Chu Feng projected his consciousness back to his physical body, and Bai Yunqing was already staring at him.
"How is it? Is that young lady doing better?" Bai Yunqing asked with concern.
Although he had been thrashed by Her Majesty the moment they first met, once he saw that she was willing to risk her life for Chu Feng, he had come to hold her in the highest regard.
"It helped."
"Oh right — do you know of any sects that were even more powerful than the Ancestral Martial Realm Sect before it?" Chu Feng asked curiously.
Although he said it didn't matter, he was genuinely curious deep down.
Whether it was the Ancestral Martial Realm Sect or the Seven Realms Sacred Residence, neither had been able to fully control this place. That largely pointed to one thing: the strength of this place's founder must have surpassed both the Seven Realms Sacred Residence and the Ancestral Martial Realm Sect.
As a Spirit World Master, Chu Feng was also curious about the history of Spirit World Masters, so he wanted to know what kind of force had created this place.
"From what I know, the first Spirit World Master force to rule the vast Martial Cultivation World in the current era was the Ancestral Martial Realm Sect. I've never heard of any other sect."
"Even if there were, they would have existed at the same time as the Ancestral Martial Realm Sect, and they were all suppressed by it," Bai Yunqing said.
"Is that so?" Chu Feng fell into thought.
"Big brother, why are you asking about this?" Bai Yunqing asked curiously.
"I have a feeling this place wasn't founded by the Ancestral Martial Realm Sect. It should have been created by some other force," Chu Feng said.
"So you think that before the Ancestral Martial Realm Sect, there was an even more powerful Spirit World Master force?" Bai Yunqing asked.
"Not necessarily before — it could have existed at the same time. Either way, whoever founded this place was incredibly strong," Chu Feng said.
Hearing this, Bai Yunqing drew a sharp breath, then looked deeply curious. "Could it be that there's something even stronger than the Ancestral Martial Realm Sect? But why is there no record of it?"
"Let's not dwell on that for now. Let's head out."
"Jie Yu and the others are probably getting anxious," Chu Feng said.
At the mention of Jie Yu and the others, a mischievous grin spread across Bai Yunqing's face. "They probably think we're dead, huh?"
With that, Bai Yunqing glanced at the crystals floating around the two of them.
His own crystal was radiating the power of the Imperial Dragon Rune.
But Chu Feng's crystal was even more impressive — it was emanating the power of the Sacred Dragon Rune, representing the pinnacle strength of a God Cloak.
That didn't necessarily mean the cultivation resources within the crystal had truly reached the level of the Sacred Dragon Rune. But it did prove that the concentration of resources was a symbol of tremendous power.
Chu Feng reached out and grasped his crystal in his hand.
"Big brother, why are you putting it away?" Bai Yunqing asked.
"To give them a surprise," Chu Feng said with a smile.
"Haha, good." Bai Yunqing caught on immediately and likewise tucked his floating crystal into his palm.
The two of them then stepped through the barrier gate.
Emerging from the gate, they returned to the foot of the mountain peak where they had first entered this place.
Jie Yu, the juniors of the Seven Realms Sacred Residence, and that old woman were all still there.
"They're actually not dead?"
Sure enough, the moment Chu Feng and Bai Yunqing appeared, one surprised voice after another rang out.
Even the old woman cast them an unexpected look.
It was as if Chu Feng and Bai Yunqing making it out unscathed was nothing short of a miracle.
"What's the matter? Looks like our being alive really disappointed you." Bai Yunqing smirked smugly, then turned to Jie Yu. "Jie Yu, take a look at your crystal and see how your haul measures up."
Although Jie Yu was quite surprised that Chu Feng and the other had made it out safely, he once again brimmed with confidence when faced with Bai Yunqing's provocation.
"What — you think you got lucky and that means you can beat me?"
He then waved his sleeve, and a crystal materialized before him. Like Bai Yunqing's, it radiated the power of the Imperial Dragon Rune.
"Oh, not bad — same level as mine?" Bai Yunqing said.
"Same level as yours? You wish."
Hearing this, the juniors of the Seven Realms Sacred Residence all burst out laughing, looking at Bai Yunqing like a clown.
This trial ground had certain techniques to it. Jie Yu was extraordinarily talented and had entered this place many times — he had long since perfected the art of cultivating here. On top of his already formidable Mental Power, he had also consumed a potent tonic to enhance his Mental Power before entering.
That was how he had been able to condense a crystal of that grade.
Bai Yunqing might also be a genius, but this was his first time here, and he had come completely unprepared. Naturally, there was no way he could have condensed a crystal on the same level as Jie Yu's.
"Open those dog eyes of yours and take a good look at this." As he spoke, Bai Yunqing opened his palm, and his crystal floated out.
The moment they saw it, everyone's eyes went wide.
After checking and double-checking, they confirmed that Bai Yunqing's crystal was the real deal.
He had… truly condensed a crystal on the same level as Jie Yu's — and its purity was actually even higher.
"How did you do that?" Jie Yu was also thoroughly shocked.
"Simple — I just kept releasing my Mental Power nonstop," Bai Yunqing said.
"You mean you filled every corridor leading to the final hall with your Mental Power?" the old woman asked.
"Of course. Otherwise, how could I have made it out alive?" Bai Yunqing said.
The old woman said nothing more, only scoffed dismissively — she believed Bai Yunqing was lying.
As a member of the Seven Realms Sacred Residence, she naturally understood this place well.
The devouring ability of those halls scaled with the number of people who entered, so there was no way to overwhelm them through sheer numbers. Filling those palaces was virtually impossible — in all the history of the Seven Realms Sacred Residence, no one had ever accomplished it. Moreover, anyone who stepped inside invariably came out looking utterly wretched, and some never made it out at all.
The old woman had never intended to harm Chu Feng and Bai Yunqing, but she certainly hadn't believed they would come out unscathed either.