As soon as Chu Feng spoke those words, the people of the Prison Sect once more cast wary gazes toward the crowd of the Seven Realms Sacred Palace.
Within the formation space, Baili Xukong, Cang Li, and the others also turned their eyes toward Jie Tianran.
They weren't oblivious to the possibility that Chu Feng might be trying to drive a wedge between them.
It was just that the sacred treasure was far too important to them to allow even the slightest mishap.
If Jie Tianran wanted to clear his name, he would have to prove it to them.
Jie Tianran hadn't expected Chu Feng to be this shameless.
She had already been irritated at the mere sight of him, and her fury only thickened.
Yet despite the rage roiling within her, she didn't lash out. She offered no explanation to anyone else. Instead, she addressed Chu Feng directly.
"Chu Feng, who in today's cultivation world doesn't know how deeply I despise you?"
"I would sooner ally with anyone else than with you."
"If you're trying to sow discord, save your breath."
Jie Tianran's voice rang out from within the formation, and the entire Immortal Star Domain heard every word.
"Jie Tianran, who in today's cultivation world doesn't know how despicable and shameless you are? You'd do anything for your own gain."
"Now that you want to renege, of course you won't admit to having allied with me."
Chu Feng's insistence that he and Jie Tianran had joined forces was not mere nonsense.
Nor was it simply an attempt to make the Prison Sect suspicious of the Seven Realms Sacred Palace.
The real reason was that when Chu Feng had gained further control over the Prison Sect's sacred treasure, he had discovered that Jie Tianran's controlling formation was also extremely powerful. If things continued, Jie Tianran might genuinely succeed in seizing the treasure.
At this moment, both of them were simultaneously vying for control of the Prison Sect's sacred treasure.
Although both were still a considerable distance from success, they had already begun competing for mastery.
Had things stayed this way, it would have been fine.
But if Jie Tianran realized that Chu Feng's true intention was not to fully seize the sacred treasure, but rather to harness its power to activate the Suppression Talisman and crush their cultivation, Jie Tianran would certainly change course—abandoning his attempt to control the treasure and instead focusing on stopping Chu Feng.
Especially once Chu Feng had already used the treasure's power to shield himself, yet Jie Tianran still had means to lock onto him.
Against Jie Tianran, Chu Feng had to tread carefully.
That was why Chu Feng needed to lure Jie Tianran into his trap—to make Jie Tianran believe that this act of sowing discord was merely a ploy to distract him, so he would fall behind in the race to control the treasure.
"Chu Feng, we are both Spirit World Masters. These little tricks are meaningless. If you want to seize this sacred treasure, let your abilities do the talking."
"But let me warn you of one thing."
"This is not the Ancestral Martial Realm Sect. There are no old fossils here imposing fair-play restrictions on you."
Jie Tianran's voice carried a hint of contempt.
Sure enough, he had caught on.
Even as he spoke with Chu Feng, Chu Feng was pouring everything into activating the formation to seize control of the treasure.
So Jie Tianran glanced toward Baili Xukong and Cang Li.
"If you don't want your sacred treasure seized by this little bastard, then don't interfere with our Seven Realms Sacred Palace's activation of the formation."
"All you need to do is seal off that area and make sure the little bastard doesn't escape."
With that, Jie Tianran swept his great sleeve.
The talisman paper hovering overhead shot downward, merging into the body of every Spirit World Master who was powering the grand formation.
Immediately after, wave after wave of sacred radiance surged out from within those Spirit World Masters.
"Power the formation with everything you have, on my command!"
At his order, every remaining talisman paper plunged into the grand formation.
In that instant, the very nature of the formation shifted. The light actually dimmed, but the potent and ancient force it emanated could be felt by everyone near the sacred treasure.
Cang Li's eyes still flickered with suspicion, but he made no further attempt to intervene.
"Lord Cang Li, this Chu Feng already had a grudge against our Prison Sect. I don't know what means he used to infiltrate us, but he certainly has no good intentions."
"If you must choose between Jie Tianran and Chu Feng as the trustworthy one, Jie Tianran is the only choice."
Baili Xukong tossed out those words and then issued his orders, commanding the Prison Sect's experts to follow him and set up a cordon to prevent Chu Feng's escape.
Cang Li understood what Baili Xukong meant—and truthfully, he had understood without being told.
At this point, they could only choose to trust the Seven Realms Sacred Palace.
Cang Li shifted his gaze to a far more imposing observation formation in the distance.
That observation formation covered the entire Immortal Star Domain. While it couldn't reveal exactly what each person was doing, it could show whether or not anyone carried a Prison Infant on their person.
The formation displayed with perfect clarity that Chu Feng did indeed possess a Prison Infant.
"It seems the rumors are true. This boy has truly fused with a Prison Infant."
"Such a genius—if he had been brought to our Prison Sect alongside Song Yun for training back then…"