A woman’s beauty was determined by her appearance, body, and soul.
Qianye Ying’er was such a beautiful woman that not even covering up her face and hiding her gaze could disguise the magnificence of her natural spirit.
The East Ruins Crown Prince was twenty four hundred years old. His experience with women was endless, and very few women were worthy of his interest these days… However, Qianye Ying’er was clearly an exception. The mere sight of her outline had caused his anger and gloominess to vanish, and a l.u.s.tful heat to rise quickly from his groin.
The person next to him saw his expression and said immediately, “They are two middle stage Divine Kings. Their auras are unfamiliar and clearly not of the East Ruins Realm. It’s not strange to find someone from outside the Five Nether Ruins at this time though. What are your thoughts, young master?”
Dong Xueci didn’t spare the speaker a glance, unwilling to look away from Qianye Ying’er for even a second. He said, “That woman has to be a peerless beauty. But the man next to her is a complete eyesore.”
He took what looked like a single step toward Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er, but the distance between them was drastically shortened somehow. He then smiled at them and said, “h.e.l.lo, strangers. If I may ask, where are you headed to?”
Qianye Ying’er had adjusted her aura using the Ni Yuan Stone to be at the same level as Yun Che, but her spiritual sense remained incredibly sharp. She heard everything Dong Xueci had said earlier, so she replied coldly, “The Central Ruins Battle.”
Yun Che’s face was a blanket of nothingness… As expected of the Brahma Monarch G.o.ddess, trouble followed her even if her face was hidden.
“Oh? I thought that might be the case.” Dong Xueci’s smile grew wider. “My name is Dong Xueci. I have come to partic.i.p.ate in the Central Ruins Battle as well. Seeing as we are brought together by fate, why don’t we travel together?”
He stared at Qianye Ying’er suggestively as he spoke. He was the East Ruins Crown Prince, and there was nothing he couldn’t do in the Five Nether Ruins. Any woman who caught his attention should be grateful for it, so why would he try to conceal his desires?
He never turned to look at Yun Che. It was as if the latter didn’t exist in his mind.
He was certain that there was no one in the Five Nether Ruins who didn’t know his name and ident.i.ty, especially considering that Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er were middle stage Divine Kings.
“No need,” Qianye Ying’er replied coldly before moving to leave.
But Dong Xueci raised his hand and created an invisible force field that blocked her path. The smile on his face turned evil as he said, “What if I insist?”
Suddenly, a quiet and gentle voice cut through the sandstorm from the southern side. “It’s been a couple of years since we last met, and it seems like you’ve become more ‘mature’ than before, East Ruins Crown Prince. Does cultivating make you lose all shame?”
“...” Dong Xueci abruptly looked in the direction of the voice and narrowed his eyes a bit.
A group of people slowly approached through the sand. They were almost forty strong, and no one was an ordinary profound pract.i.tioner. The leader of the group wore a dazzling gold robe, an embroidered sash, a pair of gold patterned clogs, and a gold headdress with rows of jeweled ta.s.sels that covered up her countenance completely.
As she slowly walked toward them, umber black eyebrows, white skin, bright eyes and lips that looked like they were carved from jade peeked through the rows of swaying jeweled ta.s.sels. She made people feel like they were watching a beautiful painting dancing about lightly in the wind.
She was the one who spoke just now.
Yun Che’s gaze s.h.i.+fted and fell on her for several long breaths.
Her clothes were a stark contrast to the dim environment that was the Northern Divine Region, and the golden pattern on her robe was clearly that of a phoenix!
However, it was slightly different from the fire phoenix and the ice phoenix he knew of.
“I was wondering who was speaking, but it’s just Princess Chanyi, oh, excuse me…” Dong Xueci grinned and said, “I should call you the Crown Princess of the Southern Phoenix now, shouldn’t I?”
Qianye Ying’er shot the woman a glance before sending Yun Che a sound transmission, “Nanhuang Chanyi, daughter of the South Ruins Realm King. It is said that she’s the prettiest woman of the Five Nether Ruins.”
