Chu Feng had grown up in the Chu Family from a young age.
Though his elder brother and adoptive father had treated him well, outside of them, the vast majority of people had been hostile toward Chu Feng.
This had led him to treasure his friends above all else. For anyone who became his friend, Chu Feng would give them his whole heart without reservation, and if a friend were in trouble, he would walk through fire and water without a second thought.
Yet Chu Feng never asked his friends to repay that devotion in kind, and so he did not want Bai Yunqing to accompany him on his journey.
Now, with Bai Yunqing having taken Ouyang Kongyu as his Master, that was actually the best outcome Chu Feng could have hoped for.
So once Wang Qiang returned, Chu Feng bid his farewell and the two of them headed back toward the Totem Galaxy.
Learning that the one who had destroyed the Immortal Dao Alchemy Sect was his own grandmother — this was undoubtedly wonderful news.
It was time, he thought, to share this joyful tidling with Lady Yuwei.
After Chu Feng and Wang Qiang departed, Ouyang Kongyu formally began to impart his methods to Bai Yunqing.
However, this first step was rather unusual. He did not teach Bai Yunqing how to cultivate.
Instead, he brought Bai Yunqing to an underground palace.
The subterranean palace was buried deep beneath the world's surface, built upon a massive formation that drew the essence of the entire world into a boundless lake at its center.
The lake waters were crystal clear, revealing countless strange fish piled together at the bottom.
What made these fish peculiar was that no matter their size or shape, they all resembled needles.
They had no eyes, yet they possessed scales and gills.
Not one of them moved. If not for the faint movement of their gills, one might have assumed they were dead.
Whoosh— At that moment, Ouyang Kongyu swept his sleeve, sending a palm-sized formation sphere soaring into the sky.
The formation shattered, and a Fierce Beast ten thousand meters in length materialized, plunging into the lake.
In that instant, the strange fish at the bottom of the lake seemed to awaken as one, surging straight toward the Fierce Beast.
The Fierce Beast was no weakling — its body was clad in heavy armor — yet before those fish, it was as fragile as tofu.
In the blink of an eye, the Fierce Beast was utterly devoured. Even its blood was consumed clean, as though it had never existed at all.
The sight chilled Bai Yunqing to the bone.
That Fierce Beast had been stronger than he was.
Before those fish had moved, he never could have imagined they were this terrifying.
"Yunqing, can you tell what these fish are?" Ouyang Kongyu asked.
"Are they living creatures of this world, refined by formations into this shape?"
Though Bai Yunqing could not be certain, drawing on his knowledge of barrier arts, he had already formed his own theory.
"Correct."
"But their true purpose is also refinement."
"They were prepared for you."
The moment Ouyang Kongyu spoke those words, the composure on Bai Yunqing's face crumbled.
"Master… you cannot possibly mean for your disciple to enter that lake?"
Bai Yunqing forced a bitter smile. He tried his best to conceal the panic and fear welling up inside him, but they seeped through regardless.
That Fierce Beast had been stronger than he was, and even it could not survive. Going in there himself would be walking straight into his own grave.
"Don't panic. I'll use a formation to restrain their power so you can gradually adapt," Ouyang Kongyu said.
"Master, your disciple does not understand — what is the purpose of this kind of refinement?" Bai Yunqing asked.
"My inheritance is not so simple."