Chapter 1494: Gray Causality

It felt like torture by a thousand cuts. Chu Feng had never imagined that one day his body would be pierced through, riddled with holes, and covered in wounds.

Not to mention other parts, now even his internal organs were shattered into pieces, on the verge of rotting away.

Furthermore, his skull was split into fragments, threatening to fall off. This was the ultimate torture in the mortal world, and it was continuous, ongoing—a rare experience.

“Sooner or later, I will find the source, and I will kill you all!” Chu Feng vowed fiercely.

Even if these boundless sword lights were naturally formed, he still felt there were patterns and properties to them. It couldn't be entirely ruled out that some creature had arranged or set up this punishment.

Nothing he said now would help, so he might as well fight to the bitter end.

For now, as long as it wasn't the shadowy hand plotting the reincarnation of Earth's civilization that was watching him, everything was fine. He absolutely couldn't afford to get involved with those indescribable beings right now.

As long as the lightning current wasn't controlled by anyone, everything was manageable.

Of course, this didn't rule out that the source of the heavenly tribulation wasn't artificially arranged. It wasn't necessarily devoid of living beings or consciousness in its origin stage; it just appeared natural after forming its current patterns.

Gulp! He swallowed the lightning, activating a special breathing technique, directly employing the Buddhist clan's Great Thunderclap Breathing Technique. Initially, it had some effect, but soon it became useless.

His internal organs roared, lightning appeared, and then his heart was struck, leaving many holes.

What defined the strongest heavenly tribulation? It was one that, within the same realm, none could surpass. It had rarely appeared throughout history. This was special treatment reserved for peerless prodigies at the same cultivation level.

Throughout history, across all eras, once such a catastrophe was encountered, very few could survive; it was extremely rare. Under normal circumstances, they were struck dead, turned to ashes.

“I, Ever-King, am already the strongest in this realm! And I possess both Yin and Yang Dao Fruits, with the power of two Ever-Kings combined! Can you truly strike me dead?!”

Chu Feng sounded like he was taunting, but in reality, he was trying to encourage and cheer himself up. He genuinely couldn't take it anymore, feeling like he was about to be torn apart by the lightning.

In fact, this grand tribulation was truly terrifying to the extreme, unbearable. Even someone as strong as Chu Feng, who had evolved to the peak of his domain, reaching the state of flawless great perfection and couldn't get any stronger, now had a tattered body. Some of his bones were shattered, exposed, and charred black.

His body was pierced through by lightning, making him transparent from front to back. All his hair was scorched and falling out. He was in a miserable state now, almost reduced to a skeleton.

If it were anyone else, even an ordinary Heavenly Venerate, they would surely die, with no hope of survival.

“Spirit Nirvana Art, Undying Flame, grant me ultimate sublimation!” Chu Feng roared. These were secret arts he had copied from the Martial Lunatic's dojo. He made himself transform, reviving from a deathly state, hoping to quickly return to his strongest state.

He knew clearly that if he wasn't careful, he would die here, struck until both his body and spirit were annihilated.

This was a tribulation of death, but also an opportunity. If he persevered, he would find vast possibilities ahead. After enduring such a baptism, he would become even stronger.

As for the so-called "evolutionary fatigue period," it might be broken by this. With such life-or-death stimulation, about to be blasted into human jerky or refined into ashes, what fatigue could there be?

If he could survive, all problems with his body would be resolved, akin to being tempered a thousand times, allowing him to sublimate himself.

If he couldn't endure it, then naturally, everything would be empty for eternity. Everything about him would cease to exist.

Thus, at this critical juncture between life and death, Chu Feng was fierce one moment, and hesitant the next, feeling conflicted.

Should he go look for the jar and pick it up?

Retrieving it, without a doubt, could blind the heavenly tribulation, and he would be safe again. However, doing so would mean losing out on the strongest baptism. Moreover, if he dodged and retreated this time, even his confidence would take a hit.

