"Chu Feng!!!"
Even though they had long known Chu Feng would come, and knew Chu Feng had obtained a flag…
When Chu Feng actually appeared, arriving at the combat platform where the ancient powerhouses gathered…
Whether they liked Chu Feng or despised him, ripples stirred in everyone's hearts.
After all, Chu Feng represented the contemporary martial cultivators.
But how could the younger generation hope to contend with the elders?
Earlier, Jie Tianran had delivered a casual strike and stripped away the red spiritual flames from nearly ten thousand young geniuses — that alone was the best proof.
Regardless of whether the Red Soul Sect's master could rival Jie Tianran, he was still a bona fide Divine Realm powerhouse.
Soon, Qin Xuan, Yuwen Yanri, and the others emerged from the barrier gate as well, standing behind Chu Feng like little brothers.
Every one of them carried themselves with heads held high and eyes bright with spirit, looking rather pleased with themselves.
But that spirited look lasted only an instant before it dissolved, replaced by utter bewilderment.
They had noticed Jie Tianran and the others!!!
"Qin Xuan, why are you following behind Chu Feng?!"
A furious shout rang out. The Azure Heaven Immortal Sect's Sect Master was glaring at Qin Xuan and the others with undisguised fury.
"S-Sect Master?"
Qin Xuan was already panicking, and the other Azure Heaven Immortal Sect juniors were so terrified they dropped to their knees.
They weren't performing a bow — they genuinely fell to both knees and lowered their heads.
Like children who knew they'd done wrong, they didn't dare speak a word, having already admitted their fault and simply waiting for punishment.
It was Qin Xuan who managed a kneeling salute, clasped his fists, and spoke: "Sect Master, you don't understand — in the spatial world we were in before, we had to make a choice."
"And it was a choice between the ancients and the contemporary. As modern cultivators, how could we choose to follow the ancients?"
"Besides, those ancient juniors showed hostility toward us from the very start. Whenever we crossed paths, they would make things difficult for us, even strip us of our qualification to venture deeper."
"Especially those in red robes — they relied on their superior cultivation to beat and even kill many of our peers, forcing them to kneel and say degrading words just to escape with their lives."
"If Chu Feng hadn't stepped in to help, none of us could have made it here."
"The situation we faced earlier left us with only two options: give up, or choose between Chu Feng and the red-robed cultivators."
"I didn't want to give up. We carry the mission of contemporary cultivators and the Azure Heaven Immortal Sect — how could we abandon that so easily?"
"So I had no choice but to choose Chu Feng."
"I know about the grudge between Chu Feng and the Seven Realms Sacred Palace."
"But when I searched my heart, there was no enmity between Chu Feng and me. In fact, Chu Feng has helped me many times."
"Not just here — at the Peak of Nine Heavens, Chu Feng helped us too."
"If it weren't for Chu Feng, at the Peak of Nine Heavens, we would have already been trampled underfoot by the ancient juniors."
"Sects have their rules, and if the Sect Master wishes to punish me, I accept."
"But in that situation, I could only choose to follow Chu Feng."
As soon as Qin Xuan finished, Yuwen Yanri also addressed the Divine Body Palace's Master.
"Grandfather, what Qin Xuan said is the truth. The ancient juniors targeted us at every turn, especially those in red robes from the Red Soul Sect."
"Chu Feng, on the other hand, has helped us greatly. I hope Grandfather can understand."
After speaking, Yuwen Yanri performed a respectful bow to his grandfather.
"Young friends, please don't overthink this."
"The grudge between our Seven Realms Sacred Palace and Chu Feng — our Seven Realms Sacred Palace will handle it ourselves. It has nothing to do with you, and you needn't hold these juniors accountable."
At that moment, Jie Tianran spoke. After finishing his words, he turned to glance at the Azure Heaven Immortal Sect's Sect Master.
That single glance made the Azure Heaven Immortal Sect's Sect Master realize he shouldn't publicly berate Qin Xuan and the others.
In truth, his rebuke of Qin Xuan had been meant to save face for the Seven Realms Sacred Palace — after all, everyone knew about the grudge between Chu Feng and the Seven Realms Sacred Palace.
But in his eagerness to make a show of loyalty, he had overlooked… compared to Chu Feng, the Red Soul Sect was actually the side one should never have joined.
After all, this also concerned the matter of choosing sides between the contemporary and the ancients.
But he knew that Jie Tianran only said this on the surface — in his heart, he was just as furious. He knew how terrifying Jie Tianran's hatred for Chu Feng truly was.
While those inside debated the matter, those outside the Age of Gods discussed it even more heatedly.
"Sigh, anyone who dares follow Chu Feng has real backbone."
"Exactly! How could we possibly follow them after the way the ancient races treated us?"
"I never expected Young Hero Qin Xuan to have such a broad perspective."
"And that other young hero — he called the Divine Body Palace's Master his grandfather. Could that be Young Palace Master Yuwen Yanri? Truly an extraordinary individual."
"These juniors are all doing the right thing. It's the juniors of the Seven Realms Sacred Palace who are… sigh, hard to put into words, truly hard to put into words."
From the perspective of these onlookers, Chu Feng and Qin Xuan's group were the heroes.