That was because he realized that at some point, a man standing nearly two meters tall had appeared behind him.
The man wore the red robe of the Hell Sect, but instead of donning the Hell Sect's white bamboo hat, he revealed his face openly.
His features were gaunt yet quite handsome, with a head of white hair flowing behind him in the wind.
It gave the man an imposing presence, an air of authority that commanded respect without a hint of anger.
Upon seeing this man, the Hell Envoy immediately performed a deep bow. "Greetings, Lord Zilin!"
This young-looking man was named Baili Zilin.
He was the biological son of an extraordinarily powerful figure within the Hell Sect — a man of immense authority.
And because of his exceptional talent, Baili Zilin had long held the title of the Hell Sect's greatest genius.
As far as the Hell Envoy knew, the capture of Xian Haier had been carried out by Baili Zilin's father's subordinates, all to benefit Baili Zilin.
Had anyone else done such a thing, they would have been severely punished.
But because Baili Zilin's father wielded both power and strength, he had forcefully suppressed the matter.
Even this Infant Hell Spirit Summoning Altar had been opened specifically for him.
And Baili Zilin had not disappointed anyone's expectations — when he stepped onto the Infant Hell Spirit Summoning Altar, he had triggered the red cloud phenomenon.
However, the red cloud phenomenon he had triggered was far, far inferior compared to the one currently unfolding before them.
Baili Zilin paid no attention to the Hell Envoy at all. Instead, he lifted his gaze to watch the red cloud phenomenon emanating from the Infant Hell Spirit Summoning Altar — red talismans constantly being released, intertwining with black clouds.
"What a beautiful phenomenon. So this is what the Infant Hell Spirit Summoning Altar looks like when it's been fully awakened."
After sighing with admiration, Baili Zilin finally looked toward the Hell Envoy.
"Who is this Chu Feng you mentioned earlier?"
"Reporting to Lord Zilin — the Chu Feng I spoke of is the son of Jie Ranqing, the young man who earned the title of the strongest junior at the Summit of the Nine Heavens."
"To be perfectly honest, when I went to the Eastern Region before, I not only brought back Miss Song Yun, but I also encountered this Chu Feng. I even planted an Infant Hell Spirit inside his body, and at that time, Chu Feng's Infant Hell Spirit received guidance from the Holy Altar."
"Such a talented individual — originally, I intended to bring both Chu Feng and Miss Song Yun back to the Hell Sect together. However, an unexpected incident occurred along the way, so I only brought back Miss Song Yun."
"And just now, I happened to run into Chu Feng in this world. Since the Infant Hell Spirit Summoning Altar was already open anyway, I thought I might as well let Chu Feng give it a try."
"I never expected that Chu Feng would actually fully awaken the Infant Hell Spirit Summoning Altar."
"A junior with such talent — our Asura Hell Sect cannot afford to miss him again."
The Hell Envoy recounted the events with excitement.
"So where is this Chu Feng?" Baili Zilin asked.
"Reporting to Lord Zilin, for some unknown reason, when Chu Feng ascended the Infant Hell Spirit Summoning Altar, he did not trigger any anomalies. As a result, Chu Feng left," the Hell Envoy said.
"So he doesn't know that he triggered those anomalies?" Baili Zilin asked.
"He does not," the Hell Envoy replied.
"Then besides you, who else knows that Chu Feng came here?" Baili Zilin asked again.
"No one. After all, Chu Feng is not a member of our Asura Hell Sect, so I brought him in secretly."
At this point, the Hell Envoy hastily dropped to his knees.
"Lord Zilin, I only had the sect's interests at heart. Someone of Chu Feng's caliber — if he could join our Asura Hell Sect, it would surely strengthen us greatly."
"That is why I committed this transgression."
"But a wrong is a wrong, and I am willing to accept punishment."
The Hell Envoy knew his actions were improper. Though his merits and faults might cancel each other out, he could not help feeling a degree of panic.
"There is no need to panic. What you have done is a great service." Baili Zilin extended his hand toward the Hell Envoy.
Seeing this, the Hell Envoy finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But in the next instant, Baili Zilin's palm clamped down on the Hell Envoy's neck like a sharp claw, then lifted him clean off the ground.
Urgh — The Hell Envoy struggled with all his might, but could not break free. He could not even speak.
Baili Zilin scrutinized the Hell Envoy, his gaze filled with contempt — it was not the look one would give a senior of the same sect, but rather the look one would give a mere ant.
