Feng Yu's mind was now in a state of shock, but he didn't dare to show it outward as he looked at the familiar face etched to detail on the jade slip. While doing this, he couldn't help but ponder to himself as he feigned indifference.
"How can this be? Who is this woman to have such a clearly defined image of Uncle Junling?" He thought while now shifting his eyes to look at the beauty before him, but it was at this moment, he noticed that she was staring intensely at his face with a curious expression.
Cliff Leader Wen looked at Feng Yu's reactions in detail, even going as far as to use her energies to sense any slight changes that might have occurred within him. However, other than when his arm slightly trembled, his reactions were mostly considered to be average.
She frowned while in thought, "This fellow, he faltered only for an instant before returning to normal. He certainly knows something about that man..."
As she said this, her frown changed into a smile as she spoke, "Practitioner Yu Feng, please call me Wan Jia. I am sure we don't want to continue wasting each other's time, I know for a fact that you know that man, now all I ask is for you to give me an answer. What is your relationship with him, and where is he right now?"
Feng Yu hesitated for a bit as he thought to himself, "Tsk! This woman is truly too sharp; I can't deny it now as her senses are far greater than mine. It would seem that I'll have to improvise, as for how she could possibly be related to Uncle Jungling; I'll leave that for another time..."
After organizing his thoughts, Feng Yu smiled and replied with a distant expression on his face, "Ah... Senior Wan Jia, you meant my master, I've only ever met him once during my travels. The day I left my family, I stumbled upon him in a chance encounter, he saved my life from bandits you see... from that moment he imparted to me a few life-saving techniques and martial skills before telling me to seek my destiny. As for where he is now, I have no idea..."
As Feng Yu spoke, he made sure to keep his expression to one of a disciple that missed his master, casting a peek at Wan Jia's face from the corner of his eyes. Yet, what Feng Yu didn't expect was that Wan Jia's face had transformed into an expression much like that of his own.
Soon, a few teardrops could be seen rolling down her cheeks as she spoke in a trembling voice, "S-So h-he's still out there. Still traveling... thank goodness, I thought I-I'd never see or hear about him again, I'm glad... I'm happy that he wasn't just - a fantasy..."
"This woman... just what's the story between her and my uncle?" Feng Yu muttered as he was astounded, much like the surrounding cliff elders who know her personally far more than he did.
Still, though surprised, Feng Yu didn't want to waste any more time pondering her and his uncle's past, he knew that Feng Junling had been a roamer for a long time, ever since they came to the outer content, it's only natural that he'd make quite a few 'encounters.'
Feng Yu took the chance when Wan Jia was caught up by her mood, as he swiftly bypassed her form and headed towards the entrance, leaving behind only his voice, "Well, I'm heading off, Senior Wan."
As if roused by his words, Wan Jia soon came to her senses, but before she could even do anything to gather more details, Feng Yu had already entered the chamber.
"Damn! Such a troubling boy, he dared to give this lady the slip!" Wan Jia cursed as she looked at the open entrance with a hint of anger, but soon, her face turned to one of amusement as she muttered.
"Heh, I guess it's like master... like disciple, no different from how he used to avoid my 'mood swings.' Oh well, since I know he's still out there and hasn't wandered off to the unknown, I'll have plenty of time to find him and interrogate him personally." As she said this, her eyes shone in an obsessive light, causing the eyes of even elder Han Zhifang and Pin Shou to shake as they muttered.
"I'd have never thought that a woman like her could have a man in her heart... it's no wonder she rejected so many," Han Zhifang said as his fat shook on his face.
"Old Fatso, you can't be serious, it's not as if she's ugly, you know, she simply too obsessed with one soul, though I'm uncertain if this obsession could be considered a good thing, I truly pity him..." Pin Shou said as he pinched his pointed mustache.
While the elders spoke amongst themselves, Wan Jia clapped her hands and shouted, "Ok, the break is over! We need to keep a close eye on this formation and let these kids out when we sense a weakness in their life signs!"
"Yes, Cliff Leader!" The elders replied as they once more arranged themselves around the pillars, sitting down in lotus posture as they focused on the chamber at their center.
Han Zhifang and Pin Shou also promptly acted, followed by Wan Jia, whose eyes were locked onto the doorway, her thoughts unknown to the world.
∞∞∞
It was a large space, filled with a single elongated rock that rose from above a crystal clear lake without ripples, if one looked down, the lake would seem no different from a peerless mirror that could peer into one's soul.
Far beyond this section, was a vast region of nothingness, as if the only thing that existed here was the floating rock and these clear waters.
Phew! Suddenly, a beam of light flickered from the air landing on top of the rock. As it vanished, the figure of a handsome youth in simple red robes appeared, with a single sword on his back. He looked around this serene environment, relishing the soft winds as well as the abundant essence energies that saturated the space, forming clouds of colorful mist.
