"Qiye! What on earth are you talking about?! Kneel and beg the Ancestor for forgiveness at once!"
Xu Qingyun, the Sect Master of the Qingxuan Sect, was momentarily stunned as well.
Chen Qiye was his personal disciple, and indeed his proudest one. The marriage alliance with the Yuhua Dynasty was something he had spent an enormous amount of resources to bring about with his own hands.
In Xu Qingyun's eyes, only by having Chen Qiye marry the goddess of the Yuhua Dynasty could Chen Qiye truly and securely succeed him as the Sect Master. Only then would his position within the Qingxuan Sect become even more unshakeable.
Yet now, this boundless stroke of good fortune was actually being rejected by Chen Qiye?
"Chen Qiye, are you certain you want to reject the Dynasty Goddess?"
"You must understand that geniuses in our Qingxuan Sect are not limited to you alone. The closed-door disciples of the various Grand Elders merely keep a low profile on ordinary days, or remain in seclusion without stepping out. Do not imagine that because your cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds over these past few years, you can simply do whatever you please!"
To the Sect Master's right hand, the Law Enforcement Elder of the Qingxuan Sect took a step forward directly. His gaze like blazing torches, he stared at Chen Qiye, and a terrifying oppressive force erupted straight from his body!
The thirteenth-generation ancestor of the Qingxuan Sect, who had only recently emerged from seclusion, likewise cast his gaze upon Chen Qiye.
Only, the thirteenth-generation ancestor of the Qingxuan Sect did not speak. He scrutinized Chen Qiye, as though wishing to completely see through him with a single glance.
Having forged his reputation several millennia ago, it had been many years since anyone dared to defy his will so openly to his face!
"Ancestor, Qiye must simply have been momentarily confused!"
"After all, he is merely a young man, and a momentary impulse is quite normal. True top prodigies all possess their own individuality. Qiye, quickly now, beg the Ancestor for forgiveness!"
Sect Master Xu Qingyun stepped forward, quickly flashing a look in Chen Qiye's direction.
"Sect Master Master, what Qiye just said was not a momentary impulse."
"As a disciple of the Qingxuan Sect and a man of unyielding backbone, I, Chen Qiye, may endure a thousand trials and ten thousand tribulations on the path of cultivation, I may rise from the dead after stepping to the brink of destruction, and I may plunge straight into the Forbidden Zone of Death to seek my own fortuitous encounters; however, I, Chen Qiye, will never engage in any act of abandoning the weak to fawn upon the strong!"
"Right now, I can declare to the entire Qingxuan Sect, and even to the entire Eastern Wasteland: I, Chen Qiye, even if I must shoulder the Heavenly Abyss, fight a bloody battle against Tianqi Imperial City on one front, and face a Forbidden Zone Great Emperor head-on on another, will protect her for all eternity in peace and well-being! I shall never regret it, even if I die ten thousand deaths!"
Inside the Immortal Lord Hall, among the younger generation, two direct-line genius disciples, seeing Chen Qiye reject the Ancestor, had long since subconsciously drawn out their Memory Crystals, wanting to record that shocking moment.
They also wanted to record the precious scene of Chen Qiye—their Qingxuan Sect's future master—admitting his mistake.
Yet never did they imagine that after activating their Memory Crystals, what they recorded was not the scene of Chen Qiye admitting his mistake; astonishingly, they captured the shocking scene of Chen Qiye, a nineteen-year-old Qingxuan disciple, confronting the Sect Master, the Law Enforcement Elder, and the thirteenth-generation ancestor head-on!
Within the grand hall, Chen Qiye's peripheral vision caught sight of those two disciples activating their Memory Crystals to record.
Even as he burned with iron-blooded passion and delivered his stirring speech, Chen Qiye had already made up his mind that once today's affairs were settled, he would definitely make a copy of those two disciples' Memory Crystals.
This thing was much like that smartphone video recording from Earth before his transmigration.
Aside from dealing with the sect's forced marriage today, the scenes of today must also be let the Xiao Family and Xiao Yanyue see.
"Eldest Senior Brother! Could he truly be so deeply affectionate and righteous?!"
"Eldest Senior Brother will not abandon the weak to fawn upon the strong, but will protect her for all eternity in peace and well-being, never regretting it even if he dies ten thousand deaths..."
Xu Bingyun, who had earlier gone to Tongtian Peak to notify Chen Qiye, had by this time also arrived at the Immortal Lord Hall. As the illegitimate daughter of the Sect Master and the iceberg goddess of the Qingxuan Sect, she looked at Chen Qiye now, her pupils violently trembling!
"Absurd!"
