Chapter 1667: Dream Back to the Origin

“A human-shaped… divine medicine? Oh no, heavens above, by the ancestors, what have I unearthed?!”

The Taoist was dumbfounded, completely shocked, because they had actually dug up a living person. No, he quickly dismissed that thought; it definitely wasn't a human. How could a flesh-and-blood human survive countless ages buried under prehistoric ruins without dying?

“By the immortals above, by our ancestors who guide us, we've… caused a disaster!”

“Senior, we meant no offense, please forgive us!”

The group reacted quickly. After their initial astonishment, they immediately performed a deep bow, apologizing profusely, their hearts pounding. Had they encountered an immortal today, or unearthed a malevolent spirit?!

They had never imagined that after exhausting their vital energy and all their spiritual power, they would ultimately unearth a living creature from this so-called “place of defying fate.”

The group possessed considerable strength. Guided by a Taoist master whose power could shape mountains and rivers, they had come to excavate the mountainside and dig through the earth, expecting a great opportunity. Now, however, their calves were cramping, and they couldn't help but tremble.

Chu Feng slowly rose. Loose earth fell away, vibrated by the ethereal glow emanating from his body. Even his black hair gleamed with a crystalline luster, revealing his true appearance. He remained unchanged, his face youthful, but his eyes now held less sharpness and more serenity. As calm as the sea and as deep as an abyss, he exuded an unfathomable mystery.

“So, it isn't you.”

Chu Feng gazed at the Taoist. While still underground, he had felt a flicker of surprise, but now he merely uttered these words with calm composure.

The Taoist's demeanor and methods strongly resembled those of the Corpse, who had once been with the Dog Emperor. He excelled at excavating mountains, exploring ancient ruins, and was particularly adept at grave robbing—tomb raiding was his special skill.

Chu Feng's vision, far surpassing even Fiery Golden Eyes, calmly observed the plump middle-aged Taoist. From him, Chu Feng could trace back through time, discerning past events and identifying the sutras he had studied.

The two incomplete texts, the Cao Sutra and the Duan Sutra, left to future generations in illustrated form, depicted many of the Corpse's past techniques.

Regrettably, the names the Corpse once used—Cao Yusheng and Duan De—could no longer be discerned. Like the individual himself, they had been erased from ancient history.

In fact, even these two sutras were inscribed by Duan De's later disciples. Otherwise, had the Corpse carved them personally, they too would have been destined to turn to dust.

Chu Feng nodded. No wonder he sensed a familiar aura; this was a generational successor of the Corpse, though their strength was minimal, barely allowing them to fly.

The Age of Spirit Depletion had ended over a hundred thousand years ago. Now, with “spring returning to the land” and the revival of all spirits, there were still no exceptionally powerful evolutionaries.

This was primarily because, during the years of ruin, for over two million years, there had been no cultivators in the world. All paths of evolution were severed, and all inheritances extinguished.

It wasn't until the spiritual energy of heaven and earth grew increasingly abundant that some individuals began to discover pathways. Subsequently, numerous stone carvings and inscriptions were unearthed from beneath the ground, and as these were continuously deciphered, the number of evolutionaries gradually increased.

“Respectful greetings, Senior!”

After overcoming their initial panic, the group became convinced that this was no malevolent spirit. Although the aura around the other party was restrained, their peaceful and otherworldly demeanor was certainly not that of a prehistoric ghost.

Of course, given their strength, it was impossible for them to fathom what level of being Chu Feng truly was.

“Perhaps, this was a true immortal from prehistoric legends...?” They dared to speculate.

“Rise,” Chu Feng said. After nearly three million years, he finally spoke to someone for the first time.

But he had no intention of interacting much with them. In an instant, a few faint rays of light emanated from his body, falling upon the surrounding vegetation.

Instantly, the wild grass became brilliant, continuously transforming into extraordinary divine medicines.

Moreover, the thorns, old trees, and other plants rapidly bloomed and bore fruit. The trees were filled with fragrance, their branches laden with sacred, shimmering fruits, exuding a rich medicinal aroma.

Furthermore, these plants became sentient, on the verge of evolving into demons!

At the very least, they contained enough sacred substance, far exceeding the level required for demonhood. They only needed the spark of sentience to ignite, and they could take human form in a very short time.

Chu Feng left behind several complete sutras from the old era, smoothed out the pit, erased all traces of himself, and then vanished.

As for the group, they were left in a daze, with no memory of that person.

