Chapter 1502: How Many Evolutionary Branches Are There

“Those two beings… they are both immensely powerful. I believe they must have, at the very least, merged their divergent paths, becoming true Cosmos-Transcendent beings,” Yu Shang stated, making his judgment.

Chu Feng nodded. Li was indeed very strong, capable of easily killing Grand Cosmos level beings. He must have united his two divergent paths, embarking on the Cosmos Ultimate path. Reaching this level made them formidable, incredibly powerful.

At the same time, Li had placed a coffin, blocking the buffer zone between the Great Netherworld and the Yang Realm. His intentions were grand; he likely sought to break through some kind of restriction. Perhaps he even wanted to reverse the pollen path?

Chu Feng, too, was frowning. Considering it carefully, he realized that evolving with pollen and fruits carried such significant hidden dangers, which would inevitably erupt in the end.

If one's accumulation was deep enough, they could take the ultimate path more safely. However, he didn't want to be an "old ultimate"; he didn't have the vast amount of time needed to slowly resolve his internal issues. Currently, he needed to advance by leaps and bounds, wishing he could progress a thousand miles a day, improving every moment.

He looked up at the sky. The large hole had not yet fully closed, and the sacrificial ground was still there, confronting the three artifacts. Heaven knew what would happen. Perhaps a major event would occur tomorrow, or even tonight, leading to the demise of all heavens and everyone losing their future!

“The path of the Immortal Race is broken, impassable?” Chu Feng asked, genuinely intrigued, wondering about the nature of the past evolution path and whether it was worth trying.

Yu Shang shook his head. “No, it's not possible. Heaven and Earth have changed; something unknown happened to that path. Following it would lead to even more terrifying problems. The former Immortal Race became the Fallen Immortal Race.”

In fact, even if it were passable, Yu Shang had no way of knowing how, as it had long been lost. Unless Chu Feng entered another branch of the evolution path and went to the Fallen Immortal Realm, he wouldn't find it.

Chu Feng unavoidably thought of the great evil spirit that emerged from the Heaven-Penetrating Immortal Waterfall. That woman must have come from another branch of the evolution path, belonging to the Fallen Immortal Race!

“Then I’ll stick to one path no matter what, evolving the pollen path to its ultimate end!” Chu Feng declared. He then inquired in detail with Yu Shang about the isolated Yuan Race powerhouses who had established cultivation abodes outside. He intended to plunder, to acquire enough exotic soil, and to evolve rapidly; he couldn't afford to worry about anything else!

Of course, to say he didn't care or felt at ease would not be entirely accurate. He was preparing, and if problems arose during evolution, he would decisively suppress them.

“You’re evolving too quickly!” Yu Shang warned him, his face stern, cautioning that this would lead to problems. Although he couldn't quite understand why Chu Feng, who hadn't accumulated experience over a period of time, hadn't encountered problems yet, he knew this could be even more terrifying. Accumulating like this day by day, a concentrated and even more violent explosion might occur in the future!

Beside them, Ancient Sage Juntuo’s eyes gleamed. He knew this human trafficker was abnormal; how could any creature evolve so quickly? Look, his body was almost growing black fur.

How could Chu Feng not see Ancient Juntuo secretly gloating? “Old turtle, you don't want misfortune, do you? You want green fur all over your body?!” Chu Feng roared, startling the distracted Juntuo, who almost fell to the ground to chew grass.

Juntuo's head spun, secretly exclaiming, “What the hell? How did this devil know what he was thinking?”

Chu Feng ignored it and began to ponder his own problems, realizing he truly couldn't afford to ignore them. What Yu Shang said made a lot of sense; his future situation could be very serious.

Once Chu Feng broke through, it would inevitably be the Grand Cosmos path; there was no need to even think about it, no other choice. If the pollen after-effects were fully unleashed, they were destined to be unimaginably fierce!

After all, he still had an ominous body sealed in his jar! That was from when he entered the forbidden land of the Grand Supreme Eight Trigrams Furnace, where he saw Grand Cosmos-level flora and accidentally came into contact with a few pollen grains. How high was his cultivation realm then? Even a slight touch caused a terrifying deterioration, making him wish for death and becoming inauspicious. It was truly excessively frightening; he almost had a mishap then.

“Once I enter the Grand Cosmos, will an unprecedented deterioration occur? To the point where I wouldn't even want to look at myself?” Chu Feng felt his hair stand on end.

At that moment, he thought of many problems. His entire body covered in red fur, black blood flowing from his eyes, flesh tumors growing, and his whole body reeking of decay... This sent shivers down his spine!

He suddenly recalled the scene he had witnessed in the Madman Wu's Daoist temple in the extreme north. At that time, in Madman Wu's seclusion chamber, two or three rotting bodies were imprisoned, all resembling... Madman Wu! He told Yu Shang about this situation and sought his advice.

