After opening his eyes, Chu Feng rubbed his slightly throbbing head before surveying his surroundings.
The scenery around him was somewhat terrifying. The ground was covered in cracks, and beneath him lay a semicircular pit that wasn't very large but appeared rather peculiar.
This place had clearly suffered deliberate destruction — the work of a martial cultivator. Otherwise, the damage couldn't have been this severe.
Thanks to his current strength, Chu Feng's eyesight was extremely sharp, allowing him to see vast distances. Yet as far as his gaze could reach, the ground bore this same devastated appearance — proof of just how wide-ranging the destruction had been.
And strangest of all, a peculiar, indescribable chill permeated this place.
The cold wasn't piercing enough to sting, but it clearly didn't belong in this area.
"I'm still alive?"
Chu Feng was somewhat surprised. Despite the eerie surroundings, when he looked up and saw the blue sky with its drifting white clouds, along with the crisp chirping of birds, he knew that this must be the Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm.
After all, it was daytime, and everything was clearly visible.
"Eggy, are you alright?" Chu Feng asked aloud.
Though he was fine, he was deeply worried about whether the Queen had come through unscathed as well. After all, the damage caused by the Soul-Devouring Sword's backlash had been nearly unbearable for Chu Feng — something he had been powerless to resist. Under those circumstances, he couldn't be certain whether the Queen had been affected too.
"Chu Feng, I'm fine. How about you?" the Queen's concerned voice came through.
Her voice confirmed she was indeed unharmed, though it was laced with deep worry.
"I'm fine too. What's strange is that my whole body feels completely relaxed — not a shred of pain anywhere. It doesn't feel like I've suffered any backlash at all," Chu Feng said.
He had endured the Evil God Sword's backlash more than once, so the pain from it, even after subsiding, typically left lingering aftereffects that required time to fully dissipate. But feeling this easy and light — practically as if nothing had happened — was entirely unprecedented.
"As long as you're fine, that's what matters," the Queen said.
"Mm." Chu Feng rose to his feet and carefully examined his surroundings. After taking a closer look, a trace of tension surfaced in his eyes as he said, "What did the Evil God Sword do with my body?"
Looking at the devastation around him, Chu Feng's heart grew uneasy. The area was eerily desolate, and from what he could tell, the scope of destruction likely extended far beyond what he could see.
This level of destructive power left Chu Feng both alarmed and unsettled.
In his estimation, this was most likely the Evil God Sword's doing.
All signs pointed to the Evil God Sword having gone on a rampage after taking control of his body.
The entire Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm had probably suffered, because the Evil God Sword possessed the power to do exactly that.
"Chu Feng, in my view, the Evil God Sword wouldn't break its promise to you. Since even you're unharmed, your friends should be fine too," the Queen said.
She understood perfectly well what Chu Feng was most worried about — the safety of his companions.
"I hope so," Chu Feng said, his mind filled with doubts.
First, he couldn't be certain whether his friends were still alive. After all… he didn't exactly trust the Evil God Sword. Surrendering his body to it that day had been a last resort with no other option.
But what puzzled Chu Feng even more was this: the Evil God Sword had already fully seized control of his body. So why had it returned his body to him now? It had gone to such lengths to take over — it shouldn't have handed it back so readily.
The situation defied all logic.
Just then, Chu Feng turned his gaze toward the Evil God Sword, lying not far away.
Seeing the sword again, Chu Feng felt a pang of fear and hesitated to pick it up. He wasn't even sure whether lifting it again would cause the sword to seize his body once more.
Only after witnessing the Evil God Sword's true power released had Chu Feng truly grasped just how terrifying this demonic weapon he carried truly was.
But after a moment's hesitation, Chu Feng still extended his hand and grasped the Evil God Sword.
"No anomaly — same as before. That's so strange…"
Chu Feng grew even more puzzled. The Evil God Sword was exactly as it had been before this incident, still within the range of his control.
But by all rights, things shouldn't be this simple.
Suddenly, a flash of resolve crossed Chu Feng's eyes. At the same time, his grip on the Evil God Sword tightened.
"Chu Feng, what are you doing? Don't do anything reckless!" the Queen cried out in alarm.
She sensed that something was wrong — she had the feeling Chu Feng was about to do something extremely dangerous.
"I'll find out what's really going on by asking directly," Chu Feng said.
Hummm—
As he spoke, Chu Feng actually began channeling his power directly into the Evil God Sword.
The next moment, a blood-red aura surged forth from within the sword, and layer upon layer of dense, crimson energy appeared across the sky above. The aura spread like banks of blood-colored clouds, stretching for miles and blanketing every place Chu Feng could see.
Grim, terrifying, as though doomsday had arrived — it was deeply unsettling.
Chu Feng had truly unleashed the power of the Evil God Sword.