“I’ll risk it all! What’s so great about that broken jar? It has all sorts of problems and oddities. The reason I threw it away was to get rid of it, not to rely on it constantly. Now that I’m being struck by lightning, should I go look for it? Should I really let it establish its reputation as the ‘Jar Heavenly Emperor’? Get lost! I, Chu Ultimate, am rising, and this is the first step. I must successfully take it. I can’t be crippled right at the start. In the end, I have to rely on myself!”

At this moment, in an unknown place, someone was whispering, cold and low. Soon after, a faint chuckle finally emerged.

Chaotic mist billowed. Above it, in a void, the unknown place cracked open, and a hall appeared, reflecting forth!

The hall was astonishing, constantly shifting between illusion and reality. Most astonishingly, ominous substances emanated from it, and the whispers and faint laughter came precisely from there.

There was more than one type of ominous substance!

Black blood flowed down from the thick copper pillars supporting the hall, entangled with dark mist so dense it couldn't dissipate.

There was also ghastly white substance swirling, like white paper being shredded, scattering everywhere.

Furthermore, there was golden substance. Though dazzling at first glance, it harbored dense, eerie power. Listening closely, one could hear boundless weeping, or like ancestral demons and ancestral immortals muttering.

In addition, gray substance permeated, expanding within the hall. Especially, there was a humanoid creature standing there, with long hair flowing loose, a slender waist easily spanned by a hand, and a tall, graceful figure, appearing very beautiful.

There were actually living beings here.

Her skin was fair, but her eyes were gray, somewhat giving a sense of stillness and ominousness, inspiring awe.

Beside her, a man formed from golden substance appeared, radiant all over, but deep within his eyes was ominousness—an expansion of endless eerie energy, as if two sunken universes were condensed within them.

On the other side, ghastly white substance combined, outlining a graceful woman, very tall and slender, with snow-white hair, a bloodless face, and ghastly white eyes, somewhat frightening.

Not far away, black blood flowed, black clouds surged, and a black-clad man emerged…

In this hall, several seemingly young men and women appeared. They conversed coldly, whispered lowly, and even their laughter was somewhat chilling.

At this moment, the gray-eyed woman who appeared first showed a look of doubt, then whispered, saying, “The host has reappeared. Gone for so long, I thought he was dead. Lock him down, make him a servant, obey my command.”

She spoke calmly and indifferently. Then a mass of gray mist emerged from her, constantly shifting, drifting out from the hall, and vanishing amidst the chaos.

Nearby, a creature was surprised, saying, “The one you parasitized back then? Didn’t he disappear? Why has he suddenly reappeared now?”

“Unknown!” The gray-eyed woman’s words were brief. Though very beautiful, she lacked emotional fluctuations, and the dense ominousness made her seem unapproachable.

“So far away, can it be found?”

“No matter. Even if it’s hundreds of millions of miles away, it can be found in an instant, disregarding spatial distance. He bears my mark; the gray mist going to him is equivalent to a wisp of my clone arriving in person,” the gray-eyed woman replied.

Chu Feng wasn't here. Otherwise, he would definitely feel a sense of familiarity, and would immediately feel a sense of déjà vu!

Mingzhou, within a mountain range.

Tall mountains collapsed, long rivers evaporated. Even the full moon seemed to be incomplete. Countless mountain peaks were flattened, razed to the ground. No withered leaves or weeds were visible among the mountains, all turned to ash in the lightning.

Chu Feng was in a dreadful state, using all sorts of methods, including the Phoenix clan's Spirit Nirvana Art and Undying Flame, all displayed, but he still became a dying man.

“Nirvana again!” he roared.

Moreover, this time he began to circulate a special scripture, activating another secret art, which was the Martial Lunatic's Seven Deaths Body. He had only recently extorted this, and now he began to try it out.

He planned to split off a body to attract the heavenly thunder, and see if his true body could thereby evade it.

At this moment, he was experiencing a tribulation of death, which perfectly fit the prerequisite for cultivating the Seven Deaths Body.

However, he had overthought it. Even with his extraordinary talent, even if he succeeded in splitting off a faint figure after several attempts, the lightning still came for his true body.

The lightning blasted him, leaving him full of large holes, making him transparent from front to back. Blood couldn't even splash out because it was all evaporated to dryness by the lightning.

