Chapter 1457: Strange Origin

Yinzhou. The combined entity of 963 stared at the Master of the Soul Light Cave, declaring, "You disgusting monster! You actually crawled out of the Soul River. Do you think the Yang Realm has become your new nest? Once you're here, don't even think about returning. I *will* kill you!"

Though 963 had been relatively calm upon arrival, his face was now grim and cold. He harbored intense, undisguised hostility towards the Master of the Soul Light Cave, as if consumed by a deep-seated, loathing hatred.

The Martial Emperor and others wore solemn expressions. Even they sensed the gravity of the situation: creatures from the Soul River had come ashore? This was an incredibly terrifying development.

If this were true, the Yang Realm had been infiltrated for many years without discovering the Soul Light Cave Master's true identity, which was incredibly dangerous.

Others might not understand the Soul River or what it signified, but how could those at their level remain ignorant? The Soul River was an ominous place, a source of all strangeness!

At the very end of the Soul River, even Heavenly Emperors had bled during exceptionally brutal wars. For beings of the Yang Realm, it was a cursed land, one of the primary sources of great calamity.

Some even speculated that the Soul River might be one of the participants in every epochal shift and world destruction, necessitating strict precautions.

It wasn't that no one had tried to level it, but the end of the Soul River was too mysterious. Even several Heavenly Emperors who fought their way there had left with regrets. They believed they had cleared everything, only to realize later that there was a final barrier, concealed in the darkness at the very end of the strange land, which they had failed to locate or breach.

It was unfathomably dangerous there; the ultimate pass at the end of the Soul River was terrifying beyond measure!

In those days, supreme blood had once been spilled, dyeing the banks of the Soul River red.

The Overlord of the Soul Light Cave, radiating silver light, remained perfectly calm, a cold smile playing on his lips. Facing 963, then turning to the other ultimate beings, he composedly and steadily declared that it was the people from the First Mountain who were slandering him.

"He wants to avenge Li, divide us, and then target us one by one," the progenitor of the Soul Light Cave said calmly, maintaining his composure throughout.

At this, the other ultimate beings exchanged peculiar glances but remained silent.

The combined entity of 963 did not become agitated. Although he was experiencing a rare surge of emotion and harbored intense animosity towards the overlord shrouded in dense silver soul force, he never lost his composure.

He looked at the other ultimate beings and said, "You must understand how perilous the end of the Soul River is. Even a slight misstep could doom the Yang Realm to eternal damnation."

After a brief pause, he added, "For so many years, allowing a creature that crawled out of the Soul River to mingle in the Yang Realm, and even stand among your ranks, is not merely a mistake—it is a grave transgression!"

The Overlord, the Master of the Soul Light Cave, whose body pulsed with dense silver soul force, offered a faint, somewhat cruel smile. His words were brief: "A false accusation."

"Heh heh..." The combined entity of 963 also smiled, speaking no more.

With a deafening boom, the void disintegrated, the great dao shattered, and an overwhelming aura of destruction swept forth!

This was far too sudden. 963's direct attack caught everyone off guard, causing the Soul Light Cave progenitor's pupils to constrict as he retreated with extreme speed.

However, the world completely transformed. Everywhere, blurred patterns were etched—across the sky, on the ground, and throughout the void.

Ancient and hazy Yin-Yang diagrams appeared everywhere, like an ink wash painting, with black and white forces endlessly rotating!

963 had used this technique before, but its power was now far more terrifying. Countless Yin-Yang diagrams emerged, blurry yet clearly imprinted across every inch of the void.

The combined entity of 963 transformed the area into a black-and-white world, locking down heaven and earth to form a tangible black-and-white cage, trapping the Master of the Soul Light Cave within.

"Without reason, based solely on slander, you intend to attack?!" the Master of the Soul Light Cave roared. His soul force surged, and silver-white light shot into the sky, a truly terrifying sight, rarely seen since ancient times. A being with such astonishing soul power was indeed formidable.

He unleashed soul light, intending to cleave through space-time and tear apart all obstructions.

"What reason do I need? Once I recognized your identity and smelled that unique, nauseating stench of the Soul River, there was no need for explanations or justifications to anyone—I simply had to act! All that talk before was just to keep you steady, to prevent you from escaping!" roared the combined entity of 963.

His primary goal just now had been to seal off the area, with countless Yin-Yang patterns obscuring both the heavens and the earth.

Simultaneously, this was also to protect the land itself.

Otherwise, 963 was now so terrifying that the energy he radiated would be enough to annihilate Yinzhou!

"Are you still not going to act? Do you truly intend to watch him sow discord among us, only for him to target us one by one later?!" the Master of the Soul Light Cave shouted at the other ultimate beings.

