In the Wilderness of an ordinary world within the Seven Worlds Heavenly River, the yellow sand suddenly churned violently, and two figures burst forth from beneath the earth.
They were two breathtakingly beautiful women. One wore a blue dress, her aura cold and aloof.
The other wore a white dress, her features adorable — and the wind chimes dangling from her waist lent her an especially playful air.
But neither of these women was to be trifled with.
The woman in blue was named Li Wu, the object of Bai Yunqing's admiration — though she held another identity as well: the black-furred ghost, wielder of the curse's power.
As for the woman in white, her name was Feng Ling, a renowned young prodigy of the Bloodline Heavenly River who had previously been invited to attend the Summit of Nine Heavens. It was precisely because Long Chengyu had been tailing Feng Ling that he had crossed paths with Chu Feng by chance.
"Woo-hoo! Not a bad haul this time. The Seven Worlds Holy Land isn't all that impressive, is it? They had such a treasure hidden right in their own territory, and they never even noticed."
"Really lucked out for us sisters."
Feng Ling beamed with delight, a hint of schadenfreude coloring her tone.
"Their current Spirit World Master — how capable could he really be? The Seven Worlds Holy Land is nothing but an empty reputation."
In Li Wu's words, she made her contempt for the Seven Worlds Holy Land perfectly clear.
"Sister, where should we go next?" Feng Ling asked.
"Naturally, we find a place to cultivate and properly refine what we obtained from that ancient tomb," Li Wu replied.
"Don't be such a bore! I want to try the delicacies of the mortal world first." Feng Ling latched onto Li Wu's arm and began to sway back and forth, putting on her best spoiled act.
Li Wu furrowed her brows, but then shook her head with a smile — a smile of startling beauty. "I can never say no to you. Fine, let's go."
With that, the two sisters took to the air, quickly leaving the desert behind. They found a city and selected a well-known restaurant.
The establishment was bustling, filled with martial cultivators and Spirit World Masters. Though their cultivation levels were generally modest, nearly all of them were discussing the same two topics.
One was the matter of the Totem Dragon Clan.
The other was Chu Feng.
Feng Ling and Li Wu couldn't care less about the Totem Dragon Clan, but the talk of Chu Feng piqued Feng Ling's interest.
"The Chu Feng you're talking about — is it this one?"
As she spoke, Feng Ling produced a portrait. It was none other than a likeness of Chu Feng.
"Yes, yes, yes! That's the one — that Chu Feng!" The person she had asked nodded vigorously.
"How do you know Chu Feng is dead?" Feng Ling asked.
"Well, miss, we can't say for certain, but by all logic, Chu Feng shouldn't have survived."
"Say what you will about the spotlight he stole that day, but the formation he activated was far too powerful."
"That was a grand formation laid by the Spirit World Immortal King — one capable of going toe to toe with the Seven Worlds Master himself!"
"Chu Feng may be remarkable, but there's no way he could have lived through that," the man declared.
And this sentiment was met with the near-unanimous agreement of everyone in the restaurant.
Chu Feng was dead. In the eyes of the world, this was an established fact.
"Hmph..." Feng Ling let out a soft snort, then said, "Well, that just shows how little you understand. You don't know Chu Feng at all."
"He's definitely still alive," Feng Ling declared.
"He cannot possibly be alive."
But just then, a voice rang out from a corner — tinged with a trace of anger.
Turning toward the sound, three figures sat in that corner, clad in gray hooded cloaks that concealed their features.
The one who had spoken seemed to be a young man.
"How do you know Chu Feng can't possibly be alive?" Feng Ling asked, tilting her chin up in a gesture of open defiance.
"I just know."
With those words, all three rose to their feet simultaneously and removed their gray cloaks.
The moment their true faces were revealed, everyone turned pale with shock. In the next instant, every single person in the restaurant — patrons and staff alike — fled in a panic.
For these three were members of the Seven Worlds Holy Land.
The very thing they had been discussing moments ago was the Seven Worlds Holy Land itself — and discussing the Holy Land's affairs right in front of its own people was an unforgivable offense.
And so, in the span of a heartbeat, only Feng Ling, Li Wu, and those three members of the Seven Worlds Holy Land remained inside.
"Oh, so you're from the Seven Worlds Holy Land."
"No wonder you're so certain Chu Feng is dead. You just can't stand losing face, so you really, really want him to be dead — isn't that right?" Feng Ling asked with a grin.
"What is your relationship with Chu Feng, that you speak so defendingly on his behalf?" the leading young man asked.
"Relationship? We're friends," Feng Ling said.
"Friends?"
At those words, the expressions of all three Holy Land members shifted.
They hadn't expected that anyone would dare declare themselves a friend of Chu Feng right to their faces.
"I've seen plenty of ignorant people, but someone as ignorant as you — this is a first."
"Do you truly have no fear of death?" the leading young man asked.
"Of course I fear death," Feng Ling replied.
"Then you still dare claim to be Chu Feng's friend?" The young man looked at her in bewilderment.
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Feng Ling asked.
"You—"
At those words, killing intent surged from all three members of the Seven Worlds Holy Land.