Ultimately, Chu Feng tried everything and discovered that the most suitable method to resist the heavenly tribulation was still the Daoist Breathing Technique.

Moreover, in this dying state, he gained new insights. After this breathing technique absorbed the Phoenix clan's Nirvana secret art, when he breathed, both his spirit and physical body underwent changes, increasing his physical vitality significantly.

In the sky, the sword lights had long disappeared, replaced by various weapons suppressing him. Of course, these weren't the most terrifying.

What infuriated him the most was that scenes from his past unexpectedly appeared—all the most painful events he had experienced, such as the death of his parents, Yaoyao falling into the great abyss, and images of Yellow Ox, Ouyang Feng, and others being killed by Taiwu.

And these scenes ultimately coalesced into a lightning scroll, covering him and striking him down.

“This old man, I absolutely cannot die, I’ll fight you to the end!” Chu Feng, in his youthful form, covered in injuries, was howling at this moment, his eyes red from provocation. Any talk of evolutionary fatigue period was completely gone.

He wished the heavenly tribulation would transform into a humanoid being, to fight a decisive battle to the death with it, determined to kill it. This was truly going too far, to provoke and torment him like this.

And this wasn't the most terrifying part. In the end, various scenes he had never experienced before appeared, such as him being placed on an altar and sacrificed alive.

For example, his friends and family, those old acquaintances, were also tied to copper pillars and then mercilessly beheaded.

For example, Yaoyao, pulled out from the great abyss, and likewise beheaded!

“Do you want to mislead me, suggesting these are things that will happen in the future, making me overthink? Get lost!”

Chu Feng was frenzied, but he became increasingly resistant, struggling fiercely, fighting to the end with bloodshot eyes. He had originally felt like he was about to exhaust all his strength, but now, stimulated by this, he seemed to burst into a second life and revived.

What was the strongest heavenly tribulation in history?

It was a grand tribulation that would inevitably kill any creature at the corresponding realm. Normally, no one could pass it, no one could survive, utterly impossible to endure.

However, Chu Feng was indeed absurdly strong, having never been defeated at the same level.

Now, though riddled with holes, and his body tattered, even losing his human form, he was still alive. His entire body glowed with dazzling runes, his fighting spirit terrifyingly high.

“You want to strike me dead, but I, Chu Ultimate, am immortal!”

“Damn it, this old man—no, I am very young. This young master is only in his teens, with boundless potential! I’ll fight you to the bitter end; I will absolutely not die prematurely!”

“Come, come, come, you ignorant fool who doesn’t respect the old and cherish the young! I, Chu Ultimate, will finish you off and rid the heavens and earth of lightning tribulations forever!”

Although he couldn't achieve it, he couldn't help but speak out, venting the indignation in his heart.

This grand tribulation pierced through this vast mountain range, destroyed all the peaks. Countless divine chains of order and great dao rules appeared in the void, constantly strangling Chu Feng.

But he simply wouldn't die, stubbornly alive, continuously struggling and resisting.

This lightning tribulation lasted for a long time, until the lightning in the sky dimmed and gradually receded. Chu Feng successfully endured the tribulation of death and did not perish here.

“This old man—no, this young master survived! Damn it, just you wait and see! Don’t let me rise and grow, otherwise, if I get the chance, I’ll kill you for sure!”

Outside the heavens, in the eternal indescribable realm.

Someone burst into laughter, saying, “What if I don’t think or recall? I finally see a glimmer of dawn. I sense someone undergoing the strongest heavenly tribulation. I will gradually learn the way back, returning by treading upon imperial bones!”

At the same time, in the extreme northern reaches of the Yang Realm, the Martial Lunatic silently caressed the pottery shard in his hand. Various patterns appeared on it, gradually glowing, becoming blindingly bright, forming a scripture!

He muttered to himself, “To practice or not to practice?!”

The origin of this pottery jar was terrifying!

Back then, when Chu Feng killed Heavenly Venerate Taiwu, Taiwu had a small shard, the size of a grain of rice, in his hand, which projected an inexplicable power.

