They could only watch helplessly, glaring with frustration, but utterly powerless.
It wasn't just about stopping Chen Xiao; they found it difficult to even approach him.
This was because the Phoenix Spring, spinning at high speed, had generated a powerful surge of energy around it.
The range of this energy surge was constantly expanding, forcing the assembled martial artists to retreat one after another to avoid being harmed by it.
As the Phoenix Spring water dwindled to its lowest point, the elders and hall masters of the Zhushen Hall felt their hearts bleeding.
Was this the end of the Zhushen Hall's glory?
Without the augmentation of the Phoenix Spring, Zhushen Hall would lose its greatest advantage.
At that point, their disciples would have no choice but to cultivate and advance step by step, just like other ancient martial arts sects.
However, compared to them, Chu He appeared much calmer.
This was because many events had unfolded recently, and each one of them had foreshadowed a disruption to the existing order.
Therefore, even if Chen Xiao drained the entire Phoenix Spring, Chu He wouldn't care.
What he wanted to confirm now was whether Chen Xiao was truly the legendary peerless genius.
If he wasn't, it would be a huge loss, and their efforts would have been in vain.
But that was beyond his control; all he could do now was wait and see.
The Phoenix Spring was vast and held a great deal of water, yet it took Chen Xiao only a little over ten minutes to absorb all of it.
However, for the elders of Zhushen Hall, those ten minutes felt like an eternity.
Every second, they yearned and cried out in their hearts.
"Please, stop your divine abilities and leave some for us!"
"Even a small portion would be a comfort to us!"
But Chen Xiao clearly didn't hear their pleas, and even if he had, he wouldn't have listened.
The entire pool of spring water was absorbed by Chen Xiao, not a single drop left for them.
Beneath the water was not mud, but a single, smooth, jade-like rock, which emitted a faint, ethereal green glow under the sunlight.
The spiritual energy in this spring was more abundant than the accumulation of hundreds of years in Medicine King Valley. Chen Xiao had absorbed it, but refining it might take some time.
Even if he managed to refine it all, it wouldn't significantly boost his cultivation.
The Nine Revolutions Azure Wave Art required an immense amount of spiritual energy to advance from the sixth to the seventh realm.
For Chen Xiao to break through in one go, the Phoenix Spring would have to be an ocean.
Looking at the smooth, polished bottom of the pool, Chen Xiao smiled apologetically and said to Chu He, "My apologies, Hall Master Chu, I accidentally drained the entire Phoenix Spring!"
Chu He chuckled awkwardly and said magnanimously, "It's nothing!"
He couldn't detect any genuine apology in Chen Xiao's demeanor.
Satisfied after draining the Phoenix Spring, Chen Xiao felt his trip had been worthwhile. However, just as he was about to leave, he heard a 'crack'.
It sounded like ice breaking.
Looking down, it wasn't ice that was cracking, but the rock beneath Chen Xiao's feet.
From the moment the first crack appeared, the rock layer began to shatter uncontrollably, widening rapidly and developing more fissures.
Chen Xiao inwardly cursed his misfortune and quickly leaped up.
The moment he jumped, there was a 'whoosh' as the rock layer beneath him crumbled, falling downwards like shattered ice.
It was then that Chen Xiao realized that beneath the rock layer lay a massive abyss.
The abyss was bottomless, and the wind howled towards them.
The wind wasn't blowing outwards but was being sucked inwards.
The wind speed was extremely high, and the force was immense.
In an instant, sand and stones flew, the sky was obscured, and trees were uprooted, soaring into the abyss.
The abyss resembled the gaping maw of a monstrous beast, devouring everything in its surroundings. Even Chen Xiao was being pulled downwards by the powerful wind.
Fortunately, Chen Xiao reacted quickly, summoning his Yitian Sword and flying outwards.
However, the wind force was too great; even controlling the Yitian Sword, Chen Xiao found flying difficult.
If Chen Xiao was struggling, the surrounding martial artists were in an even worse state.
Those who reacted quickly managed to grab nearby rocks and trees, while those who were slower were directly sucked into the abyss.
"Hall Master Chu, what's going on?"
Ye Santong, with quick reflexes, grabbed a nearby tree as the hurricane swept in, preventing himself from being sucked in.
Little Hongchan, meanwhile, clung tightly to her grandfather's thigh, her small face filled with excitement.
"I'm not sure what's happening..."
Chu He was struggling to save himself, gripping a protruding rock.
But the rock was already loosening and didn't look like it would hold for long.
However, the tree Ye Santong was holding onto gave way even sooner.
The towering ancient tree was uprooted and rapidly flew towards the abyss.
As they were about to fall into the abyss, a yellow light streaked towards them, and they landed on it.
The yellow light was Chen Xiao's Yitian Sword, which had now grown enormous.
They weren't the only ones on the Yitian Sword; all the martial artists sucked into the abyss were rescued by Chen Xiao's sword.
The Yitian Sword not only blocked some of the wind but also attracted the martial artists to itself. Ye Santong, looking closely, could feel the spiritual energy constantly flowing on the sword's surface.
The reason everyone was attracted to the Yitian Sword was this circulating spiritual energy.
"Mr. Chen's abilities are truly formidable!"
Ye Santong couldn't help but express his sincere admiration once more.
"Wow, big brother, you're so amazing!"
Little Hongchan jumped up to cheer for Chen Xiao. As she jumped, she almost got swept away by the hurricane again.
Fortunately, Chen Xiao grabbed her small foot at the critical moment and pulled her back.
"Little Hongchan, quickly thank Mr. Chen for saving your life!"
Ye Santong felt a surge of fear.
"Hehe, thank you, big brother."
Little Hongchan seemed oblivious to fear, finding the situation rather amusing.
Chen Xiao smiled slightly at Little Hongchan and continued to fly his sword.
The hurricane showed no signs of subsiding or weakening. Martial artists were continuously being sucked into the abyss, while Chen Xiao, controlling the Yitian Sword like a swimming dragon, caught all those who were swept into the depths.
Soon, all the martial artists were drawn into the abyss and landed on the Yitian Sword.
At this point, Chen Xiao willed it, and the Yitian Sword soared high, flew out of the abyss, passed over Zhushen Hall, and finally landed in a forest.
Here, they finally escaped the hurricane's reach.
From a distance, the hurricane clearly hadn't stopped, as the entire Zhushen Hall, battered by the storm, had turned into rubble and was flying into the abyss.
"Hall Master Chu, what on earth is going on? Why does your Zhushen Hall have such a terrifying place?"
"My life was almost lost here today. Fortunately, Mr. Chen was here, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable!"
"Yes, we must thank Mr. Chen properly. He is the savior of all of us."
"Wait? Where's Mr. Chen? Didn't he fly out with us?"
Just as everyone was preparing to express their gratitude to Chen Xiao, they suddenly realized that Chen Xiao had already disappeared...