The matter Chu Feng had entrusted to the leader of the Guardian Formation Clan was related to Xian Miao Miao.
Back when Chu Feng had left the Lower Realm of Ancestral Martial and arrived in the Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm, he had known that one day Xian Miao Miao would also come to the Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm.
First, her talent allowed it. Second, she needed to find her mother.
So, Chu Feng had given her two items: a key capable of breaking through the barrier of the Hundred Refinements Arena, and a golden Flash Bird, so that once Xian Miao Miao arrived in the Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm, she could find and notify Chu Feng.
However, so much time had passed with no word from Xian Miao Miao, and Chu Feng knew she likely had not yet arrived in the Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm.
But Chu Feng had important matters to attend to and could not simply remain here waiting, which was why he had asked the leader of the Guardian Formation Clan to keep a lookout for Xian Miao Miao.
If he encountered her, he was to take care of her.
The leader of the Guardian Formation Clan had naturally agreed without hesitation. After all, to him, Chu Feng was his master.
"Who is that person?"
Suddenly, a ripple of disturbance passed through the enormous crowd.
This was the Ascension Stairway. Positioned high above, leading directly to the Upper Realm of the Great Thousand, no one normally came here. This was the closest point to the Upper Realm of the Great Thousand, and for the people of the Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm, it had become a sacred and inviolable place.
Yet at this moment, an old man dressed in tattered rags, covered head to toe in dust, had appeared not far away.
If someone of insufficient strength had come here, it would already be considered disrespectful.
But for an old man dressed like that to appear here was nothing short of an outright affront.
This naturally drew the attention of the crowd from Hero City.
Out of curiosity, Chu Feng glanced over casually—but the moment he did, his gaze sharpened and even his heart trembled.
He recognized that old man. He was the master of the Unknown Burial Ground.
This was no beggar. This was a master of unfathomable strength—a truly formidable figure.
Upon seeing the old man, Chu Feng instinctively stepped forward to greet him.
Although Chu Feng had broken through the Unknown Burial Ground through his own abilities, he had still gained benefits from this old man, so he held him in great respect.
"Don't—don't come any closer, don't come any closer!"
However, before Chu Feng could approach, the old man suddenly panicked, shouting as he stumbled away at a frantic pace.
He was in a state of utter disarray, so unsteady on his feet that he would periodically trip and fall, only to scramble back up and continue running.
Chu Feng froze in place. He realized something was wrong—the old man appeared to have been mentally shattered. But this was the Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm. Who in a place like this could have reduced him to such a state?
Chu Feng's mind raced, but for the moment, he could not figure it out at all.
"Brother Chu Feng, you know that man? Did he wrong you? Want us to go grab him and teach him a lesson?" Little Pipi walked over and said.
In the past, Little Pipi had resented Chu Feng because of how favorably Ying Mingchao treated him, and had even publicly made things difficult for Chu Feng.
But now, after that great catastrophe, his resentment had not only vanished—it had been replaced by genuine admiration for Chu Feng.
Chu Feng gazed in the direction the old man had fled, lost in thought. After a moment, he turned to Little Pipi and the others. "Do not go provoking him."
"Why?"
Hearing this, everyone wore blank expressions. To them, that doddering old man was no different from a beggar. Yet Chu Feng's words made them feel that the old man's origins were anything but simple.
And indeed, his origins were far from simple—he was the Sacred Tiger Venerable.
A being who, in his prime, could have drowned every last person here with a single spit. It was only after the old ape had tormented him relentlessly that he had ended up in this state.
Of course, they did not know he was the Sacred Tiger Venerable. Even Chu Feng did not know his true identity.
"Remember what he looks like. If you ever encounter him again in the future, do not provoke him under any circumstances," Chu Feng warned once more, his expression deadly serious.
He did not know what that old man had been through, but he knew that the old man's strength was extraordinary. This was the master of the Unknown Burial Ground, after all.
So when the old man was in such a state of mental confusion, Chu Feng did not dare approach rashly, let alone Little Pipi and the others.
"Understood."
Though Little Pipi and the others did not know why Chu Feng wanted them to be cautious around that person, they all nodded nonetheless. They would never dare disobey Chu Feng's words.
"Farewell, everyone."
Chu Feng addressed the crowd, and then together with Wang Qiang, Zhao Hong, Ying Mingchao, and Zixun Yi, he stepped onto the Ascension Stairway.
That was right—not only Chu Feng, Zhao Hong, and Wang Qiang as a trio, but Ying Mingchao and Zixun Yi, the pair of lovers who had reconciled, also intended to venture into the Upper Realm of the Great Thousand. The two couples had decided to set out alongside Chu Feng's group of three.
After all, traveling together meant having companions.
"Young friend Chu Feng, wait a moment."
Just then, an aged voice suddenly rang out. An old man swept in from the distance and landed before the Ascension Stairway.
This was the Prophecy Master.
Chu Feng had once harbored reservations about this Prophecy Master. After all, had it not been for his prophecy, the Kong Heavenly Clan would never have targeted Chu Feng in the first place.
But later, the Prophecy Master's predictions had proven accurate—such as the great catastrophe, which he had foretold would come to pass with perfect precision.
And Chu Feng had indeed become the one to stop that catastrophe.
"Master, have you seen something in your prophecy?" Chu Feng asked.
It was precisely because Chu Feng had found the Prophecy Master's predictions to be trustworthy that he had asked him to help search for any trace of Yue Xian, and for where Ya Fei and the others had gone—so that Chu Feng might know where to find them in the future.
Yet so many days had passed, and the Prophecy Master had been unable to divine anything.
Seeing him chasing after them in such a hurry, Chu Feng naturally assumed he had finally seen something.
"I'm sorry. This old man is incapable—I was unable to divine anything." The Prophecy Master shook his head.
"That's quite alright," Chu Feng said with a faint smile. Then he asked, "So, Master, did you have something you wished to discuss?"
"Young friend Chu Feng, this old man owes you a debt, and I have always wished to make amends."
"Although I was unable to divine anything regarding your friends, I did foresee something concerning you," the Prophecy Master said.
"What is it?" Chu Feng asked.
"Young friend Chu Feng, after you arrive in the Upper Realm of the Great Thousand, you should leave immediately and head to other Upper Realms to train," the Prophecy Master said.