! Chu Chen Is So... So Handsome~

Shenhuo City.

As the domain of the Divine Flame Imperial Palace, its prosperity was unrivaled throughout the entire Southern Wasteland.

Every day, countless cultivators trekked across mountains and rivers, traveling tens of thousands of miles just to catch a glimpse of Empress Lin Shuwang's peerless grace.

Those blessed with cultivation talent hoped to enter the Divine Flame Imperial Palace, dreaming of gazing upon the Empress's true visage day and night.

Yet, what was the reality?

Ideals were beautiful, but reality was cruel.

Ever since that great battle three years ago, Empress Lin Shuwang had rarely shown herself in public.

Even if an ordinary cultivator was fortunate enough to join the Divine Flame Imperial Palace as an outer disciple, they would never see her face.

To enter the Divine Flame Imperial Palace and immediately meet the Empress...

To even share a private chamber alone with her as a man and a woman... aside from Chu Chen, one could search from the azure heavens to the yellow springs and never find a second person~

But it was always good to have a dream. At the very least, the Empress's admirers gathered here in droves, pushing Shenhuo City to an unprecedented peak of wealth and prosperity.

"Put on your veil and cover your face. Remember, absolutely do not cause any trouble!"

Big Sister Ye Lingyue looked at Ye Han, who trailed closely beside her, and felt a wave of warmth in her heart.

She knew Ye Han was desperate to return to the Ye Clan, yet her sister still chose to follow her, clearly worried for her safety.

After all, the seven sisters of the Ye Clan were all protected by a Protective Dao Seal, but Ye Lingyue's Protective Dao Seal had shattered in the Heavenly Demon Gorge.

To avoid provoking unwanted karma, Ye Lingyue warned her again:

"Remember, three years ago, Chu Chen defeated Empress Lin Shuwang. The cultivators living in Shenhuo City hate us to the bone."

"The Ye Clan and the Divine Flame Imperial Palace share a deep grudge. We absolutely cannot expose our identities."

Although reluctant, Ye Han obediently donned her bamboo hat, concealing her city-toppling beauty beneath a veil.

"Hmph! It's all because of Chu Chen, that waste... It's all his fault that this young lady has to cover her face just to walk the streets."

The seven sisters of the Ye Clan possessed breathtaking beauty, capable of sinking fish, grounding flying geese, eclipsing the moon, and shaming flowers.

Since they were beautiful, they naturally wanted the world to see it. Otherwise, how would anyone know they were beautiful?

Therefore, Ye Han and her sisters loved to stroll outside in their free time, basking in the burning gazes, exaggerated sweet talk, and bold pursuits of those pathetic men, secretly reveling in the attention.

Yet Ye Han and the others looked down upon these mutts. Still, that didn't stop them from dressing extravagantly and showing off.

The Ye sisters simply enjoyed watching these men act like sycophantic hounds-unable to attain them, yet utterly unable to forget them.

But now, having finally arrived in the prosperous and opulent Shenhuo City, they were forced to hide their faces.

The more Ye Han thought about it, the more wronged she felt. Pouting her small lips, she grumbled:

"It's all that bastard Chu Chen's fault. Why did he have to fight the Empress? Even in death, he's a thorn in my side..."

"Xiao Han, do not speak nonsense!"

Ye Lingyue could endure it no longer and sharply rebuked her:

"Three years ago, if Chu Chen had not shattered his divine body, lost all his cultivation, defeated Empress Lin Shuwang, and driven back the demonic path alliance, how could our Ye Clan have ascended to become an immortal aristocratic family so quickly? How could we control the ninety-nine spiritual veins of the world? And how could you, Ye Han, possess such vast cultivation resources and countless servants?"

She assumed these words would make Ye Han realize her error, or at least feel a sliver of shame.

Unexpectedly, Ye Han merely snorted coldly and snapped right back:

"Big Sister, what nonsense are you spouting?"

