Chapter 1623: Red Dust Cannot Be Cut Off

The kings turned and looked at Chu Feng, their expressions exceedingly strange.

It was the Battle Macaque King who, being more straightforward, directly asked, "What exactly did you do back then?!"

Chu Feng felt more wronged than Dou E; so many years had passed, yet someone still remembered his "distinguished title"? Besides, back then he fought for his homeland, and the ones he "sold" were all "aliens," demanding ransom from the families of those divine sons and saintesses. He could be considered half a "local hero."

"Who was undermining him?" Chu Feng thought, wanting to strangle the person responsible.

However, the surrounding Immortal Kings didn't see it that way; their eyes glowed eerily, some dark blue, some dark green. The kings concluded that this young man must have done nothing good back then. Who else would be immediately labeled a "human trafficker" upon returning home?! Some Immortal Kings even directly warned the younger members by their side to stay far away from that demon.

"Oh, look who it is! My old defeated foes, you aliens are back again. Swarms of divine sons and saintesses once more invading my homeland. Are you waiting for me to return and slaughter you all?"

Chu Feng recognized a few faces, having apparently "sold" them back then, so he had some lingering impression.

Ahead, an extraterrestrial divine son’s face paled, and he immediately explained, "It's a misunderstanding, Chu Great Demon—no, Chu Great Divine King! We were just being momentarily frank, with no ill intent. We were genuinely shocked just now. Everyone said you had disappeared, perhaps even died. We never expected you to reappear among the living."

"What frankness? What 'possibly died'?" Chu Feng rebuked. "Can you speak properly? If not, shut up!"

"We truly haven't occupied this star territory. The main reason is that there are many secret realms here—every famous mountain serves as a path connecting to various stars. This place has become an unprecedentedly prosperous nexus for all realms, and we are merely here for travel and to trade treasures."

According to him, this place had clearly become an incredibly attractive new paradise for cultivators.

"Furthermore, powerful, inexplicable beings guard this place, so we wouldn't dare act presumptuously. It seems that years ago, a stone fox went berserk and annihilated a powerful cosmic race, so no one dares to cause trouble here anymore."

Upon hearing this, Chu Feng let out a long breath, greatly relieved. His earlier request for the stone fox to guard his homeland had indeed proven effective.

"You can leave; I don't want to see you anymore," Chu Feng sternly warned. "If you dare call me a human trafficker again, the next time I catch you, the men will have their privates chopped up to feed to turtles and, even if crippled, be forced to mine black ore, and the women will be used as maidservants!"

Hearing this, the group felt as if they had been granted a great amnesty and immediately fled.

It was too terrifying! Still the original formula, still the original taste. Chu Demon endures forever; the human trafficker never changes.

The divine sons and saintesses, considered the pride of their respective clans, now fled, each with a pale face, not daring to look back.

Below, vast blue waves stretched out, dotted with countless islands. Some cultivators flew at low altitudes, various sea beasts surfaced, and even flood dragons churned the waves.

Gazing at the magnificent sea below, Chu Feng sighed, thinking of the underwater dragon's nest and his past disputes and confrontations with the sea race.

At the same time, he also thought of the Dragon Girl, who had stood by his side and fought alongside him, only to die by the great abyss in the starry sky, slain by Taiwu.

"Goodbye, Dragon Girl!" Chu Feng murmured, burning some paper money on the sea surface.

Some cultivators and sea beings saw this and were about to reprimand him, but then they all immediately recoiled, their faces turning green. "Who is that? What did we just see? Where are we?" they thought. "Is time flowing backward? Has the era of Chu Demon's rampage returned?!"

"No, it's not goodbye," Chu Feng shouted towards the sea. "I believe you have successfully reincarnated. You consumed the Dragon Transformation Fruit and possess wisdom from past lives. I believe I will see you again someday."

Since Yellow Ox, Ouyang Feng, Dong Dahu, and others had reappeared, he believed that one day Dragon Girl would also stand before him.

The kings behind him were all ancient relics and living fossils, their expressions unruffled. However, the few younger followers showed surprise, secretly wondering, "Does even this demon have his moments of heartache?"

Chu Feng traveled westward and indeed saw much activity in the sea along the way, with many extraterrestrial cultivators moving about. Their flying tools included magical treasures and spacecraft, as they entered and exited the underwater world and visited various islands.

Soon, he reached the land, where the famous mountains presented a myriad of majestic sights, surging with auspicious energy and looking quite imposing.

Chu Feng did not stop, continuing his westward journey toward Mount Kunlun.

"Alas, what sorrow," the Great Black Ox lamented. "This king also once ruled here and was one of the leading figures in the East-West War, but now I can no longer see those old friends."

