"Sorry for being late!"
A light, cheerful voice rang out through the entire Main Hall.
Before the magnificent Main Hall of the main peak, silence fell.
Everyone was stunned, staring blankly at the two figures—one male, one female—walking through the main doors.
The man was very young, looking to be just over twenty. He was handsome and elegant, with a tall, slender build. His black hair cascaded like a waterfall, his eyebrows were sharp as swords, his eyes bright as stars, and his smile was sunny, his teeth seeming to gleam.
The other was a young woman. Three thousand strands of dark hair fell to her shapely hips. Her face was peerlessly beautiful, her bright eyes like divine springs of autumn water, her nose crystalline and delicate, her lips red and teeth white, her skin like congealed cream, so fine it seemed it would break at a touch.
She wore a mint-green gown that outlined her lovely figure with enchanting curves.
Beneath her sleeves, two flawless, jade-white wrists were revealed, her fingers slender and fair, her long legs straight. At her feet were a pair of elegant lotus-patterned shoes. She looked exceptionally fresh and elegant, a celestial beauty who could topple kingdoms and cities in this era.
At this moment, she wore a radiant, gentle smile, as if a hundred flowers were blooming. She walked in hand-in-hand with the young man, their fingers tightly interlocked, like an immortal couple, inspiring envy yet making countless others intensely jealous of the man.
Because this young woman was none other than the Heavenly Gate's most beautiful Xi Immortal Maiden.
No one had ever seen the Xi Immortal Maiden be so intimate with a man before. Though everyone knew of the Xi Immortal Maiden's fame—her beauty overshadowing the Myriad Domains, her name spoken alongside the Primordial Female Saint Lord, the Clear Poetry Fairy of the Jade Pool, the Divine Maiden Qingwu of the Myriad Worlds Palace, and others—she was also the Heavenly Gate's treasured pearl, a Heaven's Pride daughter. Over the years, countless outstanding young talents had pursued her, including numerous Heaven's Pride figures from within the Heavenly Gate itself, as well as those peerless Heaven's Pride scions from imperial clans and royal families.
Kings were not uncommon among them, and there were even rumors that a True King had once sought her hand in marriage.
But to this day, no one had won the Xi Immortal Maiden's heart. Even those who could make her smile were few and far between, and most of those smiles were forced. When had she ever laughed so genuinely from the heart?
Now, someone had done it. And she was laughing so joyfully, all her sorrows dispelled. That smile was bright and moving, enough to dim the sun, moon, and stars, enough to intoxicate all the prodigies of the Myriad Domains, making them unable to extricate themselves.
Naturally, regarding this young man who could hold the Xi Immortal Maiden's hand so intimately, all the young talents in the Main Hall couldn't help but burn with jealousy in their hearts.
If looks could kill, this young man would have been slain by them tens of thousands of times over.
The moment he entered the hall, Ye Chen felt countless hostile, murderous gazes directed at him. Even he couldn't help but give a slight, bitter smile, turning his head to look at Ruoxi as if to say, "Little sister, you've gotten your brother into a lot of trouble all at once."
Ruoxi covered her mouth with a light, tinkling laugh, exceptionally brilliant and happy. She threw him a glance, as if responding, "That's what you deserve, brother."
Their exchanged glances were mistaken by the crowd for affectionate gazes, fueling even more jealousy.
Many were on the verge of taking action.
"Hmph!" Ye Chen snorted coldly. A terrifying, imposing might suddenly spread out from him like lightning. Within his slender frame, it was as if a primordial ferocious beast that had been slumbering was awakening. He swept his gaze over all the younger generation. In that instant, he stood there like a deity crossing the void, indifferently scanning the various Heaven's Pride figures, causing each of them to feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, their hearts trembling with fear.
At this moment, they finally understood that this young man who looked like a pretty boy was actually an extremely terrifying figure.
With just a glance, they felt boundless terror spreading. If they were to truly fight, they definitely wouldn't last a single round. This man had the ability to instantly annihilate any one of them.
There was no need to fight; they could sense his overwhelming strength through that sharp, murderous intent.
Just who was this person?
However, among them, a young talent also snorted coldly and stepped forward. Surprisingly, a powerful aura erupted from him, capable of resisting Ye Chen's imposing might.
"A King?" Ye Chen was slightly startled. He hadn't expected the Heavenly Gate's younger generation to have a King-level figure.
Generally speaking, such King-level figures all came from immortal-level forces. The Heavenly Gate had only risen to prominence over the past few decades, so Ye Chen didn't think a King would have emerged.
But in fact, this shattered his perception.
"It's Wind King Zhao Feng!"
The others naturally recognized who this emerging King was. He was one of the most outstanding Heaven's Pride talents among the many young prodigies recruited by the Heavenly Gate. His talent was extraordinary, and he was extremely diligent and hardworking, earning the Heavenly Gate's high regard. There had even been disputes among Supreme Elders vying to take him as a disciple.
In the end, he was accepted as a direct disciple by a Saint Lord-level Supreme Elder, who guided his cultivation and provided him with numerous resources, allowing him to become a powerful King within the Heavenly Gate.
"Zhao Feng, do not be rude. Return." At this moment, a Supreme Elder spoke up to stop him. It was Wind King's master, ordering him to step back.
But Wind King shook his head, looking at Ruoxi. Ye Chen could sense a blazing heat deep within his eyes—clearly, he also held affection for the Xi Immortal Maiden.
Then, after sweeping a glance at Ye Chen, Wind King suddenly turned and faced the Heavenly Gate's Gate Lord seated on the central throne. He abruptly knelt on one knee, clasped his fists, and said loudly, "Gate Lord, this junior Zhao Feng wishes to challenge this person here in the Main Hall."
With a roar, the entire Main Hall erupted into an uproar. Wind King actually wanted to challenge this mysterious man who was so intimate with the Xi Immortal Maiden.
All the young talents' eyes burned with fervor. Everyone understood—this was Wind King's way of putting this mysterious man in his place, to defeat him in front of so many people, and especially in front of the Xi Immortal Maiden, to show her how utterly weak this man was and to make her stay away from him.
Ruoxi naturally understood Wind King's intentions perfectly. A trace of displeasure immediately appeared on her peerlessly beautiful face as she said coolly, "Zhao Feng, you've overstepped."
Zhao Feng's heart trembled. Although the Xi Immortal Maiden usually treated others with indifference, her tone was at least gentle and serene. When had she ever been so cold and aloof?
All of this was because of the man before him.
Wind King looked at Ye Chen and said, "Are you afraid to accept the challenge? Do you plan to hide behind a woman your whole life? Aren't you afraid of being ridiculed by others?"
Ye Chen was slightly taken aback. This reasoning was truly bizarre.
"You need to understand that the Xi Immortal Maiden is the true Heaven's Pride daughter of our Heavenly Gate, a celestial fairy-like figure of the Myriad Domains, pursued by countless young talents," Wind King sneered coldly. "I will defeat you in front of her. You must understand that mediocrity is not worthy of the Xi Immortal Maiden."
Ye Chen couldn't help but shake his head. He hadn't expected Ruoxi's beauty to be so impactful, inciting these young talents to fight over her like this.
He had to admit, over the past few decades, his little sister had grown even more graceful and elegant.
But Ye Chen would not allow Ruoxi to be handed over to these so-called young talents who acted like jealous children. He could only look at Wind King and nod, saying, "Actually, I'm also afraid of trouble. Since that's the case, I'll just have to inconvenience you a bit."