“Ah... we're rich! By the true immortal, have we stumbled into a prehistoric medicine garden?!”

“Here, there's a broken stele, inscribed with sutras!”

...

Chu Feng was not concerned that the Progenitors or Immortal Emperors would discover him because of this; such beings would never direct their attention toward evolutionaries of this level.

He simply didn't want to get too entangled with these people, because he was destined to walk a solitary path, facing it alone.

Nevertheless, he still harbored some hope, traveling through various great worlds, causing the ruins beneath the desolate lands to crack open, and revealing the mountain cave dwellings as extraordinary phenomena through natural patterns, waiting for contemporary people to unearth them.

He even compiled his insights and the paths he had walked into sutras, scattering them across various places, awaiting fated individuals to comprehend them.

He was... imparting his wisdom!

Should there be future generations, he hoped they could follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, reaching deeper and more profound realms. He wished that one day they would discover the truth: that every sutra was stained with blood, and that the ancient sages had not even left behind their remains. He did not seek for future generations to avenge the sages, but merely hoped they would have a chance to change their own destinies.

For Chu Feng knew that the Great Sacrifice would not truly end; it would one day return!

After the Immortal Emperors among the eerie beings had lain dormant for a long time, they would certainly emerge once their foundational injuries had healed.

However, changes occurred far earlier than Chu Feng had anticipated. Inadvertently, he discovered eerie creatures in a ruined area that had already appeared ahead of schedule, and their strength was considerable!

Those few creatures had been in the Immortal-level realm for many years, far surpassing the contemporary beings that emerged during the revival of all things.

However, these eerie creatures were not committing evil deeds; they merely walked through the ruins, comprehending the various techniques of the buried era.

Chu Feng's pupils constricted. No wonder the eerie race was growing stronger and stronger. Could they possibly become weak at this rate?

Soon, he used unfathomable methods to discern their true intentions. Indeed, they had only emerged to seek opportunities, not to engage in conflict.

Moreover, they had been given strict orders: “spring plowing” had only just begun. Anyone who dared to trample the “green shoots” that had just broken through the soil would be severely punished, even obliterated.

After all, the Great Sacrifice did not require mere mortals in large numbers; it needed a significant quantity of powerful evolutionaries.

With all things reviving and spring returning to the land, everything flourished. The world was full of vibrant life, and with the emergence of various ruins, evolutionaries grew in number. A golden age seemed not far off.

Yet, Chu Feng fell silent, for only he knew how cruel the truth was.

Although the Age of Spirit Depletion had passed, and spiritual energy had returned, leading to the flourishing of all beings, this was actually... the dawn of a sorrowful era.

Chu Feng stood still in the distance, gazing at the brilliant grand era within a certain universe. As he looked at the vibrant youths and the heroes in their prime, he felt as though he was seeing his past self, and the era that had been buried.

He too had once been full of vigor, competing for dominance, rising in that grand era, shining brightly amidst the mortal world. He had blossomed with many others, their glory reflected across mountains and rivers.

Yet, in the end, everything crumbled and vanished. All evolutionaries died, and the vast multitude of worlds, the boundless heavens, were all extinguished at their most brilliant moment.

At that time, did the Desolate Heavenly Emperor, Ye Heavenly Emperor, and the Empress also stand in the distance, much like he did now, feeling a desolate sense of powerlessness, silently accumulating strength while awaiting the chance to launch a devastating assault into the Land of Misfortune?

Regrettably, an unfathomable great power seemed to exist in the shadows, altering the course of history, and everything changed.

The Progenitors had a dream, and Desolate and Ye understood it. Even Chu Feng, during that final battle, vaguely sensed a grand dream.

In that dream, the true forms of Desolate and Ye had lain dormant within the stone jar, awaiting an opportunity. With just one or two more epochs, they would have been able to launch an assault into the Land of Misfortune!

Regrettably, the dream of the Heavenly Emperors was shattered; the Progenitors awoke from their dream, revived prematurely, and rewrote everything.

“A dream? No, it feels as if it truly happened,” Chu Feng murmured to himself, for all subsequent events could be corroborated, one by one, with that vague dream.

He had personally witnessed the two seeds within the stone jar, which ordinarily wouldn't sprout or take root, transform into light, becoming Desolate and Ye as they went to battle.

Chu Feng observed eerie creatures in various places. Their strength levels varied, ranging from those at the Illumination level to Immortal Kings, all of whom had revealed their presence. This made him very cautious, and he watched them for thousands of years.

