Chapter 178: Proud Mo Jue

Two fingers were raised from Youqi’s dainty hand. “Pay for the damage first, then stay for the ceremony until the end. You will also present a gift from your side to bless this union.”

Hearing the conditions, Shen Tianqing was stunned. He glanced toward the entrance where his men had been dragged. Those people were still being ravaged by the power of the four black-armored warriors.

It was not that he cared about their lives or deaths. He was worried that if they died, the stability of his faction within Heaven’s Spire Sanctuary would be shaken. After all, they were his main fighting force.

He then turned back to look at the beautiful senior before him. He was trembling. At this moment, aside from his head, nothing in his body could move. This level of precise control over such overwhelming qi was not something an ordinary cultivator could achieve.

“Yes… my lady. I will stay for the ceremony,” Shen Tianqing said.

No matter what, he had to preserve his life first. Only then could he think about how to maintain his position back in the sect.

Especially since the reason he was here was because of the prophecy within the sect.

In Heaven’s Spire Sanctuary, most major decisions were made based on prophecy. These prophecies were usually conducted every five years to seek guidance from the heavens on the safest and most profitable path for the sect.

These prophecies had never been wrong before. Every foretold event had always come to pass. What the sect needed to do was either follow the prophecy or use it to take advantage of destined events.

Of course, his provocation of Mo Jue a decade ago had also been the result of such guidance.

Even though there were times when following a prophecy backfired, such as provoking powerful entities in the immortal realm or suffering losses greater than gains, they were never beyond recovery. At worst, they would retreat and recuperate within the sect for a year or two.

But this time…

This time was different.

They had encountered a cultivator whose power possibly exceeded the Great Ascension Realm, yet she was somehow able to remain in the lower realm without triggering the rejection of the laws of heaven and earth.

This was something Shen Tianqing had never faced before. It went against all known knowledge. No matter how powerful a cultivator from the immortal realm was, they could not bypass the laws of heaven and earth.

And yet… the contradiction sat right in front of him.

Shen Tianqing swore to himself that if he managed to return, he would have a long talk with the oracles who conducted the prophecies.

Thus, the ceremony continued without a hitch. During this time, Shen Tianqing acted like one of the invited guests, behaving cordially toward everyone. This left the people in the venue, especially those close to Mo Jue, completely flabbergasted at the sight.

Especially during the gift-giving segment, Shen Tianqing even presented one of Heaven’s Spire Sanctuary’s spirit stone mines to Mo Xingyao. This left her both incredulous and thrilled.

On the other hand, those hardline righteous sects who had previously shared Shen Tianqing’s stance were disgusted by his cowardly behavior.

But still… they could only sneer at him inwardly, as they did not want to offend Shen Tianqing, and especially not the powerful lady with the strange yet alluring presence.

Now it was time for Wei Chen’s side to present their gift. Youqi smiled and handed him a small packaged box.

“This is a blessing gift from our lord. He is busy with his duties, but he said he will definitely come to bless you and Lady Mo when you are officially married. He also said that you should continue your duties, and you will rise through the ranks as long as you maintain your current contributions,” Youqi said with a smile. Her words were deliberately vague so as not to reveal their true identities.

After all, she was only here on vacation and not officially representing the Underworld. She could not simply reveal everything, as that would be an abuse of her position.

“Ah! Thank you, Miss Youqi! Please tell Boss… er… I mean, His Lordship, to rest assured that I will do my best!” Wei Chen replied, a little nervous.

Amid the thanks and pleasantries, the people in the hall, especially those from the righteous sects, stared at the box as if it were a powerful relic from the Primordial Era.

They had all witnessed how powerful this lady was, and they knew that any gift she presented on such an occasion would not be ordinary.

They also began connecting the dots regarding this so-called vagabond, Wei Chen. Perhaps he was not a simple wanderer, but rather a high-ranking warrior, or maybe…

Maybe even a young master undergoing a trial to rise through the ranks of his sect to become a core disciple… or even an heir.

“Yes, it’s me, Blood Grotto Patriarch. Do we have any female core disciples? No? Why don’t we have one? What do you mean it’s my policy that no girls are allowed to become core disciples? Then change it, damn it! And find one with good looks, at least not inferior to the Sky-Severing Demon’s daughter!”

“Third Elder, isn’t your daughter of marriageable age? I would like to speak with her. There is a promising young man here that…”

“Find me a saintess in our sect, and tell her that Wei Chen the vagabond is actually a hidden clan’s young master. Tell her to prepare for an engagement ceremony.”

Many old foxes, from both the righteous and demonic paths, hurried to the corners and contacted their sects to inquire about unmarried women within their factions.

During the ceremony, Wei Chen handed the gift box to Mo Jue, who smiled broadly, beaming with pride. This was his greatest achievement, having such a capable daughter.

He looked around smugly at the old foxes, whose faces had darkened. Even Jian Heng, who was usually calm and down-to-earth, began to feel irritated by Mo Jue’s smug expression.

Honestly, if his sweetheart had not been trapped in ice, he would already have had a daughter around Mo Jue’s daughter’s age by now.

Of course, Mo Jue knew these old foxes envied him, which only made him more satisfied in provoking them.

The ceremony continued to the tea-offering ritual. Wei Chen presented tea to Mo Jue, who felt even prouder.

Look! You old foxes! Look at my daughter! Look at my son-in-law! Envious, aren’t you? If you have the ability, why don’t you have a good daughter and get yourself a fine son-in-law too?

“Hahahahaha! Good! Good, good!” Mo Jue laughed, saying “good” three times in satisfaction as he accepted the tea from Wei Chen.

As for Wei Chen, he felt conflicted. He had never imagined that his first engagement ceremony would take place after he had died and been reborn.

He felt a wave of melancholy as he thought back to his previous girlfriend, Cindy Liu, whom he had parted ways with due to his own stubbornness.

Yes… he did not blame her at all. He blamed himself for being too stubborn about his career, believing that as long as he had enough money, he could easily take care of her, without ever considering her feelings.

The feeling of being harassed every week because of her boyfriend’s toxic career… he had never truly understood it back then.

He only hoped that the insurance he had left her in his will would help her live a better life.

At the end of the ceremony, Wei Chen received congratulations from his friends, Jian Heng, Jian Ganglie, Ximen Hao, and of course the latecomer Yun Feng, who had arrived halfway through the ceremony along with his girl.

But at this moment… Youqi looked at Yun Feng with a strange expression. No… more precisely, she was staring at the thumb ring on his hand.

“Boy… wearing that ring, do you have a death wish?” Youqi asked, pointing at Yun Feng’s thumb ring.

“What?” Yun Feng asked, startled by the question.

“That ring.” Youqi walked toward him and stopped a short distance away. “It contains a death-cheater soul. It wants to devour your soul and take over your body.” She then turned toward Wei Chen.

“You didn’t sense it? Well, that’s understandable. This guy is very cautious. He didn’t let even a trace of his thoughts leak when he was near me. If I weren’t far above him in cultivation, I might not have been able to sense it either,” Youqi said, nodding in understanding before continuing.

“After this, go back to the palace and requisition an artifact. You’ll need it to detect this kind of death-cheater soul,” she added in a tone that left no room for negotiation.

“What!?” Yun Feng was shocked. He looked at his own ring in disbelief.

{Don’t believe her! Yun Feng, she’s my enemy from my past life! Run!} the master screamed in panic.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep