Chapter 853: Chen Chu in an Arranged Marriage? (II)

At the edge of the vast zone of darkness and destruction, a fleet stretching across over two hundred kilometers hovered tens of thousands of meters above the ground. In front of them was a massive spatial rift, ten thousand meters in diameter, and pitch-black like an abyss. This was a phenomenon where even time and space were severed.

After leaving the forbidden zone, the fleet had traveled for two days, crossing over five hundred thousand kilometers. They had now reached a planned point along their route, a spatial fault they needed to cross.

This region was formed from the collapse of an unknown world, now filled with countless dangerous phenomena. The rift ahead had the ability to instantaneously transport objects across space. By passing through it, the fleet could skip over more than three million kilometers and reach the other side of the destruction zone much faster.

This route, including the "narrow path" through the edge of the Expansion Division’s forbidden zone, had cost the Federation a great deal of resources to discover.

Aboard a golden battleship over ten kilometers long, Heavenly King Zhenwu offered a sincere apology. "My apologies, Lord Bordea. Due to a matter concerning Chen Chu, we need to pause here for a moment."

Behind him, the middle-aged man with three pairs of golden light wings smiled and replied. "No need to be so formal now. I understand that we're only pausing since your Divine Might King is undergoing a breakthrough. This brief delay is nothing compared to Mr. Chen's advancement in strength."

Though Bordea was eager for the fleet to reach the Heavenly Feathered Race as soon as possible, he showed no displeasure. In fact, Chen Chu’s power increasing was ultimately a benefit to them as well.

Then, as if remembering something, Bordea suddenly said, "Brother Zhenwu, what are your thoughts on the proposal I mentioned earlier?"

"The proposal... you mean the alliance through marriage between our two races?" Zhenwu paused for a moment.

Bordea nodded. "Yes. Your Divine Might King possesses extraordinary talent, and more importantly, he's still young. In terms of lifespan, he’s only seventeen. Even in the tens of thousands of years of my race’s history as a transcendent species, such accomplishments have only been matched by four innate saints, including the King of Light."

“Four individuals?” Zhenwu was clearly moved. Based on the talent, combat strength, and achievements Chen Chu had already displayed, he had even surpassed the First Councilor and a few others, who became supreme beings in less than ten years.

Yet, within the Heavenly Feathered Race, there were actually several individuals comparable to that level. No wonder they were capable of withstanding full-scale attacks from Demon God Empires for hundreds of years.

Bordea smiled and said, "There’s no need to be surprised. Talent only represents potential. Only when one truly grows can they stand proud through the ages. Among our four innate saints, only the Divine King of Light reached the peak of the Divine King to possess the Primordial Light and hold the title of Eternal God. The other two fell partway through their cultivation.

"As for the last one, she is a bit special. She shares the same lineage as the Divine King of Light and was born from the origin of light . As a result, she had the mastery of a high-level light law from birth. As she continued cultivating, she successively grasped three more high-level laws related to light, and broke through to the level of chief god in no time.

"Just last year, she stepped onto the battlefield and slew three demon kings, one great demon king, and seriously wounded another peak-awakened great demon king. She was then able to withdraw safely even after a surprise attack by a demon god. By human age standards, she would only be around twenty years old. With her talent, as long as nothing goes wrong, it won’t be long before she reaches divine king level."

Zhenwu’s expression turned solemn. To have mastered four high-level laws and reached the heavenly king realm at twenty years old, he couldn’t help but feel amazed by such talent. It seemed this individual, like Chen Chu, was born to carry the immense fate of the Heavenly Feathered Race.

Zhenwu sighed in admiration. "Facing a demon god head-on and retreating unharmed as a beginning-stage heavenly king is a level of cross-realm combat power that even I have not reached."

Even with his racial weapon, he could only just barely clash with a middle-stage supreme demon god as a peak heavenly king.

Bordea smiled faintly. "That’s exactly why I made the suggestion. With her level of talent, she’s more than worthy of your Divine Might King. Though our two races have already formed an alliance, I believe deeper cooperation is still necessary if we’re to truly build mutual trust. Especially considering the potential all-out counterattack from the Purgatory Clan in the future."

Zhenwu naturally understood what Bordea was implying. He also knew how beneficial it would be for both races if the most powerful genius of the human race were to marry one of the Heavenly Feathered Race’s innate saints. It would essentially bind the future of both races together. However...

Heavenly King Zhenwu gave a wry smile. "Lord Bordea, even if the First Councilor and the others agreed, it wouldn’t mean anything. This kind of matter depends entirely on Chen Chu’s own will."

Bordea chuckled. "I understand. No one can constrain a genius like that, not even if they share the same lineage as the Divine King of Light. But as long as both our high-level leadership agrees, we can start thinking of ways to create some opportunities for them to meet. Who knows, maybe..."

"Let’s see how things go." Zhenwu cleared his throat, not wanting to refuse directly. However, the truth was, based on what he knew about Chen Chu, Zhenwu felt this was unlikely to succeed. After all, many of Chen Chu's friends were astonishingly beautiful women.

