The Nine Spirits Cave Heaven was actually tightly guarded, with sentries posted in many areas.
However, since Chu Feng and Bai Ruochen were distinguished guests, Sima Huolie had personally issued orders to these guardians, so not a single one dared to block Chu Feng and Bai Ruochen's path. They could move about freely, even in certain restricted zones.
On top of that, the Nine Spirits Cave Heaven wasn't particularly large, so Chu Feng's Heavenly Eye proved enormously effective. In just half an hour, he spotted something unusual on a particular mountain.
It was a broad stone mountain—not especially tall, nor steep, but sprawling across a wide area, like a massive, unevenly shaped rock pressed down onto the earth.
"There's something off about this mountain." Chu Feng's eyes flashed as he pointed at it.
"What seems wrong?" Bai Ruochen observed carefully, deploying nearly every method of perception she knew, yet she couldn't detect anything unusual about the mountain.
"If that battlefield still exists, it has to be here." Chu Feng offered no further explanation. Instead, he flew down and landed in a hidden corner of the mountain.
Hearing this, Bai Ruochen understood what Chu Feng meant. She said nothing more and simply followed behind him, leaving everything in his hands.
Chu Feng believed this stone mountain was a fake—constructed through powerful barrier techniques. And creating a false mountain in a place like this was anything but normal.
So he concluded that this fake mountain had to be concealing something, and most likely, it was the vanished battlefield.
Hum—
Chu Feng didn't act directly. Instead, he set up a barrier formation, attempting to flawlessly open a gate through the barrier at the base of the mountain—one that would lead inside.
But he discovered that the stone possessed a resistive force, making it harder to breach than he had expected.
"There are barrier fluctuations—it really was made of barriers. Chu Feng, you were right."
"Well, can you open it?" Bai Ruochen finally sensed the mountain's mysteries, and a flicker of delight appeared on her beautiful face.
"Don't worry. It's a bit difficult, but nothing I can't handle. Give me an hour, and I'll have you inside for certain." Chu Feng's voice brimmed with confidence as he continued to dismantle the formation.
At that, Bai Ruochen said no more. Like an obedient girl, she stood beside Chu Feng and quietly watched everything unfold.
It wasn't that she didn't want to help—she simply knew there was nothing she could contribute. But she trusted Chu Feng completely. She knew he had the ability to solve this.
In this moment, no matter how willful, how proud, or how supremely self-assured she usually was, she could only stand by as an observer, placing all her hope on Chu Feng's shoulders.
In truth, it wasn't arrogance that had always driven her to shoulder everything alone. It was simply that no peer of her age had ever possessed the ability to stand before her and bear the full weight of every challenge.
But now, there was someone. Chu Feng was the one who could help Bai Ruochen take on any obstacle.
Boom! A sudden muffled roar rang out. As rubble flew in every direction, a massive barrier gate materialized at the mountain's base.
"Junior Sister Ruochen, it's open. Come inside with me and have a look." Having successfully breached the barrier, Chu Feng said with a grin.
"Mm." Bai Ruochen nodded and stepped straight through the barrier gate. Her trust in Chu Feng was absolute—she was fully confident he had succeeded.