Chapter 1407: Top of the Sacred Wood Peak
Standing atop the Sacred Wood Peak, everyone who had reached at least the Half-Saint realm could clearly see everything happening below.
With every passing moment, large numbers of Moon Worship Demon Sect disciples fell. Ye Xiaoxiang and Ouyang Huan, both renowned figures across the world, were crushed and reduced to ashes of calamity, a scene of indescribable tragedy.
Gasps of cold air sounded repeatedly. No one could remain calm.
"What do we do now? The forces of the Sacred Bright rebels are too vast. The cultivators of the Moon Worship Demon Sect simply cannot hold them off."
The cultivators of the Fire Clan were especially terrified, exchanging uneasy glances before turning to Qiu Yu and the two Saint Ancestors, hoping they could come up with a strategy.
Qiu Yu struggled to maintain his composure, sweeping his gaze across the assembled cultivators. "Zhang Ruochen and the Sacred Bright rebels are utterly lawless. Only by uniting can we possibly drive him back."
Indeed, many cultivators had ties to the Fire Clan and were prepared to act against Zhang Ruochen to curry favor with Qiu Yu.
But the current situation was completely different from what they had initially envisioned. Zhang Ruochen was too domineering. Even two Great Saints were being held back, and Saint King-level figures had been blasted to death. Who still dared to act?
The crowd's gaze shifted toward Ling Xiu and Ling Feiyu, and they sighed inwardly, lowering their heads once more.
A Spiritual Power Great Saint was seated right in the banquet. Even a being of Dou Zhan Tian Wang's caliber dared not act rashly, let alone anyone else.
Seeing that all the cultivators remained silent, Qiu Yu's heart burned with rage.
"Boom."
The defensive formation protecting the Sacred Wood Peak came under attack, manifesting as a layer of lightning barrier that completely enveloped the mountain.
Yet the defensive barrier held for only an instant before being breached by the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron.
"Roar!"
With a series of ear-splitting dragon roars, nine golden dragons pulling a golden step dragon carriage flew to the mountain's summit, appearing in the square where the wedding feast was being held.
Following that, four sacred beasts carried the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron up as well, positioning themselves behind the golden step dragon carriage.
The members of the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion, all clad in white robes and wearing starry sky masks, stood on either side of the golden step dragon carriage. Waves of powerful sacred might erupted from them, intimidating some of the weaker cultivators into trembling and even kneeling on the ground.
One of the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion members spoke loudly, "The Crown Prince has come to offer sacrifices to heaven. If you do not wish to die, clear the way immediately."
"Forget it, these people are too formidable. We can't afford to provoke them," someone muttered quietly.
More than half of the cultivators at the wedding feast immediately retreated, not daring to oppose the Holy Bright Central Empire.
Of course, some who prided themselves on their strength remained seated in the banquet, calmly watching everything unfold.
Zhang Ruochen sat inside the dragon carriage, gazing at Mu Lingxi, who was seated at the highest place in the banquet. Today, Mu Lingxi was exceptionally beautiful, dressed in a bright red phoenix-patterned new garment, a phoenix crown on her head, and exquisite makeup, like the most beautiful woman in the world.
Their eyes met, and both revealed a smile.
But there was a difference. Mu Lingxi's smile carried tears, an indescribable emotion of gratitude in her heart.
This scene before her—she had thought it could only appear in dreams, never daring to imagine it would actually happen to her.
The man she loved had come with a nine-dragon golden carriage and an army of thousands to take her away. In this life, she had no more wishes.
Besides Mu Lingxi, there were many proud daughters of heaven present. Some were envious, others intensely jealous. But they all hid these emotions deep within, not showing them.
"Whoever dares to block the golden step dragon carriage will be killed without mercy," Zhang Ruochen said.
Some powerful figures had been about to act, but upon hearing this, they held back.
Even the cultivators of the Fire Clan dared not act rashly. For every zhang the golden step dragon carriage advanced, they retreated one zhang.
When the golden step dragon carriage stopped a hundred zhang from Mu Lingxi, Zhang Ruochen stepped down and walked toward her one step at a time.
"Senior Sister Duanmu, I've come to take you away. Are you willing to leave with me?"
Zhang Ruochen walked up to Mu Lingxi, extended a finger, and touched her brow, dispelling the seal on her body.
The moment the seal was broken, Mu Lingxi stood up abruptly, spread her jade-like arms, and tightly embraced Zhang Ruochen, saying with immense sweetness, "Of course I am willing. But from now on, don't call me Senior Sister Duanmu. Call me Lingxi."
The saints of the Sacred Bright remnants ascended the Sacred Wood Peak one after another. Seeing this scene, they all let out excited laughter.
"The little saintess of the Demon Sect is ultimately our Crown Prince's woman. This is what you call a golden boy and jade girl, a match made in heaven."
"A hero matched with a beauty—this will surely become a legendary tale in the cultivation world. Our Crown Prince is the number one hero under heaven, and the little saintess is the number one beauty under heaven. Does anyone object?"
"Whoever dares to object, I'll beat them to death."
...
Countless eyes in the venue were fixed on Mu Lingxi and Zhang Ruochen, embracing each other.
