It had to be said, after the Jiang Dynasty's forces were mobilized, Chu Feng became exceptionally low-key. Ever since he killed the Hundred-Faced Elder, he hadn't appeared again.
People began to speculate wildly about this. Some believed Chu Feng had been intimidated by the Jiang Dynasty's might and was hiding, no longer daring to act rashly.
Others thought that although Chu Feng had defeated the Hundred-Faced Elder, he was severely injured and was now recuperating, perhaps even fatally wounded and already dead.
However, none of them could have imagined that Chu Feng had long since left Qinzhou and quietly arrived in Songzhou, a territory controlled by the Fire God Sect.
After a period of observation and gathering information about the Fire God Sect, Chu Feng and Zi Ling had already pinpointed the location of the sect's ancestral tomb.
But due to the presence of the Fire God Sect's master, even Chu Feng and Zi Ling didn't dare to act rashly. They were both very wary of this expert at the Heaven Martial Fifth Level.
However, after several days of studying the terrain of Qingzhou and learning more about the Fire God Sect, Chu Feng and Zi Ling devised a plan.
On this day, using the magical properties of his mysterious mask, Chu Feng altered his appearance and entered the Fire God Sect.
"You claim to know Chu Feng's whereabouts, and that he's currently within our Songzhou borders?" An elder of the Fire God Sect, possessing the cultivation of Heaven Martial Third Level, listened to Chu Feng's words with skepticism, not fully believing him.
Since the bounty had been issued, many had tried to cheat them for money, providing false information. Even when the information was real, it often proved useless, making the sect's elders very cautious.
"It's true. I saw Chu Feng. He's currently in the Beast Capital Mountains in our Songzhou." Chu Feng insisted, lying without batting an eye, as if describing a true event.
"Really? How did you encounter Chu Feng? What else did you see? Tell me from the beginning." The elder asked gravely, his sharp eyes fixed intently on Chu Feng, searching for any flaw in his story.
"When I saw him, he seemed very ill. His face was pale and weak, his skin even slightly purple. He was fighting a Xuan Martial Eighth Level demon beast in the mountains."
"At first, Chu Feng was no match for it, but then his aura suddenly surged to the Xuan Martial Eighth Level, and a strange cyan mist appeared beneath him. That mist was bizarre—neither snake nor dragon. As soon as it moved, the speed was incredible; I couldn't even see his movements clearly before he vanished. When he reappeared, he was already in a different location."
"But even so, Chu Feng still couldn't defeat that beast. The demon beast's body was far too tough, and Chu Feng simply couldn't damage it. In the end, he actually took out a large black axe."
"That axe was terrifying. It was nearly two meters long, with a huge head and a hooked back. When Chu Feng swung it, it would emit black blades of light."
"Those blades of light were too powerful, slicing down vast swaths of trees. It was with that axe that Chu Feng managed to hack the demon beast to death."
"After killing the beast, however, Chu Feng was also exhausted. He rested on the ground for a long time before hiding in a mountain cave. I saw he didn't come out for a while, and before entering, he set up layers of barriers. He was probably going into closed-door cultivation, so I rushed here to inform you."
Chu Feng vividly fabricated his tale, making it sound extremely real, as if everything he described had actually happened.
This story made the Fire God Sect elder's eyes flicker and his expression shift, because Chu Feng had mentioned things that others wouldn't know.
For instance, Chu Feng's Dragon Soaring Nine Heavens technique, the appearance of his Asura Ghost Axe, and various other details—these were things only someone who had personally witnessed Chu Feng could know.
"Wait here." The elder promptly reported the matter to the Fire God Sect Master.
The Sect Master was greatly shaken upon hearing the news. He immediately gathered the three great elders of the sect and gave one of them a precious artifact. They then set out with twenty grey-robed Spirit World Masters at the peak of the Xuan Martial Realm to capture Chu Feng in the Beast Capital Mountains.
The Sect Master chose not to go personally for two reasons: he couldn't be sure the information was genuine, and he feared it might be Chu Feng's strategy to lure him away and launch a surprise attack on the Fire God Sect in his absence.
After all, he didn't know how Chu Feng had fallen ill. A fighter of Chu Feng's typically heaven-defying prowess, suddenly unable to handle even a Xuan Martial Eighth Level beast and needing full power to kill it?
Until these questions were resolved, the Sect Master wouldn't go personally. Besides, if the information was accurate and Chu Feng was struggling against a mere Eighth Level beast, then three Heaven Martial experts capturing him would be child's play. One of them was even at the Heaven Martial Third Level, a peak figure not just in Songzhou but across the entire Nine Provinces Continent.
Furthermore, with twenty grey-robed Spirit World Masters, all over sixty years old and possessing vast experience, breaking through Chu Feng's barriers shouldn't be a problem. The Sect Master felt that, as long as the information was reliable, this operation would certainly succeed.
Thus, thanks to Chu Feng's deception, the Fire God Sect dispatched a team: one elder at Heaven Martial Third Level, two at Heaven Martial First Level, and twenty grey-robed Spirit World Masters over sixty. This group of twenty-three set off to the Beast Capital Mountains to capture Chu Feng.
Although the number wasn't large, because the twenty accompanying grey-robed Spirit World Masters were still at the Xuan Martial Realm, they had to rely on White-headed Eagles for transportation.
Moreover, Songzhou was vast, and the Beast Capital Mountains were far from the Fire God Sect, so it took several days for them to finally arrive.
"Young friend, you said Chu Feng was cultivating here in seclusion, but why is there no cave here, let alone any barriers?" a Heaven Martial First Level elder standing beside Chu Feng angrily confronted him.
Because after following him here, they found no trace of any battle, much less barriers or a cave. They felt completely duped.
"Chu Feng is clearly right here. Can't you see him?" Chu Feng looked utterly innocent.
"Nonsense! Where is he? How do I not see him?" the elder grew even angrier, now certain they had been fooled on this trip.
"You old blind fool, see him now?" Suddenly, Chu Feng's large hand shot out with lightning speed, grabbing the elder's crown. Simultaneously, Chu Feng's face transformed, reverting to his true appearance.