"Senior, what exactly did this Chu Xuanyan do to you?" Chu Feng asked.
"What did he do? He not only stole my treasures, but also tortured me, tried to kill me, and even… towards me…"
"What did he do to you?" Chu Feng pressed.
"Don't worry about that. Anyway, if I hadn't been lucky, I'd be dead by now. Would you say that's evil enough?" Xia Xingchen asked.
"Evil indeed." Chu Feng agreed on the surface, but inwardly he had his doubts. His father couldn't be a bad person — at least not someone who bullied the weak.
Unless Xia Xingchen herself was a bad person, in which case his father going against her would make perfect sense.
Or perhaps Xia Xingchen was lying, slandering his father.
"Then Senior, how did you two meet?" Chu Feng asked again.
In truth, Chu Feng wasn't all that concerned about Xia Xingchen's affairs.
He simply wanted to know more about his father.
"Why are you so curious? Do you really not know this Chu Xuanyan?"
Xia Xingchen narrowed her eyes, regarding Chu Feng with suspicion.
"I really don't. It's just that since Senior says he's your enemy, I thought I'd learn a bit more about him."
"So that if I run into him someday, I can help Senior get revenge." Chu Feng said.
"Revenge? With a little brat like you? Don't bother, hahaha."
Xia Xingchen suddenly burst into laughter, clutching her belly as though it were the funniest thing she had ever heard.
"Senior, is Chu Xuanyan really that strong?"
"What cultivation realm is he at?" Chu Feng asked again.
He wanted to know more about his father, even though he knew his father's current cultivation was surely different from back then. He just couldn't help himself.
He was simply curious — curious about everything about his father.
"Stop asking. You're still too young. Cultivate for a few hundred more years, and maybe you'll have a sliver of a chance."
Xia Xingchen spoke again. While her words offered Chu Feng a trace of affirmation, they were far more a testament to his father's strength.
It seemed that whether friend or foe, Xia Xingchen acknowledged Chu Feng's father's power.
"Oh right, weren't you trying to get into that stone palace? If I'm not mistaken, you want to learn the Ancient Meditation Technique inside, don't you?"
"The Ancient Meditation Technique? That's what's hidden deep inside the stone palace?" Chu Feng didn't beat around the bush and asked directly.
"Yes, it's called the Ancient Meditation Technique. It's said that if a Spirit World Master can master it, it will greatly aid their future cultivation."
"If you want to go in, I can help you open that stone door and let you reach the depths of the palace."
"But you'll need to do me a favor in return," Xia Xingchen said.
"Please tell me, Senior," Chu Feng said.
"You're a junior, correct?" Xia Xingchen asked.
"Yes," Chu Feng answered.
"Then, being a junior, we can talk about cooperation."
"You want to enter the stone palace, right? Actually, I want to enter it too. Deep inside that palace, there's not only the Ancient Meditation Technique, but also a special formation. That formation can expel the poison from my body and restore my power."
"However, I need your help, because if a junior assists in activating it, the formation's power will be enhanced."
"It's just that this process involves some pain, and you'll have to bear it."
"But you're a grown man — surely you can handle a little pain?" Xia Xingchen asked.
"When it comes to pain, I can endure quite a bit." Chu Feng wasn't boasting — when it came to willpower, he was absolutely confident.
"So activating the formation shouldn't be difficult for you. But if you do me this favor, there's also a potential risk," Xia Xingchen said.
"A potential risk? Senior, you might as well speak plainly," Chu Feng said.
"Once the grand formation is activated, I will gain the power of the stone palace and merge with it."
"But you won't. You'll remain inside the stone palace, and due to the formation's restrictions, you won't be able to leave until it finishes."
"To put it simply, if the formation activates successfully, I will disappear, and you'll be trapped inside the stone palace, fully exposed."
"The one who just attacked me — that was my handmaiden. She isn't qualified to enter the stone palace, nor does she know how to get in."