"You insignificant thing."
"Had you not brought back Song Yun, you would never have even been promoted to Demon-character Hell Envoy, let alone earned the right to enter this place."
"I allowed you in here so that you could cultivate. I never imagined you would be so restless as to bring an outsider in."
"Still, you have managed to do me a favor."
At these words, the Hell Envoy's expression changed. He did not quite understand what Baili Zilin meant.
How could this possibly be helping him?
Even if there were profits, it would be the Hell Sect benefiting. What did that have to do with him?
"But this matter — I don't want anyone to know about it."
With those words, a peculiar suction force enveloped the Hell Envoy. The next instant, the Hell Envoy's entire body was drawn into Baili Zilin's palm.
After dealing with the Hell Envoy, Baili Zilin swallowed a special pill. Immediately, his complexion turned deathly pale, and his whole body grew weak.
He slumped powerlessly before the Hell Infant Summoning Altar, forcing out a faint smile as though he was waiting for something.
Rumble— Before long, the crimson clouds blanketed the entire world.
At the same time, atop the grand hall that served as the entrance to this spatial world, a patch of crimson clouds had also appeared.
Although the crimson clouds above the hall were limited in area and did not spread, the moment they appeared, every person who saw them was struck with shock.
Those guarding the hall's entrance immediately scattered.
Shortly afterward, several powerful figures arrived outside the hall one after another. Upon seeing the phenomenon above the structure, they rushed straight into the spatial world without a word.
In the blink of an eye, several mighty existences of the Hell Sect had all gathered before the Hell Infant Summoning Altar.
"Young Master Zilin, are you alright?"
Upon seeing Baili Zilin, they hurriedly gathered around him.
"I'm fine. The expenditure was great, but nothing serious," Baili Zilin shook his head.
"Young Master Zilin, was this phenomenon caused by you?" the group asked in unison, their voices barely concealing their excitement.
"Mm." Baili Zilin nodded.
Seeing this, even these high-ranking figures were so thrilled that they began waving their arms and stomping their feet. As they looked at Baili Zilin once more, their gazes burned with intense fervor.
The next moment, these were figures whom Baili Zilin would normally have to treat with the utmost deference — yet they all dropped to one knee before him in a grand gesture of respect.
"We greet the Young Lord!!!"
Hearing this cry, Baili Zilin quickly waved his hands.
"Esteemed lords, please rise at once. I merely triggered the phenomenon. In the end, I am still of the younger generation — unworthy of such a title, let alone your kneeling."
"Young Master Zilin, a phenomenon like this has never appeared before. With it behind you, no one can object to you becoming our Hell Sect's Young Lord."
One of them spoke, and the rest voiced their agreement.
As high-ranking members of the Hell Sect, they understood the true purpose of the Hell Infant Summoning Altar.
That was far more than a test of talent.
The other purpose of the Hell Infant Summoning Altar was for the Hell Sect to determine its future heir to the throne.
But the conditions were extraordinarily harsh.
First, the candidate themselves had to possess absolute talent and strength, with the potential to grow normally in the future, reach the pinnacle of power, and command the respect of the masses.
Second, they had to trigger a phenomenon powerful enough to reach the legendary level.
Simply triggering any phenomenon would not suffice.
That level required red clouds to blanket the sky and flood the entire space until those same crimson clouds formed atop the grand hall itself.
Because of this, a saying had long circulated regarding the Hell Infant Summoning Altar.
When red clouds fill the sky, the Hell God ascends the throne.
But this sight had never appeared before. Even though Baili Zilin had previously triggered a phenomenon, it had not reached that level.
So everyone merely believed he had fulfilled his potential, but could not become heir to the throne.
Yet today, this near-impossible feat, Baili Zilin had accomplished.
That meant he was now qualified to become the Hell Sect's future master.
"If I hadn't brought back Song Yun, I wouldn't have even been promoted to Demon Character Hell Envoy, let alone qualified to enter this place."
"I allowed you entry here so you could cultivate, but I never expected you to be so restless that you would bring outsiders in."
"Still, I suppose you've actually done me a favor."
Hearing this, the Hell Envoy's expression shifted. He didn't quite understand what Baili Zilin meant.
How was that a favor to him?
Even if there was a gain, it would be the Hell Sect's gain — what did that have to do with him?
"But this matter — I don't want anyone to know about it."
With those words, a peculiar suction enveloped the Hell Envoy. In the next instant, his entire body was drawn into Baili Zilin's palm.
