What did he mean... bringing humiliation upon herself?
Zhao Yueling looked utterly bewildered.
Zhao Yuhao was equally puzzled by those words.
Whatever else might be said of Zhao Yueling, she was known as the greatest beauty in the Eastern Pole Holy Land, and countless people worshipped her as the goddess of their hearts.
Nor was there any shortage of sons from powerful lineages and imperial relatives who came to ask for her hand.
Yet Zhao Guizhen had rejected every one of them outright.
The reason was simple: Zhao Yueling held a very high place in his heart, and she deserved better.
Those men were nowhere near worthy of Zhao Yueling.
Before this, Zhao Yuhao had never imagined that the words "bringing humiliation upon herself" would come from Zhao Guizhen's mouth, much less be used to describe Zhao Yueling.
Yes, Zhao Yuhao admitted that the Tianyuan Young Master was outstanding, but Zhao Yueling possessed both exceptional talent and exceptional beauty!
Even if she was reaching above her station, surely that did not warrant calling it bringing humiliation upon herself?
"Father, what do you mean by that?!" Clearly, Zhao Yueling also felt indignant.
Forgetting even to knock, she raised both hands, pushed open the door, and walked straight in.
"Yueling, what brings you here?" Too occupied with speaking to Li Zhu, and far too terrified, Zhao Guizhen had not noticed Zhao Yueling's presence at all.
"Father, you just said that a marriage alliance would be bringing humiliation upon myself. What did you mean?" Zhao Yueling asked again.
"Well..." Zhao Guizhen had not expected Zhao Yueling to overhear those words.
"Alas..." He sighed. Knowing how proud Zhao Yueling was, Zhao Guizhen decided to tell her the truth to avoid causing further trouble.
"Yueling, haven't you heard yet? The Tianyuan Holy Land now has a Great Emperor!" he asked.
"Everyone knows that the Tianyuan Holy Lord, Chen Tianlin, is the person in the Southern Region most likely to attain the Dao and become a Great Emperor."
Zhao Yueling did not understand. Did his success in becoming a Great Emperor mean that marrying his son would bring humiliation upon herself?
She was a holy land's Saintess, after all. Surely she was not that unworthy?
"Yes, everyone knew that the Tianyuan Holy Lord would attain the Dao and become a Great Emperor. What no one expected was that the Tianyuan Young Master would also enter the Great Emperor Realm."
The moment Zhao Guizhen said this, Zhao Yueling's mind rang with a buzz, shaken to its core.
"The Tianyuan Young Master attained the Dao and became a Great Emperor? But Senior Brother Yuhao told me he was only in the Grandmaster realm before. How many days has it been?"
Zhao Yueling seriously suspected that Zhao Guizhen was joking with her.
Four entire major realms separated Grandmaster from the Great Emperor Realm!
Never mind advancing from Grandmaster to the Great Emperor Realm—even going from Martial Student to Martial Master was impossible in such a short time, even for a genius.
"Holy Lord, did you just say 'also'? The Tianyuan Young Master also entered the Great Emperor Realm? Also?" At this point, Zhao Yuhao could no longer keep his composure.
He strode into the courtyard, repeating the word "also" and emphasizing it each time.
Disbelief covered his face.
"Yes. One second after the Tianyuan Holy Lord broke through to become a Great Emperor, he followed right behind and entered the Great Emperor Realm."
"There are even rumors that he deliberately suppressed his cultivation specifically for the Tianyuan Holy Lord's sake. After all, no one in the Great Cang World has ever broken the heavenly Dao order and allowed two Great Emperors to exist in the same world."
Zhao Guizhen explained.
"Two Great Emperors?!" Zhao Yuhao swayed, his legs going weak with fright, and nearly fell.
Fortunately, he reached out and caught the wall, barely managing to support himself.
Such a thing was truly unheard of and unseen!
Being able to break the laws of the Heavenly Dao, to break order itself, was far more terrifying than becoming an emperor!
Just who was this Tianyuan Young Master?
How could he defy heaven itself?