"Such a beautiful sight, it's almost as if it's the perfect representation of tranquility. This rock is like our foundations, so just like the rock resting in these still waters, I must become serene. It is only with a clear mind that I will be able to resist the pressures I might face here. Truly a fascinating array..." Feng Yu said as he sat down on the rock in a meditative posture to rotate his cultivation base. Yet, it was at this moment; the world around him had started to change.
Bang! The sound of rumbling thunder echoed as a mass of dark clouds no larger than a few hundred meters had formed around him, with countless lightning bolts rolling about its domain.
Not only that, but a few other peculiarities could also be seen within this sudden storm, many kinds of fire that seemed to be capable of burning all things, and colorful winds capable of doing more than just ravaging everything had appeared.
In fact, beyond this cloud itself, a brownish aura and a goldish ray which had risen from the void, darting towards the cloud in endless amounts, giving them an unnatural feeling of heaviness and sharpness.
Feng Yu sensing these energies now had a serious look on his face as he spoke, "So this is a Five Element Storm, or should I say, a minor version of it. It also seems to be incorporating the Element of Wind in replacement of Wood, this might be a different path of the Five Element Martial Path itself."
As he spoke, the aura of the storm clouds grew even more intense as if it was gathering all the necessary power required to end the world. Feng Yu seeing this smiled as a confident look, appeared on his face; he licked his lips before shouting, "Come, show me what your capable of doing!"
As if it heard his will, the Five Element Storm was furious. It instantly unleashed its full might, sending chunks of strange raindrops, flames, wind, earth essence, metallic golden rays, and even the thunder clouds themselves at Feng Yu's body.
As these energies quickly surrounded his body, a myriad of explosions formed as the raindrops carried a corrosive power, while the flames burnt his flesh, the wind seared his skin, and the earthen essence crushed his bones. In contrast, the golden rays left many different bloody wounds, were they repeatedly bored into his flesh like sword beams. Finally, the thunderbolts ravaged his form as if trying to erase him from existence.
"Ahh! Such pain!" Feng Yu wailed as the pain vastly exceeded his previous imagination. However, his eyes still shone with a firm spirit as he gritted his teeth and spoke, "Even if you try to erase me, I'll live again by rising from your hell! That is the way of the Phoenix!"
As Feng Yu yelled, the pain only grew more intense, forcing him to call upon more of his aura to resist. Now, his entire form was submerged by color, as only the nauseating sounds of destroyed flesh sounded. Yet, despite falling into such a predicament, he still didn't give up or show any ounce of fear. Rather, at the depths of his eyes, one could see a rich amount of excitement.
"Hahaha! That's it, so this is the benefit! Wonderful, truly wonderful!" Feng Yu laughed hysterically as his body started to glow in a thunderous blazing light as if it had automatically entered his bloodline form without his command.
Peering within his body, one would notice that the aura within his dantian was rising by a drastic degree. Soon, his thunderblaze aura seemed to have grown a level higher in quality as if in now only needed a slight push to achieve 90% congelation.
Feng Yu smiled in joy at this fact, disregarding the pain his eyes now shone in a golden light as he shouted, "I'll use this chance to push forward in one go! Come at me!"
The storm heard his cry, and struck back with even more ferocity, sending chaotic lights everywhere, the world now turning to a myriad of hues, as Feng Yu's body vanished from this world.
∞∞∞
The scene outside was now crowded; many different practitioners and locals had gathered within its vicinity. They stood at a fair distance observing the glowing pillar of light that shone towards the starry heavens.
Occasionally, a few of the elders seated in crossed-legged posture would perform a strange hand sign, causing the lights to change accordingly, and symbols of the chamber would flash in different colors. A few locals who saw this couldn't help but grow excited as they discussed among themselves.
"It's already way past midnight, nearing the hour of dawn, I didn't think that those three would still be in there..."
"Ah, you're right, did you see that sign just now, I can't even tell how many times they even increased the intensity of the elemental forces. Yet, none of these brats are showing signs of breaking; I wish I could see inside and peer at them in action."
"Indeed... this batch is truly from a splendid generation; I can hardly imagine what will take pass a few years from now."
As the locals spoke among themselves, a few familiar faces were similarly looking at the chamber with deep looks on their faces.
Lu Wei stood at the forefront of her Blood Rose Union members as she watched the scene before her, her eyes flickering with a hint of competitiveness as she muttered, "Hmph! I'll definitely rise above you all..."
On another side, Cheng Ba and Jin Chin were observing the scene with interest as they chatted.
"Senior Brother Cheng, how long do you think he'll last?" Jin Chin asked as her eyes stayed fixed onto the chamber.
