I've announced that I'm destined to have many children, and my father has bestowed upon me

puff!

That refined white sword intent was ultimately just a fraction too fast.

It didn't encounter the hard skull it had imagined, but instead struck Zhao Chen'an's arms as he hastily crossed them to block.

Blood splattered everywhere!

The golden spiritual energy shield was torn apart instantly, as if it were made of paper.

The incomparably sharp sword energy sliced ​​through flesh and severed tendons and bones, producing a teeth-grinding cracking sound.

A wave of excruciating pain washed over Zhao Chen'an, causing him to momentarily lose consciousness.

He looked down and saw two deep, gruesome wounds on his arms, with blood gushing out wildly.

The little finger and ring finger of his right hand were severed at the root, with only a little skin and flesh barely connecting them, hanging limply down.

If he hadn't tempered his physical body to an unbelievable level on the Heavenly Ladder...

This sword strike was enough to sever his arms and head in one fell swoop!

However, he managed to block it in the end.

The price was high, but he still stood.

On the other hand, Ye Shenglin was not so lucky.

Boom!

Without Zhao Chen's full control, the Nine Provinces Universe Cauldron crashed down with an even more tyrannical and domineering attitude!

The arena's defensive light shield shattered in a violent flash less than a breath later.

The giant cauldron fell, shaking the entire imperial city.

There were no screams, no cries of anguish.

There was only one dull, chilling sound of flesh and bone shattering.

The sound was very soft, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.

Dust and smoke filled the arena.

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

Everyone was speechless with shock at the swift and tragic end.

Who's winning?

It seems like we've lost.

"An'er!"

A desperate roar broke the silence.

Zhao Daoting was the first to appear on the arena, moving as fast as a phantom.

He didn't even glance at Ye Shenglin, who was being crushed by the giant cauldron, and rushed straight to Zhao Chen'an's side, grabbing his bloodied and mangled hands.

Seeing those two almost severed fingers, Zhao Daoting's heart clenched.

He dared not delay for the slightest, and his powerful spiritual energy burst forth.

They carefully wrapped Zhao Chen'an's wound, forcibly aligned the broken bones, and fixed the meridians.

If this injury is left untreated for even a moment, it could leave lasting damage and be a devastating blow to his future cultivation path!

At the same time, two other groups rushed onto the stage.

On one side were the elders of Tianjian Mountain, their faces ashen, rushing towards the enormous bronze cauldron.

On the other side were the powerful figures from the Spring and Autumn Merchant Guild, who were responsible for maintaining order and providing medical assistance.

"Quick! Move the cauldron away!"

An elder from Tianjian Mountain shouted hoarsely.

Five powerful cultivators at the Dragon Transformation Realm worked together, channeling their spiritual energy to slowly lift the incredibly heavy Nine Provinces Universe Cauldron.

The sight beneath the cauldron sent a collective gasp through everyone.

Ye Shenglin lay in an irregularly shaped, human-shaped pit, covered in blood, his limbs twisted at an eerie angle.

His body was like a shattered porcelain doll, with not a single part intact.

All the bones in his body have probably been shattered into powder.

If it weren't for the faint trace of life still remaining, everyone would have thought he was dead.

"Quick! Protect the heart meridian! Use the Heavenly Heart Life-Sustaining Pill!"

The elders of Tianjian Mountain swarmed around him in a flurry, stuffing all sorts of precious pills into Ye Shenglin's mouth as if they were free.

The rich aroma of medicine mingled with the stench of blood, permeating the entire arena.

In the spectator stands, Qian Wushuang's body trembled slightly.

Cold sweat had soaked his back.

He stared intently at the horrific scene on the stage, his heart filled with turmoil.

This is what happened to Ye Shenglin...

If Zhao Chen'an had used that trick on me back then, would I... have survived?

the answer is negative.

It was at that moment that he truly understood just how vast the gap was between himself and Zhao Chen'an.

That wasn't a difference in skill, but an absolute crushing defeat in a life-or-death situation.

On the arena.

Under Zhao Daoting's emergency treatment, Zhao Chen'an's severe pain in his arm was slightly relieved, and he became much more lucid.

He shook his groggy head, his gaze unconsciously drifting to another chaotic center not far away.

The elders of Tianjian Mountain surrounded Ye Shenglin.

Some people were casting healing spells, some were feeding the patient pills, and others were deliberately using their bodies to block the view from the outside world.

Amidst the chaos, Zhao Chen'an vaguely saw...

As an elder wiped the blood from Ye Shenglin's face, something seemed to be triggered.

Ye Shenglin's angular, handsome, and aloof face seems... to have changed?

In just a brief moment, the lines of that face seemed to soften considerably, becoming less aggressive.

Is it just my imagination?

Is your vision blurred because of excessive blood loss?

Zhao Chen'an frowned, wanting to see more clearly, but the people from Tianjian Mountain had completely concealed Ye Shenglin.

Just as he was wondering, a voice rang out directly in his mind.

It was Zhao Daoting's spiritual power transmitting his voice.

"Stop looking, you brat."

Zhao Daoting's voice carried a hint of annoyance and reproach, as well as an undisguised strangeness.

"You're so heavy-handed! You've disfigured that girl!"

boom!

It felt as if a million thunderbolts were exploding simultaneously in Zhao Chen'an's mind.

He froze on the spot.

girl?

Who?

Ye Shenglin?

That aloof and cold-hearted man, single-mindedly pursuing the sword, who dominated the younger generation of the Eastern Wilderness and held the number one spot on the list of geniuses for many years, was the chief of Tianjian Mountain...

Is it a girl?

The excruciating pain in my arm seemed to vanish at that moment.

Zhao Chen'an stood there blankly, his mouth slightly open, his mind completely blank.

The reality was so absurd that Zhao Chen'an instinctively wanted to refute it.

The person who said those words was his father, Emperor Zhao Daoting of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Would Zhao Daoting joke about something like this?

Absolutely impossible!

So...it's true?

In an instant, countless chaotic images flooded my mind.

When we first met, the man was dressed in white, carrying a long sword on his back, with a cold and aloof demeanor that kept people at arm's length.

On the Heavenly Ladder, she climbed silently without uttering a word, her sword intent soaring to the sky, surpassing Qian Wushuang and even the Flower Fairy.

On the arena, she stood with her sword drawn, her fighting spirit soaring. That pure swordsmanship was something he had never seen before.

And then there was that final, earth-shattering sword strike, a desperate act of fighting for one's life!

How fiercely resolute!

What a resolute decision!

All of this points to the image of a proud, powerful, and even somewhat obsessive male swordsman.

But now, Zhao Daoting is telling him that it's a girl?

Zhao Chen'an felt that his worldview had been impacted like never before.

He stood there, stunned, as if the excruciating pain in his arms had vanished, leaving only a strong sense of unreality.

Seeing his son like this, Zhao Daoting couldn't help but laugh.

That rascal, could he have fallen for her?

It's no use even if you like it, not to mention that Ye Shenglin was just crippled by this cauldron.

That face, which might have been quite pretty before, is probably ruined now.

Tsk tsk tsk, what a rebellious son! He ruined a marriage with a single smashed cauldron!