"Chu Feng, my grandfather also told me that even that vast and boundless Eastern Ocean isn't the end of this world. The reason it's called the Eastern Ocean is because in this world, besides the Eastern Ocean, there's also the Western Ocean, the Northern Ocean, and the Southern Ocean."
"At the center of the four great oceans, there's a mysterious land. That is the true center of this world, a paradise for martial cultivators, the place every genius yearns for."
"On that mysterious land, my grandfather said that even a Heaven-granted Divine Body wouldn't be considered rare, because that place is where all the geniuses of this world converge—a land where only the strong survive, where the victor takes all."
"As for what that mysterious land actually looks like, even my grandfather doesn't know, because he's never been there."
"That land is like a legend—you can't just go whenever you please. But my grandfather said it truly exists, because many peak-powerful experts have indeed entered that land before."
"So Chu Feng, this world is far too vast—too vast for us to even imagine. And the number of powerful experts is staggering, far beyond what we can fathom."
"Right now, living here on the Nine Provinces Continent, we're like people stuck in some remote mountain village that nobody wants to come to. The people here are easily satisfied, never realizing there are higher mountains beyond mountains, stronger people beyond people, content to survive in their own little corner of the world."
"So we absolutely must not become arrogant. We can't let the fact that our talents are so strong here go to our heads, can't let ourselves feel proud or complacent."
"Because in reality, we're comparing ourselves—our special bodies, our special power—against a bunch of talentless wretches. No matter how much they praise us or fear us, it's meaningless, because the people here were weaklings to begin with—people who could never set foot on the world's true stage."
"But you and I are destined to leave this place. Not only will we enter the Eastern Ocean, we'll also set foot on that legendary, mysterious land."
"Being called geniuses here means nothing—it's only natural. With their pathetic levels of talent, they shouldn't think of us as geniuses. They should think of us as gods."
"What we need to become isn't geniuses in their eyes, but geniuses in the eyes of the Eastern Ocean—and even in the eyes of that mysterious land. Only then will we avoid being overshadowed by others' strength when we enter a place brimming with powerhouses." Zi Ling reminded him solemnly.
At that moment, Chu Feng's emotions were incredibly complicated. Even the blood inside him was boiling, his entire body burning with a scorching inner flame.
Although Egg had constantly reminded him that this place was merely the tip of the iceberg—that the world was vast, there were always higher mountains and stronger people—Chu Feng had never truly been able to grasp those ideas. His gaze had remained fixed on the Nine Provinces Continent all along.
But after hearing Zi Ling's words, Chu Feng suddenly experienced an epiphany. He finally realized just how vast this world truly was, how countless the powerful experts truly were.
He understood that while he was considered a genius with heaven-defying combat ability on this continent, perhaps in the eyes of others, he was nothing more than an ordinary nobody.
And so, Chu Feng's passion was ignited. He finally knew the direction he needed to head in. He needed to keep growing stronger, growing even stronger, because the Nine Provinces Continent was destined to be too small to contain him.
His goal wasn't the Eastern Ocean, where powerhouses emerged one after another—it was the center of this world, that mysterious land where geniuses gathered and only the truly powerful could set foot.
"If Zi Ling came from the Eastern Ocean, then where exactly do I come from?"
"My parents, my family—where are you all? Are you even still alive?" Chu Feng gazed up at the sky, the desire to leave the Nine Provinces Continent and venture into that new world growing ever stronger in his heart.
"Alright, Chu Feng, it's almost time. Let's head to the Fire God Gate. Once the Gate Master is lured away, we'll loot the Fire God Gate clean and make them pay the price for all their evil deeds," Zi Ling suddenly said sweetly.
"Mm, it's time they paid up." Hearing Zi Ling's words, Chu Feng's lips curled upward into a wicked smile.
Then Chu Feng and Zi Ling rode Zi Ling's Exquisite Chariot back toward the Fire God Gate. One had to admit, the Exquisite Chariot was truly fast.
By the time they arrived at the Fire God Gate, the elder who had returned to report the news still hadn't made it back. They waited a full two and a half days before that elder finally returned.
As for how the two of them knew the elder had returned—it was because the entire Fire God Gate suddenly erupted into turmoil.
The Gate Master shot into the air, with eleven Heaven Martial realm experts trailing closely behind him, all speeding at tremendous velocity toward the Beast Capital Mountain Range. Among them was the elder who had gone to deliver the warning.
After they departed, just to be safe, Chu Feng and Zi Ling waited another half day. Only when they confirmed the Gate Master hadn't returned after half a day did they relax and infiltrate the location they had scouted beforehand—the graveyard.
The Fire God Gate's graveyard was built in a magnificent fashion. Ordinary graveyards were constructed underground, but this one was half above ground and half below.
In other words, atop the graveyard stood a series of grand palaces, each one surrounded by towering walls. From the outside, the place looked like an independent city, and above the city gates were inscribed four large characters: "Fire God Cemetery."
Standing before the entrance of the Fire God Cemetery were two Core Disciples, both at the Xuan Martial realm. They stood ramrod straight, motionless as javelins planted in the ground.
But Chu Feng and Zi Ling knew they were far from the only guardians of this graveyard. The Fire God Gate valued the Fire God Cemetery immensely—they had stationed over a thousand Core Disciples inside to guard it.
Although all were Core Disciples, those stationed within the cemetery were undoubtedly the elite among elites. Nearly all of them were at the Xuan Martial realm, and even those who weren't were at the peak of Yuan Martial.
Beyond the Core Disciples, there were also nearly a hundred Core Elders, whose cultivation was even higher—all at the peak of the Xuan Martial realm, most around the seventh stage of Xuan Martial, with several already at the ninth stage of Xuan Martial, having truly reached the pinnacle.
In addition to these formidable guardians, the Fire God Cemetery was also layered with barrier formations and all manner of mechanical traps.
There were even alarm bells. No matter who the intruder was, the moment they were spotted, the guardians would immediately sound the alarm, and every single member of the Fire God Gate would rush to provide backup.
So to avoid alerting them prematurely, Chu Feng and Zi Ling's mission was incredibly daunting. They not only had to kill everyone inside the Fire God Cemetery, but they had to do it before any of them could make a sound—not a single alarm bell could be allowed to ring.