Chapter 3: Prince Shenxuan Comes to Seize the Bride

Ye Chen walked with his hands behind his back, striding with the air of a dragon and a tiger along the golden path from the golden portal, until he stood directly before Liu Ruyan.

"Brother Ye Chen!"

Liu Ruyan, swift as a startled rabbit, leaped instantly into Ye Chen's embrace.

Such a bold display caused the surrounding guests to exchange strange looks. To throw oneself into the arms of another man while on the verge of becoming another’s wife? Was this Qin Ming’s wedding, or Ye Chen’s? Even a fool could see what was happening, yet no one dared to speak. The status of a prince of the Shenxuan Dynasty was enough to strike terror into their hearts. It was a position far too transcendent. Moreover, he had arrived from the Heavenly Path; he was surely a standout among the many princes.

Liu Xiao stared at that dragon-like figure, his breathing ragged, unable to look away. The last time he had been this transfixed was when he saw the hundred thousand catties of Immortal Source offered as a dowry by the Qin family. With a temperament like a dragon, this was his ideal son-in-law. The status of a prince from the Central Region’s Shenxuan Dynasty was enough to force every power in Qingzhou to bow their heads. Weighing these options, offending the Tongtian Immortal Sect seemed like a small price to pay.

"I am late; I almost let this piece of trash succeed in marrying you."

Ye Chen gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind Liu Ruyan’s ear, then glanced at Qin Ming, his mouth curling in mockery. Qingzhou was nothing but a desolate wasteland, and this Daoist successor was a useless wretch incapable of cultivation—hardly worth his notice.

"And what if you are from the Shenxuan Dynasty? Does that grant you the right to run wild?"

A junior brother who was close to Qin Ming expressed his dissatisfaction. Ye Chen’s eyes narrowed sharply, and the invisible pressure of the Soul-Building Realm descended with a boom.

"Pfft!"

The junior brother immediately spat out several mouthfuls of blood, his body trembling violently as he was forced backward.

"Audacious!"

Lin Yuan flashed forward, catching the junior brother and dispelling the remaining pressure, yet he dared not strike at Ye Chen. The identity of a Shenxuan Dynasty prince was suffocating. To kill him without reason would inevitably invite the monstrous fury of the forces behind him, potentially implicating the entire Tongtian Immortal Sect, or even all of the Central Region.

Ye Chen chuckled, feeling his inner anger subside slightly. He had come from the Heavenly Path. A month ago, the geniuses of the path had joined forces to encircle the Great Demon God, only to be utterly crushed. Many had been shattered, bleeding out on the spot. Though they had eventually forced the Demon God back, preventing him from obtaining the final inheritance, a bizarre event occurred when they moved to divide the spoils: the inheritance chose to seal itself, carried away by a giant stone turtle that sprinted off. They had been unable to catch it. It seemed that none of those geniuses were qualified to touch the inheritance; it recognized only the Great Demon God. If he could not deal with that heaven-defying monster on the path, surely he could easily crush a pathetic, useless Daoist successor in Qingzhou.

Liu Ruyan gazed at Ye Chen with adoration, then shifted her gaze toward Qin Ming, looking down at him with utter arrogance.

"Qin Ming, you see now? Give up this hope!"

"The gap between the Central Region and Qingzhou is, to put it bluntly, the difference between a dung beetle and a true dragon."

"And those who have the opportunity to ascend the Heavenly Path are the cream of the crop among geniuses."

As she said this, Liu Ruyan spoke with pride, enunciating every word. The mention of the "Heavenly Path" seemed to bestow upon the prince a supreme, god-like glory.

"Today, I, Liu Ruyan, am calling off our engagement!"

The word "annulment" shook the entire wedding banquet. Guests from the great powers of Qingzhou whispered among themselves, while the cultivators of the Tongtian Immortal Sect wore expressions of deep humiliation. Based on their understanding of Qin Ming, he would surely suffer in silence to appease Liu Ruyan. It was predictable that the Tongtian Immortal Sect would lose face before all of Qingzhou.

Liu Ruyan narrowed her eyes, hoping to see inferiority or despair on Qin Ming’s face, but to her surprise, there was none. Had this wretch changed? Upon a second thought, she concluded that he was simply using his final shred of stubbornness to draw her attention. How truly pathetic!

"Qin Ming, is it? Agree to the annulment obediently, and I might offer you some compensation."

Ye Chen waved his sleeve, and ten thousand catties of Immortal Source appeared in the main hall. Liu Xiao chimed in, "Qin Ming, just give Uncle Liu some face and accept it. You aren't suitable for Ruyan." In his heart, Qin Ming had no further value; Ye Chen was his true son-in-law. The thought of climbing such a high branch made Liu Xiao tremble with excitement. This was a young genius who had fought on the Heavenly Path and shone brilliantly across the Three Thousand Great Regions! The weight of the words "Heavenly Path" was immense.

