Chapter 1495: Deep Involvement

Amidst the swirling chaos, an unknown land floated above the mists, shifting between illusion and reality. Towering, magnificent palaces stood majestically within this space.

Inside the hall, a tall woman with grey eyes stood, her chest heaving violently. Her eyes, sharp and cold, lent an indescribable wildness to her otherwise fair and beautiful face.

A wisp of her detached clone had been attacked, causing a sensation like a punch to her own chest. She found it hard to believe.

How could a host possibly retaliate?

Countless epochs had proven that any host imprinted with their mark either perished or became a subservient thrall, utterly incapable of resistance.

Yet now, her clone was in trouble?

In that instant, she prepared to act, intending to go there herself and eliminate the host who had defied control and exhibited such abnormality.

Years had passed; she was no longer merely a wisp of grey mist. She had refined and fully absorbed the Dao foundation amassed over long ages in foreign realms, making her incredibly powerful.

Besides, once the grey mist emerged, who could possibly resist it?

All things in the world, all beings of every race, would be corroded upon contact, either reduced to blood and bone or subjugated as servants.

Few could escape its grasp; ultimately, all would prostrate at her feet.

However, just as she was about to take a step, someone extended a hand, inviting her to be seated in the hall to discuss the myriad affairs of the current epoch.

“The Grey Epoch is here, the era of the Grey Lord. However, we must remain vigilant. Should unforeseen events occur, we can revert to the Dark Epoch, or perhaps the Era of White Doom will commence ahead of schedule…”

“There will be no such incidents,” the grey-eyed woman replied coolly. “With the Grey Epoch upon us and the Chief Sacrificer returned, who could possibly contend?”

“Our knowledge is limited, yet we understand the immense significance of the Grand Sacrifice. It impacts the past, present, and future, being ten, even a hundred times more crucial than the very existence and demise of those beyond the Heavens. No failure can be tolerated!”

Within the hall, another indistinct figure appeared, surrounded by an ominous aura. He spoke with grave solemnity, emphasizing his words.

All beings present fell silent, their expressions deeply serious. No one dared to show the slightest hint of disrespect or carelessness.

Though they were unaware of the true nature of the Grand Sacrifice, they knew it occurred once every epoch, a grand and formal event of immeasurable significance.

Otherwise, how could the Chief Sacrificer return? Beings of that caliber are, within all the heavens, indescribably powerful, incredible, and have long transcended.

“Even if our very origin is destroyed, the ominous entities spoken of by all beings in the heavens are overthrown, and our strange race ceases to exist, the Grand Sacrifice must proceed smoothly. Nothing is more important!”

The grey-eyed woman clutched her chest, abruptly rising from her seat. Her ample chest rose and fell with increasing violence, her cold, pale face was stern, and her pupils were unnerving.

This was utterly preposterous!

Deep within her eyes, boundless killing intent swirled, manifesting terrifying visions of cosmic annihilation: countless stellar remnants, like dust, strewn across a fragmented, dim world.

That host was attacking her clone? Unforgivable, insufferable!

“What is wrong?” one of the beings asked, surprised, with a strange look.

The grey-eyed woman remained silent, her demeanor cold.

She had no desire to reveal the truth to these beings. They already coveted this Grey Epoch and sought to usurp her. If they discovered she couldn't even control a host, it would undoubtedly introduce complications, even if it wouldn't alter the grand scheme.

Naturally, all of this was connected to Chu Feng.

Chu Feng had, on several occasions, utterly hammered the creature from the grey mist, piercing its form.

“Little Grey-Grey, come here!”

Upon hearing that name, the creature within the grey mist seethed with hatred. Such a ridiculous nickname, and it was directed at *it*.

How dare he address it that way? It sounded exactly like calling a pet.

Its chest throbbed with intense pain. It was truly abominable; it had been attacked by a mere host, and it couldn't resist. Such a defeat was unprecedented in its long history.

