This white-haired elder completely lost his temper, utterly convinced, and said bitterly, "You are so mischievous; I wonder who would dare marry you in the future."

The young girl let out a delicate snort and declared, "If I beckon my finger, those wanting to marry me could line up beyond the edge of the Ancient Continent."

Seeing her spirited demeanor, the white-haired elder couldn't resist trying to deflate her ego, chuckling, "That's not necessarily true. Today, I saw someone who showed absolutely no interest in you."

"Oh?" The girl raised an eyebrow. "Who dares to look down on this Princess?"

The white-haired elder froze, secretly cursing himself. How could he forget this child's volatile temper? If she found out Ye Chen hadn't agreed to the betrothal, she’d surely be furious enough to skin him alive.

This old man was naturally Bai Ya.

A thought flashed through his mind, and he laughed, "It's nothing, just joking."

Suspicion flickered in the girl's eyes, a light dancing in their depths. She said coolly, "Xiao Bai, where did you go today?"

The white-haired elder mumbled evasively, "Nowhere much, just resting in my room."

"Really?"

"Absolutely certain!"

"Oh... Xiao Bai, is your study alright?"

"...What, what are you planning?"

"Nothing much. I accidentally burned it down last time; I just want to check on it this time, and apologize properly."

"That... there's no need to trouble yourself with that."

"Don't be so polite; take me there, good boy."

"..."

Bai Ya couldn't help but give a wry smile and shake his head inwardly. Even at this old age, his words still lacked guard, allowing this little sly creature to sense something amiss.

"My little apprentice, it is Master who has wronged you by pushing you into the fiery pit. If there is another life, this old man will certainly repay you." Bai Ya sighed mournfully in his heart. Looking at the girl’s large, innocent eyes, he reluctantly said, "This afternoon, I went to find my disciple, intending to bring him to meet the Princess. This person has upright character, looks dashing and elegant, handsome and refined, but he has been busy recently, so he declined. I will bring him next time for you to see."

The girl narrowed her eyes. "Who is this person?"

Bai Ya saw the light in her eyes and felt an inexplicable chill. He quickly said, "He is just a minor disciple of mine; you don't need to concern yourself with him."

"I have finished reading my books and recently wanted to find a few..."

"...Fine. That child is named Ye Chen, a genius from the Second Grade Genius Hall, with boundless potential in the future. He might be the reincarnation of some major figure; you must not provoke him. If he awakens his past life's power, he will be at the level of at least a Marquis!" Bai Ya confessed everything without backbone.

"Oh..." The girl nodded happily, a sweet smile curving her lips that felt like a spring breeze, but Bai Ya felt an ice-cold chill throughout his body, mentally chanting Om Mani Padme Hum, Om Mani Padme Hum...

"My little apprentice, your master has failed you, but thankfully, this little imp cannot leave the Imperial Capital. At most, you can only torment him a bit in the virtual world; you must hold on..." Bai Ya prayed silently.

"Pfft!" Ye Chen sneezed, couldn't help but rub his nose, and frowned, "Why do I have a cold?" With his physique, a common chill shouldn't affect him.

Ye Chen shook his head and continued contemplating the insights gained from battle. Through the previous fights, he had discovered many of his own shortcomings. Currently, at full power, he could achieve an amplitude of 8 million times!

Time flowed quickly, and soon the afternoon battle matches began.

"Lan Rou has invited you to the Battle Stage on Peak 6!"

"Proceed?"

"Yes!"

Whoosh!

Ye Chen's figure flashed, vanishing from the room, and reappearing out of thin air on the Battle Stage of Peak 6. He stood on the vast, spacious platform, surrounded by swirling white clouds, the mountain breeze gently caressing his face. In the distance, the twilight was vast, and the sky was azure, broadening one's chest.

Before Ye Chen, a graceful figure materialized out of thin air—a cascade of silver hair draped behind her shoulders, clad in purple robes that accentuated her proud chest. Her delicate curves were smooth, her toes hovering two inches above the ground, suspended in mid-air, her entire body seemingly weightless.

This woman's visage was exquisitely beautiful, carrying a stunning indifference, like an ethereal fairy detached from the mortal world.

In reality, according to the civilization ranking system of the Immortal Realm, this woman was at the peak of the demigod stage—equivalent to the peak of a Celestial Immortal in the Immortal Realm! Just one step away from breaking through to the Golden Immortal realm!

Ye Chen looked at her silently, no differently than looking at a block of wood.

Lan Rou’s expression was calm as she looked down at the young man before her and stated indifferently, "How much is the wager?"

Ye Chen frowned slightly. "1 point!"

Lan Rou's lips curved upward slightly. "What? Last time you dared to bet 9 points at once, you're afraid this time?"

Ye Chen's brow twitched, and he said coldly, "I'm afraid you'll lose too badly."

Lan Rou let out a sneer. "Since that's the case, let's bet 9 points again this time, how about it? Don't treat me like someone from the Heavenly Dragon level; I will show you what a true genius is!"

Ye Chen pondered briefly in his heart, then nodded. "Done!"

He silently calculated that with his 8 million amplitude, even if the opponent possessed powerful secret arts, he should be able to handle it. He only hoped her secret arts weren't specialized in the mental domain...

"Man enough!" Lan Rou smiled, a hint of a conspiracy succeeding in her expression.

The screens in the entire rest area, in all the major bars and entertainment venues, were broadcasting this match. After the previous fight, Ye Chen was already considered a powerhouse on the Heaven Ranking, and this time his opponent was ranked 88th. The excitement of this battle far surpassed the others.

