"Pointless."
However, Purple Bell hadn't even moved. The purple aura surged outward like a violent, savage beast — like a vicious demon spawned from the depths of hell — and it directly smashed the Mystic Eight Trigrams Bowl into smithereens.
"Whoosh!" Seeing this, the presiding elder's face drained of all color. How could he dare to keep tangling with Purple Bell? He launched himself into the air, desperate to flee.
"Swish!" Yet Purple Bell gave him no such chance. The purple aura coalesced into a colossal maw of violet flame, and in the blink of an eye, it devoured the presiding elder whole.
"Ahhhhh~~~~~~~~~~~"
Moments later, from within the surging purple aura, the elder's heart-rending screams rang out — but they grew fainter and weaker with each passing second, until they vanished entirely.
At that moment, Purple Bell's violet eyes gradually returned to normal, and the purple aura receded back into her body. As for the presiding elder — not even a single bone remained. He had been consumed clean by Purple Bell's purple aura.
Looking at Purple Bell now, Chu Feng noticed she was holding a Universe Bag — one he had observed earlier, which had belonged to the presiding elder.
"You really are terrifying, little girl. Only at the ninth level of Xuan Martial, and yet you dealt with a third-level Heaven Martial cultivator that easily," Chu Feng remarked with admiration.
"Hmph." Hearing this, Purple Bell shot Chu Feng a withering look of disdain, then said, "You think you're the only one who commands special powers? I am, after all, a Heaven-Bestowed Divine Body. How could my strength possibly be compared to that of ordinary mortals?"
"Let alone a third-level Heaven Martial cultivator — I wouldn't fear a fourth-level one either. And once I break through to the Heaven Martial realm, I could even take on a sixth-level Heaven Martial cultivator." Purple Bell spoke with absolute confidence, making it clear she had unwavering faith in her own power.
"Is the Heaven Martial realm really that hard to break through to? When you were secluding yourself at the Supreme Villa before, you were trying to reach the Heaven Martial realm, weren't you?" Chu Feng asked curiously.
"Of course it's hard. Extremely hard. Do you think stepping into the Heaven Martial realm is so easy?"
"Back when I was secluding myself at the Supreme Villa, that was my first attempt to break through to the Heaven Martial realm. After you left, my grandfather helped me try two more times."
"But both attempts failed. I have to admit — Heaven Energy is not so easy to comprehend. Even though I'm a Heaven-Bestowed Divine Body, there's still some difficulty." Purple Bell pouted her little lips, seemingly frustrated that she had failed to break through three times.
"Come on, little girl. Most people don't successfully break through to the Heaven Martial realm until they're in their twenties. You're only fifteen and already trying to reach Heaven Martial? Even with the Heaven-Bestowed Divine Body, the divine power granted by the heavens, and talent that ordinary people could never dream of — that's still a bit too heaven-defying, isn't it?" Chu Feng chuckled.
"Tch, what do you know? A Heaven-Bestowed Divine Body is supposed to be this heaven-defying — otherwise it wouldn't be called a Heaven-Bestowed Divine Body."
"My grandfather told me that this Nine Provinces Continent is nothing but a backwater. The people here have universally terrible talent for martial cultivation. That's the main reason why, despite a population of hundreds of billions on this continent, so few people can step into the Heaven Martial realm."
"The world is vast, and those with exceptional martial talent are beyond counting. Those who possess heaven-defying genius are plentiful."
"If you go by proper standards, the martial cultivation talent of people on the Nine Provinces Continent is essentially garbage. So even the most talented among hundreds of billions can only break through to the Heaven Martial realm in their twenties."
"But in that region, people who break through to the Heaven Martial realm in their twenties are actually a dime a dozen. Such people can't even be considered top-tier geniuses — at best, they're merely talented. A true top-tier genius must break through to the Heaven Martial realm before the age of twenty. Only then would they be recognized as a true prodigy, a genuine genius."
"And as a Heaven-Bestowed Divine Body, if I can't break through to the Heaven Martial realm before I turn twenty, then I would be utterly failing to live up to the name of Heaven-Bestowed Divine Body. I wouldn't deserve to be one." Purple Bell's little face was filled with stubborn determination.
"That region? What region?" What piqued Chu Feng's curiosity even more was the place Purple Bell had mentioned, where people's martial cultivation talent was universally exceptional.
"Well…" Seeing Chu Feng press the question, Purple Bell hesitated. But after a moment's thought, she decided to tell him: "Beyond the Nine Provinces Continent, there are many other continents. Most of them are similar to the Nine Provinces Continent — large populations, but universally poor martial talent. Such continents are typically ruled by a single power, much like the Jiang Dynasty."
"But in truth, these continents are not the entirety of this world. On the contrary, they're merely the tip of the iceberg. Because my grandfather told me that to the west of the continents, there lies a vast, boundless sea."
"Upon that sea, there are many powerful factions. The disciples of those factions all possess abilities that reach the heavens. Take even the most unremarkable disciple and place them on the Nine Provinces Continent, and they would be regarded as a genius by everyone here."
"That doesn't mean those people have exceptional talent. It simply means the people of the Nine Provinces Continent have terrible talent."
"That sea region is said to be enormous. Upon its surface lie massive continents; beneath its waters dwell powerful sea beasts. There are countless ruins, countless treasures."
"That sea region is called the Eastern Sea Region. My grandfather and I come from there, and someday I will return."
"Because my parents were murdered by people from that sea region. My clan was massacred there. So I will have my revenge — I will return to that sea region and avenge my parents." At this, Purple Bell grew visibly emotional.
And in that moment, Chu Feng finally understood why Purple Bell was a Heaven-Bestowed Divine Body, yet no one had known about it. It was because Purple Bell had not been born on the Nine Provinces Continent, but in the Eastern Sea Region.
He also understood why Purple Bell and her grandfather, despite being so powerful, had been forced to hole up here on the Nine Provinces Continent. It was because Purple Bell carried a blood debt of staggering proportions, and her enemies were evidently powerful enough to annihilate her entire clan — leaving only her and her grandfather to flee to this place.
No wonder Purple Bell was so desperate to grow stronger. She wanted revenge. Chu Feng understood the desire for vengeance deeply, from the bottom of his heart. He could completely relate to how Purple Bell felt.
"Purple Bell, your enemies are my enemies. Tell me who they are, and I will help you cut them down with my own hands." Chu Feng took hold of Purple Bell's slender, pale-white jade hand.
Feeling the warmth transmitted through their joined hands, Purple Bell's heart trembled. She stirred from the haze of her furious hatred and looked at Chu Feng before her. A sweet smile blossomed on her face.
"I don't know who they are either. Because my grandfather told me that in my current state, I'm not even worthy of knowing my enemies' names — because I'm far too weak."