Chapter 1484: Thousand Autumns Later Who Waits

“All will die, another era ends, the curtain falls!”

In this hazy realm, a supreme being spoke.

They stood high above, overseeing the joys and sorrows of others, coldly watching their laments, having long since grown indifferent.

This place was separated from the myriad heavens, not truly like a real world, but very indistinct, as if it were the projection of some ancient, colossal land, forming a realm beyond the world.

They decided to obey the will of Heaven, or perhaps, to act according to the inscriptions on the yellow paper that had drifted down.

The Silkworm Cocoon felt something, saying, “Another epoch ends. Since ancient times, how many could attain immortality alongside us? Alas, in all the heavens and earth, the Underworld and the Azure Nether, the mortal realm vast as the sea, how many beings can remain? All are destined to die!”

No one spoke. Had that person not possibly returned today, they would have remained as indifferent as ever. Yet now, they exhibited what they perceived as low-level emotional fluctuations.

“What’s happening outside, and how much longer must we wait?” asked the being from the Ancient Underworld.

“Wait for him to dissipate, until eternal silence,” said the monster from the Celestial Emperor’s Burial Pit.

It was grotesque, covered in lumpy growths, oozing pus and blood. A beast’s head was stitched to a decaying human head, its alligator mouth wide, jagged teeth protruding. Its body was irregular and asymmetrical, truly horrifying.

“The Great Grey Sacrifice, a new epoch is about to begin. Will the Chief Sacrificer appear?” asked the Eight-Headed Supreme.

This topic seemed highly taboo. The other beings remained silent, not responding immediately, all appearing very quiet.

After a long time, the Silkworm Cocoon finally lowered its voice and said, “Wait.”

Silence fell over the place; no one spoke further.

Time flowed on. In this realm beyond the myriad heavens, this outer domain, the few beings remained patient, unwilling to venture out rashly and confront that entity.

At this moment, the stone stele outside continued to glow, indeed undiminished. On the platform constructed of runes, golden light began to emerge beneath a pair of feet.

He seemed to be treading upon eternity, standing in the long river of ancient time. Light particles continuously flew in, condensing his form; at least his ankles had begun to emerge.

However, that was the extent of it. It was almost complete, but without sufficiently strong individuals targeting it, or sustained, supreme external stimulation, it could only progress this far.

What was happening? The master of the Black Blood Research Institute, the Martial Lunatic, and others felt their hearts pound.

Nine-Paths-One, meanwhile, was observing Chu Feng. Who was this figure shrouded in the great mist?

The Dog Emperor’s expression was even more complex. Finally, it secretly transmitted a message to Chu Feng, asking for his advice: “Have those supreme beings truly retreated?”

“They’ve temporarily retreated. We should retreat too!” Chu Feng replied.

Now was the opportune moment to leave.

Too much had happened today; it was not advisable to continue fighting. Several supreme beings had arrived, and if not for the stele manifesting, runes soaring into the sky, and a pair of feet descending to interrupt everything, the trouble would have been immense!

Upon hearing this, the Dog Emperor showed an excited expression.

Its expression was unexpected, surprising Chu Feng and making Nine-Paths-One and the others feel that something was amiss.

“Good that they’ve left!” The Dog Emperor raised a paw and slammed it hard against its own square head and large ears, producing a thud that made the others wince in sympathy.

“If you want to harm yourself, I’ll hit your head for you. I guarantee expert craftsmanship; I can crack open your skull without damaging your brain,” said the Corrupted Corpse, shaking the pickaxe in its hand.

“Senior Uncle, don’t do anything rash!” The bald man became anxious, thinking the Dog Emperor had gone mad, worried it might lose its mind because it couldn’t obtain the most potent medicine.

“Unseal!” To everyone’s surprise, the Dog Emperor ignored them, not at all annoyed. Instead, with great solemnity, it cast a spell upon itself.

With a hum, its square head and large ears trembled slightly. Thousands of auspicious rays emanated from its skull, transforming into inscriptions that flew out. It then enlightened itself, quickly activating the Imperial Bell and imprinting mysterious patterns upon it.

“Brother Bell, this is the true meaning of the Emperor’s Mark! Hurry and resurrect to find him!” These were the Dog Emperor’s urgent words. Immediately, the broken bell began to glow silently, appearing red-hot all over. A scripture emerged on its surface, gently rumbling in the air.

Nine-Paths-One’s gaze was profound. He said, “This dog-thing came here with ulterior motives; it wasn’t necessarily just looking for medicine. It even kept secrets from itself, sealing its own heart-sea in advance, and deceived us. Only now that it has lifted the seal is it truly beginning its scheme.”

“Dog, what are you trying to do? You’re a real scoundrel, keeping things from us?!” The Corrupted Corpse was exasperated.

