"
"That's right — it was deliberately misleading you. If you had attempted to break the formation based on what you comprehended from that illusion, you would have died without question."
"But if this Uncharted Burial Ground didn't want us to pass the Formation of Life and Death, it could have simply set it up as an inescapable trap. Why go through the extra trouble of deceiving me?" Chu Feng asked.
He truly couldn't understand, because in his view, it simply didn't make logical sense.
"Chu Feng, it's me —
"Senior Zi Xunyi, you came as well." Hearing Zi Xunyi's voice, Chu Feng was both surprised and delighted.
He had been present for everything that happened back then and had thought he might never see Zi Xunyi again. To think they could reunite so soon.
"I heard you were trapped here, so I came to help. Otherwise… even the mightiest of gods couldn't have coaxed her into coming," Ying Mingchao explained.
Hearing this, warmth flooded Chu Feng's heart. After all, this was indirect proof that Zi Xunyi truly cared about his safety.
That was simply how bonds between people worked…
When you met the right person, you didn't need to know them long. If you clicked, they would go through fire and water for you without hesitation.
But if you met the wrong person, no matter how long you had known them, no matter how warm your relationship seemed, when real danger struck, they were just as likely to watch you perish and do nothing.
And Zi Xunyi was clearly the former.
"Chu Feng, listen to me. Don't lose heart, and don't be afraid. Among those who entered this Uncharted Burial Ground, there were survivors," Zi Xunyi said.
"Someone successfully passed all three trials of this Uncharted Burial Ground?" After hearing Zi Xunyi's words, Chu Feng's expression brightened.
At the very least, this meant that the Uncharted Burial Ground was not an inescapable death trap. It could genuinely be passed.
At the same time, Chu Feng felt nothing but genuine admiration for that survivor.
Having experienced it firsthand, he understood better than anyone just how dangerous this place was. Even by his own estimation, he had at best a thirty percent chance of breaking through the Formation of Life and Death.
And the person who had passed it safely certainly had every right to earn his respect.
"Indeed, someone passed all three trials. And those who did were none other than myself and Xunyi," Ying Mingchao said.
"It was the two of you?" At this, Chu Feng grew even more delighted. If they had made it through, then they absolutely knew how to navigate this formation.
Today, he might actually have a chance to break through.
"We stumbled our way through this Uncharted Burial Ground back then by sheer luck. But if you follow our method, you will certainly survive as well. The only catch is that the method is rather extreme, and you will have to endure quite a bit of suffering along the way."
"It will be hard to bear. But as long as you push through, you will be able to break this Formation of Life and Death."
"So… you need to be mentally prepared," Ying Mingchao said.
"That's fine. As long as I can get through this Formation of Life and Death quickly, I don't care how much suffering I have to endure," Chu Feng said.
In truth, his urgency wasn't born from any desperate desire to leave the Uncharted Burial Ground.
He was worried about
Zhao Hong had entered this Formation of Life and Death far longer ago than Chu Feng, and her fate was still unknown. How could he not be anxious?
So right now, he had to race against every second. He needed to break this formation as fast as humanly possible.
"Good. Then let us begin."
Ying Mingchao began directing Chu Feng on how to navigate the Formation of Life and Death.
Without a moment's hesitation, Chu Feng followed every one of Ying Mingchao's instructions and started breaking through the formation.
But just as Ying Mingchao had warned, following his method truly forced Chu Feng to endure the utmost suffering.
The approach was utterly unconventional. Instead of finding ways to neutralize each killing mechanism they encountered, the method required him to walk straight through them, subjecting his physical body to the full onslaught of those lethal arrays head-on.
Moreover, the injuries inflicted by the numerous mechanisms within the Formation of Life and Death were slow to heal and resistant to any form of treatment.
With every step forward, Chu Feng was once again reduced to a mass of torn flesh and blood. His entire body trembled, and even a single step forward became an ordeal of staggering difficulty.
Under these conditions, even those who had witnessed slaughter and seen countless corpses could hardly bear to keep watching.
It was simply too cruel. Chu Feng was truly risking his life to break through.
*Swish, swish, swish—*
At that moment, a sky full of sword arrays danced and howled through the valley like a torrential downpour.
And the dense, blinding rain of light swords focused on only one target — Chu Feng, who pressed forward through the valley.
He was like a leaf caught in a violent gale, tossed and battered by the dazzling storm of sword light.
Yet even so, Chu Feng refused to retreat. Dragging his ruined body forward, he pressed on through sheer willpower.
"This method of breaking the formation is far too cruel — he's just tanking the hits with his bare body." Watching Chu Feng like this,
"Since this is a trial, the focus is on enduring it — not on how one breaks the formation," Ying Mingchao replied.