As its eyes gleamed coldly and it plotted a strategy, the man extended his large hand. Golden symbols, densely packed and brilliantly glowing, covered his fingers. He scooped the creature up, imprisoning it within his grasp.

What runes were these? Its pupils contracted in shock. They could actually solidify its strange essence, preventing it from eroding the hand in the slightest. This was truly terrifying.

These were the golden patterns that had appeared on the stone jar. Chu Feng sighed, acknowledging that his connection to the jar was too deep to sever.

The next moment, Chu Feng, with the creature, teleported hundreds of miles, instantly arriving near a modern city that glowed with bright lights.

Chu Feng used his powerful divine sense to search, and soon located the stone jar under an old tree in the suburbs, nestled among scattered rocks. On this restless night, it appeared utterly ordinary, with no distinguishing features.

His expression was complex. In the end, he had still retrieved it. There was no other choice; he couldn't sever his connection to this object, and he genuinely couldn't do without it for the time being.

He naturally understood that the grey creature's arrival must have been due to the loss of the stone jar. Without its celestial concealment, his whereabouts had been exposed.

The Grey Epoch was here, and the Grand Sacrifice was about to commence!

In this era, the Grey Race would be the central figures!

Currently, only a grey creature capable of corroding Celestial Venerables had appeared, and it was merely a clone.

If he managed to resolve this issue now, its true form might arrive personally, or even more formidable beings could be drawn to the scene.

All of this would pose a grave danger.

Ultimately, he still needed the stone jar to obscure the heavenly mechanisms and conceal his tracks.

Was this the legendary "eating one's words" phenomenon?

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Chu Feng grew indignant. He seized the grey creature and began to pummel it.

He could now clearly discern a beautiful, foot-tall humanoid figure within the grey mist. If it were of normal human height, it would be considered gracefully slender and possessing a captivating, ethereal charm.

However, its grey eyes were far too fierce, glaring at him intensely.

“What are you looking at? Haven't you seen a handsome young man, as radiant as jade?” Chu Feng asked, donning his clothes. His previous attire had been reduced to ash during the lightning tribulation.

Now, his flesh and blood were fully reshaped, translucent and glowing, exuding vibrant vitality. His dark hair had regrown, his face was handsome, and his eyes clear. He had not only recovered but surpassed his former self!

Both his physical body and soul light were astonishingly potent. Chu Feng felt he could crush even a supreme being with a single hand!

Of course, he did not delude himself with such a notion.

The grey creature, meanwhile, became enraged, on the verge of madness.

Because Chu Feng was treating it like a dog, holding it in one hand while patting and rubbing its head with the other.

Does he truly see me as a pet, a mere dog? The grey creature yearned to roar in furious resentment.

Meanwhile, in the unknown land, within the palace permeated by ominous substances, the grey-eyed woman abruptly rose once more. Her body trembled slightly, especially her head, which felt stimulated to the point of tingling, and she found it utterly unbearable.

Her connection to her clone was intricate and indivisible; she could distinctly feel someone stroking her head!

What was happening? The grey-eyed woman was on the verge of madness!

Who was she? The envoy of the Grey Origin.

What was her status? The Chosen One!

Yet now, someone was humiliating her!

Most crucially, the coordinates of the location were unidentifiable, having first blurred and then completely vanished, making it impossible to pinpoint.

She could sense that the individual was traversing, rapidly departing the original location, now unknown where. This was absolutely dreadful.

Now, her clone was at the host's mercy, completely unable to resist.

The next moment, her hair stood on end, as she felt her delicate, lustrous ear being pinched and pulled forcefully. This was simply… unimaginable.

Across countless epochs, had any envoy ever suffered such an indignity?

She was enduring it now!

This was the Grey Epoch, their era, yet the host had turned the tables, actively disciplining and instructing her!

Nearby, a being observed her with a strange expression, finding the grey-eyed woman's behavior bizarre. Why was she so agitated?

In fact, at that very moment, Chu Feng was traversing the land, using his domain techniques to cross dozens of states at once, moving far away from Mingzhou.

