"What about that Bai Yunqing?" the Queen asked.
"Yeah, what about Bai Yunqing?"
Chu Feng looked around but couldn't see Bai Yunqing anywhere. Since the rock cave blocked spiritual perception, his observation range was limited, so he had no choice but to search deeper into the cavern.
After walking a distance, Chu Feng spotted someone crawling on the ground ahead in the cave — it was Bai Yunqing.
He was literally crawling, dragging himself along the floor while muttering to himself.
"Father, Mother, please don't leave me — don't leave me, okay? Yunqing isn't a monster, I'm really not a monster..."
Hearing this, Chu Feng knew Bai Yunqing must have also been trapped in the illusion formation. He walked closer and found that Bai Yunqing was crying profusely, snot and tears streaming down his face in equal measure.
This wasn't an act. This was genuine heartbreak and sorrow.
"Father, Mother, please don't go, don't leave me all alone. Mother... I'll be good from now on, I'll never fight with anyone again, please don't leave me..."
Bai Yunqing continued crawling and weeping, desperately begging for them to stay.
Watching the way he crawled, Chu Feng felt something stir inside him.
The motion didn't look normal — it was more like a small child who had been badly hurt, gravely wounded.
"What kind of past did Bai Yunqing go through?" Chu Feng sighed inwardly.
He wanted to help, but he knew there was nothing he could do. The illusion formation was too powerful — Bai Yunqing would have to break through it on his own.
But then, Bai Yunqing suddenly stopped wailing. He lifted his head and looked straight at Chu Feng.
Their eyes met.
"You're awake?" Chu Feng asked.
"Mm." Bai Yunqing nodded.
"Wipe your face." Chu Feng handed him a handkerchief.
Perhaps because he had just come through a different kind of ordeal and hadn't fully recovered from that emotional state, Bai Yunqing seemed much gentler than usual.
He pushed himself up, took the handkerchief, curled up in a corner of the cave, and slowly wiped the tears and snot from his face.
His mood was still very low.
"You heard that?" Bai Yunqing suddenly looked up at Chu Feng.
"Yeah, I just broke out of the formation myself. Heard a bit of it," Chu Feng said.
"Embarrassing you again, I see. Every last bit of my shame — you've seen it all." Bai Yunqing shook his head with a bitter smile, clearly feeling humiliated.
"That's not shame. My parents abandoned me when I was young too," Chu Feng said.
"You were abandoned too?" Bai Yunqing looked up at him.
"I wouldn't say abandoned. They did it to protect me."
"I don't know if your parents were the same way," Chu Feng added.
"No, I wasn't protected. I was thrown away. I'll never forget that day. They'd better hope I never find them — because if I do, I'll kill them."
As he spoke, Bai Yunqing stood up. The dejected look on his face was replaced by something fierce and vicious.
"This formation doesn't seem fully broken. Let's keep going." With that, Bai Yunqing strode deeper into the cave.
Chu Feng followed after him.
They continued along the cavern, and the passage grew steadily wider. Before long, the sound of rushing wind reached their ears, growing stronger by the second. There was even a faint pulling force beginning to emerge.
"Don't let your guard down — there's a powerful formation up ahead," Chu Feng said, glancing at Bai Yunqing.
"Relax. Who do you think I am? I'm Bai Yunqing, personal disciple of the Guest Grand Elder of the Totem Dragon Clan."
"Just worry about yourself," Bai Yunqing retorted.
Clearly, whatever emotional turmoil the illusion formation had stirred up had already dissipated, and he was back to his usual arrogant self.
"Chu Feng, is something wrong?" the Queen asked with some concern.
"It's a very powerful formation, but this cave blocks perception — I can't see through it. I'll need to get closer before I can make it out," Chu Feng said.
"The Heavenly Master's Horsetail Whisk is useless too?" the Queen asked.
"Useless. The Horsetail Whisk won't guide me here — I'll have to rely on myself."
"Don't worry, Egg. A formation like this can't stump me," Chu Feng reassured her.
With that, Chu Feng and Bai Yunqing advanced cautiously. The suction force grew stronger and stronger — if their cultivation hadn't been sufficiently powerful, they would have been yanked straight in.
And it wasn't just the pulling force they had to contend with. Within that terrifying suction, they could feel killing intent.
One wrong step, and they would die here.
"Stop. We need to make our assessment here, then set up the formation."
"Otherwise, we'll get sucked in," Chu Feng told Bai Yunqing.
"How am I supposed to assess anything or set up a formation here? I can't see a thing," Bai Yunqing said.
"Trust me — just stop. I'll handle the assessment." As he spoke, Chu Feng pressed his palm against the cave wall, then pressed his ear against it as well.
Since spiritual perception was useless, he would rely on other methods.
"There's an abyss ahead. A formation sits inside the abyss, and the suction force comes from it. If we want to get past, we need to set up a formation strong enough to withstand that suction."
"It has to be completely stable, and it also needs a counteracting force, because the suction from the abyss is going to be extremely powerful."
After explaining this to Bai Yunqing, Chu Feng began laying down the formation.
"That's it? Just that simple?" Bai Yunqing asked.
"Just that simple." Chu Feng kept working on the formation without even looking up. He wanted to finish as quickly as possible and get past this trial.
"I don't think it's that simple. Better figure it out for myself." With that, Bai Yunqing started walking forward.
"If you don't listen to the old man's advice, you'll suffer for it before your eyes. If you want to go ahead, at least set up a formation that can disperse the suction force first," Chu Feng called out, lifting his head in warning.
Bai Yunqing actually took this advice and laid down a formation capable of dispersing the suction force.
But the pulling force was far too strong. The hastily arranged formation could only reduce the suction — not neutralize it entirely.