"If you're curious, I can let you in on a bit of the difference."
As those words left her lips, the woman named Xue Luo opened her palm, and a glowing sphere the size of a fingernail flew toward Chu Feng.
Chu Feng didn't know what it meant, but he caught the sphere in his hand and examined it.
However, aside from vaguely resembling a tiny star, the sphere had nothing special about it.
Just then, the woman named Xue Luo spoke again.
"The difference between worlds is something you've long been aware of."
"The largest world you can currently see within the Eight Heavenly Rivers would be utterly insignificant if placed among the great worlds of the Ninth Heavenly River."
"How insignificant? Possibly no different from the sphere in your hand."
"That is the gap between the Ninth Heavenly River and the Eight Heavenly Rivers you see today."
Hearing this, Chu Feng was inwardly shocked.
It was true that the Ancestral Martial Lower World was a very small world — just how small? Perhaps not even as large as the personal domain of a disciple from a powerful sect.
And the Ancestral Martial Lower World was hardly unique. Among the countless stars in the vast Martial Cultivation World, there were many worlds that were equally tiny.
But there were also worlds that were incredibly vast and immense.
The relatively large worlds within the current Eight Heavenly Rivers were already breathtaking in scale.
How large were they?
Forget True Gods — even beings at the Heavenly God realm would be unable to destroy those massive worlds.
It wasn't that they lacked power; it was simply that those worlds were far too enormous.
No matter how strong one's attack, it had a finite range.
When a world far exceeded that range, destruction was naturally impossible.
And now he was being told that those enormous worlds were no larger than the sphere in his hand compared to the truly vast worlds of the Ninth Heavenly River?
Such a claim dealt a tremendous blow to Chu Feng's perception.
Within a world that vast, let alone someone at Chu Feng's level of cultivation — even a Heavenly God would be nothing more than a speck of dust.
Traversing such a world without an extraordinarily powerful teleportation formation would be no different from reaching the heavens.
"I thought I was already nearing the peak of this vast Martial Cultivation World, but it turns out I'm still at the very bottom of the mountain."
Chu Feng smiled faintly. Rather than feeling pressured by this reality-shattering revelation, he was filled with anticipation.
He was confident that he would one day stand at the pinnacle of the Martial Cultivation World. The higher that pinnacle, the greater his own achievement — and that could only be a good thing.
"Chu Feng, I originally intended to offer you some assistance, but my Master told me that everyone has their own path to walk, and we should not meddle in yours."
"Still, I look forward to seeing you overcome your tribulations on your own — and perhaps someday, I will see you in the Ninth Heavenly River."
With those final words, Xue Luo dissolved into a shower of radiance, and the entire world dissolved along with her.
Chu Feng was not the least bit surprised. After all, Xue Luo had long since departed — this was merely an illusory projection left behind by her formation.
"From the sound of it, Senior Xue Luo's Master is still alive, and should be somewhere within the Ninth Heavenly River."
"I wonder whether Senior Qin Jiu is still alive as well."
Chu Feng felt a glimmer of anticipation.
If possible, he would very much like to meet Qin Jiu. His current mastery of barrier arts — which far surpassed that of any Spirit World Master of the same realm — was due in large part not only to his own bloodline, but also to Qin Jiu's legacy.
As he reflected on this, the space around Chu Feng returned to normal, and Wang Qiang's enormous face was looming right in front of him — so close he could have kissed him.
Chu Feng immediately scrambled backward. "Are you insane?"
"Heh heh heh..."
"W-What are you afraid of? M-My orientation is perfectly normal, it's not like you d-d-don't know that."
As Wang Qiang spoke, he wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth. "I j-just wanted to look into your eyes and see if I could spot whatever you saw."
"What are you gonna see? Look, brother, even though we're close, I have to let you know — your face at this distance is genuinely terrifying." Chu Feng said.
"Tch, that's just you f-failing to appreciate this young master's stunning looks. That's a you problem, not a m-me problem."
Wang Qiang shrugged it off, wearing an expression that suggested he truly, genuinely believed in his own handsomeness — and that Chu Feng was the one who deserved suspicion.
"So did it work?" Wang Qiang asked again.
"Of course." Chu Feng nodded.
"What was up with that woman? Why did she in-in-insist on you being the one to unseal that scroll? Are you two... involved?" Wang Qiang pressed.
"Don't talk nonsense. Senior sought me out because I had already met her before," Chu Feng said.
"Oh really? Where'd you meet her?" Wang Qiang asked.
"Right here, of course," Chu Feng answered.
"Damn it — y-you said you didn't know whether there were any powerhouses here! You e-even lied to m-me!" Wang Qiang realized, his spit flying as he protested.
"I couldn't help it. That senior has a mysterious identity and terrifying abilities. The last time I saw her, she even tried to erase my memories."
"I was afraid that if I told you, she'd erase yours too — and you don't want to lose your memory, do you?" Chu Feng said.
"Oh..." Wang Qiang scratched his head. "Only an idiot would want that."
"Little friend Chu Feng, when did you encounter that illustrious figure?" Elder Monk Yi Ku asked curiously.
"Senior, it was just after we arrived here — when I said I wanted to look around," Chu Feng answered.
"So Little Friend Chu Feng had already met that illustrious figure back then... sigh..."
Hearing this, Elder Monk Yi Ku's face flushed with shame.