Chapter 124: Return of the king

Chapter 123: Xianer’s forced marriage

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

After a moment of shock, the referee softly sighed. "Su Yu's fate is unknown!"

Once a person entered icy lake, they would undoubtedly die. Yet, Su Yu was deemed an exception!

It was hard to distinguish the expression on Mo Wu's beautiful face. Her eyes showed a feeling of loss for a brief moment.

"Let's go," Mo Wu muttered after a while, turning to leave.

The lady following her gravely glimpsed at the Icy Azure Lake and sighing pitifully. "Even though his power was not very strong, he was still worthy of our respect.

Hours later, the lake was quiet. Small ripples formed as the chilly wind blew across its surface. The eyes of the disciples who had deeply believed that Su Yu would return gradually turned dull.

He had not come out after two hours; it was highly likely that he had already perished.

A big bulk of the disciples turned to leave. Half a day later, only a handful of disciples were left. A day later, the arena sat empty, with the exception of Yun Yan's lone figure. Within the Outer Sanctum, Su Yu only had Yun Yan as a friend.

Gravely staring at the Icy Azure Lake, Yun Yan recalled how she had met Su Yu. While they had only known each other for as short time, Su Yu had made a massive impact on her.

"Su Yu…" Yun Yan sobbed. She had waited a day in the chilly wind, and the last vestiges of hope in her heart had been put out.

Su Yu was dead.

Yun Yan pushed her robe back as she knelt, gently bowing. "Thank you for saving me that day," she said shakily, "I will help deliver your final wish to Qin Xianer. I will tell her you, Su Yu, once stepped onto the Zhenlong continent!"

Yun Yan rose, her heart overcome with grief as she left.

Su Yu once asked Yun Yan to deliver a message to Qin Xianer and Xia Jingyu during their battle with the pirates. He had wanted to tell them that he had, in fact, managed to follow them to the continent. Who would have thought that Yun Yan would be the one to deliver his message only a month later?

In front of the steel bridge, the armored guard's face remained impassive. His abilities as a Third Level Holy King stopped anyone from the Outer Sanctum from entering.

Yun Yan silently waited at the other end of the bridge.

A moment later, a handsome youth walked over from the other end of the bridge. He was dressed in a pale gold robe, his noble aura suppressed those around him. He was about twenty years old and his cultivation level had reached a scary Fourth Level Peak Holy King! He was a prince from the Liuxian faction, Li Hao. This man was Yun Yan's fiancé!

"You called me here urgently, what's the matter?" His expression was stoic as he brought Yun Yan to a nearby pavilion.

Sensing Li Hao's indifference, Yun Yan put on a calm expression. "Can you do me a favour?"

"Speak!" Li Hao creased his brows.

"Within the Inner Sanctum there is a person called Qin Xianer. I wish to meet her. I heard that she was going to be married to Cao Xuan, and you are a good friend of Cao Xuan. I believe that you have a way to bring Qin Xianer out."

Li Hao's gaze wavered. "Why do you want to meet her?"

Yun Yan's expression remained calm. "To pass on a message for a dead person."

"Hmph! Su Yu?" Li Hao's gaze instantly turned cold!

Yun Yan was slightly shocked, how did Li Hao know of Su Yu? Suddenly, Yun Yan's heart felt a little chill. Could it be...

"So it is him!" Li Hao's eyes were murderous, "He is lucky that he already died in the Icy Azure Lake! Otherwise, I would kill him myself!"

During the battle with the pirates, Wu Pangyun had severely injured Yun Yan, causing her to nearly die. Li Hao had received this news from the captured pirates. Those same pirates also told him of the indecent behavior of another young man who had stayed with his future bride for several nights, alone on an island together!

Li Hao's fury was understandable!

Yun Yan remained composed as she sighed. "So you know… I won't explain then. Su Yu and I are innocent, it is up to you to believe it."

Li hao slightly squinted his eyes, slowly beginning to believe her. He understood the character of his fiancée. She was not the kind to commit such indecent acts.

