Chapter 175: Shen Tianqing

At this time, the guests began to notice that something was wrong. Wei Chen also looked at the two who were frantically trying to fix the divination. As someone from the modern era, he did not place much weight on divination and auspicious signs.

However, that was only his perspective. He knew that in this world, divination and auspiciousness could truly affect people’s lives more than they wished, and from the looks of it, this did not bode well for the ceremony.

Shi Zhun gritted his teeth. He took out hundreds of jade talismans and threw them out, forming an array to aid him in overturning the situation.

The array did its job. The dark clouds projected from the divination tablet began to change, and the bright destiny that had been obscured started to shine again.

“I declare that the compatibility between Wei Chen and Lady Mo Xingyao is favorable, a match made in heaven!” Shi Zhun quickly announced the result.

Then suddenly…

Crash! Boom!

All of the jade talismans shattered into fine powder, and the divination tablet in Shi Zhun’s hand broke into pieces.

The crowd murmured at the sight. Some whispered to each other while casting strange looks at Wei Chen and Mo Xingyao. There was hesitation, mixed with dread of the unknown and a sense of unease.

Some simply snorted. Those were, of course, cultivators from the righteous path who had attended the ceremony. Since the city was neutral ground, they had to maintain a facade of civility and could not simply ignore the event.

Shi Zhun was clearly flustered, and at this point, even the master of ceremonies did not know what to do.

Mo Jue, on the other hand, gritted his teeth. He glared at the two on stage, then turned to Jian Heng, who also seemed surprised. Jian Heng then glared at the master and disciple wearing the uniform of the Heavenly Sword Sect’s divination division.

“Master! Did I not tell you!? All of your divinations turn out like this! Even the most auspicious fate gets ruined by your readings!” Jing Suan snapped.

“Hey! This time I gave it everything I had! I even used all my jade talismans to change the outcome!” Shi Zhun shot back.

Mo Jue, a man who had never feared anything, not even cultivators from the Immortal Realm, now found himself afraid. He was afraid for his daughter. He feared that this ceremony would leave a bad impression on the elder from the Underworld Palace and might cause the engagement to fail.

He glanced at Youqi, who seemed completely unmoved by the situation. However, she was watching the master of ceremonies and occasionally glancing at Mo Jue, as if waiting to see how they would handle this.

Seeing the situation, Wei Chen decided to take matters into his own hands.

“The path of destiny is paved by mortal hands. Heaven may send its rain to wash it away, or its thunder to shatter the stone, yet human resolve shall outlast the storm!”

“I do not believe in heaven’s decree. I only believe in human determination! Even if Heaven forbids this union, I will forge it with my own hands!” Wei Chen declared loudly.

In his previous life, he had loved xianxia and wuxia stories so much that he would act out scenes like a righteous hero in front of a mirror, even giggling to himself while delivering cool lines.

What he had just said was one of those lines he had once prepared. This time, he finally had the chance to use it. Even though he added a bit of his own improvised flair at the end, it still worked out.

His words stirred the demonic path cultivators, who began to cheer with enthusiasm. These were people who rebelled against fate, many of whom had fallen into the demonic path due to betrayal or harsh circumstances. They all shared a disdain for higher powers and hypocrisy.

Wei Chen walked onto the stage, turned to Mo Xingyao, and extended his hand, inviting her to take it.

“Brother Chen…” Mo Xingyao smiled as she stepped forward and placed her hand in his.

“Hahahaha!” A burst of laughter echoed from above the hall.

“The path of destiny is paved by mortal hands? Do not make me laugh! Ants will always be ants, mortals will always be mortals. The power of mortals is limited! I have never seen a mortal who could stop a flood or prevent an earthquake in my life!”

Boom!

An old man who appeared to be in his sixties crashed down from the ceiling and stood suspended in the air above the hall, looking down on everyone below as if he were a god.

Mo Jue frowned as he looked at the old man. He felt that the man was familiar, but he could not quite place him. He tried to sense the old man’s cultivation, but failed. Either the man’s cultivation was higher than his, or he possessed some artifact that concealed it.

Mo Jue ruled out the possibility that the man’s cultivation was higher. He himself was already at the half-step Void Refining Realm, and beyond that was the Great Ascension Realm, where cultivators would usually ascend upon reaching it.

“Who are you? Do I know you?” he asked, still trying to recall the identity of this uninvited guest.

