Chapter 1538: Only Taking on All Major Causes and Effects Alone

“Go back!” several old people urged.

Their forms were gaunt, hair like withered weeds, and their ancient faces appeared extremely haggard.

As they looked at Chu Feng, there was hope mixed with powerlessness, and a hint of desolation and tragedy. They, too, were about to embark on a journey from which they were destined never to return.

This was a farewell for life, never to meet again!

From their dim eyes, Chu Feng also perceived something: yearning, but more despair—a profound contradiction. Was this a bleak outlook for the future? It was filled with sorrow.

What had they witnessed? What caused their despair? Why were they so despondent?

Chu Feng felt a jolt of alarm. If hope truly dwindled in the future, would he be forced to experience those very things himself?

Though he understood that these old individuals, having traversed countless eras and many epochs, could not elaborate, Chu Feng still felt compelled to speak.

“Seniors, do you have any advice before your departure?”

“We have no particular advice. In essence, all methods are similar, and all paths lead to the same destination. The highest realms are interconnected; only the nomenclature differs. For beings who reach that domain, whatever path they take is correct. Perhaps in the end, they will discover that everything feels so familiar, as if it were just yesterday.”

One old man whispered, his eyes dim, and with a wave of his hand, he prepared to set off.

“Senior, do you not have a favorable view of my future?” Chu Feng was sensitive, always sensing a profound melancholy in their gaze, their spirits deeply subdued.

If they truly saw hope in him, their demeanor should be more encouraging, shouldn't it?

“It is not self-praise, but we few are genuinely powerful. Yet, we still perished and became spirits. As for you... you are also remarkable, but if you only reach our level, it will still not be enough,” an old man said with immense weariness.

This statement implied many significant issues.

How incredibly powerful these few must have been! They were very likely the very pioneers of the pollen path!

These old individuals had undoubtedly dominated a period of time, truly invincible beings of a certain epoch!

Yet, they still died, which was sufficient to highlight the gravity of the situation.

They considered Chu Feng's talent exceptional, though he couldn't tell if this was genuine praise or an attempt to instill confidence, suggesting he might reach their level someday.

However, reaching their level was not enough!

An old man, his white hair matted with blood on his wrinkled face, seemed to discern Chu Feng's unspoken question and said, “Only your ‘spirit’ has arrived here. If your physical body had also reached this place and could sense us, then perhaps there would be a few wisps of hope for the future.”

His physical body arriving here? Chu Feng's heart constricted; he grasped the implication, but how incredibly difficult that would be!

Presently, his spiritual form was about to dissipate, perhaps already decayed and vanished, so naturally, it couldn't have brought his physical body along.

Moreover, wasn't this the world after death? Could the physical body also come?!

“The spirit is born from the physical body. If the physical body can cross over to this place, there will naturally be more hope,” another old man interjected.

Chu Feng was somewhat lost in thought. He had always believed he never abandoned the exploration of the corporeal body; he had consistently placed immense importance on it. Now, it seemed he had not made a grave mistake.

Some ancient texts and scrolls recorded souls traversing multiple realms, abandoning the physical body, and highly lauded this practice, asserting that the physical body was merely a shell, a waystation, replaceable at any time.

Now, it appeared there was a profound flaw in this notion!

These old people would not speak idly. Since they emphasized this point, it must be of paramount significance.

The spirit born from one's own physical body should naturally be nurtured and sustained by that very body!

If treated as a waystation or a temporary lodging, believing one could freely depart from, discard, or replace the body, there might be no significant short-term issues.

However, upon reaching a certain elevated level, viewed with transcendent insight, that very practice might prove to be the most critical deficiency!

“The spirit is born from the flesh.”

Chu Feng contemplated extensively. He even believed that a spirit still resided within the physical body, rooted there, and that this “root” had always existed, capable of nourishing the spirit!

“Is the physical body the root of the soul, and even at the highest levels, might it still exert an influence?” Chu Feng cautiously inquired.

The old people looked at him but offered no reply. Finally, they set off once more, each clad in tattered garments, walking far into the distance, never to return.

That path had no return. It filled one with pity and sorrow. They were destined to perish, serving to bridge a chasm, ensuring no possibility of coming back.

The pioneers of the pollen path, reduced to such a tragic end.

Chu Feng watched from afar, bidding them farewell as they journeyed towards the unfathomable, dim chasm.

