After leaving the Hundred Refinements, Chu Feng and Xue Ji did not stop. Instead, they flew off swiftly into the distance.
As for the entrance that Chu Feng had opened, it quietly sealed itself shut not long after the two of them departed, returning to exactly how it had been before.
Chu Feng and Xue Ji had vanished, and no one gave chase — but they had no idea that everything had long since been seen by the Guardian Formation Clan's Clan Chief.
It was not just their escape that he had witnessed. Everything that had happened inside the Hundred Refinements had been within his view.
"A descendant of the Chu Heavenly Clan has finally come to reclaim the Hundred Refinements Emerald Stone."
"But this descendant — at such a young age, he is already a Spirit World Master wearing an Immortal Robe. And he even triggered that kind of lightning. Truly terrifying." The Guardian Formation Clan's Clan Chief stood with his hands behind his back, speaking in a low voice.
After witnessing everything that had transpired, even he — a True Immortal powerhouse — could not fully conceal the shock on his face.
"Clan Chief! This is bad!" After a short while, Hu Xuanyi, grievously wounded, arrived flying in with a group of injured elders. They knelt in midair and spoke with deep grievance:
"Clan Chief, that Chu Feng must have colluded with some traitor in our clan. He actually managed to enter the Hundred Refinements — not only did he infiltrate it, he stole the Hundred Refinements Emerald Stone!"
"And that Xue Ji — she knows Chu Feng! She colluded with him and injured us. Clan Chief, please activate the Grand Formation and execute them. You absolutely cannot let them escape!"
"They have already left," the Guardian Formation Clan's Clan Chief said.
"They… they've already left?!"
"But…" Hu Xuanyi was stunned. When he had come out of the Hundred Refinements, he had specifically asked the elders guarding the gate, and they had confirmed that the door had remained closed after he entered. Chu Feng and Xue Ji should not have been able to get out.
"Don't tell me they all took bribes from Chu Feng. Damn them — just watch how I'll punish them." Hu Xuanyi assumed that the gate-guarding elders had let Chu Feng and the others slip out. Even as he spoke, he was about to fly toward the entrance of the Hundred Refinements.
"It was Chu Feng who escaped on his own. Likewise, it was Chu Feng who entered on his own. Our Guardian Formation Clan has produced no traitor," the Clan Chief said.
"What? He did it by himself… but… how is that possible? Our Hundred Refinements Grand Formation — how could…" At that moment, let alone Hu Xuanyi, even the other elders wore expressions of utter disbelief.
"Blind fools! In all these years, has anyone in our Guardian Formation Clan ever been able to move the Hundred Refinements Emerald Stone? That Chu Feng managed to do it — do you still not understand?" the Clan Chief said angrily.
"…" Hu Xuanyi and the others racked their brains but could not come to an answer. They had no choice but to say: "We are too foolish. Please enlighten us, Clan Chief."
"The Hundred Refinements Emerald Stone can only be moved by someone of the Chu Heavenly Clan," the Clan Chief said.
"What?!" Hearing these words, the expressions of Hu Xuanyi and the others changed dramatically. Their hearts lurched with shock. In that moment, they felt as though they had been struck by Divine Thunder — their scalps tingled with numbness, and their hearts were gripped by terror.
The Chu Heavenly Clan — for the Guardian Formation Clan, this name carried incomparable weight.
Simply put, the Chu Heavenly Clan were the masters, and the Guardian Formation Clan were the servants.
This master-servant relationship was branded into the heart of every member of the Guardian Formation Clan. They might dare to stand against anyone else, but they absolutely dared not show the slightest disrespect to anyone of the Chu Heavenly Clan.
Even an expert of True Immortal caliber from the Guardian Formation Clan would have to bow respectfully before an untrained child of the Chu Heavenly Clan, not daring to harbor even a trace of defiance.
The reason for this was that the Chu Heavenly Clan had shown the Guardian Formation Clan a kindness as vast as the mountains.
Even the Guardian Formation Clan's most powerful formation — the Azure Sky Sword Formation — had been taught to them by the Chu Heavenly Clan.
And yet, moments ago, Hu Xuanyi and the others had attempted to use the Azure Sky Sword Formation to slay Chu Feng. That was nothing short of a capital offense. How could they not be terrified?
"But Chu Feng… he… if he's a member of the Chu Heavenly Clan, why didn't he say so?" Hu Xuanyi was so frightened that even his voice trembled.
"The fact that he did not say so does not mean he is not one. What can be confirmed is this: the Hundred Refinements Emerald Stone can only be moved by someone of the Chu Heavenly Clan."
"As for why Chu Feng never revealed his identity — he must have his reasons."
"Therefore, the fact that Chu Feng is a member of the Chu Heavenly Clan must be kept absolutely secret. You must never breathe a word of this to anyone. Should anyone dare leak this information, it will be a capital offense — no leniency will be shown."
"Especially you, Hu Xuanyi. I know you have deep ties with the Kong Heavenly Clan, but I hope you remember clearly why our Guardian Formation Clan still exists in this world." The Clan Chief fixed Hu Xuanyi with a cold, piercing gaze.
"I wouldn't dare. I would never dare forget the grace the Chu Heavenly Clan has shown our Guardian Formation Clan."
"I was indeed foolish today, but that was only because I did not know Young Master Chu Feng's true identity. If I had known, even if you beat me to death, I never would have laid a hand on him." Hu Xuanyi knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his aged face, weeping bitterly.
Most importantly, at that moment, he did not seem to be putting on an act — the regret and self-blame pouring out of him were entirely genuine.
"And what about the rest of you?" the Clan Chief asked the others.
"We would not dare either," the elders said in unison.