Chapter 1990: Sneer

"You won't succeed!" Helian Lingzhu, supporting her father, sharply exclaimed, "My Helian clan has flourished in the Lin Yuan Realm for many years; how could you easily shake us?"

"Is that so?" Zhailiancheng chuckled softly. "But it seems your Imperial Father and this person who foolishly dreams of becoming a consort don't think that way. Well, that's fine too. With your naivete, you can better enjoy your final days as a princess."

"You..."

"Say no more."

Helian Jue raised a hand, weakly stopping Helian Lingzhu's impending retort. "I had anticipated this day, but I never imagined it would come so quickly, nor that it would be the Bai Lin Alliance."

"If there's anything else to say, say it now."

Helian Jue forced himself to stand upright, but under the intense pain, his face and body contorted continuously, appearing horrifying and desolate.

"You Helian Imperial Family won't need to attend this Lin God Assembly," Zhailiancheng stated directly, without bothering with pleasantries. "It's already a struggle for the four major powers to divide the Lin God Realm; now that the Bai Lin Alliance is here, how could it possibly be your turn?"

Mo Cangying's chest nearly exploded with rage, and he said with a sinister look, "The Lin God Realm was established by the Abyss Emperor! What right do you have..."

"Of course, we have no right," Zhailiancheng interrupted with a smile. "The qualification to enter the Lin God Realm has always been determined by strength. With the Bai Lin Alliance joining this time, if you insist on coming, we would be very welcoming."

"After all, who wouldn't want to watch a good show of self-humiliation?"

Zhailiancheng and Ximen Qi exchanged glances and burst into laughter simultaneously.

"By the way," Zhailiancheng continued, "the Abyss Knight witnessing this Lin God Assembly is none other than Ximen Boyun!"

This was a heavy hammer blow on top of an already crushing defeat.

Blood slowly seeped through Mo Cangying's clenched teeth.

The Lin God Realm was where the last Qilin of the Abyss resided, and it was also the most pure and active place for earth-elemental energy in the entire Abyss. Many bottlenecks in the Lin Yuan Realm were broken through there, and countless talents were nurtured within it. Helian Lingzhu, who had been at the peak of the Divine Lord realm for years without a breakthrough, had also hoped to achieve one in the Lin God Realm. If even this qualification were stripped away, then the contemporary generation and future descendants of the Helian Imperial Family would find it difficult to ever rise again.

"My Helian clan... may not be able to defeat your three sects, but that doesn't necessarily mean we can't defeat the Bai Lin Alliance!" Mo Cangying gritted out. Even if not for the Helian Imperial Family, but just for Helian Lingzhu alone, he was absolutely unwilling to give up the qualification to enter the Lin God Realm.

"Well said. After all, the Bai Lin Alliance has risen relatively recently and its foundation isn't deep. When it comes to the younger generation, it might indeed not necessarily surpass your Helian Imperial Family."

"But you seem to have forgotten one thing." Zhailiancheng squinted at him with one eye. "The current Bai Lin Alliance is backed by an Abyss Knight! With Elder Ximen's current status and position, it's child's play for the Bai Lin Alliance to invite powerful external assistance!"

"And what about your Helian family? I'm afraid you can't even support your own people; how many decent external aids could you possibly request?"

Mo Cangying's mouth twitched, unable to speak further.

Ximen Qi slowly added, "If you really want to come and let us trample your last shred of dignity, then I might as well give you a little reminder first."

He extended a finger, pressing down contemptuously on its tip. "The strongest external aid we've invited this time, just one person, would be enough to crush all of you... completely!"

"Welcome, Brother Cangying, and the so-called 'geniuses' nurtured by the Helian Imperial Family, to come and experience it. However, whether you'll return intact, this young master can absolutely not guarantee, heh heh heh."

"Are you finished?"

Helian Jue's already pallid face was now horrifyingly white. The chaotic profound energy within his heart meridians made it increasingly difficult for him to stand. "If you're finished, then get out."

"Lord Helian had better hold on a little longer," Zhailiancheng mocked mercilessly. "This nephew here still has a way out for your Helian Imperial Family. If you don't listen, it might be too late for regrets later."

"..." Helian Jue desperately wanted the man before him to leave immediately, but the words "way out" ultimately struck a deep chord within him. His chest heaved violently, and he finally gritted his teeth, "Speak!"

Zhailiancheng's lips curled downwards as he slowly stated, "After all, you Helian are the imperial clan who have ruled the Lin Yuan Realm for many years. If a change of dynasty incites conflict, it will harm the people and bring disaster to the entire Lin Yuan Realm. If some are too stubborn and unyielding, the entire Helian lineage might be uprooted and extinguished forever. Just imagining such a scene makes one sigh with regret."

This was the most direct and malicious threat possible. However, the Helian clan knew that if it came to that, this was precisely the most likely cruel reality. If the Three Sects of Pan Xuan, Wan Ren, and Lie Sha truly united to support the Bai Lin Alliance, then crushing the Helian Imperial Family would be virtually effortless.

In Helian Jue's heart, there was endless sorrow and endless regret... If he hadn't abandoned the protection of Mo Beichen's wife and daughter back then, the Helian Imperial Family could have relied on this Abyss Knight. How then could they have been kicked when down and bullied to this extent?

"To spare the creatures of our Lin Yuan Realm from suffering and to allow your Helian Imperial Family to retain some dignity, the Bai Lin Alliance Leader has graciously granted you another option."

"Through a marriage alliance, the Helian Imperial Family shall henceforth merge into the Bai Lin Alliance!"

Before Helian Jue could respond, Zhailiancheng's gaze had already turned to Helian Lingzhu. "To show sincerity, the chosen candidate for this marriage alliance should, of course, be your imperial family's most favored and highly renowned Eldest Princess."