"You all should show some self-respect, lest I start suspecting that some of *you* are also creatures that crawled out of the Soul River," 963 declared.

He continued, "While you may also be 'involved in darkness,' you are merely flesh-and-blood beings walking within it. The monsters that crawled out of the Soul River are different; they are infected entities, one of the very sources of strangeness!"

The ultimate beings were speechless. What did he mean, "involved in darkness"? That was truly unpleasant to hear. Did this old man think they were mere hooligans?

*Rumble!*

The combined entity of 963 acted with decisive and overwhelming power. The Yin-Yang diagrams coalesced into a peerless strike, like a rotating wheel of light, blasting forth with absolute dominance, even severing the river of time.

Faintly, the patterned space-time solidified, and the progenitor of the Soul Light Cave appeared like a figure trapped in a painting, as if hung on a mysterious wall, unable to move, and was struck with immense force!

The Yin-Yang light wheel pierced through the Soul Light Cave progenitor, sending true blood splattering and shocking the world!

"If you dare to crawl out of the Soul River, I dare to kill you!" the combined entity of 963 gritted his teeth, as if consumed by a blood feud and boundless hatred.

His current sharp and intimidating aura was a stark contrast to his usual harmless and nonchalant demeanor!

"Roar!"

The progenitor of the Soul Light Cave roared, and a terrifying aura permeated the air as invisible soul light vibrated. It was utterly horrifying; if Yinzhou hadn't been locked down, he could have made the soul light of billions of beings ignite and perish completely.

Even so, the closest onlookers—powerful beings outside Yinzhou—were still affected. A group of them plummeted, their soul light vibrating and almost exploding.

This was truly horrifying! The fact that this could still happen even after 963 had locked down Yinzhou proved that the Soul Light Cave progenitor was indeed an ultimate powerhouse, capable of annihilating vast landscapes spanning millions of miles with a single move.

"You're an incomplete body. Are you trying to summon your true form from the Soul River, or are you calling your master?" the combined entity of 963 sneered. "I'm afraid that won't work. Today, as I've said, taboos cannot be spoken lightly. Your glabella is darkening; you're about to die!"

963 had seized the initiative. The Yin-Yang light wheel rotated and plunged into the brilliant, immense soul light!

The Master of the Soul Light Cave, whose soul power struck fear into the world, possessed a soul light that reached untold thousands of miles high, standing oppressively upon the earth.

He sought to use his boundless soul light and power to tear open the shackles and obliterate the combined entity of 963.

However, he was now severely wounded. The Yin-Yang light wheel, endlessly regenerating, plunged into his brilliant and vast soul body, severing time and causing his soul blood to splatter!

"If I say I'll kill you, I *will* kill you! I'm fulfilling my promise!" the combined entity of 963 growled.

At the Phoenix King's abode, Chu Feng finished his harvest, acquiring a large bundle of Soul Strengthening Grass. Each stalk was pristine white and emitted a delicate fragrance, enchanting the soul.

This rare treasure could nourish one's soul and extend life.

In addition, he also collected some powerful-grade soil from the medicinal field, which was an even more exciting find for him. If he had enough, it could make the seeds in his stone jar sprout again.

The cave dwelling by the Sun River was beautiful and picturesque. Inside its mountain gate, spiritual vines and rare herbs flourished, white mist rose, and divine springs gurgled, making it seem like a true immortal realm.

Now, the entire dojo was silent, its evolvers all having become prisoners.

Chu Feng looked at the Phoenix King and said, "I had no quarrel with you, yet you sought to hunt me down with some 'elegant posture.' Do you still find it interesting or amusing now?"

He thoroughly detested this woman. Although she was indeed astonishingly beautiful, a rare stunner, he still didn't want to show any mercy and intended to deal with her before leaving.

The Phoenix King, usually alluring and a renowned beauty in the Yang Realm, had always held herself aloof. Now, she was overcome with immense fear.

Her charm and her tactics had all proven useless; this Demon Chu simply wasn't swayed by them.

"I was momentarily blinded by desire," the Phoenix King pleaded, hoping to buy time. "Please give me a chance. The Soul Light Cave will offer you ample compensation."

She had faith in her sect, whose power was boundless and terrifying, possessing the profound heritage and influence to awe the entire Yang Realm!

Unfortunately, Chu Feng remained unmoved.

"You call yourself Phoenix King? You disgrace the name!" Chu Feng spoke genuinely; he truly felt this way because the name had brought him fond memories in the past.

On Earth, there was once a phoenix known as the Undying Phoenix King, with whom he had a blind date.

Remembering those years, Chu Feng felt a pang of melancholy and became somewhat lost in thought.