Countless spirit particles danced, forming human figures, becoming wave after wave of primordial beings, all clad in rags, their plight conveying the arduousness of their struggle and resistance, their profound desolation and helplessness.

Even within the procession, there were many very young children, also in tattered clothing, their small faces grimy, yet their eyes so pure.

Spirits, children from that distant past, talented youngsters, were also following the path, casting themselves into the black chasm.

Chu Feng stood in silent observation, quietly watching the impending events.

The majority of people, the majority of spirits, upon entering the chasm, once again dissolved into particles, then silently vanished, truly without even a ripple.

Everything was so terrifying!

Only a few unique old individuals caused an extraordinarily large commotion!

In his current state, Chu Feng technically had no physical eyes, yet he could still perceive everything.

From within the black chasm, creatures emerged!

Because the old people were immensely powerful, their commotion was astonishing. They stirred up black waves within the chasm, attempting to shatter it and cross to the other side.

Were those creatures human? They were startled into action, moving incredibly fast, and could be deemed supremely powerful, devouring time and gnawing at the Great Dao's order.

One creature, with a pale face like a ghost's, having never seen sunlight, entangled with an old man, embracing him and biting.

That old man, covered in blood, suddenly burst into flames, illuminating the entire chasm and rendering the dark expanse transparent. Countless particles diffused from his body, purifying the entire world.

Most of that creature's body turned to ash and plummeted into the chasm's depths.

But the old man himself also became spirit particles, silenced forever!

During this process, the light emanating from the old man caused countless spirit particles to surge, vibrate, and then impact the entire world, even engulfing Chu Feng.

“This is?!”

Chu Feng was astonished. He perceived a profound difference. The surrounding spirit particles, illuminated by the light beam, all became visibly distinct.

Earlier, he had believed all the spirit particles on the true pollen path were crystalline and pure. Yet, now he discovered that they actually bore terrifying patterns!

Had they been eroded?!

He had thought only human bodies were eroded, or even soul light corrupted. Now, he saw that the entire true pollen path, those very spirit particles from back then, had also been corrupted.

Every single particle bore a terrifying mark!

This sent chills down Chu Feng's spine. No wonder this path was considered to have a major flaw.

How could one continue on such a path? Even the so-called true path had long since been eroded.

However, some positive changes were now occurring.

That old man burned, illuminating the entire pollen path world. He was purifying, cleansing all the spirit particles!

As he shone brilliantly, then withered and dimmed, until he became mere ash, the marks on the spirits around Chu Feng, those peculiar patterns, were all cleansed away.

Those spirit particles became truly crystal-clear, unsullied. Upon closer inspection, they were spotless, their patterns and marks erased.

Another old man moved, resolutely entering the chasm. As expected, creatures once again crawled out, locking onto him.

This time, Chu Feng witnessed it clearly; the old man was extraordinarily powerful.

He actually wove various Great Dao chains into raiment, adorned himself with endless fragments of the Great Dao, bathed in divine halos, and with the river of time emerging beneath his feet, he crossed over!

Around him were myriad worlds, aging universes one after another, and boundless Dao patterns, along with dense temporal energy. He strode through the river of time, and even as all heavens decayed and withered, he remained unharmed.

However, when the creature from the chasm emerged, it still inflicted severe damage upon him.

That creature possessed flesh and blood, not a body of pure rules. Its face was strikingly pale, like a ghost corpse that had crawled out of an ancient tomb, never exposed to sunlight, with black blood dripping from its mouth. Its movements were incredibly swift, traversing the river of time, and instantly, the old man's right shoulder vanished!

From the old man's shoulder, spirit blood surged, spirit particles scattered... purifying the world.

Ultimately, the old man vanquished that creature!

But he himself also transformed into light, impacting the entire true pollen path world, bringing about the most sacred purification, and then he, too, was silenced forever!

Furthermore, the light he radiated paved a path that extended into the chasm's depths. The remaining three old people moved at lightning speed, treading on the light particles, rushing towards the opposite bank.

Some engaged in battle along the way, fell, and eventually turned into light, purifying the true pollen path, disappearing forever.

Others succeeded.

One old man stepped onto the opposite bank and, without any hesitation, immediately immolated his spirit!

What was he attempting to do?

Chu Feng had no physical eyes, yet he still felt as if his pupils were contracting, his heart violently shaking.

