Passing through the gate, Chu Feng's vision blurred momentarily. By the time it cleared, he found himself in an entirely different world.
This was not the idyllic fairy realm he had glimpsed before. Instead, it was a vast expanse of rolling mountains, stretching endlessly to the horizon. And these mountains were peculiar—there were no peaks, only one barren, bald hill after another, like smooth stone buns without so much as a blade of grass. Strangest of all, fierce gusts of wind, laden with sand, swept through the landscape at irregular intervals, making the scene feel utterly desolate.
"So this is the Martial Pattern Immortal Realm?" Chu Feng was somewhat surprised. Nothing here looked like a paradise; it was a wasteland, barren beyond measure.
"This is the true Martial Pattern Immortal Realm. What you saw outside the gate was merely an illusion," Xia Yu explained.
"Then how do we obtain the Martial Patterns?" Chu Feng had already spread his Mental Power and found that aside from the bare hills and those strange, sandy winds, there was nothing—not a single living thing.
"If Martial Patterns were easy to find, they wouldn't be Martial Patterns. Just follow us," Xia Yu said with a faint smile. She then rose into the air, and Chun Wu, Qiu Zhu, and Dong Xue followed close behind.
These four young ladies had grown up on the Ethereal Fairy Peak and likely knew more about this realm than anyone. So, without asking further questions, Chu Feng flew along with them over the bizarre, boundless mountain range.
During their flight, they encountered several others. Chu Feng noticed the confusion on their faces. Lost in this environment with no clue about the Martial Patterns, everyone was feeling immense pressure. After all, having made it here with such difficulty, no one wanted to leave empty-handed.
Because of this, those people acted as if they'd found a lifeline upon seeing Chu Feng's group, shamelessly trying to tag along, only to be coldly rebuffed by the four beautiful women.
Then, while drifting through a sudden sandstorm, Chu Feng and the others spotted a peculiar talisman. It was about the size of an adult pigeon, with a pair of brilliant golden wings, darting through the yellow sand with incredible agility and speed.
"It's a Martial Pattern! Quickly!" Upon seeing the talisman, Xia Yu and the others' eyes lit up. The four women struck together, instantly cutting off its escape route and capturing the Martial Pattern with ease, as if it were a simple task.
"Sister Xia Yu, we five will share everything equally. Please take this first Martial Pattern," Chun Wu, Dong Xue, and Qiu Zhu said together after it was caught.
"Very well." Xia Yu didn't refuse. She held the Martial Pattern in her right palm and gently clenched it. A stream of golden light flowed from her palm into her body, finally settling on her forearm before dimming.
"Look, it worked!" Then, Xia Yu rolled up her sleeve to reveal her snow-white arm. At that moment, Chu Feng and the others could see a small golden pattern inscribed upon it, permanently marked on her skin.
Following this first success, everyone was delighted. They resumed their search, and the four women, clearly well-prepared, caught every Martial Pattern they found with swift, precise movements.
The captured Martial Patterns were divided equally among the five. Even though Chu Feng hadn't contributed much effort, he received his share without a word of complaint from the others—they considered it only fair.
They searched almost continuously for a day and a night. Only when dawn was about to break did Xia Yu suggest they rest for a while before continuing once daylight returned.
Watching the four beauties sleeping nearby and glancing at the two Martial Patterns inscribed on his own arm, Chu Feng did not sleep.
In one day, the five of them had captured ten Martial Patterns—two per person. At this rate, after ten days, each would have around twenty. It was actually a decent result, but it wasn't enough for Chu Feng.
"Hehe, these girls can clearly see your potential, so they're willing to sacrifice their own interests to include you and share their harvest."
"Right now, you're getting a free ride. But I bet you're not content with just that?" At that moment, Eggy's sweet voice suddenly echoed in Chu Feng's mind.
"Eggy, can you tell where these Martial Patterns come from?" Chu Feng asked eagerly. Eggy had extensive knowledge; although she hailed from the Asura Spirit World, she knew many things he did not.
"I can't tell. But you could try using your Heavenly Eyes. Although they are a Spirit World Master's technique, they differ from Mental Power—you might discover something," Eggy suggested.
"Right! The Heavenly Eyes! How could I forget that?" Hearing Eggy's words, Chu Feng suddenly realized. After entering the Martial Pattern Immortal Realm, he had continuously kept his Mental Power active, carefully observing his surroundings, but found nothing.
He had subconsciously assumed that being a Spirit World Master offered no advantage here, which indirectly made him forget about his Heavenly Eyes.
With Eggy's reminder, Chu Feng didn't hesitate. Regardless of whether the Heavenly Eyes would work, he had to at least try.
The Martial Pattern Immortal Realm was bathed in sunlight during the day, but at night, there was no moon or starlight—it was pitch black. However, the moment Chu Feng activated his Heavenly Eyes, the world before him brightened instantly. Everything became as clear as broad daylight under his gaze.
After a meticulous search, Chu Feng made a delightful discovery: on a nearby hilltop, there was a small talisman array. Though faint and barely perceptible, flickering in and out of sight, it was unmistakably a formation.
First, Chu Feng deactivated his Heavenly Eyes and saw the array vanish. Re-activating them, the formation reappeared once more.
Chu Feng approached cautiously, probing with his Mental Power. He detected almost no anomaly—it looked like an ordinary rock. But when viewed through his Heavenly Eyes, he could see what seemed to be life growing within the array. This was something only the Heavenly Eyes could reveal.
"Chu Feng, set up a release barrier and try it. I have a feeling there might be a Martial Pattern inside," Eggy advised.
"Mm." Actually, Chu Feng had already thought of that. With a thought, he first deployed a sealing barrier around the area, then set up a release barrier array.
"Open!" As soon as the release array activated, the talisman formation began to shift rapidly. In the end, it transformed into the shape of a Martial Pattern and burst forth from the stone, attempting to flee.