“Utterly absurd. Those words just now were nothing but the ignorant ramblings of a disciple, and you actually believed them?”
Faced with the questioning of the other sect leaders, the Zhutian Sect Leader showed no panic. Instead, he wore an expression of righteous indignation, turning the tables to challenge the others.
“When we obtained that stone box, we studied it together. It was impossible to harness its power to break it open.”
“We could only follow the instructions on the stele.”
“And what did the stele say? To open the stone box and let the younger generation enter to seize the treasure within.”
“You all know this.”
“And now, you dare suspect me?”
The Zhutian Sect Leader exuded righteousness, as if the fault lay not with him but with the other sect leaders.
Hearing his words, the other leaders looked embarrassed, unsure how to respond.
What the Zhutian Sect Leader said matched the situation back then.
They had indeed thoroughly inspected the stone box and confirmed its power couldn’t be used.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have entrusted it to Zhutian Sect’s care.
After all, the treasure inside was something they all coveted.
“We trust you, but your disciple Nangong Yifan… the techniques he’s using seem to draw on hidden powers within the barrier world. How do you explain that?”
The Fenglei Sword Sect Leader asked.
“Yifan is someone blessed with great fortune, favoured by the heavens.”
“Though he’s our sect’s disciple, he possesses techniques even we don’t know about.”
“You weren’t inside. How can you be sure the techniques Yifan used are tied to the stone box’s power?”
The Zhutian Sect Leader countered.
“Then it was that disciple’s nonsense. Even with great talent, he should be disciplined.”
The Longfeng Immortal Pavilion Leader said.
“A disciple wouldn’t have the gall. In my view, someone’s pulling the strings behind him, no?”
The Jiuxing Tianshan Sect Leader glanced at the Fenglei Sword Sect Leader as he spoke.
“How can you blame our disciple? It’s clearly Zhutian Sect’s Nangong Yifan using underhanded methods.”
The Fenglei Sword Sect Leader naturally defended Chu Feng.
“Underhanded methods?”
At this, the Zhutian Sect Leader’s face grew displeased.
In truth, he knew exactly what was happening.
He was well aware that Nangong Yifan was using the stone box’s power.
But he couldn’t let the others know. He had to feign ignorance, and if he was going to pretend, he’d do it convincingly.
“Enough. Let’s drop this. We’re allies. Don’t let a junior’s nonsense cause a rift.”
“That would only make us a laughingstock to outsiders.”
The Miao Clan Leader spoke up.
He hadn’t joined the argument, instead urging peace.
Hearing this, though the sect leaders harboured suspicions, they had no solid proof and could say little.
So, they all returned to their seats.
“How can this be?”
But just as they sat down, they stood up again.
To their shock, something new was happening in the barrier world.
Even after boosting his cultivation, Nangong Yifan still couldn’t break free from the disciple named Wang Chen.
“Damn it, what… what do you have on you?”
“Why can you restrain me?”
Nangong Yifan, previously brimming with confidence, was now panicking.
After his cultivation surged again, he had planned to teach this Fenglei Sword Sect disciple a harsh lesson.
But before he could act, a domineering force surged from his opponent’s hand into his body.
At that moment, all the power in his body seemed subdued, beyond his control.
He was like a venomous snake with its fangs pulled, unable to harm his opponent no matter how potent his venom.
Seeing Nangong Yifan’s unwilling expression, Chu Feng smiled faintly.
Boom—
The next moment, Chu Feng’s robes fluttered, and his aura swept across the world like a storm.
At that point, not only Nangong Yifan and Zhutian Sect’s disciples but even those outside could see that Chu Feng’s cultivation had risen again.
Eighth-Rank Venerable. Chu Feng’s cultivation had reached Eighth-Rank Venerable.
“You… who are you?”
Nangong Yifan was despairing. He had used every technique at his disposal, yet he still couldn’t match the person before him.
His despair stemmed from his belief that the treasure in the barrier world was his for the taking.
But now, someone he couldn’t defeat, even with all his power, had appeared.
Even cheating with the stone box’s power to boost his cultivation didn’t make him a match.
How could he not despair?
“I told you, you disappoint me.”
Swish—
As he spoke, Chu Feng’s hand shot out. With a deafening boom, rocks shattered, and thick smoke billowed.
It was Nangong Yifan.
He was hurled by Chu Feng, crashing into a distant mountain.
The force was so great that the mountain was pierced, collapsing and crumbling.
When Nangong Yifan landed, he was covered in blood, his bones broken. Though still conscious, he had lost all ability to fight.
Everyone was stunned, especially Zhutian Sect’s disciples, their faces pale with fear.
After Beiyang Luo’s defeat, now even Nangong Yifan had been so thoroughly beaten. What fate awaited them?
Most were terrified.
“You scoundrel! We’re allies. Even if you’re skilled, you should know restraint.”
“Sparring stops at a point. Why did you cripple Senior Brother Nangong?”
While most disciples were too scared to speak, one female disciple from Zhutian Sect stepped forward.
She was likely an admirer of Nangong Yifan, and genuinely so. When even the male disciples dared not speak after his defeat, she stood up to defend him, accusing Chu Feng.
“Who’s your ally?”
“Watch your words, little girl, or don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because you’re a woman.”
Chu Feng turned, glaring at her.
The female disciple had prepared to confront him fully.
But upon meeting Chu Feng’s gaze, she faltered.
In that moment, it was as if she wasn’t facing a person but a devil capable of anything.
She lacked the courage to oppose such a figure.
Chu Feng then approached the formation.
With a grasp, he pierced the protective barrier and retrieved the treasure inside.
“You!!!”
Seeing this, the female disciple who had shouted at Chu Feng was dumbfounded.
So were the other Zhutian Sect disciples.
They had just been trying to crack the formation under the purple light pillar.
They knew its strength, yet this man ignored it, effortlessly taking the treasure within.
For a moment, they doubted themselves.
Was he just too powerful, or was their method of breaking the formation wrong?
