Hearing Bai Tian speak, a flash of anger crossed the Heavenly Witch King's eyes, and he boomed, "Patriarch Bai! You are a hero of your generation, how can you go back on your word like this? Are you not afraid of becoming a laughingstock? Look around at all the younger generation present—who can defeat my disciple? According to the rules, whoever becomes the top among the young generation wins the right to marry your third young lady. Now that the moment has arrived, why are you going back on your solemn promise!"

Bai Tian raised his eyes, cast a cold glance at him, and replied, "Do you and your disciple intend to forcibly seize her?"

The Heavenly Witch King clenched his fists, glaring at Bai Tian with a face full of fury, his chest about to explode with rage, yet he managed to suppress it, his voice laced with indignation: "Of course, I cannot defeat you, but you must give a reason. Why can my disciple not marry your daughter? Is it because you see we lack power and influence, unlike the other geniuses here, who are backed by the Ten Palaces and Ten Kingdoms? Is that why you oppress us so?!"

"Precisely!" Bai Tian stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression arrogant. "To become my son-in-law, first, one must be an absolute peak figure among the younger generation. Second, one must possess profound backing, capable of mobilizing the power of at least one Hall Master-level expert, or controlling a Void Heaven Artifact!"

He stared coldly at the Heavenly Witch King. "Your disciple has only achieved the first requirement but fails miserably at the rest. To think he could marry my youngest daughter based on this alone is utterly ridiculous!"

The Heavenly Witch King choked, his expression turning violently enraged, his fists clenching until they audibly cracked, tiny streams of spatial flow exploding where his palms met.

Ye Chen's face darkened like still water as he stared at Bai Tian, silent.

At this moment, Bai Yijun, who had been outside the battle stage, suddenly floated before Bai Tian. Two lines of clear tears traced paths down her delicate features. Looking up at her tall, imposing father, she choked out, "Father, please don't make things difficult for him. I love him. Even if he has nothing—no supreme strength, no powerful backing—your daughter will marry no one else in this life!" As she finished, her voice became sharp and resolute, filled with unyielding determination.

Every word fell like a stone, clearly echoing across the entire summit of White Spirit Mountain. For a moment, the entire crowd stared in stunned astonishment at the girl in white.

Bai Tian's body shuddered. He looked down at his youngest daughter, whom he had watched grow up. Among his three daughters, this one was his favorite. He knew her nature: strong-willed, incredibly stubborn, and never one to admit defeat. Since childhood, she had never begged anyone for anything. Yet today, in front of the world, she bowed her head and wept to plead with him.

He felt a stirring in his heart. Looking at Bai Yijun's face, in a daze, he seemed to see his deceased wife standing before him, crying to him with tears in her eyes just like this.

The thought of his wife struck him like a bucket of icy water, making cold sweat break out along his spine, instantly sobering him. The pity and hesitation in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by cold severity. He clenched his fist and commanded, "Stand aside. There is absolutely no room for negotiation on this matter. Unless he has the backing of a figure at the level of a Ten Palace Master, his desire to take you away today is sheer delusion!"

A deafening boom sounded in Bai Yijun's mind, leaving her completely blank. She stood frozen on the spot, unable to believe her father could be so resolute. The image of her kind father's face, etched deep in her memory, shattered instantly like fragments of glass.

The entire world seemed to die around her.

She stood alone, forgetting everything, feeling only the biting cold wind whipping against her body, unable to utter a single word in her stupor.

When Ye Chen heard Bai Yijun's words, his heart was profoundly shaken. A surge of hot blood rushed into his throat, and a thousand unspoken sentiments of yearning crowded his mind, yet not a single word could pass his lips. He could only watch that white silhouette, his eyes brimming with hot tears, his chest surging with emotion, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"You two should leave!" Bai Tian's voice struck Ye Chen’s heart like a massive hammer, yanking him back to reality. His face paled, clearly wounded.

The Heavenly Witch King’s hair seemed to stand on end; he glared at Bai Tian in towering rage. Though his fury threatened to consume him, he forced himself to restrain it, gritting his teeth. He bowed his head toward Ye Chen in a low voice, "My disciple, let's go. It is your fate to encounter such an untrustworthy father-in-law. What a pity for Miss Bai the Third—such a clever and bright girl to be saddled with such a father!"

Bai Tian swept him with a cold glance, a chilling killing intent flickering in his eyes. His fingers curled slightly into a fist.

Ye Chen looked across the assembly. Everyone was silent, and he felt a deep sense of grief and indignation, as if he and his master were being scorned by the entire world. Suddenly, he tilted his head back to the sky and let out a long howl, laced with wild laughter.

"Hahahaha..."

The laughter was desolate and tragically magnificent, soaring straight into the clouds, moving listeners to tears.

"Good!" He abruptly cut off the laughter and lowered his head. His black hair whipped wildly in the wind. His dark, cold eyes locked onto Bai Tian’s impassive face, and he spoke word by word, "If your daughter refuses to marry today, she will marry! Even if I, Ye Chen, spill my blood here today, I absolutely will not leave quietly!!"

