From Baili Xuankong's gaze, Chu Feng had already realized just how dangerous the Evil God Sword and the Execution Brush were. He didn't press further, though. He knew that by now, Baili Xuankong would tell him the truth.
"The Evil God Sword and the Execution Brush are both extremely dangerous. I'm able to use the Execution Brush, but I'm paying with my life — each use shaves ten years off my lifespan. Back at the Moon Worship Cloud City, that was actually the second time I wielded it," Baili Xuankong said.
"Ten years per use?" Chu Feng was visibly shocked. Even though cultivators enjoyed extended lifespans, there was always a limit. At Baili Xuankong's age, how many ten-year spans could he possibly have left?
"The Execution Brush is dangerous, but its danger is at least visible. The Evil God Sword, however, is far more perilous. The reason it's so dangerous is that it's a weapon that devours its master."
"None of this is wild speculation on my part — those words were written in the place where the Evil God Sword was hidden."
"When you asked me earlier how I was certain this was the legendary Evil God Sword, it was precisely because of those words."
"What words?" Chu Feng pressed.
"The Evil God Sword subdues evil gods. Those who lack extraordinary talent must not wield the Evil God Sword, for they will surely be consumed by its backlash, their bodies and bones annihilated without a trace." Baili Xuankong spoke each word with deliberate weight.
Although Chu Feng had already grown wary of the Evil God Sword's dangers, hearing those words still sent a chill through his heart.
"I won't hide it from you — my own master, before he passed, attempted to conquer the Evil God Sword. He was killed by its backlash. He was old and frail by then, but he was a second-rank Martial Emperor," Baili Xuankong said.
"That powerful?" Hearing this, Chu Feng understood even more acutely how dangerous the Evil God Sword truly was. This sword was fundamentally different from an ordinary half-emperor weapon — otherwise, how could a second-rank Martial Emperor be killed by its backlash?
"I had you attempt to conquer the Evil God Sword as a gamble. I believed that if conquering it required not strength but talent, then you were the only one who could do it."
"And indeed, you didn't disappoint me. It's just that... in your current state, you still can't control it," Baili Xuankong said.
"Perhaps not." Chu Feng smiled bitterly. He had experienced the Evil God Sword's power and knew just how formidable it was, but the pain of its backlash was something he could barely endure.
"Putting you at such tremendous risk — you don't blame me, do you?" Baili Xuankong asked.
"Fortune favors the bold, and the path of cultivation is no exception. You did this for my sake, Elder Ancestor. How could I blame you?"
"There is one thing I'd like to come clean about, though," Chu Feng said.
"Go ahead, speak freely," Baili Xuankong replied.
"Does Elder Ancestor know Yao'er?" Chu Feng asked.
"You mean that Ancient Cangming Flower King, of course I do. That girl may be vicious at times, but she isn't malicious by nature. She would never bully the weak without reason." Baili Xuankong's impression of Yao'er was clearly quite favorable.
That explained how someone as dangerous as Yao'er had been able to remain on Mount Qimu all this time.
"Yao'er is in grave danger right now. She's trapped inside the ancient ruins beneath Mount Qimu, and I need to go rescue her," Chu Feng said.
"Ancient ruins? They are certainly perilous, but given that girl's abilities, very few places should be able to hold her. Where exactly is she trapped?" Baili Xuankong asked.
"Inside the treasure chamber of the Ancient Killing Formation," Chu Feng said.
"What?! That girl actually broke into the Ancient Killing Formation? The treasure? She entered that treasure chamber?"
"Impossible! That Ancient Killing Formation — even I couldn't get through it. How could she possibly have managed it?" Baili Xuankong's face was full of disbelief. Having personally attempted to breach the Ancient Killing Formation, he knew all too well how terrifying it was. Countless powerhouses throughout the ages had perished within it. It was an absolute death trap.
"Elder Ancestor, I'm not lying. Here's what happened..." Chu Feng recounted everything to Baili Xuankong in meticulous detail.
"So that's how it was." After hearing the full account, Baili Xuankong was greatly astonished as well. It took him a good while to recover. Once he had, his mood turned distinctly cheerful, and he grinned at Chu Feng with amusement. "So you joined my Mount Qimu all along with ulterior motives, you little rascal."
As for Baili Xuankong's teasing, Chu Feng could only grin sheepishly. After all, when he had first joined Mount Qimu, his true purpose had indeed been nothing other than that treasure.