After disposing of the Hell Envoy, Baili Zilin swallowed a special pill. Immediately, his face turned deathly pale, and his whole body weakened.
He collapsed feebly before the Hell Infant Summoning Altar, forcing a faint smile as though he were waiting for something.
Rumble— Before long, the red clouds engulfed the entire world.
At the same time, atop the great hall that served as the entrance to this spatial world, a patch of red clouds had actually appeared as well.
Although the red clouds atop the hall were limited in area and did not spread, the moment they appeared, every person who laid eyes on them turned pale with shock.
The guards stationed at the hall's entrance immediately scattered in all directions.
Before long, several powerful figures arrived at the exterior of the hall one after another. Upon seeing the scene above the roof, they charged straight into the spatial world within without a single word.
In the blink of an eye, several formidable existences from the Prison Sect had all arrived before the Prison Infant Summoning Altar.
"Young Master Zilin, how are you?"
Upon seeing Baili Zilin, they hurriedly gathered around him.
"I'm fine. The consumption was heavy, but there's no real issue." Baili Zilin shook his head.
"Young Master Zilin, was this phenomenon caused by you?" the several figures asked in unison, their voices already trembling with barely concealed excitement.
"Mm." Baili Zilin nodded.
Seeing this, even these prominent figures began to gesticulate wildly with excitement. When they looked at Baili Zilin once more, their gazes had become scorching with intensity.
The next moment, these were all figures whom Baili Zilin normally had to treat with the utmost respect and deference — yet they simultaneously dropped to one knee before him, performing a grand salute.
"We greet the Young Lord!!!"
Hearing this cry, Baili Zilin hurriedly waved his hands.
"Esteemed lords, please rise. I merely triggered the phenomenon, but I am still a junior. I am unworthy of such a title, and I cannot accept your kneeling."
"Young Master Zilin, a phenomenon of this magnitude has never appeared before. With this phenomenon, there is virtually no one who could object to you becoming the Young Lord of our Prison Sect."
One of them spoke, and the others voiced their agreement in turn.
As high-ranking figures of the Prison Sect, they understood the true purpose of the Prison Infant Summoning Altar.
It was not merely a test of talent.
The altar's other purpose was to determine the future heir to the throne of the Prison Sect.
But the conditions for this were extraordinarily harsh.
First, the individual had to possess absolute talent and strength, ensuring they could grow normally in the future, reach the pinnacle of power, and command the respect of all.
Second, they had to trigger a phenomenon powerful enough to reach the legendary tier.
Simply triggering any phenomenon would not suffice.
And that tier meant the red clouds had to fill the entire sky, saturate the spatial world, and then cause a patch of red clouds to manifest atop that great hall as well.
That was why there was a saying passed down about the Prison Infant Summoning Altar.
"When red clouds blanket the sky, the Prison God ascends the throne."
However, this phenomenon had never once appeared. Even though Baili Zilin had previously triggered anomalous signs, he had not reached that level.
So everyone merely believed he had demonstrated his talent, yet could not become the heir to the throne.
But today, Baili Zilin had accomplished this nearly impossible feat.
That meant he now had the qualifications to become the future master of the Prison Sect.
"Had it not been for bringing back Song Yun, you wouldn't have even advanced to the rank of Hell Messenger, let alone qualify to enter this place."
"I let you in here so you could cultivate, yet you simply couldn't stay out of trouble and brought outsiders into this space."
"Still, I suppose you did actually help me out."
Hearing this, the Hell Messenger's expression shifted. He didn't quite understand what Baili Zilin meant.
How had he helped him?
Even if there was a benefit, it would be the Prison Sect that profited. What did that have to do with him?
"But this matter — I don't want anyone to know about it."
Once he finished speaking, a strange suction enveloped the Hell Messenger. In the next instant, the Hell Messenger's entire body was drawn into the palm of Baili Zilin's hand.
After dealing with the Hell Messenger, Baili Zilin swallowed a peculiar pill. His complexion immediately turned pale, and his whole body grew feeble.
He collapsed weakly before the Prison Infant Summoning Altar, forcing a faint smile onto his face as though he were waiting for something.
Rumble— Before long, the red clouds engulfed the entire world.
At the same time, atop the great hall that served as the entrance to this spatial world, a patch of red clouds unexpectedly manifested as well.
Although the red clouds above the hall were limited in area and did not spread, the moment they appeared, every single person who saw them was overcome with shock.
