of the limping Heavenly Venerate. Based on his intuition, he felt that the stone fox had never harbored ill will towards him.

His earlier caution stemmed mainly from having experienced great ups and downs in life and enduring various hardships, which made him necessarily meticulous and careful.

“I’m about to embark on my journey. If the god hunt is successful and I eliminate all enemies in the Chaos Universe, I will return to see you all. But if I fail, I’ll directly reincarnate in the Yang Realm, and who knows when we’ll meet again.”

Chu Feng said, as they parted ways.

“I will temper the little Vermillion Bird’s character in the mortal world for ten years, and then I will let her reincarnate in the Yang Realm,” the stone fox informed him.

“Dad, I want to…” The little Daoist priest hesitated, his eyes reddening, even welling up with tears.

“What’s wrong?” Chu Feng asked him.

“I can’t help you much right now. I want to leave immediately, go to the Yang Realm, and start from scratch, embarking on the path of the strongest genius. This universe is too small; its highest achievement is only at the Reflection level, which isn’t enough for me to grow. There’s no way for me to avenge Mom here!”

Uncharacteristically, he was very solemn, his eyes red and almost shedding tears.

This was a farewell, a parting that felt like death. He wanted to step onto the path of reincarnation!

When he saw Chu Feng use his strange arts to absorb divine particles, the little Daoist priest already understood why his biological father was so powerful—he had gone to the exotic realm for a hundred years, disregarding all consequences, completely throwing caution to the wind!

Although they had argued and he had even called his father a great demon, blood was thicker than water. They were father and son, after all. Now, he was deeply moved, knowing Chu Feng’s purpose was revenge—for a group of brothers, for Qin Luoyin…

The little Daoist priest decided that he would rise early, go to the Yang Realm to scout ahead, and one day join Chu Feng in killing Heavenly Venerates like Taiwu!

Chu Feng was silent for a moment. This was his and Qin Luoyin’s only child, and he had promised her he would take good care of him.

Now, the little Daoist priest wanted to self-disintegrate and reincarnate in the Yang Realm. Did this mean that, in the end, he hadn’t protected the child well enough?

But Chu Feng also understood that he shouldn’t stop him. If the little Daoist priest was to achieve greatness in the future, he should go to the Yang Realm, reincarnate early while he could, and embark on the path of the strongest.

Furthermore, the little Daoist priest also had strange substances on him. While not severe at the moment, they would require a Heavenly Venerate or even a Grandmaster to resolve, and with his current identity, he couldn't seek out such beings.

However, by embarking on the path of reincarnation, the stone mill in the City of Light’s Dead could completely dissolve the grey mist for him!

“Your mother… she told me to protect you and take good care of you,” Chu Feng said.

The little Daoist priest’s eyes grew even redder, filled with sadness, and tears fell as he said, “Exactly! That’s why I need to go to the Yang Realm, to reincarnate early and find her, to protect her. Even in the Yang Realm, she’ll still be my mom; I won’t change that!”

At the same time, it was the first time he truly opened his heart, revealing his true background: not an old monster, not a Heavenly Venerate, but simply a supremely talented prodigy, hailed as having unparalleled potential.

“Alright, go then,” Chu Feng said, patting his head.

“Dad, we’re parting ways now. As we face this separation between yin and yang, there’s just one thing I want to ask you,” the little Daoist priest sighed.

“Go on,” Chu Feng nodded.

“What exactly is our family’s heirloom?”

The atmosphere, which had been solemn and melancholic, was immediately broken by the little Daoist priest’s last question.

Perhaps he did this intentionally, not wanting them to embark on their respective paths burdened by sorrow during such a life-and-death farewell, hoping for more laughter instead.

Beside them, the stone fox and the little Vermillion Bird were speechless, watching the father and son.

Chu Feng sighed faintly, took out the stone box, and said, “It’s this, but it’s not a family heirloom. I found it by accident.”

The little Daoist priest was stunned. He had only intended to lighten the mood and avoid such sadness, but Chu Feng had actually told him, fulfilling his wish.

“Senior, can you tell what this is?” Chu Feng asked the stone fox.

“In my current state, what could I possibly discern?” The limping Heavenly Venerate was actually itching with curiosity but had no way to study it. After staring at it for a long time, it had a suspicion and a conjecture.

“Could that wall from back then have been merely one side of this stone box?” it uttered.

“Sigh, I’m about to reincarnate. Even if I knew our family heirloom, and even if you gave it to me, I wouldn’t be able to take it with me on the journey,” the little Daoist priest said regretfully.

He could be born in the Yang Realm, but how could this stone box be born there too?

Subsequently, Chu Feng conducted an experiment, using the stone box to contain the Heavenly Venerate’s decree to see if it could manage it.

With a whoosh, the half-talisman on the vermilion ship was absorbed into the stone box. Even when moved into the chaos, the talisman could be suppressed within the stone box. He now had a clear idea.

In the Netherworld, a Heavenly Venerate’s talisman couldn’t exert its full power, but in the Chaos Universe, it would be different.

Finally, Chu Feng set off. Instead of using the Yang Realm’s grand ship, he enclosed himself within the stone box, opening a small crevice, and traversed the Sea of Chaos.

He embarked on his journey alone.