At that moment, Chu Feng's brows were tightly knit, his heart in turmoil.
For after hearing Immortal Tongtian's words, Chu Feng had used his Heavenly Eyes to closely examine the grand formation — not the painting fragments within it, but the frigid energy inside the formation itself.
And he had already discovered that the cold energy within that formation was extraordinarily formidable. It was no ordinary thing, but an incredibly dangerous substance. Immortal Tongtian's words had not been meant to frighten him — they were the truth.
Now, Chu Feng found himself hesitating. After all, if he entered, he could very well destroy his own future. Yet if he did not enter, the countless billions of living beings gathered here might all perish.
"I'm willing to give it a try." In the end, Chu Feng spoke. Between himself and those billions of lives, he had made his decision.
But the moment those words left his lips, everyone's hearts clenched. Not only those closest to Chu Feng — even those who barely knew him felt their emotions twist into the most complicated knot imaginable in that instant.
Chu Feng was actually willing to sacrifice himself for them — a group of complete strangers!!!
"Chu Feng, have you lost your mind? Don't forget about Yue Xian — Yue Xian might be able to kill the Master of the Dark Hall! There's absolutely no need for you to risk your future and your life!"
"Even if that old man Tongtian refuses to open the gates, it's not certain that we'll all die!" Immortal Meow Meow shouted at the top of her lungs.
Meanwhile, similar voices rang out without cease. Nearly everyone who was close to Chu Feng was desperately trying to dissuade him.
"Lord Chu Feng, your… your kind intentions are deeply appreciated, but you truly don't need to put yourself in danger for our sake."
Even some people Chu Feng had never met began to plead with him. It wasn't that they were unafraid of death — they simply refused to save their own lives at the cost of destroying Chu Feng's future. If that were the case, they would rather die themselves.
Especially those who, earlier, when Chu Feng had been cursing out Immortal Tongtian, had secretly resented Chu Feng out of fear that he might bring ruin upon them — those people were now consumed with guilt and self-reproach.
Chu Feng was willing to sacrifice himself for their sake, and yet they had harbored hatred toward him out of pure selfishness. They truly felt that they were despicable beyond measure.
"Thank you all for your kindness, but right now, the Martial Continent truly faces a catastrophe. Although it's possible that catastrophe can be stopped — it is only possible."
"I'm not willing to gamble with everyone's lives, because if I lose that gamble, all of you may end up dying. That's why I've decided to seize this opportunity that Immortal Tongtian has given us," Chu Feng said.
"Lord Chu Feng, we truly appreciate your good intentions, but you have no connection to any of us. You don't owe us anything. There is genuinely no need for you to throw away your own future on our account."
After hearing Chu Feng's words, more and more people began to plead with him. Some of the older ones — those who had raised children of their own — had already begun to shed tears.
Because in their eyes, no matter how powerful Chu Feng might be, he was still, at the end of the day, just a child. If it were their own child going to such a death, how agonizing would that be?
The moment they thought of Chu Feng's parents, their hearts ached even more, feeling that Chu Feng's sacrifice was too great a price.
"There's an old saying — the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. I, Chu Feng, am not someone of extraordinary ability, but right now, this responsibility has fallen upon my shoulders, and I must bear it."
"Not for any other reason, but simply because I, Chu Feng, am a man."
"This is what I ought to do." Chu Feng smiled once more.
Whoosh—
Then, without a moment's hesitation, Chu Feng launched himself forward and plunged directly into the grand formation.
"CHU FENG!!!" Watching Chu Feng disappear inside, Immortal Meow Meow and the others let out heart-rending screams of despair.
Though it was merely a grand formation, to them it looked more like the gates of the underworld — a threshold from which there was either death or survival, and even if one survived, one would become a cripple.
Chu Feng stepping into that formation was tantamount to destroying his own future.
At the same time, the billions of people gathered there erupted into anguish so fierce it seemed to tear at their very souls. Some began wailing without cease, and the sounds of crying, shouting, and expressions of gratitude echoed on and on.
Some even fell to their knees on the ground, kowtowing to Chu Feng in reverence.
They had come to the same conclusion as Immortal Meow Meow — once Chu Feng entered that formation, he might never come out alive.
And Chu Feng was doing this for them!!!