Chapter 399 - 397: Annul the Engagement

Lan Yunzhu, the successor of the Qianli River, a famed genius of Nanyao Yun’s younger generation, and a beauty who had enchanted countless young men.

King Jingxi and Lu Baiqiu were both dumbfounded. Countless people pursued Lan Yunzhu; they never imagined that Li Qiye would turn out to be her fiancé!

The news was utterly shocking to King Jingxi and Lu Baiqiu. A woman like Lan Yunzhu was a being high above the masses in many people’s eyes, yet today, she was betrothed to a complete nobody.

"So what if she’s the successor of the Qianli River?" Li Qiye replied lazily to Guardian Xiao’s words. "Even a Nine Heavens Fairy is nothing special to me."

"You—" Guardian Xiao’s eyes instantly turned sharp, his chilling aura suffocating. The immense pressure made it hard to breathe. He glared at Li Qiye for a long moment before taking a deep breath, suppressing the fury in his heart.

Ordinarily, if some nameless junior dared to speak so presumptuously before him, he would have long since taught them a lesson. But this time, he had come on behalf of the sect’s Elders, entrusted with sincerely dissolving this marriage contract.

From the Qianli River’s perspective, this course of action was perfectly understandable. Lan Yunzhu was their successor, and the Qianli River had invested immense effort into cultivating her. They would absolutely not allow such a successor to marry outside the sect.

Moreover, a nameless junior like Li Qiye was nowhere near worthy of their Qianli River’s successor. After all, more than one successor from an Emperor Immortal Gate in the Ghost Sacred Realm had come to the Qianli River to propose marriage, but all had been rejected.

"’You’ what?" Li Qiye said with a dismissive wave, utterly uninterested. "Don’t look at me like I owe you something. It’s not like I shamelessly went to the Qianli River to beg for this marriage. Get one thing straight: your successor is the one marrying me!"

Lu Baiqiu and King Jingxi were stunned speechless. Although Guardian Xiao’s position in the Qianli River wasn’t the highest, as a Guardian of an Emperor Immortal Gate and a Little Saint Venerable, his status was certainly enough to command awe and fear from many.

Yet today, Li Qiye, a mere junior, acted as if Guardian Xiao was a nobody. His attitude was absurdly domineering.

Guardian Xiao was so angry he could have spat blood, but he took a deep breath. For the sake of dissolving the marriage contract, he swallowed his anger.

"Little Friend, our Qianli River has come with sincerity this time." Having swallowed his pride, Guardian Xiao adopted an even more humble stance. He said, "As long as you are willing to dissolve this marriage contract, everything is negotiable. Treasures, Immortal Treasures, Divine Grade items... The Qianli River is willing to discuss any of these. If you wish, you can even join my Qianli River and become our disciple."

For an Emperor Immortal Gate, recruiting disciples was an extremely strict process. For Guardian Xiao to make such an offer showed that the Qianli River had indeed come in good faith.

"Mm, that is a little bit of sincerity." Li Qiye could be quite stubborn; he responded to softness, not force. If his opponent was arrogant, he would be even more so!

Li Qiye smiled and said, "Sometimes, for me, sincerity isn’t something that can be bought with treasures or Immortal Treasures. If you genuinely want to dissolve the marriage, have her come and tell me herself. When that happens, I might consider it. It’s not like it’s a bunch of old men from the Qianli River getting married, so what gives you the right to make a decision?"

Of course, to Li Qiye, this marriage contract was just an accident. If the other party genuinely wanted to dissolve it, he couldn’t care less. But if the Qianli River tried to use its power to forcefully annul the contract, he’d be more than happy to stir up some trouble.

Guardian Xiao was particularly displeased. He had the urge to teach this brat in front of him a good lesson, but he still held back.

Li Qiye had little interest in an old man like Guardian Xiao and had no intention of continuing the conversation. Guardian Xiao was angry enough to spit blood, but he swallowed his pride. As he was leaving, he said in a low voice, "You can think it over. This is a great opportunity for you. If you change your mind, you can have King Jingxi pass on a message."

After Guardian Xiao left, Li Qiye chuckled and murmured, "Qianli Immortal Emperor’s disciples and grand-disciples still have a bit of promise, it seems!"

Although Guardian Xiao still put on a lofty air, he hadn’t, in the end, used his power to bully him and forcefully dissolve the marriage. Otherwise, Li Qiye would have been happy to teach these old men a lesson on behalf of Qianli Immortal Emperor.

"How... how did you become Bamboo Fairy’s fiancé?" Lu Baiqiu couldn’t help but ask after Guardian Xiao was gone.

Rumor had it that many had proposed to Lan Yunzhu, only to be rejected. For a fiancé to suddenly appear now was just too abrupt.

"I picked it up on the road," Li Qiye said with a smile.

