With Jie Shanxian's help, Chu Feng quickly broke free from the range of the formation's power.
After bringing Chu Feng to a safe stretch of starry sky, Jie Shanxian finally came to a halt.
Rather than asking Jie Shanxian for permission, Chu Feng took it upon himself to release her from the spatial world.
For at this moment, Jie Shanxian's condition was terrible. Cold sweat poured down her frail body, and even her disguise technique had dissolved, revealing her true appearance.
She likely no longer had the strength to maintain her disguise.
The reason for this state was the command token in Jie Shanxian's hand, inscribed with the four great characters "Seven Realms Holy Mansion."
This token was extraordinary—though it was a modern artifact, its aura was ancient. Chu Feng had never seen anything like it on any other member of the Seven Realms Holy Mansion.
And it was precisely this token that had allowed Jie Shanxian to lead Chu Feng to safety through a formation that even the old cat couldn't crack.
But activating this token had cost Jie Shanxian dearly.
That was why she was so weakened now.
"I'm fine."
Jie Shanxian had already swallowed a healing pill, so she pushed back the pill Chu Feng offered her.
She sat cross-legged in the starry void and produced an incense stick that radiated an ancient aura.
Following a string of hand seals, the incense burned and transformed into a wisp of smoke that flowed into Jie Shanxian's nostrils. Her condition gradually improved.
"Wow, the treasures on this Jie Shanxian just keep coming, don't they?"
"How much did the Seven Realms Holy Mansion seize back in the day?" Egg couldn't help but marvel.
Jie Shanxian's injuries were severe—and the severity of those injuries only served to underscore the value of that incense.
Compared to Egg, who was focused solely on the treasures, Chu Feng looked at Jie Shanxian—her lips and complexion deathly pale, even the hand gripping the incense trembling slightly—and felt a pang of guilt.
If not for saving him, she wouldn't have ended up like this.
She… could have chosen not to save him.
"Elder, I truly don't know how to thank you," Chu Feng sighed.
Hearing this, Jie Shanxian opened her eyes and looked at Chu Feng: "If not for you, I'd still be trapped in there. Rescuing you this time—we're even."
"But if we're being honest, if not for me, you never would have entered the Ancient Battle Clan in the first place, wouldn't have encountered that so-called Ancient Sacred Beast, and wouldn't have obtained the secret technique of the Ancient Battle Clan."
"Though the process was winding and full of danger, the outcome was good. So you still owe me more."
"Tell you what—come with me to a place and help me retrieve something. That item will help me recover a portion of my cultivation."
"After that, we'll be even. What do you think?" Jie Shanxian asked.
"Of course," Chu Feng agreed without hesitation.
If he hadn't been sure of Jie Shanxian's character before, her willingness to sacrifice her own well-being to pull him out of that formation had confirmed it—she was someone he could trust.
After all, technically speaking, she was a member of the Seven Realms Holy Mansion.
Put simply, this meant she had her own sense of right and wrong, one that wasn't bound by her clan's dictates.
But for the Seven Realms Holy Mansion, her actions were nothing short of betrayal—a crime punishable by death.
How many people in this world could truly break free from their clan's interference and constraints, making decisions entirely of their own free will?
Yet she had made her choice—and it was one that went against the Seven Realms Holy Mansion.
That was why Chu Feng was so grateful.
With a sweep of her wide sleeve, Jie Shanxian released a small boat into the air.
It was crafted from bamboo—tiny, only five meters long.
But this bamboo boat not only radiated an ancient aura, it also contained immensely powerful formation energy.
At a glance, it was clearly an extraordinary treasure.
Whoosh—