The nine-colored lightning in the sky grew ever denser, blotting out the heavens and stretching across several miles.
Even the grand Soul Infant Formation that blanketed the sky appeared feeble beneath the edge of that nine-colored lightning.
And all of this transformation was brought about by Chu Feng alone.
But if it were merely this spectacle, it would not have filled the Soul Infant Sect Master with such terror.
The reason he felt this way was that after Chu Feng unleashed the divine-grade Thunder Mark, his cultivation… had risen from first-grade True Immortal to second-grade True Immortal.
Chu Feng had actually elevated his cultivation by a full grade — something the Soul Infant Sect Master could hardly accept.
The Hundred Refinements Mortal World also had multiple Heavenly Clans, and those who possessed Heavenly-level bloodlines were hardly rare. The so-called Thunder Mark was something the Soul Infant Sect Master had seen countless times.
But the Thunder Mark was only capable of enhancing combat power.
Although, for those of the Heavenly Clans, the Thunder Mark was a technique that only manifested after the Nine Thunders merged into one — considered the last of the Heavenly-level bloodline abilities to awaken.
However, compared to the Thunder Armor and Thunder Wings — techniques that could directly elevate one's cultivation — the Thunder Mark was actually relatively weaker.
Yet Chu Feng's Thunder Mark at this moment was in no way inferior to the Thunder Armor or Thunder Wings. After all… he had raised his cultivation by a full grade.
"That really does seem to be the character for 'divine'?"
"I've heard that only the Divine Punishment Mystic Art can condense a divine-grade Thunder Mark."
"And this Chu Feng actually raised his cultivation by a full grade, which means he must have cultivated the legendary Divine Punishment Mystic Art."
"Heavens, what is his background? He's actually cultivated the Divine Punishment Mystic Art — even within our Chu Heavenly Clan, no one has mastered that Divine Punishment Mystic Art."
After observing for a while, Chu Yue grew ever more astonished.
In truth, she and Chu Huai had long heard that the Thunder Mark Chu Feng condensed bore the character for "divine."
But precisely because they knew full well that anyone who could condense a divine-grade Thunder Mark must have cultivated the Divine Punishment Mystic Art, they hadn't put much stock in that rumor.
They simply didn't believe Chu Feng could have cultivated the Divine Punishment Mystic Art.
The Divine Punishment Mystic Art was legendary even within the Chu Heavenly Clan. Setting aside the fact that it had reached a level of rarity so extreme it was virtually extinct…
Even if one had the opportunity to cultivate the Divine Punishment Mystic Art, no one dared to do so. Because every cleansing of divine thunder within the Divine Punishment Mystic Art was a trial of life and death — succeed or perish, with no path of retreat.
The Chu Heavenly Clan was absolutely certain about this, because someone in the clan had once attempted to cultivate the Divine Punishment Mystic Art. Even now, many within the Chu Heavenly Clan had personally witnessed the terrifying might of the divine thunder when it descended.
"Just who is this Chu Feng?" The gaze with which Chu Huai regarded Chu Feng now held even more admiration.
Searching his own heart, he knew he could never master the Divine Punishment Mystic Art. The fact that Chu Feng had succeeded naturally earned his respect.
After all, they both possessed Heavenly-level bloodlines.
"Chu Huai, do you think this Chu Feng might be… Senior Chu Xuanyuan's child?" Chu Yue suddenly asked.
"Impossible. Senior Chu Xuanyuan's child is already dead," Chu Huai replied.
"But his name," Chu Yue pressed.
"The world is vast, and people sharing the same name are hardly uncommon. You can't assume someone is Senior Chu Xuanyuan's child just because a person with a Heavenly-level bloodline happens to be named Chu Feng," Chu Huai said.
"The key point is the Divine Punishment Mystic Art," Chu Yue said.
Hearing this, Chu Huai hesitated for a moment, but quickly shook his head. "That's not possible. Senior Chu Xuanyuan's child is dead. Besides, this Chu Feng must be using a false name. His real name couldn't possibly be Chu Feng — or rather, he may not even have the surname Chu at all."
When he said this, Chu Huai was utterly certain.
BOOM— And just then, Chu Feng's ancient war sword suddenly moved. In the blink of an eye, it appeared before the Soul Infant Sect Master.
The radiantly gleaming ancient war sword was now less than a meter from the Soul Infant Sect Master.
At this distance, the Soul Infant Sect Master had essentially lost all chance of escape. All that awaited him was being crushed to dust by the ancient war sword.
But Chu Feng did not strike immediately. Instead, he simply… gazed at the Soul Infant Sect Master.
At first, the Soul Infant Sect Master's face was merely flustered, filled with the fear of death. Soon, that fear deepened. Perhaps it was because he didn't want to die, but his body began to tremble — shaking so violently that nearly everyone could see it.
But after a moment, the Soul Infant Sect Master's fear actually began to ease, and he let out a bitter smile.
"My Master once told me… that the most unreasonable things in this world are geniuses."