The rune tempest continued to churn, now far more dazzling than before.
In truth, the danger had reached a truly terrifying level.
The number of people present had steadily dwindled — only twenty-one remained.
"Aiya, old age, old age."
A resigned sigh rang out as the Master of the Divine Body Heavenly Palace turned and departed.
With that, everyone from the Divine Body Heavenly Palace except Yuwen Yanri had left.
"Zhantian, the dignity of us elders now rests on your shoulders."
The Patriarch of the Huangfu Heavenly Clan sent a voice transmission to Huangfu Zhantian, then turned to leave as well.
It wasn't that he felt it was meaningless — it was that as time wore on, the runes continued to evolve. If he persisted, he feared he would be unable to hold on and might suffer qi deviation. If that truly happened, it would be an even greater loss of face.
"Rest easy and go. I have already gained some insight," Huangfu Zhantian said, brimming with confidence.
The Huangfu Heavenly Clan's Patriarch was not surprised by this. Huangfu Zhantian's reputation as a genius was well-earned. Though he was the patriarch, he genuinely acknowledged Huangfu Zhantian's abilities.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh — But suddenly, the howling of the gale grew sharper and more piercing, like the roar of a savage beast.
Even Huangfu Zhantian, who had already begun to glimpse something within, could no longer endure it.
"Aiya, the times have changed."
With a resigned sigh, Huangfu Zhantian turned and withdrew from the rune formation.
But he did not feel ashamed. By the time he could no longer hold on, the younger generation had already reached their limits as well.
Soon, only three people remained on the field.
Chu Feng, Yuwen Yanri, and Huangfu Shengyu.
"How are you two feeling?" Chu Feng asked Yuwen Yanri and Huangfu Shengyu.
"Fairly well. I'm just not sure whether it's my own insufficient comprehension or insufficient opportunity in this place. In my opinion, the Martial Dao contained here isn't that potent. Even if I grasped all of it, I'd still be far from a breakthrough," Huangfu Shengyu said.
"Holding steady," Yuwen Yanri replied, his answer simple and to the point.
"Before, I was just getting used to it."
"It hasn't officially begun yet."
"If you feel there's no issue, then let's begin for real. But if something feels off, don't push through it blindly," Chu Feng said.
"Wait — it hasn't even officially started, and we've already been eliminated?" Hearing this, the expressions of Huangfu Zhantian and the others shifted.
Huangfu Shengyu and Yuwen Yanri, however, indicated they were ready.
So Chu Feng changed his hand seal, and the speed at which the runes swirled increased noticeably.
Everyone's expressions turned grave, for it wasn't just the speed that had changed — the runes had fully coalesced into a formation.
Though it didn't trap Chu Feng and the other two within it, visible waves of aura, laced with savage roaring, surged from the formation and hurtled toward the three of them like wailing specters, shrieking all the way.
So the beast-like roars within the runes earlier hadn't merely been the sound of wind — they were the roars of these waves of aura.
The aura washed through the bodies of Chu Feng and the others one wave after another, like ghosts passing straight through them.
Though their clothing and hair remained perfectly intact, everyone could tell these were spiritual attacks.
Chu Feng's expression was utterly unchanged, as if completely unaffected.
Yuwen Yanri's brow furrowed slightly, but even that was only a minor reaction.
But on Huangfu Shengyu's face, the strain was clearly visible, and it grew more pronounced by the second.
"Damn it."
He was extremely unwilling to give in. His teeth were clenched so hard veins stood out on his face, yet he continued to hold on.
Before long, his complexion had turned deathly pale, his features twisted into a grimace, and killing intent even began to seep out from within his body.
But he still refused to yield.
"Shengyu, don't force it!"
Seeing this, the Huangfu Heavenly Clan's Patriarch hastily called out in warning. He could sense that if Huangfu Shengyu continued, his mind would likely collapse and he would suffer qi deviation.
But his warning seemed to fall on deaf ears.