"He's actually alive? What's going on?"
Though Chu Zhiyuan's grandfather appeared calm on the surface, his heart was churning with unease.
Chu Youyuan was, after all, no ordinary member of the clan. He was the one tasked with guarding the Nine Moon Divine Realm — the sole person responsible for its watch. No one knew the secrets of the Nine Moon Divine Realm better than he did.
That was precisely why Chu Zhiyuan's grandfather was deeply worried. He feared that Chu Youyuan might know a way to escape from the Nine Moon Divine Realm. If that happened and the two sides ended up in a standoff, they would be in an exceedingly passive position.
Even if the matter ultimately proved impossible to adjudicate and was simply swept under the rug, the fact that Chu Feng — that monstrous prodigy — was alive would be disastrous for his grandson. And given how vengeful Chu Feng was, if he grew powerful in the future, it wouldn't just be his grandson who suffered. Even he himself would be doomed.
Under these circumstances, all he could do was silently pray — pray that Chu Youyuan didn't know the method of escape, pray that both Chu Feng and Chu Youyuan perished within the Nine Moon Divine Realm.
Rumble—
But just then, bolts of lightning appeared once more in the sky above the Nine Moon Divine Realm. And this time, the might of the heavens was even more formidable than before.
"No way… could it be… consecutive breakthroughs?"
"Chu Feng is making — consecutive breakthroughs?"
Everyone was stunned. The Divine Thunder had reappeared, its might even greater. That could only mean one thing — the previous heavenly tribulation had already been weathered. He had broken through.
Now, the Divine Thunder in the sky was drawn forth by yet another of Chu Feng's breakthroughs.
Sure enough, before long, the lightning high in the nine heavens converged together once more, plummeting straight down from the sky and vanishing the instant it touched the earth.
But after a brief pause, the rumble of thunder sounded again from the nine heavens, and a blinding radiance once more illuminated the land below.
A sky full of thunder appeared yet again, and this time its might surpassed even the previous round.
"Another breakthrough?"
Everyone was shocked. They had seen people pull off two consecutive breakthroughs before, but three in a row — that was truly exceedingly rare.
Fortunately, after the third bolt of lightning fell, the nine heavens finally fell silent.
Once the void settled, this stretch of heaven and earth returned to calm as well.
"Three consecutive breakthroughs — even if all of them succeeded, Chu Feng should only be a ninth-level True Immortal at most."
"So Zhiyuan, don't panic. Even if that Chu Feng manages to escape the Nine Moon Divine Realm alive, at the strength of a ninth-level True Immortal, he won't be able to defeat you — someone on the verge of becoming a Heavenly Immortal." Chu Zhiyuan's grandfather spoke to his grandson in a reassuring tone.
"Mm." Chu Zhiyuan nodded firmly.
In truth, he had been worried — worried that Chu Feng had stumbled upon an even greater fortune than his own, that he had obtained a treasure surpassing the spring water in value. So when Chu Feng stopped breaking through, the weight on his heart naturally eased considerably.
Even if Chu Feng had gotten incredibly lucky and managed to leave the Nine Moon Divine Realm alive, at the strength of a ninth-level True Immortal, he would not be able to hinder his path. Even if Chu Feng survived, at the upcoming Genius Assembly, he, Chu Zhiyuan, would make a name for himself and reclaim the title of the strongest young generation in the Upper Realm of the Great Thousand.
Yet what Chu Zhiyuan did not know was that Chu Feng had not continued breaking through not because he lacked the insight to find the catalyst for another leap, but because he had run into trouble.
Right now, Chu Feng was still at the source of the Fire Lake. He had long since risen to his feet, warily scanning his surroundings, and even Chu Youyuan stood beside him.
The source of the Fire Lake had undergone a drastic transformation. The vortex formed by the spring water now possessed immense power — so great that neither Chu Feng nor Chu Youyuan could force their way out of it.