The next morning, inside the Wolong Martial Sect, several rows of figures stood in perfect formation.
The East Dragon Court, the West Tiger Court, the South Phoenix Court, the North Mysterious Court.
Aside from those in closed-door cultivation or away on errands, every elder and disciple had assembled.
Even the Sect Master and Vice Sect Master had arrived early.
But Chu Feng, Duan Liufeng, and Zi Ling were nowhere to be seen.
A measure of unease rippled through the crowd. After all, the key figure in breaking through today's calamity was Chu Feng. If he failed to appear, how could they possibly overcome this tribulation?
Yet since the Sect Master herself had raised no concern, no one dared to ask. They could only wait in patience.
Then, at last, the silhouettes of Chu Feng and Duan Liufeng appeared — and the sea of people that had been still could no longer contain its stirrings.
Chu Feng was being supported by Zi Ling as he walked over.
He looked extraordinarily weak. His eye sockets were sunken, his lips cracked and dry, and he had visibly wasted away. Beneath his skin, a faint golden glow drifted here and there, lending him an otherworldly air — but otherwise, his condition resembled that of a gravely ill man.
Was *this* the Chu Feng who would bear the Wolong Heavenly God Formation?
Could he really pull it off?
To say they weren't worried would be a lie.
"How did the tempering go?" the Sect Master asked, turning to Duan Liufeng.
"It went perfectly." Duan Liufeng grinned. "Sect Master, I'll tell you this — my brother Chu Feng is the only one who could've endured it. Anyone else would've crumbled."
Though Chu Feng looked frail, the moment Duan Liufeng spoke of him, pride and admiration saturated both his words and his expression. The man was typically reserved, but when it came to Chu Feng, he transformed into someone else entirely.
Yet the Sect Master said nothing in response to his praise. She merely glanced at Chu Feng, then looked away. She didn't care whether Chu Feng was outstanding or not — only whether the tempering had succeeded.
The Vice Sect Master, by contrast, kept his gaze fixed on Chu Feng the entire time.
Though his stare was carefully restrained, it did not escape Chu Feng and Duan Liufeng's notice.
"If anyone dares cause me trouble today — regardless of who they are — I will not be merciful," the Sect Master announced suddenly. She didn't look at anyone as she spoke, keeping her eyes straight ahead.
But Chu Feng and Duan Liufeng both understood: this was meant for the Vice Sect Master.
The Vice Sect Master understood as well, and withdrew his scrutinizing gaze.
*Whoosh—*
With a sweep of her massive sleeve, the Sect Master produced two items that materialized on either side of her.
On the left floated a golden box, half a meter in diameter and perfectly square, hovering in midair.
On the right stood a scroll a full meter tall.
The scroll radiated an ancient aura. It was exquisitely crafted, and the talisman paper pasted across its seal — inscribed with characters of prohibition — drew the eye like nothing else.
*Boom—*
The golden box burst open. In that instant, countless golden pills shot out like a meteor shower, streaming from within the box.
They rained down into the hands of every elder and disciple present.
Nearly everyone received one — Chu Feng being the sole exception.
Gripping the pills, the disciples studied them with wide eyes, but even the elders looked upon theirs with unmistakable reverence in their gazes.
These pills were connected to the activation of the Wolong Heavenly God Formation today.
It was said that they had been personally refined by the Founding Ancestor himself.
They were to be used today and today alone — otherwise, no one would have been willing to swallow them. They would have kept them as treasured artifacts instead.
"These golden pills bear another name — the Heavenly God Formation Eye Pill. The pill serves as the formation's eye. Once swallowed, every person will be linked to the Wolong Heavenly God Formation."
"This should be the first time any of you have seen these pills."
At this point, the Sect Master turned her gaze toward the scroll sealed with prohibition talisman paper.
"And this scroll — I trust this is the first time you've seen it as well."
"This scroll was left behind by the Founding Ancestor."
"It may only be opened when the Wolong Martial Sect stands on the brink of annihilation."
"Now… with a calamity blotting out our sky, we are but a single thread away from that threshold."
At these words, gravity settled over every face.
"Though all of you came from the Ancestral Martial Starfield, each of you was born in a different world. That you have gathered here and become members of the Wolong Martial Sect is both a great fortune and a testament to your excellence."
"But regardless of how you came to be here — once you are part of the Wolong Martial Sect, you share in its honor and its shame."
"Today, the one who will break through the calamity is Chu Feng."
"But the ones who will activate the Wolong Heavenly God Formation are *us*."
"Today, we must hold nothing back. We will give everything we have to open the Wolong Heavenly God Formation."
"Therefore, the one breaking through this calamity is not Chu Feng alone — it is every single member of the Wolong Martial Sect."
"Tell me — are you prepared?"
The Sect Master's words fell.
What answered her was a roar that shook the heavens louder than any thunderclap.
"We will stand with the Wolong Martial Sect to the very end!"
"We will stand with the Wolong Martial Sect to the very end!!"
…
As that deafening cry echoed across the sky, a rare smile graced the Sect Master's face.
It was a smile of heartfelt relief.
Then she looked at Chu Feng.
"Chu Feng, today I have gathered the full power of the sect to aid you."
"Do not let them down."