“Get up, get up, what’s this about?” Chu Feng hurriedly helped Zhang Boyi to his feet.
“Brother Chu Feng, from this day forward, you’re not only my sister’s savior but also mine. No matter the danger—be it climbing a mountain of blades or plunging into a sea of fire—just say the word, and I, Zhang Boyi, will face death without hesitation!”
Zhang Boyi wiped his tears, crying as well.
His tears stemmed from guilt—guilt that his sister had been in mortal danger, and he was powerless to help. But he was also relieved, grateful that Chu Feng had stepped in to save her life.
It was clear the bond between the three siblings was truly deep.
“Alright, it’s a small matter. I said we’re one unit, at least for now,” Chu Feng said.
“We’re indispensable to each other. Otherwise… it would make it harder to help Senior fuse with the Divine Tree’s power.”
“Our task isn’t done yet. None of us can fall.”
“Brother Chu Feng, I, Zhang Yanfeng, can see you’re a true man,” Zhang Yanfeng said, clasping his fists.
“No more empty words, but this debt of gratitude—our three siblings will never forget it.”
“I’ve… I’ve… I’ve got a suggestion. How about your sister repays him with her hand in marriage?” Wang Qiang’s teasing voice came from the cliff above, a playful grin in his tone.
His words lightened the heavy atmosphere in the lake, easing the tension.
“You four young friends, since you’ve fully fused with the power, please help me complete this final step,” the Blood-Devouring Demon Venerable’s voice rang out.
As he spoke, he had already risen into the air above the valley.
Zhang Yanfeng and his siblings were visibly excited, ready to channel their power into the Demon Venerable’s body.
But Chu Feng suddenly spoke up.
“Senior, what exactly should we do?”
He asked because he understood how formidable the lake’s power was.
The four of them had nearly died just by merging with the lake’s power, not even claiming it for themselves.
If they were to transfer the entire lake’s power into the Demon Venerable’s body, even someone as strong as he might not withstand it.
Moreover, Chu Feng felt that if the Demon Venerable could truly handle it, he wouldn’t need their help at all. He could’ve jumped into the lake and absorbed the power directly, without this roundabout process.
Thus, Chu Feng believed that even if they were to transfer the power, it would require some special method, not a direct infusion into his body.
In his view, directly channeling the Divine Tree’s power into the Demon Venerable was nearly impossible.
“Little friend Chu Feng, that’s a sharp question,” the Demon Venerable said.
“The reason I need your help is that the Void Divine Tree’s power is extremely volatile. Even though you’ve fused with it and can channel it into my body, I wouldn’t be able to withstand it.”
“But with this, things are different.”
As he spoke, he flicked his finger, and a black object shot out.
Initially the size of a fingernail, it quickly expanded to a hundred meters wide.
It was a cauldron—a black cauldron.
The cauldron wasn’t ornate; it was rather crude.
Yet, from within it came gusts of wind.
But upon closer listening, it wasn’t wind—it was the roars of countless ferocious beasts.
Just hearing the sound told them this cauldron was no ordinary object.
“Channel your power into this black cauldron,” the Demon Venerable instructed.
“Understood.”
Following his command, Chu Feng and the others sprang into action.
They began urging the Divine Tree’s power from the lake into the cauldron.
Whoosh—
As they started, a water column rose like a dragon, soaring toward the cauldron.
Having survived the near-fatal ordeal earlier, the four had fully merged with the lake’s power.
Now, channeling it was almost effortless.
They noticed that as the lake’s water entered the cauldron, it released black flames laced with countless runes, like an army assembling outside the cauldron.
At the same time, the cauldron’s power altered the lake’s energy, seemingly making it gentler.
Rumble—
But the harmony didn’t last. As more of the lake’s power poured in, the cauldron began to tremble, growing increasingly unstable, as if it might not hold.
“Stabilize.”
The Demon Venerable let out a soft command.
The moment the word “stabilize” left his lips, Chu Feng felt his soul tremble.
Not only that, but the ambient energy of the world was affected.
The trembling cauldron instantly stilled.
“So strong,” Chu Feng thought, his heart surging with awe.
A single soft word could disrupt the heavens and suppress the cauldron—what kind of power was this?
However, as the lake’s power continued to flow into the cauldron, it began trembling again, though the Demon Venerable easily subdued it each time.
On the surface, neither the cauldron nor the Demon Venerable seemed particularly imposing, the suppression appearing almost understated.
But Chu Feng knew the Demon Venerable was gradually straining. For someone of his caliber to struggle showed not only the cauldron’s difficulty to control but also the sheer might of the lake’s power.
No, not the lake’s power—the Void Divine Tree’s power.
Now, Chu Feng finally understood why someone as powerful as the Demon Venerable needed their help.
He had to focus entirely on suppressing the cauldron—a task no one else seemed capable of.
But while suppressing it, someone else was needed to channel the Void Divine Tree’s power into the cauldron. That’s where Chu Feng and the others came in.
After a full hour, Chu Feng and the others finally transferred all the lake’s power into the cauldron.
The lake they stood in, though much depleted, still held plenty of water.
The lake itself remained.
But without the Void Divine Tree’s power, the water was now ordinary, no different from regular water.
Chu Feng and the others had also completely lost the Void Divine Tree’s power.
All of it now resided within the black cauldron.
