While everyone remained puzzled, Chu Feng himself was equally confused.
He hadn't released any power at all — that was merely a surface phenomenon.
And Chu Feng could sense that this power appeared to be emanating from his own body, but was actually the doing of the Zhou family elder.
"Young friend."
At that moment, a voice transmitted through the air reached Chu Feng's ears. It came from the Zhou family elder before him.
The elder was still in a comatose state, yet the voice transmission was unmistakably his.
"Senior, are you saying… you were never sick?" Chu Feng asked.
"You figured it out so quickly?"
"Indeed, I was never sick. I was only pretending."
"I wanted to see who would try to steal the treasures on my Ageless Peak while I was incapacitated."
"I also wanted to see how my descendants would perform."
"Now that my objectives have been achieved, I don't want anyone to know I was faking, so I'll use your hand to bring me back to consciousness."
"To repay you for this favor, I will provide you with a suitable reward," the Zhou family elder said.
"Senior, I'd like to know — where did you obtain that crystal stone?" Chu Feng asked through a voice transmission.
"You mean the Life Crystal?" the elder asked.
"Yes," Chu Feng said.
This was the first time he had learned the name of that treasure.
He had previously asked Zhou Yi, but even the Zhou family themselves didn't know what the treasure was called.
The Zhou family elder had never publicly revealed the crystal's name, only stating that it was an exceedingly rare treasure.
"Young friend, whom are you trying to save? You've already awakened one Life Crystal — isn't that enough?" the elder asked.
"I still need more," Chu Feng said.
"How many more do you need?" the elder asked.
"I can't say for certain. At least a hundred," Chu Feng estimated. With enough Life Crystals, he could restore the Queen.
But it had to be a sufficient quantity. He truly couldn't determine the exact number at this point.
"A hundred?" Hearing this number, the Zhou family elder's tone became somewhat surprised, and then he chuckled:
"Young friend Chu Feng, this isn't about saving someone — this is about bringing someone back from the dead."
"Senior, could you tell me where the Life Crystals can be found?" Chu Feng asked.
"That place is no simple matter. Let me think about it."
Once the elder's voice transmission ended, the power emanating from Chu Feng's body also began to cease.
In truth, it had been the elder's own technique all along. He was never sick — he had deliberately fabricated the illusion that Chu Feng had cured him.
And his technique was so powerful that even Daoist Long Six couldn't see through it, which spoke volumes about the Zhou family elder's strength.
No wonder that when he stood guard, no one dared to seize the Life Crystal.
Soon, the Zhou family elder woke up.
"Father!"
"Grandfather!"
The Zhou family patriarch, along with Zhou Yi, Zhou Zhi, and Zhou Shuang, all rushed forward.
They could tell that the elder had fully recovered — it was nothing short of a miracle.
"Young friend, was it you who saved me?"
The Zhou family elder looked at Chu Feng with an expression of gratitude.
"Heh, what a performance from this old man."
The Queen couldn't help but let out a laugh. She shared Chu Feng's senses, so even though the elder had been speaking through voice transmission, she heard every word clearly.
But this matter was known only to Chu Feng, the Queen, and the Zhou family elder. Everyone else genuinely believed that Chu Feng had saved the elder.
Even the four Daoists looked at Chu Feng with newfound respect.
A condition that even they had been powerless to treat — Chu Feng had cured it in the blink of an eye. What kind of ability was that?
"Young friend, my condition was supposedly incurable. How did you manage to save me?" the Zhou family elder asked, playing his part with great sincerity.
"I once came into possession of a treasure. The treasure transformed into a healing energy that merged with my body. I was simply trying my luck — I never expected it to be effective on you, Senior."
Chu Feng was a clever man and offered a plausible explanation on the spot.
The fact that he had been able to awaken the Life Crystal was already proof of his extraordinary abilities, so no one doubted his words.
The Zhou family elder took the opportunity to properly thank Chu Feng and ushered everyone out, leaving only Chu Feng behind.
With a wave of his hand, he set up a barrier that sealed the palace.
Looking at the barrier, Chu Feng was inwardly shaken. The Zhou family elder's strength was even greater than he had imagined.
Even outside, Daoist Long Six had furrowed his brows tightly.
"I'd always heard that the Zhou family elder was hiding his true power, but I never expected him to be this formidable."
"Good thing we didn't slaughter the Zhou family earlier. Otherwise, this old man might not have let us go."
Daoist Long Six remarked to his three brothers through a private transmission.
"Brother Six, what realm is this Zhou family elder at?"
The three asked through voice transmission.
"Among the nine of us, aside from Brother One and Brother Two, I'm afraid even Brother Three wouldn't stand a chance against him." When Daoist Long Six said this, Daoist Long Seven, Daoist Long Eight, and Daoist Long Nine all looked on with astonishment.
They knew full well how powerful their eldest and second brothers were. The two of them were among the very pinnacle of barrier technique masters across the entire vast cultivation world.
If only those two stood a chance, that spoke volumes about the Zhou family elder's level of strength.
"Young friend Chu Feng, could you return that compass to me?"
"It may not look like much, but it truly is a treasured heirloom of the Zhou family," the elder said with a smile inside the palace.
"This junior can tell that this object is a rare and precious treasure."
Chu Feng smiled. He had indeed recognized its value, and given the Zhou family's earlier attitude, he had actually been considering keeping it for himself.
But to Chu Feng, the Life Crystal was far more important — it could heal the Queen.
And it was clear that the Zhou family elder knew where the Life Crystals could be found, so he returned the compass.
"Go here to find it."