Jie Tianran made this decision because he knew that the foundations of the various powers, and their cultivation of the younger generation, had never been pushed to the limit.
Balanced development had been the shared goal of all factions.
But that was before.
Now, the vast cultivation world was far from peaceful.
Especially after the ancient powers began to reappear one after another.
All factions had come to realize that whether their forces would even have a future was an open question.
But their strength was what it was.
To break through the impasse, they could only gamble.
The Era of the Gods was where they would place their bets.
If the various factions had still harbored reservations before, then with the Era of the Gods offering such clear guidance, any further hesitation would only bring about their own destruction.
And so Jie Tianran's guess proved correct.
The other great powers had almost all decided to go all in, sparing no cost to cultivate their most talented juniors.
...
Chu Feng met with Daoist Zhaixing and asked the questions he had wanted answered.
Thus, upon stepping out of the teleportation array, he decided they would part ways there.
"You're leaving too?" Huahua looked at Xia Xingchen, genuinely surprised. "But you're wanted by the Azure Firmament Immortal Sect."
It was because Xia Xingchen had indicated she was also departing.
"What's the Azure Firmament Immortal Sect to me? Chu Feng is wanted by the Seven Realms Holy Mansion, and he's not afraid—why should I be?"
"Come on, don't worry about me."
"I'm truly grateful to Senior Zhaixing for his care these past days, but ultimately I need to venture out on my own."
Xia Xingchen said with a smile.
But Huahua threw herself into Xia Xingchen's arms, tears already streaming down her face. "Sister Xingchen, I can't bear to let you go."
"I can't bear to leave you either, but I have things I need to do. Cultivate well, and I'll come find you."
In this moment, Xia Xingchen truly seemed like an older sister, gently comforting the reluctant Huahua.
And so, Daoist Zhaixing departed with Huahua.
Only Chu Feng and Xia Xingchen remained.
"Chu Feng, come with me," Xia Xingchen said.
"Senior, I still have matters to attend to," Chu Feng replied.
"I know you do."
"But coming with me has its benefits. Are you coming or not?" Xia Xingchen asked.
"Then tell me—what benefits?" Chu Feng grew interested, asking with a grin.
"I'll tell you when we get there. What, don't you believe me? Fine, then don't come." Xia Xingchen lifted her chin slightly, haughty and proud.
"Of course I believe you, Senior. Let's go."
Once Chu Feng agreed, the two set off immediately.
This time, they arrived at a lower realm within the Azure Firmament Starfield.
When they stepped out of the teleportation array, Chu Feng and Xia Xingchen had not only disguised their appearances but also concealed their auras.
Yet Chu Feng still felt a slight tremor in his heart.
The teleportation array they emerged from appeared perfectly ordinary, but Chu Feng had sensed the hidden aura of a powerful expert.
Someone was monitoring this place from the shadows, and they were no weakling.
Moreover, Chu Feng vaguely detected a sealing formation covering the area.
The formation was not currently active, but it could be triggered at any moment.
Xia Xingchen, meanwhile, grabbed Chu Feng and swiftly pulled him away from there.
As they streaked through the sky, several more teleportation arrays came into view.
Outside each of those arrays, there were hidden powerful auras as well as sealing formations.
In terms of defensive specifications, every one of those subsequent arrays far surpassed the one he and Xia Xingchen had emerged from.
This made Chu Feng realize that Xia Xingchen had not chosen the teleportation array at random—she had done so deliberately.