On his way here, Chu Feng had made numerous inquiries, so not only did he know that the Hundred-Forged Arena was not far from this Drought Demon Deadwater Pool, he also knew its exact location.
Moreover, the mysterious mud-like existence who had given Chu Feng and Kong Zheng their tasks had framed them as a competition.
Chu Feng therefore could not afford to waste time. He had to reach the Hundred-Forged Arena as quickly as possible and secure the Hundred-Forged Emerald Stone before Kong Zheng got his hands on it.
After all, this was the only way to save Wang Qiang and Zhao Hong.
"Hm?"
However, just as Chu Feng was focused on making his way there, his gaze suddenly shifted, and he hastily came to a stop, staring ahead in surprise.
He had spotted a figure blocking his path — and it was none other than his rival, Kong Zheng.
"Did you wait here on purpose?" Chu Feng asked, his tone none too friendly. He suspected that Kong Zheng lying in ambush here likely meant to cause him trouble.
After all, this fellow had already shown hostility toward Chu Feng before, and now that they were competitors, things were only worse.
"Chu Feng, thank you for warning me earlier. Had it not been for your words, someone as dense as me might have gotten my brother killed." To Chu Feng's surprise, Kong Zheng not only did not make a move against him — instead, he clasped his fists together and bowed apologetically.
"Oh, so that's what this is about. Your brother may be arrogant by nature, but he doesn't seem to be a bad person at heart. At the very least, he cares about you. I wouldn't want someone like that to die in such a way," Chu Feng said.
"Regardless, I owe you a debt of gratitude."
"I want to repay that debt," Kong Zheng said.
"It was nothing. You don't need to," Chu Feng said.
"What if I could lead you into the Hundred-Forged Arena?" Kong Zheng said.
"Lead me into the Hundred-Forged Arena?" At these words, Chu Feng's eyes widened.
In truth, Chu Feng's father had given him a barrier key. His father had said it could help Chu Feng exit the Hundred-Forged Arena, and Chu Feng believed that without question — he never doubted a word from his father.
However, his father had never mentioned whether the key could also be used to enter the Hundred-Forged Arena from the outside.
While barrier-traversing keys generally shared common properties, Chu Feng had never tested it himself and therefore had no certainty. He had been genuinely worried that he might not even be able to get inside.
And now Kong Zheng was offering to lead him in — which was, frankly, quite tempting.
"You should know what the Hundred-Forged Arena is. It's the place where the trash from the Lower Realm get sent, but the formations there are extremely powerful. When the Arena is sealed, virtually no one can enter."
"There was once a True Immortal-level expert who tried to force his way in, but he was injured by the Arena's barrier. No one could cure that wound, and he died less than six months later," Kong Zheng said.
"So by your reasoning, no one can enter the Hundred-Forged Arena at all?" Chu Feng asked.
"Not at all. In fact, the Guardian Clan that watches over the Arena's formations can open it," Kong Zheng said.
"But I've heard that the Guardian Clan doesn't belong to any faction. They follow the Arena's rules strictly and guard it accordingly. Even if they have the ability to open it, they wouldn't do so lightly, would they?" Chu Feng said.
"That's true. Even threatening to kill them probably wouldn't make them budge."