Crackle—
As the War God’s Halberd struggled to rise, its body not yet fully recovered, lightning erupted once more from within.
The lightning was ferocious, like countless wild beasts ravaging its already battered form.
Under such strain, its remaining fragments began to crack and disintegrate.
The War God’s Halberd writhed in agony.
“This power… it’s still here?”
Staring at its lightning-torn remnants, disbelief flickered in the Halberd’s eyes.
“Don’t underestimate it.”
“It’s the strongest technique I’ve mastered so far,” Chu Feng said to the Halberd.
“Hahaha!”
Despite its imminent defeat with no chance of turning the tide, the War God’s Halberd burst into laughter, bewilderingly so.
Even Chu Feng was puzzled, even uneasy.
His unease stemmed from fear—fear that the Halberd might still have a way to counter him.
After all, this was the War God’s Halberd.
But then, unexpectedly, it spoke.
“Though your cultivation is weak, mastering such a technique shows some skill.”
“Barely, you’ve earned my preliminary approval.”
“But only preliminary.”
“To fully wield my power, you’re still unworthy.”
With those words, the Halberd’s form began to dissipate.
As it faded, the surroundings started to shift.
Even Chu Feng’s position changed.
After the battle, he had been far from the Halberd.
Now, he stood right beside it.
Not only that, Old Man Ox-Nose appeared before him.
This confirmed to Chu Feng that Old Man Ox-Nose was right: he had been in an illusion, and this was the real world.
Chu Feng closed his eyes, quickly checking his condition.
After a thorough check, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Though back in reality, he was still extremely weak.
Everything in the illusion had truly happened.
Thus, Chu Feng still wielded the first strike of the Ninefold Heavenly Thunder Slash: Thunder Manifestation.
Though only the first strike, its power could slay someone a realm above him.
Undoubtedly, it surpassed the Immortal Forbidden Blood Thunder Technique as his strongest attack.
And this was just the first strike.
The Ninefold Heavenly Thunder Slash had nine strikes, each vastly different in power.
This thrilled Chu Feng, for he believed that fully mastering it could make him invincible.
“Haha, kid, I never thought you’d actually succeed!”
Old Man Ox-Nose approached the Halberd, yanking it free.
*Roar—*
As he did, wails echoed, and Chu Feng saw tens of thousands of glowing shadows, carrying those cries, rushing from afar.
They all merged into the War God’s Halberd.
Chu Feng knew these were the guardian spirits.
“Haha, kid, your father challenged this Halberd and failed.”
“But you succeeded, surpassing the master!” Old Man Ox-Nose said, tucking the Halberd away, his smile radiant.
“Senior, my father challenged the Halberd too?” Chu Feng asked.
“Yes, just like you did,” Old Man Ox-Nose replied.
“But if he failed, how did he survive?” Chu Feng was curious.
“You have only the time of one incense stick to defeat it. After that, your chance is gone, but whether you live depends on the Halberd.”
“Not just your father, your grandfather challenged it, and so did I.”
“Of course, we three weren’t the only ones to find and challenge it, but before you, only we three survived.”
“Though we failed, we earned its approval, or it wouldn’t have spared us,” Old Man Ox-Nose explained.
Chu Feng understood: failure didn’t always mean death.
Life or death depended on the Halberd’s will.
“Senior, do you know how to leave this place?” Chu Feng asked.
Having secured the Halberd, he needed to leave quickly.
He was still worried about Chu Lingxi.
“I’ve been here for years, of course I know the way. Follow me,” Old Man Ox-Nose said, leading Chu Feng eastward.
“Senior, wait a moment.”
Chu Feng swam upward.
Since they were leaving, he couldn’t abandon Chu Xuan Zhengfa.
When he returned, Chu Xuan Zhengfa was awake, waiting after reading Chu Feng’s note.
Without much explanation, Chu Feng said he’d found a way out, bringing Chu Xuan Zhengfa to join Old Man Ox-Nose.
Together, they followed him.
With the Halberd in hand, the sea remained unchanged.
But unknown to them, the once-calm Mirror Sea was no longer tranquil.
Its mirror-like surface now churned with towering waves, the smallest a thousand meters high, the largest ten thousand.
These waves stretched endlessly across the sea.
It was as if the ocean had become a hellscape, terrifying to behold.
Even Gu Mingyuan and Master Liangqiu couldn’t stay calm.
“Master Liangqiu, what’s causing this?” Gu Mingyuan asked.
“I don’t know, but in all these years, this is the first time Mirror Sea has acted this way. Something major must have happened inside,” Master Liangqiu said.
A major change, obviously—Gu Mingyuan could guess that.
But why such a change out of nowhere?
It was deeply unsettling.
Unaware of the truth, Gu Mingyuan clutched Chu Lingxi tighter, her eyes growing heavier with worry.
“Chu Feng, Chu Xuan Zhengfa, you must come back safely,” she whispered.
…