His strength was insufficient to walk at the forefront with the kings like Chu Feng, but he too was now melancholic.

Chu Feng slowed his pace, moved to the back of the group, and walked with Yellow Ox, Dong Dahu, Old Black, and the others. All sighed, then fell silent.

Too much had happened here, and Chu Feng felt a profound sense of regret. Some people might never be seen again; though he had sent those great Kunlun demons to reincarnate, it was impossible for everyone to return with their memories. Even his parents had not been heard from to this day.

Chu Feng stood on a peak of Mount Kunlun, gazing at the magnificent mountains and seas. The majestic ranges stretched endlessly, carrying countless memories.

He thought of so many people: the bald Horse King, with his heroic character, who had always clamored to marry his daughter to Chu Feng. In the past, in the starry sky, Horse King was killed by Taiwu, succumbing to his fate. His master, the Old Lama, also bled in the starry sky. There was also the Mastiff King, fierce in character and unable to endure humiliation, and the Old Ape who once founded the Great Forest Temple on Mount Song, as well as the old grandmaster Wu Qifeng of Wudang Mountain. All these people had been to Kunlun and later participated in the Great Abyss War. Chu Feng truly hoped they could reappear.

At this moment, the Dog Emperor also sighed deeply, saying, "Kunlun, oh Kunlun, it was once the homeland of an old friend of mine. I haven't seen him for many years; most likely, he has long returned to dust, a hero buried in the earth."

"Among your unconventional friends, there are heroes?" Nine Paths One asked it. "Birds of a feather flock together; how do I feel that's unlikely?"

"Woof! Do you know who I'm talking about?" The Dog Emperor glared, saying, "The Heavenly Emperor's mount, the Dragon Horse, came out of Mount Kunlun back then."

Afterwards, Chu Feng continued his westward journey, flying over mountains and crossing oceans, reaching the Western Lands. He wanted to revisit all the paths he had once taken. Because after this farewell, he didn't know when he would return. This might be his final farewell to the mortal world.

Mount Olympus and a certain holy city all bore his footprints.

Finally, he stopped near a volcano, where the Undying Phoenix King had once died and reincarnated as an egg, remaining dormant there. At this moment, he unexpectedly discovered a flaming palace and, to his surprise, found... the Phoenix King. That black phoenix had actually revived back then, regenerating after breaking its shell.

Chu Feng recalled the past: the Phoenix King had lost her memory and became his blind date. That scene was truly sigh-inducing, a reminder that youth can never be relived.

Seeing the slender, black-haired Phoenix King standing in the distant palace, Chu Feng naturally thought of his other blind date, Xia Qianyu. He had promised to send her and Jiang Luoshen back to Earth. Now that Earth's mysterious manipulator had left, Chu Feng felt that next time he could have someone send the two girls back, thus fulfilling his promise.

"Who are you?" The Phoenix King noticed Chu Feng, who had already stepped into the palace.

As for the kings, they hadn't followed, still far from the volcano.

Chu Feng sighed; this old friend had forgotten everything after nirvana. Perhaps it was for the best, to forget each other in the world and sever mortal ties. However, if the other party faced difficulty, he would still offer assistance.

"I am an old friend of yours, here to see you." Chu Feng said, leaving behind a scripture and placing some herbs on the desk, then turned and left.

"You look familiar to me, who exactly are you?" The Phoenix King called out from behind, but Chu Feng vanished in an instant.

Chu Feng returned from the Western Lands to the Eastern Lands. Many of the people he wished to see were no longer alive, which left him feeling somewhat melancholic.

However, there were still many acquaintances—his former classmates and old friends. Should he go and meet them all?

"Never mind," he thought. "I have a group of Immortal Kings with me. If I go to reminisce with them, neither side would be comfortable."

Moreover, he was now a troublesome figure; his enemies were all of too high a rank. It would be detrimental if his classmates and old friends got involved.

Chu Feng would ultimately sever his ties with the mortal world and embark on a path of no return. This time he returned for two reasons: firstly, to bring strong reinforcements to confront the mastermind, and secondly, to make a final farewell to his mortal past. This time, he no longer wanted to seek out familiar people to reminisce with. After all, his future path would be incredibly difficult and dangerous, potentially implicating those connected to him.

However, when he returned to the Eastern Lands, someone, possessing great divine power, immediately found and located him.

Lu Tong, from Yu Xu Palace, a white-haired old man with aged eyes filled with hot tears, said, "You scoundrel, you didn't even come to see me after you returned?!"

Chu Feng's eyes also grew slightly moist. This old man had taken great care of him back then, even going so far as to betray the Palace Lord of Yu Xu Palace.

"I didn't know you were still on Earth," Chu Feng said softly. "I was afraid you'd become entangled in a great karma because of me."