Cheng Ba thought for a moment, recalling Feng Yu's strength as he replied, "I'm not certain, but one thing is true. There is no one here who can truly see where his limits reside..."
"...." Jin Chin grew silent at these words, but if one paid keen attention, they would notice that her eyes only shone with more fascination.
Cheng Ba shook his head as he saw her look, he turned to watch the chamber again, but it was at this moment he noticed a particular individual.
It was a young man wearing orange sleeveless martial robes, with a large blade resting on his back. Upon seeing this individual who stood quietly in a corner, Cheng Ba's eyes widened as he muttered, "He... isn't he that rumored genius from the east? The son of that rising general of the empire's newly instated Tang Family Mansion. When did he get here?"
Jin Chin, who was in a daze, had awoken upon hearing these words, she shifted her sights towards the corner and saw the individual in question.
As she saw him, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Isn't that Tang Wu? Senior Brother, shouldn't he already be in the south?"
Cheng Ba hearing this frowned as he spoke with an odd look in his eyes, "Indeed, but it would seem that some rumors aren't as we've necessarily heard them, while he was only just a genius of the standard of the Bright Flame Kingdom. I've even heard that his strength has drastically risen ever since he entered that mystic realm. A character of such power wouldn't just linger here unless he had his special reasons."
Jin Chin grew curious at these words; she asked, "What kind of reasons?"
Cheng Ba paused and replied, "While this is only my conjecture, it could be concerning the loss of his talented fiancé..."
"You mean that Xin Qing? Was she really that important?" Jin Chin question as although she'd heard of Xin Qing, she wasn't too important being a member from an affiliate kingdom's clan.
Cheng Ba smirked at these words and replied, "Ha, that's where you're wrong. Although it wasn't publicized, she was ranked far among the others in the Hidden Talent List, recognized by even a few prominent characters. The reason for her lack of fame was simply due to her immature age, and very own nature... for you see, even when young that girl was almost like a shadow itself."
Jin Chin wanted to question more, but before she could say anything, a sharp, brutal aura washed over both her and Cheng Ba's body.
Suddenly, a cold voice sounded in both of their minds as Tang Wu could now be noticed staring directly at their forms, "You'd both do best to mind your words..."
Jin Chin was starting to suffocate due to the aura, but Cheng Ba merely scoffed as he snorted, creating a field of resistance covering both him and Jin Chin.
He then looked at Tang Wu and spoke, "I speak what I want, when I want, I don't need you to tell me how to mind my actions, Tang Wu..."
"Hmph! I'll remember those words," Tang Wu said in a cold tone, he no longer paid them any mind.
Cheng Ba shook his head and addressed Jin Chin, who was still a bit shaken up, he thought to himself, "Che! He's more stubborn than I'd thought..."
As everyone was caught up by their discussions, the elders were striving there hardest to support the formation to not see any errors.
Currently, Wan Jia was staring keenly on the three lights beaming above the chamber. Soon, two of the lights began to grow dim as if they were moments away from being snuffed out.
As she saw this, she smirked while in thought, "Hehe! It's about time, any longer than this, and I'd believe you brats to be monsters."
Not wasting time, she spoke out loud, "Hurry up! Release them from the formation!"
"Yes, Cliff Leader!" The elders replied in unison as they started to channel their energies towards the chamber.
Wan Jia nodded as a curious look came on her face, "I wonder, which two of these brats are coming out right now..."
As she finished her words, a bright light shone at the entrance of the formation, drawing the eyes of all the previously talkative onlookers. Soon, the area became filled with silence as everyone looked on with pensive expressions. Time passed quickly, and the lights faded, revealing the somewhat haggard appearance of both the Twilight Mountain female and the Desert Shaolin.
"It's them! To think they'd spend even lesser time than that brat from no influence..."
"I know, right. I had thought that I'd seen it all... but this one takes the cake!"
As a commotion formed, Wan Jia was similarly surprised as she muttered while shifting her eyes to a single light that shone brightly, "This brat, he's even more abnormal than, eh...?"
She was about to make a reference but soon noticed that the light had begun to grow dim at alarming speeds, Wan Jia shook her head and spoke, "Che! And here I had my hopes up. Hurry and free him!"
As she spoke, the elders promptly acted, everyone looked at the entrance at the formation once more, but this time, there was a change.
Suddenly, one of the elders spoke in a hesitant tone of voice, "T-this... C-Cliff Leader Wan, we have a problem!"
"Hmm, what's going on?" Wan Jia asked as she hurried over to the elder.
The elder in question, shook his hands helplessly along with the others as he spoke, "The formation... it's not responding!"
"What!" Not only Wan Jia, but all of the onlookers and practitioners were stunned as a dark scene arose.