"Naturally."
Chen Yu remained calm and merely nodded. "As for the specifics, might I ask the princess to come out and meet me? We can discuss them in detail then. Would that be agreeable?"
"What do you want with our young lady?"
An old woman questioned him.
"Cooperation, of course."
Chen Yu said, "This humble Daoist came from beyond the heavens and has long admired the Azure Emperor. Hearing that his descendant was here, I came specifically to pay a visit, hoping only to establish a partnership."
"Cooperation?"
Another sneered. "You think you're worthy?"
"A mere Life Spring cultivator, yet you dare dream of clinging to the Azure Emperor's descendant!"
As soon as the words fell, the speaker attacked.
A giant hand condensed in midair and reached straight forward.
Boom!
Divine power roared and erupted here. The sound was astonishing, terrifying enough to shake one's very soul.
But something chilling happened. Though the divine power raging all around was so terrifying, when it landed on Chen Yu, it was like a passing breeze, having no effect on him whatsoever.
"How is that possible?"
The sight stunned the old demon women present. "You're clearly only a Life Spring cultivator!"
Ever since Chen Yu had entered the Profound Origin Sect, they had been observing him in secret.
According to their earlier observations, Chen Yu's cultivation was clearly only at the Life Spring Realm. Though stronger than the human cultivators of the Profound Origin Sect, he should have been no more than an ant compared to them, someone they could pinch to death at will.
Yet judging by the situation before them, that was not the case?
Faced with their bewilderment, Chen Yu merely smiled faintly.
It was a forbidden artifact. I used a forbidden artifact.
In the cultivation world, the weak were meat for the strong. Since he dared venture alone into the Azure Emperor Lineage's stronghold, he had naturally made ample preparations.
The forbidden artifacts he carried were his greatest trump card.
Earlier, Chen Yu had already noticed a difference.
Normally, once a single-use forbidden artifact was activated, it would exhaust all the power within and be completely destroyed.
But Chen Yu was different.
He had personally refined these forbidden artifacts back then. The divine power and Dao laws stored within them essentially belonged to him.
Thus, when he activated the forbidden artifacts again, he could briefly reclaim the power stored within them and thereby reproduce a portion of his former might.
Of course, this portion of power was still expendable. Once exhausted, it could never be replenished, and the artifacts would ultimately still be destroyed.
But even so, it was already enough.
After all, king-level forbidden artifacts were far too overpowered. In most situations, there was simply no need for such a powerful single-use burst.
Now he had reduced the forbidden artifacts' output, but also extended their duration, which suited him perfectly.
Standing where he was, he suddenly reached out, vast divine power gathering in his hand.
His former divine power was briefly reclaimed at this moment, making his presence swell as though he had crossed several major realms in an instant. It was utterly terrifying, as though a true mighty figure had descended, inspiring a sense of dread.
"A human mighty figure? Impossible!"
Before him, the old demon women were shocked, disbelief spreading across their faces.
He had clearly been nothing more than an ant, yet in the blink of an eye, he had become such an existence. How could anyone believe it?
But whether they believed it or not, the truth was unfolding before their eyes.
Empowered by the strength of a mighty figure, Chen Yu was like a divine being descending to earth. In a mere instant, he seized and defeated everyone before him.
He did not kill them, instead sealing the divine power within their bodies and stripping them of the strength to resist. Only then did he look toward a corner nearby. "Have you seen enough, Your Highness?"
Divine power surged toward that spot, instantly tearing apart the disguise over that patch of space and revealing the true scene within.
A young woman appeared there, extraordinarily beautiful, like a secluded orchid in an empty valley, transcendent and untouched by the mundane. She seemed a goddess descended from heaven, breathtakingly lovely.
Merely standing there, she gave one a heart-stopping feeling, her beauty so perfect that one could not help but marvel.
From the looks of it, she had been hiding there all along, silently observing Chen Yu's actions.
Is this the Azure Emperor Lineage's caution?
Thinking of how she had concealed herself earlier, Chen Yu could not help but inwardly shake his head.
The Azure Emperor Lineage truly was an oddity.
Among the other Great Emperors' orthodox lineages, which did not act as though they were number one under heaven? Even "arrogant and overbearing" fell short of describing them.
Yet when it came to the Azure Emperor Lineage, the whole picture abruptly changed.
The cultivation he displayed was clearly only at the Life Spring Realm, far below Yan Ruyu's current level, yet she was still so cautious.
Such behavior simply did not fit this world's style.
"Who exactly are you?"
Yan Ruyu stood opposite him, watching Chen Yu with wariness written all over her face. "What is your purpose in paying us this sudden visit?"
"Are you an enemy of our Azure Emperor Lineage, here to seek revenge?"
From her perspective, Chen Yu could not have been stranger.
He had arrived out of nowhere and even knew of this secret place where she was staying. His cultivation appeared ordinary on the surface, yet he could unleash strength at the level of a mighty figure.
Every one of these things seemed bizarre, catching even her somewhat off guard.
More crucial still was their current situation.
The Azure Emperor Lineage had now declined to the extreme. Not a single mighty figure could be found in the entire lineage.
In the past, they had always lain low in secret, relying on this ability to evade all manner of pursuit and survive until now.
But now, someone had found them and stormed straight up to their doorstep.
With his strength, if he harbored any ill intent, they would likely be wiped out on the spot.
At this thought, Yan Ruyu could not help growing tense.
Fortunately, Chen Yu did not seem to have any intention of attacking.
"You overstate things, Princess."
Chen Yu said, "This humble Daoist came here only to cooperate with the Azure Emperor Lineage. Had these few not attacked first, I would not have wished to take this unnecessary step."
"Cooperate?"
Yan Ruyu's thoughts stirred. "How would you like to cooperate?"
The same words carried different weight when spoken under different circumstances.
Earlier, when Chen Yu had said he wanted to cooperate, these people had thought only of capturing him first.
But now, after Chen Yu had demonstrated enough strength to suppress them with ease, his proposal of cooperation undoubtedly sounded more convincing.
"By supporting one another, of course."
Chen Yu said, "To be frank, I am not from the Big Dipper, but from beyond the starry sky. I belong to an Imperial Clan on a life-bearing planet and came to the Big Dipper through a chance encounter."
"I have heard of the Azure Emperor's deeds. Having heard that the Azure Emperor Lineage has now fallen into decline, I came specifically in the hope that our two lineages could cooperate."
"Beyond the starry sky? An Imperial Clan?"
Yan Ruyu froze.
There was so much information in Chen Yu's words that even she could not help being stunned.