The blood-red spirit formation gate looked as if the doors of the netherworld had opened in the midst of heaven. It emanated a forbidding aura that made others cower in its face.
And Chu Feng was stepping out of such a spirit formation gate reminiscent of a conqueror returning victoriously from a battlefield.
However, if one were to take a closer look at him, one would see a very different sight.
In truth, Chu Feng didnât look all that imposing at all. His entire body was caked with dry blood, and his face was as pale as a sheet of paper. Those who didnât know better would have thought that he had been tortured for days at end.
After flying out of the spirit formation gate, the final sliver of his strength ran out, and he plummeted from the sky and landed heavily on the ground.
He lay on the ground in a daze, not moving at all.
If not for the fact that he was still breathing, onlookers would have thought that he was already a corpse.
Weng!
A blood-red glow began to emit from Chu Fengâs body.
It carried an aura similar to that of the blood-red formation spirit gate, but it carried a mystical property to it. It looked as if invisible hands were gently fondling Chu Fengâs body, and his injuries actually began to heal under its touch.
Gradually, his withered aura was beginning to recover.
Soon enough, Chu Feng rose back to his feet.
He looked revitalized and energetic, completely different from how he was when he first stepped out of the spirit formation gate. He didnât look like he had been injured at all.
âElder, youâre here too?â
Chu Feng was a little astonished to see the disciple of the Godwish Grandmother here.
âOh hoh! Isnât this the brat who tried to play hero? You sure are lucky to have survived all of that!â
The tone of the disciple of the Godwish Grandmother was dripping with sarcasm. She didnât regard Chu Fengâs act of attempting to save everyone favorably. Instead, she felt that it was an utterly foolish decision to make.
In her view, cultivators should be self-centered. They should only help those whom they were close with if it was within their means to do so.
Why should a cultivator bother with people who were not important to him at all?
Due to such a mindset, the disciple of the Godwish Grandmother felt that those who put their lives on the line to help strangers were just hypocritical people who were desperate for the recognition of others. She was extremely repulsed by such people.
âI was lucky,â Chu Feng replied with a smile.
Even though the disciple of the Godwish Grandmother was clearly mocking him, Chu Feng still treated her with respect.
âHmph.â
However, the disciple of the Godwish Grandmother simply harrumphed coldly, thinking nothing of Chu Fengâs respect at all.
âHow did you manage to get here? Were you chosen by the Heroâs Sword too? Also, whatâs with this spirit formation gate?â
Despite her cold attitude, the Godwish Grandmother was a little intrigued as to what was going on. The spirit formation gate that Chu Feng had come here by was different from the one she entered to get here.
She could tell that it was the spirit formation gate Chu Feng had entered when he accepted the trial to save everyone, so why would it suddenly appear here?
âHehe. I guess great minds think alike? Just like you, this Immemorial Heroâs Sword caught my eye, so I wanted to give it a try,â Chu Feng replied.
âAre you intending to compete with me?â the disciple of the Godwish Grandmother asked.
âHad I known that you have chosen this sword in advance, I wouldnât have competed with you. However, thereâs only one chance to choose, and since I have already come in here, I have no choice but to go through with it. It wasnât my intention to compete with you, so do pardon me on that,â Chu Feng replied politely.
âHahaha!â
However, the disciple of the Godwish Grandmother burst into laughter that was filled with cynicism. After this, she gestured toward the painting and said, âLook over there. There are 23 paintings here, and each of them has a butterfly in it.
âYou can challenge a trial by entering the painting, and if you succeed, youâll be able to acquire a blessing. The more blessing you have, the higher the chance you have in acquiring the recognition of the Heroâs Sword.
âPutting aside the fact that you donât have the strength to challenge the paintings, even if you do, you have already missed the opportunity to win this fight. I already have 10 butterflies with me at the moment, which means that I acquired 10 blessings. Even if you did have the strength to clear the trials, you have already lost at the starting line!â
The disciple of the Godwish Grandmother spoke with utmost glee.
