"I guess that Ruthless guy is the type who cares more about money than his life, actually thinking he could withstand my Self-Destruction Talisman. That's a talisman my grandfather spent a whole month crafting—even an Eighth-Rank Martial King would struggle to block it. How could he possibly resist?"
"He's certainly talented, but it's a pity he couldn't see the bigger picture and lost what mattered most." Compared to Ya Fei's self-satisfied gloating,
"Talented? Pfft! If it weren't for the benefits he got inside the Nurturing Object Hall, he'd be nothing!" However,
"Heh, whether he's talented or not, you should know best, right?" Ya Fei gave a faint smile, her gaze towards Zhan Feng filled with a complex meaning. Although she didn't like Chu Feng either, she strongly agreed with Murong Wan's view.
"Hmph." Seeing this, Zhan Feng gave a cold snort and said nothing more. After all, he knew very well just how strong Chu Feng was. His insistence that Chu Feng's power was solely a gift from the Nurturing Object Hall was just a way to console himself; he simply couldn't accept losing to Chu Feng.
The others couldn't hear their discussion. Right now, everyone was talking about the Nurturing Object Hall. Although they didn't fully believe the rumor that Ruthless had defeated three supreme geniuses, they were endlessly curious about the Hall's appearance.
This only proved that the Ethereal Fairy Peak was no simple place. The fact that the Nurturing Object Hall contained so many Martial Runes... if someone could truly acquire all of them, wouldn't they have a chance to exchange them for the legendary Earth-Restricted Martial Art? An Earth-Restricted Martial Art—that was something not found anywhere in the entire
But unfortunately, it seemed the Nurturing Object Hall was designed to prevent anyone from taking the runes, as it had self-destructed, nearly burying these supreme geniuses inside. This left the elder experts sighing with regret. After all, an Earth-Restricted Martial Art was such a treasure; no matter who got it, it would be a good thing for the Eastern Sea Region.
But how could they know? The Nurturing Object Hall's self-destruction was just a lie. The truth was exactly as
Meanwhile, Chun Wu and her three sisters had already arrived at the residence of the Ethereal Fairy.
It was a grand hall, but inside, it was like a world unto itself. Above was a vast blue sky dotted with drifting white clouds. All around were beautiful landscapes—the wind rustled through the trees, small animals occasionally darted out from the grass and woods, and one could hear birdsong and the low growls of beasts.
And standing within this wondrous palace was the Ethereal Fairy. Here, she seemed less like a mortal and more like a divine saint.
"Is what
"Master, it is absolutely true. Please, Master, save
"Master, Junior Brother Ruthless did this to save us. You must save him!" Chun Wu and Qiu Zhu also pleaded.
"Oh, and Master, there are also those people from the
Yet at this moment, the Ethereal Fairy remained expressionless. "I am merely the guardian of the Ethereal Fairy Peak. Everything here is an array formation. I cannot interfere with its operation, let alone that Ruthless is trapped within the Martial Rune Fairyland. I cannot help him."
"As for the matter involving Ya Fei and the others, keep it to yourselves. Do not mention it to outsiders again. If they don't believe it, that's one thing, but if they think you're making false accusations, it will negatively impact our Ethereal Fairy Peak."
"Never forget, you four are my successors. Like me, you represent the Ethereal Fairy Peak. Act cautiously and do not let anyone seize an opportunity to use your words against you."
"But Master, can you really just abandon Junior Brother Ruthless? He did this to save us!" Chun Wu was unwilling to accept this. She could ignore Ya Fei and the others, but she couldn't bear to watch Chu Feng die for nothing.
"It's not that I don't want to help; I am truly powerless." The Ethereal Fairy shook her head, and to everyone's surprise, she let out a sigh—a rare display of emotion from her.
Seeing this, everyone fell silent. They knew their Master truly couldn't save Chu Feng; otherwise, she wouldn't react this way.
So, in the end, they could only leave, carrying their unwillingness and immense grief. They all felt that Chu Feng was likely already dead.
Of course, only Chun Wu and Qiu Zhu felt genuine sorrow. Xia Yu and Dong Xue were merely pretending; internally, they were overjoyed.
However, Chun Wu and Qiu Zhu still clung to a sliver of hope. They kept waiting, hoping Chu Feng would appear on the peak. But things didn't go as they wished. As time ticked by, more and more people actively crushed their Immortal Talismans and teleported back to the peak.
But after the ninety-ninth person emerged and the ten-day deadline passed, Chu Feng still hadn't appeared.
This outcome left Chun Wu, Qiu Zhu,
Yet, just as everyone believed Chu Feng had perished in the Martial Rune Fairyland, something else was unfolding within that realm.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't the Martial Rune Fairyland, but that strange world where the ground was covered in white bones and the sky was filled with dark clouds.
Chu Feng stood there. He felt groggy, as if a long time had passed. His consciousness had just returned, only to find he was no longer inside the Nurturing Object Hall.
But the confident smile still lingered at the corner of his lips. He knew he wasn't dead. He knew he had guessed correctly—that powerful, mysterious existence would not let him die.
*Swoosh.*
At that moment, a whistling sound swept across the sky once more. That mysterious, majestic giant face reappeared.
As its two beams of gaze descended from the heavens and focused on Chu Feng's body, that voice capable of piercing the heavens boomed once again:
"You have courage and intelligence, but unfortunately, you did not completely defeat your opponent, which is why you nearly lost your life."
"Therefore, I cannot give you everything inside the Nurturing Object Hall. However, the rewards I bestow upon you are more than sufficient."
*Hummm.*
As the words ended, a beam of light shot down from the sky. Just like before, it struck Chu Feng directly and merged into his body.