"What is that?"
Outside the Painter Mountain, the crowd had already retreated to a safe distance. Yet as they watched the dark purple aura continuously surging from within the Hall of Equality, threatening to burst outward, unease still gripped them all.
The cowardly had already fled. Those who remained were, in truth, the bold ones — but even they had prepared themselves to flee at a moment's notice.
They all sensed that the dark purple aura was an omen of ill fortune.
Even the Formation Painting Master's complexion had grown increasingly grim, and so everyone concluded that the Formation Painting Master might not be able to control this thing.
In truth, that was exactly the case. The Formation Painting Master currently had absolutely no confidence in controlling the situation.
"Damn it — who is behind this?"
The Formation Painting Master seethed inwardly, but there was nothing he could do. As the current master of the Hall of Equality, he understood better than anyone what was happening right now.
If the sealed entity inside the hall broke free, not only would he die — everyone present would die as well.
Yet while this dark purple aura was terrifying, it did not belong to the sealed entity itself. Rather, it had come to liberate it.
This… was undoubtedly the work of a person.
Someone intended to release the sealed entity.
…
Inside the hall, ever greater volumes of the dark purple aura were pouring in. At the main gate in particular, a bizarre pattern had materialized.
The pattern resembled a formation yet was not one — but it was far from insignificant. The scroll affixed to the gate, inscribed with a sealing formation, was being burned away.
And so, more and more of the dark purple aura surged through the gateway.
As the dark purple aura accumulated in greater and greater density, its power grew correspondingly stronger. The grand scroll formation at the center of the hall, composed of numerous scrolls, was gradually losing its suppressive force.
Though it shattered vast quantities of the dark purple aura, a small portion still slipped through.
And every tendril of dark purple aura that breached the scroll formation seeped directly through the inner gate deep within the hall.
However, as that dark purple aura seeped inward, the gate trembled ever more violently — and faintly, a sound could be heard.
It was a roar. Not the roar of some savage beast, but something closer to the wail of a vengeful spirit. In any case, it was deeply unsettling.
"Chu Feng, this isn't good — can you think of some way to get out of here?" the Queen asked.
She had heard the sound as well, and from that alone she could judge that whatever was sealed behind that gate was something supremely evil.
"That gate has been sealed. I can't get out," Chu Feng said.
"Elder, how is your recovery coming along?" Chu Feng posed this question inwardly, to the Divine Deer.
In a situation like this, only the Divine Deer could help him.
"This deity has not yet recovered enough to assist you. Figure something out yourself." The Divine Deer gave its answer, but that answer extinguished any hope Chu Feng had of escaping.
Afterward, Chu Feng made a bold move — he actually walked toward the gate that sealed the evil entity.
Upon seeing this, the Queen did not ask questions. She knew Chu Feng must have his own reasons.
Arriving before the gate, Chu Feng first condensed a formation and infused it into his ear, then pressed his ear against the trembling gate.
Chu Feng had already used his Heavenly Eyes, but they could not see through this gate. Fortunately, the gate could transmit sound.
He intended to use the sound to gauge the situation inside.
"As we suspected, there is something truly terrifying in there — but I cannot determine exactly what it is."
"Right now, however, it is in a state of frenzy, consumed with rage — and it became even more enraged only after those purple flames entered." Chu Feng reported.
"Why would that be? Weren't those flames sent to rescue it?" the Queen asked.
"Rather than rescuing it, it seems more like they came to dominate it," Chu Feng said.
"Oh? So someone intends to take control of this sealed evil entity?" the Queen asked.
"That appears to be the case," Chu Feng said.
"Then why hasn't the Formation Painting Master returned yet?" the Queen asked.