Weng!
But at this very moment, a burst of light suddenly shone from the remaining 13 paintings. The butterflies in those 13 paintings flew out simultaneously, heading straight toward where Chu Feng was. As if acknowledging him as their master, they began to flutter around his body.
âThis...â
The disciple of the Godwish Grandmother was baffled to see such a sight. It was just a moment ago that she was still standing smug before Chu Feng, but facing such an abrupt turn of events, she found herself unable to speak a word at all.
On the other hand, Chu Feng didnât seem surprised by such a sight at all.
âYou brat, what did you do?â
The disciple of the Godwish Grandmother glared at Chu Feng with fury in her eyes.
âElder, you mentioned that I tried to play hero earlier, didnât you? You should be able to understand why I did that now, right?â Chu Feng asked with a smile.
âWhat do you mean by this? Are you telling me that... you did it on purpose? Does saving them have something to do with obtaining this weapon? Wait a moment... this means to say that you didnât save them out of kindness, but that you knew that you would be able to obtain an advantage in here by doing so!â the disciple of the Godwish Grandmother exclaimed in astonishment as she realized that the situation might have turned awry.
âItâs just as you thought, elder. Choosing whether to save them or not is a choice as well. Itâs basically the same as what happened in the illusion. In other words, elder, you have picked the right choice in the illusion, but you chose wrongly for the second round.
âActually, thereâs something that I find quite intriguing here. Since you were able to pick correctly in the first round, how did you fail the second round so tragically? That doesnât make sense at all, donât you think so?â Chu Feng asked.
âYou!!!â
The disciple of the Godwish Grandmother glared at Chu Feng. She was furious, but at the same time, she also felt a little awkward.
Given her personality, there was no way she would have chosen to undergo the suffering of the Blood Worm so as to not kill anyone. The only reason why she hadnât hurt anyone then was due to her masterâs knowledge about the Ancient Eraâs Tomb of Armaments.
Her master had warned her about the possible circumstances that could occur inside the tomb, so she followed her masterâs advice and acted accordingly in the first round.
However, the second round caught her off-guard. Her master hadnât said anything about such a scenario, so she simply instinctively followed her judgment without thinking too deeply into it.
It was a fatal mistake. She didnât think that there would be such a trick to it.
But after learning all of this, her impression of Chu Feng surprisingly changed for the better. The hostility she directed toward him wasnât as much as before.
âYou little brat, you are quite the devious devil. How did you notice that something was amiss then?â the disciple of the Godwish Grandmother asked.
âIt was the same as the illusion,â Chu Feng replied.
âWhat nonsense are you spouting here? Iâm asking how you managed to see through the trial!â the disciple of the Godwish Grandmother replied impatiently.
âElder, it canât be that you didnât know that there was an opening to the illusion?â Chu Feng narrowed his eyes as he asked with a cheery tone.
His words really triggered the displeasure of the disciple of the Godwish Grandmother because she really hadnât seen any opening at all. All she did was to heed her masterâs words.
âJust answer what you were asked. Why are you spouting so much crap?â the disciple of the Godwish Grandmaster hollered in fury.
âAlright alright, Iâll speak. The opening lies in the eyes of the elder. As long as you are able to read deeply enough into her, she would be able to see through her true intention. She might have been advising us on our decisions all this while, but in truth, her words are nothing more than a deception. The truth could all be seen in her eyes.
âTake this Heroâs Sword for example, itâs said to be a weapon that only heroes are worthy of. If one wasnât even willing to risk his life to save others, how could he be called a hero?â Chu Feng said.
âIs that so?â
The disciple of the Godwish Grandmother remarked doubtfully. She was uncertain whether what Chu Feng had said was real.
But all of a sudden, she suddenly realized something from what Chu Feng was saying, and she immediately berated furiously, âBullshit! You are implying that Iâm not worthy of wielding the Heroâs Sword?â