He sighed, lamenting how those youthful years had simply vanished. He recalled vividly how, in the early days of Earth's cosmic changes, his parents had actually forced him to go on two consecutive blind dates.

The first was with Xia Qianyu, with Jiang Luoshen as a bonus.

On the second blind date, he met the Undying Phoenix King—175 centimeters tall, queenly in demeanor, yet suffering from amnesia. He had even introduced her to his parents, who had been very happy and satisfied at the time.

Many years had passed. Some people would likely never be seen again, and some events had long become the past, never to return.

It had been over a decade. He wondered how the Undying Phoenix King was doing. She should be alive, he hoped she was well, Chu Feng sighed.

After that brief recollection, Chu Feng killed the Phoenix King, showing no mercy.

As for the red-haired Heavenly Venerate, he naturally couldn't escape death either, regardless of whether he was a direct descendant of the Soul Light Cave.

The supposed heaven-and-earth anomalies, such as blood pouring from the sky, did not occur, as Chu Feng shattered and extinguished them with a single punch.

Zilu shivered, looking somewhat timid and weak. This was the Demon Chu she knew—never soft-hearted when dealing with enemies.

"Not selling anymore?" she whispered.

"Sell *your* head!" Chu Feng tapped her fair, delicate forehead. In the Yang Realm, if he were to act as a trafficker, who would he sell to? Could he just hang them in front of the Soul Light Cave and hawk them? His current strength didn't permit such recklessness.

"Ow, that hurts, you hateful demon!" Zilu clutched her head, nearly bursting into tears again.

"Dragon liver and phoenix marrow are among the finest delicacies in the world. Should I have a taste?" Chu Feng stared at the five-colored divine bird, which had reverted to its original form, and hesitated.

It was a sacred avian creature possessing a significant amount of true Phoenix blood. However, the thought that it had been in human form just a short while ago made Chu Feng unable to bring himself to eat it.

"Never mind," Chu Feng shook his head. "I should curb my gluttony and reflect on myself, not indulge. Instead of going back, I should go... looting!" His reason was so righteous and full of confidence that it made Zilu stare blankly, then secretly despise him.

The Li Fire Heavenly Crow Heavenly Venerate's face was bloodless as Chu Feng forced him to lead the way to his own abode.

Ultimately, Chu Feng left disappointed from a cave dwelling within the Sun River. The Li Fire Heavenly Crow was a rogue cultivator, and his abode contained very few rare treasures.

"This is the Soul Light Cave?" Chu Feng, with Zilu in tow, finally reached their destination, arriving at the upper reaches of the Sun River. He stared at a magnificent mountain range shrouded in clouds and mists.

Of course, while they were at the "upper reaches," they were still an immeasurable distance from the actual Soul Light Cave.

Moreover, this time he had coated himself and Zilu with Samsara Soil and used the stone jar for concealment, prioritizing safety above all else.

The so-called Soul Light Cave was indeed a literal cave!

It was located on the main peak in the central region of that cluster of divine mountains. Even from a great distance, one could see auspicious mists billowing from it, and soul force surging, making it seem utterly sacred.

Throughout the mountains, exotic flowers and rare herbs grew everywhere. Ethereal spiritual mist diffused, divine radiance pulsed, and auspicious beasts and spiritual birds appeared frequently in countless numbers.

This region definitely harbored powerful beings!

However, an unusual phenomenon seemed to be occurring, as Chu Feng saw many evolvers within the mountains had fainted and were lying unconscious by the mountain gate.

"This feels a bit eerie, and strangely familiar," Chu Feng mused, a bad premonition forming. "Could that person have paid another visit?"

Then, he indeed saw it: inside the cave, besides the immortal light and surging soul force, waves of dark light were rippling!

"My goodness, it's here again?!" Chu Feng was stunned.

He then acted decisively, charging directly towards a certain island in the Sun River. Since the dark light had gone ahead into the Soul Light Cave, he no longer feared the main area.

This meant that the local master, possibly one of the dark sources of the underworld, was not at home.

This foreshadowed yet another "empty nest" for an ancient ultimate being, who was now having extremely bad luck!

"You go into the cave, I'll head to the island. Let's split up and do our own thing!" Chu Feng exclaimed, excited. The island was sure to contain unimaginable soul medicines, grown with the essence of the sun's fire. Was he about to strike it rich? He wanted to pull off a major heist, his blood boiling with anticipation.

That dark light had been sweeping through the depths of the Soul Light Cave for a long time, but it had not left. It continuously sensed something peculiar there, special traces.

With a thunderous boom, it discovered a clue, activating a hidden portal and breaking an ancient seal.

And then, it beheld the chilling Soul River!

"I'll kill you all!" These four words emanated from the terrifyingly dark light.