During this process, he relentlessly interrogated the grey creature, treating it like a prisoner. Initially, finding it somewhat refined, he adopted relatively gentle methods, holding its ear and demanding it reveal all its past actions and consequences.

However, the grey creature refused to cooperate in the slightest.

“Do you truly wish to transform into the Dog Emperor? I shall grant your desire!”

Chu Feng showed no mercy, striking it with a punch that pierced through, nearly cleaving its body in two. Yet, this bizarre creature possessed an immense life force; as long as the grey mist remained, it could not perish.

This miniaturized, graceful body quickly re-condensed and reformed, reappearing with fierce eyes, glaring fixedly at him.

Chu Feng sneered, pinning it down. He patted its head and said, “In my hands, do you still delude yourself with thoughts of retaliation?”

Then, the small grey millstone within his body began to turn. Wisp after wisp of grey substance sank into his skin, entering his body through his pores.

“How did you do that?” The grey creature was genuinely shocked, witnessing firsthand how this individual once again refined its essence to strengthen himself.

“Delightful!” Chu Feng exclaimed. As he absorbed the grey substance, the small millstone within him became increasingly tangible, nearly solidifying into a physical entity, slowly turning.

Vaguely, it seemed to have existed for countless epochs, slowly turning as if grinding all things to dust, purifying every essence.

In that instant, Chu Feng seemed to pierce through the void, glimpsing scenes from the path of reincarnation, as if he saw the massive, rough stone millstone within the City of Light and Death.

“It's not as complete as mine!”

Chu Feng murmured softly. That millstone bore only a single line of golden characters, whereas his own small grey millstone was etched with many, as he had copied all the golden symbols from the stone jar and integrated them into it.

“You!”

The grey creature was horrified; forty percent of its essence was gone. This bizarre host was terrifying. Did he consume ominous substances?

In the sky, the bright moon hung high, casting pure white, tranquil silver light across the mountains and forests.

Chu Feng sat on the large bluestone at the mountain's highest point, exhaling softly. Streaks of lightning still intertwined around him, as the power of the heavenly tribulation had not yet fully dispersed.

His physical body and soul light were still being nourished by the special runes and lightning left by the heavenly tribulation, still assimilating its benefits.

“First, I'm inexplicably struck by lightning, and then you, this little thing, come calling. Are you trying to claim my soul? I’ll beat you senseless!”

Bang, bang, bang!

There was nothing left to say. Another beating would ensue to vent his frustration.

“Damn you, old heavens! Why strike me for no reason? Did I provoke you? Who made this ridiculous rule that evolution demands being struck by lightning? How hateful!”

The grey creature was furious, resentful, and finally a little desperate. It yearned to shout, 'You bastard! You were struck by lightning, you suffered the thunder, so why are you hitting *me*? Go hit the lightning instead!'

Go strike the heavenly tribulation! Why take your frustration out on me?!

At this moment, the grey creature was truly going insane. It was beaten black and blue, its body tattered and repeatedly pierced, even torn into pieces.

“I’m telling you to strike me! I’m telling you to stop randomly blasting people with lightning! One day, I’ll carry lightning myself and strike *you*!” Chu Feng fumed, then intensified his assault.

The grey creature could no longer endure it, nearly howling in agony. Its image, its arrogance, its pride—all were now shattered beyond recognition.

“Stop! Host, you must understand your fate. By humiliating me this way, you will forever fall into darkness!”

“Still talking back?”

Chu Feng struck again, shattering it and directly absorbing sixty to seventy percent of its primordial essence. At this rate, it would surely be annihilated.

“So, you won't reveal anything about the Grand Sacrifice, huh? Fine. I’ll keep you, beat you ten times a day. I’ll refine you when I'm bored, and I'll beat you even more when I’m busy!”

Upon hearing this, the grey creature immediately fell silent, enduring intense pain and refusing to utter another word. This host was too terrifying, too much of a scoundrel; it would be preferable to simply be killed.

