The two of them ventured deeper into the underground palace, passing through another barrier gate. At last, Chu Feng laid eyes upon the source of that evil aura he had been sensing.
It was a pool of black water, yet it roiled and churned like molten lava.
But upon seeing it, Chu Feng could confirm that this was merely a portion of the evil power, not the evil power itself.
Though this pool of black water possessed an unusual energy, it was not truly frightening.
The real evil power could never be something as simple as this.
"Get in."
Jietian turned to Chu Feng and spoke in a commanding tone.
"What is this?" Chu Feng asked.
"Don't play dumb. Can't you feel it?" Jietian replied.
"You… betrayed us?" Chu Feng shot back.
Jietian did not answer. Instead, he let out a strange smile, then opened his palm, and the mark upon it surfaced once more.
"Do you want to live?"
This threat from Jietian was, in truth, useless against Chu Feng.
The poison pill within his body could never take effect.
Yet Chu Feng complied all the same — after all, one had to play the part convincingly.
Splash, splash, splash—
The moment he stepped in, the black water began to churn violently. Chu Feng could feel an unusual energy starting to cling to his body.
Whoosh—
Jietian swept his great sleeve, and a sealing formation descended over the pool, trapping Chu Feng within it.
Having done this, Jietian said nothing and simply left.
"What on earth is this fellow up to?" the Queen said, thoroughly displeased.
Jietian gave off an incredibly arrogant air.
If he were arrogant toward others, the Queen couldn't care less.
But when he directed that same arrogance toward Chu Feng, it made her want nothing more than to slap his face into a pretzel.
"He probably wants me to enter the Star Thought Domain together with him," Chu Feng said.
"So this pool of water is what allows a formation master to enter the Star Thought Domain as well?" the Queen realized.
"Yes," Chu Feng said.
"Well, that's actually a good thing then. So has he truly defected? But what benefit did the evil power give him? He's not even from this place, is he?"
"The Star Thought Domain holds some secret or power of the Star Sea World."
"The evil power keeps sending people into the Star Thought Domain — and its goal is most likely that secret."
"Jietian came here in the first place for his own gain. The benefit the evil power offered him, I'd wager, is connected to whatever lies within the Star Thought Domain."
"And that is something the people here could never offer him."
"For a man like him, once he's found his advantage, principles go out the window," Chu Feng explained.
"That makes sense. But if that's the case, isn't Little Fishy in danger?" the Queen asked, a note of worry in her voice.
"Indeed. That girl will absolutely not stand by and watch Jietian do as he pleases."
"And with Jietian's methods, he has most likely already marked Little Fishy as a thorn in his side. The spar with her earlier — or what amounted to one — may well have been nothing more than a probe of her strength," Chu Feng analyzed.
"Then this guy is even more despicable than I thought," the Queen said.
"Rest easy. With me here, his schemes won't succeed," Chu Feng replied.
In truth, the tempering process Chu Feng underwent here would have taken only a single hour.
But Jietian did not return until the following day.
He gave Chu Feng a once-over, confirmed the tempering had been successful, and then released the formation sealing him in.
"Finally, one who's actually useful."
"Since that's the case, I'll broaden your horizons."
As Jietian spoke, he waved his great sleeve, and eighteen formation masters shot out from within.