He suspected that perhaps there were also Dao Ancestors moving through the world.

He had once killed a Dao Ancestor with external aid and was very sensitive to the aura of such beings. However, he had yet to truly sense the presence of any such creature.

During this period, he discovered that some Immortal King-level eerie creatures had fallen, dying in the forbidden lands recorded in the stone jar. Yet, no one from the eerie race came to search or investigate.

Chu Feng realized that the plateau was too vast. The eerie race was numerous, with countless powerful individuals, so the death of a few Immortal Kings was utterly disregarded, not even causing a ripple.

In fact, he strongly suspected that even if a few Dao Ancestors died, the powerful beings at the end of the plateau wouldn't even frown.

Therefore, Chu Feng could no longer restrain himself and resolved to deal lethal blows to the Immortal Kings of the eerie race.

Of course, he didn't act personally. Instead, he restrained them using field formations, using them as experimental subjects.

If anyone knew that he had the audacity to treat eerie Immortal Kings as “guinea pigs,” they would be utterly shocked and horrified.

Since he was destined to confront the eerie race and invade the Land of Misfortune alone, Chu Feng naturally needed to study them thoroughly.

In the years that followed, he put his plan into action!

“Ah...”

In a forbidden land, an eerie Immortal King howled, trapped by runes unleashed by Chu Feng in an instant. No matter how violently he struggled, it was useless.

“'The Incinerator Dao Ancestor?!' This supreme Immortal King of the eerie race was utterly shaken, hardly believing his eyes. Was there a survivor from the battlefield back then? And what's more, it was the Incinerator Dao Ancestor, whom many Dao Ancestors in the Land of Misfortune gnashed their teeth at, wishing they could resurrect him just to kill him dozens or hundreds of times over.”

Chu Feng was speechless. This ancient title made him momentarily lost in thought; someone actually remembered him and had cried out his name at this very moment.

Almost simultaneously, Chu Feng's eyes glowed, and hundreds of immortal swords materialized, swirling to blast the Immortal King apart, turning him into nothingness.

He was very cautious, preventing the eerie Immortal King from inwardly summoning the Progenitors or other powerful beings. Although he felt that with the stone jar in hand and such a field formation set up, he wouldn't leak heavenly secrets, he remained quite careful.

Subsequently, he became even more cautious. He no longer showed himself, instead relying on naturally occurring dangerous lands to trap the eerie Immortal Kings. In the shadows, he observed the source of their race's power, his eyes flickering as he continuously read and extracted special runes. He was dissecting the eerie creatures!

Year after year, Chu Feng eliminated several Immortal Kings in various forbidden lands, then stopped taking action. He knew that if he went too far, major trouble would arise.

Furthermore, he felt that he had obtained almost everything he could from the eerie Immortal Kings and that his analysis was sufficiently detailed.

Two million eight hundred and thirty thousand years into the Era of Ruin, Chu Feng journeyed far from the Great Thousand Universe, entering the deepest part of the chaos alone. He almost became lost before he finally stopped.

Then, he arranged the vast quantity of innate spiritual materials he had gathered from the chaos into field formations, layer upon layer, densely packed, merging with the chaos and isolating himself from the outside world.

Six months later, blinding runes surrounded Chu Feng, threatening to tear apart the cosmos. However, the field formations he had set up worked, obscuring everything.

After all, he had long since perfected the sutras of the field formation evolutionary path, possessing methods to reach the Dao Ancestor realm many years ago. Thus, the field formations he set up could conceal his aura.

Moreover, during the breakthrough process, he continued to monitor the external field formations, constantly mending them, and deploying various innate spiritual objects, chaotic wonders, and other treasures to reinforce the formations.

Ultimately, Chu Feng broke through to the Dao Ancestor realm, successfully advancing, unknown to the outside world.

With no Immortal Emperor to conceal him, he relied on his own field formation techniques, hiding at the edge of chaos and performing a masterful deception to break through successfully. The slumbering beings deep within the plateau had no inkling.

“It won't be too long. I will invade the Land of Misfortune alone!” Chu Feng clenched his fist. In that instant, chaos was born and destroyed, and with the clenching and loosening of his hand, he seemed ready to open up a grand universe.

He quickly reined in his aura, regaining his composure. For the next tens of thousands of years, he remained in the chaos, deducing his future path, while also exploring chaotic patterns and continuously perfecting his own Dao.

His Dao cultivation deepened day by day, and his strength grew ever more powerful.

