Chapter 609: with translation of chapter title

Jiang Feng sank into the Weak Water.

Darkness surged from all directions, blocking his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth completely.

The black water was like a thick curtain, shrouding the entire world.

His body continued to fall downward.

The Weak Water had no bottom; he felt as if an invisible giant hand had grabbed his ankle and was dragging him down into the abyss bit by bit.

His Golden Body was collapsing.

Pain.

It wasn't just one kind of pain, but all imaginable pains piled together.

Every inch of his body ached, so much that he couldn't even cry out.

His awareness also sank downward. His body sank,

His awareness also sank, as if something was pulling his soul, trying to drag him into an abyss from which he could never awaken.

He desperately tried to grab onto something, but there was nothing around—only darkness, endless darkness.

At the moment his awareness was about to completely sink into the abyss, he saw light.

Not the light of the outside world, but the light deep within his mind!

Those lights blazed up from a chaos, as if someone were lighting lamp after lamp in the darkness.

The light was golden, warm and moist, not blinding but very bright.

Those rays of light condensed into characters.

Golden characters.

Jiang Feng recognized those characters.

That was the scripture of the Grand Void Nourishing Spirit.

He was too familiar with them; each character had been etched countless times in his mind, these characters were like brands burned deep into his Divine Soul.

He thought his cultivation had been abolished, and so these things would have disappeared as well.

But he was wrong.

Cultivation can be abolished, the Golden Body can be worn away, but the imprint branded deep in the Divine Soul cannot be taken by anyone!

Those golden characters emerged from his awareness one after another, like a golden chain extending from the depths of his mind all the way to the surface of his body.

They pierced his skin, pierced his flesh, hovered above his body, and wrapped him entirely.

Golden light spread outward from within him, first a faint thread, then growing brighter and denser.

Those golden lights were like armor, clinging to his body already corroded with a thousand holes, keeping the Weak Water at a distance of an inch.

The Weak Water could no longer corrode him.

But the pain of corrosion remained, because his body had been injured too severely.

The golden characters wrapped around him, preventing further harm, but the damage already done would not disappear instantly. Jiang Feng curled his body in the darkness, his Golden Body already dimmed to near invisibility.

He could even see his own bones.

His skin was gone, his muscles rotted more than half, and stark white bones were exposed!

Its surface was riddled with corrosion‑formed pits, like a piece of wood eaten by insects.

He had thought he would die here.

But just as his awareness began to blur, and he could no longer tell whether he was alive or dead, he suddenly felt a change.

It was not an external change, but a change deep within his body.

Something awakened in his bones—a power as if it had slept for tens of millions of years, seeping from the depths of his marrow and spreading along his bones bit by bit throughout his body.

His awareness began to recover.

It was as if someone had reached out while he sank into the abyss and pulled him up from the water's bottom.

Then he felt pain.

The pain of flesh grinding against flesh.

Jiang Feng slowly opened his eyes.

Before him was an expanse of crimson.

The sky above the Weak Water had at some point turned crimson, as if someone had lit a fire in the heavens, setting the entire sky ablaze.

The red light shone on the black water surface, dyeing the Weak Water a dark red, like an endless sea of blood.

He stood in the water.

No, more accurately, he had walked out of the water.

He didn't realize when he had reached the edge of the Weak Water; the water beneath his feet grew shallower, from no longer covering his chest to no longer covering his waist, then to no longer covering his knees.

He stepped forward one step at a time, water streaming off his body with a splashing sound.

His body felt hollowed out; each step required all his strength.

But he did not stop; he gritted his teeth and stepped forward step by step…

The Weak Water receded from his body, like a black shell being peeled off him.

That black water flowed down his legs to the ground, seeping into the soil, leaving him alone standing on the wet shore.

He looked miserable.

His clothes had long since rotted away; only tattered strips clung to his body.

But he stood firm.

He stood on the opposite bank of the Weak Water, beneath this crimson sky, standing, not falling.

Then he saw them.

That man stood not far off, his gray robe swaying lightly in the wind.

His expression remained calm, showing no joy or anger, but his gaze fell on Jiang Feng and did not shift.

Lu Wu crouched beside the man's feet, its golden eyes fixed on Jiang Feng without blinking.

Its four short legs pushed off hard, it darted from the man's feet and pattered toward Jiang Feng.

It ran swiftly, the few tails tangled together flying behind it like a small flag.

It ran up to Jiang Feng, skidded to a halt, lifted its head, its golden eyes full of delight.

"Squeak!"

Jiang Feng lowered his head to look at it, the corners of his mouth slightly rising, revealing a hint of a smile.

He crouched down, using his still trembling hand to pat Lu Wu's head, his fingers sliding from behind its ears to stroke the soft fur on its chin.

"I'm out."

His voice was hoarse, almost inaudible.

Lu Wu called even more happily, sticking out its tongue to lick the back of his hand, then running several circles around him before finally crouching at his feet, head raised, its golden eyes shining.

Jiang Feng stood up, raised his head, and looked toward the man.

The man stood in place, neither approaching nor speaking.

He stood there with his hands behind his back, his gray robe unmoving in the wind like a stone statue.

Jiang Feng took a deep breath, forced his body to hold up, and walked toward him step by step.

He walked up to the man, stopped, and straightened his body.

"Senior."

The man gave a slight nod, as a response.

His expression remained calm...

Jiang Feng paid no heed.

He had already grown accustomed to it.

Lu Wu ran from his feet over to the man, raised its head, and called out several times.

"Squeak! Squeak!"

The man lowered his head to glance at Lu Wu, then ignored it.

Lu Wu called a few more times; seeing no reaction from the man, it ran back to Jiang Feng's feet, rubbed against his leg, and let out a contented purr.

The man watched the interaction between Jiang Feng and Lu Wu, saying nothing.

After a moment, he spoke, his voice not loud but clear.

"Being able to cross the Weak Water does surprise me."

Jiang Feng raised his head to look at him, saying nothing, waiting for him to continue.

The man paused, then continued.

"However, the next obstacle will be the hardest for you."

"If you think you can't make it, you can tell me early."

Upon hearing those words, Jiang Feng hesitated not, thought not, and did not even let himself catch a breath.

"Please give me your guidance, Senior."

He paused, his voice becoming more resolute.

"Jiang Feng, I will not retreat."

Four words, spoken with weight.

Finally, a hint of change appeared on the man's face.

The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, then returned to calm.

But Jiang Feng saw it.

He saw the fleeting satisfaction on the man's face.

The man said nothing more.

He turned his body, facing the crimson sky, raising his right hand from behind, his long sleeve tracing an arc in the air.

He swept his big hand.

The ground beneath his feet vanished, the sky above vanished, the wetlands by the shore, the distant Weak Water, the wind and snow behind him—all disappeared.

Before his eyes remained only a patch of chaotic light, five colors mingled together, like a spilled bucket of paint.

His body plummeted rapidly, yet also seemed to rise swiftly; he could not tell direction, up from down, nor whether he was flying or falling.

His ears were filled with wind—whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—so loud he could hear nothing, not even his own heartbeat.

Heaven and earth transformed!