Qin Yi sat within the private chamber, her expression sorrowful, her eyelashes lowered, silent and quiet.
Beside her, however, sat a young man, imposing and majestic, exceptionally extraordinary, possessing the remarkable bearing of a rising star.
He wore golden divine robes and an Immortal crown. Whether in appearance, temperament, or talent, he was of the highest caliber. A stern divine radiance swirled around him, making him as conspicuous as a Son of God.
Ying Chen was his name!
Though young, neither the important elders of the imperial clan nor the Qin family ever truly looked down on him, for he was the Young True King of the Ying family of the imperial clan in this generation, his status among the younger generation second only to the Imperial Son.
Moreover, he was now a Heavenly King. Being several decades older than the Sun God and Yuan Yao Divine King, he had not yet set foot on the path of the Supreme One, yet he was an Immortal True King-level Heavenly King not to be underestimated, far stronger than ordinary Heavenly Kings.
He held great authority within the imperial clan, was a future ruler of the imperial clan, had the potential to become an ancient Great Sage, and could even represent the imperial clan in the struggle for the Human Sovereign's path.
Such a figure could be called absolutely outstanding, with a bright future that could not be ignored.
Originally, the marriage alliance between the imperial Ying family and the Qin family was between Qin Yi and Ying Chen.
Now, the two who should have been married sat together, a deliberate arrangement.
Although initially, Qin Yi had met the War King outside without a formal matchmaker, had an illicit union, and gave birth to a bastard son, which greatly angered the Ying family, nearly severing ties with the Qin family.
Later, however, Ying Chen alone suppressed all doubts within the entire imperial clan, stating he did not mind, and promised to accept Qin Yi, renewing the marriage alliance, on the condition that the War King and that bastard son be killed, burying the scandal in obscurity.
The Qin family was naturally delighted and also dispatched Qin Ziyang and another powerful Heavenly King to pursue them. The Ying family, unwilling for the scandal to surface, dispatched three Heavenly Kings to pursue them.
And today, the two strongest families were to sit together again, announcing to the world after the auction the wedding date for the Ying and Qin families.
Qin Yi naturally resisted this marriage alliance between the two strongest families, for her heart belonged to the War King. Yet, she was helpless, as her family threatened her with the War King and Qin Wushuang, coercing her to comply, otherwise they would kill the War King and his son.
She knew her family and the Ying family had already sent experts to pursue the father and son, but only to capture them alive; if she did not agree, they would be killed during the pursuit.
Precisely because of this, she could only appear and agree to the marriage alliance once more.
She looked at the imposing Ying Chen beside her. This was a top-tier figure who would make countless women's hearts flutter. Yet, in her heart, she felt only disgust and resistance. She couldn't help but whisper, "Ying Chen, you know I am no longer pure, that I have a husband and a child. Why do you still force me to marry you? You know the current me is not worthy of you."
Beside her, the imperial clan's True King prodigy Ying Chen lowered his head, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes. "Qin Yi, it's good that you know the shame you've brought upon me. As my fiancée, you actually had an illicit union with an outsider and gave birth to a bastard son. If this were to spread, the disgrace to me and the Ying family would be immense. I will not tolerate this happening. I can only marry you and bring you back to the Ying family, but I will not touch a single hair on your head. I will only imprison you for life, forever suffering the pain of longing."
Qin Yi's face paled. "Ying Chen, why are you so cruel? You could have annulled the engagement and found a woman you truly like. Why do this? It's unfair to both you and me."
"Hmph!" Ying Chen snorted coldly, carrying a sharp killing intent. "Since you dared to betray me, you should understand the consequences of betraying me."
Qin Yi's face turned pale. She gritted her teeth and said, "What if I refuse?"
Ying Chen sneered coldly. "Qin Yi, it's not up to you to refuse now. You should also understand my temperament; I have little patience. If you are willing to continue marrying me, at most you will be imprisoned for life, and you will never see that sinner or the bastard son you bore with him again."
Qin Yi's heart trembled. Thinking of the man she loved and their child, she couldn't help but feel heartache. Yet, she also lightly bit her silver teeth and whispered, "Ying Chen, can you promise not to pursue him and the child anymore?"
"No." The imperial clan's Heavenly King Ying Chen shook his head. Qin Yi hurriedly said, "Why? As long as you speak up and stop pursuing them, I will agree to marry you."
Ying Chen snorted. "Qin Yi, what qualifications do you have now to bargain with me? At most, I can only promise that I will not pursue them myself, but I cannot guarantee that my Ying family or the Qin family will not pursue them. You should know this is my greatest concession. Otherwise, if I personally pursue them, whether it's that sinner Qin Zhan or the bastard son you bore with him, neither will escape death."
Qin Yi's heart trembled. Ying Chen was right, for he was too strong. Although he had not set foot on the path of the Supreme One or completed the Tenth Heaven, his strength far surpassed that of ordinary Heavenly Kings.
Even though she believed in Qin Zhan, she did not think Qin Zhan could defeat Ying Chen. Otherwise, she would not have returned alone to the Qin family to admit her mistake, just to appease the anger of the Qin and Ying families.