He was treating it as a punching bag, intent on slowly tormenting it.

At this moment, above the chaotic mist, in the unknown land, the grey-eyed woman's eyes held an infinite chill. She forcibly restrained herself, sitting perfectly still. She knew distinctly that she was being beaten, mercilessly thrashed—an unimaginable, utterly shameful humiliation!

Her dignity, her glory as an envoy, her prominent status—all were assaulted, being utterly overturned. To be held and beaten like this, with her true body feeling every detail, was an affront.

She was enraged, yet also weary. Why didn't the host simply kill that wisp of an avatar and be done with it? Was he planning to keep it long-term just to vent his frustrations?

The mere thought of this possibility sent shivers down her spine.

With the Grey Epoch upon them, she, an envoy of the race that was the protagonist of this era, how could she possibly endure such prolonged humiliation?

The prospect of such an unending entanglement filled her with intense unease!

Finally, Chu Feng stopped the beating. He forcibly molded the grey creature into the form of a dog—an appearance unmistakably resembling the Dog Emperor!

“You have a brother called the Great Dog Emperor, so from now on, you'll be known as the Little Dog Emperor.”

The grey creature’s composure shattered. This host deserved death; he was too detestable. Was this truly the act of a human? It was on the verge of frenzy.

Beyond the domain, inside the bronze coffin, the Dog Emperor's eyes flickered. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss, that something was profoundly wrong.

“Woof! Don’t let me find out who it is, or this Emperor will gnaw you to bits!” the Dog Emperor snarled fiercely.

The bronze coffin traversed the void, carrying them towards an unknown destination.

In the Yang Realm, under the brilliant moonlight, the mountain peaks lay in tranquil silence.

“I truly long to return home, to live as an ordinary person. I'm weary of endless battles and bloodshed, but… I can't go back now.”

Chu Feng sighed. After calming himself, he gazed up at the bright moon, one hand unconsciously stroking the grey dog's head.

He yearned to return to the past; he was truly weary of his current life.

Reflecting on the past, he realized that a simple life was true. If given the choice, who would willingly spend every day amidst the clash of blades, bathing in blood, traversing mountains of corpses and oceans of bones, with bloodshed all around? Who would endure such a fate?

To find a woman he loved, marry, have children, and withdraw from this strange, dream-like world of gods and devils… but could he still turn back?

Now, if he were to return to Earth, he would likely be targeted by the ultimate dark force that had plunged Earth's civilization into cycles of rebirth, essentially walking straight into a trap.

Chu Feng sighed; he couldn't go back.

He worried that the ultimate dark force, which orchestrated Earth's civilizational cycles, would further use him as a unique experimental subject.

“Who exactly is he, and how powerful is he?!”

This was a question that deeply concerned Chu Feng.

If he still found motivation to grow stronger, even when contemplating seclusion, it was because he wished to survive and protect himself from that unknown ultimate dark force.

“Can I live to see that day? When I'm strong enough, I’ll go to Earth and pat your dog head!” Chu Feng’s resentment was boundless. He truly wished to one day be strong enough to confront that dark force directly and return to Earth unhindered.

Then, the small grey dog in his hand became annoyed. It had truly become a punching bag, subjected to petting and beatings whether there was a reason or not. This was simply too much bullying.

“My parents, my old friends, they have all been reborn in the Yang Realm. Where else can I go? I must find them.”

Chu Feng sighed, then began striking the dog's head. The grey creature howled in pain, tears nearly streaming from its eyes.

The grey creature also realized that its master was highly irritable and deeply displeased. Thus, it had truly encountered the worst luck imaginable today, stumbling upon such a monster.

Who was the truly strange one, who was the ominous being? This host was utterly fearless of it, capable of even absorbing its primordial runes and energy in reverse.

Was there any justice left? The grey dog tilted its head to the sky, its eyes brimming with tears.

