"My master's surname is Huangfu, and he is a close friend of Senior Qiushui. That's all I can reveal, but if you pass along my message to Senior Qiushui, she will immediately know who my master is."
Chu Feng had come prepared. If he wanted to meet Qiushui Fuyan, he needed to establish a connection to Huangfu Haoyue. That was why he had deliberately claimed Huangfu Haoyue was his master—only by doing so could he increase the chances that Qiushui Fuyan would agree to see him.
After hearing Chu Feng's answer, Jiang Wanshi's expression shifted slightly. Her gaze toward Chu Feng grew complicated, as if she had realized something. Then she said, "Junior Brother Chu Feng, my master is truly not here. Perhaps you could come back some other time."
Jiang Wanshi didn't seem to be lying, so Chu Feng asked, "Senior Sister Jiang, do you know where Senior Qiushui has gone?"
"My master went to the Boundless Blood Sea," Jiang Wanshi replied.
"The Boundless Blood Sea? Where is that?" Chu Feng asked curiously.
"Could it be that Junior Brother Wuqing isn't from the Eastern Sea Region? Otherwise, how could you not know about the Boundless Blood Sea?" Jiang Wanshi raised her slender brows, a hint of surprise appearing in her eyes.
"To be honest, Senior Sister Jiang, I'm not from the Eastern Sea Region. I came here solely to visit Senior Qiushui," Chu Feng said with a smile.
"That explains it, then. The Boundless Blood Sea is a sacred cultivation ground, especially effective for tempering cultivators below the Martial Lord realm."
"That's why the Boundless Blood Sea is always packed with Heaven Martial cultivators training there. But recently, a monster has appeared in the Boundless Blood Sea."
"A monster?!"
"Yes. They say the monster kills without mercy, appears and disappears at will, and uses cultivators for its own cultivation. It's caused widespread panic. Two seniors from our Yuanyang Terrace happened to pass by the Boundless Blood Sea. When they heard about it, they went to capture the monster and rid the people of the threat."
"However, the monster's strength far surpassed theirs. One was brutally killed, and the other managed to escape by sheer luck, though she was gravely wounded."
"After returning to Yuanyang Terrace, she told my master about it."
"Normally, my master wouldn't bother with such matters. But the deceased senior happened to have a small connection with her, and my master didn't want her to die unjustly. So she decided to eliminate the monster and left for the Boundless Blood Sea early this morning. Junior Brother Wuqing, I'm truly sorry—you arrived just a step too late."
"If you had come a day earlier, you could have seen my master," Jiang Wanshi said with genuine regret.
"So that's how it is. Do you know when Senior Qiushui might return?" Chu Feng pressed.
"I'm not sure. It could be a few days or several months. Master is very spontaneous—even after dealing with the monster, she might not return directly to Yuanyang Terrace."
"If you truly have urgent matters for my master, you could try going to the Boundless Blood Sea. The ancient teleportation array outside Yuanyang Terrace can take you there directly. Perhaps you'll run into my master," Jiang Wanshi suggested.
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister Jiang. I did come here with urgent business, so I won't trouble you any longer. I'll take my leave now." Chu Feng smiled faintly and turned to leave.
"Senior Sister, he said his name is Wuqing. Do you think that's really his name?" After Chu Feng left, Sun Yihan blinked her large eyes and asked curiously.
"Real name or not, he's incredibly impressive. To have that level of cultivation at his age is already remarkable, but to have also formed a contract with a spirit from the Asura Spirit Realm—his master must be someone extraordinary," another young woman said.
At that moment, Jiang Wanshi was staring in the direction Chu Feng had left, silent for a long time, as if lost in thought. Suddenly, her expression changed—her slender brows furrowed, worry flashing across her face. She quickly turned to her sisters and said, "Watch over things here. I'll be right back!"
With a swoosh, Jiang Wanshi's graceful figure shot into the air. Her robes fluttered behind her as she vanished above the sea of flowers.
"You all stay here. Don't follow me." Seeing this, Sun Yihan's large eyes darted around as if she had figured something out. Then, with a triumphant smile, she leaped up and chased after Jiang Wanshi.
Outside Yuanyang Terrace, Chu Feng was heading toward the ancient teleportation array. Since Yuanyang Terrace was a restricted zone, very few people visited despite its fame. Along the way, apart from the rather beautiful scenery, not a living soul could be seen.
"Come out. There's no point sneaking around and following me." Suddenly, Chu Feng stopped in his tracks and turned around with a smile, casting his gaze behind him.
No sooner had he spoken than two figures darted out, one cutting off his path in front and the other blocking his retreat. They turned out to be Xue Jian and Xue Yi. But now, cold smiles played across their faces, their eyes filled with killing intent—they had come with clear malicious purpose.
"You really are petty. You lost two middle-grade martial medicines and now you're tailing me, wanting to kill me for revenge?" Chu Feng had noticed the two of them from the very beginning and knew exactly what they were planning.
"So you spotted us early on. And instead of running back to Yuanyang Terrace for help, you kept going. Are you just overconfident that you can get away, or are you stupid enough to have forgotten to ask for help?" Xue Yi coldly sized up Chu Feng, his eyes filled with both hatred and mockery—but more than anything, envy.
"Neither. I figured I could use your little ambush to eliminate a future threat. Not that either of you qualifies as much of one, though," Chu Feng said with a smile, his demeanor making it clear he didn't consider them worth worrying about.
"Heh, your mouth is as arrogant as ever. But I'll admit, you have reason to be. Honestly, if it weren't for your connection with those girls, I'd actually want to be friends with you."
"But since you're friends with them, I have no choice but to kill you. Otherwise, if someone like you keeps growing, I doubt you'd spare us brothers the next time we meet." Xue Jian fixed his gaze on Chu Feng as he spoke. Having fought Chu Feng before, he wasn't as recklessly arrogant as Xue Yi—instead, he showed a degree of caution.
"Enough talk. I've got places to be. If you two are tired of living, then hurry up and hand over your lives."
Suddenly, Chu Feng's expression turned cold. His eyes flashed, and his aura surged violently. In the blink of an eye, his cultivation jumped from the Heaven Martial 6th Stage to the Heaven Martial 9th Stage.
"You… you… you were hiding your cultivation!" Feeling the sudden shift in Chu Feng's aura, Xue Yi's face drained of color. His earlier arrogance had vanished entirely, replaced by a bottomless terror. At such close range, he could clearly feel just how terrifying Chu Feng's aura was—it was a pressure he had never encountered before in the Heaven Martial realm, possibly even stronger than a First-rank Martial Lord.