“You!” The old man pointed at Mo Jue angrily. “Are you pretending to be ignorant? You do not remember me!?”

“If I remembered you, I would not be asking, would I?” Mo Jue replied.

“You!” The old man nearly lost his temper. This demon was truly infuriating.

“Fine! I will give you a hint! You once made a promise to my Heaven’s Spire Sanctuary, and you broke it!” the old man shouted, pointing at Mo Jue.

“Heaven’s Spire Sanctuary?” Mo Jue muttered. After a brief moment of recollection, he finally remembered.

“Oh! That thing I blurted out while drunk back then? If I recall correctly, you came to see me while I was drinking with the Blood Grotto Patriarch. You came to ask for my daughter’s hand in marriage, and… Blood Grotto Patriarch, are you here as well?” Mo Jue called out toward the demonic path VIP section.

“I am here, Lord Sky-Severing Demon!” A man with blood-red hair stood up. His clothes were crimson, as if dyed with blood.

“Back then, what exactly did I say? I cannot quite remember,” Mo Jue asked.

“You said that if that man dared to destroy his own Heavenly Altar, you would give Lady Mo to them,” the Blood Grotto Patriarch replied.

“I said that? Should it not have been that I would consider it?” Mo Jue asked.

“No. You did not say consider. You said you would give Lady Mo to them. It was a clear statement,” the Blood Grotto Patriarch confirmed.

Hearing this, the old man smiled.

“Now you remember. I am Shen Tianqing, the Patriarch of the Heaven’s Spire Sanctuary. I have come to seek justice!”

With that declaration, several figures descended from above and stood beside Shen Tianqing. They were the sect’s protectors. Among them was Elder Ming Wu, the one who had injured Wei Chen back when he was only at the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Seeing this, Jian Heng stepped forward and cupped his fist, attempting to mediate.

“Patriarch Shen, this is an auspicious occasion. Please wait until the ceremony ends. I believe Patriarch Mo will give you a satisfactory answer. Please give me some face and allow the ceremony to continue…”

“Why should I give you face, boy? Who are you to me?” Shen Tianqing interrupted without hesitation. “Despite being a leader of the righteous path, you associate with the demonic path. Do you think your position is so secure that you can afford such a scandal?”

Hearing this, Jian Heng’s expression darkened. He stopped trying to reason with the man. If this old fool wanted to act tough, then so be it.

“Oh? Interesting. You claim you have destroyed your own Heavenly Altar? You? Someone from the Heaven’s Spire Sanctuary?” Jian Heng said coldly. “If you want to lie, at least choose something more believable.”

A familiar feminine voice followed.

“Indeed. If you are going to lie, choose something more convincing.”

The voice came from one of the VIP seats. It was none other than Youqi, who smiled as if she were watching a clown.

“Who are you, girl?” Shen Tianqing demanded.

Youqi smiled sweetly, though her eyes remained cold. “Youqi, from the Underworld Palace.”

As she spoke, the warriors in black armor fixed their gaze on Shen Tianqing, as if he were already a dead man walking.

“Underworld Palace? Hah! The words you speak should apply to you! That place is nothing but a myth. Everyone knows that!” Shen Tianqing scoffed.

“Only the ignorant believe it to be a myth,” Youqi replied as she stood up and walked forward.

“But that is not the point. The point is that, from what I know, the Heaven’s Spire Sanctuary would never dare to destroy its own Heavenly Altar. Your cultivation is tied to it. It serves as a conduit connecting you to the heavens.”

“The Heavenly Altar is established from the moment a member of your sect is born. Their fate is bound to it. Because of this, your cultivation progresses smoothly, free from bottlenecks. The altar prevents dissonance between heaven and earth.”

“Normal cultivation is like walking a path against the heavens, breaking the limits of mortality.”

“But you… your cultivation is like submitting to the heavens and begging for scraps, like a dog asking its master for a bone,” Youqi said with clear disdain.

“You! Lies! Slander!” Shen Tianqing pointed at her, his face turning pale, then red.

But inside, he was panicking. What she said was the truth, a secret known only within their sect.

Impossible. How could this woman know such a secret?

Shen Tianqing was alarmed. He did not know who this woman truly was, but he knew one thing. He needed to silence her, or the fatal weakness of the Heaven’s Spire Sanctuary would no longer remain hidden.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep