The irony of it all was rather bitter.
Before Chu Feng had arrived here, how many people had looked down on him?
Yet now, not a single person present dared to feel anything but dread toward Chu Feng.
As Chu Feng made his way forward, the crowd not only trembled with fear but scrambled to part to either side, terrified that he might strike at them.
Thus, a path cleared through the crowd — a path leading straight to the palace.
Chu Feng walked along it, passing right by Zhou Fukong and the others without pausing, without any intention of making things difficult for them.
As though... they simply didn't exist to him.
Chu Feng pressed onward, heading straight for the palace — straight for Zhao Hong.
At that moment, a measure of relief washed over the crowd. Regardless of everything else, at least Chu Feng wasn't attacking them right now, and that alone was a blessing amidst a string of misfortunes.
Whoosh —
Just as Chu Feng stepped into the great hall, an elderly man flickered and vanished into the void.
Clearly, he intended to seize this chance to flee.
When it came to this sort of situation, Chu Feng didn't even so much as glance back. With his back still turned, he unleashed a single palm strike.
Boom —
That palm force detonated in the distant void, erupting into wave after wave of ripples that tore across heaven and earth.
And amidst those violent ripples, a figure materialized out of thin air before crashing downward like a dead dog, slamming hard into the ground.
It was a man. His robes had been blown apart, his entire body charred black, flesh and blood churning and writhing as he convulsed endlessly.
This was none other than the very elder who had just slipped into the void.
Though he was not dead, he had suffered catastrophic injuries.
"Hssss ——"
At that moment, every last person in the crowd felt their hearts tighten. Not a single soul dared entertain the thought of escape again.
After all, the elder who had just vanished into the void and was now broken on the ground was a true peak Martial Ancestor.
Yet even such a peak Martial Ancestor couldn't withstand a single palm from Chu Feng.
What's more, when Chu Feng struck, he hadn't even bothered to look — he'd simply struck with his back turned, and had already reduced the man to this state.
From this, the crowd once again witnessed the full extent of Chu Feng's terror.
After striking down the fleeing elder, Chu Feng still said nothing. He had already arrived before Zhao Hong.
Clang clang clang —
With a sweep of his great sleeve, the cage shattered. At the same time, the chains binding Zhao Hong scattered into pieces.
Those chains were special — not particularly sturdy on their own, but once fastened to a gravely wounded person, they would suppress their cultivation.
Now that the chains were gone, Zhao Hong's cultivation rapidly recovered. As for her injuries, they were merely surface wounds and nothing of real concern.
Without any need for Chu Feng to intervene, Zhao Hong simply sat cross-legged, circulating the power of her formation. In short order, she drove the parasites from her body and healed her skin.
In the blink of an eye, Zhao Hong had returned to her former appearance. Not only was there not a single mark on her face or body, but there wasn't so much as a speck of dust remaining. Even the clothing that had been pierced through by the sword was restored.
"Chu Feng, you absolute idiot. So you already had this kind of power at the eighth level of Martial Ancestor — why didn't you say so sooner?"
"I was so convinced you were trying to break through to the ninth level before coming out that I came here alone, never thinking I'd walk right into Kongdou Moyuan's trap."
Though Zhao Hong's words were drenched in complaint, a smile bloomed across her face.
As Chu Feng's close friend, seeing that after two years he had mastered such power, she was naturally overjoyed for him.
"My fault — I should have told you in advance. I'm sorry you went through all that." Even though he knew Zhao Hong's reproach was lighthearted, Chu Feng felt a genuine pang of guilt.
In his eyes, Zhao Hong coming here alone had been reckless, yes, but she'd done it out of worry for Wang Qiang. He could understand that completely.
As for himself — if he had simply told Zhao Hong beforehand that once he reached the eighth level of Martial Ancestor, he would have the ability to stand against Kongdou Moyuan, then she really wouldn't have ended up in such a wretched state.