"You're too late. She left a long time ago," the old man said.
"Hell!" The woman stomped her feet in fury upon hearing this, killing intent even flickering through her eyes.
"Master, you knew she stole the world's energy. Why didn't you stop her?"
"Didn't I wait a whole ten years for her?" the woman grumbled at the old man, her tone tinged with reproach.
"Haha, I already told you — I left this place in your hands, so you're the one in charge."
"If you failed to manage it properly, who can you blame?" the old man said with a smile.
"Hmph."
The woman pursed her lips in a pout. The gesture looked innocent enough, but her gaze grew increasingly complex, impossible to read.
…
Not long after Chu Feng left that place, the unsettling feeling gradually faded.
Still, he didn't dare head toward the light vortex. He feared there might be a powerful expert behind that woman — someone who could be covertly tracking him.
And that light vortex connected to the miraculous wasteland. Chu Feng didn't want anyone else learning about that.
Yet he was unwilling to simply leave. So after descending the divine mountain, he didn't head away immediately. Instead, he continued observing from outside its boundaries.
Chu Feng figured that the divine mountain was vast and extraordinary. If one person had used some kind of power to set up a formation like that, there was a good chance others had left behind things on this mountain as well.
And much to his relief, before long he spotted another unusual place.
This location wasn't nearly as conspicuous as the great formation the woman had controlled earlier, but Chu Feng could still tell with certainty that something was off about it.
Without hesitation, he re-entered the divine mountain and made his way directly to the spot.
Just like with the earlier formation that absorbed the world's energy, once Chu Feng arrived at the area, he couldn't detect anything special at all.
This only proved that whoever had hidden it had done an excellent job.
With no other choice, Chu Feng once again combined his formation expertise with his Heavenly Eyes.
Fortunately, this time it succeeded again.
It was a relic hidden deep beneath the earth.
However, Chu Feng couldn't enter, because the sole entrance to this relic was a dark purple gate.
The gate stood a hundred meters tall and wide, rising before Chu Feng like a small mountain, making him appear utterly insignificant by comparison.
It appeared to be carved from stone, yet it was incredibly sturdy — far beyond anything Chu Feng's strength could break through.
Moreover, the gate was covered in densely packed patterns. They were all skulls, grotesque and terrifying — not just human ones, but those of numerous demon beasts as well, rendered with startling realism. The sight was deeply unsettling.
"Chu Feng, this relic probably isn't simple," the Queen said upon seeing the gate.
"Egg, when you say 'not simple,' do you mean this relic is dangerous, or that it contains treasure?" Chu Feng asked.
"Just this gate alone is drenched in demonic energy. I'd wager this relic is extremely perilous."
"You'd better not try to open it," the Queen said.
She was rarely afraid of anything, but this gate gave her a deeply unease.
"Even if I wanted to open it, I couldn't. I'd need a specific key." Chu Feng pointed to the center of the gate.
Right there was a small groove, roughly the size of two palms. Its shape was peculiar, but one could roughly tell that the key meant to fit it was anything but ordinary.
"If you can't open it, then let's leave," the Queen urged, her unease growing stronger by the moment. She wanted Chu Feng to get away from this place as quickly as possible.
In her mind, this was an ill-omened place.