Looking closely, a wide path had unexpectedly opened up in the sea of people.
Making their way along the path was a group, led by two middle-aged men riding golden warhorses. Both men possessed extraordinary auras — they were peak Xuan Martial cultivators — and they belonged to the Supreme Mountain Villa.
Though the Supreme Mountain Villa was powerful, peak Xuan Martial cultivators were still prominent figures within its ranks. So when such individuals appeared, no one dared stand in their way.
As for why these two Supreme Mountain Villa members were here — they were clearing the way for the force behind them. This was no ordinary force. They were from the Spirit World Guild, one of the ruling powers of Jie Province.
The Spirit World Guild hadn't sent many people this time — fewer than two hundred, all male, and not one of them had even reached thirty years of age. They were all members of the younger generation.
But Chu Feng's wild joy wasn't merely because he had spotted the Spirit World Guild. It was because he had recognized a familiar face among them — Gu Bo, who was around Chu Feng's age, also a youth, and was regarded as the most outstanding prodigy among the younger generation of the Spirit World Guild.
"Gu Bo!" Upon recognizing Gu Bo, Chu Feng hurriedly waved and moved toward him.
"Halt!" Before anyone else could speak, the two Supreme Mountain Villa members who were clearing the way blocked Chu Feng with unfriendly expressions.
"Chu Feng?!" Seeing Chu Feng, Gu Bo was genuinely overjoyed. He quickly stepped forward and said to the two Supreme Mountain Villa experts, "Elders, this is my friend. He's with our Spirit World Guild."
"Oh?" The two Supreme Mountain Villa members didn't immediately let Chu Feng through. Instead, their eyes drifted past Gu Bo to several young men behind him whose cultivation was also at the peak of Xuan Martial. These were clearly the representative figures of the Spirit World Guild's delegation.
"Gu Bo, you know him? How come I've never seen him before?" A fair-faced young man asked Gu Bo.
"Brother Wang, he's the one who reached the summit of the Asura Ghost Tower last time — Chu Feng!" Gu Bo quickly explained.
"What? He's Chu Feng?!" The moment those words left his mouth, nearly everyone in the Spirit World Guild turned their astonished gazes upon Chu Feng.
The Asura Ghost Tower might have been unknown to ordinary people, but the members of the Spirit World Guild knew all too well how fearsome it was. Word of Chu Feng's ascent of the Asura Ghost Tower had long since spread throughout the Guild, and many had been eager to see for themselves what kind of person this Chu Feng really was.
"Elders, he truly is a member of our Spirit World Guild. Please, do us this favor." After looking Chu Feng over, the fair-faced man stepped forward and addressed the Supreme Mountain Villa members.
"Ah, no need to be so formal — it's just one more spot. No problem at all." It had to be said that the fair-faced man carried considerable weight. Once he spoke, the two Supreme Mountain Villa elders promptly allowed Chu Feng to join the Spirit World Guild's party.
Then, under the envious and jealous gazes of countless onlookers, Chu Feng followed the Spirit World Guild's contingent straight into the Supreme Mountain Villa without having to wait in line or undergo any inspection.
After entering the Supreme Mountain Villa, Gu Bo and the others made arrangements for Chu Feng to have a luxurious palace all to himself, attended by beautiful servant girls — truly first-class VIP treatment.
"Chu Feng, what a coincidence! I can't believe you came here too. Are you here for the Marriage Alliance Conference?" Gu Bo asked excitedly in the palace where Chu Feng was resting.
"Heh, I was just passing through. I happened to hear the Supreme Mountain Villa was hosting some Marriage Alliance Conference, and out of curiosity, I came to see what the fuss was about."
"But I never expected the Supreme Mountain Villa to have such drawing power — to bring so many people here. I just noticed that forces and people from other provinces seem to have shown up in large numbers too. But I never expected even you guys to be here." Chu Feng feigned ignorance as he made these remarks.
"Chu Feng, don't tell me you don't know the real purpose behind the Supreme Mountain Villa's Marriage Alliance Conference?" Gu Bo asked.
"Purpose? Isn't it just giving bachelors a chance to find beautiful wives? What other purpose could there be?" Chu Feng continued playing dumb.
Seeing this, Gu Bo first dismissed the servant girls from the palace, then set up a soundproofing barrier. Only then did he lean close to Chu Feng and say in a low voice: "Chu Feng, think about it carefully. If this were really just a simple Marriage Alliance Conference, would it be able to attract the young generation of so many different forces? Are there no beautiful women in the other provinces? Besides, anyone who can get in here — would any of them be men who can't find wives?"
"Now that you mention it, that does make sense. So what's really going on here? Stop keeping me in suspense." Chu Feng pressed with a puzzled look.
"To be honest, there's a treasure trove here in Qinzhou — the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain."
"Legend has it that many years ago, a Demon King appeared within the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain. The Demon King was so powerful that with a mere gesture he could crumble mountains and cause the earth to collapse, and he possessed the power to summon wind and rain."
"It is said that the greater one's power, the greater one's ambition — and demon beasts are no exception. The Demon King always wanted the demon beasts to dominate this land, which inevitably led to conflict with the Jiang Dynasty."
"That battle shook the heavens and moved the gods to tears. It is said that the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain was actually much larger back then, and the reason it has shrunk so much today is precisely because of the battle between the Demon King and the Dynasty's Emperor."
"In the end, though the Emperor emerged victorious — slaying the Demon King and quelling the demon beast rebellion — he himself suffered grave injuries and passed away not long after."
"Before his death, he issued a decree warning his descendants: other forces on the Nine Provinces Continent could make enemies of the demon beasts of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain, and other forces could plunder its resources — but the Jiang Dynasty must never attack the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain, must never plunder its resources, and must never set foot there again."
"As to why the Jiang Dynasty's old Emperor issued such a warning on his deathbed, there were many theories. Some said the Emperor admired the Demon King's strength — that despite his boundless ambition, he was still a noteworthy figure. Though the Emperor himself had ended the Demon King's life, he didn't want his descendants to disturb the peace of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain."
"Others believed the Emperor had discovered the secret of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain — that it was likely a place of ill omen — and therefore didn't want his descendants to ever enter it again."
"But regardless of the true reason, the Jiang Dynasty's royal family genuinely never attacked the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain again and never set foot in it even once."
"But that wasn't the main reason. The main reason was that the Demon King had attacked countless sects back then and plundered many treasures — and those treasures are still inside the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain to this day."
"Furthermore, it was rumored that the reason the Demon King was so formidable was that he had discovered the ruins of a powerful cultivator within the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain, where he obtained a great fortune and also acquired a wondrous weapon."
"Though the Demon King is now dead, that wondrous weapon and the treasures he plundered back then are still within the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain. Even the place where the Demon King originally found his great fortune may still exist in this world."