The closer the monster drew, the more its enormous size could be felt, and the more the disciples became aware of just how insignificant they were.
That oppressive aura grew stronger and stronger with each passing moment.
No one knew whether waiting here for this terrifying creature to approach was the right choice.
But they dared not run again — having been dragged back through the gate once already, none of them knew whether they would live or die.
So they chose to trust Chu Feng, though fear still drove them to retreat step by step. Even Xia Yan hid behind Chu Feng, her hands clutching tightly at his clothes.
Chu Feng, however, glanced sideways at Xia Yan. He had a feeling that the others were genuinely afraid, but Xia Yan might simply be putting on an act.
Regardless, she had at least gotten out of the way.
Among everyone present, only one other person besides Chu Feng had not retreated — Zuoqiu Youyu.
Zuoqiu Youyu was the only one who, from the very beginning to this moment, had not shown even a flicker of fear.
Though his cultivation was on par with Zuoqiu Yanliang, in terms of sheer courage and composure alone, he truly carried the bearing of a supreme disciple.
BOOM—
The earth shook once more, and then everything finally settled.
The colossal monster came to a stop roughly thirty thousand meters from the gathered disciples.
Awoooo—
It no longer advanced, but it suddenly opened its massive jaws.
The moment it did, a revolting stench washed over them, and the oppressive force intensified even further.
Many were so terrified that they squeezed their eyes shut, convinced that doom had arrived.
But soon they discovered that although the pressure had grown stronger after the monster opened its mouth, it had not launched any attack.
And when they looked more closely, most of them wore expressions of surprise.
After opening its jaws, the monster extended its barbed tongue — and seated cross-legged at the tip of that tongue was an old man.
The old man's features bore a striking resemblance to the monster's, though his size was comparable to a normal human, and compared to young people like Chu Feng, he was actually a bit smaller.
The giant monster had nothing covering its body save a tattered cloth draped over its private parts, yet this small old man sitting inside its mouth was fully dressed. The clothes were worn and ragged as well, but at least they looked presentable.
"To have drawn this old one out from the mountains — one among you is quite talented."
"However, what surprises me is that this time, not only did someone enter this place by their own ability, but multiple individuals succeeded in breaking the Yin-Yang Lock."
"Courage deserves reward. Now then — I shall bestow upon you an opportunity. But whether you can actually seize that opportunity will depend on your own capabilities."
With those words, the monster-riding old man reached into his own chest and, remarkably, drew out a whisk from within.
The old man's clothes were threadbare, but the whisk was anything but ordinary.
It appeared to be crafted from white jade, though the material was clearly no common substance. Most importantly, the whisk was suffused with extraordinarily powerful formation energy and radiated an aura of antiquity.
If comparison were to be made, even Chu Feng's Celestial Master Whisk paled in comparison to this White Jade Whisk.
A treasure — even Chu Feng had never seen a formation artifact of such power.
It was so formidable that every single person present could sense its might.
The disciples, some of whom had been cowering only moments ago, now fixed their gazes on the whisk with entirely changed expressions. Some were simply captivated by its power, while others revealed naked greed in their eyes.
Within the Yin-Yang Withered Well, there were not only unfathomable monsters — there were treasures like this as well.
WHOOSH—