Countless runes condensed in the air, surrounding that woman. The void trembled in a rhythmic cadence.

“She’s actually a Celestial!”

Long Chen was now too familiar with this manifestation, because in that instant, he felt the will of the Heavenly Daos expel him.

He sensed the world immediately become inharmonious with him. He was isolated and also suppressed by some kind of energy, making it so he couldn’t absorb more spiritual qi.

This was a Celestial’s manifestation: the Cry of the Heavenly Daos. It was a very resounding, very arrogant name. But Long Chen was filled with hate and killing intent towards this manifestation.

The instant she activated her manifestation, all the Mo family’s experts’ pupils shrank. Although they had known she was a Celestial, the Cry of the Heavenly Daos was rarely seen.

Furthermore, even if you saw this manifestation a hundred times, you would still be incomparably shocked. This represented the will of the Heavenly Daos, something no one could resist.

This was why Celestials were termed the top heavenly geniuses of this world. Under that Heavenly Dao suppression, even Xiantian experts would have to lower their heads.

Mo Nian clenched his fists tightly. If it weren’t for this manifestation, he wouldn’t need to be afraid of her. If he could just defeat her, then he would be completely free. What he said would be what counted. But before he could defeat this fiancée of his, he would have to listen to her.

BOOM!

The ground beneath Long Chen emitted an explosive sound. The strength behind her palm multiplied, and it was like a mountain trying to crush Long Chen.

Long Chen instantly sank into an inferior position, the ground beneath him crumbling. Her power had explosively increased, while his own was being reduced.

“Let’s stop. Don’t play this kind of nonsensical game,” sighed Long Chen.

“Admit defeat. You aren’t a Celestial, and there’s no way you are my match,” she advised.

“Let me say it again, let’s stop playing this nonsensical game. You aren’t able to suppress me,” said Long Chen icily.

Long Chen’s expression was dark, and his eyes shone coldly. A dense killing intent was surfacing out of his heart.

He was currently doing his best to suppress that killing intent. That killing intent wasn’t towards this woman but towards the Cry of the Heavenly Daos.

After entering the Meridian Opening realm, Long Chen’s primal chaos bead had become stronger and endless energy filled him. He felt as if his own blood was boiling.

He knew this was the involuntary reaction of the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art towards the Cry of the Heavenly Daos. It felt an intense desire to destroy it, which caused Long Chen to feel an urge to kill this woman.

But this woman wasn’t really an enemy. In fact, she was Mo Nian’s fiancée, so there was no way he could kill her. That was why he was giving her a warning.

However, she didn’t notice the situation, causing him to feel anger. As soon as he got angry, the killing intent became even stronger.

“Did you hear me?! I said stop!”

Long Chen suddenly roared and killing intent surged out of him. This terrifying killing intent caused the world to shiver.

His roar was like thunder, and he seemed like a devil as he stood there. That killing intent grew stronger and stronger, and the Mo family’s experts that were spectating all felt their hearts turn cold.

It was as if Long Chen had transformed into a bloodthirsty monster that might go berserk at any moment. That intense feeling of danger caused their hair to stand on end.

“You…!” That woman also sensed it. A terrifying energy was on the verge of erupting from Long Chen’s body. However, she had no intentions of retreating.

BANG!

Suddenly, a gentle force appeared between their hands, and the two of them were immediately blown back dozens of meters.

“Gate master!”

The woman turned her head to see Mo Yi had already stood up. It was he who had separated the two of them.

“Zongying, let this competition go as a draw. We’re all one family, so there’s no need to go all-out. Long Chen didn’t win, and you didn’t lose. The matters between you and Mo Nian should be resolved between the two of you. Let me say the same thing again, whoever is stronger has the bigger voice.” Mo Yi smiled towards her.

“I’ll listen to gate master’s instructions.” She hastily bowed. Evidently, she was extremely respectful towards Mo Yi.

Once she put away her manifestation, Long Chen gradually returned to normal. Even he didn’t know why his reaction towards this manifestation of the Heavenly Daos had become so intense after advancing to Meridian Opening.

Back when he had faced Yin Wushang, all he had felt was rejection. But now, he had almost been unable to suppress his own emotions. That killing intent and hate was uncontrollable.

“Don’t be angry, Long Chen. Our Mo family’s people all have this kind of temperament. We also don’t treat you like an outsider now that you’re here. A battle between youngsters isn’t some bad thing. Here, let me give you an introduction. This is Mo Nian’s fiancée, Liu Zongying.” Seeing that Long Chen’s expression was still a bit gloomy, he thought Long Chen might still hold some ill-feelings towards her, so he opened his mouth.

“Hey, you couldn’t actually be angry, right? For a man to be so petty, getting angry just because he couldn’t win, that would be too unmanly. But if you really are angry, I will apologize to you,” said Liu Zongying magnanimously, extending a hand towards him.

Long Chen smiled bitterly inside. Why did it seem like she wanted him to say he wasn’t a man? He wasn’t actually angry, but just now, he had almost gone berserk.

If he really did go berserk and go all-out, that would cause a huge disturbance. If Liu Zongying was an enemy, then fine, but the main problem was that she wasn’t.

Now that she had extended her hand so heroically, he couldn't help sighing emotionally. Mo Nian really was lucky to run into such a top grade person.

