Chapter 1638: Entrusting the Aftermath

In a dark land, pitch-black plants bore a wondrous flower. It was somewhat eerie, but more significantly, sacred. Pollen scattered, and wisps of mist entered Chu Feng's body.

He activated his breathing technique, absorbing not only through his mouth and nostrils but also through every pore on his body. His soul light also breathed in the mysterious pollen particles with a special rhythm.

Chu Feng was undergoing a drastic transformation. Thunderous sounds emanated from his bones, chanting resonated from his internal organs, and his soul light harmonized with the Great Dao!

This was an astonishing grand nirvana. At this level, his strength surged rapidly.

The Grand Universe Realm—he had truly stepped into it!

This was a terrifying watershed. Only upon entering this level could one begin to overlook the common populace and be considered a high-level evolutionist.

Large areas of Dao patterns appeared on Chu Feng's body. There were dark ones, gray ones, golden ones, and even deathly white ones—all of them were actually constructed from strange, ominous substances!

Evolving on this dark land indeed made it easy to become contaminated by such things.

However, at this moment, Chu Feng also perceived part of their essence. It was as if, at the end of the long river of history, several strange, ominous beings stood immortal. Were they the source of all ill omens, the progenitors of these bizarre creatures?!

He even vaguely saw several coffins appear and disappear.

"Slay!" Chu Feng roared.

A nine-colored light wheel burst forth from his body, cutting towards the various strange Dao patterns on his skin. He would absolutely not allow himself to be corrupted by these substances.

All around, terrifying wails and mournful cries echoed, as if ultimate-realm specters at the source of the River of Time were corrupting everything downstream.

Chu Feng encountered trouble. His evolution here had indeed given him an initial glimpse into some of the mysteries of the ominous source.

The mysterious seed germinated, took root, and bloomed. Through its pollen, it deciphered some of the true meaning of that source, granting Chu Feng astonishing insights.

But the world was balanced. The slightest touch or understanding of these things meant facing the most severe corruption.

Chu Feng's flesh began to rot. His bones mutated. His blood turned pitch black. His pupils shifted to a silvery-white. His hair turned dull yellow, then emitted a faint golden glow...

This made him wish he were dead. Even his soul was being corrupted. Black blood, gray mist, golden substances, and ghastly white faces all pressed in on him, seeking to merge into his blood and become one with his soul light.

"Get out!" he roared, his entire being radiating light. He recited the Emperor Sutra and began to inscribe the golden characters from the stone pot onto his bones and between his blood cells.

He struggled to purify himself. He wanted to return to his true self, without these strange Dao patterns.

If beings from the dark continent were to witness Chu Feng's transformation, they would surely be utterly shocked. Wasn't this the "baptism" they had long dreamed of?

Moreover, this appeared to be the ultimate baptism!

Because Chu Feng's bones were mutating, and his entire body would transform into "Ominous Bones," a characteristic change of the progenitors in their youth.

Furthermore, his blood was also mutating. His eyes, hair, and other features... all corresponded to different extreme ominous powers.

All of this indicated that black blood, golden substances, silver omens, gray mist, and more, had all converged, seeking to bestow the ultimate baptism.

However, these were what Chu Feng wanted to discard. He didn't need them; he only wanted to be his true self!

This was a grueling battle, an utterly terrifying torment. If a normal being were to undergo such an ultimate baptism, entangled by various strange Dao patterns simultaneously, it would be almost impossible to turn back.

Chu Feng did not give up. Since he had actively chosen to evolve on the dark continent, he had to gain something, to understand the ominous, and analyze the ill-fated. If he were to completely lose himself, that would be laughable—a true tragedy beyond words.

"Something's wrong. He's mutated. He's probably gone down a dead end, and will eventually become a seed-level being like those from the Source of Calamity, or even a seed among seeds!"

Outside the valley, the Dog Emperor's expression changed as he sensed something amiss. Although he couldn't clearly see the strange mist or the hazy light emanating from the stone pot, he could clearly feel that the entire valley was engulfed by ultimate ominous substances, with Dao patterns flowing, incredibly complex and profound.

The Rotten Corpse said, "Didn't we already mentally prepare for this? Failure is normal. It just means he isn't the kind of person we hoped for."

"Yes, we hoped and longed for an ultimate-realm seed to emerge. Normally, such a being wouldn't appear for several epochs, so failure is the norm. It's just a pity for him, to watch him take this step and embark on a path to ruin."

The Dog Emperor, surprisingly, showed a moment of softness, sighing deeply here.

