672: Chapter 675 The Most Familiar Stranger

A cold temperament and a pure white long dress.

Like a true queen, she exuded elegance.

"This beauty is simply on a catastrophic level."

A Dragon Clan noble whispered to his companion.

At this moment, Nianwei's status was at its peak.

She was the chief saintess.

The leader of the entire Ice Dragon Clan's younger generation.

Young Dragon Clan nobles from all directions.

Fire Dragon Clan, Thunder Dragon Clan, Poison Dragon Clan...

All of them stared at her with greedy eyes.

However, Ao Zhu raised her hand and waved it.

A shimmering blue barrier protected Nianwei and her family in the center.

"No male is allowed to approach the Saintess or her family."

Ao Zhu said coldly.

Her voice carried the pressure of the Eternal Realm.

All dissatisfaction was instantly silenced.

The banquet continued.

People ate, drank, danced, and spoke in low voices.

Many tried to break through the barrier, but all failed.

Just then.

Prince Ao Yan arrived.

Seeing the barrier, he actually smiled.

He thought Ao Zhu was protecting Nianwei for him.

He walked confidently to the edge of the blue light.

"Nianwei, congratulations!"

"Lady Ao Zhu, please let me in; I want to celebrate with my fiancée."

Ao Zhu looked at him, her expression nothing but bored.

"Sorry, Prince Ao Yan. You are not allowed to approach her."

Ao Yan's smile vanished instantly.

"What? Lady Ao Zhu, she is my fiancée! You dare stop me?"

"Nianwei has no interest in you."

Ao Zhu replied flatly.

"Furthermore, she was never your fiancée. The engagement is void."

Ao Yan's face turned purple with rage.

His guardian.

That Fire Dragon Clan Eternal Realm expert stepped forward.

"Ao Zhu, as expected of you."

"But is it worth making an enemy of the Fire Dragon Royal Family just to fawn over that member of the Demon Race?"

Ao Zhu didn't even lift an eyelid.

"None of your business. Go eat elsewhere."

Ao Yan was about to explode.

But he suddenly noticed something.

A man wearing a simple dark hoodie was calmly walking through the crowd.

He was not of the Dragon Clan.

He didn't look like a noble either.

To everyone's shock and consternation, the man did not stop at the barrier.

He didn't even slow down.

He walked straight through the blue light.

As if it were just a layer of gauze.

He walked directly up to Nianwei, who was standing with her family.

The man pulled down his hood.

Revealing a face that instantly outshone all the surrounding Dragon Clan nobles.

"Lady Nianwei, congratulations."

Lu Chen's smile was charming.

The entire plaza.

Suddenly fell into a dead silence.

Ao Yan screamed in rage.

But Lu Chen didn't even turn his head.

His gaze.

Fell only upon Nianwei and her family.

After endless ages.

He had finally met them again.

Lu Chen looked at the group of people standing before him.

His gaze slowly swept across each face.

He lingered on each face for a moment, as if to brand their appearances deep into his Soul.

Song Yue, Li Xue, Lu Yuan, Shani, Timi...

Long before walking out of the world of Innate Giant Beasts.

He had already carved these faces into the deepest part of his existence.

His chest suddenly tightened.

It was not a metaphorical pain.

But a real, physiological agony, sharp and heavy.

As if something long dormant within his body.

Had suddenly awakened and could no longer be ignored.

Ever since transcending his mortal body.

He had never felt this kind of pain again.

Perhaps, when seeing Nianwei suffer.

There had been a hint of something similar.

Lu Chen did not suppress this emotion.

This time.

He allowed it to show.

The tenderness in his eyes, the longing buried deep in his pupils, and even his slightly trembling fingertips hanging by his side—he hid none of it.

What he gazed upon.

Was his entire world.

It was the meaning of his existence.

Everything he had created, destroyed, and rewritten.

Was all for the sake of these people before him.

They were right there, within reach, yet separated by an invisible wall.

It was a stolen memory, a Sealed fate.

The family members also looked back at him in silence.

They did not recognize this face.

Yet not a single one of them could look away.

A strange pull, a quiet gravity from deep within their hearts, drew them toward this stranger dressed in black.

The feeling was intimate and familiar.

Like standing before the door of a childhood home that had long since disappeared from the map.

They searched for answers in his face.

But in their minds.

There was only a blank space.

The power that had erased him from their memories had done its job perfectly.

No cracks, no afterimages, only a void where something precious should have been.

"Lady Nianwei, these must be your family members?"

Lu Chen spoke.

His voice was calm.

Yet it hid a deep emotion that was difficult to fully conceal.

"What a warm family."

He continued softly.

"I... really envy you for having such a family."

The faint sorrow hidden in these words.

Pierced through the clamor of the banquet.

The smile that followed was gentle, wistful, and heartbreakingly sincere.

This smile stabbed straight into Nianwei's heart.

A sudden, reasonless pang of pain bloomed in the depths of her heart.

Seeing this smile, a certain instinct was triggered.

A reflex older than thought.

Her breath hitched.

For a moment, she almost reached out.

She wanted to tell him that he didn't have to be alone.

There was a place for him by their side.

He could sit at the same table with them, share their laughter, and belong.

The intensity of this impulse.

Startled even her.

Nianwei bit the tip of her tongue, her face full of confusion.

Why did she feel this way?

Why did this man, whose name she barely knew, make her heart ache so much?

"Sir, you are welcome to visit our home anytime!"

Nian Yin's cheerful voice.

Broke the heavy silence.

She took a small step forward.

Her eyes were bright, full of sincerity and excitement.

"We all welcome you!"

Lu Chen's mood shifted instantly.

His sadness dissipated like morning mist meeting the sun.

A sincere, dazzling smile bloomed on his face.

It was so warm it seemed to illuminate the surroundings.

"Young Miss Nian Yin, thank you."

His tone was gentle.

"I will certainly remember this invitation; perhaps one day I really will drop by."

His gaze drifted outward.

He noticed the blue wall of light enveloping the family.

He chuckled softly, with a hint of playfulness.

"By the way," he spoke casually, "why are you all trapped in a bubble? Are you planning to float away?"

The atmosphere was instantly ruined.

Ao Zhu froze in place.

She suddenly realized something was wrong.

A burning wave of embarrassment washed over her face.

She had still been feeling proud of her protective measures.

But with that casual remark, the barrier suddenly seemed ridiculous.

The family members also looked at the translucent light walls around them.

Then looked at each other.

Suddenly.

This wasn't protection; it was clearly being exhibited in a giant fish tank.

Even Lady Ao Zhu's cheeks felt slightly hot.

But beneath the embarrassment.

A quiet surge of ecstasy rose in her heart.

Lu Chen was so gentle, humorous, and kind toward her Disciple and her family.