“He truly lives up to his name, Madman Wu. Madness truly runs in his bones, deeply ingrained in his genes; he truly has no regard for his life!” Yu Shang exclaimed, his expression solemn. He judged that after Madman Wu had walked the ultimate path, he was attempting the Grand Cosmos path again. He didn't just want a simple unification; he wanted to merge both paths!

“There's also another possibility: he might also be practicing mysterious and unpredictable cultivation techniques. He didn't want his true body to risk practicing them, fearing problems, so he reshaped forms to practice on his behalf.” Yu Shang offered another conjecture, which might be closer to reality.

After all, currently, Madman Wu was very strong and should have already unified, becoming a Cosmos-Transcendent being. There was no need for him to walk the Grand Cosmos path again.

“Hmm, that gives me an idea. It gives me an extra option: I can walk two paths simultaneously in the future. After all, I have two Eternal King Dao Fruits!” Chu Feng’s eyes immediately lit up. If so, how strong would he become then?!

Of course, the prerequisite was that he could survive it, could avoid death. If successful, this might be an unprecedented path!

Anyway, he was destined to become indescribable. So, he would first discard one Dao Fruit, letting it contend with the deterioration and walk the Grand Cosmos path, which had no other choice. Then, with the other Dao Fruit, he would covertly take the ultimate path, ultimately merging both paths!

“I shall be invincible!” Chu Feng chuckled to himself there.

Juntuo really wanted to say, “What's so funny? Your mouth is practically twisted from smiling!”

Yu Shang gasped, understanding Chu Feng's intention. Was he trying to get himself killed? Walking one Grand Cosmos path was already a near-certain death, and as of now, no one had survived it.

He even wanted to add to his burden, walking both paths simultaneously. This was more severe than suicide; the outcome could be catastrophic.

“You must understand, the ultimate path could also lead to deterioration. If it passed gently, that would be fine. But once it mutates, it could be far more terrifying than the Grand Cosmos path's ugliness and grotesque decaying forms. If both paths were to undergo bizarre transformations simultaneously then, the intensity would be unimaginable. For you personally, it would be like heaven and earth collapsing, with no turning back. Heaven knows what kind of monster you would become!”

Yu Shang advised, and merely thinking of such a terrifying scene sent shivers down his spine, making his hair stand on end. If that happened, perhaps, as Chu Feng himself thought, it would be unprecedented, but not in a good way. Rather, it would be a deterioration to the extreme, surpassing the drastic changes experienced by all beings who had walked the pollen path throughout history! He would rot, mutate, and suffer unimaginably dire consequences.

Hearing Yu Shang's explanation and stern warning, Chu Feng's expression changed. “I understand. I'll deal with the future path when it comes. If it truly proves impossible, I might abandon one Dao Fruit to ensure my survival first.”

Then, Chu Feng took out another jade box from his person and handed it to Yu Shang. Upon opening it, purple mist surged forth. Inside was a ripe fruit, crystal-clear and seemingly dripping, with purple mist rising and a rich fragrance wafting.

This was a Soul Fruit, far more potent than even the sun-bright Soul Flower's medicinal effects. Even Heavenly Venerables would find it difficult to consume such a thing.

Chu Feng said, “Senior, you can slowly refine this Soul Fruit. When the time is right, with your years of accumulation, you will certainly become a mighty-level powerhouse!”

With these soul medicines, Yu Shang's physical problems could be resolved, and various hidden dangers could be removed.

Beside them, Juntuo swallowed hard, secretly marveling. How many outrageous major cases had this human trafficker committed to collect so many good things?

“It's too valuable!” Yu Shang said.

“Don't worry, I still have more!” Chu Feng replied.

A moment later, Chu Feng set up a domain here, crossing the void with them. They finally found Zi Luan in a mountain forest. He was going to rise, to evolve; from then on, his path would certainly be perilous, with inevitable bloody battles. Naturally, he could no longer take Zi Luan with him, so he entrusted her to Yu Shang.

“This empress is destined to achieve a Grand Cosmos-level Dao Fruit! If you abandon me now, don't regret it later!” Zi Luan mumbled, her big eyes darting about.

“Come find me when you reach the Grand Cosmos level!” Chu Feng tapped her fair forehead once.

“You’re looking down on me!” Zi Luan said indignantly. “You wait and see, I will definitely awaken my past life's Dao Fruit and return, surpassing the Grand Cosmos level!”

Chu Feng was speechless. This little bird actually took her bragging to the Phoenix King seriously. He really wanted to tap the back of her head to snap her out of it.

Then, he set his sights on Juntuo. “This turtle I bought is a bit thin, but Senior, don't forget to make soup with it to nourish your body.”

“Damn it…” Juntuo wanted to bite him to death. He really wanted to say, “I am an ancient spirit tortoise!”

Beside them, Zi Luan's eyes widened. “Isn't this Ancient Sage Juntuo from back then, who terrorized the Lesser Netherworld? He actually ended up in the hands of this human trafficker.” She only realized it then.

