"Senior, you're a Royal Cloak Spirit World Master — you must possess extremely powerful means of observation."
"Could you take a look and see whether anyone from the Guardian Clan is over there?" Ma Yue said to Chu Feng.
It turned out that she and Tian Yi had stopped here because they were afraid there might be Guardian Clan members standing guard.
"Mm." Chu Feng didn't hesitate. He activated his Heaven's Eye and began observing the area ahead.
In truth, the distance between Chu Feng and the location ahead was considerable. Not only would ordinary cultivators be unable to see it, but even a Spirit World Master's special abilities might not reach that far.
However, under the Heaven's Eye, everything became perfectly clear.
It was an altar. Not particularly large, yet extraordinarily exquisite and ornate.
As for the Hundred Refinements Jade Stone, it sat right at the center of the altar.
It was emerald green, about the size of a watermelon, and at first glance looked like nothing more than a piece of jadeite. Nothing about it appeared remotely unusual.
And yet, for reasons he couldn't explain, this seemingly ordinary Hundred Refinements Jade Stone gave Chu Feng a peculiar sensation — as though some kind of hidden power were tugging at his very blood.
Moreover, several hundred people had gathered outside the altar, and every single one of them was at the Half Ancestor realm.
Judging by their attire, Chu Feng could guess that they were cultivators from various lower realms.
To be safe, Chu Feng scanned further into the distance and surveyed the surroundings as well. Finding no trace of any Guardian Clan members, he finally relaxed and turned his attention back to the crowd.
His sharp observational skills told him these people were intimate with one another — more like comrades. They had gathered here to discuss something.
Under the Heaven's Eye, nothing escaped notice. Chu Feng could not only capture every movement these people made but, by reading their lips, even understand what they were saying.
And the matter they were discussing happened to involve Ma Yue and Tian Yi.
"Brother Zhou, we've searched thoroughly — practically turned the entire Hundred Refinements Field upside down. But we just can't find Ma Yue and Tian Yi. No idea where they ran off to. Could it be they begged the elders for help, and the elders took them away?" someone said worriedly.
"Impossible. Even if Ma Yue has some talent, the elders still consider her trash. Why would they care whether she lives or dies?" someone immediately shot that theory down.
"Logically speaking, Ma Yue was injured — she shouldn't have gotten far."
"That Tian Yi really knows how to hide. He's concealed Ma Yue so well."
"So what? Brother Zhou's poison isn't something Tian Yi can cure."
"That's true, after all — Brother Zhou is my idol."
"..."
Several hundred people surrounded a single man, flattering and fawning over him, treating him as their unquestioned leader.
This man was roughly the same age as Tian Yi — several hundred years old — but unlike Tian Yi, he hadn't disguised himself as a middle-aged man. Instead, he'd taken on the appearance of a young man.
And a strikingly handsome one at that.
If he'd been born looking like this, that would be one thing. But Chu Feng's Heaven's Eye saw through the disguise — this handsome exterior was fake.
This man's true face was hideously ugly. Ugly to the point of being nauseating.
And the fact that he looked so grotesque yet disguised himself as such a handsome young man spoke volumes about just how hypocritical this person truly was.
It was worth noting, however, that this man's cultivation was not as Ma Yue and Tian Yi had claimed — Third-stage Half Ancestor.
In truth, his cultivation was at the Fourth-stage Half Ancestor level.
"Brother Zhou, why didn't you just kill Ma Yue outright during the confrontation that day?" someone asked.
"Are you stupid?"
"Don't you know the rules of a public duel? You're only allowed to injure, not to kill."