"Excuse me, could I meet my queen?"
Chu Feng stood in the desert, asking politely.
He had asked several times now, but received no response.
What Chu Feng didn't know was that while he was asking, the ruler of this place was chatting with Sha Hun Hao Tian.
Suddenly, countless barrier gates appeared in the void surrounding Chu Feng.
Figures shot out from within them, and in the blink of an eye they filled the sky like a swarm of locusts, packed densely together.
They were wreathed in black flames, their faces obscured — only pairs of crimson eyes were visible. Every single one of them exuded the aura of a Fifth Rank True God, and they all felt powerful to Chu Feng.
Even if they were weaker than Sha Hun Hao Tian, they wouldn't be by much.
But Sha Hun Hao Tian was only one person.
The black-flamed figures before him now numbered at least a million at a glance.
From the way they were arranged, it was clearly no ordinary formation — it was an encirclement kill formation.
They would be far more difficult to deal with than Sha Hun Hao Tian, because Chu Feng had no idea what trump cards they held.
But even their sheer presence alone was more threatening.
Right now, every one of them was glaring at Chu Feng with vicious eyes, as though awaiting orders.
The moment the command came, they would unleash a frenzied assault upon him.
Before long, two beams of light descended from the sky, landing right in front of Chu Feng.
Looking closely, one beam contained a barrier gate, while the other held a black bottle that floated within it.
"You have passed the recent trial, and have now earned an opportunity for your Spirit World companion."
"She may leave this place immediately and return to the Asura Spirit World, but she must never set foot in the Martial Cultivation World again for the rest of her life, nor may she contact any Spirit World Master through any means."
The voice of this place rang out.
"So if I leave now, she can return to the Asura Spirit World?" Chu Feng asked.
"Yes," the voice replied.
"What is that black bottle for?" Chu Feng asked.
"You may choose not to leave and continue the challenge instead."
"As long as you defeat every opponent in the sky above, you may take your Spirit World companion and leave this place."
"But the prerequisite for continuing the challenge is that you must consume the contents of this bottle. It will allow you to temporarily recover a portion of your combat strength."
"It will also permanently destroy your path of martial cultivation, with no hope of ever recovering it," the voice declared.
Chu Feng reached out and seized the black bottle directly in his grasp.
He understood full well what it meant to destroy his path of martial cultivation.
But he understood even better what it would cost to lose Egg Egg.
And just then, the barrier gate swung open once more.
The voice of this place echoed again.
"Chu Feng, although you possess the Bloodline of the King, the path of barriers is also a bright road before you."
"But have you ever considered why the world you inhabit is called the Martial Cultivation World?"
"If you cannot reach the summit of the world as a martial cultivator, you will find it nearly impossible to uncover the true secrets of the Martial Cultivation World."
"Your Heavenly Lightning Bloodline may be damaged now, but it is not beyond repair. With your talent, regaining your former strength is only a matter of time."
"But if today you simply wish for your Spirit World companion to stay by your side and abandon the path of martial cultivation — is that what your parents would have wanted? Is it what your Spirit World companion would want?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Feng smiled faintly and flicked the cap off the bottle, preparing to drink it all in one gulp.
But the voice of this place spoke once more: "The rules are not yet fully explained."
"Even if you sacrifice your path of martial cultivation to continue the challenge, and even if you succeed, it will only work if your Spirit World companion is willing."
"She, too, now faces a choice. She may return to the Asura Spirit World, or she may choose to trust you and remain."
"Only if she chooses to trust you and is willing to stay can you leave with her."
"Otherwise, even if you pass this trial and destroy your path of martial cultivation, you will not be able to take her with you."
"But most importantly, if she chooses to trust you, that means she is choosing to share your fate through life and death."
"If you succeed in the challenge, you will both be able to leave safely, as you wish."
"If you fail, not only will you die — she will die as well."
"Of course, if you choose not to continue the challenge, it won't matter even if she chooses to stay. She will still be sent back to the Asura Spirit World."
Now, with the bottle already at his lips, Chu Feng dared not drink.
He found himself studying the army of black-flamed figures in the sky above once more.
After all, if he failed, Egg Egg would die too.
He hesitated.
…
Meanwhile, Egg Egg sat within a world shrouded in dense white mist — a world that seemed to stretch on without boundary, eerily desolate and isolating.
She sat on the ground. There was no pain on her face, but her expression was downcast as her thoughts drifted.
"A hundred thousand years… that's just too long."
"After that long, will Chu Feng forget about me?"
The moment she said it, she suddenly laughed.
"Oh please, how could that be? Chu Feng could never forget this queen."
But as soon as those words left her, the smile faded.
She wasn't so sure anymore.
Because a hundred thousand years was simply too long.
Over such a vast stretch of time, countless people and events could wash away from one's memory.
Chu Feng would meet innumerable people. He would experience innumerable things.
Would he really still remember her?
But just then, not far from where she sat, a massive phantom image appeared. Though it was distant and partially obscured by the mist, she could still faintly make out the shape of a great gate.