Chu Feng immediately glared. “What kind of look is that? Why are you pretending to be profound, staring at the sky? Look at me. Take a few steps, bark a few times, quickly! I’m talking to you, doggy!”

“Awooo!”

The grey dog’s hostility surged, and grey mist swelled around it. It could not bear it. Such a ferocious creature, a descendant of the Chief Sacrificer, was actually being treated like a dog.

How could it possibly endure such indignity?

It was prepared to fight to the death!

As a result, after a series of fierce slaps, Chu Feng simply stuffed it into the jar, exiling and imprisoning it.

In the chaos, within the unknown land, the grey-eyed woman finally let out a long breath. The recent events had been a nightmare for her; every minute was torment. To be stroked on the head, beaten, and desecrated was too humiliating, truly driving her to the brink of madness.

“I will find you one day!” she vowed fiercely to herself.

At this moment, the faces of many people surfaced in Chu Feng's mind, one by one. Where had his parents reincarnated? Would they ever reunite in this life?

The young Daoist, who turned out to be a soul-light clone of a decaying corpse—that rotten child, no wonder he deserved a beating; he was fundamentally flawed!

Thinking of the young Daoist, his thoughts naturally turned to Qin Luoyin, the mother of that child. She had ruthlessly severed their past, declaring that she would have no further contact with him.

For the sake of their child, Chu Feng had done his utmost to communicate. However, she was resolute. Since that was the case, he, being no indecisive person, would no longer seek to retain anything.

Chu Feng exhaled softly. He then thought of his ex-girlfriend, Lin Nuoyi. She had arrived in the Yang Realm, but where had she gone afterwards, and where was she destined to battle?

This woman was also a mystery; her imprint existed at the end of that path of reincarnation, within that mysterious ancient hall. She had been an extraordinary figure in extremely ancient times.

Old Donkey had become a scholar and had appeared on the Three-Party Battlefield, and Dong Dahu had been found. But what about Yellow Ox? Where was Ouyang Feng? Many others were still missing.

Subsequently, he thought of the silver-haired loli, Ying Xiaoxiao. The child had grown up; time passed so quickly.

How was Young Xi doing recently? He had to go and see her!

Yao Yao—the thought of her name sent a pang through Chu Feng’s heart. She had fallen into the Great Dark Abyss. Would they ever meet again in this life?

“I’m still not strong enough. If I possessed the might of a Heavenly Emperor, what would it matter if the ultimate dark force was in the Lesser Netherworld? I would still dare to return!” Chu Feng realized he had been sighing throughout the entire night.

Overall, his strength remained insufficient.

Even to retreat into seclusion, his current strength was somewhat precarious.

“Alright, let's go to the Three-Party Battlefield,” Chu Feng murmured. “I need to deliver soul medicine to Celestial Venerable Yu Shang and extend his life!”

That was Yao Yao's ancestor, who had protected him on the Three-Party Battlefield multiple times. Now, having harvested the potent medicine from the Soul Light Cave, Chu Feng could finally save him.

“Hmm?”

Chu Feng's heart stirred as he sensed a sudden anomaly emanating from deep within the mountain range.

He flashed away from the mountaintop, vanishing into the mountains. His gaze fixed on a specific section of the sky, where a heavenly tribulation was about to manifest; someone was undergoing a trial!

Apparently, the creature wasn't weak; otherwise, even successful evolution wouldn't trigger a heavenly tribulation.

Chu Feng was now acutely sensitive to heavenly tribulations, having just endured one himself.

A section of the mountain ruptured, and an old man with a broad chest and back emerged from seclusion. His head was gleaming, with sparse hair. He let out a resounding roar, his presence extraordinary.

“Pangu cleaved heaven and earth; Juntuo suppressed the human realm. Three thousand years of cultivation, and I stand at the pinnacle of the divine path!”

He exhaled sharply and declared, clearly pleased with himself.

Chu Feng stared, dumbfounded. Who was this? None other than the Ancient Sage Juntuo from the Lesser Netherworld!