"Xiao Xuan and Father both said that even without Chu Chen, our Ye Clan would still have become an immortal aristocratic family-it was only a matter of time..."

Seeing Ye Lingyue's face turn frosty with rising anger, Ye Han stuck out her tongue and immediately feigned weakness:

"Alright, alright, Big Sister~"

"I'm just joking with you. You know that I, Ye Han, always put family ties above all else."

"Big Sister, Shenhuo City is so massive. Where are we going to find that was-... find Chu Chen?"

Ye Lingyue sighed inwardly. She knew her younger sisters harbored deep-seated prejudices against Chu Chen. Changing their minds overnight was utterly impossible.

Thus, she didn't press the matter. The most urgent task was to find Chu Chen and bring him back to the Ye Clan.

This time, she, Ye Lingyue, would absolutely compensate Chu Chen properly!

Walking down the spacious streets with the noisy clamor of hawkers in her ears, Ye Lingyue asked:

"Xiao Han, you have always been clever. What do you think?"

Clinging to Ye Lingyue's arm, Ye Han rolled her eyes and blurted out:

"Big Sister, Chu Chen betrayed the family. Without our Ye Clan's protection, he must be living a miserable life. With his cultivation crippled, he likely lacks food to fill his belly, clothes to cover his back, and wanders aimlessly without a roof over his head."

"If he truly dared to come to Shenhuo City, he absolutely wouldn't dare enter the Divine Flame Imperial Palace. I believe there is only one place he could possibly go, and that is..."

Meeting Ye Lingyue's bewildered gaze, Ye Han didn't keep her in suspense. She pointed at the beggars huddled in the corners along the street and declared:

"The slums!!"

Ye Lingyue froze. Looking at the filthy, ragged beggars kneeling on the ground, groveling and pleading for scraps from passersby, her heart ached.

"Xiao Han, among all our sisters, you... you are indeed the most clever!"

"Let's... let's hurry to the slums to find Chu Chen. Once we find him, I... I will surely treat him well."

"At the very least, in the Ye Clan, we never let him lack for food or clothing."

As they spoke, Ye Lingyue and Ye Han-two noble young ladies dressed in luxurious silks and possessing the elegant bearing of descended celestial maidens-walked hand-in-hand into the slums.

They searched through every thatched hut and tiled shack.

Searching for the Chu Chen who, in their minds, was starving and freezing.

.......

Meanwhile, outside the Empress's Imperial Palace, a far more perilous scene was unfolding.

When the four branch Palace Lords revealed themselves in the boundless void, the terrifying Pressure of the Saint King Realm instantly suffocated the entire palace, causing the very fabric of space to tremble.

Sensing the intrusion, Zhang Ke'er immediately activated all the protective Formations inside and outside the palace. However, her cultivation was too shallow. Even though the Formations were of the highest grade, a weak array master could not possibly unleash their true might.

Gripping the Saint King artifact, the All-Heavens Star River Hairpin, Geng Yan slashed the air. A vast celestial river woven from billions of stars manifested from the void, cascading down from the nine heavens to obliterate everything in its path.

Zhang Ke'er gripped her longsword, her face pale with despair. Yet, even knowing death was certain, she refused to take a single step back.

She knew her Master, the Empress, was still in Secluded Cultivation and could not be disturbed by outsiders.

She knew she couldn't withstand a single strike from a Saint King, but she anchored her heart in death, resolved to protect her Master.

The only thing she, Zhang Ke'er, could do was die before her Master did. She would force these treacherous Palace Lords to trample over her corpse before they could set foot in the grand hall...

Even if it only bought her Master a single breath of time, she would gladly lay down her life!

Tap!!

But just as the vast stellar river was about to crash down and completely swallow Zhang Ke'er and the others, the sound of footsteps echoed. At this razor's edge between life and death, a familiar figure forcefully broke into the fray, standing before Zhang Ke'er and the disciples.

