32: Tensions were high, the patriarch's betrothal gifts

Eastern Region, Lingxiao Sword Sect.

Nine sword Peaks stood like sharp blades thrust upside down, piercing straight into the clouds, their chilling Sword Qi shredding the surrounding clouds for ten thousand miles.

Inside the Sect Master's Hall, the atmosphere had frozen to the breaking point.

“Get out.”

A single word drifted down lightly from the high seat, yet it struck the Su Family messenger's chest like a heavy sledgehammer.

“Pfft!”

The Su Family messenger spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot, stumbling back several steps with a deathly pale Face.

Forcing down the surging blood in his chest, he raised his head and stared fixedly at the cold-faced middle-aged man on the high seat.

Sect Master Lingxiao.

A peerless powerhouse at the Peak of the Quasi-Saint Realm, only half a step away from entering the Saint Realm.

“Sect Master Ling, what is the meaning of this?”

The Su Family Elder wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly.

“My Old Ancestor sincerely seeks the medicine and is willing to exchange for the tribulation crossing lotus at three times the market price. He even promised that even if the Su Family expands in the future, we will never encroach upon your sect's interests in the slightest.”

“These conditions would tempt even a Saint. Why do you...”

“Why?”

Sect Master Lingxiao gave a light chuckle, interrupting him.

He slowly stood up, his white robes as pure as snow, his body surrounded by a terrifying Sword Intent capable of tearing through the Void Realm.

He looked down at the Su Family Elder from his height, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt and loathing.

“Go back and tell Su Xuanchen.”

“The tribulation crossing lotus is a supreme treasure of my sect. It is not for loan, and certainly not for sale.”

“Don't think that just because you wiped out a mere Myriad Spirits Sect, you can come and order my Lingxiao Sword Sect around.”

“That group of trash from the Myriad Spirits Sect only relied on their turtle-shell Formations. In terms of slaughter and foundation, they aren't even worthy of carrying my Lingxiao Sword Sect's shoes!”

The Su Family Elder's expression immediately darkened.

“Sect Master Ling, I will relay these words to the Old Ancestor exactly as they were spoken.”

“However, you should have heard of my Old Ancestor's temperament.”

“There is nothing he wants that he cannot get.”

“If he becomes unhappy and comes to take it in person...”

“Presumptuous!”

Sect Master Lingxiao violently flicked his sleeve.

“Boom!”

An invisible burst of Sword Qi instantly erupted, blasting the Su Family Elder out of the hall. He slammed heavily onto the stone tiles of the plaza, creating a deep crater.

“Let him come!”

Sect Master Lingxiao's voice was grim, echoing throughout the entire sword sect.

“This Sect Master would like to see just how much weight this ‘Genius’ who became a Saint at six thousand years old truly carries!”

“I want to see if he really is like the rumors say—with three heads and six arms, invincible under heaven!”

The Su Family Elder struggled to his feet, gave the hall a deep look, and then turned into a streak of light to flee.

Inside the hall.

Sect Master Lingxiao sat back down on his high seat, his Face as dark as water.

“Senior Brother, why must you provoke the Su Family so?”

An old man with an ancient sword on his back stepped out from the shadows, his brow furrowed.

“Su Xuanchen was able to kill Saint Zilei; his strength is unfathomable. It is quite unwise for us to go head-to-head with him at this time.”

“Unwise?”

Sect Master Lingxiao snorted coldly, a flash of twisted jealousy and hatred appearing in his eyes.

“What do you know!”

“I was born with a Sword Body and have Cultivated bitterly for seven thousand years, yet I have been stuck at the Peak of the Quasi-Saint Realm without a single inch of progress!”

“What kind of thing is that Su Xuanchen? A Loose Cultivator with no background, yet he attained the Dao and became a Saint at six thousand years old?!”

“On what basis?!”

“I refuse to accept it!”

He suddenly slammed the armrest, and the cold iron throne was instantly covered in cracks.

“Furthermore, that tribulation crossing lotus is my last hope for Breakthrough to the Saint Realm. How could I possibly give it to him?”

“As long as I can become a Saint, with my Lingxiao Sword Sect's Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sword Formation, killing Su Xuanchen will be like slaughtering a dog!”

The sword-bearing old man sighed and stopped trying to persuade him.

He knew that his Senior Brother had developed a Heart Demon.