There was a time when he used 'Juntuo egg' as a substitute insult for his opponents instead of 'turtle bastard'. Unbelievable, after so many years, he was seeing this old fellow again in the Yang Realm.

Juntuo had indeed entered the Yang Realm back then!

“Just a dozen years in the Yang Realm, and I’ve already established myself in the God-level domain!” The old man was now brimming with vigor and confidence.

Then, the heavenly tribulation arrived, fiercely. Juntuo began his trial.

Watching the old turtle, who had once been an enemy of Earth's evolvers, Chu Feng narrowed his eyes. Many thoughts flooded his mind: how all races in the Lesser Netherworld had been affected back then, and how many had ultimately entered the Yang Realm.

Among them was Yao Yao's former fiancé—the Third in the Starry Sky.

It now seemed that these 'Netherworld Seeds' were indeed extraordinary. Nourished by two worlds and favored in the Yang Realm, their cultivation speed would accelerate significantly.

Of course, the primary reason was that these individuals were far from ordinary. In the past, they were suppressed by the Lesser Netherworld's universe, where laws were incomplete and the Great Dao fractured; otherwise, this group would have advanced long ago.

Furthermore, they had accumulated strength for thousands of years. Now, freed from their constraints, they could naturally evolve at an accelerated pace.

Indeed, Chu Feng suspected that some of the ancient monsters who had come from the Lesser Netherworld might even have become Celestial Venerable-level beings by now.

After all, these individuals represented the accumulated power of an entire universe. Now that the Great Dao was complete, some of those ancient monsters might truly encounter tremendous opportunities.

Soon after, Juntuo successfully passed his tribulation. After changing into a fresh set of clothes, he stood tall and confident.

Then, he saw a young man standing in the moonlight, smiling at him, revealing a mouthful of bright, snow-white teeth.

“You’re… that… human trafficker?!”

Juntuo was startled. How had he suddenly encountered this monstrous individual from the past?

However, he wasn't afraid. Instead, he sneered. What realm was he in now? He could probably just slap the other person to death, right?

Chu Feng was somewhat dazed. Another old acquaintance calling him a human trafficker—it truly felt like a dream, as if yesterday had returned.

Juntuo, now a God-level being, was just about to unleash his might when he horrifyingly discovered the young man extend a large hand and seize him.

“Wait! Stop! This old man has something to say!” He was terrified. How had this human trafficker, this little demon, become so perverted? He could crush him with a mere lift of his hand?!

Just then, the sky cracked open, trembling violently as grey mist poured down!

“It’s starting early? The new epoch has arrived, and the Grand Sacrifice is about to begin?!” someone exclaimed in shock, utterly stunned. This signified the advent of the apocalypse.

Within the chaos, in the unknown land, the grey-eyed woman and others were equally horrified. They all rose and rushed out of the palace. What was happening?

“Lord Chief Sacrificer… is enraged. His dignity has been offended. He now intends to harvest sacrifices, initiating the Grand Sacrifice immediately!”

Someone stammered, astonished that so many steps were being bypassed. Was it truly about to begin now?

Grey mist poured down as a massive hole appeared in the sky, from which grey mist continuously streamed forth!

The next moment, ominous substances such as black blood and white malevolence also appeared, falling from the gaping hole in the sky and descending alongside the grey mist, covering everything.

Furthermore, people observed that countless billions of miles away, an ancient land mysteriously materialized, as if beckoning someone to return!

That was the sacrificial ground. Was it finally emerging?

It seemed to traverse epoch after epoch, preparing to enter the myriad heavens!

Moreover, it provided coordinates, seeking to guide the Chief Sacrificer.

In a blur, a figure seemed to be rapidly approaching!

“It's over, we're all going to die!”

“It's completely over. The heavens will cease to exist, and darkness will envelop the world.”

Many powerhouses and countless evolvers despaired, sensing imminent catastrophe. They realized that the final hour had arrived, and everything was about to end.