The moment his voice fell, the Azure Emperor's expression changed drastically.
"Presumptuous! Who are you, to dare insult Imperial Father!"
When First Prince Lu Ling heard this, his expression changed drastically as well. He shouted angrily and took two steps forward.
When Lu Chen heard this, he stopped eating the chicken leg in his hand, slowly set it down, and picked up a towel to wipe his palms.
"So what if I said it? Was I wrong? The dignified Azure Emperor, a Land Immortal Realm expert, can't even protect his own subjects on the joyous day of his son's wedding, in a setting like this. Isn't that laughable?"
At that moment, a man in fluttering white robes stepped out from among the crowd in the back. He held a folding fan in his hand, and his face was filled with disdain.
What a poser.
Seeing this, Lu Chen secretly curled his lips.
"Who are you?"
Lu Ling narrowed his eyes, and an immense pressure radiated from his body.
"I am Sima Chusheng, the eldest young master of the Western Sima Family, one of the Four Great Families..."
Pfft...
Lu Chen had just taken a sip of water. Before he could swallow it, he heard those words and immediately lost control, spraying it out with a pfft.
"Hahaha, dead-mom beast..."
Afterward, Lu Chen could no longer hold back and laughed without restraint.
"Presumptuous!"
When Sima Chusheng saw Lu Chen laughing loudly, especially after hearing the term "dead-mom beast," his expression instantly turned icy.
With a low growl, the pressure of the Ninth Heaven of Emperor Realm surged toward Lu Chen like an overwhelming tide.
"Ninth Heaven of Emperor Realm!"
When everyone present saw the Ninth Heaven of Emperor Realm cultivation on Sima Chusheng, along with his Half-step Emperor Realm strength, shock appeared on their faces.
Even the Azure Emperor revealed a look of surprise.
Judging by Sima Chusheng's age, he was not even thirty, yet he already possessed the strength of the Ninth Heaven of Emperor Realm.
Meanwhile, Lu Ling felt the pressure radiating from Sima Chusheng, and his expression changed slightly.
As the First Prince of the Great Qian Divine Dynasty, he was twenty-eight years old. Yet he was only at the Ninth Heaven of the King Realm.
However, this young man who was about the same age as him was actually an entire Major Realm higher.
This was practically a resounding slap to the imperial family's face.
When the Azure Emperor saw Sima Chusheng release his cultivation pressure at Lu Chen, his expression changed drastically as well.
He gave a cold snort, and the terrifying might of an Emperor surged toward Sima Chusheng like a tsunami.
In an instant, Sima Chusheng's face turned pale, and he hurriedly retreated two steps.
"Your Majesty, Azure Emperor, this was merely friction between juniors. For you, the dignified Azure Emperor of Great Qian, to personally intervene—isn't that beneath you?"
After taking a heavy blow from the Azure Emperor, Sima Chusheng spoke through clenched teeth.
"You are Sima Chusheng of the Sima Family, the one who joined Guixu Holy Land more than a decade ago. More than a decade has passed, and you have already reached the Ninth Heaven of Emperor Realm. As expected of a genius who joined Guixu Holy Land."
The Azure Emperor slowly spoke.
What? He was actually a Heavenly Chosen of a Holy Land!
When everyone present heard the Azure Emperor's words, surprise appeared on their faces.
Basically, all of Great Qian's upper echelons knew of the Holy Lands that stood above the Eastern Cang Region.
The Eastern Cang Region had two Holy Lands and two Forbidden Zones.
They were Guixu Holy Land and Eastern Cang Holy Land.
The Forbidden Zones were the Sacred Demon Forbidden Zone and the Blood Demon Abyss Forbidden Zone!
These two Holy Lands and two Forbidden Zones stood above all the forces and nations of the Eastern Cang Region.
To all living beings in the Eastern Cang Region, people from the Holy Lands were immortals.
They were distant and beyond reach.
Thus, after hearing the Azure Emperor's words, everyone looked at Sima Chusheng with envy and awe.