"Many eras have passed, and we've unearthed one prodigy after another. Haven't they all failed? This is normal." The Rotten Corpse's voice was also low.

If he succeeded, that would be abnormal.

The Dog Emperor lowered his head and sighed, "I saw that he could kill a Dao Ancestor, and believed he possessed a great secret, which is why I let him come to the dark continent to evolve. What a shame, my apologies, young man."

Nine Dao One's figure appeared in the distance, silently, then turned and vanished.

Clearly, the old fellows knew the consequences of coming here, but ultimately, they wanted to try and see if an ultimate-realm being's seed would be born.

If Chu Feng knew the truth, he would surely want to beat them to death!

The situation was far more terrifying than he understood. Two realms, carrying completely opposing paths of evolution, to insist on evolving in the enemy's land of calamity was pure suicide.

Of course, this was also the most rigorous trial, even a doomsday trial. It was no longer a mere test, but a true tempering by death.

For old fellows like the Dog Emperor and the Rotten Corpse, nurturing new talents had only one purpose: to unearth an ultimate-realm seed.

Otherwise, even becoming an Immortal King or evolving into a Dao Ancestor would ultimately be meaningless and unable to affect the final outcome.

For a full day and night, Chu Feng endured agony, battling against various ominous Dao patterns; he refused to be mutated.

"Although he's mutated, he's still struggling, persisting, and hasn't fully fallen into the ominous domain." The Dog Emperor was surprised, a hopeful glint in his eyes.

"I think there's a chance. After all, he's a young prodigy who killed a Dao Ancestor; he must have his own secrets. We just have to wait."

For three full days and nights, Chu Feng endured. He almost completely drained his vital energy and exhausted his soul light before finally obliterating all the strange Dao patterns.

Then, the sound of an immortal scripture resonated, and a secret soul-stabilizing technique began to operate. His entire body shone brightly as he began to recover his true self.

Furthermore, the pollen particles that had fallen earlier, which he had refined and integrated into his flesh and soul, were now further activated and stimulated, making his vital energy and soul light grow strong.

Chu Feng revived. His flesh became crystalline. His so-called "Ominous Bones" were shattered and expelled. True bones regenerated. His blood purified. The ominous Dao patterns burned away, and all the strange powers were obliterated.

"The Grand Universe Realm, it's actually this dangerous. Thankfully, I pulled through."

Chu Feng stood up and looked at the ground. There were traces of contamination everywhere: bone fragments, terrifying black blood, golden residue, and more.

One could only imagine what he had endured during those three days and nights.

It was easy to say, but for Chu Feng, those three days were something he never wanted to recall. They were more terrifying than any life-or-death battle he had ever faced.

He would rather kill ten more dangerous seed-level ominous beings like Qi Yuan than go through what he just did.

"Transparent inside and out, pure and unblemished, flawless and complete. Yet, I still feel something is missing." Chu Feng introspected. He hadn't become a corrupted Grand Universe Realm being, yet he still felt a subtle abnormality.

He looked inward, and finally, he realized it: it was the small gray millstone within his body.

Chu Feng's eyes flashed, and with a boom, Dao patterns intertwined, and he directly tore apart the millstone!

Now, he could personally grind away all ominous substances; he no longer needed this millstone.

Ultimately, it had been forged using gray matter as its foundation and ominous power as its catalyst.

If this thing were to lie dormant for too long, who knew what it would eventually become.

"I'll forge an external millstone!" Chu Feng made a decision, recasting the torn millstone outside his body.

His flesh and soul light, however, had to remain absolutely pure, allowing no strange external elements to exist within them.

This time, Chu Feng felt truly clear in body and mind. His soul light and flesh blended perfectly, without blemish. He felt his power had surged significantly.

He was a Grand Universe Realm being. Most crucially, he showed no signs of corruption, making him unique.

Others who first entered this realm became indescribably terrifying. They required long ages to endure, and only if they could advance further one day would they be able to resolve their corruption.

However, Chu Feng wouldn't understand that his previous corruption and strange transformations were completely different from what other Grand Universe Realm beings faced.

He had undergone several ominous baptisms, all at the highest level. Any single one of them could have allowed him to develop complete Ominous Bones, Dark Blood, and so on.

With a crack, the large black tree behind him broke, withered, and fell, collapsing into ashes.

Then, with a clang, an artifact fell. It was a black greatsword, more than half a person's height, crashing onto the ground.

It was pitch black and extremely heavy. It didn't appear particularly sharp, yet after Chu Feng picked it up and made a light stroke, it directly cut through the void.