Lu Baiqiu was instantly speechless. Lan Yunzhu was one of the most beautiful and powerful fairies in Nanyao Yun; becoming her fiancé couldn’t be that easy. If such a thing could just be "picked up on the road," countless people would have already set out walking!

If Lu Baiqiu knew that the marriage contract had indeed been "picked up," she would have been even more dumbfounded.

The Qianli River’s desire to dissolve the marriage was nothing more than a minor squall to Li Qiye. He remained on the island, waiting for the right moment to enter the Lost Divine Island.

During this time, the Thousand Islands grew increasingly lively as more and more experts from Great Teaching Territories arrived. Every day, one could see Flying Treasures and giant Auspicious Beasts striding through the air above the Thousand Islands, heading out to sea.

Furthermore, every day, the skies above the Thousand Islands were filled with monstrous Blood Qi. The might of Saint Venerables and Saint Emperors saturated the air. It was impossible to know how many great figures from the Great Teaching Territories had arrived in person.

Such a grand scene, with so many great figures present, left the cultivators of the Thousand Islands breathless. Everyone felt that a storm was brewing.

To avoid being swept up in the turmoil, King Jingxi, following Li Qiye’s instructions, began evacuating his disciples and even the residents of the Thousand Islands to Qian County Island.

Especially when one Great Teaching Territory after another appeared in the Thousand Islands and rushed out to sea, King Jingxi understood even more clearly that a great storm was about to break. His Jingxi Country accelerated its evacuation from the Thousand Islands.

Of course, for Jingxi Country, the evacuation was only temporary. They would return after the storm passed.

During this period, the roar from the open sea was incessant. At times, the heavens and earth would shake, and massive waves would surge. In the area of the Lost Divine Island, brilliant lights shot into the sky every day—the cold glint of treasures and the Immortal Light emanating from the island itself.

"It’s not just Nanyao Yun anymore. Great figures from the Great Teaching Territories of Netherworld, Shuicang, and Ze Di have all rushed over." Lu Baiqiu had been in contact with the outside world and relayed the news to Li Qiye. She couldn’t help but say worriedly, "Several Baosheng Venerables arrived yesterday and nearly overturned the entire sea. Shouldn’t we evacuate first?"

"No." Li Qiye shook his head with a smile. Squinting, he said, "Since the Baosheng Venerables are here, let’s go take a look."

Li Qiye and Lu Baiqiu went out to sea once again. Compared to what they had seen last time, the area around the Lost Divine Island was now far more chaotic. A vast number of Flying Treasures hovered over the sea’s surface. Giant Treasure Ships were parked in the sky, Treasure Halls were suspended in the heavens, and there were even Divine Mountains hanging high Above the Nine Heavens...

Many cultivators had arrived. There were great figures intending to ascend the Lost Divine Island, as well as cultivators who had come just to watch the spectacle. Some rode on Exotic Beasts, others arrived on Flying Treasures. Some lingered on the sea’s surface, while others soaked in the water.

The Lost Divine Island, shrouded in mist, had also undergone great changes. Within the mist, a seven-colored light had appeared above the island. The light was in constant flux, at times transforming into mountains and rivers, at others into Divine Beasts, and then vanishing without a trace. Moreover, faint cries of dragons and phoenixes could be heard from within the Lost Divine Island. Sometimes, a monstrous roar would erupt from the island, as if some vicious creature was locked inside!

Even the mist enshrouding the Lost Divine Island had changed. It had now turned into a faint blood mist.

This blood mist was left behind by the experts who had died tragically trying to traverse it and ascend the Lost Divine Island. During this period, many had attempted to force their way onto the island, only to be instantly devoured by the mist and turned into a cloud of blood. This cloud then merged into the surrounding mist, lingering indefinitely.

Gazing at the greatly changed Lost Divine Island before him, Li Qiye narrowed his eyes and remained silent for a long time.

And now, outside the mist, many Great Teaching Territories had already claimed sections of the sea as their own territory, building small domains on the water’s surface and setting up camp.

What moved many people even more was that, at the edge of the mist, great figures stood in every direction, wreathed in Divine Rings and flickering with Divine Flames. The auras they exuded caused countless Giant Demons and Sea Beasts in the vast sea to hide away. These were absolutely extraordinary individuals—Saint Venerables and Saint Emperors, all lofty sovereigns of nations or Sect Leaders. They were figures who rarely showed their faces, yet today, they had all appeared here.

"Nightwalker Sect, Coiling Dragon Country, Heaven-Reaching Sect..." Looking at the encampments of the Great Teaching Territories, Lu Baiqiu could recognize their emblems one by one. She murmured, "So many first-rate Great Sects have come."

"It’s not just the Great Teaching Territories; even some old fossils who were unwilling to emerge have come. Several Elder Ancestors are here." At that moment, a person appeared beside Li Qiye and the others, chiming in, "Yesterday, the Elder Ancestor of Ironstone Valley arrived. He tried to force his way onto the Lost Divine Island, but alas, he was instantly turned into blood mist."