"Golden Armor City, Jade Water Palace, Fire Lin Hall, and Curse Earth Gate?!"
Upon hearing the names of these four powers, everyone was stunned.
"These four forces…"
"I understand now." Baili Xuankong had also been dazed for a long while. After recovering, he let out a sigh and said: "Golden Armor City, Jade Water Palace, Fire Lin Hall, and Curse Earth Gate — I hadn't heard of them."
"But my Master once told me that the founding ancestor of Azure Mountain had his reasons for naming it as such."
"And as far as I know, among the Nine Powers, only our Azure Mountain and those four forces possess Ancient Ruins."
"I never would have thought — none of this was coincidence. The forces of our Nine Powers have been harboring a secret tied to an ancient-era treasure." Baili Xuankong was deeply excited. This was truly beyond his expectations, yet now that he knew, everything clicked into place.
"That's right. No one would have guessed that the Nine Powers were connected to the secret techniques, given how far apart they are." In truth, Weapon Refining Immortal and the others were equally surprised.
"Chu Feng, how do we obtain those four insignias?" Measureless Immortal asked.
"Easy enough. Have you all memorized the formation I've set up?" Chu Feng asked.
"That formation is too simple — I memorized it after a single glance," Snow Hair Immortal said.
"Chu Feng, is it like this?" Nangong Longjian set up a formation identical to the one Chu Feng had deployed. Although his barrier arts had not reached the level of Dragon Vein rank like Chu Feng and the others, he was still an Imperial Robe Spirit World Master, and this formation was no challenge for him.
"That's right — that very formation," Chu Feng said.
"No other methods needed? Just this?" Nangong Longjian asked.
"No other methods required. Simply enter the Ancient Ruins, deploy this formation, and the insignias will manifest," Chu Feng said.
"In that case, it's quite simple. Let us split up now and head to Golden Armor City, Jade Water Palace, Fire Lin Hall, and Curse Earth Gate to retrieve the insignias," Measureless Immortal said.
"But the Ancient Ruins are forbidden grounds. We can't simply walk in and take them, can we?" Snow Blade Maniac said. Despite his typically domineering manner, he was actually a reasonable person.
"In truth, it's simple. The relationship between those four forces and our Azure Mountain is no longer what it once was. We still carry some weight with them."
"As long as I write a letter explaining the situation, they should agree," Baili Xuankong said.
"Then why not write it now?" Snow Hair Immortal urged.
Without delay, Baili Xuankong went to compose the letter and prepared Azure Mountain's unique Azure Wood Token.
In the end, it was decided that Nangong Longjian, Snow Blade Maniac, Baili Xuankong, and Dugu Xingfeng would each travel to one of the four forces to retrieve the insignias.
As for why Chu Feng and Weapon Refining Immortal weren't going — the journey was far and would take considerable time, and Chu Feng did not want to waste any. He wished to set up the grand formation capable of withstanding a peak Martial Emperor as soon as possible, to protect Azure Mountain.
"Chu Feng, are you absolutely certain that deploying that formation within the Ancient Ruins will grant us the insignias?" Before departing, Nangong Longjian asked once more for confirmation.
"I am absolutely certain," Chu Feng said with conviction.
"Does that mean once we collect all the insignias, we can unlock the secret of the secret techniques?" Snow Hair Immortal asked.
"They can only be unlocked once they are fused into my body," Chu Feng said.
"So that's how it is." Everyone nodded, reassured.