“No need for an apology. I’m not so petty. I suppose it’s as the expression goes, you can’t make friends without fighting.” Long Chen also extended his hand.

Originally, he had just been intending on having a gentle shake with her to express that any of their grievances ended here. He hadn’t expected her hand to tightly clench his. He felt as if his hand was caught in an iron loop.

Long Chen immediately felt an urge to laugh. This woman really was peak grade. Even at this time, she didn’t give up a chance to compete.

It went without saying that Liu Zongying’s strength was incredible. Let alone another woman, even a male Xiantian expert who spent years bitterly training his physical body wouldn’t necessarily be stronger than her.

If it was just physical strength, Long Chen wouldn’t fear anyone. No matter how Liu Zongying tried, Long Chen just smiled calmly. What kind of joke was that? His body had been tempered by heavenly tribulation. Within the same realm, the only one who could make him feel pain in this way was probably Wilde.

“If you keep holding my hand like that, Mo Nian will get jealous,” said Long Chen bashfully.

“Ah, no, no, I won’t get jealous. You can keep holding it for a while.” Mo Nian laughed.

Of course, he wouldn’t be jealous. Just from Liu Zongying’s posture, he knew what was going on. His bones had already been crushed several times now. He really was not the slightest bit jealous.

“Alright, Zongying, why have you suddenly come here?” Mo Yunshan finally interjected to defuse the situation.

“Uncle Mo, my father wanted me to give you a letter. Here.” Only now did Liu Zongying remember her proper business and hand over a letter.

Mo Yunshan read that letter and smiled coldly. He then handed it to Mo Yi. Mo Yi didn’t have any expression upon reading it. “There are always people who like to join in on the fun. But that’s not always a bad thing!”

“Zongying, if you have nothing else to do, you should live here for a few days. With Mo Nian and Long Chen present, you’ll have some playmates,” said Mo Yunshan.

Hearing that, Mo Nian’s expression instantly changed. If he was able to defeat this father of his, he would have long since attacked. Wasn’t he trying to harm him now?

“I still have one more matter to take care of. Once I finish it, I’ll come back to find Mo Nian. Gate master, Uncle Mo, I’ll take my leave first.” Liu Zongying bowed towards Mo Yi and Mo Yunshan.

Afterward, she walked over to Mo Nian. “You better listen to me. Unless your strength surpasses mine, don’t even think about being fickle hearted and getting multiple wives.”

Liu Zongying left just like that. She was extremely direct and straightforward.

Once Liu Zongying left, Mo Yi told Long Chen and Mo Nian to stay inside for a few days. They were about to attempt to attain the ancestral inheritance. They had to maintain their peak state.

Then the others left, and it was only Long Chen and Mo Nian. Long Chen looked at Mo Nian, not saying anything, merely laughing mischievously.

Mo Nian was a bit scared of Long Chen’s laughter. He awkwardly said, “Well, now you’ve seen my future wife. So that means I really treat you like a real brother…”

“Tch. Tell me, did you do this intentionally or not? You wanted me to be your shield?” raged Long Chen. As soon as Mo Nian had left, Liu Zongying had arrived. That was definitely a trap.

“I swear, I had no idea she would come. Otherwise, no matter what, I definitely wouldn’t con you! I really went to get the wine. But when I returned, I saw her and then… well, you know,” said Mo Nian.

“Mo Nian, are you even a man? Don’t you feel it’s embarrassing to be this afraid of your woman?” said Long Chen.

“Please, you don’t even understand my struggles. Would you like to try having such a valiant woman? Our arranged marriage was set when I was just six years old. She has bullied me for twelve whole years, and I haven’t had the slightest chance to reverse the scales!” cried Mo Nian helplessly.

“You were actually childhood friends?” asked Long Chen.

“Childhood friends?! As if! When she was ten, she awakened as a Celestial. My talent was never able to compare to hers. More importantly, my Mo family’s cultivation technique focuses on offense, not defense. It’s not like I can really attack her mercilessly… Cough, well, the main point is that even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to beat her. Each time, I can only be bullied by her. So, I want to switch to a more gentle woman.

“But you’ve also seen just how difficult it is to achieve such a grand dream! Right now, my only hope is the ancestral inheritance! If I can obtain that inheritance, there will still be a chance I can reverse the tides. But if I fail, then just thinking about those dark days will make me want to kill myself,” said Mo Nian bitterly.

This was Long Chen’s first time feeling a trace of sympathy for Mo Nian. His grievance faded a great deal. He supposed it really was difficult for a man to live this way.

“It’s alright, don’t cry. Let’s go find a place to taste your old man’s fine wine. Then I’ll help you refine pills in preparation for the inheritance.”

Long Chen and Mo Nian switched locations. They chatted as they drank, and only then did Long Chen learn that the Mo family and the Liu family were old friends. However, it seemed that since the Mo family declined, the differences between the two had only grown.

As for the specifics, Mo Nian didn’t know. Only the higher-ups of the family knew, and they all kept their mouths tightly sealed.

After resting for a bit, Long Chen had Mo Nian keep watch as he began refining. As a result, when he refined a furnace of pills in front of him, Mo Nian became dumbfounded.