“Chu Hanxian?”
The moment he heard those three words, Chu Feng’s heart violently jolted.
Even though he tried his best to control himself, he could not calm the surge of emotion.
It was none other than because this name was far too familiar.
His grandfather was called Chu Hanxian.
Yet Chu Feng did not reveal his excitement.
The world was vast; countless people could share the same name. He could not be certain that this Chu Hanxian was his grandfather.
Still, there remained a real possibility.
After all, when his grandfather left the Holy Light Heavenly River years ago, the first and most likely place he would have gone was the Nine Souls Heavenly River.
The chances of him having been here were actually very high.
Therefore, Chu Feng would never let this opportunity pass.
“Senior, what kind of place is it?” Chu Feng asked the Yu Heavenly Clan Chief.
Although he concealed his emotions, he displayed intense interest.
He was absolutely going to this place.
Seeing Chu Feng inquire, the Yu Heavenly Clan Chief did not answer directly. Instead, he first took out a map from his Cosmos Sack.
The map appeared to be made from the hide of some ferocious beast. It was ancient and emitted a primordial aura.
Moreover, Chu Feng could faintly sense the power of a boundary technique concealed within it.
While the map remained rolled up, not even Chu Feng could see what was recorded inside. His gaze could not penetrate it.
This only made him more curious.
“This item was something I acquired at great expense during a special auction in the Nine Souls Heavenly River,” the clan chief explained.
“According to the seller, the map leads to a hidden realm that contains treasures. No one knows exactly what those treasures are, but they are certain to benefit martial cultivators. Everyone, feel free to take a look.”
As he spoke, he unrolled the map.
Once opened, people saw that it was nothing special. It merely marked a location within one of the upper realms of the Nine Souls Heavenly River.
What astonished everyone, however, was the name written in the lower-right corner.
It was none other than Chu Hanxian.
Seeing those three characters, the turmoil in Chu Feng’s heart grew even more violent.
“Originally, this map bore only the name Chu Hanxian,” the clan chief continued.
“According to the seller, that was the name of the hidden realm’s master. At first, apart from the master’s name, the map was completely blank. It contained none of the detailed route we see now. The seller claimed that only when the hidden realm nears its opening time will the precise location appear on the map. And indeed, not long ago, this once mostly blank map finally revealed the full route.”
“So miraculous?” the juniors gasped in amazement.
“Interesting,” even powerhouses like the Lord of the Monstrous Demon Saint Palace showed much keener interest.
“Clan Chief Yu, when do we set off?” Although the Dragon Clan Chief spoke calmly, everyone could see his impatience.
Any place that the Yu Heavenly Clan Chief valued so highly was clearly extraordinary.
As martial cultivators, who would willingly miss such a chance?
“If everyone is free, I suggest we depart immediately,” the clan chief said. “However, I recommend we disguise ourselves. This is the Nine Souls Heavenly River, not the Holy Light Heavenly River. It is wiser to travel incognito here and avoid unnecessary trouble.”
“Well said, Clan Chief Yu.”
Everyone acted at once. They put away their emblems and, with a sweep of their sleeves, changed their clothing and altered their facial features.
Some, to leave no flaws, even used treasures or masks to transform their appearance, making it far harder to see through.
In the blink of an eye, nearly everyone present looked completely different.
Only Chu Feng remained exactly the same.
“Young friend Chu Feng, are you not going to disguise yourself?” someone asked curiously.
“Seniors, I would prefer to show my true face,” Chu Feng replied.
“Well…”
“Young friend Chu Feng must have his reasons. We will not press the matter.”
Since Chu Feng genuinely had no intention of changing his appearance, no one said anything more.
After all, they all knew Chu Feng was no fool.
He was an extremely clever junior who always had his own plans.
What they did not know was that Chu Feng actually wanted to disguise himself.
He simply did not dare.
A mysterious person had abducted Zhao Hong and was holding Zhao Hong’s life hostage, threatening Chu Feng to appear only with his true face.
Soon after, the vast group, the Monstrous Demon Saint Palace, the Yu Heavenly Clan, Cloudsky Immortal Sect, the Dragon Clan Chief, Long Xiaoxiao, Chu Feng, and the others, set off in a grand procession toward the destination marked on the map.
According to the map, the hidden realm once occupied by the person named Chu Hanxian lay within a remote and rarely visited mountain range.
Yet when they arrived, before they even caught sight of those mountains, they could proceed no further.
A colossal wall of white light blocked both sky and earth as far as the eye could see.
The white light was semi-transparent, resembling a boundary yet also solid.
It was clearly a treasure. Someone had used a treasure to seal the entire region of sky and land.
And the very hidden realm Chu Feng and the others sought was, unfortunately, trapped inside that seal.
What puzzled them most was that a considerable number of people had already gathered outside the light.
These people did not belong to a single power. They appeared to be onlookers, watching something.
Seeing this scene, Chu Feng and the others all frowned, worry rising in their hearts.
Could it be that someone had already beaten them to it?
