Because so many people had been invited, the Heavenly Gate had chosen to hold this grand event outside the Heavenly Gate itself.
In front of the Heavenly Gate, an enormous floating plaza had been constructed on the spot.
The center of the floating plaza was an incredibly vast open space, completely empty.
Around it, however, were clusters of palatial buildings.
The buildings included open-air pavilions as well as enclosed halls.
No matter what kind of structure, every window faced one direction — the vast central expanse of the floating plaza.
These palace clusters were resting areas for the spectators.
Though numerous, none of them were connected; each had been separated from the rest.
Atop each cluster hung a banner.
The banners bore the names of the respective powers.
In other words, each faction was expected to enter its designated zone.
"Looks like the Heavenly Gate is quite confident."
Taking in the grand setup,
Otherwise, there would have been no need to invite so many people.
Inviting this many was clearly meant to have witnesses.
Witnesses?
Of course they wanted people to witness their success — they certainly wouldn't want everyone there to watch them fail.
That was why Chu Feng surmised the Heavenly Gate must have a certain degree of certainty in their ability to claim the treasure. Otherwise, they would never have staged such an elaborate affair.
At that moment, Chu Feng had already blended into the Wind Thunder Sword Sect and was sharing a palace with the disciples who would be participating in the treasure hunt.
It was an enclosed palace. Chu Feng and the others inside could see everything outside, but no one outside could see what was happening within.
Once the treasure hunt began, the palace doors would open, and Chu Feng and the rest would leave together, entering the world that the treasure had formed.
Having observed the scene outside for a while, Chu Feng turned his gaze toward the Wind Thunder Sword Sect disciples around him.
He was looking for someone.
"Oh, that must be
"Say what you will — she really is a rather otherworldly girl. No wonder
The person Chu Feng was looking for was precisely the "
Chu Feng had already learned that her name was Bai Lulu, and he had been told what she looked like.
But when he actually laid eyes on her in person, he had to admit that the real Bai Lulu was even better-looking than he had imagined.
Actually, "better-looking" wasn't quite the right word — it was more about her aura.
If you judged purely by features, Bai Lulu was the type who ranked just slightly above average — barely qualifying as beautiful, but a far cry from the kind of woman who could bring a kingdom to its knees.
However, she not only had fair, porcelain skin but also an air of extraordinary purity.
That well-behaved demeanor, those clear, limpid eyes — she looked like a little sprite untouched by the mortal world. The moment you saw her, an urge to protect her would stir in your heart.
A woman like that was genuinely hard not to like.
"What is that Scarlet Sacred Ground?"
While Chu Feng was covertly observing Bai Lulu, the Wind Thunder Sword Sect disciples were studying the scene outside. At that moment, the words "Scarlet Sacred Ground" caught their attention.
The reason they noticed was that every zone around the plaza was already packed to capacity.
But the Scarlet Sacred Ground's area didn't have a single person in it.
Given how close the event was to starting, everyone could see what was happening — the Scarlet Sacred Ground had simply snubbed the Heavenly Gate. They had stood them up.
"The Scarlet Sacred Ground — I've actually heard of them."
"The Scarlet Sacred Ground is full of beautiful women. Especially one of them, named Yin Zhuanghong — she's been called the number one beauty across the entire Heavenly Star Domain."
A Wind Thunder Sword Sect disciple spoke up.
"The number one beauty? I've heard that title tossed around too many times, and the women who actually live up to it are few and far between."
A female disciple immediately voiced her skepticism, a faint note of sourness creeping into her tone.
"
The first disciple pressed on.
"Oh?"
At those words, not only did the female disciple's expression shift, but the other disciples present also perked up with interest.
From their reactions, Chu Feng could tell that Nangong Yifan's name carried real weight.
Then again, that was to be expected — since this confrontation would be a clash among the younger generation, they naturally needed to know what they were up against.