Yet up to this point, none of the intelligence reports had shown Chen Chu getting particularly close to any of them. Even with Luo Fei, their relationship seemed only slightly closer than regular friends.

It took just over four hours for Chen Chu to catch up to the fleet, following the trail of temporary signal transmitters they had deployed every ten thousand kilometers.

Boom!

As soon as Chen Chu came within a thousand kilometers of the fleet, a king on Battleship 13, which was at the back of the fleet, felt a powerful sense of pressure approaching head-on.

Brilliant multicolored light lit up the sky, streaking toward the fleet at incredible speed. The invisible pressure grew heavier, forming white shockwaves that tore through the air like raging winds.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Multiple silhouettes flashed across the battleship. The high-level cultivators were all alarmed, their faces tense as they turned to look at the flood of multicolored light surging down from the sky.

A late-stage Ninth Heavenly Realm cultivator said in a low voice, "Everyone be careful!"

"What’s going on? Are we under attack?"

As the pressure rose, many high-level cultivators and ordinary soldiers aboard several of the battleships at the back of the fleet began to grow uneasy. At that moment, a calm and commanding voice rang out. "No need to panic. The one approaching is not an enemy."

A figure flickered above the battleship. It was the Sky-Splitting Golden Sword, Chen Wang, who had once commanded the Thirtieth Legion and now was also participating in this expedition. He looked out toward the distance.

With Chen Wang's reassurance, the cultivators aboard the battleships relaxed a little. As long as it wasn’t an enemy, everything was fine.

"This aura feels really familiar..." Standing firm in the roaring winds, Li Daoyi’s Daoist robe flapped wildly as a conflicted expression crossed his face. He knew exactly who was coming.

The multicolored radiance spread across the sky and reached Battleship 13, and within it a young man with long black hair draped over his shoulders appeared. A golden halo spun behind him, radiating an aura of divinity and nobility.

Seeing Chen Chu return on multicolored clouds, Chen Wang paused. "Chen Chu, that aura you're giving off..."

Chen Chu replied, "Apologies. I didn’t mean to alarm everyone, but right now my true form is still in the middle of a breakthrough, so I can’t suppress my aura."

"No worries, so long as your cultivation isn't having any issues. Besides, you’re looking quite impressive right now. Hahaha..." Chen Wang couldn’t help but laugh out loud. At that moment, Chen Chu was like a giant light bulb. Wherever he went, he shone brightly. It was completely different from the composed, low-key image Chen Wang and the others had of him.

"As long as you understand." Chen Chu smiled, then looked downward, his gaze landing on Li Daoyi.

"Brother Li, I’ve got something for you." Chen Chu flashed like a streak of light, silently appearing before Li Daoyi.

Li Daoyi let out a sigh. "Of course it's you. You always have to make such dramatic entrances."

"I didn't mean to make such an entrance. I just couldn't help it this time." Chen Chu sighed lightly. Then, he took out a golden crystal. "Brother Li, this is an ancient art I came across by chance. It’s called the Purple Lightning Battle Body."

"The Purple Lightning Battle Body? Could it be..." Li Daoyi’s eyes widened, his expression filled with excitement.

Chen Chu nodded with a smile. "Yes, it’s the one you’re thinking of. It’s a legacy of the Thunderbolt Emperor, the counterpart to the True Lightning Prison Form you obtained before. If you can cultivate it to a high level and merge it with your Lightning Prison True Form and Innate Thunderbolts, it should be no problem for you to grasp the high-level law of lightning when breaking through to the mythical level."

Li Daoyi took the golden crystal with some excitement. "Brother Chu, I don't even know how to express my thanks. From now on, I’ll be your loyal sidekick, always ready to back you up in style. By the way, I’ve met quite a few beauties on the battleship recently. Some of them are only a little less stunning than Yan Ruoyi. Want me to introduce you?"

Li Daoyi was already a bit rambly from excitement.

"...You should keep those beauties for yourself. I’m not interested. As for showing off... forget it, I’m heading off now." Chen Chu shook his head and flew off, not wanting to entertain this guy. Though it felt good to make a grand entrance, Chen Chu wasn't trying to show off deliberately. However, Li Daoyi always made it sound like he was doing it on purpose.

Li Daoyi was already at the Ninth Heavenly Realm, but his old habits hadn’t changed; his focus still seemed to be chatting up beautiful women. Chen Chu wondered if any of them had sent photos. Maybe next time he’d get a chance to admire them too.

While he was deep in thought, Chen Chu was still surrounded by a multicolored glow that lit up the sky. The golden halo behind him spun slowly, making him look like a deity from ancient times soaring above the battleships. Immediately, shouts of awe rang out below, as countless cultivators looked up excitedly.

"It’s the Divine Might King!"

"Such a powerful aura. Just flying overhead makes me tremble."

Many female cultivators excitedly shouted, "My lord, you’re so handsome!"

These words nearly made Chen Chu lose himself. With Chen Chu’s return, the fleet that had paused for several hours trembled and immediately charged forward. Led by Battleship 1, they plunged into the rift.