Sect Master Lingxiao took a deep breath to suppress the irritability in his heart, a sinister light flashing in his eyes.

“There is one more matter.”

“That Bai Lingxi from the Yunlan Dynasty—have you investigated her thoroughly?”

The sword-bearing old man nodded.

“It's been cleared up. She has the Supreme Yin Sacred Body, and her Primal Yin is still intact.”

“Good!”

A greedy light erupted from Sect Master Lingxiao's eyes.

“Supreme Yin Sacred Body... that is the best Dual Cultivation cauldron!”

“As long as I take her Primal Yin and use it with the tribulation crossing lotus, I will surely break through the Bottleneck in one go and attain the Dao as a Saint!”

He looked at the sword-bearing old man, his voice lowering with a heart-palpitating chill.

“Junior Brother, take two Quasi-Saint Elders and personally make a trip to the Yunlan Dynasty.”

“Remember, be fast and be discreet.”

“Bring that Bai Lingxi back to me!”

“If the Su Family dares to interfere...”

Sect Master Lingxiao made a throat-slitting motion.

“Kill them without mercy!”

...Tianyan City, Su Family.

Inside the rear mountain's sleeping palace, the atmosphere was quite romantic.

Su Xuanchen was lying lazily on a lounge chair, peeling a crystal-clear grape and holding it to Gu Lingshuang's lips.

“Wife, open your mouth.”

Gu Lingshuang gave him a cold look and turned her head away.

“I'm not eating.”

“Tsk, still angry?”

Su Xuanchen wasn't annoyed either. He tossed the grape into his own mouth and said indistinctly while chewing.

“I've already gotten the Wang Family's heavenly tribulation fruit, and I've sent Su Jingyuan to the treasury to find the remaining medicinal ingredients.”

“Now we're just missing that stalk of tribulation crossing lotus.”

“Once everything is gathered, we'll start Cultivating and strive to have you return to your Peak as soon as possible, how about it?”

Hearing this, Gu Lingshuang's expression softened slightly.

Although this bastard usually lacked any sense of propriety, he really didn't drop the ball when it came to serious matters.

Just then.

Su Jingyuan's slightly hurried voice came from outside the door.

“Old Ancestor!”

“A letter has arrived from the Yunlan Dynasty!”

Su Xuanchen's brow twitched as he sat up straight.

“Come in.”

Su Jingyuan pushed the door open and entered, holding a gold-stamped state document with an irrepressible look of joy on his Face.

“Old Ancestor, great news!”

“The Old Ancestor of the Yunlan Dynasty, Bai Canglin, has personally sent a state document wanting to form a marriage alliance with our Su Family!”

“He wants to marry the Yunlan Imperial Princess, Bai Lingxi, to you!”

“And not as a concubine, but as an equal wife!”

Gu Lingshuang, who was drinking tea, had her hand shake upon hearing this, spilling tea all over herself.

She suddenly raised her head and stared fixedly at Su Jingyuan, her gaze as sharp as a blade.

“What did you say?”

“Bai Lingxi?”

Su Jingyuan was startled by this Killing Intent. He shrunk his neck and said cautiously:

“It's... it's Bai Lingxi.”

“It's said she has the Supreme Yin Sacred Body and top-tier Aptitude. She's one of the top three beauties in the Eastern Region...”

“Heh.”

Gu Lingshuang sneered and turned to look at Su Xuanchen, her eyes full of mockery.

“Saint Su, your luck with women is quite something.”

“You've only just finished with me, this ‘remnant of the former dynasty,’ and now you're going to marry an imperial princess?”

“What? Do you want to gather all the beauties of the Eastern Region into your harem?”

Su Xuanchen rubbed his nose with an innocent look.

“Wife, you're really wronging me here.”

“They delivered themselves to the door. If I refuse, wouldn't I be failing to give the Bai Family Face?”

He looked at Su Jingyuan and waved his hand with grand ambition.

“Tell Bai Canglin that my Su Family approves of this marriage!”

“Set the wedding date for three months from now!”

“As for the betrothal gift...”

Su Xuanchen paused, a grim cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

“Isn't the Lingxiao Sword Sect refusing to give the tribulation crossing lotus?”

“Perfect.”

“I'll take the entire Lingxiao Sword Sect as the betrothal gift for marrying Bai Lingxi!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire room was shocked.

Su Jingyuan's mouth hung wide open, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.

Taking a Holy Land with a fifty-thousand-year Legacy as a betrothal gift?

