"Chu Feng, this isn't good. Your barrier key doesn't seem to work from the outside." The Queen said with considerable worry as she watched the barrier key remain unchanged.
"It seems our only option is to ask the Guardian Clan and see if they can make an exception." At this moment, Chu Feng also felt quite helpless.
"But what if they won't let you in either?" the Queen asked.
"If I truly can't enter the Hundred-Refined Grounds, then I'll have no choice but to go with the worst option," Chu Feng said.
"What's the worst option?" the Queen asked.
"Since I can't enter the Hundred-Refined Grounds, I'll lose the chance to obtain the Hundred-Refined Jade Stone. But I absolutely must get the Hundred-Refined Jade Stone."
"So if I can't enter the Hundred-Refined Grounds, I'll have to return to the Drought Demon Dead Water Pool, wait and ambush Kong Zheng, and seize the Hundred-Refined Jade Stone from his hands."
"However..." At this point, a flash of helplessness crossed Chu Feng's eyes.
"However, if you want to defeat Kong Zheng, you'll have to use the Evil God Sword's power. And right now, the Evil God Sword is extremely powerful — the stronger it becomes, the greater the threat it poses to you."
"Even if you manage to get the Hundred-Refined Jade Stone, you'd likely suffer severe injuries — or worse, lose your life. That truly is the worst option," the Queen said.
"No, that's not what I meant. What I meant is that ambushing Kong Zheng is the act of a petty person. If I'm not absolutely forced to, I really don't want to resort to such methods," Chu Feng said.
"Then let's go ask the Guardian Clan after all. If Kong Zheng was able to enter, that means the Guardian Clan isn't completely inflexible."
"As long as you offer them certain benefits, a bribe perhaps, maybe you'll be able to get in," the Queen said.
"All we can do is try." As Chu Feng spoke, he reached out to take back the barrier key.
However, at that very moment, the barrier key actually began to change, emitting a faint glow.
As the light flickered, layers of barrier energy spread outward in wave-like patterns, merging into the barrier itself.
At that moment, the previously indestructible barrier wall began to undulate, and soon, a massive hole three meters tall opened up in the barrier wall that sealed the Hundred-Refined Grounds.
It was a door — a door that led into the Hundred-Refined Grounds.
"It worked, Chu Feng! Your barrier key is actually useful!" The Queen jumped up and down in excitement, a bright and sweet smile appearing on her stunningly beautiful face, radiating pure joy.
The reason she was so excited was because she knew that if Chu Feng couldn't enter the Hundred-Refined Grounds, he would definitely go confront Kong Zheng directly — because Chu Feng would never simply abandon Wang Qiang and Zhao Hong.
She didn't care whether ambushing Kong Zheng was the act of a petty person. What she cared about was that with Chu Feng's current strength, he couldn't defeat Kong Zheng.
If he wanted to seize the Hundred-Refined Jade Stone from Kong Zheng, he would have no choice but to use the Evil God Sword's power. And the Evil God Sword's backlash was no trivial matter — the Queen didn't want Chu Feng to take that risk.
But now that the barrier key was useful, there was no need for the worst option, and the Queen was naturally delighted.
After opening a door in the barrier formation, the barrier key floated into the air by itself and drifted toward Chu Feng, as if it knew that Chu Feng was its master.
"Thanks to you, you've helped me out of a huge problem." Chu Feng clasped the barrier key in his hand, his heart filled with joy.
"Chu Feng, go in quickly. This barrier door won't last long," the Queen reminded him.
"Right." Chu Feng nodded slightly, then walked through, entering the Hundred-Refined Grounds.
And sure enough, the moment Chu Feng stepped through the barrier door, it closed behind him.
Exactly the same as before, without any difference — even the defensive power remained as formidable as ever. No one would be able to tell the difference.
"Is this the Hundred-Refined Grounds?"
Chu Feng entered and naturally wanted to take a good look around, but he felt quite disappointed, because he found that the Hundred-Refined Grounds was nothing more than a dense jungle, with nothing