"Big 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 and you, big brother, could become good friends too," Princess Yu'er said with a sweet, dimpled smile.
"You have a binding curse placed on you by Father. There's no way you can leave here. How am I supposed to take you?" the man said.
"Big brother, help me undo it. I know you have the ability," Princess Yu'er tugged at the hem of his sleeve and said in a pitiful voice. "Come on, dear big brother, please help me."
"My dear little sister, I've told you many times — I want to help you, but I don't dare defy Father's orders. If you want to undo this binding and go find that guy, then you need to cultivate diligently. Once you reach the Sovereign realm, Father will definitely honor his promise and let you out. And when that time comes, I'll accompany you," the man said.
"Deal! With my big brother backing me, let's see who dares bully me then," Princess Yu'er said, pouting her little lips.
"But after all these years, are you sure he's still in the Lower Realm of Martial Ancestral Star?" The man's tone grew heavier at this point. "Or rather… are you sure he's even still alive?"
"I don't know where he is, but he's definitely alive. I have a feeling… he'll become someone even more powerful than you, big brother," Princess Yu'er said with absolute confidence.
"My dear sister, I'm not looking down on the one you have your heart set on, but that Martial Ancestral Star has long since fallen into decline. The reason for its decline… is precisely because no strong figure has appeared there in a very long time," the man said.
"He will be the one who restores the Martial Ancestral Star's glory," Princess Yu'er said stubbornly. But then her expression suddenly changed. "What do you mean, 'the one I have my heart set on'? We're just friends. Friends."
"Oh, just friends? Then why are you blushing?" the man said with a laugh.
"I'm not blushing. Not at all. Big brother, you're horrible. Go away, go away!" Princess Yu'er shoved the man toward the door.
"Alright, alright, alright. Since you're in a bad mood, I won't bother you anymore. Remember to focus on your cultivation. You've already stepped into the Martial Immortal realm, but the Sovereign realm… that's not so easily reached." With those words, the man walked out on his own.
"I know, I know. Now scram," Princess Yu'er said, waving her hand.
She then settled into a cross-legged position, her beautiful eyes flickering with who-knows-what thoughts.
A moment later, she removed the chain anklet from her foot.
If anyone else had seen this, they would have been astonished. Here she was, the princess of the Sea Abyss Fish Clan, holding a chain anklet of the Exotic Armament grade, handling it with such tender care.
Gazing at the beautiful anklet in her hands, Princess Yu'er's eyes softened with infinite gentleness — a gaze warm enough to melt anyone's heart.
"Big brother, please take good care of yourself. Little Yu'er will definitely come to see you," the young girl murmured softly.
So this Princess Yu'er — with her formidable strength and extraordinary status — was none other than that mischievous little girl from the Eastern Sea all those years ago.
…
The Hundred Refinements Mortal World. Within the Demon Extermination Cave.
Chu Feng was gritting his teeth, his entire body wreathed in vicious bolts of lightning.
That lightning seemed determined to tear his flesh apart, launching relentless attacks against him.
Chu Feng, using the bamboo slip that Young Master Dawn had gifted him, had already successfully perceived the opportunity to break through to the peak of Martial Ancestor.
And he had seized it in one breath, using this very chance to assault the threshold of Ninth Grade Martial Ancestor.
He had already succeeded halfway. The Divine Thunder had been called down, and as long as he could endure its cleansing, Chu Feng would successfully break through — ascending from Eighth Grade Martial Ancestor to Ninth Grade Martial Ancestor.
But this time, the Divine Thunder was ferocious beyond measure, and Chu Feng's face was twisted in pain.
Whether he could withstand this baptism of the Divine Thunder remained an open question.
"What powerful lightning. It seems he truly has cultivated the Divine Punishment Mystic Art."
"I wonder… if it were me, could I withstand the cleansing of that Divine Punishment Mystic Art?"
Young Master Dawn stood not far away, watching Chu Feng with a solemn gaze.
In his estimation, the lightning swirling around Chu Feng at this moment was too terrifying — it was far from certain that Chu Feng would succeed.
After watching for a moment, he too raised his eyes to look upward.
Using a special method, he was able to bypass some of the stone walls within the Demon Extermination Cave and peer at the scene outside — at the depths of the sky.
There, deep in the heavens, thunderclouds churned and rolled. Divine Thunder surged and rumbled, wave after wave of apocalyptic power surging across the horizon.