The Dog Emperor regained its composure and said, “We’ll talk later!”

The others were speechless. What exactly was this dog-thing planning?

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

A change occurred. The broken bell chimed softly, its runes densely packed, as if vibrating a scripture. The bell itself glowed red-hot, causing the entire Soul River to resonate.

Strands of dawn light appeared, accompanied by faint crisp sounds. Were they metal shards, or fragments of stone?

Various small, fragmented pieces flew in, then all merged into the broken bell, becoming one with it, gradually completing the great bell.

There were bell fragments, and even the most crucial section of the bell’s pendulum, which was remarkably repaired in that brief moment, making it relatively complete.

The Dog Emperor immediately grew excited, touching the pendulum.

“There’s a greater hope for resurrection!”

It trembled, genuine emotion evident, as if it had seen a glimmer of hope.

The great bell was not fully restored in the end, but the pendulum was more than eighty percent complete. The whole structure became quiet, no longer glowing red-hot, and its runes were now restrained.

“The Great Emperor, whose life was accompanied by the bell, had strands of his origin essence nurtured within its pendulum. I want to find it!” The Dog Emperor declared.

Ultimately, it was still for the resurrection of the Emperor’s Corpse.

Without a grand medicine potent enough, finding even a wisp of the Emperor’s origin would be equally effective!

However, it had been shattered back then, the pendulum exploded. Could any of the Emperor’s origin still remain?

It should be noted that these reassembled bell fragments were actually mere remnants, having lost their spiritual essence, buried in the mountain walls and the Soul River, showing no abnormalities whatsoever.

Otherwise, would supreme beings have left them right at their doorstep? They would have long since destroyed them.

Nevertheless, despite the abundance of remnants, after forming the pendulum, the Dog Emperor diligently investigated and astonishingly found a trace of origin essence, though it was extremely faint and scarce.

“Even a trace is enough; there will certainly be hope in the future!” The Dog Emperor was no longer sad.

“Then let’s go quickly!” Chu Feng said. This place was no longer tenable, as no one could be sure when the pair of feet on the stone stele would vanish.

After all, it wasn’t the true body of that entity returning. According to the supreme beings of the abyss, this might merely be a condensation of his aura, projected from the long river of ancient time.

Nine-Paths-One sighed, feeling melancholic. But what could be done?

“Go!” He waved his hand, resolutely turned, and no longer looked at the pair of feet above the stone stele.

“What are you waiting for? Run!” the Dog Emperor also shouted. It used the Imperial Bell to carry the Emperor’s Corpse, picked up the little Holy Ape itself, and then bolted, faster than anyone.

Chu Feng, naturally, was at the very back, covering their retreat!

“Senior Uncle, slow down, mind your image!” the bald man reminded from behind.

He was genuinely displeased. They had agreed to attack the Soul River, yet the Dog Emperor was the first to flee, and moreover, it was wearing nine-colored shorts, which was far too eccentric and flamboyant.

“Weren’t you the main instigator of the attack? Why are you acting like a cornered dog, running wildly and leaping about? In the blink of an eye, your shadow is almost out of sight.”

“Stop prattling, run first, get out of the Soul River!” the Dog Emperor growled, wiping cold sweat from its brow. “This emperor was scared to death!”

The others were speechless, not understanding its meaning.

What level of cultivation did they possess? Even the weakest among them was an old Ultimate Being, not to mention the mysterious dark shadows that appeared behind the old Ultimate Beings, connecting them to unknown worlds.

Tai Yi, the Martial Lunatic, and the master of the Black Blood Research Institute could all leverage this power!

In an instant, they left the abyss, escaped the world within the gate, departed from the Soul River, and returned directly to the Yang Realm via a secret path.

“Senior Uncle, do you really need to flee like this?” The bald man felt embarrassed for it. The Dog Emperor had been so assertive for so long, yet in the end, its reputation was ruined by such a disgraceful departure.

The Dog Emperor glanced back, saw the stone stele glowing and the pair of feet still present, and let out a long breath. “What do you know!” it said.

Then, astonishingly, it wiped more cold sweat from its brow, looking still shaken. “Confucius said, I was scared to death!”

Everyone was speechless. How had this dog become so timid?

Even the Corrupted Corpse scorned it, slapping its big head. “Look at you, what a disgrace! Don’t tell anyone you know me!”

The Dog Emperor wasn’t angered; it looked a bit sheepish. “It’s just that after my soul was unsealed just now, I finally understood what was going on,” it said.

It then quickly explained that it had no intention of attacking the Soul River at all; it was merely a bluff. If it could dig up medicine, it would, but it wouldn’t force it if it couldn’t. Its real main objective was to come here, circle around, and find the pendulum.

It couldn’t reveal its true purpose beforehand, fearing that supreme beings would perceive it, rendering all efforts futile. That’s why it sealed a portion of its soul light.

The Dog Emperor said, “I truly didn’t expect that we would almost fight the supreme beings to the death!”

It wiped two handfuls of sweat. This time, its probing had truly gone too far, long deviating from its original intention.

“You deceived us, and then you even deceived yourself, you dog-thing!” The Corrupted Corpse was indignant. Earlier, this dog had looked as if it were going to its death, calling on him to emerge from seclusion.

In the end, it wasn’t planning a decisive battle at all; everything had been a deception.

The Dog Emperor explained, “I did indeed suspect there was an issue with the Soul River, and that supreme beings probably couldn’t emerge, which is why I came to probe. It would be best if I succeeded in my objective, but failure wouldn’t matter, because I had a backup plan.”

It told them that it did indeed possess a Celestial Emperor’s trump card, capable of unleashing a single strike. Moreover, after this strike, brilliant runes would envelop them and carry them away, possibly even taking them to the side of the missing Celestial Emperor.

“Hiss!” Everyone gasped.

This dog-thing’s trump card could actually take them to the Celestial Emperor’s side to find his true body? This was astonishing!

“There’s a fifty percent chance of reaching him, and a fifty percent chance of it not being his location, but it will definitely teleport me to an absolutely safe zone.”

This was the Dog Emperor’s confidence, which allowed it to dare to come.

Then, it gloated: “Furthermore, do you really think this Emperor is mad, reckless enough to come here for a decisive battle? Wouldn’t that be suicide?! Who do you think this Emperor is? Have I ever suffered a loss in my life? I came here to gain benefits, understand?! For so many years, I’ve studied this place extensively and figured almost everything out!”

It added, “I hypnotized myself to face death without fear, to fight a decisive battle at the Soul River. But in truth, I also wanted to see which acquaintances hadn’t died, hoping to smoke them out and make them reveal themselves.”

Damn you!

The Corrupted Corpse, the bald man, and Nine-Paths-One were speechless, glaring at it with ill intent.

This dog-thing first deceived itself, then deceived them.

“I truly didn’t expect a supreme being to emerge!” the Dog Emperor sighed. This was beyond its expectations. It had studied the Soul River for a long time, believing that such a powerful entity wouldn’t appear.

Of course, it was fearless. If it came to a critical moment, its trump card would activate on its own, carrying away those on its side and ensuring their safe disappearance from the place.

Soon, it grew despondent again. This time, it wasn’t an act or a deception, but genuine sadness. Holding the little Holy Ape, it said, “The monkey is dead.”

The Corrupted Corpse patted its shoulder. “This isn’t your fault,” it said. “What remained of it was merely a wisp of remnant thought, long dead for many years. If there had been any hope of survival, even a sliver of origin essence or a wisp of soul light, it wouldn’t have come to this.”

The Dog Emperor nodded. Even if the monkey had been a mere relic, or possessed even a faint wisp of soul light, its trump card would have activated on its own, taking everyone away swiftly.

“Do you think the monkey might not be dead, that it’s actually still alive?” The Corrupted Corpse suddenly spoke. “I don’t know why, but I always feel something isn’t right. It’s not just him; I also have suspicions about my own decaying body, though I don’t know the reason.”

“Forget it, let’s leave this place first and talk later!” the Dog Emperor said.

Then, with a boom, a tremendous sound erupted from behind them, on the bank of the Soul River. The pair of feet left the platform, stepping through the void, moving upriver towards the ultimate land.

Everyone was dumbfounded, and Nine-Paths-One trembled even more. What was happening?!

That entity had actually moved again!

The Dog Emperor and the Corrupted Corpse felt somewhat reluctant to leave. They truly wanted to see what these feet would do. Were they going to flatten the Soul River?!

Boom!

With each step, golden footprints were left in the void, resembling grand Dao patterns, sacred and crystalline, scattering light particles that imprinted themselves upon the void.

Wherever the feet passed, a trail of indelible footprints was left behind, instantly entering the abyss.

The pair of feet had actually entered the abyss! Nine-Paths-One was shocked. Was this going to flatten the place?

At this point, they could no longer see. The pair of feet submerged into the dark abyss, walked through chaos, and headed towards a legendary, unapproachable place.

“He… really went in?!” The Dog Emperor was stunned.

“What about us?” asked the bald man.

“We should still retreat first, get far away. Something is bound to happen, after all!” The Corrupted Corpse said seriously.

“Right!” Nine-Paths-One also nodded.

At this moment, Chu Feng, who had been covering their retreat, walked over. He felt a chilling sensation, as if he had been carrying someone on his back!

The bloody halo that had manifested behind him gradually receded, but the great mist remained, and the indistinct being seemed to still be there, as if resting on his back, making him feel a chilling cold, like carrying a corpse.