This was too... too arrogant!

Gu Lingshuang was also stunned.

Looking at the high-spirited man, the jealousy that had just risen in her heart inexplicably dissipated quite a bit.

This guy, though a bit of a flirt.

This overbearing streak of his was indeed... quite fascinating.

“Report—!”

Just then, a shrill cry broke the atmosphere of the sleeping palace.

A Su Family Elder covered in blood stumbled in and collapsed to his knees with a thud.

It was the same messenger who had gone to the Lingxiao Sword Sect earlier.

“Old Ancestor! Old Ancestor, please seek justice for me!”

The Elder wailed, pointing to his sunken chest.

“Sect Master Lingxiao... Sect Master Lingxiao refused!”

“He even said... said what kind of thing are you, nothing more than a lucky upstart!”

“If you dare to go there, he will make sure you never return!”

“He even beat me into critical condition and told me to crawl back and report to you!”

Silence.

A deathly silence.

The Faces of Su Jingyuan, Su Tieyan, and the other Elders who had rushed over instantly turned ashen, their eyes burning with fury.

A slap in the Face!

This was an undisguised slap to the Su Family's Face!

The smile on Su Xuanchen's Face slowly vanished.

He walked up to the Elder and pressed his hand on his shoulder.

A soft yet massive surge of astral power poured in, instantly stabilizing the other man's injuries.

“You've worked hard.”

Su Xuanchen's voice was very light, very flat.

But those who knew him well knew.

This was when he was at his angriest.

He turned around and looked out the window, his gaze seemingly piercing through the endless Void Realm to land on those nine towering sword Peaks.

“A lucky upstart?”

“Make sure I never return?”

Su Xuanchen softly repeated those few words, a cold smile slowly curling at the corner of his mouth.

“Very well.”

“I originally wanted to leave you some dignity.”

Meanwhile.

Yunlan Dynasty, Imperial Palace.

Inside the magnificent hall, the Yunlan Old Ancestor Bai Canglin was holding the Su Family's reply, laughing so hard the wrinkles on his Face bloomed like flowers.

“Good! Good! Good!”

“Saint Su has agreed!”

“The wedding will be in three months! Hahahaha!”

He looked down at the young girl dressed in moon-white palace robes, her temperament as cold and clear as an immortal's, his eyes full of affection and expectation.

“Lingxi, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“Su Xuanchen is a hero of this age. At such a young age, he is already in the Middle Stage of the Saint Realm. His future is limitless.”

“Marrying him is not only your personal blessing, but it's also the chance for our Yunlan Dynasty to soar!”

Bai Lingxi lowered her head, her cheeks slightly flushed, a flash of shyness and expectation in her eyes.

That day at the Purple Heaven Palace, she had witnessed with her own eyes Su Xuanchen's peerless style as he destroyed a Saint with one finger and protected the city with a wave of his hand.

That figure had long been deeply etched into her heart.

“I will follow the Old Ancestor's decision.”

She spoke softly, her voice like pearls falling onto a jade plate, crisp and pleasant.

“It's just...”

Bai Canglin suddenly frowned, speaking with some worry.

“I heard that things are very tense between the Su Family and the Lingxiao Sword Sect.”

“The Lingxiao Sword Sect has a deep foundation and is not to be trifled with.”

“If Su Xuanchen really starts a fight with them...”

Just then.

“Boom!”

With a loud crash, the gates of the imperial palace were kicked into pieces by someone.

Three incredibly powerful auras charged into the hall as if no one were there!

“Who is it?!”

Bai Canglin was shocked and was just about to stand up.

“Pfft!”

A sharp Sword Qi appeared out of thin air, piercing straight through his shoulder and pinning him to the dragon throne!

“Ah!”

Bai Canglin screamed in pain. With his First Level Saint Realm cultivation, he unexpectedly had no power to fight back before the opponent!

Three figures slowly emerged.

The leader bore an ancient sword on his back and had a cold expression.

It was the Grand Elder of the Lingxiao Sword Sect, the sword-bearing old man!

Behind him followed two Quasi-Saints with equally powerful auras!

“You... what do you want?!”

The sword-bearing old man didn't even look at him, his gaze falling directly on Bai Lingxi below.

That kind of look was like looking at a piece of merchandise waiting to be sold.

“The Supreme Yin Sacred Body, it truly lives up to its reputation.”