"You take me for a fool? First, you spread the news of the tomb to lure us here, and then you used us to break through the killing formation."
"With methods as vicious as yours, do you really expect me to believe you'd generously hand over the Void Flight Technique?" The Thousand Wind Sect Master clearly refused to believe Elder Zhuge's words.
"Senior brothers, there's no need to quarrel. Why don't I enjoy the Void Flight Technique on your behalf?" Just then, a voice suddenly echoed from below the chamber.
The moment the voice rang out, both of them were deeply shocked, because neither could have imagined that anyone else besides them had managed to survive all the way here.
Under their stunned gazes, Chu Feng slowly climbed up through the entrance, smiling as he appraised the two of them. But when his eyes fell upon Elder Zhuge, they brightened involuntarily.
Seeing that white robe covered in runes, Chu Feng's first instinct was that this man might be a Spirit World Master.
However, compared to Chu Feng's composure, the Thousand Wind Sect Master and Elder Zhuge were far more astonished. They never could have guessed that the person who had fought his way here would be such a young, tender-looking boy.
Hum— Suddenly, Chu Feng furrowed his brow. He could feel a powerful wave of Mental Power sweeping toward him, scanning his body.
The other party's Mental Power was formidable, and he had no idea how to resist it. He feared that if the Mental Power infiltrated his chest, the rune map on his body would be exposed.
But fortunately, the Mental Power passed over his chest without triggering any reaction. This put Chu Feng at ease and gave him an idea.
The rune map on his chest could very well only be activated by his own Mental Power. If that was true, then from now on he wouldn't need to worry about others with Mental Power being able to probe his secrets.
"Spirit Martial 6th Stage — with only that level of cultivation, you made it here? It must be thanks to that Spirit Realm Compass in your hand." Elder Zhuge was the first to speak.
"Spirit Martial 6th Stage?" The Thousand Wind Sect Master was even more shocked upon hearing this.
For a man of the Xuan Wu Realm, even the Yuan Wu Realm was nothing but trash, and the Spirit Martial Realm was the dregs among dregs. Yet now such a piece of dregs had actually made it here — it was enough to leave anyone flabbergasted.
"This senior truly has a keen eye." Chu Feng offered Elder Zhuge a faint smile, wasted no more words, and strode boldly toward the pedestal holding the Void Flight Technique.
"You're courting death." Seeing this, the Thousand Wind Sect Master flew into a rage. With a thought, his overwhelming pressure surged outward and bore down on Chu Feng.
"Damn it—" In that instant, Chu Feng could feel the invisible pressure engulfing his entire body, threatening to pierce through his skin and sink into his marrow. It was terrifying.
However, this pressure was vastly different from the one the mad beggar had brought to bear on him that day. Back then, the beggar's pressure had nearly torn Chu Feng's body apart from the inside out. The Thousand Wind Sect Master's pressure, by contrast, was something Chu Feng could still endure — it wasn't lethal.
Step. Step. Step. Enduring the pressure that crushed his body, Chu Feng took one difficult step, then a second, then a third. Though it was agonizing, he was indeed still moving forward.
"What an extraordinary body." Witnessing this scene, Elder Zhuge couldn't help but let out an exclamation.
"You old fool, are you just going to stand there? Don't tell me you're going to let this brat reap the spoils!" Seeing that Elder Zhuge merely watched from the sidelines without lifting a finger, the Thousand Wind Sect Master grew even more furious.
"Oh, you can't put it that way. For this young friend to have made it here with such cultivation is proof enough of his extraordinary nature. Perhaps he is the one Elder of Void Flight most desires as a successor." Elder Zhuge chuckled lightly, carrying himself with a magnanimous air as if blessing a union.
"You bastard — I'll tear you to pieces when this is over!"
The Thousand Wind Sect Master ground his teeth in fury at Elder Zhuge. But seeing Chu Feng drawing ever closer to the Void Flight Technique, he wasted no more breath. Instead, he sent wave after wave of pressure crashing toward Chu Feng, determined to stop him in his tracks.
Unfortunately, Chu Feng's body was simply too formidable. The pressure that even Yuan Wu Realm experts dreaded was something Chu Feng not only withstood but continued to walk through. Though each step was agonizing, the fact that he could move at all was heaven-defying.
"Give it up. This young friend possesses Mental Power — your pressure cannot shake his will. As long as his body can endure it, you won't be able to break him with pressure alone." Elder Zhuge reminded him again, his aged eyes narrowing slightly as he fixed his gaze on every move Chu Feng made.
After a grueling trek, Chu Feng finally reached the jade pedestal upon which the Void Flight Technique rested. Though his face was pale and his entire body was drenched in sweat, he was utterly exhilarated.
He snatched up the Void Flight Technique — a crystalline, jade-like form condensed from Mental Power — and slapped it straight against his forehead. In that moment, his expression shifted dramatically as a needle-sharp agony began to spread through his brain.
"Aghhhh~~~~~~~"
The pain was excruciating, beyond what Chu Feng could bear. Clutching his head with both hands, he collapsed to the ground and began rolling back and forth, letting out deafening roars.
Watching this scene, Elder Zhuge let out a hearty laugh. "I forgot to tell you, young friend — martial arts techniques condensed from Mental Power aren't so easy to cultivate."
"To master such a technique, you must first possess an iron will. Having Mental Power is a prerequisite, but even so, without a sufficient level of cultivation, you cannot withstand this power."
"If you can't withstand it, then it will devour your Mental Power and claim your life, draining everything from you before floating back out of your body, waiting for a worthy master."
"Unfortunately, your strength falls just outside the range this power demands. It seems your luck has run out today."
Upon hearing Elder Zhuge's words, the previously bewildered Thousand Wind Sect Master beamed with delight. "I knew it — I knew you old wretch wouldn't just hand over the Void Flight Technique so easily. I knew you were vicious, but I never imagined you'd be this vicious."
"Haha. Without a few tricks up my sleeve, I wouldn't be worthy of the title Spirit World Master." Elder Zhuge was utterly unfazed — in fact, he wore the remark like a badge of pride.
Chu Feng had no mind to listen to what Elder Zhuge was saying. All he could feel was his Mental Power draining away at a terrifying rate, approaching the point of complete exhaustion. The stabbing pain in his brain grew sharper and more unbearable, as though his life were about to be snuffed out.
"Ugh— ahhh~" At last, Chu Feng let out one final cry before collapsing limply to the ground, not a sound left in him.
"Well? Is he dead? Why hasn't the Void Flight Technique floated out yet?" the Thousand Wind Sect Master asked urgently.
In truth, Elder Zhuge had already extended his Mental Power to observe Chu Feng. But when he withdrew it, his brow furrowed. "This kid… he's not dead yet."