"What was that just now? An illusion?"
Jia Chengxiong furrowed his brow. Though he couldn't be certain, a sense of unease settled over him.
He didn't dwell on it for long, however—after all, he was afraid Chu Feng might catch up. So he could only press onward.
"Ah!!!"
But suddenly, Jia Chengxiong let out a sharp scream.
He realized that at some point, someone had appeared ahead of him. Upon a closer look, it was none other than Chu Feng.
"You—how are you here?" Jia Chengxiong stared at Chu Feng in disbelief.
"Why wouldn't I be here?" Chu Feng asked.
"Damn it—you cheated! Watch me overtake you!" As he spoke, Jia Chengxiong unleashed a movement martial art, determined to surpass Chu Feng.
But he found that it was utterly impossible to get past him.
He was going all out, yet when he looked at Chu Feng, the man wasn't only running backward—he looked completely at ease.
"You... what's going on with you?" Jia Chengxiong found it inconceivable. He couldn't even sense any martial power from Chu Feng. He couldn't fathom how Chu Feng could possess such terrifying speed without releasing even a trace of martial force.
"Idiot. Can't figure it out, can you?"
"Let me give you a hint."
As Chu Feng spoke, he opened his palm, and a wave of barrier power surged forth.
"You!!!"
"You're a God Robe Spirit World Master too!"
The moment he saw that barrier power, Jia Chengxiong's expression changed drastically. He finally understood why Chu Feng had such speed.
It turned out that Chu Feng was not only a Martial Ancestor powerhouse, but also a God Robe Spirit World Master—and his mastery of barrier arts actually surpassed his martial cultivation.
"You could have entered the Ancient Realm without any trouble, had you shown a bit of humility. I might not have bothered competing with you."
"Unfortunately, you were far too arrogant."
"Remember this—don't go provoking people so recklessly. You never know who your opponent really is."
While speaking, Chu Feng gave Jia Chengxiong a pat on the shoulder. Then his figure flickered, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished without a trace.
"Damn it!!!"
Watching Chu Feng disappear in an instant, Jia Chengxiong simply stopped in his tracks. He already knew he was no match for Chu Feng.
He would not be entering the Ancient Realm.
But the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Facing the direction where Chu Feng had vanished, he roared in fury.
"Go ahead and act cocky—you may have beaten me, but you can't beat my brother."
"If you dare enter the Ancient Realm, death is the only thing waiting for you."
Yet after letting out that furious shout, he felt even worse. He had received no response from Chu Feng, which made his threats feel utterly hollow—like throwing a punch into a cotton pillow.
"Chu Feng, if you make it out of the Ancient Realm alive, I will personally kill you with my own hands." Jia Chengxiong gritted his teeth and swore to himself.
As for Chu Feng, he never heard a word of Jia Chengxiong's ravings. Though his robe was only the White Dragon rank, Chu Feng's barrier combat power was comparable to a second-grade Half God. When it came to breaking formations, not even a Blue Dragon Spirit World Master was necessarily a match for him.
Before long, Chu Feng arrived at the end of the corridor. There... he found another barrier gate.
Just like the situation inside the red corridor, passing through this barrier gate would grant him entry into the Ancient Realm.
But Chu Feng didn't go straight through. Instead, he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.
In truth, ever since entering this corridor through the gate in the grand hall, Chu Feng had been sensing the Martial Dao.
His earlier judgment had not been wrong—this place truly did contain the Martial Dao. It simply didn't appear until after one passed through the grand hall.
That was why Chu Feng had let Jia Chengxiong go ahead without giving chase. He had been absorbing the Martial Dao along the way.
But later, he discovered that the further one went into the corridor, the richer the Martial Dao became.
That was why he had chased after Jia Chengxiong and advanced so rapidly—he wanted to reach the final stretch of the corridor as quickly as possible.
And sure enough, the Martial Dao here was far more concentrated than before. Though it still wasn't particularly powerful, Chu Feng wasn't about to let the opportunity slip by.
...
While Chu Feng was comprehending the Martial Dao, people had already begun passing through the corridor gate one after another, entering the Ancient Realm.
The Ancient Realm elder standing outside seemed to sense this.
"Everyone, I truly appreciate you coming here. However, I must take my leave first."
As he spoke, teleportation energy flickered around his body, and the next instant, he vanished.
Though the Ancient Realm elder had departed, the onlookers had no intention of leaving. After all, this iteration of the Ancient Realm was different from any before—they all wanted to know who would pass the final trial and obtain the Half God-grade Sacred Temple Bead.
Every so often, someone would glance up toward the heavens, but they dared not stare, lest they upset the existence above and be obliterated.
Upon the golden flames above, hundreds of enormous white cranes soared through the sky.
The cranes were colossal, their wingspans stretching ten thousand meters when fully extended. Upon their backs sat palace after palace, and from the palaces fluttered the banners of the Firmament Immortal Sect.