The fragments there rapidly converged to form falling images and Chen Feng was able to see a great hand hiding in the dark amidst the images.
Seemingly having sensed Chen Feng"s prying eyes, the great hand suddenly transformed into a ghastly face. The face smiled at Chen Feng and Chen Feng felt as though the other party"s gaze was capable of piercing his soul.
Following that, the images shattered and everything returned to a state of normalcy.
“Looks like there are still many things on this world that we are unaware of,” Chen Feng said with a wry smile.
First, there was the black-clad cultivator. And now, the ghastly face. In Chen Feng"s opinion, both were at the mid-level Heavenly Immortal stage.
“Do we have to go find the third iron card? Then, after that, do we have to further go look for a fourth and a fifth?” Man Niu said, feeling somewhat displeased.
“It is simply how things are. We came here for an adventure to begin with. We cannot leave now. It was not easy finding such an interesting thing. Why not continue checking it out?”
“Yes. Besides, there is nothing else to do right now. In the process of finding the iron cards, we can also obtain some goodies. Why shouldn"t we?”
They quickly came to an agreement. Next, they followed the directions on the iron card to find the third iron card.
Chen Feng"s small team spent the next hundred years on a journey of twists and turns. Along the way, they encountered various mysterious situations. Naturally, every one of them also managed to gain a great deal of harvest from the journey. Heavenly Premier Extreme Celestial, for example, had managed to advance to the Heavenly Immortal stage. He finally became a true member of this small team.
Finally, they managed to collect all five iron cards, which then fused as one to reveal a new map. At the same time, a formidable aura also emerged from it. Upon sensing the aura, all of them felt their souls becoming suppressed to the point where they were almost incapable of moving. Reflexively, they backed away. Only after the iron card had calmed down were they able to recollect themselves.
“A high-level Heavenly Immortal!” Chi Mingzi"s face turned solemn.
“Great! Who knows how many treasures there are?”
There was no mistaking the aura. That was definitely the aura of a high-level Heavenly Immortal.
“Fellows, what do you think?”
Chi Mingzi appeared somewhat worried. As for the rest, there was a look of greed on their faces. Even Heavenly Premier Extreme Celestial appeared somewhat excited.
“Sigh!” Chen Feng and Chi Mingzi exchanged glances before sighing. Do these fellows not know just how powerful a high-level Heavenly Immortal was?
“We can try to check it out. This is a high-level Heavenly Immortal we"re talking about here. Any benefit we acquire will surely be incredibly useful,” the young swordsman said.
“It just so happens I need a Divine artifact,” the beefy hammer wielder said.
“If that"s the case, let"s go,” Chen Feng said.
Due to the allure of the treasures, they sped up. While the young swordsman and the others were feeling excited, Chen Feng and Chi Mingzi were in a relatively calm state as they took the rear position.
For the sake of improving his strength, Chen Feng did not waste any time. He worked on refining the Longevity Fruits even when moving forward.
Due to that, waves of formidable aura would occasionally burst out from Chen Feng"s body. The others, however, did not feel shocked. They simply a.s.sumed that Chen Feng was cultivating a secret technique.
“Brother Chen, next up, we will likely be facing danger. Are you not worried at all?” Chi Mingzi secretly asked.
“Of course I am. Only, for the sake of obtaining benefits, taking this risk is worth it. Brother Chi Mingzi, you are a War Immortal from the Immortal Plane. Killing off opponents on a higher level should not be a problem for you, no? Next up, we will be needing your help,” Chen Feng replied with a smile.
“Brother Chen, you jest. When I was in the True Immortal stage, I could indeed defeat enemies on a higher level. But now, doing that is difficult. This is the grand dao of the Heavenly Immortal stage. Even one small difference in level is like the difference between Heaven and Earth. Though, it seems like Brother Chen is hiding some secrets.”
“We all have secrets,” Chen Feng replied.
The two of them kept probing each other and the words exchanged contained half-truths.
“Surely it"s not here?” Several days later, they arrived at a damaged stone forest.
“I"ve been here before. It is very dangerous.” The young swordsman"s face turned grim.
“I have also heard of this place before. The Chaos Stone Forest. It is said that none of the cultivators who entered have ever made it out,” Man Niu said as well.
“Back then, I had only taken ten steps in. Even then, I was nearly incapable of coming out. Not to mention, I was with a whole group of cultivators back then. But after entering, we lost contact with one another.” The greed within the young swordsman"s heart slowly subsided. In the face of absolute danger, even the most courageous of cultivators would have to reconsider.
It was then that Chen Feng and Chi Mingzi took the lead to enter.
Seeing the two of them disappear into the stone forest, Man Niu and the others clenched their teeth and followed suit.
After entering the stone forest, Chen Feng and Chi Mingzi advanced along the same path. It was a winding road, but they did not encounter any dangers along the way. After an unknown period of time, a gigantic heart – beating vigorously – appeared before the two of them.
There was no sound, but both Chen Feng and Chi Mingzi"s hearts began beating vigorously as well. The invisible soundwaves even caused their souls to fall into a state of chaos.
Chen Feng and Chi Mingzi looked at each other. There was shock in their eyes. Amongst all the members of their team, the two of them were the only ones who could sense the existence of this gigantic heart. Man Niu and the others who were unable to sense this heart must have become trapped inside this stone forest.
“It"s the heart core of a Heavenly Immortal. Half each, what do you say?” Chi Mingzi was the first to speak up.
“Not a problem. I"m just worried that this heart will not be easy to collect,” Chen Feng said with a smile.
