"Wow, Brother Wuching, you're really something! You even know Ya Fei?" After Ya Fei left, Wang Long sidled up, his face plastered with envy.
Because the whole time Ya Fei had been smiling gently, her gaze soft and warm. On the surface, she looked like she was chatting with an old friend — you couldn't tell at all that she harbored resentment toward Chu Feng.
"Heh..." Chu Feng simply offered a faint smile at Wang Long's question without answering. He felt that while Wang Long's cultivation wasn't bad, his intellect clearly wasn't up to par. They really had nothing in common.
"Junior Brother Wuching, it seems that Ya Fei has some grudge against you?" Just as expected, Xia Yu — with her sharp perception — spotted the tension between Chu Feng and Ya Fei right away and sent him a private voice transmission. At the same time, Chun Wu and the others were also asking discreetly.
"Just a minor disagreement. Nothing worth mentioning." Chu Feng naturally wouldn't tell Xia Yu and the others the details, since he didn't fully trust them either.
"Junior Brother Wuching, just stick with us when you enter the Martial Pattern Immortal Realm. With us around, no one will dare lay a finger on you. After all, this is the territory of our Misty Immortal Peak," Chun Wu sent via voice transmission as well.
*Boom, boom, boom* Just then, a rumbling sound erupted from the center of the square. The entire peak began to tremble violently. Under these conditions, people could clearly see a beam of light emerge from the square, rising slowly until it ultimately took the form of a solid gate.
The gate towered a hundred meters high, radiant with light, majestic and awe-inspiring, overwhelmingly imposing. And now it had begun to swing open, with wisps of multicolored mist, resembling immortal qi, swirling outward from within.
Through that colorful haze, people could make out what lay beyond — clouds drifting, peaks soaring skyward, rows of white cranes gliding gracefully, and torrents of waterfalls cascading down. It wasn't just an independent world — it was practically a paradise beyond the mortal realm.
"The Martial Pattern Immortal Realm is the Sacred Land of Martial Arts! I've waited all these years, and I finally have the chance to set foot in this cultivation holy ground! Wahaha..."
Suddenly, a burst of frenzied laughter rang out. An elder charged up from the peak below and rushed to the center of the square. By his attire, people could tell he was one of the guardians of the Misty Immortal Peak.
"What's he saying? How could the Martial Pattern Immortal Realm be the Sacred Land of Martial Arts?" His words stirred a wave of discussion, and people found the whole thing baffling.
But just then, the man did something no one expected. He shouted, "Sacred Land of Martial Arts, here I come!" as he launched himself forward, flying straight toward the opened gate.
*Boom* Yet the moment he touched the colorful mist, a thunderous explosion rang out. The man detonated on the spot, transforming into a cloud of blood mist that drifted through the onlookers' field of vision.
"Heavens, what's wrong with that man? Is he trying to die? Only those under thirty can enter the Martial Pattern Immortal Realm — anyone else will have their body explode!" The sight shocked everyone even more. They thought the man must have been out of his mind.
"Another one who doesn't value his life." Xia Yu shook her head helplessly.
"Sister Xia Yu, what's going on? That man was from the Misty Immortal Peak, wasn't he? He should have known you can't just barge into the Martial Pattern Immortal Realm. Why would he do something so insane?" Chu Feng asked curiously.
"To be honest, some people believe the Martial Pattern Immortal Realm is actually the gateway to the Sacred Land of Martial Arts. So there are always those who scheme to infiltrate our Misty Immortal Peak, and the moment the Realm opens, they rush in reckardless of the danger," Xia Yu explained.
"Then you knew from the start he was going to die — why didn't you stop him?" Chu Feng pressed, puzzled. Although the elder was strong, he was only at the third-tier Martial Lord level, while Xia Yu was a fourth-tier Martial Lord. If she had intervened from the beginning, the man would still be alive.
"This kind of tragedy happens every year, but there's no way to prevent it. Some people have cultivated themselves into a state of madness. They believe their own theory is correct, and no matter what anyone says, they won't listen. Even in death, they'd probably still believe the Martial Pattern Immortal Realm is the entrance to the Sacred Land of Martial Arts."
"So rather than stopping them, it's better to let them die. At least that way their deaths can serve as a warning to others. Besides, if they infiltrated our Misty Misty Immortal Peak with ulterior motives, even if they survived, my Master wouldn't let them go," Xia Yu elaborated.
Only then did Chu Feng understand Xia Yu's reasoning. These people had impure intentions from the very beginning in coming to the Misty Immortal Peak. Given the character of the Misty Immortal Maiden, she truly might not let them off easily. So Chu Feng could now understand why Xia Yu and the others hadn't intervened.
"Children from the Eastern Seas, the gate to the Martial Pattern Immortal Realm is now open. Are you ready?"
Suddenly, a gentle yet immensely powerful voice resonated through the air. Looking toward its source, they saw that atop the towering gate to the Martial Pattern Immortal Realm, a figure had appeared without anyone noticing — the Misty Immortal Maiden herself.
With a flick of her sleeve, a hundred beams of light shot out, streaking toward the young cultivators gathered below.
"Junior Brother Wuching, use your hands to catch it! That's an Immortal Talisman!" Xia Yu hurriedly warned. At the same time, she, Chun Wu, Dong Xue, and Qiu Zhu had already opened their palms to receive the slowly approaching beams.
Chu Feng didn't dare dawdle either, opening his palm to welcome the beam of light.
*Sssss* The moment the beam entered his hand, Chu Feng felt a flash of searing heat, followed by nothing at all. He opened his palm and saw a peculiar rune talisman resting there, and as though it were alive, it slowly writhed.
"This is the Immortal Talisman — the exit of the Martial Pattern Immortal Realm. When you face a danger you cannot handle, or when you wish to leave, simply infuse your martial force into it, and it will bring you out of the Realm and back here."
"One final warning: the Martial Pattern Immortal Realm remains open for ten days. You must leave within ten days, or death will be your only fate."
"Go now. New miracles await you to create. Want to obtain the martial art of your dreams? Then show me your strength and fight for it with your own hands." Every word from the Misty Immortal Maiden struck like a blade, leaving no room for defiance.
And so, the moment her words fell, nearly everyone on the peak who had received an Immortal Talisman transformed into streaks of light, shooting into the towering gate like meteors.
"Junior Brother Wuching, hold onto my hand, or when we enter, the barrier will scatter us apart!" Just as Chu Feng was about to move, Chun Wu called out urgently.
Looking closely, Chu Feng noticed that Chun Wu, Xia Yu, Dong Xue, and Qiu Zhu had already clasped their palms together. Chun Wu was extending her delicate, porcelain-white hand toward him.
Without hesitation, Chu Feng smiled faintly and reached out, firmly clasping Chun Wu's soft, jade-like hand. Under the envious gazes of countless men, he charged into the gate leading to the Martial Pattern Immortal Realm accompanied by four beautiful women.
However, just as Chu Feng and the others entered, in the square below, Ya Fei had similarly joined hands with her subordinates. But she wasn't in any rush. Instead, she stared intently at the spot where Chu Feng had vanished, and muttered under her breath: "You damn bastard — don't think you can scare me with tricks like that. You'd better stick with those four girls. Because if I ever catch you alone, I'll make you wish you were never born."