But if what the Magma Emperor had said was true, then the Four Great Sacred Beasts should not have long to live after their resurrection.
That was precisely what Chu Feng had been observing with his Heavenly Eyes.
However… after a careful examination, Chu Feng found nothing abnormal. He detected no problems with the bodies of the Four Sacred Beasts.
As such, Chu Feng was somewhat perplexed. He could not tell which of the Magma Emperor's words were true and which were false, and therefore could not determine whether Qing Xuantian had deceived the Four Sacred Beasts — much less whether the Magma Emperor had been deliberately released by Qing Xuantian.
The truth of the matter was impossible to determine.
"Chu Feng."
"Although your true cultivation is only that of a seventh-grade Martial Emperor, you are now capable of fighting a second-grade Half Ancestor."
"And with this… the Magma Emperor Sword, the Hall Master of the Dark Hall would be no match for you."
"So it is time to return to the Martial Sacred Continent and put an end to everything," the Four Sacred Beasts said to Chu Feng.
They were in high spirits now — so elated that they had forgotten the Magma Emperor's earlier words, completely shaking off their previous gloom.
Their joy was genuine, without a shred of pretense. Yet Chu Feng couldn't help but feel that their earlier sorrow had been deliberately concealed.
Truthfully, Chu Feng could understand. They had been bestowed with divine bodies from the heavens, and they knew full well that Qing Xuantian clearly could not do without them — and yet Qing Xuantian had still chosen to leave.
Moreover, even if their physical bodies had been destroyed at the time and the Azure Dragon, Bai Hu, Vermilion Bird, and Xuan Martial would have found it difficult to survive, Qing Xuantian could have taken them along after transforming them into Secret Techniques. There had been no need to leave them behind.
After all, Qing Xuantian had been able to forge physical bodies for them before, so he could have helped them reconstruct new bodies afterward. There was no necessity to seal them in different locations.
In short, if Qing Xuantian had truly wanted to bring the Four Sacred Beasts with him, he could have done so. The fact that he had left them behind must have been for reasons of his own.
The Four Sacred Beasts were not fools. They naturally had their own suspicions about why Qing Xuantian had abandoned them.
But… Qing Xuantian was the person they trusted most, and they simply did not want to doubt him.
Because if the day ever came when they could return to Qing Xuantian's side, they would still be willing to serve him. To them, Qing Xuantian was their true master.
This matter was quite complicated. Seeing that the Four Sacred Beasts had no desire to discuss it further, Chu Feng did not press the issue. Instead, he smiled and said, "Then I shall kill our way back to the Martial Sacred Continent with the four seniors."
With that decision made, Chu Feng and the Four Sacred Beasts headed back toward the Martial Sacred Continent through the spatial rift.
At first, Chu Feng had worried about the enormous bodies of the Four Sacred Beasts. They were simply too large, and the spatial rift demanded dodging and weaving to survive — an oversized form would only be a hindrance.
However, upon entering the spatial rift, the Four Sacred Beasts' bodies each shrank down, becoming roughly the same size as his own.
Once their physical forms were under control, this once-terrifying spatial rift held no fear for them. With the strength of the Four Sacred Beasts, they could easily evade the lightning and gales within.
As for Chu Feng… he had managed to pass through when he was only a fourth-grade Martial Emperor. Now, as a seventh-grade Martial Emperor, it was even easier.
Although this fearsome spatial rift was no longer a challenge for Chu Feng, many concerns still weighed on his mind. Where was Zi Ling now? Was she safe?
Could Moon Immortal defeat the Hall Master of the Dark Hall? And if she couldn't, what would happen if the Hall Master refined her?
Moon Immortal's death would be a pity, but if Moon Immortal died, Su Rou and Su Mei would die too — something Chu Feng could not accept.
Yet what Chu Feng worried about most was this: even though he now possessed the strength to stand against the Hall Master of the Dark Hall, if he returned to the Martial Sacred Continent and could not find the Gate of Transformation, all of it would be for nothing.
After all, the Gate of Transformation was mobile, and the key that Tongtian Immortal had previously given to Chu Feng had in turn been given to Luopan Immortal.