When she noticed that Yun Che’s gaze was lingering on Nanhuang Chanyi, she said in a low tone, “What’s wrong? Do you want to make her your toy?”
Yun Che, “...”
Nanhuang Chanyi ignored Dong Xueci’s ridicule and turned to Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er, saying, “Private fights are forbidden during the Central Ruins Battle, and the East Ruins Crown Prince is too proud to throw away the face of the East Ruins Sect. You are free to leave.”
It was clear to everyone that Nanhuang Chanyi was saving Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er from their predicament… There were a handful of people in the entire Five Nether Ruins who could rescue them from the East Ruins Crown Prince, but the only one who would deign to make the effort was Nanhuang Chanyi.
But Yun Che didn’t move a muscle, so Qianye Ying’er didn’t move either.
The duo neither thanked Nanhuang Chanyi for her timely rescue nor left the area. Their silence and lack of action surprised everyone and drew frowns on their faces.
Dong Xueci was initially surprised, but he quickly recovered himself and laughed madly, “Hahahaha, Nanhuang Chanyi, it looks like they don’t appreciate your gesture at all. I’m not surprised though. Why would they appreciate your ‘help’ when you’re damaging their prospects? Surely you don’t think you’re the only woman who’s allowed to lick another’s toes, Nanhuang Chanyi?”
“How dare you!!”
An angry roar erupted from behind Nanhuang Chanyi, and a man with an angry glare stepped forward with clenched fists.
This man was also garbed in golden phoenix robes, and his aura of n.o.bility was on full display. He was a peak Divine King, and his profound energy was far stronger than Nanhuang Chanyi’s. However, he had stood behind her until Dong Xueci made that insulting remark just now.
“Oh?” Dong Xueci’s expression suddenly turned into one of amus.e.m.e.nt. “Tsk tsk, look who it is! It’s the useless crown prince of the Southern Phoenix Divine Country… Oh, excuse me, you’re not even a crown prince now, are you? You’re now nothing but pure trash, hahahaha.”
This man was none other than the former Southern Phoenix Crown Prince, Nanhuang Jian. A month ago, when the Southern Phoenix Divine Sovereign received news from Beihan Chu, he had removed Nanhuan Jian’s t.i.tle and bestowed it upon Nanhuang Chanyi in a hurry… However, it didn’t look like he begrudged Nanhuan Chanyi taking his t.i.tle at all. He was clearly deferring to Nanhuan Chanyi.
Nanhuan Chanyi knitted her eyebrows a bit from behind the jeweled ta.s.sels of her headdress, while Nanhuan Jian exploded into anger, “Dong Xueci! You are courting death!”
“Courting death?” Dong Xueci sneered at him disdainfully. “You lost to me in battle, remember? Are you sure you have the right to say that?”
“You!” Black light appeared in Nanhuan Jian’s eyes as his fury surged.
“Big brother,” Nanhuan Chanyi raised a hand and said, “private fights are forbidden during the Central Ruins Battle. There’s no need to fall to the provocations of a vulgar man.”
“...” Nanhuan Jian gritted his teeth in secret and forcefully suppressed his own profound energy.
Dong Xueci was in fact very talented and powerful, or he wouldn’t have become the crown prince of East Ruins Realm. Everyone in the Five Nether Ruins knew that the East Ruins Crown Prince was exceptionally arrogant and unruly, but even he normally didn’t act like this when facing the members of another realm king sect… Of course, Nanhuang Chanyi was fully aware why Dong Xueci had gone out of his way to insult them.
Dong Xueci smiled disdainfully at Nanhuang Jian before looking at Nanhuang Chanyi. The sneer on his face was cold. “This young master must remind you about one thing, Nanhuang Chanyi. Do not think that you can rise to the top just because you managed to cling onto Beihan Chu’s toes.”
“Years ago, Beihan Chu took many gifts and went to your country personally to propose marriage to you, but he wasn’t even able to catch a glimpse of your face. Do you know how humiliating that is to a man?”