At these words, even the Heavenly Witch King was stunned. The entire assembly froze, even the competitors in the stands—all their bodies stiffened, staring in shock at the man in black. It was unimaginable that this junior, merely in the Demigod Realm, would dare to declare his intention to seize the bride right in front of Bai Tian, whose power spanned the heavens!

Regardless of whether he could succeed, that sheer determination alone was enough to shake the crowd!

Bai Tian sneered, "Arrogant fool. This is meant to be a day of great joy; I do not wish to stain my hands with blood. Otherwise, I could crush both you and your master in the blink of an eye!"

Ye Chen slowly lowered his head, his voice deep. "Master!"

The Heavenly Witch King looked at him, unable to stop himself, "You..."

"This disciple is unfilial; I cannot repay your kindness in the future. I hope you do not wade into this mess! If I cannot take her away today, what use is my life?" Ye Chen murmured, then raised his head. His eyes fixed with unwavering determination on the peerlessly beautiful figure in white standing beside Bai Tian. Slowly, he took a step, treading the void, walking toward Bai Tian—the man who made even God Emperor level experts turn pale with fear throughout history.

Step by step.

The entire world fell silent, the audience holding their breath as they watched this stubborn, unyielding man.

"Don't—" Bai Yijun's eyes filled with tears, and she cried out mournfully.

A flash of killing intent crossed Bai Tian's eyes as he slowly raised his hand, about to act. Just then, several whistling sounds suddenly echoed from the distant horizon, tearing through the air with tremendous speed. In moments, they arrived directly above White Spirit Mountain. One of the voices let out an exclamation of surprise, shattering the silence that held the crowd.

Everyone involuntarily looked up. The three figures who had suddenly appeared consisted of a middle-aged man in black and white robes leading the way. He possessed an imposing presence, knife-like features, a tall, slender build, and fair skin. A dark, almost demonic mark sat between his brows, and his deep, handsome eyes held a look of mild surprise as he surveyed the crowd below the battle stage, sensing a peculiar atmosphere.

Behind him, a man and a woman stood on either side, both possessing noble temperaments and composed, elegant expressions.

Upon seeing these three sudden arrivals, the many God Emperor experts seated in the VIP area all narrowed their eyes, focusing intently on the middle-aged man leading them.

"Great Emperor Shao Hao!"

"It's Haotian!"

"Why is he here too!"

Everyone present regarded the middle-aged man with serious attention.

Ye Chen stopped his advance. Seeing these three figures, he felt a faint sense of familiarity. At that moment, the leading middle-aged man also looked down at him, a flicker of astonishment crossing his face. His figure shimmered, and he instantly appeared before Ye Chen. He scrutinized Ye Chen from head to toe, seeming to peer straight through him. Suddenly, he clucked his tongue in admiration and asked, "Junior, what is your name?"

Sensing no ill intent in his tone, Ye Chen immediately cupped his hands: "This junior's name is Ye Chen. Greetings, Senior."

The middle-aged man nodded approvingly, reached out, and clapped Ye Chen on the shoulder. Then, he let out a sound of surprise, re-examining Ye Chen thoroughly before exclaiming, "You haven't awakened your Civil Talent yet?"

Ye Chen wasn't sure how he knew, but he didn't deny it, nodding, "Yes, that is correct."

The middle-aged man couldn't help but nod repeatedly, an expression of boundless joy on his face. "Very good, very good! Not having awakened your Civil Talent means the true potential within your bloodline genes has yet to be stimulated. In this state, your Demigod Power is compressed so profoundly—you must have cultivated the Heavenly Dao Scripture. Since you managed to acquire this incredibly precious secret text, you likely possess others of high caliber as well. By my estimation, the amplitude of your secret techniques must be in the hundreds of billions! Few among the younger generation could possibly be your match!"

Ye Chen was momentarily stunned, surprised that his strength had been seen through so easily. This level of insight was terrifying. He nodded slightly. "Thank you for the praise, Senior."

Regarding the middle-aged man immediately identifying his body-refining manual as the most precious Heavenly Dao Scripture, Ye Chen wasn't overly nervous. Although his Heavenly Dao Master had cautioned him against using the Scripture openly before outsiders, knowing that sharp-eyed God Emperors could easily recognize it and invite fatal peril!

As the premier miracle cultivation manual of the ancient continent, if one mastered all nine tiers of the Heavenly Dao Scripture, the manual alone could amplify one's strength by hundreds of millions of times—a truly world-shaking feat.

However, back then, the Heavenly Dao Master had traded the first three tiers for something else. While those initial three tiers were rare and precious, they could be obtained if one had powerful backing or limitless wealth. During a previous battle, he had sensed that Feng Wuji also practiced the Heavenly Dao Scripture, so revealing his knowledge of it wouldn't necessarily expose the secret of his Master's ruins.

The middle-aged man's eyes gleamed brightly as he smiled at Ye Chen. Then, something occurred to him, and he turned towards Bai Tian, who stood majestically in the main hall. He offered a slight bow and smiled, "Shao Hao pays respects to Patriarch Bai. I heard you were marrying off your daughter, and I have come on behalf of the Spiritual Civilization to offer congratulations. This small gift is merely a token of my esteem." As he spoke, he flipped his palm, and an object appeared in his hand.