"Senior, was that illusion deliberately meant to distract me?" Chu Feng asked, surprised.
"That's right, it was deliberately meant to distract you. If you had tried to break the formation using the insights you gained from that illusion, you would have died for certain," Ying Mingchao said with absolute certainty.
"But if this Unknown Burial Ground truly didn't want us to pass through the Life and Death Formation, it could have simply made it an inescapable trap. Why go through all that trouble?" Chu Feng asked.
He genuinely couldn't understand, because in his eyes, it defied all logic.
"Chu Feng, it's me — Zi Xunyi," Zi Xunyi's voice suddenly rang out.
"Senior Zi Xunyi, you're here too!" Hearing her voice, Chu Feng was both shocked and delighted.
He had been present for everything that had happened back then and had thought he might never see Zi Xunyi again. He hadn't expected them to reunite so quickly.
"I heard you were trapped here, so I came to help. Otherwise… even a Great Luo Immortal couldn't have coaxed her into coming," Ying Mingchao explained.
Hearing this, Chu Feng's heart filled with warmth. After all, this was indirect proof that Zi Xunyi truly cared about his safety.
That was how bonds between people worked.
When you met the right person, it didn't matter how long you had known them. If you were kindred spirits, they would go through fire and water for you.
But if you met the wrong person, no matter how long you had known them, no matter how close you were in daily life, the moment you truly found yourself in danger, they very well might stand by and watch you die.
And Zi Xunyi was clearly the former.
"Chu Feng, listen to me. Don't lose heart, and don't be afraid. Because among those who entered this Unknown Burial Ground, there were survivors," Zi Xunyi said.
"Somebody actually made it through all three trials of this Unknown Burial Ground?" Upon hearing Zi Xunyi's words, Chu Feng's expression brightened considerably.
This at least meant that the Unknown Burial Ground was not an inescapable death trap — it really could be passed through.
At the same time, Chu Feng felt a genuine, heartfelt admiration for that survivor.
Being inside it, he understood the dangers of this Unknown Burial Ground better than anyone. Even by his own estimation, he had only a thirty percent chance of getting through the Life and Death Formation.
And the person who had safely passed through it naturally deserved his admiration.
"Indeed, someone has passed through all three trials. And the ones who did were Xunyi and myself," Ying Mingchao said.
"It was the two of you, seniors?" Hearing this, Chu Feng grew even more delighted. If they had made it through, then they definitely knew how to break the Life and Death Formation.
Today, he might actually have a shot.
"We stumbled our way through this Unknown Burial Ground by sheer luck back then. But if you follow our method, you should be able to survive as well. It's just that this way of breaking the formation is rather extreme, and you'll have to endure quite a bit of suffering along the way."
"The pain will be hard to bear, but as long as you push through, you'll be able to break through this Life and Death Formation."
"So… you need to be mentally prepared," Ying Mingchao said.
"It doesn't matter. As long as I can get through this Life and Death Formation quickly, I'm not afraid of however much suffering it takes," Chu Feng said.
In truth, his urgency wasn't because he was desperate to leave the Unknown Burial Ground.
It was because he was worried about Zhao Hong.
Zhao Hong had entered this Life and Death Formation far longer ago than Chu Feng had, and her fate was still uncertain. How could he not be anxious?
He had to race against time. He had to break through this Life and Death Formation as quickly as possible.
"Good. Then let's begin."
After that, Ying Mingchao began directing Chu Feng on how to break through the Life and Death Formation.
And Chu Feng didn't hesitate for even a moment, completely following Ying Mingchao's instructions as he began to force his way through.
But just as Ying Mingchao had warned, following his method truly made Chu Feng suffer every possible hardship.
Because this method of breaking through was utterly unconventional — every time they encountered a killing formation mechanism, instead of trying to disable it, they walked straight through it, using nothing but their physical bodies to endure the onslaught of those killing formations head-on.
Moreover, the injuries inflicted by the numerous killing mechanisms within the Life and Death Formation were impossible to heal and resistant to any form of treatment.
After making his way forward, Chu Feng had once again become a bloodied, mangled mess. His entire body trembled, and even taking a single step forward had become an enormous struggle.
Under these circumstances, even those who had witnessed countless battles and seen piles of corpses couldn't bring themselves to keep watching.
It was simply too cruel. Chu Feng was truly risking his life to break through.
Swish swish swish — Right now, a sky full of sword formations danced and howled through the valley like a torrential downpour.
And the dense, countless light swords had only a single target — Chu Feng, who was forging ahead through the valley.
He was like a lone leaf caught in a gale, buffeted left and right by the dazzling storm of sword light.
Yet despite all of this, Chu Feng refused to retreat. He dragged his ruined body forward, each step an agonizing effort.
"Breaking a formation this way is far too cruel. It's nothing short of brute-forcing it with one's body," Ying Mingchao muttered, his voice tinged with something rare — genuine sympathy.