"Three brothers, you've got to be kidding me. I have absolutely no grudge against that young lady
He had always assumed that Zi Ling had most likely been taken in by the
But after hearing what You Tonghan had said, it turned out that Zi Ling was not only still inside the Zi Family, but there weren't even any particularly strong protectors — certainly no one stronger than You Tonghan, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to come and go so freely.
So Chu Feng had already formulated a plan. Since the Immortal Execution Archipelago hadn't sent any top-tier experts to the Zi Family, then Chu Feng had to pay the Zi Family a visit. He was going to rescue Zi Ling.
If he could truly rescue Zi Ling, then the heaviest stone weighing on Chu Feng's heart could finally be smashed to pieces.
That night, they stayed in the mountain range to rest and chatted for a long while. But since each of them had their own matters to attend to, come the next morning, they prepared to go their separate ways.
"
"Mm." Chu Feng had been prepared for this, so without another word, he stripped off his shirt, revealing his muscular back to Earth King Tu.
He knew that Earth King Tu intended to embed the special mark into his body. Having already joined the Remnant Night Demon Sect, he naturally wouldn't resist such a thing.
Earth King Tu didn't hesitate either. He waved his palm and began arranging a formation — a magnificent barrier array infused with powerful golden barrier energy.
Under Earth King Tu's inscriptions, it took the shape of a crescent moon emblem. Chu Feng also noticed a detail: Earth King Tu had written Chu Feng's name within the formation, which would serve as a unique identifier.
"Merge!"
With a final shout from Earth King Tu, the formation rose into the air and, bathed in a dazzling light, began to merge together. In the end, it shrank several times over and turned black before Earth King Tu guided it, driving it into Chu Feng's back.
"Hum—" However, the very moment the Remnant Night Demon Sect's crescent moon mark began to merge into Chu Feng's back and attempted to connect with his dantian, a wave of energy rippled from within his dantian.
This caused Earth King Tu's expression to shift slightly. His brow furrowed as if he had sensed something, but he didn't stop — instead, he continued forcing the mark into Chu Feng's body.
"Boom!" But just as the mark was about to merge with the dantian, a tremendous explosion erupted from inside Chu Feng's body. At the same time, the crescent moon mark that Earth King Tu had painstakingly condensed detonated in an instant, utterly destroyed.
Even Earth King Tu, a Martial King powerhouse, was forced back several steps. His face turned pale in a flash, and his entire body was trembling.
"Lord Earth King Tu, are you all right?" Seeing this, Elder Liu and the others all changed expressions and rushed over to support him.
Earth King Tu waved his hand to indicate he was fine, but then he looked at Chu Feng and said, "Junior Wuqing, there is a strange power inside your dantian. It resisted my attempt to merge the crescent moon mark into it. What exactly is that?"
"In reply to the senior, I'm not sure myself." Chu Feng shook his head, wearing a blank expression.
Seeing this, Earth King Tu seemed to guess that this might be one of Chu Feng's secrets. Since Chu Feng wasn't willing to say more, he didn't press further. Instead, he said:
"Then take this with you. Remember to keep it on your person at all times — don't put it in your Universe Bag. That way, if anything comes up, we'll be able to contact you." As he spoke, Earth King Tu produced a token on which he had engraved a unique mark, and then handed it to Chu Feng.
The token was black. Not only was the Remnant Night Demon Sect's emblem carved on it, but it also bore a one-of-a-kind insignia. As long as Chu Feng kept the token on him, Earth King Tu would be able to track his location no matter where he was.
"Thank you,
"If that's the case, then let's part ways here. When the time comes, I'll find a way to contact you," Earth King Tu said.
"Then I'll take my leave first."
Right after, You Tonghan and Fu Fengming also said their goodbyes.
"Farewell, seniors." Chu Feng's mind was consumed with worry over Zi Ling, so he didn't linger either. He cupped his fists toward Earth King Tu and the ten Golden-Robed Brothers, then leaped into the air and swiftly departed.
"Lord Earth King Tu, is there something different about Junior Wuqing's body? Even our Remnant Night Demon Sect's mark couldn't merge into him," Elder Liu asked curiously after Chu Feng had left.
"Indeed, there is something different. There's a force inside his dantian that rejected the mark I condensed — it was obliterated in a mere instant," Earth King Tu replied.
"What kind of thing could it be? To be that powerful?" Elder Liu pressed further.
"I don't know. All I can say is that it's incredibly strong." In that moment, an odd light flickered in Earth King Tu's aged eyes. When he recalled the force that had surged out from within Chu Feng's body, a deep trace of fear surfaced in his gaze.
Chu Feng, of course, could not hear the conversation between Earth King Tu and Elder Liu. Upon learning that Zi Ling had been imprisoned by the head of the Zi Family and that the Zi Family apparently had no experts from the Immortal Execution Archipelago guarding them, Chu Feng rushed toward the Zi Family without a moment's rest.
After traveling day and night without stopping, Chu Feng finally arrived at the Zi Family of Flower Valley.
The so-called Flower Valley Zi Family was no name without origin. Flower Valley was actually a small valley — not particularly large, but filled to the brim with flowers of every imaginable color, which was how it got its name.
However, in the Eastern Sea, there were many such flower valleys. What truly made Flower Valley famous was the Zi Family, and what truly made the Zi Family famous was the birth of Zi Ling more than a decade ago.
When a Heavenly Body is born, it produces a unique celestial phenomenon. Many people had witnessed that phenomenon back then, and it was ultimately confirmed by the Immortal Execution Archipelago that a true Divine Body had descended — and that this Divine Body would become the future daughter-in-law of their archipelago.
Although the Immortal Execution Archipelago had not yet fully unified the Eastern Sea at that time, it had already shown signs of its overwhelming power. So everyone believed that the Zi Family was destined to rise.
After all, setting aside the legendary constitution of the Heavenly Body, the mere protection of the Immortal Execution Archipelago alone ensured that the Zi Family would become powerful.