At that moment, Chu Feng was piloting the space warship toward the Gate of Transformation. This rescue operation had already reached its final stage—all the space warships had ceased rescue efforts and were heading toward the Gate of Transformation.
It was said that traces of the Dark Hall Master had been discovered in one of the Ancient Elves' territories. Fortunately, the Ancient Elves there had already relocated, or things would have been truly devastating.
Because that Ancient Elf territory had been reduced to nothing but ruins—not only was it utterly destroyed, but the marks left behind were too horrible to behold.
So now, it was clear that the Dark Hall Master had begun to make his move. Even though many factions and people had yet to be rescued, they could only stop here.
Since every pilot of a space warship would receive a Royal Seal from the Elven King, all the space warships were now making their way toward the Gate of Transformation.
And at full power, Chu Feng's strength was that of an Eighth-rank Martial Emperor, so this particular space warship was extraordinarily fast.
Right now, the Spirit World Immortal, the Alliance Leader of the Spirit World Masters, and Sima Ying—along with others close to Chu Feng—were all dumbfounded.
First, they had not expected that during the time they had been running the great array and withdrawing from worldly affairs, so many things had happened in the Martial Sacred Land. It had even reached the point where the Sacred Land faced a catastrophic calamity.
But most importantly, they were stunned by Chu Feng's current strength. None of them had imagined that in such a short time, Chu Feng would have grown to such a level.
"My lord, may I ask what realm Young Friend Chu Feng has reached?" Out of curiosity, the Alliance Leader of the Spirit World Masters asked the Spirit World Immortal.
At his question, Sima Ying and the others all turned their gazes over. Chu Feng was piloting the warship, so they felt awkward about disturbing him, yet they truly wanted to know his cultivation level. Thus, they could only place their hopes on this Spirit World Immortal—after all, he was one of the Martial Sacred Land's Ten Immortals and the strongest member of their Spirit World Masters Alliance.
"I'm not certain, but in my view, in the current Martial Sacred Land, there are fewer than ten people who could even be mentioned in the same breath as Young Friend Chu Feng," the Spirit World Immortal said.
"Hssss—"
At that moment, everyone involuntarily sucked in a breath of cold air and looked at Chu Feng once more. Memories of the past surged to the forefront of their minds.
For most of them, it was manageable. But for Sima Ying and those who had personally witnessed Chu Feng when he was still incredibly weak, the emotions in their hearts were truly mixed—complex beyond words.
They had all made progress, yet they were still juniors, unable to compare with their elders.
But Chu Feng—this person who once had the same strength as them, who had even been weaker than them—had now grown into a super powerhouse so formidable that even the Spirit World Immortal of their own Alliance could not see through his true level.
"Grandpa Miao, don't you think we're witnessing the rise of an emperor?" Sima Ying asked Miao Renlong with a beaming smile.
"I don't think so," Miao Renlong replied with a shake of his head and a grin.
"Why? Is Chu Feng's strength not enough to call him an emperor?" Sima Ying asked, puzzled.
"No." Miao Renlong shook his head again. "What I mean is—it's not just you witnessing the rise of an emperor. It's all of us."
"Grandpa Miao, you're too mean—teasing me like that!" Sima Ying burst into laughter at his words, her smile as radiant as ever, just like those years ago.
But suddenly, her gaze drifted back to Chu Feng, looking at his silhouette as it stood before her, and her smile froze.
Though in her heart she had always considered Chu Feng her closest friend, in this moment she suddenly felt a sense of strangeness emanating from him.
It wasn't that Chu Feng had treated her any differently—this unfamiliarity had simply risen from within herself.
The Chu Feng of today was someone even the Spirit World Immortal had to treat with utmost respect. Could a mere nobody like her still call herself his friend?
The thought brought a sudden pang to Sima Ying's heart. She involuntarily lowered her head, a wave of melancholy washing over her.
"Hey, what are you spacing out for?" Just then, Chu Feng's voice suddenly rang out.
Hearing that voice, Sima Ying's delicate body shuddered. When she raised her head, she discovered that Chu Feng—the very same Chu Feng piloting the space warship—was looking at her with a warm, beaming smile.
That smile was so deeply familiar.
In that instant, warmth flooded Sima Ying's heart, and her eyes grew so emotional they began to glisten with tears.
So Chu Feng was still the same Chu Feng. He hadn't grown distant because of his rise in power. All along, she had simply been overthinking it.