Do you still need proof? Congratulations on living a second life

Yun Qian turned around, his gaze settling on Su Linxian behind You Ning.

He raised an eyebrow slightly but did not speak right away.

He belonged to the Yun Family, an Emperor Clan. He had only come to do his good friend Wang Guan a favor and attend the You Family's wedding while he was here.

His status as an Emperor Clan scion meant he had seen all manner of people, and his standards were naturally high.

Yun Qian said, "Mm."

Wang Guan, however, spoke with a smile.

"Brother You, who is that?"

"His cultivation seems extraordinary. Even I can't see through him."

You Ning explained in a low voice.

"Brother Wang, Brother Yun, you may not know this, but he is also from an Emperor Clan!"

"I happened to meet him outside. I heard he's from the Su Family, an Emperor Clan!"

"Hm?" Yun Qian frowned.

"The Su Family?"

"How come I've never heard of someone like you?"

He looked Su Linxian up and down, his gaze carrying the habitual arrogance of an Emperor Clan scion.

Of course he knew the Su Family.

He had met most of their younger generation. The most outstanding was Shangyu Su, who could contend with his elder clansman.

Yet this white-robed young man looked utterly unfamiliar.

When had the Su Family gained someone like him?

Could he be impersonating an Emperor Clan member to swagger around and swindle people?

"Yun Qian of the Yun Family," Yun Qian introduced himself, his tone carrying a measure of pressure and scrutiny.

"May I ask which branch of the Su Family you descend from?"

"You Ning, don't let your Ancient Saint Clan be deceived without even realizing it."

"Isn't that Young Master Yun? What's going on?" Everyone nearby looked over.

Those standing in the hall were all prodigies and exceptional talents from various factions.

The mention of the Su Family, an Emperor Clan, drew everyone's attention.

You Ning stood to the side, his expression turning somewhat awkward.

He had only thought about currying favor with Su Linxian as an Emperor Clan member, never questioning whether his identity was genuine.

Now that Yun Qian had challenged him publicly, You Ning could hardly interrupt. He could only stand aside and watch.

"Well... Young Master Su, do you have proof of your identity?"

Every Emperor Clan member possessed an Emperor Token.

But he did not.

Why?

Emperor Realm cultivation. The Su Family's Divine Son.

What more do I need to prove who I am?

Su Linxian glanced at Yun Qian.

Yu Yao sneered. "With my master's exalted status..."

"Would he need something like that?"

As her words fell, a trace of her aura escaped.

Boom!

An immense pressure descended without warning!

Everyone felt the sky collapse!

It was a genuine sensation of the heavens falling, yet it was that invisible force that sent a violent tremor through the depths of everyone's soul.

It was as though an invisible hand had pressed down on the crown of each person's head, ready to shatter them to pieces with the slightest movement.

This was...

The aura of a Great Emperor?!

"Emperor Realm?!"

"How is that possible?!"

Yun Qian's face instantly turned deathly pale.

An Emperor Realm cultivator was outstanding even within an Emperor Clan.

For someone like that to address this man as her master...

His standing within the Su Family must have been anything but low!

Why have I never seen him before?!

Boom!

"Young master, be careful!"

Yun Qian's guardian intervened from the shadows.

Yun Qian's knees buckled, and he nearly fell to the ground.

His pupils quivered violently, his lips trembling. His earlier arrogance had vanished without a trace, leaving only naked terror.

The others in the hall were little better off.

Those with weaker cultivation had already dropped to their knees, their legs giving out and cold sweat streaming down their foreheads.

The prodigies who had been laughing and chatting moments earlier now fell silent as cicadas in winter, even softening their breathing.

You Ning stood to the side, his back soaked with cold sweat and his heart churning like an overturned sea.

He hurried to smooth things over.

"So... you truly are from an Emperor Clan, young master!"

"A misunderstanding! It was all a misunderstanding!"

"That's enough, Yu Yao," Su Linxian said.

Yu Yao gave a couple of huffs, withdrew her pressure, and resumed eating her spirit fruit.

Su Linxian spoke calmly.

"Now..."

"Do you still need proof?"

Wang Guan stood in the hall, his brows tightly furrowed.

But he spoke anyway.

"Young Master Su." Wang Guan stepped forward and cupped his hands slightly, his tone neither servile nor overbearing. "Brother Yun Qian is my good friend. He offended you earlier, and I apologize on his behalf."

"You're both from Emperor Clans. Isn't this a little..."

Su Linxian raised his eyes and glanced at him.

"Who gave you the right to speak?"

Wang Guan's words caught in his throat.

The moment that gaze fell on him, he felt pinned beneath an invisible mountain. Even the blood throughout his body seemed to freeze.

Deep within Wang Guan's sea of consciousness, an aged voice rang out urgently.

"Little Guan! You mustn't offend him! His cultivation is far beyond anything you can imagine. There's a power in his aura that makes even my heart tremble! Don't confront him head-on!"

Wang Guan's heart jolted. He replied within his sea of consciousness, "Elder Jun, even you don't know where he comes from?"

