"That's him." Chen Tianfei nodded. "That Seven Secrets Celestial Lord is quite formidable in his own right—an Open Heaven Fifth-Order cultivator."
Zhao Baichuan nodded. Fifth Order Open Heaven—that put the man on par with himself. And as a regional leader, his status was certainly not low either. He said in a deep voice, "Are you confident?"
Chen Tianfei chuckled. "More than confident! But it'll certainly cost us something. And when we go, we'll need to take our Big Boss along."
"A small price is nothing!" Zhao Baichuan nodded. Borrowing troops from someone always required some compensation. But as long as they could track down Yang Kai's trail, the cost would be worth it. "Let's go—set course for Seven Secrets!"
Chen Tianfei immediately pointed out the direction, and Hundred Refinements Peak shot off toward Seven Secrets at top speed.
A day later, Chen Tianfei pointed ahead at a mass of swirling mist and said, "Big Boss, we've arrived at Seven Secrets."
Zhao Baichuan looked where he indicated. The mist churned and roiled, completely obscuring the interior. He nodded involuntarily. "A grand sect's bearing—truly impressive!"
Chen Tianfei chuckled. "This is my first time here as well. Big Boss, please wait a moment while I send word to the Seven Secrets Celestial Lord and have him open the gates."
Zhao Baichuan gave a slight nod.
Chen Tianfei immediately produced a communication talisman and infused it with his spiritual sense. The Seven Secrets Celestial Lord had made frequent trips to the Star Market over the years to trade with Red Star, so naturally the two had exchanged contact methods. It had always been the Celestial Lord who sought him out, though—Chen Tianfei had never imagined the day would come when he'd need to ask a favor of the man.
He had only just begun establishing contact when the mass of mist suddenly roiled and surged. A thunderous boom erupted, and a bolt of lightning as thick as a barrel came roaring straight at them from within the mist, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.
Chen Tianfei froze on the spot, his narrow slit-like eyes flooded with blinding light.
Zhao Baichuan's expression turned grim as he barked, "Open!"
Rumble—Hundred Refinements Peak shuddered as a dense surge of Earth-attribute power poured out from within, forming an airtight barrier around the Artifact.
The explosion was deafening. The bolt of lightning smashed into Hundred Refinements Peak, sending the spectral image of the mountain swaying wildly.
"Such a powerful attack!" Zhao Baichuan's face tightened. At this rate, even Hundred Refinements Peak couldn't withstand more than a few such strikes. Before the words had even left his mouth, several more bolts of lightning came hurtling from the mist.
At the same time, a furious voice rang out from within Seven Secrets: "Yu Xiushan, do you really think I'm afraid of you? Trying to seize my Seven Secrets? Be careful you don't choke on it!"
Chen Tianfei's face went blank with confusion. They had barely arrived before being subjected to a full-scale assault—he had no idea what was going on. And who in the world was this Yu Xiushan?
Rumble—the lightning carved through the void, shattering space in its wake.
Hundred Refinements Peak was both an offensive and defensive Artifact, painstakingly refined by Zhao Baichuan at enormous personal cost. It was no ordinary treasure. As the lightning bore down, Hundred Refinements Peak rapidly shrank in size while simultaneously shifting and darting to evade the strikes.
Even so, one bolt still found its mark. The mountain body shuddered again, and one of its peaks snapped clean in half.
"Chen Tianfei!" Zhao Baichuan roared, whipping his head toward Chen Tianfei. The damage to Hundred Refinements Peak cut him to the core. The Artifact might be impressive, but it was no match for the power of a great sect's defensive formation.
Chen Tianfei broke into a cold sweat, unable to hold back any longer. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "My Lord, stop! Please stop! I'm Chen Tianfei of Red Star—not this Yu Xiushan! My Lord, have you perhaps mistaken me for someone else?"
The voice that had shouted from within Seven Secrets just now—if he hadn't misheard—belonged to none other than the Seven Secrets Celestial Lord himself.
The moment those words left his mouth, the rumbling lightning gathering within the mist abruptly faltered. A surprised voice called out, "Chen Tianfei? The Chen Tianfei of Red Star?"
Chen Tianfei didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He quickly flew out from behind Hundred Refinements Peak, revealing his portly figure. "Who else would it be? Take a good look, My Lord."
A moment later, a voice of surprise drifted from the mist. "It really is Brother Chen?"
It would have been hard not to recognize him. Across the entire Thirty Thousand Worlds and its billions of inhabitants, a man as obscenely fat as Chen Tianfei was virtually impossible to find.
But the Seven Secrets Celestial Lord quickly let out a cold snort. "What brings Brother Chen to my Seven Secrets? And who is inside that Peak?"
Chen Tianfei hastily replied, "My Lord, if I may explain—I have come seeking your help, which is why I've arrived at your doorstep. As for this Peak, it's called Hundred Refinements Peak, and it belongs to our Big Boss. Naturally, the person inside is our Big Boss of Red Star."
As he spoke, he turned and gestured toward Zhao Baichuan.
Zhao Baichuan's expression was dark. After a brief hesitation, he recalled Hundred Refinements Peak and revealed himself. Appearing alongside him were more than a dozen low-rank Open Heaven cultivators.
"It's the Big Boss of Red Star!" The Seven Secrets Celestial Lord was clearly taken aback. "Your reputation precedes you!"
He had visited the Red Star Market several times but had never once encountered Zhao Baichuan—he knew the man had spent years in seclusion attempting to break through to the Sixth Order, so there was nothing to hold against him.
But now that the man had emerged from seclusion... could it be he had already achieved Sixth Order? The thought made the Seven Secrets Celestial Lord's tone noticeably more courteous.