Yu Shang clearly wouldn't eat Juntuo; he was still planning to keep the old turtle to tell him about Yao Yao's past.

“Great Demon Chu, are you leaving? Be careful!” As they parted, Zi Luan whispered reluctantly. Everyone knew that with these drastic changes in heaven and earth, there might not be a tomorrow.

“Don't worry, I will certainly soar upwards. I will advance rapidly in my evolution every moment, moving forward triumphantly!” Chu Feng declared.

He looked at the horizon. As he departed, he thought of some more questions. How could he become stronger, the strongest?

“Li, blocking the Yang Realm with the stone coffin, might truly be trying to break free from the pollen path. Moreover, he is a disciple of the First Mountain, with a legacy dating back several epochs; he likely already had other paths he could take.” Chu Feng frowned. Li might become very strong, transcending ordinary limits. Did he have such a path to walk?

Yu Shang shook his head. “He can't take that path either. The legacy of the First Mountain is actually broken too. The methods might not be lost, but this heaven and earth are no longer suitable. Successors can only take the pollen path.”

“Hmm? ‘Heaven and Earth are unsuitable’ again!” Chu Feng frowned.

“Actually, the First Mountain and my lineage both followed the same path, so it's naturally no longer suitable,” Yu Shang sighed.

“But I always feel the pollen path is a bit strange, a bit like a trap,” Chu Feng said. “Who knows, you might just fall into an abyss ten thousand feet deep while walking it.”

Indeed, the pollen path was peculiar and held significant hidden dangers. Moreover, these dangers accumulated and deepened day by day, eventually leading to a moment of comprehensive eruption. Although Chu Feng was very confident and stubborn, to say he wasn't wary or prepared would be impossible.

“The Immortal Race is no longer immortal; they have completely fallen. Why is that?” Chu Feng asked, then continued, “How many evolution paths are there in this world, after all?”

Yu Shang gave a wry smile. His lineage had long since declined, and he naturally couldn't know some secrets. He could only make some inferences from the fragmented words left by his ancestors.

“Though there are myriad heavens and countless large and small worlds, the number of great realms that have truly completed a full path from ancient times until now should not exceed ten. The paths in other worlds are actually influenced by these few paths, having mutated from them, essentially similar with minor variations.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Feng gasped. Even so, it meant there were at least ten complete and terrifying branches of evolution! Until now, he only knew of the pollen path and the fallen immortal path.

Yu Shang saw his expression and shook his head. “I was speaking of all paths combined, from ancient times to the present. Among them, some paths have long been broken, and some great realms have long since decayed and ceased to exist.”

As of now, according to the clues left by Yu Shang's ancestors, there might only be four or five complete and once incredibly glorious paths still being walked by descendants.

“The Immortal Path, the one the Heavenly Emperor once walked, how exactly did it break? Why is it no longer suitable for cultivation today?” As they parted, Chu Feng asked seriously.

Yu Shang said, “It's unclear why it changed. All descendants and disciples can no longer walk that path; otherwise, they would fall. Even the former Emperors were helpless.”

This was the most terrifying and despair-inducing aspect! Even the Heavenly Emperor felt the path ahead was bleak, seeing no hope. Their legacy would be severed, and there would be no successors from then on. Yet they were destined to wage war, to go above the Heavens, requiring a constant stream of successors to fight alongside them!

As a result, the heaven and earth underwent a drastic change, cutting off their retreat. How could this not lead to despair? Moreover, it was unsolvable. Heaven and earth had changed, and that path was truly difficult to follow further; it was almost completely severed.

“How could a path that could lead to a Heavenly Emperor, or even an Immortal Emperor, break? Does this mean cultivation is impossible forever?” Chu Feng asked.

“It leads to infection and downfall; it's terrifying,” Yu Shang said heavily, but also added, “However, the Heavenly Emperor once deduced that a very few individuals could successfully navigate it, and they might even mutate without falling, becoming stronger instead. But this is not a universal method, and it has lost its original meaning.”

Chu Feng almost said, “I'll try it!” But after a moment of calm, he no longer wanted to court death. How could he guarantee that he would mutate without falling?

“How did the pollen path appear?” Chu Feng asked.

“A long time later, radiant, glittering particles fell upon this heaven and earth. Those should have been the initial pollen grains, right?” Yu Shang murmured, looking towards the sky.

“Pollen suddenly fell... reconnecting the broken path?” Chu Feng was astonished. This wasn't an inherent path of the Yang Realm but something that occurred abruptly one day.

This involved the origin of a path. Its implications were too profound, and its underlying cause was even more mysterious and boundlessly terrifying, simply unimaginable!

“Yes, on that day, the clouds and mist were thick. A dazzling lightning bolt appeared in the sky. Some say it was a sword light that cleaved through everything…”