"This young friend, what exactly happened here? Where are the others?" Zi Xuanyuan asked after the man regained his senses.
"We... we were attacked. There's a traitor among us. Among those participating in the training, there was a spy sent by the demon beasts. They used special means to transform into human form and infiltrate our ranks, secretly selling out everything about us."
"We were attacked by demon beasts. Many were killed by the demon beasts, and the rest were captured. They plan to use these people to threaten the major powers. We've been played — played by the demon beasts." Although the man had regained his senses, he was still on edge and extremely panicked, clearly terrified beyond measure.
"All of them were captured? What about Sovereign Liu? Even he couldn't stand against the demon beasts?" Zi Xuanyuan pressed.
"Extremely powerful. That demon beast was incredibly, incredibly powerful. It was a black toad. Sovereign Liu was no match for it at all. None of us were. We had no power to fight back. Those who resisted were killed, and even those who tried to flee were cut down."
Mentioning the demon beast that had captured everyone, the man's face contorted with even greater terror, his body beginning to tremble violently.
"What about Zi Ling? Was she captured too?"
"Yes, she was captured. Everyone was captured. Miss Zi Ling was taken as well."
After hearing this, Zi Xuanyuan's brow furrowed slightly, as if he had already figured everything out. He stopped pressing for more details and instead turned to Chu Feng. "Kid, bandage his wounds."
"Got it." Chu Feng didn't hesitate and quickly set about bandaging the man's wounds.
"You? Ah, easy." The man clearly recognized Chu Feng, but seeing that Chu Feng was with Zi Xuanyuan, he didn't say much. He silently endured the pain of his broken leg and let Chu Feng tend to his wounds.
As a Jie Ling Shi, treating wounds was a trivial matter for Chu Feng. In the blink of an eye, he had finished bandaging the man's wounds and administered a pill.
It was said to be a pain-relief pill, but in reality, it was one that would render a person unconscious. Of course, once someone was unconscious, the pain would naturally be relieved as well.
The reason Chu Feng had given him such a pill was actually because he was worried about what the man might let slip to Zi Xuanyuan.
The pill worked remarkably well. Not long after taking it, the man began to feel groggy and quickly slipped into unconsciousness.
After dealing with the man, Chu Feng stepped forward and asked, "Elder Xuanyuan, do you know what kind of demon beast that black toad is? Even Sovereign Liu and the others were no match for it."
"It's one of the Wu Da Yao Wang of Wan Yao Shan — the Hei Chan Wang," Zi Xuanyuan replied.
"Hei Chan Wang?" Chu Feng had naturally heard of the Wu Da Yao Wang before. Although he didn't know their specific names, he knew they were the rulers of Wan Yao Shan — the five most powerful demon beasts in the entire mountain.
"No wonder, no wonder. When we were battling the demon beasts, we never saw Hei Chan Wang. I can't believe it — we were outplayed by the demon beasts."
"This makes things complicated. This training was arranged by Zun Zhi Shan Zhuang, and the participants are the most talented juniors from various sects across the Nine Provinces Continent. If anything happens to them, Zun Zhi Shan Zhuang won't be able to shoulder that responsibility."
Zi Xuanyuan's face was filled with worry, but to Chu Feng, it didn't seem like he was concerned about the younger generation of other powers. It was clear he was worried about his own granddaughter, Zi Ling.
As for why he was so worried about Zi Ling, Chu Feng could guess. Although he had never seen the Hei Chan Wang, he had heard that among demon beasts, some were naturally depraved, with extremely strong desires, and had a particular fondness for human beauties. There had been numerous incidents in various places where demon beasts had violated human women.
And toad-type demon beasts were among the worst in reputation — the most notoriously vile of all demon beasts.
So it wasn't just Zi Xuanyuan who was worried — Chu Feng was too. Toad-type demon beasts were inherently lecherous, and Zi Ling was an extraordinarily beautiful young woman. Having been captured by the Hei Chan Wang, she would inevitably become the prime target for his violation.
But Zi Ling was Chu Feng's target — the person who held the key to unlocking the power of the Divine Thunder within his body.
If Zi Ling's first time was taken by a demon beast, that would mean Chu Feng would miss his chance to unlock the true power of the Divine Thunder inside him. Naturally, he didn't want that to happen.
So Chu Feng quickly asked, "Elder Xuanyuan, since we know it was the Hei Chan Wang's doing and that it was part of their elaborate plan, where do you think Miss Zi Ling and the others have been taken?"
"The Wu Da Yao Wang each govern a territory, and this area is indeed under one of their domains. If I'm not mistaken, Zi Ling and the others must have been taken to the Hei Chan Wang's lair," Zi Xuanyuan said.
"The Hei Chan Wang's lair? Elder Xuanyuan, then what are we waiting for? Go save them!" Chu Feng urged.
"You make it sound so simple, kid. You think the Hei Chan Wang's lair is a place you can just waltz into?"
"Besides, I have no idea where its lair even is. If we knew where the Wu Da Yao Wang's lairs were, we wouldn't have had to fight so hard — we could have just stormed their bases directly." Zi Xuanyuan shot Chu Feng an impatient glance.
At that moment, Chu Feng finally understood. He now knew why Zi Xuanyuan's face was so full of worry — the truth was, he had no idea where to go to rescue them.
Under these circumstances, Chu Feng pondered for a long time. After weighing the pros and cons, and for the chance to unlock the power of the Divine Thunder within his body, he decided to take the risk. He said to Zi Xuanyuan, "Elder Xuanyuan, I think I know where the Hei Chan Wang's lair is."
"What? You know?" At these words, Zi Xuanyuan's expression changed, but he didn't believe it. Instead, he fixed Chu Feng with a suspicious gaze, as if trying to see through a lie and pierce to the truth of the matter.
"I really do know. To tell you the truth, I once saw a map in a certain place. That map depicted Wan Yao Shan. There were five underground fortresses marked on it, and I believe those are the lairs of the Wu Da Yao Wang." Chu Feng explained this as though everything he said was true.
"Oh? Is that really true? Where did you see it?" Zi Xuanyuan pressed.
"In a ruin in Qingzhou. If you don't believe me, Elder Xuanyuan, I can take you there to see it later. But right now, saving people is the priority. Even if we can't be certain it's the Hei Chan Wang's lair, shouldn't we at least try?" Chu Feng lied with such conviction that only he himself knew he was deceiving everyone.
However, Zi Xuanyuan was quite cautious. After a moment of deliberation, he finally nodded in agreement. "Fine. I'll trust you this once, kid."