521: Chapter 521 I'll ask you this: was this marriage your own choice?

Xu Ruyu did not move.

He just stood there, looking at Shen Biyun, his gaze as calm as water.

Shen Biyun attacked in anger, striking out at Xu Ruyu with her palm.

For this strike, she used seventy percent of her power, enough to split mountains and crack rocks.

The wind from her palm whistled, carrying the force of a thunderbolt, heading straight for Xu Ruyu's chest.

Xu Ruyu raised his hand and met her palm with his own.

"Boom!"

As their palms collided, a dull, thunderous roar erupted.

The shockwave spread outward, throwing the already chaotic main hall into even greater disarray.

Shen Biyun staggered back several steps before steadying herself.

Her arm went numb, the webbing between her thumb and index finger split, and blood dripped down her fingers.

She looked at Xu Ruyu, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Her Cultivation at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, with a full-force palm strike, had actually been effortlessly received by a young man at the Mid-Stage Saint Realm?

Moreover, the other party hadn't budged an inch, while she had retreated so many steps.

How was this possible?

Xu Ruyu did not look at her.

He turned around to face Leng Ningshuang.

Leng Ningshuang stood where she was, her red veil having been blown away by the shockwave, revealing her pale face.

Her eyes were red and swollen, tears still swirling within them, and her lips were bitten white.

She looked at Xu Ruyu, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

There was guilt, grievance, gratitude, and also a kind of indescribable... peace of mind.

The Sect Master had come.

She didn't have to carry it all alone anymore.

Xu Ruyu looked at her, silent for a moment.

Then, he spoke.

His voice was very soft, so soft that only Leng Ningshuang could hear it, but every word was like a mountain, standing firmly in her heart.

"I will ask you just one thing: is this marriage of your own free will?"

The hall was silent.

Everyone's eyes fell upon Leng Ningshuang.

Shen Biyun looked at her with a warning in her eyes.

Shen Ao looked at her with anticipation in his eyes.

The Grand Elder looked at her, eyes full of heartache.

Xiao Nianyin looked at her with encouragement in her eyes.

Xu Ruyu looked at her, his gaze as calm as water.

Leng Ningshuang's lips were trembling.

Her hands were trembling.

Her heart was trembling.

She remembered the despair when she agreed to this marriage, the heart-wrenching pain when she put on the wedding dress, and the tears streaming down her face when she looked in the mirror to apply her makeup.

She remembered Xu Ruyu staying behind alone to cover their retreat, Xiao Nianyin going back to find him, and the three hundred-plus lives of the Hehuan Sect with nowhere to go.

She did not want to marry.

She had never wanted to marry.

She simply had no choice.

But now, the Sect Master had come.

Her Master had come.

They stood before her, asking if she was willing.

Leng Ningshuang could no longer hold back her tears.

She burst into sobs, crying like a child, weeping heart-wrenchingly.

Between sobs, she shook her head, her voice hoarse and trembling: "This Disciple is unwilling... This Disciple is unwilling..."

She choked out, intermittently: "It was all Sect Leader Shen... using the excuse of providing shelter... to threaten this Disciple... saying that if this Disciple did not agree to this marriage... she would not shelter the Disciples of our Hehuan Sect... This Disciple wanted to share the burden of the Sect Master... that is why... why I reluctantly agreed..."

She could not continue.

She crouched down, hugged her knees, and wept loudly.

Xu Ruyu looked at her, his eyes slightly reddening.

But he did not cry.

He was the Sect Master; he could not cry.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the bitterness in his heart, and reached out to place his hand on Leng Ningshuang's head, patting it gently.

"Stand up." His voice was very soft, but very firm. "The Disciples of my Hehuan Sect do not live on their knees."

Leng Ningshuang looked up at Xu Ruyu.

Through tear-blurred eyes, she saw Xu Ruyu's gaze; in that gaze, there was heartache, guilt, and a kind of indescribable... firmness.

She wiped away her tears and stood up.

She ripped the Phoenix hairpin from her head and threw it onto the ground.

The bright red wedding dress was torn open by her, revealing the plain white robe underneath.

She stood behind Xu Ruyu, standing straight.

Xu Ruyu turned to face Shen Biyun.

"My Hehuan Sect has fallen on hard times today," his voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, "but that does not mean we will not rise again in the future. This action of your Tianyan Sect is truly beneath contempt."

He paused, his voice colder: "Out of consideration for your past ties with Xiao Nianyin, this matter ends here."

He turned and looked at Shen Ao.

Shen Ao had already crawled up from the ground and was standing not far away, his face pale, with blood still hanging from the corner of his mouth.

He looked at Leng Ningshuang, his eyes full of unwillingness and pain.

Xu Ruyu's gaze was as cold as ice.

"I warn you in my capacity as the Sect Master of Hehuan Sect." His voice was very soft, but every word was like a knife. "My Hehuan Sect Disciples, regardless of their Cultivation or seniority, are all under my, Xu Ruyu's, protection."

"My Hehuan Sect was founded on entering the Dao through emotion, seeking mutual affection, not something you can force."

He paused, saying word by word: "This is the first and last time I will warn you—from this moment on, if you dare to pester my Hehuan Sect Disciple Leng Ningshuang again, I, Xu Ruyu, will definitely slay you."

Shen Ao's face was as pale as paper.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but meeting Xu Ruyu's icy gaze, he could not utter a single word.

His lips trembled, his hands clenched tight, his knuckles turning white.

Xu Ruyu did not look at him again.

He turned around and said to the others from Hehuan Sect: "Let's go."

He strode toward the outside of the hall.

Xiao Nianyin followed behind him.

Leng Ningshuang followed behind him.

The Grand Elder, Hua Xunhuan, Granny Liu, and those Hehuan Sect Disciples all followed behind him.

They walked out of the main hall, walked out of the Tianyan Sect's mountain gate, and walked into the twilight.

Behind them, the Tianyan Sect's main hall was in complete disarray.

Red silk was scattered everywhere, lanterns were toppled, and cups and dishes were strewn about.

Shen Biyun stood where she was, her face livid.

Shen Ao knelt on the ground, head lowered, saying nothing.

He had waited for Leng Ningshuang for several years, had finally managed to wait for this opportunity, and had finally thought he could marry her.

Yet he had not expected that it would end like this.