Secretly, Li hao let out a sigh of relief. His stoic expression gradually softened. "It would be impossible to meet her. The wedding is two days away. I can help you pass on the message, but it has to be after the wedding so as to not affect Qin Xianer's emotions."

Yun Yan thought for a moment before silently nodding her head. This was the best outcome she could fight for. She turned to leave, but was stopped by Li Hao attempting to grab onto her slender arm.

Wrinkling her brows slightly, Yun yan evaded his grasp. "Is there anything else?"

Li Hao stared at the elegant, beautiful lady before him with deep admiration in his eyes. "I have obtained news about the fire style Legacy level technique that your Yun family wants. With the help of Brother Cao Xuan, I can soon read it and teach it to you."

She was unable to hide her happiness. She tightened her fists, visibly excited. But Li Hao's next sentence caused her to freeze.

"The day I pass you the manual is the day we are going to get married. I believe that you have made the necessary preparations." Li Hao was smiling, his lustful eyes attempting to swallow her whole.

Yun Yan trembled slightly, hesitating for a moment. Her chin pointed down slightly. "The preparations are complete."

"That's great. Wait ten days for me. I will pass the fire style Legacy level technique to you"—Li Hao was smiling—"I'll go back first to help Senior Cao Xuan with the wedding preparations. Wait another ten days for me at the Outer Sanctum.."

She lifted her eyebrows, clenching her fists as she watched Li Hao's leaving figure.

Her long fingernails dug into her flesh. A shred of hatred and indignance flashed through her eyes.

The Yun family was a family of blacksmiths, they needed to use fire style techniques to control temperature. Only with proper control could they forge great weapons.

Among the hundred vassal clans, the Yun family was ranked fiftieth, they barely had any influence to speak of.

Three years ago the Tie family competed with the Yun family. The Tie family, with some mysterious outside help, had vastly improved their control over fire and made better weapons. Customers began going to the Tie family for weapons rather than the Yun family.

The situation worsened everyday for the Yun family, they urgently needed to increase the competitive ability of the family. There was only one technique suitable to help them, the Fire Dragon Mantra technique that was rumoured to be hidden in the Liuxian faction!

It was a fragment of a Legacy level technique, only having one stage. If they could cultivate it, they could definitely make better weapons.

The Liuxian faction forbid the sharing of Legacy level techniques. Flouting this rule would result in a bloody punishment!

This was the reason why, even though the vassal clans had disciples in the Inner Sanctum, none of the families had a Legacy level technique. Even disciples of the family were forbidden to bring Legacy level techniques back into their families.

But, every rule has a loophole.

If you exited the faction and returned to your family, you could use the technique without teaching it to the other members of the family. This was not against the rules.

Yun Yan could obtain the Legacy level technique and cultivate it for herself before helping the family as an ex-member of the Liuxian faction. This way, she could help her family for a hundred years—they would eventually have to replace her, but that was a worry for another time.

Unfortunately, this fire style Legacy level technique could only be found in the Liuxian faction. It was nearly impossible for the Yun family to get hold of it.

But incidentally, Li Hao from the royal family had asked for her hand in marriage. The betrothal gift they had promised was to help the Yun family get its hands on the fire style technique!

The Yun family, forced by their present circumstances, had readily agreed… Even though the Yun family understood that the rise of the Tie family definitely had something to do with Li Hao. He intentionally allowed the Yun family to slip into a crisis, forcing them to betroth Yun Yan to him.

Yun Yan's name was widely known. Her beauty was unparalleled and her demeanor was elegant. Most importantly, she had the blood of the Fiery Lotus, which could help males breakthrough the bottleneck in their cultivation.

Thus, many people eyed Yun Yan.

Li Hao was one of them. Early in his years, he had already achieved Fourth Level Holy King. Today, he was only a Fourth Level Peak Holy King. If he could use the power of the Fiery Lotus within Yun Yan, then there was great hope that he would breakthrough into Fifth Level Holy King!

