"You!!!"
At this moment, forget about Ma Yue—even Tian Yi was utterly dumbfounded.
After all, neither of them knew that Zhou Zongzhi had already become a fourth-grade Half Ancestor.
And Zhou Zongzhi, whether in combat strength or methods, was no weaker than Ma Yue. At equal cultivation levels, he could have fought Ma Yue to a draw. Now that his cultivation was a full grade higher, Ma Yue was naturally no match for him.
"What's the matter? Surprised? You never expected my cultivation to break through in such a short time, did you?" Zhou Zongzhi said with a beaming smile.
"Could it be… the reward from the Clan that Guards the Formation?" Ma Yue asked.
She remembered that during her duel with Zhou Zongzhi, the Clan that Guards the Formation had overseen a wager between them. Whoever won would receive a reward from the clan, and that reward held immense benefits for one's God's Bestowed Power. Whether Ma Yue or Zhou Zongzhi obtained it, it would be enough to break through a full level of cultivation.
Zhou Zongzhi had managed to break through to the fourth-grade Half Ancestor in such a short time. Other than that reward, Ma Yue couldn't think of any other possibility.
"You guessed right," Zhou Zongzhi said with a grin, and the smugness on his face grew even more pronounced.
"But… that reward isn't supposed to be granted until ten days later. How have you already broken through?" Ma Yue demanded.
"If *you* had won, then yes, you'd have to wait ten days. After all, you're trash from the Elm Lower Realm—no matter what level your cultivation reaches, you're garbage in the elders' eyes."
"But who am I? I'm a genius from the Huiye Lower Realm! Since I won, why would I need to wait ten tedious days?" As he spoke, the smugness on Zhou Zongzhi's face deepened further.
"The Clan that Guards the Formation is completely unfair! They don't deserve to guard the Hundred Refinements Arena created by the Chu Heavenly Clan!!!" At this, Ma Yue let out a furious roar.
The sound was deafening, shaking heaven and earth.
Yet what that voice carried was a single word: disappointment.
"You're absolutely right—this place is unfair. So unfair that even if I kill you right now, no one will do a thing about it."
"You two were born lowly, with worthless lives. I'll kill you if I feel like it." With those words, Zhou Zongzhi launched himself toward Ma Yue in a streak of movement.
The terrifying force bearing down on them made both Ma Yue and Tian Yi feel the aura of death.
Knowing they were no match for Zhou Zongzhi, they chose not to make a futile struggle. Instead, they clasped each other's hands and closed their eyes at the same time, prepared to die.
Only, on their faces, there lingered an expression of unwillingness.
"I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed."
However, in that very moment, Chu Feng's figure appeared before Ma Yue and Tian Yi like a phantom.
"Who are you?" The sight of Chu Feng startled Zhou Zongzhi, and his expression changed drastically.
"Scram!!!" But Chu Feng uttered only a single word, and a tremendous wave of martial force erupted from his mouth.
The force was invisible, yet to Zhou Zongzhi, it was an unstoppable terror.
With a deafening *boom*, Zhou Zongzhi was sent flying, slamming hard into the altar.
"This—!!!"
In that instant, forget about Zhou Zongzhi himself—even his lackeys went deathly pale with fright.
They didn't know who Chu Feng was, but they could imagine just how powerful he was from the state Zhou Zongzhi was in.
Zhou Zongzhi had crashed into the altar. Though the altar remained completely unscathed, Zhou Zongzhi had sustained grievous injuries. Not only was his body battered and bloody from the impact, but his internal wounds were severe as well. He tried to climb to his feet several times, only to collapse back down each time.
He didn't even have the strength to stand—that alone showed how terrible his injuries were.
"Senior, you?!"
The sudden turn of events left both Ma Yue and Tian Yi staring in astonishment. They had never expected that Chu Feng, whom they'd only met once, would step in to fight on their behalf.
"Senior? He called him Senior?!!"
When Ma Yue and Tian Yi addressed Chu Feng as "Senior," the onlookers were even more shaken.
Because that single word "Senior" revealed the nature of the relationship between Chu Feng and the pair of Ma Yue and Tian Yi.