“By working together, we will surely succeed. Obtaining half of this heart is the equivalent of me cultivating for thousands of years,” Chi Mingzi said, the spear in his hand stabbing towards the heart. The power that he displayed was several notches stronger than before.
This fellow sure plays it very close to the chest. Even now, he is not displaying his full power. Chen Feng had never let his guard down towards Chi Mingzi. The Immortal Plane was a vast and near-boundless place. The t.i.tle of War Immortal was surely not an undeserved one. And even though he appeared to be unleas.h.i.+ng a formidable burst of power, there was no telling just how many more hidden cards he had up his sleeves.
Boom!
The heart beat furiously and an invisible soundwave spread out. Still wielding the spear, Chi Mingzi retreated. Although his face was contorted, his movements did not fall into a disorderly state.
Shua!
Likewise, Chen Feng also utilized the stone plate, which kept spinning, releasing wave after wave of power to unravel the power a.s.sailing them.
“Chen Feng, stop holding back. It"s time to go all out to avoid any unexpected situations.” After stabilizing himself, Chi Mingzi brandished the spear and dashed forward once more. This heart was something that a Heavenly Immortal had left behind. He would not be able to deal with it alone.
“A high-level Heavenly Immortal. This will not be easy.” Chen Feng smiled and waved his hand. Next, the Blood Mustering Bead appeared, rotating as it radiated a b.l.o.o.d.y light. Every rotation would result in large amounts of b.l.o.o.d.y energy emerging from the heart, all of which were devoured by the Blood Mustering Bead.
This was Chen Feng"s first time utilizing the Blood Mustering Bead since it levelled up to the Divine tier. It was quite effective.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sensing danger, the heart began beating at a higher rate. Wave after wave of b.l.o.o.d.y light swept forward and the Blood Mustering Bead became like a small boat within the ocean. It was quickly submerged.
The Blood Mustering Bead has devoured the blood essence of so many Heavenly Immortals. It is time for it to display its might. If it can devour this heart, levelling up again might be possible for it. There was optimism in Chen Feng"s eyes.
When compared to how relaxed Chen Feng appeared, Chi Mingzi seemed like a madman. Gripping the spear, he kept attacking. Finally, he succeeded in arriving before the heart and the spear stabbed into the heart. b.l.o.o.d.y light charged into the sky and a series of bone-breaking sounds rang out as Chi Mingzi was blasted backwards.
“Ha ha ha ha ha ha!” Even though the exchange left him grievously wounded, Chi Mingzi laughed loudly. A gem-like drop of blood rested on Chi Mingzi"s palm and wisps of fire burned around it, scorching Chi Mingzi"s palm. However, Chi Mingzi didn"t care.
“This fellow truly does possess some skills.” Chen Feng nodded. Next, the semi-transparent silhouette of the Longevity Tower encased him and he fired a punch at the heart.
Boom!
Following a heartbeat, a beam of b.l.o.o.d.y light swept out to collide against Chen Feng"s fist and Chen Feng was forced to retreat. However, the Blood Mustering Bead took advantage of the situation to devour the beam of b.l.o.o.d.y light.
Chen Feng continued to move forward, continuing to attack the heart. Like a ravenous behemoth, the Blood Mustering Bead would constantly devour all the power of blood Chen Feng managed to draw out.
Chen Feng"s actions became faster and faster. Seeing that, Chi Mingzi grew anxious. Waving his hand, 36 flags flew out – one at a time – to surround him. Next, a broken clay jar slowly flew out from the golden crown on his head.
When Chen Feng saw the una.s.suming clay jar, Chen Feng blinked. He failed to see anything special about it. But it did not take long before his eyes narrowed in shock.
Blood flowed out from Chi Mingzi"s finger and he kept drawing something on the surface of the broken clay jar. Only, no matter how much blood flowed out, all of them would be absorbed by the clay jar.
As Chi Mingzi"s essence, energy and soul power grew weaker, the broken clay jar emanated a formidable aura of power. His eyes narrowing, Chen Feng stopped attacking the heart. The small and broken clay jar was giving him a strong feeling of pressure. Occasionally, he also sensed danger.
Could it be a mid-grade Divine artifact or higher? Thankfully, it is broken, otherwise this fellow would have been able to reign unchallenged, Chen Feng thought.
The heart beat violently and thick, b.l.o.o.d.y light converged. At the same time, ripples began appearing in the surrounding s.p.a.ce. In the face of danger, the heart itself wanted to charge out.
Finally, Chi Mingzi stopped what he was doing and instead shouted, “Order!”
The clay jar began tilting and it radiated a faint glow, which enveloped the entire heart. In response, the heart struggled furiously, but large amounts of b.l.o.o.d.y light kept flying into the clay jar.
This fellow is truly greedy. Chen Feng knew, if he were to do nothing, Chi Mingzi might just take the heart for himself.
Light flashed and the Longevity Tower appeared in Chen Feng"s hand. Rays of light then shot out from the Longevity Tower"s spire before sweeping forward and a series of popping sounds rang out from the heart. Flowers of blood bloomed and the heart core – left behind by some unknown character – began breaking apart.
“Chen Feng, let me have the heart core! I will be sure to reward you immensely!” Chi Mingzi shouted.
“That"s impossible! You should know already that I need this more than you do.” Chen Feng held the Longevity Tower in one hand and the Blood Mustering Bead in the other hand. Due to the Longevity Tower"s power, the blossoming flowers of blood flew into the Blood Mustering Bead.