Clang—
Clang—
From outside, peals of a bell echoed through the air.
"Right on schedule." Upon hearing the bell, Chu Feng let out a mocking laugh.
The time he had agreed upon with Lord Shuangyu had arrived.
But Chu Feng did not set out immediately, because Ling Sheng'er had not yet returned.
Chu Feng was in no rush, though. Lord Shuangyu's true target was Chu Feng, so as long as he was still here, she had no reason to fear him fleeing.
After waiting for a time, Ling Sheng'er finally returned.
But one could tell from her expression alone that the fruits of her trip had fallen short of expectations.
"Chu Feng, I asked everyone I could. No one knows where that barrier gate is — not a single person has even seen it."
Hearing this result, Chu Feng's brow furrowed slightly, realizing that getting through the barrier gate this time was likely impossible.
"Chu Feng, are you really going to go?" Ling Sheng'er asked. She still did not want Chu Feng to walk into the trap.
"Don't worry about me, Miss Sheng'er. Just watch my performance." Chu Feng smiled faintly, then strode out of the palace and soared in the direction the bell had rung.
Ling Sheng'er, cloaked in her concealment, trailed after him.
At this moment, Chu Feng could sense another hidden aura following close behind — naturally, it was the guard who had been stationed outside his palace gates all along.
This only proved how formidable Ling Sheng'er's cloak truly was. Even with the guard right on his tail, he had absolutely no inkling of Ling Sheng'er's presence.
"It seems rather far off. It sounded so close."
After flying for a time, Chu Feng let out a remark, having assumed the bell's source would be quick to reach.
But after soaring onward, he realized the place was quite distant indeed.
"It is far. It lies deep within this territory," Ling Sheng'er said.
"Miss Sheng'er, do you know what that place is?"
Chu Feng asked with curiosity. He figured that if the goal was simply to deal with him and Bai Yunqing, there was no need to go to such lengths.
Yet the fact that they had specifically chosen this location meant there had to be a reason behind it.
"That particular bell can only come from there."
"It's called the Land of Transformations, though we more commonly refer to it as the Land of Dueling."
"Truth be told, it is one of the more peculiar spots in this realm," Ling Sheng'er explained.
"What's so peculiar about it?" Chu Feng asked.
"As long as two people exchange blows there, it will trigger a celestial phenomenon. The stronger the phenomenon, the greater the talent of those fighting."
"Back then, when Lord Jie Ranqing sparred with my mother, it produced a phenomenon of intertwined black and red. The sight was truly astonishing."
"Of course, my mother was no match for Lord Jie Ranqing. He merely wanted to see what kind of phenomenon could be triggered, so he sparred with her for that purpose."
"But because my mother's strength was limited, that red phenomenon was essentially her ceiling — and nowhere near Lord Jie Ranqing's limit."
"Now do you understand why they chose that place?" Ling Sheng'er said.
"I get it. They want to squeeze every last drop of use out of me." Chu Feng chuckled.
"Exactly. Jie Zhou's talent is already quite good, and yours surpasses his."
"If the two of you fight there, it will undoubtedly trigger an extremely powerful phenomenon."
"And the strength of the phenomenon is generally attributed to the winner. So as long as Jie Zhou comes out on top in the end, everyone will believe it was his phenomenon alone."
"You would become nothing more than Jie Zhou's stepping stone."
"That's why I don't want you to go," Ling Sheng'er said.
"I already told you — just watch my performance." Chu Feng smiled.
"Chu Feng, what exactly are you planning?" Watching that smile of his, Ling Sheng'er could not help but ask.
Back when they first set out and she heard him say something like that, she had already guessed that Chu Feng must have some kind of plan — that he was not simply going to sit and wait for doom.
Now she was even more certain of that suspicion.
But if Chu Feng truly wanted to save Bai Yunqing, the best approach was to cooperate with Lord Shuangyu and her people. Otherwise he would only be bringing suffering upon himself. That was why she could not understand what he was thinking.