He had asked for her hand in marriage three times, only to be rejected. But after the incident with the Tie family, he ultimately succeeded.

In ten days, after obtaining the Legacy level technique, Yun Yan would have to let herself get violated by Li Hao.

While indignant, Yun Yan had to bow down to fate and submit to Li Hao.

Still, Yun yan grieved over her innocence and freedom.

If she had a choice, would she ever hand her body over to someone as despicable as Li Hao?

Pathetically, Yun Yan slowly left.

Within the Inner Sanctum, deep within the great meteor, two maids of the level of a Holy King stood guard outside a sealed room.

Xu Rong hurried forward, wrinkling her brow. "She still refuses to eat?"

"Yes! Including today, it has been five days since she had anything." The maids were courteous.

Xu Rong's expression turned dull. "Come in with me!"

Creak—

The doors opened. A weak, slender figure laid on the bed, not moving.

her once cute face was guant. The skin on her lips had dried up and flaked off. Her chest rose and fell weakly, on the brink of stopping altogether. Though she was about to starve to death, food and water lied within her reach—rejected.

Xu Rong felt pity for the girl, but her expression was replaced by one of heartlessness!

"Force her mouth open!" Xu Rong ordered.

The two maids could not bear to do it. "She will stick her finger up her throat and induce vomit if you force feed her," one said.

"No matter! I spent too much effort into getting a stamina regaining elixir. It melts in the mouth. She can't vomit that out! Go!" Xu Rong whipped out an azure pill.

The two maids sighed, supporting the weak Xianer.

In her coma, Xianer sensed some movement. She struggled to open her eyes, her lips wavering. "I… am not eating… I want Brother Su Yu, I'm not marrying… anyone else."

Xu Rong stepped forward with a heartless expression. She had lost all her patience coaxing her over the days.

No matter how she nagged or tempted her with rewards, Xianer had insisted that she would not marry Cao Xuan.

"Xianer! Grandma had made it very clear to you! Marrying Cao Xuan would bring much benefit to you, to grandma, and to the Xu family! Why do you cling onto Su Yu? He is stuck at the lowest levels of Holy Kings. You would suffer under him!"

Xu Rong forced the azure pill into Xianer's mouth. Xianer struggled, but she was overly weak. She could not even find the energy to lift her fingers.

As the pill was ingested, energy nourished her weak body. Color gradually came back to her body. Xianer tried to vomit, but could only produce bile.

"I'm not marrying. I'm Brother Su Yu's fiancée. If you want to, you can marry him yourself!" Xianer shouted.

Xu Rong's wrinkles deepened, her patience long gone. "Hmph! You have to marry him even if you don't want to! It is not up to you!"

"Then I shall die in front of you!" Xianer was serious. She charged toward the wall behind her.

"Hmph! Wild child! Not knowing what's good for you, just like your mother!" Xu Rong grabbed her, locking Xianer's shoulder in her grip. "You'll have to marry Cao Xuan even if you die!"

The Xu family's ranking within the vassal clans was toward the back. With Cao Xuan as an ally, along with the ten elders, they could rest easy.

Xu Rong realized she was too harsh. After all, the success of the Xu family in the future depended largely on Xianer. If she hated the Xu family, it would deeply harm them.

Xu Rong eased her tone, nagging instead. "Xianer, a person needs to understand giving back and sacrifice. As a member of the Xu family, how could you not sacrifice for the family? Marrying Cao Xuan would bring great benefits to the Xu family. Everyone in the family would be grateful to you, understand?"

Xianer was struggling, her large eyes glaring at Xu Rong. "Xianer does not understand. I was born and grew up in the Xianyu prefecture. It was father and mother who nurtured me. Why must I sacrifice for the Xu family who I have never even seen once? All I know is that I am Brother Su Yu's fiancee, I will only marry him in this lifetime."

Xianer was young. Her words were childish, spiteful, and entirely true.

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