Upon discovering that, in addition to Yan Ruyu, Ya Fei and Murong Wan were also present in this place, Chu Feng grew increasingly suspicious that something was amiss.
He later inquired with Gou Za about the time when Yan Ruyu, Ya Fei, and Murong Wan arrived in the Gou Clan Kingdom.
He found that the timing of their arrival coincided closely with when the three had disappeared from the Eastern Sea Region of the Nine Provinces Continent.
This led Chu Feng to strongly suspect that the three royal princesses of the Gale Hunting Clan were indeed Yan Ruyu, Ya Fei, and Murong Wan.
However, why they had become members of the Gale Hunting Clan, and even royal princesses, was a mystery to Chu Feng.
Most crucially, why had he seen Yan Ruyu’s remnant soul, which had pleaded with him to save her?
That remnant soul made Chu Feng realize that Yan Ruyu was likely in danger. If the three had disappeared together, then if Yan Ruyu was in peril, Ya Fei and Murong Wan might be as well.
To uncover the truth, Chu Feng set out immediately.
He passed through the Min Clan Kingdom and arrived at the Bing Clan Kingdom.
Along the way, Chu Feng observed that, despite living underground, the Gale Hunting Clan had, over many years of development, created a nearly perfect world beneath the surface.
Except for the Gou Clan Kingdom, which was shrouded in darkness and resembled a purgatory, the other kingdoms featured blue skies, white clouds, green mountains, and clear waters—scenes so breathtaking they seemed like a paradise.
Even the plants here were from ancient times, and the very air carried the scent of that era.
It was as if this place was the ancient world itself.
The Min Clan Kingdom was vast, so large that even Chu Feng needed time to traverse it.
But compared to the Bing Clan Kingdom, the Min Clan Kingdom was relatively small.
The Bing Clan Kingdom was so expansive that it left Chu Feng in awe.
Its vast territory made sense, as it likely housed the largest population. In Chu Feng’s estimation, the Bing Clan Kingdom was home to at least tens of billions of clansmen.
This was an enormous, even terrifying, number.
But what was truly fearsome wasn’t just the population—it was their strength.
Many of the Bing Clan Kingdom’s clansmen were at the Venerable Realm. Even if some of the younger generation hadn’t yet reached that level, at least a third of the population had already achieved it.
Imagine—tens of billions of Venerable Realm beings. What a formidable force!
This was understandable, as the Bing Clan Kingdom represented the core combat strength and future of the Gale Hunting Clan.
Still, Chu Feng couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer power of this ancient clan.
After all, the Venerable Realm was a dominant force in the Nine Provinces Continent and an overlord in the Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm. Even in the Upper Realms, it was a supreme existence.
In the entire Chu Heavenly Clan, Venerable Realm experts could be counted on one hand.
Yet here, so many Venerable Realm beings were mere ordinary soldiers.
Chu Feng’s heart was filled with both awe and unease.
The Bing Clan, a foundational force, was already this terrifying.
He could only imagine the strength of the Jiang Clan and the royal clan.
Most importantly, the Gale Hunting Clan was just one of the ancient clans.
Over the years, as Chu Feng traveled far and wide, he had encountered traces of other ancient creatures elsewhere.
All signs indicated that, while the ancient era had passed, the Gale Hunting Clan was not the only surviving ancient clan.
For some reason, they were confined to specific regions, unable to leave.
But if one day they broke free, they would surely return to the martial cultivation world.
The world of martial cultivators was fraught with conflict. If modern cultivators clashed with ancient clans, a collision between these two eras would likely spark an unavoidable war.
Whether modern cultivators could stand against these ancient clans was uncertain.
From what Chu Feng had witnessed, it seemed modern cultivators lacked the strength to contend with them.
Take the All-Heaven Starfield, where the All-Heaven Sect was the undisputed overlord, revered as gods controlling all things.
Yet, they couldn’t even handle the Tomb of the Demon-Slaying Emperor. Their strength was limited.
How could they face this unfathomably vast and intact ancient clan?
It wasn’t that Chu Feng was cowardly or looked down on modern cultivators.
But having seen this with his own eyes and experienced these ancient clans firsthand, he understood why Master Tang Chen, Yuan Shu’s teacher, was wary of ancient creatures.
Ancient creatures were indeed immensely powerful—powerful enough to warrant vigilance.
Though the details of the calamity that befell the ancient clans were unclear, Chu Feng felt that if they returned to the martial cultivation world, they could become a catastrophe for modern cultivators.
This wasn’t Chu Feng being overly worried. If such a calamity occurred, with his current strength, he’d be powerless to protect his family and friends.
Of course, these were matters beyond his control now. His abilities were limited, and worrying about such things was like fretting over nothing.
Later, Chu Feng entered the Jiang Clan Kingdom, where his unease deepened.
This unease wasn’t due to the strength of the Jiang Clan’s people.
In fact, a peculiar force permeated the Jiang Clan Kingdom. It wasn’t quite a barrier, but it had an isolating effect.
Chu Feng’s sensory abilities were greatly restricted, preventing him from gauging the number of people or their cultivation levels.
But that wasn’t what unsettled him.
He had already anticipated that the Jiang Clan would be filled with formidable experts.
What truly alarmed him was that, upon entering the Jiang Clan Kingdom, the protective power from the Tomb of the Demon-Slaying Emperor’s formation began to weaken.
And when Chu Feng reached the Wang Clan Kingdom, the land of the Gale Hunting Clan’s royalty, his unease turned into stark reality.
In the Wang Clan Kingdom, that peculiar force grew even denser.
Whether due to its influence or something else, the protective power from the Tomb of the Demon-Slaying Emperor vanished entirely.
This meant Chu Feng no longer had the formation’s protection.
If he wanted to proceed, he’d have to rely solely on himself.
Looking at this unfathomable kingdom and thinking of Yan Ruyu, Ya Fei, and Murong Wan, Chu Feng made his decision.
He hid in the shadows, changing his attire from that of the Jiang Clan to that of the royal clan.
Then, he pressed deeper.
Chu Feng chose to take the risk.
After all, his original purpose for coming here was to uncover what had happened to Yan Ruyu, Ya Fei, and Murong Wan, and to see if they were safe.
But now, without the formation’s protection, Chu Feng didn’t dare use force in the Wang Clan Kingdom.
At that moment, he thought of the worm given to him by the Sacred Cave Saints.
Using it, Chu Feng successfully ambushed a royal clan member. Fortunately, this member knew the whereabouts of the three royal princesses.
With their guidance, Chu Feng arrived at a grand palace.
He didn’t barge in but ordered the controlled royal clan member to knock on the palace door.
“Who’s there?”
As the palace door opened, a voice rang out.
Hearing it, Chu Feng froze, his heart surging with joy, for he recognized the voice—a voice he could never forget.
It was Murong Wan’s voice.
