"Chu Feng, did you observe anything?" Fu Xing asked.
"No, it's hard to determine," Chu Feng replied.
"What about the mark on your body? Did you hide it?" Fu Xing asked again.
"Yes." As Chu Feng spoke, his consciousness shifted, and the mark emerged on his skin.
Previously, Chu Feng had suspected he might have arrived in the Firmament Galaxy, so he had concealed the mark — not wanting anyone to discover his connection to the Nine Heavens Secret Land.
That was why even when he had been completely naked earlier, Xia Xingchen had not noticed the mark on his body.
"It seems we should leave." After restoring the mark, Chu Feng felt a twinge of regret.
Though he now commanded a portion of the Nine Heavens Secret Land's power, his understanding of it remained limited.
For instance, the mark — while Chu Feng could conceal it, its duration was not something he could control.
And this mark was the fundamental proof of his performance during this trial.
They had to leave before it faded, so they could present themselves to the Seven Worlds Holy Temple and prove what they had accomplished.
But leaving now meant they could no longer continue exploring the Nine Heavens Secret Land for the time being.
Still, the only regret was not having learned everything there was to know about the Nine Heavens Secret Land. Beyond that, it was fine.
After all, Chu Feng now knew the approximate locations of the teleportation gates to the Nine Heavens Secret Land, scattered across the various galaxies.
He didn't know the precise positions, but with approximate locations, he could always find them.
So Chu Feng could return here whenever he wished.
In the future, for long-distance travel, Chu Feng could even use the Nine Heavens Secret Land to cut his journey short.
For destinations that were far away, even those Galaxy Lords and top-tier experts with treasures that boosted speed still needed ten or even dozens of days to make the trip.
But for Chu Feng, as long as he could enter the Nine Heavens Secret Land, a single hour was enough to cross an entire galaxy.
And if the neighboring galaxies were close, it could be even faster.
Chu Feng then looked at Fu Xing. "The Seven Worlds Holy Temple had us step into this place not merely for a trial — they wanted to use us as well."
"After we leave, they will certainly interrogate us."
"If our answers deviate even slightly from their expectations, forget about receiving any treasures — we'd likely lose our lives."
"Then how should we answer?" Fu Xing asked.
"The fact that I took the Purple Demon Dagger must naturally remain unsaid."
"Just tell them that by the time we reached the altar, the Purple Demon Dagger was already gone — likely devoured by the altar itself."
"As for me, I simply re-deployed the sealing barrier to contain the altar."
"The details of how we defeated that being also need to be altered. We must not mention your weapon."
Chu Feng then described a plausible, tempered version of events — one that the Seven Worlds Holy Temple would have no reason to doubt.
"I've noted all of this. Is there anything else we need to conceal?" Fu Xing asked.
"Don't mention that I entered that mysterious giant gate. You can say we discovered the gate was extraordinary but had no idea how to open it."
"As for everything else, there's no need to hide anything — just tell the truth," Chu Feng said.
"Understood." Fu Xing grasped Chu Feng's reasoning.
The Seven Worlds Holy Temple certainly already possessed some knowledge of the Nine Heavens Secret Land.
If Chu Feng and Fu Xing had made it this far and then claimed to have found nothing, the Seven Worlds Holy Temple would be even less likely to believe them.
For anything that couldn't be revealed, it was far better to be honest than to deliberately hide it.
After reaching an agreement, the two headed out.
...
At that moment, in the mysterious land shrouded by seven-colored mist.
The man clad in black armor, despite possessing the voice of a ten-year-old child, still stood at the edge of the cliff.
"My Lord, Chu Feng has returned from the Star Gate."
The black-armored man reported to the depths of the cliff, his voice still tender and childlike.
"Teleported back? Did he say anything?" A massive, rumbling voice echoed from the depths of the cliff.
"He did speak with Fu Xing. He said he was teleported to some place and had a difficult time getting out. He also guessed that the Nine Heavens Secret Land is a teleportation array — though it may have been damaged by someone."
"As for everything else — those were simply his rehearsed words for dealing with the Seven Worlds Holy Temple after leaving here. Nothing to do with our Nine Heavens Secret Land itself."
"Is he leaving?" the massive being asked.
"Yes. They came here as part of a trial organized by the Seven Worlds Holy Temple. The trial determines results based on the strength of the marks, and his mark is fading," the black-armored man said.
"I see," the massive being said.
"My Lord, there is something I do not understand."
"If Chu Feng was able to open the Star Gate, he should have been qualified to enter the Ruler's Land."
"Why, then, does he only have a guess about the Nine Heavens Secret Land rather than certainty?"
"Could it be that he failed to inscribe his name on the Ruler's Stone Tablet?" the black-armored man asked.
"With Chu Feng's talent, under normal circumstances he absolutely should have been able to inscribe his name on the Ruler's Stone Tablet."
"Unfortunately, the main Star Gate of the Ninth Galaxy was completely destroyed, and the main Star Gates of the other eight galaxies were affected as well."
"This caused the Ruler's Stone Tablet to sustain damage as well."
"Otherwise, Chu Feng would have been the first person of this era to inscribe his name on the Ruler's Stone Tablet."
The massive being's tone carried a hint of regret.
"But has not Lady Shenmo been repairing the Star Gates and the Ruler's Stone Tablet this entire time?"
"How much longer will the repairs take?"
"Could it truly be that they can never be fully restored?"
Though the black-armored man's voice was youthful, it was filled with worry — he deeply cared about the future of the Nine Heavens Secret Land.
"That girl? She merely happens to possess a pair of Three Realms Divine Eyes — what can one expect from her?"