Did the Heavenly Dao have no objection?
"..." Zhao Yueling fell silent.
She instantly understood Zhao Guizhen.
"Bringing humiliation upon herself" really was an apt description.
"Yueling, don't be too disappointed. It isn't that we fall short; the Tianyuan Young Master is simply too monstrous! Across all of Great Cang, you won't find anyone worthy of his talent."
As her mother, how could Li Zhu bear to see Zhao Yueling looking so utterly ashen?
She stepped forward, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and comforted her gently.
"Thank you, Mother." Zhao Yueling nodded lightly.
She stopped thinking about the marriage alliance.
If they really went through with proposing it, they would indeed be bringing humiliation upon themselves.
"May I ask, Holy Lord, how should the Eastern Pole Holy Land deal with Tianyuan from here on?" Zhao Yuhao asked.
"Of the Southern Region's three great holy lands, the Five Poisons Holy Land courted its own destruction and has already been taken by Tianyuan. As for our Eastern Pole Holy Land, I'm afraid..."
Zhao Guizhen truly did not believe that the Tianyuan Holy Land would pass up an opportunity to unify the Southern Region.
In his eyes, the people of the Tianyuan Holy Land had always been an exceptionally ambitious sort.
"Yuhao, summon all the elders to the main hall for me. I have something very important to discuss with them," Zhao Guizhen continued before Zhao Yuhao could speak.
"Yes, Holy Lord." Zhao Yuhao agreed and immediately left.
There was no need to ask further. Given the current situation, even without Zhao Guizhen saying it,
Zhao Yuhao knew perfectly well what he wanted to discuss with the elders.
Submitting!!
The Tianyuan Holy Land.
Qingyun Prefecture.
"Phew..." Having finally seen Chen Tianlin off, Chen Mu let out a long breath.
Somehow, becoming an emperor had only left him feeling more mentally exhausted.
Fortunately, it was only temporary.
"Young Master, you're absolutely incredible! No one has ever become an emperor at your age! And someone who defied heaven to become an emperor is even more unprecedented!" Ye Qingcheng said, her face full of lovestruck adoration.
From that moment on, Chen Mu became the goal she aspired to in life.
Forget catching up—as long as she could glimpse his back from afar, Ye Qingcheng would be content.
"Cultivate diligently, and you'll be the next Great Emperor." Dangling a painted cake before someone was second nature to Chen Mu, who came from Blue Star.
"Rest assured, Young Master. I definitely won't disappoint you!" Ye Qingcheng slapped her chest and promised confidently.
Chen Mu smiled faintly and said nothing more.
Then his divine sense detected a familiar presence.
Outside the mountain gate.
Shan Yurong arrived with his younger sister, Shan Yuchan.
"Halt! Who are you? What brings you to the Tianyuan Holy Land?" Seeing the pair dressed in strange attire, the guard lowered his spear and questioned them.
"I am Shan Yurong, and I have already pledged allegiance to the Tianyuan Young Master. This is my younger sister, Shan Yuchan." As Shan Yurong introduced himself, he did not forget to introduce his sister.
"Sh-Shan Yurong? The Thousand-Faced Devil Lord!" the guard exclaimed, his eyes widening.
"That's right." Shan Yurong nodded in confirmation.
"How can you prove it?" the guard asked again.
Immediately afterward, Chen Mu's voice, ethereal as a Buddha's chant, sounded from every direction. "Let them in."
"Yes, Young Master!" The guard immediately straightened his back and planted his spear heavily on the ground, responding with utmost formality.
He had never imagined that even a figure as important as the Thousand Transformations Devil Lord had submitted to their young master.
"Please, both of you." He raised his hand in a welcoming gesture.
"Thank you." Shan Yurong turned to Shan Yuchan. "Yuchan, let's head up the mountain."
"All right." Shan Yuchan withdrew her gaze from the guard and stepped onto the stairs with Shan Yurong.
Partway up, unable to contain her curiosity, she asked, "Brother, is that Tianyuan Young Master really powerful? That guard seemed very afraid of him."
Before you continue