The doors of the palace swung open, revealing the vast interior within.
Deep inside the great hall stood a barrier gate, and it was closed.
At the center of the hall sat an enormous flower bed, though the bed itself was empty.
Aside from the flower bed, the entire floor of the great hall was bare — conspicuously empty.
The walls of the hall were covered in intricate stone carvings that were complex yet undeniably beautiful.
But... there was no second door to be seen.
"Wasn't there supposed to be another door?" Fu Xing's brow furrowed as she fell into thought.
According to the clues she had obtained, this hall should contain another door — one that would lead to the hall where the black Fierce Beast resided.
Just then, Chu Feng stepped into the hall.
Hummm—
The moment his foot touched the floor, a formation ripple spread through the hall.
Immediately after, a withered tree rose from the flower bed at the center of the hall, and atop that tree sat a single purple fruit.
Seeing this, Fu Xing hurriedly stepped into the hall as well, and a similar formation ripple appeared for her.
Then, a second tree bearing a purple fruit rose from the flower bed.
ROOAAAR—
In the next instant, two furious roars echoed through the hall simultaneously.
The soil churned, and two colossal Fierce Beasts — each ten thousand meters long and three thousand meters tall — burst from the flower bed. Baring their fangs, they charged straight at Chu Feng and Fu Xing.
What made matters worse was that both radiated the aura of Sixth Grade Half God cultivators.
With beings of such enormity, every step they took sent the ground shaking.
Chu Feng and Fu Xing, standing before them, couldn't even be called ants — they were as insignificant as specks of dust.
Hummm—
But in the next moment, light blazed in all directions. A colossal sword ten thousand meters long and a colossal dragon of equal length appeared simultaneously.
The formations — one each laid by Chu Feng and Fu Xing.
The sword and the dragon each engaged one of the Fierce Beasts in battle.
The two fought independently, yet almost in the same instant, they effortlessly cut down both purple Fierce Beasts.
Though those two beasts possessed combat power on par with Sixth Grade Half God cultivators, they were simply no match for Chu Feng or Fu Xing.
After dying, the two beasts dissipated as wisps of flame, but the purple fruit did not vanish. Instead, it flew of its own accord toward Chu Feng and Fu Xing.
"This fruit seems to acknowledge its master," Chu Feng said after catching the fruit in his hand.
"That's quite fair — whoever slays the Fierce Beast earns the right to consume the fruit."
As she spoke, Fu Xing began eating her fruit without hesitation.
Seeing this, Chu Feng wasted no time either and swallowed the purple fruit in a few bites.
And just as Jie Ranqing had said, the purple fruit's enhancement to Mental Power was far beyond what any other fruit could offer.
Moreover, purple marks now appeared on both of them.
Compared to the other marks, these purple ones were on an entirely different level — like the gap between martial arts realms, unmistakably superior.
The marks gained from consuming just this single purple fruit far surpassed all the marks they had accumulated from the countless fruits eaten before.
But most importantly, both Chu Feng and Fu Xing could feel that their powers of comprehension had been dramatically enhanced.
The two of them quickly closed their eyes and focused their minds.
They wanted to make the most of this brief window of heightened comprehension, hoping to glean some additional insight.
"It's too short. If only it had lasted a bit longer." Chu Feng opened his eyes, a hint of regret in his voice.
"Indeed." Fu Xing opened hers as well, shaking her head with the same lingering sense of dissatisfaction.
Their comprehension had truly been amplified enormously, but unfortunately the duration was far too brief.
In such a short time, it was impossible to truly grasp anything of substance.
By now, the two also noticed that the barrier gate at the far end of the hall — the one that had been closed — had opened.
"Miss Fu, if we leave through that barrier gate, can we come back?" Chu Feng asked.
"We cannot."
"Are you planning to leave?" Fu Xing looked at Chu Feng.
"Of course not," Chu Feng replied.
"But staying here is pointless. There's no other door, which means there's no black fruit," Fu Xing said.
"Actually, there is one," Chu Feng said.
"Oh? Where?" Fu Xing asked.
"Wait for me here." Rather than explain, Chu Feng left the hall and flew back the way he had come at full speed.
When Chu Feng returned, he brought over the two thousand people who had been following him, including Xiao Yueyue.
Chu Feng had already explained the situation to them.
So upon arriving, they followed his instructions — two people standing side by side at the front, with the rest queuing up behind in rows.
"Young Master Chu Feng." Chu Shanshan stood at the very front alongside another woman, her gaze on Chu Feng carrying a touch of nervousness.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Once Chu Feng said this, Chu Shanshan and the woman beside her stepped into the hall together.
However, contrary to Chu Feng's expectations, no purple Fierce Beast appeared after they entered.
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances — this was not what Chu Feng had described.
According to him, stepping into the hall should have triggered the emergence of purple Fierce Beasts.
Those purple beasts would be beyond their ability to handle, and Chu Feng would step in to slay them. After that, they would be free to leave.