"Brother, if you want to know, just take me with you. How about I take you to meet him?"
"He's a very, very, very, very… very good person. I think he could become good friends with you too, Brother." Princess Yu'er said with a beaming smile.
"A binding incantation was placed on you by Father. There's simply no way you can leave this place. How exactly am I supposed to take you?" the man said.
"Unseal it for me, Brother. I know you're capable of that." Princess Yu'er grabbed the hem of his sleeve and said pitifully, "Come on, dear Brother, just help me out."
"My dear little sister, I've told you many times already — I do want to help you, but I dare not disobey Father's decree."
"If you want to break free of this binding and go find that boy, then you need to train hard. Once you reach the Venerable realm, Father will definitely honor his promise and release you."
"At that point, I'll go with you," the man said.
"Deal. With you backing me up, who'd dare bully me?" Princess Yu'er said, pouting her small lips.
"But so many years have passed — are you even sure he's still in the Ancestral Martial Lower Realm?" At this, the man's tone grew heavier. "Or rather… are you sure he's still alive?"
"I'm not sure where he is, but he's definitely alive. I have a feeling… he'll become someone even stronger than you, Brother." Princess Yu'er said with full confidence.
"My dear sister, I'm not looking down on your sweetheart, but the Ancestral Martial Star Field has long fallen into decline. The reason it declined… is precisely because no powerhouse has emerged there for ages," the man said.
"He's the one who'll make the Ancestral Martial Star Field shine again!" Princess Yu'er said stubbornly. But suddenly her expression changed. "What sweetheart? He's just a friend, just a friend."
"Oh, just a friend? Then why are you blushing?" the man said with a smile.
"I'm not blushing at all! You're so annoying, Brother. Get out, get out!" Princess Yu'er began pushing the man toward the exit.
"Alright, alright, alright. Since you're in a bad mood, I won't bother you."
"Remember to focus on your training. You've already stepped into the Martial Immortal realm, but the Venerable realm… isn't so easy to reach." With that, the man walked out on his own.
"Got it. Now scram." Princess Yu'er waved her hand dismissively.
Then she sat cross-legged down, her beautiful eyes flickering ceaselessly, lost in thought.
After a moment, she removed the ankle chain from her foot.
If anyone else witnessed this sight, they would surely be astonished. Here was the princess of the Celestial Sea Fish Clan, cradling a weapon-grade ankle chain in her hands with such extraordinary care.
Gazing at the beautiful chain, Princess Yu'er's eyes softened into something incredibly tender — a look gentle enough to melt anyone's heart.
"Big Brother, please take good care of yourself. Little Yu'er will definitely come to see you," the girl murmured.
It turned out that this formidable, exalted Princess Yu'er was none other than that mischievous little girl from the Eastern Sea all those years ago.
…
Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm, inside the Demon Extinguishing Cave.
Chu Feng was gritting his teeth, his entire body surrounded by violent bolts of thunder.
The thunder seemed intent on tearing his flesh apart, relentlessly assaulting him.
Chu Feng, using the bamboo scroll that Young Master Dawn had gifted him, had successfully comprehended the opportunity to break through to the peak of the Martial Ancestor realm.
Moreover, he had seized this chance in a single breath to assault the Rank 9 Martial Ancestor threshold.
He had already succeeded halfway — the Divine Thunder had been called down. All he needed to do was endure its cleansing, and Chu Feng would successfully break through from Rank 8 Martial Ancestor to Rank 9 Martial Ancestor.
However, this round of Divine Thunder was extraordinarily ferocious, and Chu Feng's face was etched with agony.
Whether he could withstand this cleansing remained an open question.
"Remarkable thunder. So he really has been cultivating the Divine Punishment Mystic Art."
"I wonder… could I withstand the cleansing of this Mystic Art if it were me?"
Young Master Dawn stood not far away, watching Chu Feng with a solemn gaze.
In her eyes, the thunder swirling around Chu Feng was far too terrifying. Success was far from guaranteed.
After watching for a while, she raised her gaze to peer upward as well.
Through her special methods, she was able to bypass certain rock walls of the Demon Extinguishing Cave and see the world outside, peering deep into the sky above.
High in the heavens, thunderclouds churned and the Divine Thunder raged, wave after wave of world-ending power surging across the firmament.
The sight was truly terrifying.
"My umbrella can completely conceal my Heavenly Punishment Mystic Art — even when my breakthrough is imminent, it won't produce the slightest phenomenon."
"But this Divine Punishment Mystic Art, while it successfully hides the bolt of thunder as it falls, cannot conceal the thunderclouds gathering in the sky."
"The Divine Punishment Mystic Art truly cannot be compared to the Heavenly Punishment Mystic Art," Young Master Dawn mused inwardly.
Because her umbrella could fully mask her own Mystic Art, but it could not fully mask Chu Feng's.
And this alone spoke volumes about the gap between them.
Sizzle—
Just then, the thunder surrounding Chu Feng began to dissipate, and the pained expression on Chu Feng's face gradually eased.