Star Luo Royal Family Compromises, Prepares to Break Off Engagement

In the courtyard of the Zhu Mansion, Yi Chen stood with his hands behind his back, waiting for about an hour.

The doors to the reception hall finally creaked open.

Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun walked out side by side. Both sisters' eyes were slightly red, but their expressions were much more relaxed than when they had arrived.

Zhu Zhuqing walked up to Yi Chen and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Master."

Yi Chen looked at her, then at Zhu Zhuyun, who stood behind her with a complex expression, and gave a slight nod. "Did you clear things up?"

"Yes." Zhu Zhuqing nodded gently, her voice tinged with relief. "Big sister... she was only ever trying to protect me."

Zhu Zhuyun stepped forward, bowed to Yi Chen, and spoke with sincerity, "Elder Yi Chen, thank you for bringing Zhuqing back. I have lived in guilt for all these years. Being able to resolve this knot today is entirely thanks to your intervention, Elder."

Yi Chen waved a hand dismissively. "There is no need for such formalities between us. Zhuqing is my disciple; it is only natural that I, as her master, should be the one to resolve her burdens."

He paused, then shifted the tone of the conversation. "Since you sisters have reconciled, it is time for me to pay a visit to the Star Luo Imperial Palace."

Zhu Zhuqing looked up, a flash of worry in her eyes. "Master, I will go with you."

"No need." Yi Chen shook his head. "Stay here at the Zhu Mansion and spend some time with your sister. As for the palace, I can handle it alone."

Zhu Zhuqing wanted to say more, but seeing Yi Chen's calm and indifferent demeanor, she eventually nodded. "Then please be careful, Master."

Yi Chen smiled without another word and turned to walk toward the main gate of the Zhu Mansion.

The Star Luo Imperial Palace was located in the very center of Star Luo City. It occupied a vast area, its golden tiles and red walls exuding a magnificent and imposing aura.

A squad of fully armed imperial guards stood before the palace gate. Each one possessed a steady, powerful presence, with even the weakest among them being at the Spirit King level.

Yi Chen walked up to the gate with his hands behind his back. A captain of the guards stepped forward to block his path, saying in a deep voice, "Halt! This is the imperial palace; unauthorized personnel are forbidden from entering!"

Yi Chen did not stop. He simply produced the golden token of an Honorary Elder of the Spirit Hall.

The captain's expression shifted slightly as he recognized the inscription on the token, but he still did not step aside. "So, it is an Elder of the Spirit Hall. May I ask what business brings you here, Elder?"

"I am here to see your Emperor." Yi Chen's tone was flat, yet it carried an undeniable weight of authority.

The captain looked troubled. "Elder, His Majesty has no scheduled audiences for outside guests today. Could you please register first, and I will report—"

Before he could finish, Yi Chen had already brushed past him and was walking straight into the palace grounds.

"Elder!" The captain was shocked. He reached out to stop him, only to find himself colliding with an invisible wall. He was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground.

Seeing this, the other guards drew their weapons and swarmed forward.

Yi Chen stopped and swept a calm gaze over the surrounding guards.

With just that single look, the guards felt as if they were being stared down by an ancient, ferocious beast. Their weapons trembled in their hands, and their legs felt as heavy as lead, unable to take a single step forward.

Yi Chen withdrew his gaze and continued toward the depths of the palace.

His pace was not fast, but every step he took carried a strange, rhythmic cadence.

Guards and palace maids who saw him tried to step forward to obstruct him, only to find they could not even open their mouths. They could only watch helplessly as he passed through gate after gate, heading toward the most magnificent hall of all.

Taiji Hall.

This was the main hall where the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire handled state affairs and received foreign officials.

At this moment, Emperor Dai Tianfeng of the Star Luo Empire was seated on the dragon throne, discussing state matters with several ministers.

Suddenly, a eunuch came scrambling in, his voice shrill and panicked. "Yo-Your Majesty! Someone has broken into the palace!"

Dai Tianfeng frowned, his anger rising, but a clear, resonant voice had already drifted in from outside the hall:

"Honorary Elder of the Spirit Hall, Yi Chen, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

As the words faded, a slender, white-clad figure appeared at the entrance of the hall.

Sunlight spilled in from behind him, casting a long shadow across the floor.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his white robes as pristine as snow. His features were peerlessly handsome, and his demeanor was composed and unhurried, as if he were merely a neighbor dropping by for a visit rather than a madman storming the palace.

Dai Tianfeng's pupils constricted slightly.

He had been an emperor for many years and had seen countless grand spectacles, but this young man before him gave him a sense of pressure he had never felt before.

It was as if he were being watched by a slumbering dragon; one wrong move, and he would be crushed to dust.

What made his heart sink even further was the name "Yi Chen," which was not unfamiliar to him.

The game that had recently caused such a massive stir across the continent, "Battle of the Golden Spatula," had been founded by a man named Yi Chen.

The full-scale promotion by the Spirit Hall, the active response from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the public endorsement by the Poison Douluo Dugu Bo... behind all of this was this very young man pulling the strings.

Dai Tianfeng had once assumed that a figure capable of stirring up the winds and clouds of the continent must at least be some old monster who had cultivated for many years. He had not expected the man to be so young.

"Elder Yi Chen?" Dai Tianfeng suppressed the shock in his heart and said in a deep voice, "I have heard that you have recently been promoting a game called Battle of the Golden Spatula across the continent, and it has been quite the sensation. May I ask what brings you to storm my palace today?"

Yi Chen walked into the hall. Under the gaze of all the civil and military officials, he walked calmly to the very front and bowed slightly. "Your Majesty is well-informed. Indeed, Battle of the Golden Spatula was created by this Seat. However, I have come today for a private matter."

"What private matter?"

