Yours Truly Is Her Husband

The person who had arrived was Mu Chen.

He had compressed a four- or five-day journey into just two.

Then he spent another day pinpointing the battlefield in the vast Black Demon Forest.

Mu Chen curiously studied Xie Guan for a moment, then bluntly asked, "Little Brother Xie, do you know my Luo Li?"

That's right. The instant he saw the silver-haired girl, he was struck by her serene, lotus-like grace. Love at first sight, and beauty enough to topple kingdoms at second.

The Hundred Spirits Royal Clan's future princess consort could be none other than her!

Ahem, that was all a joke.

As a Royal Heir with a mature outlook, he had met all kinds of beauties and had plenty of experience. He wasn't going to fall head over heels for a woman before they'd even met.

Still, feelings could always be cultivated.

"Luo Li? So that's her name. What a poetic name."

Xie Guan murmured to himself, then quickly caught the "problem" in the newcomer's words.

"My Luo Li?"

"You know Miss Luo Li? What's your relationship with her?"

"Who sent you?"

As a male in the midst of growing up, his voice rose higher and higher.

This barrage of three soul-seeking questions didn't anger Mu Chen.

This ordinary-looking fellow, Xie Guan, wasn't a rival of his, either.

"Luo Li and I..."

"Though she was a little far away, so I couldn't see her clearly, I caught a glimpse of those perfect features. Yours truly is her husband."

"Ah, forgive me for showing off, Little Brother Xie."

Mu Chen pondered for a moment, then answered with a perfectly earnest expression.

Ptooey!

Xie Guan's mouth twitched slightly.

At last, he caught the teasing and mockery in Mu Chen's words.

This smooth-talking fellow was just bragging to him.

If you'd had even a plate of peanuts to go with your booze, you wouldn't be this drunk!

For some reason, even though he knew his chances were slim (nonexistent), learning that his goddess was still single after ruling out a potential rival filled Xie Guan with joy.

--

"Don't just drink. Have some food too, brother."

Much relieved, Xie Guan clapped Mu Chen on the back.

"You don't believe me? Just watch. The moment I show up, Luo Li will be delighted."

Mu Chen crossed his arms over his chest and shot the other man a sidelong look.

Trapped and surrounded, then suddenly rescued—who wouldn't be delighted?

Xie Guan was just about to retort when he suddenly caught on. "Brother Mu, do you mean you're going to ambush the Five Tigers of the Zhao Clan and rescue Miss Luo Li?"

"Why else would I have raced here day and night? To sightsee?"

Mu Chen's retort filled Xie Guan with delight. At last, he had reinforcements.

"Thank you, thank you! I, Xie Guan, bow to you, Brother Mu!"

"Please, brother, make sure the beauty stays safe and help her escape."

Fighting back the urge to burst into tears, Xie Guan bowed to his "love rival."

Ah, if you didn't truly love someone, who would...

Mu Chen's brows knitted together, and a chill ran through him.

Damn it, I'll save whoever I want. What does it have to do with you?

He felt as disgusted as if he'd swallowed a fly.

"Hmph. If you've nothing else to do, leave at once."

"My martial techniques have a wide range. Be careful I don't hit you by mistake."

Mu Chen snorted, then shot off toward the battlefield.

He left Xie Guan standing there, utterly baffled.

That man had a very strange temper. I thanked him, yet he acted as though I'd insulted him. How bizarre.

Forget it. I won't hold it against him.

--

At the other end of the battlefield.

Atop an unnamed mountain peak stood a tall, upright young man with his hands behind his back.

He wore white robes, had a slender build, and a ruggedly handsome face.

His short, black hair fluttered in the wind. He was composed, with an air of effortless confidence.

A warm smile always curved his lips, inspiring goodwill in anyone who saw him.

Yet at this moment, that charming, refined face was creased with conflict. His eyes remained fixed on the slender figure darting across the battlefield.

Ji Xuan hailed from a great clan in the Southern Border, one with a High-rank Sovereign in its ranks.

He had been a heaven's favored child since birth. His talent shone like the sun, dazzling his generation and making every other genius seem dim by comparison.

From the moment he was born, his clan had devoted itself to cultivating him, and he had risen rapidly.

When the Spiritual Road Plane opened, he was chosen in advance by the Holy Spirit Academy, the foremost of the Five Great Academies. They had designated him a core student and sent him into the Spirit Road to fight among a hundred thousand peers.

If he could carve a path through the many human geniuses from every corner of the Great Thousand World and contend for supremacy among kings, his standing within the Holy Spirit Academy would surely rise again.

Even a brilliant figure like him had fallen for Luo Li at first sight, just like Xie Guan.

Her shimmering, galaxy-like silver hair, her peerlessly beautiful face, her bright eyes as clear as glass, and her serene, lotus-like grace—

Every last detail had left him utterly enraptured.

Before this flawless beauty, this celestial maiden too ethereal for the mortal world, Ji Xuan's excellence and pride were worth nothing.

After some thought, he reined in his sense of defeat and continued waiting.

Until, at last, a perfect opportunity appeared.

Luo Li was injured in the Black Demon Forest, and the Five Tigers of the Zhao Clan bared their fangs.

When word reached him, Ji Xuan hurried to the same battlefield.

As an unparalleled prodigy who had already reached Level 6 and was preparing to break through to a Level 7 Spirit Body, an old king with terrifying strength, he had no reason to fear the so-called Five Tigers.

Ji Xuan thought that if he showed himself now, drove back the enemy, and helped Luo Li escape, he would surely win her heart.

Even if not, he could at least open a crack in that long-sealed door.

But just moments ago, he had received an urgent message from one of his subordinates:

An ancient Spirit Treasury was about to emerge!

--

Others didn't know what the Spirit Treasury concealed, but Ji Xuan knew it all too well.

The Ancient Heavenly Dragon Eagle, a Super Heavenly Beast ranked eighth in the Myriad Beasts Record Earth Ranking.

A powerful spirit bird, an ancient variant, ranked even above the Nine Nether Sparrow.

Neither eagle nor dragon, it possessed terrifying strength. It could even prey on powerful spirit beasts with Dragon Clan bloodlines, hunting giant serpents and ferocious flood dragons.

Its kind was well known throughout the Great Thousand World.

Even Sovereigns would grow wary and give an adult Ancient Heavenly Dragon Eagle a wide berth—a testament to its ferocity.

And hidden in that Spirit Treasury was an Ancient Heavenly Dragon Eagle that had strayed into the Spiritual Road Plane.

The adult Ancient Heavenly Dragon Eagle was suspected to have entered the Sovereign Domain. It had suffered serious injuries and was struggling under the Spiritual Road's restrictions, unable to escape the plane's confines.

After a senior from the Ji Clan, who had taken part in the Spirit Road Selection, discovered this secret, he immediately and discreetly reported it to the clan, earning countless rewards.

Overjoyed, the clan's leaders sent their people to investigate the Spirit Road several times.

After years of effort, the Ji Clan had uncovered nearly every secret of the Spirit Treasury. They had left the final blow to the clan's young heaven's favored child, its young lord.

The clan elders' plan was that if Ji Xuan could refine the spirit essence of a Super Heavenly Beast ranked eighth on the Earth Ranking during the Spirit Soul stage, he would become utterly invincible among his generation and rise above the myriad races.

The Ancient Heavenly Dragon Eagle was something Ji Xuan was determined to claim!

P.S. The beloved moonlight you've been waiting for has appeared, along with a bonus: her number-one rival in love, lol.