According to Bai Yunqing's martial uncle, Ageless Peak was managed by someone known as Old Man Zhou.
And Old Man Zhou had placed a supreme treasure capable of storing the healing power of a Spirit World Master at the very summit of Ageless Peak.
No one knew what this treasure was called.
However, anyone could come here and challenge it, and as long as they managed to awaken the treasure, they could take it away.
So Ageless Peak was supposed to be open to all.
But what Chu Feng could see now was a powerful protective array that had sealed the peak off — and it was no weak formation. It was one that even Chu Feng couldn't break.
With this array in place, Chu Feng had no way to ascend Ageless Peak, let alone awaken the treasure.
Fortunately, there were still a handful of people scattered about at the base of the peak.
Some of them were speaking in hushed voices, and although they kept their volume low, Chu Feng could still hear them clearly.
"Old Man Zhou's reputation has been completely ruined by his useless descendants."
"Even if Old Man Zhou doesn't die of illness, he'll be angered to death by them."
Several elders muttered among themselves, their words laced with blame toward Zhou's descendants.
Seeing that they knew what had happened, Chu Feng walked over. "Excuse me, seniors — might I ask what's going on with Ageless Peak? Why has it been sealed off with a protective array?"
"Young friend, are you from out of town?" one of the elders asked.
"I am, senior. I heard that Ageless Peak holds a treasure that can be claimed by anyone who awakens it, so I came to give it a try," Chu Feng said.
"Don't bother. Go home." The elders spoke in unison.
Hearing this, Chu Feng's brow furrowed slightly. He could tell something was wrong.
But he had come here specifically for that treasure. Telling him to leave — how could he agree to that?
"Seniors, has the treasure been taken by someone?" Chu Feng asked.
"No, it's just that Ageless Peak can no longer be directly challenged. It's all thanks to those useless descendants of Old Man Zhou — they've destroyed his reputation," the elders said.
"Who says Ageless Peak can't be challenged?"
Just then, a woman's voice suddenly rang out. Looking up, Chu Feng saw a woman hovering in the air, her cold gaze directed toward where he and the others stood.
At the sight of her, the elders' faces filled with fear. They dispersed immediately, retreating into the distance.
Only Chu Feng remained standing in place.
He looked up and studied the woman.
She appeared quite ordinary in looks. Though her face seemed youthful, she was likely several hundred years old.
However, the token hanging at her waist caught Chu Feng's attention — it was the token of the Zhou clan.
"Young lady, might you be a descendant of Old Man Zhou?" Chu Feng asked.
"I am a member of the Zhou clan. Old Man Zhou is my grandfather. You've come here to challenge our clan's treasure atop Ageless Peak, haven't you?" the woman said.
"I'd like to give it a try," Chu Feng said.
"That treasure can still be challenged — the process is just a bit more troublesome now."
"If you wish to challenge it, you must first break this array." As she spoke, the woman waved her sleeve and tossed a small box toward Chu Feng.
Just as the box was about to reach him, the woman formed a hand seal. The box immediately burst apart into wisps of energy and transformed into an array formation.
Chu Feng could tell at a glance that this was no ordinary array. It was one that tested one's array-breaking skills rather than raw barrier power — a formation designed to hone one's techniques in deploying arrays.
For most people, it would be extremely difficult to crack. But for Chu Feng, it was a simple matter.
After all, Chu Feng had inherited Lord Qinjiu's legacy. What he excelled at most now was precisely array-breaking techniques.
"You can give it a try. If you manage to break this array, I'll tell you what you need to do next."
"If you can't… you can come back and try again some other time. By then, you may be able to ascend Ageless Peak directly."
Though the woman said this, her expression made it clear she harbored no real expectations for Chu Feng.
She was merely giving him a chance — but she certainly didn't believe he could actually break this formation.
Meanwhile, a series of secret voice transmissions reached Chu Feng's ears.
"Young friend, don't bother breaking it — that array can't be broken. It was left behind by Old Man Zhou himself."
"His own descendants can't even crack it, yet they ask you to try? Isn't that just bullying you?"
"Don't let these people use you. What Old Man Zhou's descendants are doing goes entirely against his wishes."
These secret transmissions came from the very same elders. Though they had retreated into the distance, they hadn't truly left.
Chu Feng understood their warnings came from goodwill, but he had come here for that treasure, and he certainly wouldn't give up easily.
Without another word, he unleashed his barrier power.
"The White Dragon Divine Robe?!"
The moment Chu Feng released his barrier force, both the Zhou woman and the nearby elders saw their expressions shift.
None of them had expected Chu Feng to possess such formidable barrier techniques.
And what Chu Feng did next left them even more incredulous.
With nothing more than a casual wave of his hand, he deployed an array-breaking formation. With a pulse of energy, a beam of light shot forth and shattered the woman's array in an instant.
"He broke it?"
"He broke it that easily?"