Dao Ancestors were very strong, often pioneers of a new evolutionary path, reaching extremely profound realms from which they could disseminate this Great Dao to the world.

Of course, most beings followed the paths of their predecessors. When their strength reached this realm, they could also just barely be called Dao Ancestors.

It can be said that in earlier times, this title was mostly used for the originators and founders of a system, whose strength was extremely mighty, far surpassing Immortal Kings.

Later, as more beings reached this level by following ancient methods and the paths of their predecessors, the title “Quasi-Immortal Emperor” emerged.

Evolutionaries of this level were truly not far from Immortal Emperors. When they fully developed this system and reached its culmination, they became a “Path-Ender”!

Normally, a Path-Ender was invincible and revered as an Immortal Emperor.

Progenitors rarely appeared in the world, and even when they did, no one in the world knew of it.

Just as back then, when the woman of the Pollen Path dueled with a Progenitor and died on the plateau, and Desolate single-handedly fought against three Progenitors for countless ages—these events were unknown to the outside world.

Therefore, in the world, Path-Ender level beings were revered as Immortal Emperors, naturally synonymous with invincibility.

Five thousand years later, Chu Feng emerged from the chaos. His strength had advanced to an exceptionally terrifying degree, and he had continuously perfected the subsequent Great Dao.

But he needed to be stronger!

In all the worlds, the spiritual essence of heaven and earth was rich, marking an era exceptionally suitable for cultivation—truly a golden age.

In various universes, traces of all kinds of evolutionary paths could be found, a true blossoming of diverse methods. What was rare was that the eerie beings not only didn't obstruct this but actively promoted it.

Chu Feng pondered. Ultimately, he poured all the cultivation of the field formation evolutionary system from his twin Dao fruits into one, while with the other Dao fruit, he intended to practice “old methods.”

The “old methods” referred to the evolutionary systems that once existed in the world, such as the Pollen Path, Desolate's system, Ye's self-explored path, and the Empress's system, among others.

When strength reached that level, individuals certainly possessed their own unique qualities; otherwise, how could they achieve such great accomplishments?

For example, Desolate, after pushing his system to its extreme, possessed ultimate techniques such as “transforming into freedom” and “transforming into eternity.” Even if taught to others, they could not reach his level.

This trump card, almost invincible in both group battles and duels, made all the Progenitors tremble with fear. Were it not for their ancestral land, which could continuously revive them, Desolate could have annihilated them completely.

Ye and the Empress also possessed their own unique methods. Without an invincible spirit and peerless power, how could they have performed the grand sacrifice? In the ultimate battle, they struck down Progenitors, forcing them to lie dormant for long ages, fearing to emerge, and still hiding in their ancestral land to heal.

The woman of the Pollen Path also had her own glorious past.

Chu Feng advanced in solitude, attempting to re-cultivate the old methods in silence. He used his second Dao fruit to meld various evolutionary systems. To become stronger, he bravely experimented, not shying away from risks.

Of course, although the second Dao fruit experimented with various systems, he ultimately focused primarily on the Pollen Path and the Empress's methods.

After all, he possessed various breathing techniques and the mysterious seed, naturally making him suitable for the Pollen evolutionary path. Additionally, Yao Yao had also passed on the Empress's complete path to him, which he could reference and learn from to cultivate his second Dao fruit.

At this level, if he was intent and willing to take risks, he would naturally achieve certain results.

Clearly, following the paths of others ultimately led to a ceiling. Fortunately, he had mastered the field formation evolutionary path, and he could use his first Dao fruit, which was supremely powerful and invincible in its current realm, to help break through barriers.

Three million two hundred and seventy thousand years into the Era of Ruin, Chu Feng had mastered the twin Dao fruit path. His strength was exceedingly formidable, and he considered finding a few eerie Dao Ancestors to analyze!

But in the end, he restrained himself. If he truly targeted beings of that level, it might alert Immortal Emperors or even Progenitors.

He had various means to test himself. After all, once he established his field formations, he could temporarily conjure even chaotic lightning, lethal moves from various systems, and even the trump cards of eerie beings to strike and temper himself.

“Over three million years have passed,” he murmured, “yet I still haven't forgotten the old affairs, those people, those heavy, sad, regrettable, touching, and warm memories. All past events still reside in my heart.”

Chu Feng murmured, and in the deepest part of the chaos, his body glowed before he violently tore through space-time, vanishing from his spot.