“Wait a moment, can you see what’s on my back?” Chu Feng truly couldn’t hold back and asked the others.

“We can’t see clearly. It’s shrouded in mist, just like you. Who… exactly are you?!” asked the Dog Emperor.

Nine-Paths-One and Li also looked puzzled. Martial Emperor and Tai Yi were also watching him, all wanting to know his identity.

The Corrupted Corpse even spoke up, wanting him to reveal his true appearance.

Chu Feng absolutely did not want to reveal his true appearance. If he did, that dog would probably go berserk. Back then, it had interacted with him and told him to help it find people and gather medicine, or else it would curse him.

He certainly didn’t want to get involved with this dog; he always felt this old black dog was especially unreliable, and it had been too crazy today!

Furthermore, he wanted to keep Nine-Paths-One at a distance as well. This old monster was terrifying, with a complex background. Just look at what he had done? He didn’t want to get deeply involved.

As for Li, this one was too devious. Even his sworn brother Old Gu was tormented to the point of not knowing whether to cry or not, practically dying and reviving multiple times. It was best to avoid him.

As for the Martial Lunatic, it was even better never to see him again!

Chu Feng had just raided his lair, and combined with past grievances, if the Martial Lunatic understood the full extent of it, he would probably swallow him alive!

In fact, if he couldn’t fully control his current immense power, and given that the Martial Lunatic was currently on the same side and had performed exceptionally well just now, Chu Feng would have felt an impulse to destroy him.

“Forget it, I’m merciful. Everything today is forgiven. If there’s enmity later, then we’ll talk!” Chu Feng said to himself.

Seeing his silence, the others didn’t press further, still wary of him, as he was, after all, a mysterious expert suspected of being a supreme being.

However, some among them still secretly glanced at Chu Feng occasionally, feeling that he was somewhat peculiar.

Alas, the mysterious great mist obscured everything, and with the golden runes of the stone jar providing concealment, even at close range, these people could not discern Chu Feng’s identity.

Martial Emperor kept feeling something was amiss. He secretly spied on Chu Feng once, then shook his head, not daring to offend further; one look was enough.

Who was it, after all? He still felt something was strange.

Then, the Martial Lunatic looked at the Dog Emperor again and demanded his master’s Dao bones from it.

The Dog Emperor grumbled, “I found these; you actually want me to just give them to you for free? Don’t you want to redeem them?!”

Once something entered its mouth, it never wanted to spit it out.

However, seeing that this old rascal had performed exceptionally well today, working very hard, it felt a little embarrassed. It wouldn’t be right not to give them back.

Martial Emperor wanted to punch its dog face and ask, “You just happened to pick them up at my Daoist temple? What else did you steal!?”

“So stingy! I’ll give them to you in a bit!” said the Dog Emperor.

This infuriated the Martial Lunatic, making him almost turn hostile. Those were his master’s Dao bones! Was there no reason anymore?

Martial Emperor wanted to say, “The world says I’m unreasonable, that I destroy entire clans and exterminate families at the slightest provocation, but now this dog-thing makes me want to vomit blood.”

Rumble!

Suddenly, the myriad heavens roared violently, trembling incessantly, as if truly about to fall!

The realm walls of many great worlds, connecting to the chaotic regions, all cracked, as if they would pierce through all corners of the myriad heavens.

“What happened? That entity went in and started a massacre?!” The Corrupted Corpse was shocked.

At this moment, a pair of glowing feet left a trail of golden footprints in the void, and similarly in chaos, they walked beyond the realm, facing a hazy expanse.

Then, the pair of feet stepped forward, entering the hazy expanse one step at a time, causing it to crack and collapse. That entity’s feet had truly gone inside!

“How is this possible? How can he enter? This isn’t a real place! He doesn’t have the sacrificial marks inscribed on us; how can he come in?!”

The Eight-Headed Supreme was utterly shocked.

“Ignore that. He isn’t coming for us. He’s looking for the Main Sacrificial Grounds. Don’t hide, don’t block him. If he can get in, he’s doomed!” the supreme being from the Ancient Underworld secretly transmitted.

The pair of feet approached, leaving golden footprints one after another behind them, flowing with Grand Dao patterns and scattering sheets of light rain. The footprints were imprinted in the void, indelible!

“One epoch, one autumn, if the myriad heavens wither like falling flowers, and countless realms crumble into dust, who will stand after a thousand autumns?” A sigh seemed to echo from across many epochs, a faint, distant sound!

When the pair of feet stopped, they gave off a strange and shocking sensation. Above the ankles, a hazy figure seemed about to fully emerge.

At the same time, outside, above the vast sky and beyond the realms, another disturbance occurred.

Faintly visible, a coffin was slowly drifting, surprisingly nearing the Yang Realm!