"I can't see through him. But he's from the Su Family, an Emperor Clan, and he has a Great Emperor as his guardian. You're only at the first level of the Jijie Realm. Before him, you're nothing but an ant!"

Wang Guan's heart shook wildly. He lowered his head, took a step back, and said no more.

Su Linxian's gaze, however, lingered on Wang Guan for a moment.

His eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze piercing the barrier around Wang Guan's sea of consciousness.

In its depths, he sensed another soul.

That soul was ancient and profound, its aura as deep as an abyssal sea, like a colossal beast lurking beneath the ocean.

The old-grandpa mentor type?

The corners of Su Linxian's mouth lifted slightly.

The commotion outside the hall alerted the You Family's elders.

Several figures hurried over from the depths of the estate. Leading them was a gray-haired old man with a lean face and an unfathomable aura. Several elders followed behind him, all wearing grave expressions.

"What's going on?" the gray-haired elder asked in a low voice.

"Grand Elder!"

You Ning hurried forward and quietly explained everything that had happened.

The gray-haired elder's expression shifted repeatedly. His gaze settled on Su Linxian, and the gravity in his eyes gradually gave way to cautious respect.

The Su Family, an Emperor Clan?

With an Emperor Realm guardian at his side?

Such a party would warrant the highest level of hospitality from any faction in the Blazing Extreme Dao Domain!

"So we have a young master of the Su Family before us." The gray-haired elder hurried forward and bowed with cupped hands, adopting a deeply deferential posture. "I am You Chengji, an elder of the You Family. Please forgive our earlier neglect, young master. Your arrival from afar brings splendor to our humble home. May I ask what brings you here?"

Everyone in the hall pricked up their ears.

A direct descendant of the Su Family had traveled countless miles to the Blazing Extreme Dao Domain. Surely he had not come specifically to attend a wedding.

Su Linxian set down his teacup and spoke calmly.

"Where is Ming Suwen?"

You Chengji's expression changed slightly.

The elders behind him exchanged glances, a trace of unease flashing through their eyes.

The You Family had gone to great lengths to capture Ming Suwen and bring her back. They had spent hundreds of years preparing for this wedding, sending invitations to every faction throughout the Blazing Extreme Dao Domain.

With everything at such a critical juncture, someone from the Su Family had appeared asking after Ming Suwen. They could hardly help reading into it.

"Young master..." You Chengji chose his words carefully. "May I ask why you seek Ming Suwen?"

Su Linxian turned his head and glanced at Ming Qingshu, who stood stiffly behind him.

"The woman beside me is her descendant."

"Coming to find her own blood relative isn't unreasonable, is it?"

You Chengji froze for a moment.

He looked at the young woman behind Su Linxian and frowned.

Ming Suwen's descendant?

The Ming Family had been exterminated a thousand years ago, and the You Family had done it themselves.

How could any descendants still be alive?

His thoughts raced, and he hesitated for quite some time.

"Of course, young master." You Chengji forced a smile. "If you're seeking family, the You Family certainly won't stand in your way. Please follow me."

He turned to lead the way, passing through several courtyards before reaching an exceptionally tranquil garden deep within the estate.

At the center of the garden stood the Water Pavilion, surrounded by jade-green water and luxuriant lotus leaves. A white jade pavilion rose over the water, sheer curtains hanging on all four sides. A breeze passed through, setting the gauze drapes gently swaying.

A lone figure sat within the pavilion.

It was a woman.

She wore a plain white dress, her black hair cascading like a waterfall to her waist.

Her face was exquisitely beautiful, her features carrying the stillness and weariness of someone who had weathered life's upheavals, every sharp edge concealed.

She sat on a stone stool in the pavilion, a pot of tea long gone cold before her. Her gaze rested on the lotus leaves upon the water, her thoughts unknowable.

"It's her!"

Li Junhua's body jolted.

He stood at the garden entrance as though rooted in place, his gaze locked on that figure.

His lips trembled, something surging within his eyes. It was as though seventy-six thousand years of waiting and ten thousand years of regret had risen together, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.

"Suwen..."

His voice was soft, so soft that almost only he could hear it.

Yet the figure in the pavilion suddenly lifted her head as though struck by lightning.

Ming Suwen turned around.

She saw the young man standing at the garden entrance.

He was handsome, his aura returned to a pure, unadorned simplicity, and he looked barely older than twenty. But those eyes, that voice, that face—even though he was so very much younger, she recognized him at once.

Ming Suwen's pupils trembled violently. She froze on the stone stool, the teacup slipping from her fingers and shattering on the ground.

"You..."

"How did you..."

Li Junhua rushed forward, crossed the Water Pavilion's stone bridge, and reached Ming Suwen.

He reached out and seized her cold fingers.

"Come with me."

Ming Suwen looked down at the hand clasping her wrist and fell silent for a breath.

Then she abruptly pulled her hand free, the shock on her face turning to icy coldness.

"What are you doing here?"

"Taking you away!" Li Junhua said.

"I've lived a second life."

Ming Suwen's voice was as cold as if it had been tempered in ice.

"Congratulations."

"But I've already agreed to marry You Xuanhai."