"The Sacred Artifact is activating! The Sacred Artifact is activating!!!"
"Seven Realms Sacred Temple—has it succeeded?"
At that moment, every member of the Prison Sect was overcome with wild joy, trembling with excitement.
As the power from the Sacred Artifact surged forth, they could distinctly feel that the Prison Infants within their bodies seemed to be answering a call.
There was an absolute connection between the two.
If the Prison Infants could truly awaken, then the power capable of awakening them could only lie within that Sacred Artifact.
"This Jie Tianran truly deserves his reputation as the greatest Spirit World Master in the current cultivation world."
At that moment, even Cang Li—who had always been wary of Jie Tianran—found himself looking at the man in a new light.
After all, they had exhausted every method they knew, and none could open the Sacred Artifact.
Now, although the Sacred Artifact had not truly been opened, at least they could see the possibility of it happening.
Just then, Jie Tianran's voice once again descended from the heavens, echoing across the entire Immortal Star Domain.
"Chu Feng, you exploited the Prison Sect's negligence to infiltrate my array, seeking to prevent the awakening of the Prison Sect's Sacred Artifact."
"Before that, you threw up every possible obstruction to stop me from awakening this Sacred Artifact."
"But this is not the Ancestral Martial Realm Sect. There are no fair conditions set up for you here."
"Now, you can only watch helplessly as I open this Sacred Artifact, powerless to do anything about it."
"Relying on nothing but your own abilities, this is all you amount to."
"Chu Feng—have you finally seen yourself for what you are?"
It turned out that Jie Tianran's display was mainly intended to mock Chu Feng.
In truth, this sort of behavior was not Jie Tianran's usual style.
His pride made him disdainful of mocking others.
But having suffered losses at Chu Feng's hands multiple times before, he was thoroughly bitter about it.
On the surface, he claimed that Chu Feng had affected the old monster and planted a heart demon.
In reality, Chu Feng was the heart demon in his own mind.
So this was not simply a matter of publicly humiliating Chu Feng.
He had to prove himself.
Body and soul, he needed to utterly crush Chu Feng.
Only then could he purge the heart demon and restore his confidence.
And it would be of immense benefit to his future cultivation.
"Jie Tianran, you talk as though you've already won."
"Here I stand—can you actually do anything to me?"
Chu Feng rose to his feet and asked.
After all, everyone could see it.
The radiance emitted by the Sacred Artifact appeared to be trapping Chu Feng and the others, but in truth it was protecting them.
That Sacred Artifact's light was Chu Feng's confidence.
"Then take a closer look."
"Whether I can do anything to you."
Jie Tianran's voice thundered, and the controlling array in his hand began to shimmer.
At the same time, the Sacred Artifact's light that was shielding Chu Feng and the others began to weaken.
Seeing this, both the Prison Sect and the Seven Realms Sacred Temple's members felt their confidence surge.
In their eyes, Jie Tianran was dismantling Chu Feng's control over the Sacred Artifact—proof enough of his ability.
Chu Feng could even hear the excited laughter of some Prison Sect members from a distance.
"Oh my, you all seem so happy."
"The reason this Sacred Artifact serves me is because I already have some degree of control over it."
"Jie Tianran can't possibly sever my hold on your Sacred Artifact."
"The reason he can suppress its power right now is simply that his control is stronger."
"You think he's just helping you awaken the Sacred Artifact?"
"Naive."
"What he's really after is absolute dominion over the Sacred Artifact."
"All of you will become Jie Tianran's puppets."
The moment those words left Chu Feng's mouth, they struck squarely at the Prison Sect's deepest fear.
Nobody was laughing anymore.
"Chu Feng, no amount of sowing discord can cover up your crimes."
"Today—there is no escape for you."
But just then, Baili Xukong's voice rang out.
His words were an unmistakable declaration of where he stood—firmly on Jie Tianran's side.
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Chu Feng reached out with a grab, and using the Sacred Artifact's power, gathered Chen Hui and all the other young cultivators before him.
"There is no escape for me?"