The guards stationed at the entrance to the hall immediately scattered in every direction.
Not long after, several powerful figures arrived one after another outside the great hall. Upon witnessing the scene above it, they rushed without a word into the spatial world contained within.
In the blink of eye, several mighty existences from the Prison Sect had all gathered before the Prison Infant Summoning Altar.
"Young Master Zilin, are you all right?"
Upon seeing Baili Zilin, they hurriedly gathered around him.
"I'm fine, the consumption was just too great, but there's no real harm done." Baili Zilin shook his head.
"Young Master Zilin, was that the phenomenon you triggered?" those figures asked simultaneously, their voices barely concealing their excitement.
"Mm." Baili Zilin nodded.
Upon hearing this, even these distinguished figures began trembling with excitement, their gazes toward Baili Zilin becoming incredibly fervent.
The next moment, these very figures whom Baili Zilin normally had to greet with the utmost respect all dropped to one knee before him in unison, paying him the highest honor.
"We greet the Young Master!!!"
Hearing this cry, Baili Zilin hurriedly waved his hands.
"Lords, please rise at once! I merely triggered a phenomenon, but I am still a junior. I cannot bear such a title, let alone accept your kneeling."
"Young Master Zilin, such a phenomenon has never appeared before. With this phenomenon, there is virtually no one who could object to you becoming the Young Master of our Prison Clan."
One of them spoke, and the others voiced their agreement.
As high-ranking figures of the Prison Clan, they knew the true purpose of the Prison Infant Summoning Altar.
It was not merely for verifying talent.
The other purpose of the Prison Infant Summoning Altar was to determine the Prison Clan's future throne successor.
But the conditions were extremely harsh.
First, the individual had to possess absolute talent and strength, able to guarantee normal growth in the future, reach the pinnacle of power, and command the respect of the masses.
Second, they had to trigger a phenomenon powerful enough that it reached the legendary level.
Otherwise, merely triggering a phenomenon on its own would not suffice.
And this level required red clouds to fill the sky, saturating the entire spatial world, until even the top of that grand hall produced red clouds.
Therefore, there was a saying passed down about the Prison Infant Summoning Altar.
The day red clouds fill the sky is the day the Prison God ascends the throne.
However, this sight had never appeared before. Even though Baili Zilin had previously triggered a phenomenon, it had not reached this level.
So everyone merely believed he had fulfilled his talent, but could not become the throne successor.
But today, Baili Zilin had accomplished what was nearly impossible.
Thus, he now had the qualification to become the Prison Clan's future master.
"If I hadn't brought back Song Yun, I wouldn't have even been promoted to the Devil Character Hell Envoy, let alone gained the qualification to enter this place."
"I let you into this place so that you could cultivate. I never expected you to be so restless as to bring an outsider in here."
"But, I suppose you've actually done me a favor."
Upon hearing this, the Hell Envoy's expression shifted. He didn't quite understand what Baili Zilin meant.
How had he done him a favor?
Even if there was a gain, it would be the Prison Clan's gain — what did that have to do with him?
"However, I don't want anyone to know about this matter."
With those words, a peculiar suction force enveloped the Hell Envoy. In the next instant, his entire body was drawn into the center of Baili Zilin's palm.
After dealing with the Hell Envoy, Baili Zilin swallowed a special pill. His complexion immediately turned pale, and his whole body became feeble.
He collapsed weakly before the Soul Infant Summoning Altar, forcing out a faint smile, as though waiting for something.
Boom— Before long, the crimson clouds blanketed the entire world.
At the same time, atop the grand hall that served as the entrance to this spatial world, a patch of crimson clouds suddenly appeared.
Although the crimson cloud atop the hall was limited in area and did not spread outward, the moment it manifested, everyone who laid eyes on it was struck with shock.
Those guarding the entrance of the hall immediately scattered.
Before long, several powerful figures arrived one after another outside the hall. Upon seeing the sight above it, they rushed without a word into the spatial world within the hall.
In the blink of an eye, several mighty existences of the Prison Clan had all gathered before the Soul Infant Summoning Altar.
"Young Master Zilin, are you alright?"
Upon seeing Baili Zilin, they hurriedly approached him.
"I'm fine — I've simply expended too much energy, but there's no serious issue." Baili Zilin shook his head.
"Young Master Zilin, was this phenomenon caused by you?" they all asked simultaneously, their voices barely concealing their excitement.