"Ling Family…" Yue Qianxue murmured softly.
Her eyes shimmered with quiet resolve — she had long known this day would come.
She took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm ready."
At this moment, no one in the Yue Family knew whether the Ling Family had come to annul the engagement or for some other reason. The arrival of the Ling Family was far too grand — not at all like a simple visit for breaking off a marriage contract.
However, Yue Qianxue had only just regained her cultivation talent; it was impossible for the Ling Family to have learned of it so soon.
How could a mighty clan like theirs allow their Divine Son to marry a woman who once could not cultivate and take her back to the Ling Family?
Such doubts weighed heavily on every Yue Family member's heart.
But Yue Qianxue knew the truth.
The Ling Family was here to annul the engagement.
Once that bond was severed, there would be no connection left between the two houses. And the moment the Ling Family departed, the Eternal Abyss Sect, lurking in the shadows, would strike with thunderous fury, wiping the Yue Family from existence in the blink of an eye.
She would not — could not — allow that tragedy to happen again.
Led by Yue Nantian, Yue Qianxue made her way toward the Yue Family's grand hall. The hall was already alive with chatter and movement.
The arrival of Ling Tianxuan, the Divine Son of the Ling Family, had stirred deep curiosity among the younger disciples.
They knew nothing of the storm hanging over their heads — only that the Divine Son had arrived, and perhaps… to annul his engagement.
A few of the Yue Family's young maidens, their gazes falling upon Ling Tianxuan from afar, were instantly entranced.
> "Is that truly the Divine Son of the Ling Family, Ling Tianxuan? He's even more elegant than the rumors say. If he breaks off his engagement with that useless Yue Qianxue, I wouldn't mind taking her place!"
> "Hah! You? With that face? Dream on!"
> "Don't underestimate a round face! They say it brings good fortune to the husband!"
Their playful quarreling echoed faintly through the courtyard.
Meanwhile, in the grand hall, Ling Tianxuan sat calmly upon a carved sandalwood chair.
Behind him stood two elders of the Ling Family — both Quasi-Emperor Realm experts, among the family's top guardians. Only the Divine Son merited such protection.
After several moments of silence, rhythmic footsteps echoed from the corridor outside.
"Thump… thump… thump…"
A group entered — Yue Nantian at the forefront, his bearing solemn yet respectful. Beside him walked a woman of ethereal beauty and graceful poise.
Ling Tianxuan lifted his gaze.
It was Yue Qianxue — the woman fate had tied to him.
Yue Nantian's stern expression softened, and a rare smile broke across his face.
"Tianxuan, Qianxue has arrived," he announced warmly.
The two had met only once before, when they were children — a meeting arranged by their families when the engagement was first set. Since then, years of cultivation had separated them.
Now, destiny brought them face to face again.
Ling Tianxuan offered her a faint, courteous smile and a gentle nod of greeting.
Yue Qianxue blinked, startled.
He smiled?
In her previous life, when Ling Tianxuan came to annul the engagement, he had been cold, distant, and expressionless — a man of ice.
Why… was it different this time?
Even Yue Nantian was caught off guard. The young Divine Son's attitude was unexpectedly calm — even amiable.
After a few polite words, Yue Nantian quickly steered the conversation to its purpose.
"Divine Son Ling, to what do we owe the honor of your visit today? If there is any matter within our Yue Family's power, we shall not refuse."
Though his tone was steady, a faint unease flickered in his eyes.
The Divine Son of an Imperial Family was destined for greatness. His future wife would surely be a woman of peerless talent — not one who once lacked the ability to cultivate. If the engagement were to be annulled, it would spell catastrophe for the Yue Family.
Not long ago, they had received grim news: the Eternal Abyss Sect, once nearly annihilated by their ancestors, was gathering its full might to take revenge.
If the Ling Family withdrew their protection now, annihilation would be inevitable.
Ling Tianxuan's gaze swept across the tense faces of the elders. Then, with a calm and steady voice, he spoke:
> "Patriarch Yue, I have not come to annul the engagement. I am here only to discuss the date of my marriage with Qianxue."
His tone was warm and serene — like a spring breeze melting frost.
The words fell, and silence consumed the hall.
Everyone froze. The Yue Family's elders and even the patriarch himself stood motionless, wide-eyed. The air felt so still that even a falling pin would have echoed.
Yue Qianxue's heart skipped a beat.
Marriage… date?
Not here to annul it?
Impossible!
In her previous life, Ling Tianxuan had come only to sever their bond — cold and unfeeling. Why had fate shifted this time?
"Divine Son Ling," Yue Nantian hastily said, flustered by his daughter's visible shock. "Qianxue didn't mean anything by her reaction. Please don't take offense."
Just as Ling Tianxuan was about to respond, a faint, mechanical chime echoed in his mind:
> "Ding! Heaven's Mandate Choice triggered!"
Choice One: Annul the engagement, as the Yue Family seems to expect. Reward: Immortal-Rank Technique — Indestructible True Scripture.
Choice Two: Understand their fear, forgive their doubt, and maintain the engagement. Reward: Emperor Realm Secret Art — Dou Zi Mi.
Ling Tianxuan's lips curved slightly.
Such a generous reward for betrayal? Clearly, this system wants me to play the villain.
Without hesitation, he chose the second path.
His gaze softened as he looked at Yue Qianxue.
A translucent panel appeared before his inner sight:
> Name: Yue Qianxue
Cultivation: True Essence Realm (Peak)
Physique: Supreme Yin Divine Body, Devouring Immortal Bone
Techniques: Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art (Immortal Rank), Supreme Yin Demonic Palm (Emperor Rank), Nine Yin Divine Fist (Saint Rank), Great Heaven Refinement Method (Saint Rank)
Fate: Supreme Yin Devil Empress (Gold)
Recent Events: Rebirth after a thousand years. Awakened the Devouring Immortal Bone, regained her cultivation, and now faces the Ling Family's annulment. Without their protection, the Yue Family would perish under the Eternal Abyss Sect's wrath.
"Rebirth…" Ling Tianxuan mused silently.
So that was it.
No wonder she had spoken with such tension — in her past life, he had come to annul the engagement.
A faint smile rose to his lips.
> "Patriarch Yue, rest assured. I hold no ill will. Although Qianxue once could not cultivate, she is my fiancée — and I will not abandon her."
His voice was calm yet firm, carrying an unshakable conviction.
> "Even if she could never cultivate again, I, Ling Tianxuan, would still protect her all my life — through peace, storm, and eternity."
As those words fell, a faint light flickered in his eyes.
> "Ding! Choice Two completed. Reward obtained — Emperor Realm Secret Art: Dou Zi Mi."