"Why are you here?" Chu Feng asked.
"Chu Feng, do you know what a Chosen One is?"
"I, Zhou Dong, am the Chosen One of this Ancient Realm. This final trial — it was all prepared for me," Zhou Dong declared.
Chu Feng realized that for Zhou Dong to have caught up so quickly, and alone at that, he must have had some other means.
But that wasn't the main point. The main point was that Bai Yunqing was now firmly in Zhou Dong's grasp — his life hanging by a thread.
"What do you want?" Chu Feng asked.
"Chu Feng, do you want your brother to live?"
"If you do, hand over that key and the bead containing the phenomenon," Zhou Dong said.
Chu Feng glanced at the white-haired woman. Of course he wanted to save Bai Yunqing, but everything in his possession wasn't won by him alone.
The white-haired woman understood what Chu Feng meant and said just three words: "You decide."
"I'll give them to you."
Seeing that the white-haired woman had agreed, Chu Feng didn't hesitate. He tossed the key and the bead containing the phenomenon toward Zhou Dong, but maintained control over them, stopping at a set distance from him.
He naturally wouldn't just hand them over outright — what if the other side refused to release Bai Yunqing?
"Release him," Chu Feng urged.
"Relax. I have no interest in this guy's life."
As he spoke, Zhou Dong flung Bai Yunqing toward Chu Feng and simultaneously flew toward the key and the phenomenon.
Zhou Dong had his own contingencies in place. If Chu Feng tried to renege now and prevent him from seizing the key, Bai Yunqing would meet a grim end.
Chu Feng saw through all of it, so he could only let Zhou Dong take the key and the phenomenon bead.
"Hahahaha…"
"Chu Feng, I really should thank you. Without you lot, I might not have passed the trial so easily."
Zhou Dong laughed triumphantly, the key and phenomenon bead now securely in his possession.
By this point, Bai Yunqing had safely landed in Chu Feng's hands.
Without a word, the white-haired woman charged straight at Zhou Dong.
"Heh…"
But facing the oncoming white-haired woman, Zhou Dong showed not a hint of fear. Instead, a faint smile crossed his lips, and a teleportation gate materialized behind him.
He turned and stepped through the portal, and the formation gate shut immediately behind him.
"How is that possible?!" The white-haired woman froze on the spot upon seeing the teleportation gate, then turned back to look at Chu Feng.
"The aura of that teleportation gate is identical to the formations here."
"I don't know what he went through, but he has definitely acquired the power of this place." Chu Feng's brow furrowed.
He had originally speculated that Zhou Dong was simply strong on his own — that he had not only shortened the duration of the medicinal effect but also broken through every mechanism along the way to reach this place.
But now it seemed things weren't that simple. The teleportation gate alone proved that Zhou Dong wielded power connected to this location.
That was very bad news indeed.
But Chu Feng knew that wild speculation wouldn't help, so he immediately freed the ropes that had been binding Bai Yunqing.
Once Bai Yunqing was released, he spoke at once: "Big Brother, I didn't say a thing. I didn't betray you. I don't even know why he knew so much about the key and the phenomenon."
"I believe you."
Chu Feng believed Bai Yunqing was telling the truth. After all, Zhou Dong had already mastered the power of this place — it wasn't hard to understand how he could know what Chu Feng and the others knew.
Boom—
Right at that moment, a piercing rumble thundered through the air. Moments later, a towering aura blanketed the sky above, swallowing even the countless stars overhead.
A powerful phenomenon shrouded everything within Chu Feng's group's field of vision.
"It's begun. I'm going after him."
The white-haired woman was about to give chase — she couldn't stomach letting this go.
"Don't." Chu Feng immediately stopped her.
"This phenomenon has no trace of an origin. It'll be nearly impossible to pinpoint his exact location."
"Besides, since he could open a teleportation gate like that, we have no idea what other powers he may possess. Engaging him rashly would be unwise," Chu Feng said.
"So we're just supposed to swallow our pride and let him take what he didn't earn?"
The white-haired woman's face was tight with frustration — not for herself, but for Chu Feng.
She understood clearly that of everyone who had made it this far, Chu Feng deserved the most credit, Bai Yunqing the second most, and she the least. In truth, she had been brought along by Chu Feng and Bai Yunqing.
She had long been prepared to hand over the rewards of this final trial.
But even if she were to give them up, she would have given them to Chu Feng and Bai Yunqing — never to that Zhou Dong.
"There's something I haven't told you," Chu Feng said.
"The key does require a phenomenon to activate it, but it doesn't have to be the phenomenon obtained from slaying beasts."
"We merged all our phenomena together because we were allies. But if you're rivals, then competition is necessary."
"And how do you compete? By seeing whose phenomenon is stronger." With these words, Chu Feng had already revealed where the opportunity lay.
If someone possessed a stronger phenomenon, it was entirely possible to reclaim the key.
"But going to hunt beasts now is clearly too late," Bai Yunqing said.
"Maybe not."
"But we're not hunting beasts."
As he spoke, Chu Feng sat cross-legged on the ground.
Seeing this, the white-haired woman and Bai Yunqing were both bewildered, but the Queen was overjoyed.
"Chu Feng, did it work?" the Queen asked.
"Right on time — now." As he spoke, Chu Feng produced the Dragon's Inner Core.
He had long since comprehended the method of breakthrough. All he had been lacking was a bit of martial force, and the Dragon's Inner Core, once refined, contained more than enough martial force to fill that gap.
If Chu Feng broke through now, it would summon a Heavenly Tribulation phenomenon.
And what phenomenon could possibly rival the one his breakthrough would produce?
After producing the Dragon's Inner Core, Chu Feng swallowed it in one gulp.
"Chu Feng, you can't refine the Dragon's Inner Core like that!" the white-haired woman urged hastily.
"It's fine. I know what I'm doing." Chu Feng gave a faint smile and closed his eyes.
Before long, dragon shadows began to coalesce around his body — the unmistakable aura of the Dragon's Inner Core.
The white-haired woman's eyes went wide as saucers, filled with utter disbelief.
She knew that the appearance of such dragon shadows and their accompanying aura meant the Dragon's Inner Core had been refined — completely and thoroughly refined.
But she had never heard of anyone being able to refine a Dragon's Inner Core this quickly. Not even the Totem Dragon Clan could manage it, let alone an outsider.
And yet, before her very eyes, Chu Feng had done exactly that.