Although the Queen's words caught Li Yue'er off guard, Li Yue'er was only surprised for a moment before quickly regaining her composure. "So what?"
"I think your feelings toward that brat Chu Feng aren't bad at all. Why not consider getting together with him? Honestly, that fellow Chu Feng is pretty decent."
"And let me tell you—Chu Feng's parents are no ordinary people. If you married him, you'd have someone backing you up in the future," the Queen said.
"You're overthinking it. I only see him as a friend, and as far as I can tell, he only sees me as a friend too," Li Yue'er replied.
"Friends can become lovers, you know. Why don't you…confess to him when he wakes up?"
"That kid Chu Feng is too proud and too shy to say anything himself, so he can only talk to me about it in secret."
"But you're different. You're a girl, after all. As the saying goes, when a man pursues a woman, it's like climbing a mountain—but when a woman pursues a man, it's as easy as lifting a veil."
"If you make the move, the two of you will be together before you know it," the Queen said with a grin.
"Boring." Li Yue'er was a clever girl and quickly realized that the Queen was trying to mess with her. After casting the Queen a sidelong glare, she turned her gaze back to the sky.
After that, no matter what the Queen said, Li Yue'er refused to pay her any attention.
However, the Queen's patience when it came to Li Yue'er was remarkably good—she actually kept pestering her nonstop by her side. When Li Yue'er ignored her, the Queen simply moved right in front of her face and kept talking.
Li Yue'er simply couldn't take the Queen's relentless pestering any longer and finally said, "Then why don't you get together with Chu Feng yourself?"
"Little girl, this Queen is a Spirit, and Chu Feng is a Spirit World Master. How could we ever be together? That would go against the natural order," the Queen said.
"But Chu Feng told me he likes you," Li Yue'er said.
"Nonsense. There's nothing he sees or hears that I don't know about. How could I have never heard him say that to you?" The Queen looked thoroughly unconvinced.
Li Yue'er said nothing.
Seeing that Li Yue'er had gone silent, the Queen grew smug: "So, you think you can pull something like that on this Queen? Do I look that easy to fool, little girl? You're still far too naive compared to me."
"It was his eyes that told me," Li Yue'er said.
"What?" The Queen's beautiful eyes widened in surprise.
His eyes? How could eyes speak?
"I read it from the way he looks at you," Li Yue'er said to the Queen in a dead-serious tone.
"My, my—I didn't expect you to be such a shameless little fibber," the Queen said.
"Believe it or not," Li Yue'er replied.
Boom!
But just then, a piercing boom suddenly rang out.
In the blink of an eye, nine-colored lightning intertwined together, forming a massive nine-colored dragon of unfathomable proportions. Carrying with it a terrifying pressure and a piercing roar, it plummeted from the heavens and slammed straight down onto Chu Feng.
Sizzle!
In the next instant, the entire palace was engulfed by the nine-colored lightning.
"This…"
Even the Queen's expression changed drastically, her eyes filling with worry.
Caught within the storm of lightning, she could feel the might of this Divine Thunder far more clearly than anyone—and this time, it was indeed more powerful than every time before.
Although the lightning posed no burden to the Queen or Li Yue'er whatsoever, it was launching a frenzied assault on Chu Feng with such ferocity that it seemed intent on tearing him apart.
Under the onslaught, Chu Feng's face twisted in agony, his features contorted with pain.
Though the Queen had full confidence in Chu Feng, seeing him like this still filled her with worry. Because this time, the lightning was truly far more savage than during any of his previous breakthroughs.
Before long, Chu Feng's skin began to tear apart, ripped open by the lightning and seared until it turned to char—his features rendered unrecognizable, his body emitting a ghastly burnt stench.
"Ughhhh—"
Unable to endure the pain any longer, Chu Feng let out a guttural, agonized roar that was nothing short of heart-rending.
"Chu Feng." Seeing this, the Queen was the first who could no longer sit still.
But the moment she tried to step forward, Li Yue'er grabbed her arm and held her back.
"Don't disturb him. His lightning tribulation is unlike any other. The slightest mistake could cause his soul to dissipate," Li Yue'er said.
Hearing Li Yue'er's words, the Queen suddenly remembered—Chu Feng himself had said that this Divine Tribulation Mystic Art invited a god-level tribulation. When the divine punishment descended, one could either endure the trial or have one's soul obliterated.
Succeed, or perish.