"Nine points again!"

"Holy crap, they are both beasts!"

"Tsk, tsk, worthy of being on the Heaven Ranking, so generous with their stakes!"

"Damn it, one Divine Point is equivalent to the price of a complete peak Pseudo-God set!"

"This is equivalent to 9 complete peak Pseudo-God sets at once!"

"These two monsters..."

While everyone was shocked, the battle erupted on the Battle Stage of Peak 6.

"Nine Palaces!" Ye Chen looked at Lan Rou and slowly raised his hands. The ground beneath his feet trembled, and a majestic crimson palace rose from the bedrock, carrying Ye Chen high into the sky, standing atop the Nine Palaces.

From the four gates of the Nine Palaces, four Nine Palace Guardians—serpents with dragon heads—flew out, holding black tridents wreathed in devilish flames, staring viciously and savagely at Lan Rou.

Lan Rou's expression remained calm. She raised a finger and tapped out, murmuring, "Sky Sealing Great Divine Art!"

Boom!

The sky of the entire Peak 6 Battle Stage trembled slightly, the clouds and mist shuddering as if about to fall. Even Ye Chen, standing at the pinnacle of the Nine Palaces, felt enveloped by a powerful, crushing force, almost squeezing his body to dust.

"Summoning Great Divine Art!"

"Demon Subduing Great Divine Art!"

"Nine Bells Great Divine Art!"

Lan Rou’s slender fingers tapped out, and various Immortal Dao Divine Arts manifested from her delicate frame, carrying unfathomable power. In the Immortal Realm civilization, from the dawn of creation until now, there were precisely 9,000 Great Divine Arts and 108,000 Minor Divine Arts, no more, no less.

At this moment, the arts emanating from Lan Rou’s hands were all Great Divine Arts. They directly stirred the sky's clouds and mist, tearing a black hole across the heavens. Lightning flashed and thunder roared within the gaping maw, which was dark and gloomy. Shortly after, numerous ferocious spirit beasts and divine beasts surged out, every divine beast being at the Pseudo-God realm!

Furthermore, a massive Huang Zhong (Great Bell) materialized out of thin air in the sky, emitting ancient bell tolls that were deafening and vibrating the mind, bringing forth a sensation of being reduced to a mayfly, hearing it meant knowing birth in the morning and death by evening!

Under the guidance of Lan Rou’s delicate fingers, Great Divine Arts appeared out of nowhere, nearly encircling the entire battle stage. Countless fierce beasts poured out of the black hole torn open by the Summoning Great Divine Art, pouncing toward the Nine Palace Guardians.

Ye Chen was inwardly shocked, not expecting this delicate woman to possess so many layered secret techniques. Especially that massive Huang Zhong—the sound it produced made one drowsy, carrying a hypnotic effect. For anyone with an unsteady will, a single chime from that bell would cause them to faint instantly.

Ye Chen knew there was no time to waste and roared, activating Blood God Mode!

Boom~

The entire Nine Palaces shook slightly and pressed down into the earth. Ye Chen’s black hair transformed into blood-red from the roots, his eyes crimson like blood, his expression savage as he stared at Lan Rou. With boundless killing intent surging around him, he growled, "Explode!"

Each Nine Palace Guardian possessed the power equivalent to 100,000 amplitude at the demigod stage, meaning their strength alone rivaled a late-stage Pseudo-God expert. As Ye Chen spoke, they all brandished their black tridents wreathed in devilish flames and charged into the army of spirit beasts. One by one, the divine beasts were swept aside and impaled, while many spirit beasts were directly trampled into dust.

The ferocity of the four Nine Palace Guardians was unstoppable as they fought back through the surging river of divine beasts, charging toward Lan Rou. Their roars thundered, causing the entire mountain peak stage to tremble slightly.

Lan Rou’s expression shifted slightly. Her body retreated rapidly. Watching the Nine Palace Guardians close in, she gritted her silver teeth slightly and tapped her finger, hissing, "Blood Sacrifice!"

"With my soul, I conquer ages past..."

"With my spirit, I slaughter all living beings..."

"With my blood, I dye the ancient world red..."

Her hair flew wildly, her aura surging, her skin becoming crystalline like jade, appearing like a Saintess descended from heaven, possessing a grace that overshadowed the world, looking down upon the entire realm.

Then, she raised her hand.

"Great Immortal Art!" A light murmur passed from her red lips, echoing throughout heaven and earth.

The entire world seemed to suddenly fall silent.

Behind the swirling clouds, the myriad gods and buddhas faintly chanted together, and ancient celestial music echoed through the world...

The Divine Arts that were operating independently suddenly shattered, transforming into countless streams of energy that flowed toward the woman, slowly coalescing into an enormous sword blade...

This blade was thousands of feet long, radiating pure immortal light that mirrored the entire world. All surrounding Great Divine Arts collapsed, turning into pure energy that injected into this blade, continuously sculpting it. From the initial hilt, it slowly formed up to the midpoint of an Immortal Sword!

This Immortal Sword appeared like a broken longsword, lacking a sharp tip.

"Kill!" Lan Rou’s eyes were fixed on the blood-red figure rising from the Nine Palaces, her tone chilling as if she had emerged from Hell.

In the Immortal Realm civilization, every 100 Great Divine Arts combined could forge one Great Immortal Art! Since she controlled 66 Great Divine Arts, what she manifested now could only be considered a half-form Great Immortal Art!

Legend held that when a true Great Immortal Art was unleashed, even powerful Divine beings would retreat three thousand feet!