"It concerns the marriage contract between your Third Prince, Dai Mubai, and my disciple, Zhu Zhuqing."

Yi Chen got straight to the point. "I hope Your Majesty will issue an imperial decree to annul this engagement."

As these words fell, the great hall erupted into an uproar.

"Insolence!"

"A mere merchant of games dares to interfere with the marriage of the Star Luo Imperial Family?"

"Your Majesty, this man defies imperial authority! He must be seized at once!"

Several ministers clamored in indignation, while a few military officers gripped the hilts of their swords, waiting only for the Emperor's command to move in and apprehend him.

Dai Tianfeng raised a hand to silence the ministers, his gaze fixed gloomily on Yi Chen. "Elder Yi Chen, though you have some renown among the common folk, my respect for you does not mean you may overstep your bounds. This betrothal is a covenant passed down through generations between the Star Luo Imperial Family and the Zhu Family. How can it be dissolved just because you say so?"

"I am aware," Yi Chen nodded, his tone remaining indifferent.

"But I am also aware that my disciple, Zhu Zhuqing, does not wish to marry Dai Mubai. As her master, it is only natural that I make this decision for her."

"Make the decision?" Dai Tianfeng sneered. "You, a mere teacher of games, what qualifications do you have to decide for a daughter of the Zhu Family?"

Yi Chen did not answer immediately, instead watching Dai Tianfeng quietly, his eyes as calm as still water.

Then, he slowly released his aura.

BOOM!!!

A pressure so terrifying it defied description descended like the heavens collapsing and the earth shattering!

The entire Taiji Hall shook violently! Tiles on the roof rattled incessantly, and the support beams groaned under the unbearable strain!

Every civil and military official in the hall, regardless of their cultivation level, was forced to their knees in the same instant!

The lower-ranking civil officials even fainted outright!

Dai Tianfeng sat upon his dragon throne, his hands gripping the armrests so tightly that he barely managed to keep from sliding off.

Yet his face had turned as pale as paper, blue veins bulged on his forehead, and cold sweat poured down his skin.

He tried to speak, only to find he could not even open his mouth!

What terrified everyone present even more was the sight of nine soul rings slowly manifesting behind Yi Chen.

Nine soul rings, all of them glowing with a deep, eerie blood-red!

Blood-red!

Hundred-thousand-year soul rings!

Nine whole hundred-thousand-year soul rings!

The nine blood-red rings hung behind Yi Chen like nine blood moons, rotating slowly.

With every rotation, the surrounding air seemed to solidify, and that terrifying pressure grew heavier.

The blood-red light pierced through the palace roof and shot straight into the clouds, staining the sky over the entire Star Luo City with a faint, sanguine hue.

In the center of the nine soul rings, Yi Chen's martial soul slowly emerged.

It was a shifting, golden radiance. At times, it transformed into a pitch-black heavy hammer, its surface etched with dark gold patterns, radiating a domineering aura capable of destroying the world.

At other times, it became a translucent white longsword, its edge flashing with a cold, icy light that seemed capable of severing all things.

Then, it shifted into a crimson spear, its shaft wreathed in raging flames that warped and twisted the surrounding air.

Clear Sky Hammer, Seven Kill Sword, Angel Holy Sword, Asura Demon Sword, Sea God Trident...

One by one, the legendary divine artifacts and martial soul projections of the Douluo Continent flickered in and out within that golden light, as if declaring to the world that every weapon in existence was under his control.

The Omni-Weapon martial soul.

As Dai Tianfeng watched this scene, a tempest raged in his heart.

Nine hundred-thousand-year soul rings!

The Omni-Weapon martial soul!

This young man was no ordinary Titled Douluo!

He was a Limit Douluo!

A true Limit Douluo!

Furthermore, he suddenly recalled a piece of information that the Spirit Hall had deliberately suppressed: the founder of the Battle of the Golden Spatula was himself a peerless powerhouse standing at the pinnacle of the continent.

It was only because he had always presented himself as a mere promoter of games that people subconsciously overlooked his true strength.

Yi Chen spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet it rang clearly in the ears of everyone present:

"Your Majesty, am I qualified now?"

The great hall fell into a deathly silence.

No one dared to answer; no one could answer.

Those ministers who had been clamoring to seize Yi Chen just moments ago were now groveling on the floor, not even daring to lift their heads.

Their bodies trembled, and their souls shuddered.

In the face of absolute power, the Emperor's majesty, the dignity of the Imperial Family, and the glory of the Empire all appeared so pale and powerless.

After a long silence, Dai Tianfeng finally spoke with great difficulty, his voice hoarse and bitter: "Let... let it be as the Elder says. I... I shall issue the decree immediately to dissolve the betrothal between Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing."

Yi Chen slowly retracted his pressure and martial soul, the nine blood-red soul rings receding like a tide, and the light within the hall dimmed along with them.

That terrifying aura, which had left everyone unable to catch their breath, dissipated without a trace, as if it had never existed at all.

He bowed slightly, his tone returning to its previous indifference: "Many thanks, Your Majesty, for your cooperation."

With that, he turned and walked toward the exit of the hall with his hands behind his back.

Upon reaching the threshold of the hall, he paused, and without looking back, added: "Oh, and Your Majesty. Please tell the Third Prince not to pester Zhuqing again. Otherwise..."

He paused, a faint, elusive hint of a smile in his tone: "The next time I come, it won't be as simple as just calling off an engagement."

Before his voice had even faded, his figure had already vanished into the sunlight outside the door.

Inside Taiji Hall, everything was in shambles.

Dai Tianfeng slumped back into his dragon throne, staring at the disappearing silhouette, remaining silent for a long time.

Only one thought occupied his mind.

The Star Luo Empire could not afford to provoke this man.