People's attention toward Chu Feng was merely a passing novelty.
They were watching him like some kind of joke — just for fun, nothing more.
So naturally, they weren't going to keep their eyes on him forever.
Sure enough, when the disciples of the Heavenly Gate, the Wind Thunder Sword Sect, and other forces arrived at that purple pillar of light, everyone's gaze shifted back to those disciples.
Nobody was paying attention to Chu Feng the joke anymore.
However, when those disciples reached the purple pillar of light, they discovered that although it had pierced through the terrifying sea of thunder and extended deep into the sky, the pillar was surrounded by a layer of protective power — and that protective power was extremely violent. There was simply no way for them to enter the pillar of light. Naturally, they couldn't use the purple pillar to reach the depths of the sky.
People even began to suspect that the purple pillar of light wasn't a passage at all.
It was just a simple — and rather dangerous — column of light.
The only reason it shone so brilliantly was to lure everyone in, nothing more.
This left the disciples from every faction deeply disappointed, not even knowing what to do.
But they also knew that such a dazzling purple pillar of light surely had some purpose, so nobody gave up. Instead, they began studying it carefully.
And after a period of observation, people finally discovered that at the base of the purple pillar of light, there was a formation.
Inside the formation, something was hidden, and once they worked through a bit of analysis, they could clearly see what was inside.
Moreover, the contents of the twelve formations were all different from one another.
Some held boots, others held gauntlets, some held gloves, others held helmets, and still others held armor plates.
In short, the items within the twelve formations could be assembled into a complete suit of armor.
This wasn't only visible to those outside — the people within the barrier world quickly learned of it as well.
It suddenly dawned on everyone.
The purple pillar of light might not allow anyone to break through into the sky and claim the weapons floating in the void above.
But that suit of armor could.
The catch, though, was that there was only one set of armor.
Which meant that ultimately, only one person would be able to cross the sea of thunder, enter the depths of the sky, and claim the five weapons hidden in the void.
"Break the formations."
Once they discovered the secret, the disciples of the six great forces immediately set about breaking the formations.
The six factions each worked on breaking one of six formations.
And the method of breaking the formations wasn't actually difficult — it didn't require the power of barriers, only martial strength.
As long as one's martial power was sufficient, the only thing it cost was time.
At first, everything was fairly harmonious. But once a formation was on the verge of breaking open, the situation began to change.
"It's finally starting."
Out in the spectator area, people began to grow excited.
Through the mirror image, they could see that Nangong Yifan of the Heavenly Gate had gone alone toward the purple pillar of light that the Blazing Fire Academy was working to break through.
Everyone could guess why he was doing this.
He most likely wanted to seize the fruits of the Blazing Fire Academy's labor.
Of course, this was only speculation and couldn't be confirmed.
The reason it couldn't be confirmed was because the Blazing Fire Academy's strength was formidable.
The Blazing Fire Academy was absolutely not a force to be trifled with.
At least, judging from the strength of the six great factions' disciples, challenging the Blazing Fire Academy was an extremely unwise choice.
"Nangong Yifan, what are you doing here?"
Sure enough, when the people of the Blazing Fire Academy spotted Nangong Yifan, their eyes filled with vigilance.
Especially the strongest disciple among them.
Shentu Haoli.
Her voice boomed like thunder, and her words were filled with warning.
Shentu Haoli looked like a boy — dark skin, resolute eyes, and even her hairstyle was that bold and unrestrained.
She wasn't wearing a dress either, but rather crimson-red battle armor.
She looked like a fierce warrior.