Hundred Bend Gully was a terrifying grand array, so terrifying that its influence reached from the earth below to the sky above. Within the entirety of Hundred Bend Gully's range, an invisible pressure shrouded everything, bearing down on any human who entered.
This horrifying pressure was something even Chu Feng could not withstand. And yet, despite this, someone actually lived here—and that person had just appeared before his very eyes.
"Hey! Is anyone there? Can someone help me?!"
Chu Feng was on the brink of death at this moment, but he knew that the owner of that palace must have a way to break through this grand array. After all, that person was most likely a blue-robed Spirit World Master, and their barrier techniques would undoubtedly be far beyond anything Chu Feng could muster.
Moreover, from the cooking smoke rising from the palace, it was clear that someone truly lived here—and that person was clearly unaffected by that strange pressure. Otherwise, how could they have the leisure to cook?
With that thought, Chu Feng gave everything he had and charged toward the palace. In that moment, he no longer cared whether the owner was dangerous or not. If the owner was willing to help him, he might have a sliver of survival. If not, he was dead for certain.
"Whoosh!" Just as Chu Feng was about to draw near, a figure shot out from within the palace and landed atop the mountain peak.
It was an old man, white-haired and covered in wrinkles, yet his eyes were sharp and full of vitality. Most importantly, the old man was wearing a golden robe, and on the chest of that robe was carved a qilin—he was someone from the Qilin Prince's Mansion.
Upon seeing that Chu Feng could actually stand in midair, the old man's brows furrowed deeply, a look of surprise surfacing on his face. It took a moment before he composed himself and asked in a flat tone, "Who are you?"
"Senior, I am a disciple of the Azure Dragon Sect. I came to participate in the Hero Hunting."
"Because I was unable to leave Hundred Bend Gully in time, I became bound by a strange pressure. I can barely breathe now. I humbly beg Senior to save my life." Chu Feng cut straight to the point—he truly had no time for pleasantries.
"Sorry, I'm not the owner here and I can't make that decision. How about this—wait a moment, and I'll go ask. Whether he's willing to help you or not depends on your luck." The old man left these words behind, gave Chu Feng one more surprised once-over, then leaped into the air and soared into the palace.
Inside the palace, an old man with white hair like a crane's but a youthful, ruddy face sat in front of the stove. He wore coarse, plain clothing, legs crossed, humming a little tune as he happily simmered a pot of soup. When the white-haired old man returned, the cloth-clad elder asked casually, "Fengyang, who trespassed into my territory?"
"A Xuan Wu First Stage brat," the white-haired old man replied.
"A Xuan Wu First Stage brat? Fengyang, are you joking? That person clearly flew here through the void—how could he possibly be only at the Xuan Wu First Stage? He should be at the Heaven Martial Realm at least." The cloth-clad elder pursed his lips in puzzlement.
"You're always bossing me around, and then when I tell you the truth, you don't believe me. You're a blue-robed Spirit World Master—why don't you check for yourself and find out who it is?" The white-haired old man shot the cloth-clad elder an exasperated glare.
At that moment, the cloth-clad elder had already closed his eyes. When he opened them again, a flash of surprise appeared within. "Impressive. Xuan Wu First Stage, yet he has mastered the void flight technique. It seems he's cultivated a special movement martial art, and he's quite young too. I have to say, Fengyang, it seems Qingzhou does have some promising young talents."
"Unfortunately, he can't withstand the pressure of this array. I'm afraid his life is about to end." The cloth-clad elder shook his head and went back to humming his tune, continuing to tend to the meat broth on the stove.
"Brother Hengyuan, in all of Qingzhou, void flight martial arts are exceedingly rare. This young man must have obtained the inheritance of the Elder of Void Flight. The Elder of Void Flight's supreme void technique was lost to the world a hundred years ago—to see it resurface now is truly remarkable."
"Brother Hengyuan, could you do me the favor of saving his life?" the white-haired old man pleaded.
"Brother Fengyang, a void flight martial art is a rare treasure throughout the entire Nine Provinces Continent. But what does that have to do with me?"
"I've secluded myself here because I want no one to disturb me. Since he's discovered this place, there's no telling whether he'll leak its location in the future. Even setting aside the fact that he'll likely be crushed to death by this array—even if he somehow survives, I won't let him leave alive." The cloth-clad elder smiled faintly.