"Oh?"
Hearing those words, Yuan Shu realized that this formation's difficulty must be extraordinarily high — far more complex than what he had initially seen.
But just how powerful this formation truly was, he had no way of knowing.
Not until he turned his gaze toward the barrier gate once more and peered through it at the scene within.
Only then did he understand just how terrifying this barrier formation really was.
Within the collapsed earth, a boundless momentum surged skyward.
Though he had yet to see what it was, that aura alone was enough to fill one's heart with dread.
And under Yuan Shu's unwavering stare, something finally rose from deep underground.
It was seven colossal statues.
Seven enormous statues, positioned on all sides of Chu Feng.
They surrounded him completely, encircling him in a ring.
The seven statues rose swiftly from deep within the earth, and in moments they pierced through the clouds.
When their full forms were revealed, Yuan Shu couldn't help but let out a gasp of astonishment.
The statues were impossibly massive — even the vast white clouds could only drift beneath their knees.
Their sheer scale made it seem as though they were about to leave this world entirely and step into the boundless expanse beyond the heavens.
Though all seven statues were the same height, their forms differed.
They depicted the seven types of Spirit World beings: demons, monsters, immortals, Buddhas, ghosts, beasts, and Asuras.
And the powerful aura Yuan Shu had sensed earlier emanated from precisely these seven Spirit World statues.
Suddenly, atop the void, fierce winds erupted. The gale was so ferocious it could annihilate an entire region of heaven and earth.
And the cause of it all was none other than those seven statues.
They had begun to move.
As their bodies shifted, their forms changed as well.
Countless fragments of stone broke away from them, scattering into a massive meteor shower that cascaded down through the void.
And once those stone layers fell away, true Spirit World beings emerged.
They had never been statues at all — they were living creatures.
Though Yuan Shu knew they were merely manifestations created by Master Tang Chen's formation, within that formation they possessed life. They were beings akin to gods.
Even from outside the formation, Yuan Shu could feel their overwhelming power. He felt insignificant by comparison.
"Master, how is Brother Chu Feng supposed to break through a formation like this?" Yuan Shu asked his master.
He asked because he had already realized that those seven Spirit World beings bore ill intentions — their target was none other than Chu Feng.
But against such powerful existences, how could Chu Feng possibly put up a fight?
This was a battle that was decided before it even began.
"If it were easy to break, it wouldn't be my handiwork," Master Tang Chen said.
"But... isn't this a bit much?" Yuan Shu pressed.
"Relax. This formation won't take his life. But if he can't break it, a lesson is in order."
"Besides, through him, I can show that old fool that I am completely serious about this wager."
As Master Tang Chen spoke, his face was filled with absolute confidence.
He had complete faith in this formation.
And his confidence meant that Chu Feng was destined to fail.
He was watching all of this unfold before him because he wanted to witness Chu Feng's failure with his own eyes — and to admire his own handiwork.
"Ah..."
Seeing his master's expression, Yuan Shu could only sigh helplessly.
There was nothing he could change, so he turned his gaze back toward the great formation.
Though he already knew the seven Spirit World beings would strike at Chu Feng, he still wanted to see what would happen when they did.
ROAR—
At that very moment, all seven Spirit World beings opened their mouths wide.
As their jaws gaped open, the winds and clouds churned, and space itself reversed its flow.
It was a suction force — a tremendous pull that erupted from their mouths, hurtling straight toward Chu Feng.
And under the grip of that suction, changes began to occur within Chu Feng.
Not only were his robes whipping wildly, but a strange, ethereal gas also began to emerge from his body.
The gas was released from within Chu Feng, following the powerful suction and flowing into the mouths of all seven Spirit World beings.
In this state, Chu Feng — his eyes tightly shut — already had his brow deeply furrowed, pain etched across his face.
It was as though some indispensable force within him was being forcibly extracted.