It had to be said, the Heaven's Eye was incredibly powerful. And with Chu Feng's growing familiarity from frequent use, it had become even more refined and responsive. It actually pierced through layer upon layer of the golden mist that obscured his vision, allowing him to see into the distance.
But for Chu Feng at this moment, this Heaven's Eye seemed to have done more harm than good. Under its gaze, Chu Feng was stunned to discover that far off in the mist, there was a humanoid creature.
It stood a thousand zhang tall, like an enormous mountain peak, impossibly massive. Its entire body was covered in blood-red fur, a strange and unsettling fur that looked as though it had been dyed in fresh blood — just looking at it sent chills down one's spine.
Moreover, that crimson fur covered its entire body, preventing Chu Feng from making out its face. All he could see were two eyes — as massive as the sun, yet utterly hollow — radiating an overwhelming killing intent.
At that moment, the colossal humanoid creature stood in the distance, its terrifying gaze fixed on Chu Feng with vicious ferocity.
And Chu Feng noticed something even more horrifying. In the creature's right hand, it gripped an enormous scythe, its blade smeared with bright red bloodstains. Fresh blood even cascaded in torrents down the scythe's razor-sharp edge.
In its left hand, the creature carried a cage the size of a vast palace. The cage was packed full of something, and when Chu Feng looked closer, his spine went cold and sweat poured down his back in sheets. The enormous cage was filled entirely with human heads — tens of thousands of them.
In that moment, Chu Feng was truly terrified. He could sense just how horrifying this humanoid creature was. If it wanted to kill him, he would have absolutely no chance of escape.
"Awoooo!" But just then, the humanoid creature suddenly let out a mournful wail, as though startled by something. Its form flickered and vanished in an instant, disappearing without a trace, leaving behind nothing but that chilling cry still echoing through the air.
"Oh heavens! What was that?! What was making that sound?! That was terrifying!!!" At the same time, Chunwu let out a shriek. A fourth-level Martial King, she now looked like a frightened little bird, clinging tightly to Chu Feng's embrace.
But it was hardly her fault. The creature's cry had been genuinely horrifying, terrifying beyond description. It would have shaken even the bravest of souls, and for the faint of heart, it could very well have been fatal.
From the way Chunwu looked around in confusion, Chu Feng could tell she had never actually seen the humanoid creature. In a way, that was a stroke of luck — otherwise, this beautiful woman would have been far more terrified.
After all, even Chu Feng himself had felt his blood run cold. He had seen everything in his life, but the things that could genuinely frighten him were exceedingly rare.
"Senior Sister Chunwu, this place isn't safe to stay in. Let's not venture any deeper. The mist surrounds the entire Martial Mark Immortal Realm, so even if we just search the outer edges, we might still find something."
After witnessing that humanoid creature, Chu Feng couldn't help but think of ancient beings. He now understood just how dangerous the depths of this mist truly were, and he grew ever more aware that the Martial Mark Immortal Realm was far more complex than it appeared. Even someone as bold as he was wouldn't dare push further in.
When there was no guarantee of safety yet one insisted on pressing into extremely dangerous territory, that was anything but wise. Even though Chu Feng wanted to help Yan Ruyu, he wasn't going to gamble with his own life — and besides, he couldn't even be certain that the Martial Mark Fairy Lotus existed in those depths.
"Mm." Chunwu nodded repeatedly at Chu Feng's words.
The two of them then turned back, walking until the sense of danger had faded and the eerie cries had ceased entirely. Only then did they finally feel at ease.
After that, they continued searching through the mist. Although the mist obscured their vision, Chu Feng had his Heaven's Eye — a tool that could turn night into broad daylight, let alone cut through something as trivial as mist.
However, things were not as simple as they seemed. While they could find the charm arrays concealing Martial Marks within the mist — and there were even more of them here than in the mountain range — they still had yet to spot any trace of the Martial Mark Fairy Lotus.
As the sky grew darker and the ten-day deadline drew closer and closer, Chu Feng's brow furrowed deeply and his expression grew increasingly grim.
"How can this be? Master said the Martial Mark Fairy Lotus is definitely within the Martial Mark Immortal Realm. Why haven't we found it after searching the entire realm?" Seeing Chu Feng so troubled, Chunwu began to grow anxious as well.
But just then, Chu Feng's expression suddenly changed. He had spotted an enormous charm array in front of him. This array was completely different from the ones that had concealed Martial Marks before — because in the very center of this array, four large characters were inscribed: Sacred Nurturing Palace.
The moment he saw it, Chu Feng first glanced at Chunwu. Her face showed no change at all, which meant this grand array was also hidden from her sight.
So Chu Feng asked, "Senior Sister Chunwu, have you ever heard of the Sacred Nurturing Palace?"
"The Sacred Nurturing Palace? Wuqing Junior Brother, you've heard of the Sacred Nurturing Palace too?" A look of surprise surfaced on Chunwu's face.
"So the Sacred Nurturing Palace really exists?" Chu Feng pressed further.
"I've heard Master mention the Sacred Nurturing Palace before. It's said to be located somewhere within the Martial Mark Immortal Realm, containing vast quantities of Martial Marks. But no one has ever actually found it. This isn't something outsiders would know about, though — Wuqing Junior Brother, where did you hear about it?" Chunwu asked with great curiosity.
"Senior Sister Chunwu, what if I told you that right now, right in front of us, there is a grand array — and inscribed within it are the words 'Sacred Nurturing Palace'? Would you believe me?" Chu Feng said with a smile.
"Oh heavens! Wuqing Junior Brother, are you serious? The Sacred Nurturing Palace isn't just a place that nurtures Martial Marks — legend has it that nearly every unique item within the Martial Mark Immortal Realm originated from there. If it truly exists, then the Martial Mark Fairy Lotus must be inside as well!" At that moment, Chunwu became immensely excited, her face brimming with elation.
Hearing Chunwu's words, Chu Feng was overjoyed as well. He nodded hastily, "The Sacred Nurturing Palace is right here before us. Watch — I'll open it now."
Learning that the Sacred Nurturing Palace was the greatest treasure trove within the entire Martial Mark Immortal Realm — not only home to rare Martial Marks, but potentially containing the Martial Mark Fairy Lotus and other extraordinary items — Chu Feng didn't delay. With a thought, a torrent of purple barrier energy surged forth as he began constructing the Opening Barrier Array.
At the same time, Chunwu helped as well. The array for the Sacred Nurturing Palace was enormous, and opening it was no simple task — it required considerable effort.
After working for a full hour, the Opening Barrier Array was finally complete. But when they activated it and the Sacred Nurturing Palace began to open, something entirely unexpected occurred.
*Hummm!*
From the location of the Sacred Nurturing Palace's array, a colossal pillar of light erupted skyward. The pillar not only shot straight up into the heavens but blazed with such brilliance that it illuminated the Martial Mark Immortal Realm — shrouded as it was in darkness — as brightly as broad daylight.
This sudden development immediately drew everyone's attention. Those scattered throughout every corner of the Martial Mark Immortal Realm simultaneously turned their gaze toward the direction where Chu Feng and Chunwu stood.