Chu Feng approached the platform, opened the box, and discovered a compass inside.
The compass was crafted from a very special material, refined through formations, and was quite valuable.
But Chu Feng also noticed that the compass was incomplete. It was designed to carry a formation, yet there was no formation inscribed upon it.
Chu Feng looked toward the depths of the stone cavern hall.
The barrier gate that had transported the white-haired man away had vanished.
However, the barrier gate deeper within the hall had opened.
"What was that demon race member about just now?"
"Was he the necessary condition to trigger the next stage?"
"Or... is someone here using me?"
Chu Feng did not venture deeper immediately, but instead fell into contemplation.
The trials along the way had been simple for Chu Feng, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that things were not as straightforward as they appeared.
"Forget it."
Chu Feng passed through the barrier gate, expecting to enter another stone cavern directly.
But in reality, he found himself inside a grand formation.
This formation was extremely dangerous, and the method to break it was the same — martial force and barrier manipulation both worked.
Chu Feng did not take long to crack it.
After breaking the formation, Chu Feng was propelled forward by a teleportation force as everything around him dissolved. He found himself back in a stone cavern hall.
This stone cavern hall was nearly identical to the previous one.
The same two barrier gates.
The one in the depths was closed; the one on the side was open.
A platform sat in the center, with a box on top.
Even beside the platform stood a man, just as before.
Only this man was not white-haired, but black-haired.
And compared to the relaxed demeanor of the white-haired man, this black-haired man wore an expression of fury, his eyes brimming with gravity.
Moreover, his body had undergone numerous changes.
Scales shimmered with light across his skin, an imposing aura radiated from his frame, and his eyes had turned blood red.
In his hand, he gripped a three-meter-long object — a bone.
BOOM— While Chu Feng was still sizing him up, the man was already charging at him with the bone.
Ninth level Half God — that was this person's cultivation.
But it was not his original cultivation. By comparing the changes with those of the white-haired man, Chu Feng deduced that the black-haired man had undergone three types of transformation.
That meant he had elevated his cultivation by three levels. His true cultivation should be sixth level Half God.
And that bone, with its flickering runes, was no ordinary bone. It was a divine weapon.
Chu Feng stood in place, neither dodging nor retreating. He merely raised his hand slightly, and a barrier shield rose from the ground.
The bone smashed down head-on with such devastating force that space itself shattered on impact. But when it struck Chu Feng's barrier, the shield remained completely unscathed.
This was the full extent of Chu Feng's barrier combat power.
Even with a divine weapon in hand, his opponent could not breach barriers alone.
Having blocked the attack, Chu Feng did not counterattack but instead asked directly: "Who exactly are you people?"
"Is this your territory?"
Despite the other party's hostile approach, Chu Feng was far more interested in understanding the current situation.
But the black-haired man did not answer. He raised the bone once more, golden light erupting as he unleashed a martial skill.
Empowered by the martial technique, the divine weapon's might surged dramatically, and Chu Feng's barrier shield was blasted to smithereens.
Yet Chu Feng still did not dodge or retreat. He remained rooted in place, merely shifting his hand seals.
The shattered barrier transformed into barrier aura and surged straight toward the man.
The man paid it no mind — he thought it was simply dispersing barrier energy.
But when the barrier aura enveloped him and his next wave of attacks could not be unleashed, only then did he realize the gravity of the situation.
Looking down, he saw that the barrier aura had condensed from energy into a solid substance, binding him completely.
"RRAAGH!!"
Seeing this,