Dao Ancestors, or Quasi-Immortal Emperors, possessed unfathomable strength and sufficient ability to travel through various space-times.

Now, Chu Feng was traveling against the great river of time, heading towards ancient times.

Of course, he carried the stone jar with him, obscuring heavenly secrets and preventing him from alarming Progenitors, Immortal Emperors, and other powerful beings.

Chu Feng traveled back through time, delving into ancient history. Indeed, those powerful ancient sages—anyone who had approached the Dao Ancestor realm—had been erased from historical space-time, leaving no trace in the past.

He had known this for a long time, but still felt a pang of sadness.

Chu Feng couldn't bear to look directly, and went straight to a specific spatiotemporal node. He returned to the era before Earth's revival, standing outside his home's door, watching his parents. Tears immediately welled up in his eyes. For many years, he had longed to see them again, and now that he had become a powerful Quasi-Immortal Emperor, his wish was finally granted.

However, he couldn't approach them or touch them. Although he had come against the river of time, he was powerless to change anything, unable even to call out to them.

He was a Quasi-Immortal Emperor, having forcefully traveled against the flow of time, already enduring the crushing pressure of space-time. His parents were mortals; if he were to speak with them, there was no telling what might happen.

Even though they were so close, he couldn't communicate or interact. Looking at their no longer youthful but still kind faces, Chu Feng truly wanted to shout “Mom, Dad!”, but he could only watch silently, crystalline tears falling from his eyes.

Many tens of thousands of years had passed, and he finally felt strong emotional fluctuations again, no longer numb, no longer cold, no longer just thinking of revenge.

Though Chu Feng was close, he was separated by ancient and modern space-time. His parents were preparing dinner, their kind faces murmuring something, occasionally looking toward the door. Were they waiting for him to come home?

Chu Feng turned away, filled with reluctance and warm tears, and left the home.

He adjusted his emotions and went to see one old friend after another, watching from afar the Yellow Ox, the old Grandmaster of Wudang Mountain, the Great Black Ox—a group of old friends with whom he had once shared life and death.

Subsequently, space-time shifted, and he arrived in a vast desert. The evening glow stained the sky red, and there, a young girl sat upon the desert, murmuring something.

That was Zhou Xi. Back then, Chu Feng had foreseen that great changes were imminent. After their grand wedding, during their last peaceful moments, he had taken Zhou Xi to travel across beautiful lands, leaving their footprints everywhere. On that particular day, they had lingered in this desert for a long time.

At that time, Zhou Xi had told him that no matter what happened in the future, he must take care of himself and live on. If she were no longer there, he shouldn't be sad or cry, and when he missed her, he could come here to find her.

“'I'll be quietly waiting for you in the desert, stained red by the evening glow, in the bygone times.' Zhou Xi's words from back then seemed to still echo in Chu Feng's ears.”

Did she foresee it then? That she and Chu Feng would be separated forever? So, she hoped he would take care, and if he wished to see her, when Chu Feng was strong enough, he could come here, revisit the old place... to see her across the ages.

Chu Feng felt heartache and sorrow. Looking at the desert stained red by the evening glow, he was filled with endless melancholy. Zhou Xi's words had come true; she was gone, and he had come here to see her.

In the vast desert, under the bloody sunset, Zhou Xi's face was so radiant, yet the tears at the corners of her eyes betrayed the sadness and reluctance in her heart.

“'Chu Feng, you must take care. If I truly disappear, you can travel the long river of time and come here to meet me, at this very point in time. If you go, I will no longer be there...'”

Zhou Xi's murmurs drifted through space-time, her words from that past day never fading.

Chu Feng's heart was filled with an inexpressible bittersweet emotion. Zhou Xi was truly gone, and he, having traveled against the river of time to this place, could only watch her silently.

Finally, Chu Feng resolutely turned away, no longer lingering. His heart held wounds and sorrow, but also profound emotion, filled with a mix of joy and bitterness.

Along the way, he saw Yao Yao, Ying Xiaoxiao, and many other old friends. A flame seemed to ignite within his heart, no longer cold, no longer consumed solely by thoughts of revenge.

“'The Land of Misfortune contains primordial substance, which is the foundation for the evolution of the eerie beings. But I have you—the figures of my old friends who eternally reside in my heart—and that is my primordial substance, the destination and source of my dreams. I will find you and bring you back!'”

Chu Feng returned to the present world, a guiding flame illuminating his path. He had to become strong enough to sweep away the Land of Misfortune before there was any possibility of seeing his old friends again.