The soft and pleasant voice of Mu Qianyan had just finished speaking when a sword cloud, seemingly slow yet swift, answered her call and descended from the sky, transforming into several charming shadows standing before the palace entrance.
Everyone's gaze followed the sound and at first sight, they were captivated by the figure of the young girl in the ethereal, light blue attire.
With her hands clasped behind her, the girl walked in with a tall and upright posture, creating a stunning silhouette against the backlight.
"Qiushui Shengong, Tian Liuli, is here to dissolve a marriage,"
she declared as she walked in, her beautiful brows and eyes displaying an air of aloof dominance.
However, as she caught sight of Xu Yuan, the final word "marriage" unexpectedly caught in her throat.
"...It turns out to be you."
Tian Liuli smiled faintly, her lips slightly parting, "No need for laborious searching, for what one seeks can come without effort."
Immediately afterward, she began speaking again; her calm voice resonated within the hall, deafening as thunder in winter: "Qiushui Shengong, Tian Liuli, has come to return the engagement gifts previously exchanged between the Tian Family and the Xu Family. The gifts are far too meager for my status."
The moment these words were uttered, everyone present was stunned on the spot.
Not only them, even the two Protectors who had accompanied her were at a loss, exchanging bewildered glances.
Wasn't the plan to come here to dissolve an engagement?
Why has it turned into a return of engagement gifts?
…
Xu Yuan sighed softly in his heart and then looked deeply at Tian Liuli with eyes full of complex emotions that Lin Qingque could see next to him.
At the same time, he began to recall various details about Tian Liuli.
Tian Liuli, as the second female lead to appear early in the game, possesses the Innate Chaotic Dao Body, which can master all laws.
More terrifying is the fact that she was also a reborn individual.
In her past life, she was the Splendid Immortal Empress of Liuli Heaven, one of the Nine Heavens governed by the Heavenly Dao, a supreme being in the Immortal Realm.
Unfortunately, she failed her Heart Realm trial when attempting to reach Dao Ancestor level due to a defect in her spiritual cultivation and was forced to reincarnate and cultivate again.
As for Xu Yuan, he was her Dao Companion in the past life, who fell while trying to save her, leaving a void in her Heart Realm.
After experiencing the heart trial, his presence turned from a mere regret in her heart into an obsession. So much so, that in this life within the game, she's fixated on him to the point of madness, even bordering on pathological love.
That also led to the current situation.
Their marriage was arranged when they were young in the secular world. If it weren't for being selected by cultivators from the Heavenly Dao Sect and Qiushui Shengong at that time, they were supposed to be married tomorrow.
If this were part of the Lin Qingque storyline, he could have chosen not to come this morning to avoid extending their predestined marriage.
However, that choice would also lead to a consequence.
When Tian Liuli sees him the next time, her cultivation having vastly increased, she would forcefully initiate a marriage and "marry" him into Qiushui Shengong.
To prevent him from escaping or being taken away by someone else, Tian Liuli, with her overbearing nature, would rather destroy him than let him be with another.
By then, she would certainly impose some vicious Restrictions, such as one that causes shrinkage upon intimacy with others or perhaps even one that causes his privates to explode. At the thought of this, Xu Yuan shivered uncontrollably.
Therefore, to prevent such an outcome, Xu Yuan still chose to come.
At least by doing so, he could keep both of them within his surveillance to prevent any major upheavals.
"Nonsense!"
Just then, Lin Qingque, who had been standing to the side and seeing that Mu Qianyan and Xu Yuan had made no move, finally couldn't hold back.
"You are not here to return any gifts; you're here to dissolve a marriage."
She said sharply, her brows furrowed, eyes like lightning, and her voice ringing out.
The girl in the green dress turned her attention towards her upon hearing those words, only to reveal a hint of surprise upon seeing the hostility in Lin Qingque's eyes. She seemed to grasp something and chuckled lightly, speaking with a calm yet domineering air, "It seems you like him too, what a pity, no one can snatch away the person I have my eyes on."
"Bah, shameless, you haven't even married into the family yet! And, heh, you're nothing but a lecher driven by lust yourself!"
Lin Qingque curled her lip, lifting her delicate, jade-like hand where a spiritual light flickered in and out of sight in her palm.
Tian Liuli didn't take her seriously, merely shifting her gaze towards Xu Yuan while chuckling softly under her breath, "Lustful? I think that's more like you."
"Not at all, my relationship with my senior brother has been that of childhood sweethearts, innocent and pure. Our bond, is much closer than you'd imagine!"
Lin Qingque, having received Xu Yuan's implicit affirmation the previous night, felt her confidence surge.
"Oh... really?"
Tian Liuli couldn't help but respond with a forced smile. Upon hearing the declaration of their childhood sweetheart relationship, her eyes involuntarily narrowed.
Initially, her attention was on Xu Yuan, but as soon as she uttered those words, Tian Liuli couldn't hold back any longer.
Felling Xu Yuan's gaze on her, a passion that had been dormant for countless years in her heart stirred once again.
As if on a scorched plain, where a bright red poppy sprouted anew,
and in the parched land, where at the bottom of a spring moisture began to show.
But now, having heard Lin Qingque say such things, she could hardly restrain herself.
"Very well, you have succeeded in angering me. How dare you lay your fingers on the person I cherish, you've chosen a path to your demise."
Tian Liuli's fingers lifted slightly, ready to form a seal and make a move.
However, Lin Qingque, who had already locked onto Tian Liuli's intentions with Heart Voice, wasn't about to let her get the upper hand.
She was fast, but Lin Qingque was even faster!
With a fierce shout, Lin Qingque's body, shining with a yellow spiritual light, charged fiercely at Tian Liuli.
Tian Liuli's expression turned cold as she gracefully stepped back to retreat.
The scene unfolded so suddenly that the surrounding disciples hadn't even recovered from their shock "What! Tian Liuli is here to break off the engagement!?" "What! Little junior sister also fancies senior brother?" "What! There's an Asura Field to witness!?" before the two began to fight jealously.
The two Protectors behind Tian Liuli exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and confusion in each other's eyes.
For the first time, they saw Tian Liuli get so angry over someone other than herself.
If appearances were considered, this young man indeed had the most outstanding features they had ever seen, described as a heavenly countenance or the visage of an Immortal God wouldn't be out of place. Yet, in their eyes, he was no more than an ant; in terms of talent, he could dominate his era, yet that was it. In front of Tian Liuli's Innate Chaotic Dao Body, he could only be described as 'not bad,' and nothing more.
So why, after seeing him, did Tian Liuli suddenly change her mind and regret her previous thoughts?
There shouldn't be much of an emotional connection between him and Tian Liuli; otherwise, she wouldn't have initially thought about calling off the engagement.
Could it really be mere lust at first sight?
Mu Qianyan quietly watched this unfold, a faint smile playing on her lips.
For some reason, she chose to ignore it, her sharp and indifferent gaze falling on the two Protectors behind Tian Liuli as she said, "Let the young ones settle their squabbles among themselves, shall we?"
The two exchanged a look, then both nodded gently and agreed.
They had immense confidence in Tian Liuli.
Despite only being at the Foundation Establishment Stage, if she were to truly fight, even some Nascent Soul cultivators might not be her match.
Xu Yuan didn't know what his Master was thinking or what she intended by this, but as far as the current situation went, it was identical to how it played out in the game.
Noticing the other disciples stealing glances at him, Xu Yuan's face timely showed expressions of astonishment, pain, and conflict.
"Junior sister, Miss Tian, stop! Please don't fight anymore!"
You can't kill anyone like this!