"Do you still not agree?" Ying Chen spoke again, filled with sharp killing intent. "Although my Ying family and the Qin family only want to capture them alive, if I personally take action, I will not let them return alive."
"No!" Qin Yi exclaimed in shock, her delicate fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. She could only say, "Fine, I agree to your terms."
"Very good. You will be grateful for today's choice." Ying Chen revealed a cold smile.
"I'm sorry, Brother Zhan. I'm sorry, Little Wushuang."
Qin Yi could only apologize in her heart. She truly could not change much; she could only prevent the imperial clan's True King Ying Chen from personally pursuing them.
Because he was too strong, even stronger than Qin Ziyang. If he really took action, the War King and Little Wushuang likely would not survive.
However, she did not know that a flash of icy killing intent passed through Ying Chen's eyes.
Keep his promise?
Ridiculous. As a dignified True King of the imperial clan, how could he allow the scandal to surface? Only by completely eradicating everything could the scandal be eliminated to the greatest extent.
At this moment, the auction had reached its final stage. The moment the Sovereign's Origin Dao Blood appeared, it immediately drove numerous important figures into a frenzy, their eyes burning with desire.
Even Heavenly Kings among them grew excited.
Though only the size of a baby's fist, once comprehended, it could potentially allow a Heavenly King to advance more quickly into the realm of ancient Great Sages.
Naturally, such a priceless treasure could only be exchanged for other items; it could not be auctioned with spirit stones.
"Xiantian Dao Essence!" Among them, a Heavenly King, undaunted, took out a fist-sized ball of divine radiance containing the essence of the myriad heavens' Great Dao, born innately. It could help Heavenly King experts better comprehend the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, extremely rare and priceless.
"Primordial Chaos Stone!" Another Heavenly King bid with another supreme treasure. A stone the size of a washbasin descended, entwined with primordial Chaos Qi, continuously emanating from it, extremely extraordinary.
This was a supreme treasure born from the creation of Heaven and Earth, capable of continuously generating primordial Chaos Qi. It was an immortal material for refining Dao weapons, extremely precious.
Two Heavenly King existences in a row had taken out priceless treasures, causing numerous interested figures from major forces to fall silent, for even an Immortal Sacred Land would find it difficult to produce such priceless treasures.
"A thousand jin of Primordial Chaos Copper Mother!"
At this moment, Ying Chen suddenly spoke up, bidding with such a treasure—a divine forging material that would even make Great Powers' hearts stir. Adding just a hundred or so jin could significantly improve the quality of a Heavenly King's Dao weapon.
A thousand jin would have extraordinary divine effects even on a Great Power-level Immortal Ancient Weapon.
As soon as this bid was made, it immediately caused numerous experts to suck in a cold breath, then fall silent. Among those present, hardly anyone could compete.
Even some interested Heavenly Kings couldn't help but fall silent, and they also learned who the bidder was—Ying Chen, a True King prodigy of the imperial clan, truly wealthy and influential.
In the private chamber, the auctioneer's eyes also gleamed with desire, but he quickly called out, "Currently, the thousand jin of Primordial Chaos Copper Mother bid by Ying Chen of the Ying family holds the highest value. Is there anyone else willing to bid? If not, I will call it—"
"Thousand jin of Primordial Chaos Copper Mother, first call—"
"Thousand jin of Primordial Chaos Copper Mother, second call—"
"Thousand jin of Primordial Chaos Copper Mother, third—"
Ying Chen was already filled with confidence, certain no one could obtain this Sovereign-level Origin Dao Blood over him. Everyone felt it was only natural.
However, at this very moment, a voice broke the silence—
"Fifteen hundred jin of Starry Blue Silver!"
As soon as these words were spoken, they caused a huge uproar. Who was it, actually bidding such a high price?
Starry Blue Silver was not inferior to Primordial Chaos Copper Mother, and fifteen hundred jin, competing with the imperial clan's True King, made people exclaim in shock. Who was so bold?
At this moment, a group of figures appeared at the entrance of the auction chamber. At the forefront were two young prodigies, a little boy, and a small beast, followed by four figures enveloped in divine radiance. However, upon closer look, they were clearly four Heavenly King-level figures from the Qin family and the Ying family.
"Brother Zhan! Little Wushuang!"
In the private chamber, Qin Yi couldn't help but cover her mouth, tears falling, filled with excitement. Yet, the figures from both the Qin family and the Ying family darkened in expression.
Especially Ying Chen, who looked coldly at the War King and Little Wushuang, killing intent sharp. "The road to heaven is open, yet you choose the path to hell. I originally intended to personally pursue you later, but I never expected you to deliver yourselves to my doorstep today."
"Very good. Though I don't know where you found the courage, today I have no choice but to kill you."
Boom—
Ying Chen charged forward, transforming into a streak of extreme light, carrying a fearsome killing intent as he attacked the War King and Qin Wushuang in his arms.
Yet Ye Chen stepped forward, blocking the way, his eyes cold.
"Scram!"
Ying Chen, filled with killing intent, charged directly, intending to kill even the obstructing Ye Chen.
"Scram!"
Ye Chen had only this same word, colliding head-on with Ying Chen, creating massive waves that shattered many structures in the chamber, forcing experts from all sides to hastily avoid the aftermath.