"As for the Bai Lin Alliance's side," he half-turned and offered a graceful bow to Ximen Qi, "Young Master Qi will reluctantly accept her."

"Not difficult, not difficult at all." Ximen Qi's gaze swept over Helian Lingzhu, his face revealing an undisguised, even deliberate, lecherousness.

Bang!!

Mo Cangying's profound energy burst forth, his black hair bristled, and his eagle eyes seemed on the verge of shattering in extreme fury.

"Oh!" Zhailiancheng scoffed mockingly. "The Lord and the Eldest Princess haven't spoken yet, but the one eagerly wanting to be a consort has lost his composure first."

"Consort? Heh!" Ximen Qi let out a sneer, full of contempt.

Buzz!!

With a muffled thud, Zhailiancheng's robes billowed, and a layer of rock-like shadow enveloped his body. "Want to fight? Excellent. Mo Cangying, among Helian's many lackeys, your face is the one I detest the most. I'd be very happy... to personally break your wings!"

"No! Don't be rash!" Helian Lingzhu reached out, pressing firmly on Mo Cangying's arm.

The alliance of the Three Sects, plus the Bai Lin Alliance backed by an Abyss Knight. The Helian Imperial Family had no chance of victory, not even a tiny bit. Facing a hopeless enemy, whether to shatter like jade or endure like a tile had always been the most difficult choice. A fight to the death might truly sever the Helian lineage forever. What would remain, besides rivers of blood and bones, would only be their past imperial might and a name for fierceness. Surrender... would mean losing all dignity, but at least, their bloodline could be preserved, and almost everyone could be saved.

The Three Sect Masters and the Bai Lin Alliance offered a "stepping stone." But this stepping stone was undoubtedly built from heavy humiliation.

Overwhelmed by agonizing pain, Helian Jue even bit through the tip of his tongue. He stared at Ximen Qi, and with a blood-laced voice, he uttered words of profound humiliation: "A marriage alliance is possible, but it won't be with you! It should be with Ximen Borong's legitimate son, the Young Alliance Leader of Bai Lin — Ximen Hong!"

Ximen Qi was certainly not the legitimate son of Bai Lin Alliance Leader Ximen Borong; otherwise, Helian Jue would have known. How could he accept his Helian Imperial Family's Eldest Princess marrying a concubine's son of the Bai Lin Alliance Leader!

"Your... Lord?" Mo Cangying turned his head, looking at Helian Jue in disbelief, his voice suddenly becoming hoarse. The rage and profound energy surrounding him seemed to be brutally punctured, becoming chaotic and twisted.

Helian Jue's words caused Zhailiancheng and Ximen Qi to freeze for a moment, then simultaneously burst into ear-splitting, wild laughter.

"Hahahaha, hahahahahahaha!" Zhailiancheng laughed so hard he doubled over, completely losing all composure, as if he had heard the most preposterous joke in the world. "Helian Jue, what kind of delusion are you having?"

"Do you think the Helian Imperial Family, currently in this imperial city, is still the one that once dominated the Lin Yuan Realm?"

"The way out... oh no, the favor, granted to you by the Bai Lin Alliance Leader, is only out of respect for your Helian progenitor. Otherwise, do you truly believe your Eldest Princess is worthy of becoming Young Master Qi's concubine?!"

Concubine!? Not even a wife, but a concubine!

"This... is... too... much!"

How could Mo Cangying endure someone he cared for being so deeply humiliated? His entire body trembled, and the veins on his arms bulged, as if about to burst. If Helian Jue and Helian Lingzhu weren't nearby, his rage would have long since completely swallowed his remaining rationality.

"Don't be unconvinced," Zhailiancheng stepped closer to Ximen Qi's side, his casual face taking on a hint of flattery. "After Elder Ximen returned from the Pure Land, he personally declared that Young Master Qi is the most outstanding genius of the Bai Lin Alliance... oh no, no, no, the most outstanding genius of the entire younger generation in the Lin Yuan Realm."

"Currently, he's less than sixty years old, yet he's already at the peak of the Divine Lord realm. Furthermore, Young Master Qi could have broken through and become a Divine Master long ago. He is intentionally suppressing his cultivation under the guidance of Alliance Leader Ximen and Elder Ximen, to deepen his foundation and aspire to even higher realms in the future."

Ximen Qi smiled faintly, accepting the praise with composure.

Zhailiancheng continued, "Even if two Helian Eldest Princesses were at the same Divine Lord realm peak, they probably wouldn't be a match for Young Master Qi."

"Heh heh!" Ximen Qi chuckled softly, speaking arrogantly, "I declare that within the Lin Yuan Realm, no one below the Divine Master realm is my enemy! Lord Helian, tell me, is it I who am unworthy, or is your Eldest Princess unworthy?"

As blood rushed to his head, Helian Jue's face, already pale, gradually turned the color of a pig's liver. The Helian Imperial Family had been isolated for too long; the world outside the imperial family had already changed completely. Even a concubine's son from a newly rising power could inflict such immense shock and pressure upon them.

"Heh."

Just as the Helian father and daughter plunged into despair, and Mo Cangying was consumed by rage, a most ill-timed scoff rang out. It was very faint, so faint it seemed to have unconsciously escaped from the corner of a mouth, yet in the intensely oppressive atmosphere of the imperial hall, it sounded unusually clear and grating. A person whose presence was so faint as to be almost transparent, at that very moment, drew the gaze of Zhailiancheng and Ximen Qi.

"What are you laughing at?" Ximen Qi narrowed his eyes. To be a junior, yet to force the dignified Lord Helian into complete discomposure, to be humiliated to the extreme yet not daring to truly erupt—how satisfying and imposing it was. And yet, some oblivious wretch had to ruin the moment.