Chu Feng sensed the greatsword's terrifying power and liked it very much. He was very pleased with this form of the seed, holding it in his hand.

Next, he put away the stone pot and prepared to leave the place.

Just then, with whooshing sounds, the Dog Emperor and the Rotten Corpse rushed over, examining Chu Feng from head to toe, with strange expressions.

"Seniors, I truly didn't expect evolving in the dark continent to be so difficult. This time, I suffered greatly; it's unbearable to recall." Chu Feng confided, speaking his mind. This was the first time he had struggled so much, practically dying and reviving, during an evolution.

"A miracle! You actually didn't die; you pulled through," mumbled the Dog Emperor, looking him up and down, as if he wanted to skin him to see clearly inside.

The Rotten Corpse looked at the contamination on the ground, the terrifying ominous residues, and the aura left after the Dao patterns were obliterated. He was also quite shocked, nodding and saying, "Indeed... not simple."

Chu Feng paused, then stared at them with incredibly dangerous eyes, saying, "You already knew, even thought I might die? No, you were already certain I had a ten-in-ten chance of dying?!"

His hair stood on end. This damned dog, and that old geezer who used to like robbing graves... They knew the inside story? And didn't tell him? That's just beyond despicable!

Chu Feng was about to erupt; he felt deceived.

At this moment, Nine Dao One and Gu Qing also appeared, looking at Chu Feng with strange gazes.

"Don't get angry. Those two have indeed gone astray, become obsessed. They desperately want to find a seed that can become an ultimate-realm being. Because they've experienced too much; their hearts are filled with fear and worry for the future. Of course, it's not for themselves, but out of fear that the myriad heavens will collapse and overturn overnight!" Nine Dao One explained.

He also told Chu Feng that he had been nearby, and even if the worst happened, he could ensure Chu Feng's life.

Chu Feng's eyes grew even colder. These old monsters... it was just that he couldn't beat them. Otherwise, he would definitely lock them all in the Time Furnace, cremate half their bodies, and then save them.

The Dog Emperor bristled, and the Rotten Corpse also shuddered, immediately looking at Chu Feng warily.

"Seniors, don't worry, I can't activate the cremation furnace right now," Chu Feng said.

"What do you mean? You want to cremate us when you can activate it later?" The Dog Emperor and Rotten Corpse immediately bristled. They had personally witnessed this kid cremate a Dao Ancestor. Was he starting to threaten them?!

What was rare was that the Dog Emperor ultimately held back and did not retaliate.

Moreover, his dog-like face then brightened, gradually breaking into a wide grin, which instead made Chu Feng's hair stand on end.

"I didn't think of eating dog meat—no, I didn't think of cremating you!" Chu Feng quickly corrected himself.

"You little rascal, you were thinking of eating dog meat, weren't you?!" The Dog Emperor almost leaped in anger again.

But in the end, it was good-natured, saying, "Everything I've done was merely to select an Imperial Seed. It was indeed improper and offended you. However, rest assured, after undergoing a hellish, ten-deaths-no-life tempering, you have long since entered my esteemed sight. From now on, regarding you, your family, and your loved ones, I, the Emperor, will do my utmost to protect them and ensure their lives."

Chu Feng felt a little flustered. This dog suddenly being good to him made him feel uneasy, very strongly so. This was just an... inauspicious dog, very unlucky!

"Senior, don't be good to me, and don't value me so much; it's too creepy. When you grin, I feel like I'm seeing an ominous sign, as if the progenitors of the strange are opening their bloody maw at me!"

"You damn brat, how dare you speak like that?" The Dog Emperor wanted to bite him!

He really wanted to say, "Is it easy for me, this Emperor? I've been tricking and cheating all along, and now I genuinely want to protect someone, but I'm being called a heartless wretch—no, an Immortal Emperor's wretch."

Finally, its voice grew low, saying, "Let me tell you some honest truths from the bottom of my heart. I, the Emperor, have some trump cards, some methods, and can utilize some of the power the Three Heavenly Emperors left for me back then."

Chu Feng was immediately moved upon hearing this.

"What the future holds is unpredictable. But I, the Emperor, believe that the myriad heavens will likely not survive and will fall into an eternal dark abyss. I might be able to save some lives at the end of days; I can't guarantee everyone, but there's always some hope. Do you want your loved ones to have a sliver of a chance?" The Dog Emperor looked at him.

"What do you want me to do?!" Chu Feng asked it. He knew very well that there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, especially not with this dog, who