And his master, that white-haired mighty figure, had a small shard the size of a fingernail in her hand, which could resonate with it, allowing her to sense something even hundreds of millions of miles away, knowing that something had happened to Taiwu, and quickly dispatching her true body to kill.

As for the Martial Lunatic, he had a pile of fragments, almost enough to form a complete object!

The next moment, Emperor Wu silently recited the scripture and began to cultivate it!

“Haha…” Outside the heavens, someone laughed loudly. It was precisely that unfathomable being mentioned earlier who didn’t think or recall. He was in an excellent mood!

At this moment, Chu Feng was almost a pile of charred carbon, having no human form. He was lying in the abyssal pit blasted out by the lightning, his body charred black everywhere. He gasped for breath.

It could be seen that his physical body was recovering at a visible rate, flesh growing, bones crackling, and many runes interweaving, coexisting with his flesh and bones!

It was unknown how long passed before he regained human form, and his strength gradually returned.

However, when he opened his mouth, lightning would occasionally spray out. Even thunder appeared in his soul light. This was the baptism of the heavenly tribulation, the infusion of lightning, which he had not yet fully digested.

Vaguely, he felt that he was different, as if a layer of dust had been washed away. He felt more empty and clear, with a sense of lightness, as if some shackles had been broken.

The moment he clenched his fists, he had an illusion, as if one punch could kill a supreme being!

“I’ve become stronger. This feeling is truly wonderful, as if I’m omnipotent. I can go conquer the ancient netherworld, or charge towards the sacrificial grounds,” Chu Feng muttered to himself.

“Hmm?!” Suddenly, his expression tightened, sensing something spying on him and rapidly approaching.

His eyes emitted intense golden light, even more astonishing than before, like two immortal swords flying out, clanging, runes piercing through the void.

With just two gazes, beams of light like golden immortal swords, he forced out the hidden creature.

It was a mass of gray mist, with a pair of pupils revealed within. The gray eyes were still, profound, eerie, and ominous, giving an extremely terrifying feeling.

“Host, be a slave, a servant!” A whisper came from the gray mist.

Chu Feng immediately felt unwell, his hair standing on end, not from fear, but from shock and anger. His spiritual senses were very sharp, and he knew what this thing was in an instant!

“Serve my ass, little gray, get over here!”

Back then, he had come into contact with it and suffered greatly from it, almost dying because of it. This was the gray ominous substance, unexpectedly manifesting sentience and coming to his side again!

“You dare to reappear? I’ll kill you!”

Chu Feng roared loudly and charged straight over.

The gray mist was surprised. The host was unexpectedly not restrained by it. Its mark within his body could be sensed by it, but why couldn't it be controlled?

With a bang, the gray mist was blasted through, emitting a sharp and terrifying roar from within.

In the unknown place, in that mysterious hall, the gray-eyed woman felt it acutely, letting out a muffled groan. She felt as if a part of her body had been struck.

“Gray servant, go die for me—no, I’ll beat you into a dog!”

Chu Feng shouted, coming across the sky, suppressing it with a punch, enveloping it completely, wanting to trap the gray mist.

He felt it: this gray mist was far from simple. It didn't seem to be the true body of the one from back then, only a part of it.

However, after not seeing it for years, the gray mist seemed to have undergone some fierce evolution, stronger than before and more terrifying.

“My strength isn’t even as good as my master’s single finger. Host, you are out of control now, but you’ll be even worse off soon.” A voice came from the gray mist.

Chu Feng sneered. He truly no longer feared this substance because he had long developed resistance. The small gray millstone within him rotated. He found that the portion of gray mist that had just encroached upon him had all been refined, becoming a beneficial supplement to the millstone!

In the distance, the gray mist was shocked. It had secretly divided its most terrifying primordial substance to corrode him, yet it was refined instead?

“Who will be worse off, we’ll see then. Right now, I’m beating you into a dog!”

Chu Feng became fierce, resolved to deal with this gray mist. Simply destroying it would be letting it off too easy; he wanted to refine it into a gray dog, and one that resembled the Dog Emperor!

Then, he attacked!

“How dare you!” In the unknown place, the gray-eyed woman roared angrily, her voice shaking the entire hall.