Shengshu Cainü's eyes were exceptionally beautiful and full of spirit, but at this moment, they revealed an expression of deep envy, and an indescribable bitterness welled up in her heart.
Huang Yanchen did not look over. Her eyes were fixed on the ground, but her heart ached continuously. Inside her sleeve, her ten fingers clenched tightly, and drops of blood dripped from her palms.
The man before her should have been her husband, yet now he was a stranger.
The woman in his arms should have been her, yet now it was another.
Ling Feiyu also did not look over, but the sword in her hand trembled slightly.
Ling Xiu glanced at the sacred sword in her hand. "Your emotions are too turbulent."
"No, they aren't," Ling Feiyu said coldly.
Ling Xiu said, "For a Sword Saint, the heart influences the sword. Only when the heart moves does the sword move. If you cannot control your heart, you cannot control the sword in your hand."
"Understood."
Ling Feiyu tightened her five fingers, and the sacred sword ceased to tremble.
Lin Suxian's eyes held both envy and jealousy. She smiled bitterly. "What a formidable Zhang Ruochen. He really did change Mu Lingxi's fate against the heavens."
Just then, Lin Suxian's gaze sharpened as she saw a figure in green standing in the square.
Luo Xu walked over step by step, the sharpness in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by boundless tenderness. He extended a hand. "Suxian, are you willing to come with me?"
Lin Suxian gazed deeply at Luo Xu, but what she saw was the image of Luo Xu two hundred years ago, charging alone up Wuding Mountain, covered in blood.
Everything seemed to return to two hundred years ago.
A tear flowed from Lin Suxian's eyes, and she slowly extended a hand.
But the hand stopped halfway, frozen stiff. Lin Suxian shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I cannot leave with you."
Luo Xu felt as if struck by lightning. He gritted his teeth. "Are you blaming me for coming too late?"
Lin Suxian shook her head again. "That you came is enough for me. But two hundred years have passed. We are no longer who we once were. We cannot go back. It's already impossible to go back. I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
"Whether it's the you from two hundred years ago or the you now, my heart has never changed. Give me another chance. From now on, I will protect you with my life. No one can separate us again," Luo Xu said.
Lin Suxian dared not meet Luo Xu's gaze. She turned to leave.
But Luo Xu's gaze was resolute. He quickly reached out, grabbed Lin Suxian's wrist, and pulled her into his embrace.
"Whether we can go back or not, we have to try. Last time, we both surrendered to fate, leaving behind countless regrets. This time, I will take control of fate myself."
Luo Xu held Lin Suxian, turned into a streak of light, and flew out of the Sacred Wood Peak, disappearing into the clouds.
"Damn, Luo Xu actually forcibly took Lin Suxian away. That's even more domineering than Zhang Ruochen."
"Lin Suxian is the wife of the Qi Family Saint Lord, and she was just carried off by Luo Xu like that. Look, the Qi Family Saint Lord's face is green."
"His face isn't just green."
"Doesn't that make Qi Family Saint Lord even worse off than Qiu Yu? Qiu Yu only had his fiancée taken away."
Hearing this, Qiu Yu's fury burned outward, flames erupting from his entire body. On his wedding day, his fiancée was embracing another man. How humiliating was that?
"Zhang Ruochen, do you dare to fight me?" Qiu Yu said in a deep voice.
"You? Worthy of crossing swords with the Crown Prince? This old man will take your head."
The Cai Family Ancestor stepped forward, releasing his Sacred Soul Domain, enveloping Qiu Yu.
Knowing he was no match for the Cai Family Ancestor, Qiu Yu roared, "If you kill me, you destroy the heavenly earth spiritual root of the Kunlun Realm. When the Empress returns, she will surely execute you."
"And you dare threaten this old man?"
The Cai Family Ancestor sneered, his five fingers blazing with sacred light as he prepared to slap Qiu Yu to death.
"Stop."
Huang Yanchen shouted softly, rising to her feet. Her gaze fixed on the Cai Family Ancestor before shifting to Zhang Ruochen. "Zhang Ruochen, if you only want to take Mu Lingxi away, I can guarantee that the imperial court will not act against you. You can leave safely. But Qiu Yu is the Parasol Tree Divine Tree, and in the future, he will be the heavenly earth spiritual root of the Kunlun Realm. The Empress has issued a divine decree that the imperial court must protect him. If you kill him, you will be making an enemy of the entire First Central Empire."
Zhang Ruochen slowly turned to face Huang Yanchen. "I came to Wuding Mountain to kill him. Do you think you can stop me?"
Silver liquid droplets flew from Huang Yanchen's brow, coalescing into a crystalline sacred sword. She stared into Zhang Ruochen's eyes. "I will fight you. If I win, you release Qiu Yu. If you win, I will use this Hunyuan Sword to slit my own throat before you. Will that satisfy your hatred?"
Zhang Ruochen stared deeply into Huang Yanchen's eyes, his gaze growing increasingly sharp.
Mu Lingxi shook her head vigorously at Zhang Ruochen, afraid he would truly engage in a life-or-death duel with Huang Yanchen.
"Swoosh—"
A black hole appeared beside Zhang Ruochen, and Han Qiu's slender figure emerged from within, radiating an icy aura. She laughed. "How about I fight you instead? That way, I can rid Zhang Ruochen of you once and for all."