The Divine Punishment descended — it was succeed or perish. There was absolutely no road of retreat.
But in truth, at that moment, Chu Feng could no longer hear the Queen's words. His body had plunged into a vortex of agony, and his soul felt as though it had fallen into an endless abyss.
All he could feel was pain radiating from every part of his being.
His head was on the verge of exploding. He could hear nothing, see nothing — pain was the only thing he could perceive, as though his soul was being torn apart, pierced through.
It entered from the crown of his head and exited from the soles of his feet, skewering his entire body, ripping his soul asunder.
Gradually, Chu Feng lost consciousness and fell into a stupor.
It was only after a good while that he finally opened his eyes once more.
"Young Master Chu Feng, you're awake! Are you alright? How are you feeling?"
The moment Chu Feng opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Song Xi's mother, her face full of tension.
"Auntie, I'm fine. Please don't worry."
Chu Feng rose to his feet immediately after waking. He felt not the slightest bit of soreness or pain. On the contrary, he felt vigorous and full of energy, without a trace of fatigue.
Seeing that Chu Feng truly did not appear to be injured, Song Xi's mother finally relaxed and went back to keep Song Xi company.
Chu Feng, meanwhile, probed his own cultivation, and sure enough — he had broken through.
He had successfully become a Third Grade True Immortal.
"Eggy, did you see that? I broke through," Chu Feng said excitedly to the Queen.
"I saw, I saw. It's just…" The Queen sounded rather downcast.
"What's wrong?" Chu Feng asked.
The Queen did not reply.
Sensing something amiss, Chu Feng immediately projected his consciousness into his World Spirit Space.
There, he could clearly see the Queen's exquisitely beautiful little face, now covered with worry.
"What's the matter, my Queen? Who's been bullying you?" Chu Feng asked, stepping toward her.
"Chu Feng, didn't you feel it? This time, the Divine Thunder was absolutely terrifying," the Queen said.
"This time, the Divine Thunder was indeed almost unbearable. I nearly failed," Chu Feng said with a bitter smile.
"Exactly — you nearly failed. But the power of the Divine Punishment Mystic Art will only grow stronger as your cultivation rises. You're already struggling to endure it now. How are you going to break through in the future?"
"What if you fail next time?"
"I'm starting to regret letting you cultivate this Divine Punishment Mystic Art."
"I should have stopped you. I shouldn't have let you gamble with your life." At this point, the Queen's delicate face was entirely filled with self-reproach.
It was clear that the Queen truly cared about Chu Feng. She didn't want anything to happen to him.
"Eggy, don't worry. It was my carelessness — I wasn't prepared enough," Chu Feng said.
"How is that your carelessness? It has nothing to do with you. The strength of the Divine Thunder isn't something you can control," the Queen said.
"It really was my carelessness. Last time, when I broke through in the hunting grounds, the Divine Thunder was fierce indeed, but it didn't last long. So I broke through very quickly."
"That gave me the false impression that after stepping into the True Immortal realm, the duration of the Divine Thunder had shortened."
"So this time, I didn't adjust my state properly and made no preparations beforehand. That's what let the Divine Thunder catch me completely off guard."