Joining a Holy Land basically meant leaving the mortal world behind and becoming an immortal.
After the Azure Emperor finished speaking, and after sensing the awe in the surrounding gazes, pride appeared on Sima Chusheng's face. He raised his head and even looked at the Azure Emperor through his nostrils.
"It was merely a stroke of luck. I heard that His Highness the First Prince is also a once-in-a-century genius. Since today happens to be the joyous day of the Eleventh Prince's engagement, why don't I spar with His Highness the First Prince and add to the festivities for the Eleventh Prince?"
Sima Chusheng spoke with a smile.
The moment his voice fell, both the Azure Emperor and Lu Ling's expressions changed slightly.
Lu Ling was at the Ninth Heaven of the King Realm, directly an entire Major Realm below Sima Chusheng's Ninth Heaven of Emperor Realm.
If he sparred with Lu Ling, the result was obvious: Lu Ling would definitely be crushed.
Sima Chusheng clearly wanted to viciously slap the imperial family in the face.
Sima Chusheng looked at Lu Ling with a smile, while most of those present wore expressions of anticipation.
The imperial family had truly declined.
The Great Qian Imperial Family's Azure Emperor had become hesitant and indecisive, no longer the man who had wielded his blade and mounted his horse in his youth, suppressing the entire Eastern Cang Region for decades.
Even Great Qian's princes were no good. They were not even as capable as the second generation of the Four Great Families.
At the very center of this confrontation, Lu Ling's expression shifted between light and dark.
Since Sima Chusheng had proposed a challenge in front of Great Qian's envoys and even those from the surrounding nations, Lu Ling found it difficult to refuse.
Otherwise, it would mean that the imperial family had shown weakness.
With the Azure Emperor present, where would that leave his dignity?
But if he agreed, he was definitely not Sima Chusheng's match. If he suffered a crushing defeat, the outcome would be just as difficult to handle.
It could be said that Lu Ling was caught between a rock and a hard place.
In the back, the Azure Emperor appeared to be sitting calmly in his chair. Yet from the subtle changes in his expression, it was clear that he was also furious and helpless.
There was nothing he could do.
The Sima Family had truly produced a dragon.
They had raised a good son who joined Guixu Holy Land.
The Azure Emperor lightly rubbed his fingers, his brows faintly furrowed.
"What? Is the First Prince afraid? If His Highness believes he isn't my opponent, then admit defeat and acknowledge that you are inferior to me. This matter will then be over."
Seeing Lu Ling sink into hesitation, Sima Chusheng sneered and spoke with disdain.
"You... I..."
Hearing this, Lu Ling's face filled with fury. He gritted his teeth and was about to step forward.
However, at that moment, Lu Chen, who had been sitting quietly beside the Azure Emperor, suddenly stood up. He slowly walked over to Lu Ling and reached out, pulling Lu Ling behind him.
"Hmm?"
Just as the atmosphere on the scene had grown extremely tense, everyone saw Lu Chen suddenly step forward, and surprise appeared on their faces.
What was a six-year-old brat like him doing by stepping out at a time like this?
Could he possibly fight in place of his big brother?
In the back, the Azure Emperor's expression changed slightly when he saw Lu Chen step forward.
He instinctively wanted to speak.
However, in the next moment, the Azure Emperor narrowed his eyes and looked at Lu Chen thoughtfully.
The shock this merely six-year-old son had brought him was something the Azure Emperor had always understood clearly.
Therefore, toward Lu Chen, the Azure Emperor was almost unconditionally trusting.
Now that Lu Chen had suddenly stepped forward, the Azure Emperor instinctively wanted to stop him.
But when he thought of the miraculous things about Lu Chen, he still forcibly calmed himself.
He wanted to see what Lu Chen intended to do.
"Dead-mom brother, why do you insist on fighting?"
At that moment, Lu Chen tilted his head and looked at Sima Chusheng, his face filled with curiosity as he spoke.
Before you continue