“Beihan Chu is now a member of the Nine Lights Heavenly Palace and the direct disciple of Venerable Hidden Sword. Venerable Hidden Sword also said that Beihan Chu will definitely become a palace master in the future. You are not worthy of his status or future in the slightest, but he still hasn’t forgotten about you... you don’t think that it’s because Beihan Chu is still in love with you, do you?”
“Heh!” Dong Xueci sneered, “No one knows a man better than a man himself. He’s only doing this because he wants to take revenge for the humiliation he suffered back then! He’ll repay you the humiliation you did to him a hundred times over! Partner? No, you’re not his partner! At best, you’re a plaything beneath his thighs!”
“And don’t even dream that the Southern Phoenix Divine Country will ever overcome the East Ruins Sect!”
Each of Dong Xueci’s taunts was worse than the one before. He was clearly fueled by jealousy and hatred.
“Dong… Xue…ci…” Nanhuang Jian was trembling all over and threatening to burst a lung or two.
But not only was Nanhuang Chanyi completely unperturbed, her aura barely changed at all after all the scathing comments that were thrown at her. She said indifferently, “East Ruins Crown Prince, a wise person would know to leave themselves a way out no matter the circ.u.mstances. Take care of yourself.”
“Big brother, let’s go.”
Nanhuang Chanyi turned and walked away after that. Her golden figure looked rather dreamy amidst the sand.
“Hmph!” Dong Xueci was extremely displeased that all his punches had missed its mark. Not only did he not sense any anger and shame from Nanhuang Chanyi, there was even a whiff of light disdain. He said coldly, “The South Ruins Realm have never been able to gather more than ten level ten Divine Kings including your outside help. Worse, you even pulled two level eight Divine Kings into your ranks during the last Central Ruins Battle. It’s one thing to humiliate yourself, and another to drag down the standard of the Central Ruins Battle! Your country is the shame of the Five Nether Ruins!”
“You better watch out! Don’t you dare shame us even worse than last time!”
Nanhuang Chanyi didn’t say anything. She simply went further and further away.
“Let’s leave,” Qianye Ying’er said.
Yun Che turned around and took a step. Then, he said coolly, “Who knew that the East Ruins Crown Prince would be so unsightly? It looks like the days of this East Ruins Sect are numbered.”
Yun Che’s voice was low, but both Dong Xueci and Nanhuang Chanyi could hear him clearly. Both people paused as Dong Xueci slowly turned around and smiled at Yun Che, saying, “Repeat yourself.”
“East Ruins Crown Prince.” Nanhuang Chanyi’s clear, soft voice rang out. “Getting involved in private fights during the Central Ruins Battle will have consequences.”
Dong Xueci narrowed his eyes into slits before memorizing Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er’s auras firmly in his mind. Finally, he smiled and said, “Very well.”
“Let’s go.” As expected, Dong Xueci didn’t attack Yun Che. “Royal father is probably tired of waiting, not to mention that this is the first time someone has ever lied and defied the East Ruins Sect. Who knows how he’ll react when he hears this. He may even travel to the eastern realms himself and kill that b.a.s.t.a.r.d called Yun Che.”
At the same time, Nanhuang Chanyi’s voice reached Yun Che and Qianye Ying’er. “The East Ruins Crown Prince is a petty and narrow-minded man. You shouldn’t have insulted him. Leave this place as soon as you can, or he’ll attack you two after the Central Ruins Battle is over.”
“Where should we go?” Qianye Ying’er asked Yun Che.
“We go to the East Ruins Sect,” Yun Che said. “We did say we’d show our faces. It’s only right to fulfill our promise.”
“Is that so?” Qianye Ying’er shot him a sideways glance before asking a different question, “What is your opinion regarding Nanhuang Chanyi?”
“She is an unfathomable enigma,” Yun Che replied indifferently.
“...!?” His reply stunned Qianye Ying’er greatly. There were various ways to interpret Yun Che’s words, but she just couldn’t see how they applied to Nanhuang Chanyi.
“Why do you say that?” Qianye Ying’er asked.
“I don’t know,” Yun Che replied.
“……”