An Ominous Premonition (Bonus Chapter)

As Liu Yu pondered Butian Sect's current situation, a spatial rift suddenly tore open behind him. A white-haired man stepped out, walked up to Liu Yu, and slapped him on the shoulder. "Liu Yu! Didn't you say the Sect Master would be back in the next few days? Why hasn't he returned yet?"

"How would I know? The Sect Master said it would be these next few days, but who the hell knows how many days that means! Just wait a few more days." Liu Yu brushed Zhu Zhao's hand away.

"Fine, then I won't ask about that." Zhu Zhao said.

Liu Yu said, "Didn't you say you were about to break through to level 99? Why aren't you in seclusion? What are you doing out here?"

Zhu Zhao asked curiously, "Didn't I hear the Sect Master was coming? I got curious, so I came out of seclusion. Breaking through to level 99 isn't something you can achieve just by going into seclusion."

He was equally curious about the Butian Sect Master, who had invited him long ago but had never shown himself since.

Butian Sect had taken in many soul masters with Evil Martial Souls, yet it had managed to keep them firmly restrained, preventing them from doing evil while still allowing them to advance smoothly.

Although Butian Sect had withstood Shrek's suppression in all this, he was extremely curious about Gu Chen.

The only person who had truly met Butian Sect's Sect Master was Liu Yu.

According to Liu Yu, this mysterious Sect Master seemed to be far younger than they were.

He was very likely a young man.

Then again, don't let Zhu Zhao's carefree appearance fool you.

He was already over eighty years old, a generation senior to Liu Yu.

It was just that they usually addressed each other however they pleased. I call you brother, and you call me uncle.

His soul power level had likewise reached level 98. He served as an Honorary Elder among Butian Sect's upper ranks, and his Martial Soul was none other than Zhu Zhao!

It was a Martial Soul no one on Douluo Continent had ever heard of, yet one Gu Chen knew very well.

There were differences even among Super Douluos!

Even if the gap between Liu Yu and Zhu Zhao was not that great, it still existed.

It was like the difference between 99 and 100. If Liu Yu was just one step away from becoming a Limit Douluo, then Zhu Zhao already had more than half his body squeezed through the door.

Liu Yu gazed into the distant void and sighed. "After several years of development, Butian Sect's foundation may still not compare to Spirit Pagoda or Shrek, but it's continuing to grow rapidly. The biggest issue right now is that Butian Sect has no level 99 Limit Douluo. Without a level 99 Limit Douluo, we can't truly stand alongside those other two powers."

Butian Sect's upper ranks basically already knew how many experts Spirit Pagoda and Shrek had. (They practically even knew the color of their underwear.)

Hearing this, Zhu Zhao dropped his flippant demeanor and silently looked into the boundless void as well.

The peaceful Aolai City entered the night once more.

Time flew by, and three days had already passed since the successful acquisition of the first soul spirit.

Over those three days, Gu Chen had hardly devoted any time to cultivation. Instead, he had taken the adorable Na'er to visit many interesting places.

If he had to explain why, Gu Chen had always been plagued by an indescribable sense of foreboding.

That feeling had quietly begun to grow ever since Na'er's gaze toward him had suddenly become exceptionally complicated.

Over the following days, that unease weighed on him with increasing intensity.

Finally, after school one day several days later, Na'er found Gu Chen and made what seemed like a trivial request.

Na'er looked at Gu Chen with an earnest expression and said sweetly, "Brother, after dinner, can you take Na'er for a walk by the seaside?"

Her beautiful, captivating eyes, as clear as violet crystals, remained fixed on Gu Chen, as though she would not rest until she got what she wanted.

How could Gu Chen bear to refuse such an adorable sister who was looking at him with such anticipation? (Sister complex (￣▽￣))

So, without the slightest hesitation, he nodded. "Of course, Na'er! I was actually thinking of going to see the sea today too!"

Upon receiving her brother's affirmative answer, Na'er's face immediately blossomed into a smile as radiant as spring flowers. Like sunlight breaking through clouds and shining upon the earth, it was warm and bright.

Yet she failed to notice that beneath Gu Chen's seemingly tranquil exterior lay a heart in turmoil.

"Seeing the sea..." Gu Chen murmured softly, his heart abruptly tightening as if an invisible hand had seized it.

He instinctively reached out and gently took Na'er's soft little hand.

"Let's go..." Gu Chen said gently, his voice like a breeze brushing past her ear.

"Mhm." Na'er nodded faintly, a light blush blooming on her cheeks, as lovely as clouds lit by the setting sun.

A cool sea breeze drifted toward them, gently caressing their faces.

The chill brought them an unprecedented sense of ease and freedom, as though all their worries and pressure had quietly been carried away by the ocean wind.

It was the feeling of freedom!

Gu Chen and Na'er walked slowly, the fine sand beneath their feet making faint rustling sounds, like a beautiful melody nature played just for them.

The distant sea surged with rolling waves, one after another crashing against the shore.

Every wave was as white as snow and crystal-clear. Like a group of mischievous children, they rushed eagerly toward the land before laughing as they retreated into the embrace of their mother sea.

The roar of the waves entered their ears alongside the wind, like a stirring symphony that set their hearts surging.

"Brother, do you like the sea?" Na'er rested her chin in her hands, her beautiful eyes fixed on the setting sun in the distance as she softly asked Gu Chen beside her.

Gu Chen turned slightly to look at her clear and ethereal face. A doting smile rose at the corners of his lips as he replied softly, "Of course I do, little sister. I like the vast, boundless, turbulent sight of the sea—but more importantly, if it's a place you like, Na'er, then naturally I'll like it too."

As he spoke, he slowly raised his right hand and gently placed it atop Na'er's silky hair, softly stroking it.

Feeling the warmth from the top of her head, Na'er's heart filled with warmth. But then a trace of regret appeared on her face, and she murmured, "Sigh, if I'd known, I should have asked Brother to come walk by the sea with me more often."

Gu Chen smiled faintly and comforted her. "Don't worry. We'll have plenty of time in the future, and we can go wherever we want. Besides, as far as I'm concerned, as long as Na'er is with me, anywhere is fine."

As he spoke, his gaze locked tightly onto Na'er's clear, captivating eyes, as though he wanted to convey the deep and sincere emotions within his heart through his eyes alone.

Yet upon hearing Gu Chen's words, Na'er's heart suddenly twisted with pain.

The future? I'm afraid there will never be another chance like this...

Thinking this, she no longer dared meet Gu Chen's gaze. She hurriedly lowered her eyes, avoiding those oppressive violet-gold pupils.