The young man who had suddenly intervened simply extended a single hand, tyrannically shielding Zhang Ke'er and the surrounding Senior and Junior Sisters behind him.

His black robes snapped wildly in the wind, his dark hair dancing fiercely. He stood tall and unyielding, handsome as flawless jade.

Like a Divine King of the Nine Heavens descending upon the mortal realm to survey heaven and earth, he radiated an overwhelming sense of absolute security.

"So... so handsome~"

"Heavens, Senior Brother is so handsome~"

"The white dragon prince of my dreams! I want to bear Senior Brother's babies! Bear his babies~"

......

The group of Senior and Junior Sisters behind him shrieked in endless swoons. Where was the terror of standing at death's door?

It turned out.

Handsomeness truly could cure anything~

Staring at the black-robed man's back, Zhang Ke'er uselessly gulped, her heart blooming with wild joy.

The destined lover she had fantasized about countless times had actually appeared before her eyes!!

A peerlessly handsome man, riding a white stallion and stepping upon seven-colored auspicious clouds, descending from the heavens at the critical juncture of life and death. He would suppress all enemies, then domineeringly and directly pull her into his embrace, declaring his ownership...

"Chu... Chu Chen, h-how... how is it you?!"

Once she finally recognized the man's face, Zhang Ke'er was utterly stupefied. Her brain buzzed.

A person whose strength was weaker than hers, whose realm was lower than hers, and whose cultivation base was inferior to hers-someone merely at the Qi Gathering Realm... Huh?!

Essence Condensation Realm, Seventh Heaven????

Zhang Ke'er pouted, staring at Chu Chen in sheer disbelief. How... how long had it even been?

Even popping immortal pills shouldn't be this fast, right?

But none of that mattered. What mattered was...

Facing a siege from a group of Saint Kings, even if he broke through seven minor realms in a single day, he was still just in the Essence Condensation Realm. He was still an ant.

What are you doing joining the fray?!

'Not born in the same year, same month, same day, but seeking to die in the same year, same month, same day?'

Venturing to the Yellow Springs together to be a pair of tragic lovers??

She, Zhang Ke'er, wouldn't mind that, but...

But... this Chu Chen wasn't her destined lover. He was the destined lover of her Master, the Empress!

What kind of mess was this?!

Zhang Ke'er's face flushed crimson. When she looked at Chu Chen again, her gaze was a mix of intense embarrassment and deep disdain.

And... a little bit of secret delight~

"..."

What a lunatic~

Chu Chen was entirely baffled by this little girl. He had come here to save the Empress and rescue them-was that a mistake?

Ignoring the lunatic Zhang Ke'er, Chu Chen turned around. Straightening his spine, he looked directly at the four terrifying figures walking the void above his head, a faint smirk curling the corners of his mouth.

Seeing that the interloper was Chu Chen, Geng Yan was momentarily stunned. For a long time, she couldn't fathom why a paltry Essence Condensation cultivator would run into the middle of a clash between gods.

And exactly because of this momentary shock, the terrifying celestial river aimed at the imperial palace ground to a sudden halt.

"Chu Chen? This old mother remembers you. You're that genius with the Top Grade Five-Element Full Spiritual Root!"

Geng Yan snorted coldly. While casting flirtatious glances at Chu Chen, she simultaneously commanded the sweeping celestial river to bear down from the sky:

"You are quite handsome, but it seems your brain doesn't work too well~"

"This old mother will give you a single breath of time. If you don't flee, then..."

Before Geng Yan could finish her threat, Chu Chen rested his hands behind his back. Raising an eyebrow, he spoke with absolute disdain:

"Are you certain you can kill me? I have a protector right behind me..."

Whoosh-

The moment the words left his lips, before Geng Yan could even flare with anger, the void around Chu Chen violently shattered, and an elderly figure frantically scrambled out:

"Little Ancestor! Oh, my Little Ancestor!"

"Let's run! We can't beat her!!"

.......