"Chu Feng, I'll say it again — regarding my existence, do not speak of it to anyone. Simply pretend you never encountered me."
As Lord Dragon Evil's voice sounded, a barrier gate materialized out of thin air, landing right before Chu Feng.
Lord Dragon Evil was sending Chu Feng away.
Yet, with the exit gate clearly right before his eyes, Chu Feng felt reluctant to leave.
His curiosity about the identity of this mysterious being was simply too great.
He still wanted to ask a few more questions.
Whoosh—
Before he could even open his mouth, the barrier gate released a powerful suction force, pulling Chu Feng into it by force.
Passing through the gate, Chu Feng found himself back above the plaza.
But he was far from alone in the sky above the plaza.
Figures belonging to the Wolong Martial Sect could be seen throughout the void, darting through the air at high speed while continuously calling out Chu Feng's name.
Everyone had been frantically searching for Chu Feng, and many had already begun to despair.
Some were even crying.
Those who were close to Chu Feng — that was one thing.
But many people who had never even met Chu Feng before were also in tears.
The female disciples, in particular, were sobbing uncontrollably, their faces streaked with tears and snot, utterly heartbroken.
The reason everyone was this distraught was because they all believed that Chu Feng might have perished along with the calamity — they thought he was dead.
So when Chu Feng appeared, the very first person to spot him couldn't even believe his own eyes.
"Is that Chu Feng? Am I seeing things?"
"Everyone, look! Chu Feng — that looks like Chu Feng!"
"Chu Feng? Is it really Chu Feng?"
Amid the rising cries of recognition, before long… every single person present had spotted Chu Feng.
Countless figures surged toward him all at once.
In the blink of an eye, Chu Feng was surrounded by a vast sea of people, utterly hemmed in.
But those who reached him first were the faces he was most familiar with.
"Brother Chu Feng, where did you run off to?"
Zi Ling was the first to reach Chu Feng.
Her face was covered in tears, and her eyes were swollen from crying — one could only imagine how worried she had been.
"Silly girl, the calamity's already been eliminated. Would anything happen to me?"
"I just got swept into some pocket of space while neutralizing it and got trapped inside."
Chu Feng replied with a grin.
But he didn't tell the truth — he simply made up an excuse on the spot.
After all, that mysterious being had specifically instructed him not to reveal any connection between himself and the calamity.
Chu Feng knew that this mysterious being's power surpassed even the Master of the Wolong Martial Sect, so he dared not disobey that command.
As for Zi Ling and the others, they trusted Chu Feng completely. Moreover, what they cared about most right now was his safety — seeing him unharmed, they naturally wouldn't press for further details.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
But suddenly, the countless figures that had been surrounding Chu Feng began descending to the ground one after another.
Looking more closely, every person — whether elder or disciple — had landed on the ground in orderly formation.
Then, without a single word spoken, both elders and disciples alike performed a grand bow toward Chu Feng.
They said nothing, yet this silent gesture alone made Chu Feng's heart tremble.
This was… the respect of the Wolong Martial Sect's people.
And it was exceedingly sincere.
When he thought about it — ever since entering the Wolong Martial Sect, Chu Feng had endured nothing but suppression. Every manner of scheme, both overt and covert, had been directed at him.
Even though Chu Feng had kept his head down and stayed out of trouble, simply for shining too brightly, catastrophe had rained down upon him from above.
So Chu Feng was well aware that the Wolong Martial Sect was no kind and gentle place.
But no matter how these people normally schemed and fought for status and power…
At this moment — at the very least right now — their respect and gratitude toward him was genuine.
In any case, at this moment, Chu Feng had earned their recognition and their respect.
And who in this world did not yearn for recognition and respect?
The acknowledgment of others was often the truest measure of one's own worth.
So naturally, Chu Feng cherished this kind of recognition.
"Now that the calamity has been eliminated, everyone should disperse."