At that moment, Chu Feng's brows were tightly furrowed, his heart a tangle of complex emotions.
For after hearing Immortal Tongtian's words, Chu Feng had carefully examined the grand formation with his Heavenly Eyes—not the remnants of the scrolls within it, but the frigid energy contained inside.
He had already discovered that the cold energy within the grand formation was formidable, truly extraordinary and extremely dangerous. Immortal Tongtian's words had not been meant to frighten him. They were the truth.
At that moment, Chu Feng hesitated somewhat. After all, entering the formation could indeed spell the end of his future. But if he didn't enter, the billions of living beings gathered here might all perish.
"I'm willing to try."
In the end, Chu Feng spoke. Between his own future and those billions of lives, he had made his decision.
Yet the moment those words left Chu Feng's mouth, everyone's hearts clenched. Not just those who were close to Chu Feng—even those who barely knew him felt their emotions twist into an unbearable knot in that instant.
Chu Feng was willing to sacrifice himself for a group of complete strangers!
"Chu Feng, have you lost your mind? Don't forget about Moon Immortal. Moon Immortal might be able to kill the Master of the Dark Palace, so there's no need for you to gamble with your future and your life."
"Even if that old man Tongtian doesn't open the gate, it doesn't necessarily mean we'll all die!" Xian Miaomiao shouted loudly.
At the same time, voices pleading with Chu Feng rang out one after another. Nearly everyone who had a good relationship with Chu Feng was doing their utmost to dissuade him.
"Lord Chu Feng, we... we truly appreciate your kind intentions, but you really don't need to take such a risk for our sake."
Even some people Chu Feng had never met began to persuade him. It wasn't that they weren't afraid of death—they simply refused to survive at the cost of destroying Chu Feng's future. If that were the case, they would rather die themselves.
This was especially true for those who, earlier when Chu Feng had cursed at Immortal Tongtian, had hated him in their hearts for fear that he might doom them all. Now they were drowning in guilt and self-reproach.
Chu Feng was willing to sacrifice himself for them, yet they had despised him out of pure self-interest. They truly felt that they were unworthy of being called human.
"Thank you all for your kind words. But right now, the Martial Continent truly does face a catastrophe. Although that catastrophe might be stopped... it's only a possibility."
"I don't want to gamble, because if I lose the bet, everyone might lose their lives. That's why I've decided to seize this opportunity that Immortal Tongtian has given us," Chu Feng said.
"Lord Chu Feng, we truly appreciate your good intentions. But you have no blood relation to us, and you owe us nothing. There's really no reason for you to jeopardize your future for our sake."
After hearing Chu Feng's words, even more people began to plead with him. Among those who were older—who had raised children of their own—tears were already streaming down their faces.
For in their eyes, no matter how powerful Chu Feng was, he was still just a child. If their own child were to die like this, how unbearable would that pain be?
Just thinking of Chu Feng's parents made their hearts ache all the more—they felt it wasn't worth it for him.
"There's an old saying: the greater the power, the greater the responsibility. I, Chu Feng, am not a man of great power. But since this responsibility has fallen upon my shoulders, I must bear it."
"Not for any other reason, but because I, Chu Feng, am a man."
"This is what I should do." Chu Feng smiled once more.
Whoosh—
With that, Chu Feng launched himself forward without a shred of hesitation and soared into the grand formation.
"Chu Feng!!!" Seeing Chu Feng enter the formation, Xian Miaomiao and the others let out heart-wrenching screams.
Although it was merely a formation, to them it looked more like the gates of hell—a place of life or death. Even if one survived, they would be left a cripple.
Chu Feng stepping into it was tantamount to destroying his own future.
At the same time, the billions of people present cried out in anguish that tore at their hearts. Some began wailing uncontrollably—sounds of weeping, shouting, and gratitude echoed without end.
Even some...()