"Chen Qiye, do you know what you are saying? Is the path of cultivation as simple as you imagine? I tell you the truth, in this world, the one thing least in short supply is geniuses!"
"On the road to becoming a true supreme powerhouse, nine thousand out of ten thousand peerless prodigies are likely to perish! Why, fewer than one in ten thousand truly embark on the path of the Supreme Great Emperor! Do you genuinely believe that by relying on yourself alone, you can reach the pinnacle of the Emperor's Path?"
Hearing this, the Law Enforcement Elder grew furious. He stepped directly forward, surging his formidable aura to press down upon Chen Qiye.
"Qiye, you just broke through your realm today. Is your Dao heart perhaps somewhat unstable?"
"The Tianhuang Secret Realm is about to begin. You should know that the Tianhuang Secret Realm nurtures the Eastern Wasteland's most formidable natal artifact. Truly peerless prodigies will all enter the Tianhuang Secret Realm to seek their own natal artifacts."
"At a time like this, the Holy Sons and Imperial Princes of the various top-tier forces, Holy Lands, sects, and dynasties will all enter as well. If you can forge a marriage alliance with the goddess of the Yuhua Dynasty, you will be able to join forces with the prodigies of the Yuhua Dynasty within the secret realm..."
Sect Master Xu Qingyun had never seen his own disciple confront them so head-on.
Seeing the expression of the thirteenth-generation ancestor shift slightly, he hurriedly stepped forward again. While invisibly blocking some of the Law Enforcement Elder's oppressive might for Chen Qiye, he frantically exchanged glances with Chen Qiye.
"Hmph, I see that having just achieved a modicum of success, he has simply grown full of himself!"
"Chen Qiye, our Qingxuan Sect has at least three disciples with aptitude identical to yours! It's just that those three are the closed-door disciples of the Grand Elders, and they disdain to contend for the position of Sect Master!"
"However, if you stubbornly cling to your course, then the position of the Qingxuan Sect's heir may not necessarily belong to you after all!"
Inside the Immortal Lord Hall, a Grand Elder stepped directly forward at that moment as well, pressing down closely upon Chen Qiye!
"Draw!"
The atmosphere within the majestic grand hall was stern and imposing!
Chen Qiye's face remained calm and unruffled, yet facing this immense pressure, he was bearing it with unyielding fortitude.
However, before stepping into this grand hall, Chen Qiye had already devised a way to break the deadlock—and this would also be a deadlock-breaking method that would shake the Qingxuan Sect, the Xiao Family, and even his hometown.
Facing the giants filling the hall, Chen Qiye did not speak immediately. He first stored the heaven-defying Heavenly Dao Double Pupils and divine blood, which had been previously rewarded by the system, directly into his body, and then initiated the system draw within his sea of consciousness.
"-10 Heavenly Dao Value, thank you for playing!"
"-10 Heavenly Dao Value, thank you for playing..."
"-10 Heavenly Dao Value, congratulations to the host for drawing a Double Pupils upgrade. After fusing with the Double Pupils, the host will upgrade to the Heavenly Dao Double Pupils!"
"-10 Heavenly Dao Value, congratulations to the host for drawing a 50-50 Three-Minute Card. Upon utilizing this card, the host can achieve a tied combat record with any opponent within three minutes!"
"-10 Heavenly Dao Value..."
Chen Qiye had originally possessed 108 Heavenly Dao Value. At this moment, without the slightest hesitation, he drained it all in one breath!
As he watched his points empty out during the first two draws, his Dao heart had almost wavered; yet upon seeing the heaven-defying Heavenly Dao Double Pupils—which even Great Emperors might fail to unlock—Chen Qiye's Dao heart instantly grew as steadfast as iron!
Damn it!
With the system and his fiancée backing him, what on earth were a mere natal artifact and a mere goddess worth!
"Fuse the Double Pupils! Upgrade the Double Pupils! Fuse the divine blood!"
Chen Qiye finished his draws and silently chanted in his heart.
At the same time, inside the Immortal Lord Hall, Chen Qiye raised his head!
"Chen Qiye, have you... made your decision now?"
"Will you admit your mistake, or shall we strip you of your position as heir? Do you still feel so remarkable now? Hmph, the Qingxuan Sect has never lacked geniuses!"
Seeing Chen Qiye raise his head, the Law Enforcement Elder assumed he had made his decision, and abruptly spoke once more!
As the Law Enforcement Elder, what he loathed most were these rebellious individuals who dared to shatter his authority. Today, he would use Chen Qiye as an example to warn the younger generation of the entire Qingxuan Sect!
"Eldest Senior Brother..."
Outside the doors, Xu Bingyun looked toward Chen Qiye at this sight. The gazes of many people present turned toward Chen Qiye in unison!