“Supreme Elder, please think this over carefully,” Li Ruochu said gravely.
“Rest assured, even if I make a move, I’m not foolish enough to deal with him openly,” Li Taiyi replied, then added with a meaningful tone, “Ruochu, no matter your stance, don’t forget your identity. You’re a member of the Li Heavenly Clan. You mustn’t do anything to betray the clan.”
Hearing this, a faint smile curved Li Ruochu’s lips as she said, “That goes without saying.”
The ancient relic was vast, with countless entrances.
Liangqiu Chengfeng had chosen this particular entrance to lead everyone inside, and naturally, he had his reasons.
From his observations, though the relic had thousands upon thousands of entrances, only this one truly led to the treasure.
Now, the group traveled together through a vast corridor. The air within was thick with an ancient aura, and the intricately carved murals and towering pillars were both exquisite and imposing.
At a glance, the scene stretched endlessly, inspiring a sense of awe.
Yet within it lay numerous traps. Fortunately, with Liangqiu Chengfeng present, whether the boundary formations were overt or hidden, they were effortlessly dismantled, leaving everyone unharmed.
However, a massive stone tablet now blocking their path stumped even Liangqiu Chengfeng.
Beyond the tablet were two corridors, their depths unfathomable, clearly leading in separate directions.
Based on their past experiences in breaking formations, such a situation often meant one path was a road to life, the other to death.
Choose wrongly, and there would be no turning back.
Thus, everyone fell silent, quietly awaiting Liangqiu Chengfeng’s decision.
The answer lay on the stone tablet, but its contents were likely incomprehensible to anyone but Liangqiu Chengfeng, so they could only wait for him to provide it.
“This relic is truly fascinating,” Liangqiu Chengfeng said with a faint smile after a long pause.
“Lord, which path is the way to life?” the Wuma Heavenly Clan patriarch stepped forward and asked, assuming Liangqiu Chengfeng had deciphered the tablet.
“Both paths are roads to life, yet both are also roads to death,” Liangqiu Chengfeng replied.
“What?” The crowd’s expressions shifted in shock, confusion filling their eyes as they asked in unison, “Lord, what does that mean?”
“The intrigue of this relic lies in this: juniors under a hundred years old will play a crucial role. Without them, no matter how strong we are, we cannot break the arrays,” Liangqiu Chengfeng explained. “Take these two paths before us. The left one can only be entered by juniors under a hundred, while the right one is barred to them and can only be entered by those over a hundred.”
“According to the tablet, at the end of each path lies a main formation. Both formations must be broken simultaneously to unlock the gate hiding the treasure.”
“If we succeed, the arrays will fall. If we fail…”
“What happens if we fail?” the crowd asked together.
“If we fail, both paths will seal shut immediately, and a slaughtering formation will unleash its fury—a formation even I cannot stop. So… I must caution you all,” Liangqiu Chengfeng said. “To claim the treasure, you must enter, but once you do, your life hangs in the balance.”
“I advise you all to think carefully about whether to proceed or not.”
“This…” After hearing Liangqiu Chengfeng’s words, hesitation crept across the crowd’s faces.
“Lord, will you be entering?” someone asked.
“I was invited here. Even if there’s danger, I must step forward. How could I shrink back?” Liangqiu Chengfeng replied.
“Are there any among my Wuma Heavenly Clan who would retreat?” the Wuma Heavenly Clan patriarch asked.
“None,” the Wuma clansmen present replied in unison.
“Since we’ve come this far, we won’t leave empty-handed. Right, Ruochu?” Li Taiyi said.
“Supreme Elder, you’re absolutely right,” Li Ruochu replied with a faint, stunning smile that could topple nations.
Thereafter, the other clans also voiced their resolve.
In the end, not a single person present chose to back down.
In truth, they had faith in Liangqiu Chengfeng, believing he wouldn’t gamble with his own life. If he chose to enter, he must have some degree of confidence.
Liangqiu Chengfeng then appointed Chu Feng as the leader of the juniors in channeling the formation.
He began discussing the timing of the array-breaking with Chu Feng.
After all, both formations had to be broken simultaneously, or the attempt would fail.
“Young friend Chu Feng, I’ll be counting on you,” Liangqiu Chengfeng said after their discussion.
“Senior, you’re too kind. This is my duty as a junior,” Chu Feng replied courteously.
“Young friend Chu Feng, you’d better be cautious. Our lives are in your hands,” an elder from another clan said to Chu Feng.
Before Chu Feng could respond, Liangqiu Chengfeng cut in, “If you don’t trust young friend Chu Feng, you can leave now. Otherwise… refrain from such remarks.”
The elder had spoken in a joking tone.
But Liangqiu Chengfeng’s warning was delivered with utmost gravity.
In that moment, not only did the scolded elder’s face darken, but the expressions of everyone else shifted as well.
With Liangqiu Chengfeng protecting Chu Feng so fiercely, it seemed no one present would dare trouble him.
This wasn’t just Chu Feng’s fortune—it was the Chu Heavenly Clan’s as well.
Now, the way people looked at Chu Feng changed.
After all, there were only a handful of Saint-cloak World Spiritists in the Ancestral Martial Star Region, each holding immense status and vast connections.
Even the Ten Great Heavenly Clans avoided offending these spiritists, let alone other forces.
With Liangqiu Chengfeng backing Chu Feng, few would dare oppose him openly.
Many now silently resolved to curry favor with this son of Chu Xuanyuan.
But the Wuma Heavenly Clan patriarch and some of its elders felt a bitter taste in their hearts.
Originally, these foreign clans had come for Wuma Shengjie, but now Chu Feng had stolen her spotlight.
This was hardly good news for the Wuma Heavenly Clan.
Indeed, the outcome he most dreaded had come to pass.
“Everyone, let’s move,” Liangqiu Chengfeng said again.
With that, he led the group toward the right path.
Meanwhile, Chu Feng and the juniors headed toward the left path.
“Young friend Chu Feng, beware of Li Taiyi,” a voice suddenly transmitted secretly into Chu Feng’s ear as he stepped onto the path.
Chu Feng glanced back, still able to see outside, but behind him were only the juniors—no one else.
He could tell the voice didn’t belong to any of them, yet he couldn’t identify who it was.
The transmission had been specially altered, leaving Chu Feng clueless about who was warning him.
“Chu Feng, what’s wrong?” Liangqiu Hongyue asked, noticing him turn around.
“Nothing,” Chu Feng said with a faint smile, then continued forward.
However, neither Liangqiu Chengfeng, Chu Feng, nor the Wuma Heavenly Clan members realized that outside the ancient relic, a change had occurred.
After Liangqiu Chengfeng and the others entered, the Wuma Heavenly Clan had stationed elite guards to secure the area, barring anyone from approaching.
But now, those elite guards lay sprawled on the ground.
Their eyes were wide open, fully conscious, yet they could neither move nor speak.
They could only watch helplessly as two women stepped forward, one by one, into the ancient relic they were guarding.
To the Wuma Heavenly Clan members, these two women were like nightmares incarnate.
But if Chu Feng saw them, he would be overjoyed beyond measure.
For these two were none other than the ones he longed for day and night.
Su Rou, Su Mei.
