"I've told you the dangers inside. If you want to go in, go ahead — I won't stop you."
"If you make it out alive, wait for us outside the entrance. Don't wait in there."
"Either way, I'll be able to find you."
Tao Wu spoke to Chu Feng.
"Understood. Senior, Old Cat — I'll be heading in first."
The moment Chu Feng finished speaking, his figure vanished on the spot, as though he had disappeared into thin air. In truth, he had discovered the entrance.
The entrance could be activated by will. With a mere thought from Chu Feng, he passed straight through. To onlookers, it looked as though he had simply vanished into nothing.
"Truly wondrous place," Old Cat murmured, watching Chu Feng disappear. He pressed his cat paw against the wall, but couldn't sense a thing.
"There's nothing wondrous about the place — what's wondrous is Chu Feng. I already told him that even if there are benefits inside, they're meant for world spirits, not for him."
"But he still insists on going in. Is it really worth risking his life like that for a world spirit?"
Tao Wu still couldn't understand Chu Feng.
"You don't know him — Brother Chu Feng is a bit of a ladies' man. And all his world spirits happen to be beautiful women. Men, you know — there are plenty who'd throw away their lives for a pretty face."
"Since ancient times, even heroes can't resist the charm of a beautiful woman. Brother Chu Feng is a hero through and through, so naturally he's no exception."
Old Cat grinned as he spoke.
"What kind of explanation is that?"
Tao Wu looked at Old Cat. Though the reasoning was sound, the way he'd put it completely changed the impression. Tao Wu had originally thought Chu Feng was being loyal — risking his life for his world spirits out of sheer principle, a quality most people didn't possess. But the way Old Cat framed it, Chu Feng suddenly came across as a lecherous fool, and the whole thing felt different.
"Young men — they haven't learned the hard way about love yet. Getting caught up in feminine charms is perfectly normal. Us older folk, we know the only one you can truly rely on is yourself."
"Brother Tao Wu, forget about him. Let's get moving with our own business — where are we headed next?" Old Cat's eyes were practically gleaming as he asked.
After everything they'd been through, he had witnessed Tao Wu's true capabilities firsthand. He was now fully convinced that sticking with Tao Wu meant good things were in store, and his attitude toward the man had shifted dramatically.
"Just follow me. I can't promise anything else, but I can guarantee we'll keep going deeper."
With that, Tao Wu took to the air, leading Old Cat as they soared toward the Six Paths Spirit Realm Gate above.
Yet after Tao Wu and Old Cat departed, the space where Chu Feng had vanished trembled ever so slightly.
Chu Feng had already entered a stone cavern. The passage wound deep into the earth, and before long, a grand door came into view.
This door required solving — some kind of mechanism to open it. Chu Feng studied it carefully and found that neither his formation techniques, nor his Heavenly Eyes, nor even the Heavenly Master's Horsetail Whip could offer any assistance.
Then Chu Feng recalled the method of breaking formations that had been recorded on the key Xue Ji had taken from him earlier.
But there were no formations on this door at all — the method was clearly useless.
However, it didn't take long for an idea to strike him. If conventional methods wouldn't work, then perhaps unconventional ones would.
Perhaps Chu Feng could use the technique Tao Wu had taught him earlier — the method for discovering the hidden entrance to this place.
The technique did work, but it only revealed a sliver of the method for opening the door.
Chu Feng didn't give up. Instead, he focused his mind and contemplated. Gradually, he began to grasp the underlying principle, and more and more of the method revealed itself.
Once the entire method was mastered, he wouldn't need any formation techniques at all — a mere thought would be enough to open this door.
Roughly an hour later, with a thunderous boom, the grand door finally swung open.
Beyond it lay a vast hall.
The entire hall was suffused with the dense, unmistakable aura of the Asura Spirit Realm.
Taking in the sight before him, Chu Feng's eyes lit up with delight.
He could see that along the walls deep within the hall, countless stones were neatly embedded in neat rows.