At this moment, he felt deeply moved, recalling all the old events from back then. How could all those affections simply be severed? The ties of the mortal world cannot be severed; how could they be severed? To truly sever and abandon them would mean losing the most fundamental emotions of a human being, which would be flawed.

Chu Feng stepped forward, supporting the arm of the white-haired Lu Tong.

"I don't care! What great karma, I don't care!" Old man Lu Tong declared resolutely. He had long since become the de facto leader of Yu Xu Palace.

Then, he rambled on, saying, "The people who teamed up with you back then—that girl Ye Qingrou, and Clairvoyant Du Huaijin, and Clairaudient Ouyang Qing—they went into the starry sky. It's said they were considered 'Netherworld seeds' and were successfully brought to the Yang Realm. I, this old man, also tried my luck, but I truly couldn't bear to leave, clinging to my homeland. So, after wandering for a few years, I returned from the starry sky."

"If you encounter Ye Qingrou and the others, take good care of them!"

"I'm old; I won't leave," he continued. "Whether alive or dead, I'll stay in this homeland."

Chu Feng nodded, agreeing repeatedly.

For this, he parted ways with the kings and specifically spent a long time chatting with the old man, both having so much to say to each other. Because both had a feeling that after this separation, they might never see each other again in this lifetime.

Although Chu Feng left him many potent elixirs and some secret scriptures, with the old man's talent, he likely wouldn't achieve much.

Life always involves partings, and waving goodbye often means a difficult reunion. Chu Feng remained silent, bidding farewell to Lu Tong, knowing he couldn't stay. Now, his cultivation, his future path, and the karma he would bear would all lead him to a more vast cosmic universe. His wish was for the ominous to be extinguished and the inauspicious rooted out. Otherwise, one day, all heavens would collapse, and Lu Tong and all his old friends might turn to nothingness, becoming sand slipping through his fingers, impossible to protect or keep.

"Where had the Stone Fox Celestial Venerable gone?" Chu Feng wandered around in a big circle but couldn't find the old fox.

"Dig three feet deep; we must find him!"

Then, he found Nine Paths One and the Battle Macaque King, ancestor of the Monkey King Mitian, asking them to help find the stone fox.

And the result... it was actually dug out from the ground!

Even if it had hibernated and petrified, if Immortal Kings and Dao Ancestors wanted to find someone, they could still unearth them.

This old fellow's senses were too keen. Others on Earth couldn't detect the recent abnormality, but he, being who he was, had perceived the confrontation between the mastermind and the extraterrestrial kings.

At this moment, when he was dug out from the ground, his form truly left Chu Feng speechless. It was a tiny stone fox, utterly adorable and motionless.

Seeing it feigning death, Chu Feng looked left and right and said, "I'll just smash it; it's just a clay doll anyway!"

"You brat, how dare you!" The stone fox instantly revived, covered in flesh and blood. He was now a powerful being. How could he have escaped his stone body predicament in a place like Earth and even advanced his cultivation? And he had even advanced his rank?

"What's your situation?" Chu Feng asked suspiciously.

"There's an unrivaled great demon on this Earth. I almost died of fright when I occasionally discovered him. Although he's sleeping in the Earth's core, even a wisp of his overflowing aura made me feel like collapsing. Yet I couldn't escape, as if I had some entanglement with him, because I was nourished by fragments of his Great Dao, which allowed me to shed my stone fox body, and my condition actually improved."

Especially not long ago, the stone fox was almost scared to death when that mastermind revived. Though the mastermind didn't bother with him, the intention to act ruthlessly against others truly shocked the stone fox. However, at that time, he didn't know the mastermind's realm or the kings' cultivation levels.

Now, when the stone fox truly realized that before him was a group of Immortal Kings who had restrained their auras and were currently observing him, he immediately bristled, feeling that the entire world held deep malice towards him.

"It's fine, old senior, don't be afraid. Look, you can go talk to senior Nine Paths One. With me here, don't be scared!"

"Who is senior Nine Paths One?" the stone fox asked.

"A Dao Ancestor. Don't be nervous; it's nothing!"

Upon hearing this, the stone fox stumbled, almost falling. A Dao Ancestor? His liver was trembling!

"Oh, by the way, a Ten-tailed Celestial Fox appeared among your descendants," Chu Feng informed him, "and I've pretty much given her all the opportunities you gave me." He then secretly sent a voice transmission, telling him to speak to Nine Paths One about the foreign realm.

"Kid, did you come back just to reminisce?" the Dog Emperor couldn't help but ask. "Finding everyone, chatting with everyone... where's the Heavenly Emperor's old residence?"

"Come on, I'll take you!" Chu Feng led the way to a small town, a typical Eastern settlement with some buildings possessing a