Glancing at the Immortal Source, then at Liu Xiao, Qin Ming shook his head and spoke coldly: "Only ten thousand catties? That’s all the compensation? Is a prince of the Central Region really that poor?"

He emphasized the word "poor" heavily, causing Ye Chen’s eyes to flash with murderous intent, his chest heaving.

"Return the hundred thousand catties of Immortal Source from the dowry, and I will grant you a letter of divorce."

He had originally intended to annul the marriage without causing either side to lose face, but the other party was pushing their luck. Whether for his own dignity or that of the Tongtian Immortal Sect, he had to be firm. The sect had practically emptied its coffers to gather those hundred thousand catties.

A letter of divorce? Such a forceful attitude caused his junior sister, Lin Rou, to feel a stir in her heart, her nose stinging with emotion. She had thought her senior brother would be as subservient as before, putting Liu Ruyan at the center of everything and allowing himself and the sect to be wronged.

Hearing this, Liu Bufan was the first to jump up. Most of the dowry belonged to him. Return it? How was that any different from being robbed?

"There is no reason to take back what has already been given! How petty, how stingy! Besides, what would a piece of trash like you do with Immortal Source? My sister’s things are mine—don't you dare covet our family’s wealth."

The future "brother-in-law," Liu Bufan, hopped about. Qin Ming glanced at him coldly. "I will say this only once. Weigh your options carefully."

The Sect Master of Tongtian, Lin Yuan, laughed with satisfaction. "What Daoist Successor Qin Ming says is the decree of the Tongtian Immortal Sect. If your Liu family refuses to return it, don't blame us for coming to collect it ourselves."

Liu Bufan trembled with rage. He stepped forward, clenching his tiger-fist, the power of the third level of the Pulse-Condensation Realm erupting. If he didn't teach this wretch a lesson, the man wouldn't know his place.

The tiger-fist erupted, a pale, translucent image of a ferocious tiger shrouding his fist. It bared its fangs and claws, its expression hideous! At this distance, a sudden ambush—even the Sect Master of Tongtian could not stop it.

However, before his fist could even land, a figure flashed by. A large palm pressed against his entire face, and a force beyond resistance slammed him into the ground.

*Bang!*

A deep crater appeared in the floor instantly, dust swirling with a mist of blood. Liu Bufan’s entire skull was crushed into the stone slabs, his consciousness lingering only for a few moments before fading. He was dead, his soul already in pursuit.

Such a brutal scene terrified many guests. He had killed Liu Bufan, a third-level Pulse-Condensation cultivator, in a single move? Was this really the useless Daoist successor Qin Ming they knew?

"Qin Ming, how dare you retaliate?!" Liu Ruyan screamed. Her brother could at most have severely wounded Qin Ming, allowing him to survive, but this Qin Ming had actually taken her brother’s life!

Liu Xiao stood stunned, his heart feeling as if it were being sliced by knives. He had watched from the sidelines, expecting Qin Ming to suffer, but he never imagined it would be his own son who died.

Ye Chen’s face turned grim. To kill his brother-in-law right in front of him? This boy had already paved his own path to death. What was strange was that there was no fluctuation of cultivation on him, so how could he possess such explosive power? Could it be the path of a martial artist? In the Xuanxiao Continent, those without the aptitude for immortality could cultivate martial arts, but their achievements were limited. Being able to handle a third-level Pulse-Condensation cultivator was already the limit.

Liu Ruyan’s eyes were bloodshot and filled with hatred. She tugged at Ye Chen’s arm, forcing him to step forward.

"Qin Ming, is it? By rights, with your status and standing, you aren't qualified to engage in a life-or-death duel with me, but I will give you a chance."

"Do you dare to fight to the death? Let fate decide the outcome. The loser shall not hold the other responsible for anything. Shall we swear a Dao Oath?"

He radiated superiority. As he spoke, he used his Dharma power to write the oath in the air. Indeed, as a prince of the Shenxuan Dynasty, he possessed excellent roots and monstrous talent. Aside from being suppressed by that mysterious Demon God on the Heavenly Path, he had never tasted defeat! If this weren't Qingzhou—if this were his own territory—he wouldn't need such calculations; he would simply wipe out the entire sect.

The Dao Oath, condensed from Dharma power, pressed forward. Qin Ming glanced at it and quickly pressed his fingerprint onto it. In his previous life, he had been born into poverty, exploited by his boss, and had only dared to be subservient because he knew he had no background. He had been all alone! This time, having transmigrated into a fantasy world, he would no longer bow to anyone’s whim!