Chu Feng departed at great speed, so naturally he had no way of knowing about the tragedy that unfolded after he left.
However, though Chu Feng had left, he hadn't actually traveled very far. He simply wanted to get away from that crowd and find some peace and quiet.
At that moment, Chu Feng descended and landed by a lake.
"L-l-lord, wh-what exactly do you want this little one to help with? C-c-can someone of my strength even b-be of use to you?"
Song Xi was still stammering, his body trembling without pause. It was plain to see that he was truly terrified of Chu Feng.
"Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. I just want to ask you a few questions," Chu Feng said with a smile.
"What kind of questions?" Only after hearing this did Song Xi relax somewhat.
"What is this place?" Chu Feng asked.
"This is the Clearwater Lake," Song Xi answered, glancing at the lake before them.
Chu Feng chuckled. "My fault — I wasn't clear enough. What I actually meant to ask is, what world is this?"
"This… is the Great Thousand Upper Realm, of course," Song Xi said.
"The Great Thousand Upper Realm? You're saying this is the Great Thousand Upper Realm?" A trace of surprise surfaced in Chu Feng's eyes.
"Of course this is the Great Thousand Upper Realm. My lord… don't tell me you're not from the Great Thousand Upper Realm?" Song Xi was equally stunned.
What surprised Chu Feng was that he had entered the Great Thousand Upper Realm directly.
What surprised Song Xi was that there was actually someone who didn't know they were in the Great Thousand Upper Realm.
"I am indeed not from here. Have you heard of the Hundred refining Mortal Realm?" Chu Feng asked.
"The Hundred refining Mortal Realm — yes, I've heard of it. It's one of the many mortal realms governed by the Great Thousand Upper Realm."
"My lord… you didn't come from the Hundred refining Mortal Realm, did you?" At the thought, Song Xi's mouth fell wide open in shock.
In the eyes of the people of the Great Thousand Upper Realm, those from the mortal realms were all weaklings — bottom-of-the-barrel existences. Even someone like Song Xi, who was among the very lowest in the Great Thousand Upper Realm, would still look down on mortal realm people.
It was a form of regional discrimination, much like how many people looked down on beggars. The moment you lived a little better, you couldn't help but develop a sense of superiority.
It was human nature.
But if Chu Feng truly came from the Hundred refining Mortal Realm, then his existence alone was enough to shatter everything Song Xi thought he knew about the mortal realms.
After all, Chu Feng's strength far surpassed Song Xi's.
"That's right," Chu Feng nodded.
"Oh my heavens — someone from the mortal realm as powerful as you?" Song Xi exclaimed over and over again.
But soon, Song Xi's expression changed drastically. He suddenly recalled something someone had once told him.
People from the upper realm could not enter the mortal realm. And for someone from the mortal realm to come to the upper realm, they needed a certain qualification.
That qualification was — they had to possess the cultivation of a True Immortal.
"My lord, could it be that you're a True Immortal powerhouse?" At the thought, Song Xi's eyes seemed to shine with light.
It was true that True Immortal powerhouses were as numerous as hair on an ox in the Great Thousand Upper Realm. However, someone like Song Xi had practically never exchanged a word with a True Immortal.
In short, no matter how weak a True Immortal might be, they would never spare a proper glance at someone like Song Xi.
So for people like Song Xi, True Immortal-level powerhouses were still lofty, sacred, and untouchable.
"I only recently stepped into the True Immortal realm — just a first-rate True Immortal," Chu Feng said with a smile.
"That's still incredibly impressive! And it looks like you're much younger than me," Song Xi said excitedly. Now that he was certain Chu Feng was a True Immortal, he was actually less afraid.
He had never encountered a True Immortal as gentle and approachable as Chu Feng. It instinctively made him feel that Chu Feng was definitely not a bad person.
"Song Xi, do you know where the Ascension Stairway connecting the Hundred refining Mortal Realm to the Great Thousand Upper Realm is located?" Chu Feng asked.
"I do, I know that one," Song Xi nodded repeatedly.
"Can you take me there? I can pay you for your trouble," Chu Feng said.
Now that he had arrived in the Great Thousand Upper Realm, the thing he wanted most was to find Wang Qiang and the others.
He had to get there as quickly as possible and locate them.
But what Chu Feng didn't know was that after he had been swept into the luminous vortex, Wang Qiang and the others had encountered the same thing.
None of them had arrived at the Great Thousand Upper Realm through a normal path. Wang Qiang, Zhao Hong, Ying Mingchao, and Zi Xunyi had all gone missing.
"Of course I can, but there's really no need for any payment," Song Xi said, feeling greatly honored.
In his view, the fact that a True Immortal powerhouse could make use of a small fry like him was a matter of honor.
After that, Chu Feng had Song Xi lead the way, heading straight for the Ascension Stairway that connected the Hundred refining Mortal Realm to the Great Thousand Upper Realm.
The journey was not short, but fortunately there were teleportation arrays nearby that could take them directly there.
Moreover, the teleportation arrays of the Great Thousand Upper Realm were far more powerful than those of the Hundred refining Mortal Realm.
Under the effect of these teleportation arrays, Chu Feng's travel speed was remarkably fast, greatly cutting down the time they spent on the road.
Throughout the journey, Chu Feng kept chatting with Song Xi, and through him gained a rough understanding of the Great Thousand Upper Realm's situation.
The landmass of the Great Thousand Upper Realm was, needless to say, vast — roughly more than a thousand times the size of the Hundred refining Mortal Realm.
If not for the teleportation arrays scattered across the Great Thousand Upper Realm's surface, even its martial cultivators would have a tremendously difficult time getting around.
However, it was worth noting that the Chu Heavenly Clan controlled half of the Great Thousand Upper Realm's land.
For the people of the Great Thousand Upper Realm, the Chu Heavenly Clan's territory was forbidden ground — virtually no one dared set foot inside it.
In other words, aside from members of the Chu Heavenly Clan, the area where people of the Great Thousand Upper Realm could truly move about amounted to only half the world.
This was a testament to the Chu Heavenly Clan's dominance and inviolable status.
From Song Xi's words alone, Chu Feng could sense his reverence toward the Chu Heavenly Clan — it was the kind of reverence humans held for gods, born from the very depths of the heart, absolutely not something put on for show.
"Seems like your clan has managed this land quite well. Almost nobody dares defy them — now that's a true overlord," the Queen said cheerfully.
"That's not my clan," Chu Feng corrected, though he quickly added, "But I have to admit, the Chu Heavenly Clan certainly has its ways."
"But the fact that they have such power and influence isn't exactly good news for you," the Queen remarked.
"No matter how capable they are, one day I will make their Clan Master stand before me and my father, and personally apologize to the two of us."
"Not just the Clan Master — I want every single person who kicked us while we were down back then to apologize together." When Chu Feng said this, he was dead serious.
After all, he had been nothing but an infant back then and didn't remember any of it.