"The Crystal Giant and this cloak must be connected to Master Kaihong's formation. Now that Master Kaihong's formation has vanished, they will gradually fade away too. I'm afraid they won't hold on much longer," Chu Feng said.
"Then what should we do?" Zhao Hong asked. She had been calm and composed just moments ago, but now even she was starting to panic.
"Have you forgotten that we still possess a formation capable of elevating the Crystal Giant?" Chu Feng said with a smile.
"Oh right, I almost forgot," Zhao Hong and Wang Qiang both said, their spirits lifting.
"It'll be a bit difficult for me to set it up alone. Let's do it together," Chu Feng said as he released his two Crystal Giants once more.
Seeing this, Wang Qiang and Zhao Hong also released their respective Crystal Giants.
With all four Crystal Giants out, the three of them began working together to set up the formation, fusing the four Crystal Giants into one.
This grand formation was remarkably powerful. Not only could it merge the Crystal Giants' power, it could also absorb residual formation energy left within the hall.
And under the combined efforts of Chu Feng, Zhao Hong, and Wang Qiang, the four Crystal Giants finally merged into a single entity — one massive Crystal Giant.
This Crystal Giant was nearly three times taller than the previous four, and it had grown four heads and eight arms.
It stood with awe-inspiring majesty and overwhelming dominance, like a god descending from the heavens. Simply looking at it was enough to fill one with reverence.
Most importantly, this four-headed, eight-armed Crystal Giant was no longer merely at the peak of Martial Ancestor.
Its aura now rivaled that of the Soul Infant Sect's guardian.
That meant the Crystal Giant's cultivation had been elevated to the True Immortal realm.
"Wh-wh-whoa, it actually became a True Immortal! That's incredible!" Wang Qiang exclaimed in astonishment, clearly having not expected this outcome.
"With just four Crystal Giants alone, reaching this level would have been impossible. It seems Master Kaihong's ruins contain a considerable amount of residual barrier energy. That's what allowed the four Crystal Giants to fuse directly into a True Immortal," Chu Feng explained.
"This True Immortal-level Crystal Giant should be able to hold out for a while. It should be enough to escort us out of here. The only question is — who will it obey?" Zhao Hong said.
After all, of the four previous Crystal Giants, two had belonged to Chu Feng while the remaining two were split between Zhao Hong and Wang Qiang.
But this new Crystal Giant was a masterless entity. If a single person had fused it, it would naturally follow that person's commands.
However, this Crystal Giant had been formed through the combined efforts of all three. It was unlikely to obey all three at once. Most likely, it would choose only one master among the three.
Huuuum— At that very moment, the Crystal Giant transformed into a beam of light and shot into the space on Chu Feng's wrist.
"Of course it's you again," Zhao Hong said, her lips pursing. She had half-expected this, but it still left a slightly sour taste in her mouth.
After all, two of the previous four Crystal Giants had also chosen Chu Feng. This indirectly proved that, to the Crystal Giants, Chu Feng's appeal far surpassed her own and Wang Qiang's.
And so, Zhao Hong — who considered her own talent far from ordinary — was naturally unwilling to admit that her mastery of barrier arts fell short of Chu Feng's.
"Let's go. It's time to leave this place. Once that cloak disappears completely, even with this True Immortal Crystal Giant guarding us, we won't be able to make it through that sea of fire," Chu Feng said.
With that, the three of them bowed once more to Master Kaihong's memorial, then departed, making their way back through the sea of fire by the same route they had come.
The moment the three of them stepped out of the sea of fire, they found that everything was exactly as they had expected — every person who had been standing guard here before was still present. Not a single one had left.
But more than that, what truly set their hearts racing with lingering fear was the fact that the very instant they had emerged from the sea of fire, the cloak had vanished entirely.