The old man, transforming into light, into fire, was he going to burn that woman?

That was the very foundation of the pollen path; the absolute end had suffered a most grievous problem. Was he going to purify that woman?!

Immeasurable spiritual fire burned, causing heaven, earth, and the void to vanish, returning to utter emptiness.

Chu Feng could no longer see clearly, because he once again nearly transformed into a single drop of blood, adhering to the stone jar.

This matter was horrifying. The entire true pollen path harbored a fatal flaw; even its source had been contaminated. How could later generations possibly continue on it?!

Did they need to forge a completely new path, to establish another supreme Great Dao?

Pioneering a path, creating a new method, forging an entirely different way—this... how incredibly arduous!

Chu Feng felt a chill run through him. Up until this moment, had all his evolutionary progress, all the paths he had taken, been fundamentally wrong?

The very cutting-edge domain had a colossal problem!

Could he even continue?

However, attempting to forge an entirely new path was simply unrealistic.

Suddenly, he recalled the old man's words: the end of the path, the final domain, were actually quite similar.

All paths lead to the same destination; the highest domains are interconnected!

The old man had even spoken cryptically, saying that once one reached that domain, one might experience a sense of déjà vu, as if it were just yesterday.

“There is no need to insist on a completely different path. One only needs to consult and grasp the true essence. Some ancient paths have left remnants; simply seek to understand and verify their fundamental nature.”

Everything fell silent, yet Chu Feng's mind remained restless. The old individuals had all perished and could never reappear.

Though he knew they were merely spirits and their true bodies had long since died, he still felt a profound unease. He always felt that the annihilation of a spirit was infinitely more severe than the death of a physical body.

When spirits dissipate, it signifies true eternal oblivion. No matter how many eras passed, they could never be resurrected, never to be seen again.

Indeed, Chu Feng observed that the paths taken by the old individuals were now different; their footprints along the way had vanished, cracks in the void were smoothed over, and all traces were erased.

On the desolate battlefield, there had once been stone tablets commemorating them, recording their lives.

But now, these stone tablets weathered away, collapsing into dust.

In underground ruins from many epochs ago, there were still mother gold books and inherited secret texts left by them, but they, too, crumbled into fine powder with creaking sounds, scattering to the ground.

Near the chasm, the land the old men had touched, and the chasm's void itself, rapidly disintegrated and vanished.

Chu Feng shivered, a cold tremor running through him. Was this the ultimate fate of a spirit's demise?

In the world that was once theirs, absolutely nothing remained.

The peerless powerhouses who had once dominated countless eras, the truly invincible beings of their epochs, had vanished without a trace from existence.

It was as if these few had never even existed!

The pioneers of that time, the few founders of the pollen path, died such a sorrowful death, leaving one's heart heavy.

Terrifyingly, Chu Feng still did not know the origin or background of the creatures beyond the chasm; everything remained an enigma.

Was it connected to the sacrificial grounds?

However, he always felt that the level involved was far too profound!

If it were merely a chief sacrificer, it wouldn't cause such a catastrophic problem for the entire true pollen path, would it? That woman had fallen at the very end.

“Wait for me to fight!”

Chu Feng gazed at the place where the old individuals had vanished. He could not help but let out a low roar, “I accept this karma!”

How could the former pioneers, the founders of the true pollen path, die in vain, their very traces mercilessly erased?!

With a thunderous crash, a great roar of thunder erupted in this world, but when he looked up, he saw nothing. In the ethereal realm, it was as if some immense karma had truly settled upon him.

Chu Feng's spirit condensed into a human form, his eyes also taking shape, their gaze cold as he stared at the sky. Even if everything fell upon him, if he had to bear it alone, what then?!

He had endured all he needed to endure and had long since ceased to fear anything. At worst, wasn't it just death?

“Live, grow powerful, vanquish all enemies across the worlds!” Chu Feng's body glowed, the beams of spirit particles he emitted were extraordinarily dazzling.

Suddenly, three columns of fire soared skyward, burning with intense ferocity, causing all the heavens and myriad Daos to rumble and tremble, including the chasm itself, which quivered!

Then, Chu Feng saw three figures, seated within the sky-piercing light beams, traversing the river of time!

Soon, almost instantaneously, he realized who they might be: the legendary... Three Heavenly Emperors?!