Chapter 1457: A Chance

"Dammit!" Ye Chen cursed, swinging his palm. This was Jin Wu Tai Zi's marriage proposal ceremony, and with one sentence, you've dragged me into the spotlight.

"See, you still won't admit it," Xiao Yuan Huang said smugly, shaking his head with a look that begged for a beating. "Yesterday, you said you fancied that little Kong Que and wanted to hold her while sleeping."

"Enough!" Kong Que Sheng Zhu said sternly, his face darkening. He couldn't listen anymore. Someone was openly flirting with his daughter in front of the entire hall. As a father, how could he not be furious?

The elders of the Kong Que family were all itching to make a move. They could tell these two troublemakers weren't here for the feast; they were here to cause chaos. Their back-and-forth act was so loud and provocative, it made everyone want to lash out.

Qian Shang Yue rubbed his brow, realizing he had underestimated Xiao Yuan Huang's shameless spirit.

The two Great Saints from the Jin Wu clan also looked extremely grim. The Kong Que princess was going to be their clan's daughter-in-law, yet she was being toyed with like this, leaving them seething with anger.

Jin Wu Tai Zi's expression wasn't much better. His golden eyes flashed with a cold light. Xiao Yuan Huang's flippant words were an insult to the princess, but they were slapping him in the face.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Ye Chen chuckled and turned to leave. He had no desire to get beaten.

But as soon as he took a step, a figure as swift as a ghost appeared in front of him, blocking his path. It was Jin Wu Tai Zi, radiating an aura that dominated the nine heavens.

"Forgive me, Tai Zi, it was a misunderstanding," Ye Chen said with an awkward laugh, trying to sidestep him.

"Misunderstanding?" Jin Wu Tai Zi suddenly raised his arm, his cold smile growing more imposing. "I'm here to propose marriage, and you two come to disrupt it. If I let you go so easily, where would the Jin Wu clan's dignity be?"

"What disruption? We're here to propose marriage too." Xiao Yuan Huang hefted his Wu Jin iron rod and stood shoulder to shoulder with Ye Chen, his fiery golden eyes blazing with divine light, his aura just as strong.

"I'd like to see what qualifications you have to compete with me." Jin Wu Tai Zi formed a great seal with his hand and struck down with a palm. Though he was only at the Saint level, his momentum surpassed that of a Quasi-Saint King.

"Hey!" The combative Xiao Yuan Huang refused to back down, swinging his rod to clash head-on.

"Are you asking for a beating?" Ye Chen grabbed Xiao Yuan Huang and swiftly led him out of the hall with a mysterious footwork technique, evading Jin Wu Tai Zi's palm by a hair's breadth without revealing their true forms.

"I've never seen anyone as cowardly as you," Xiao Yuan Huang cursed, his dominating blood energy burning like wildfire, his fiery golden eyes glowing brightly as his battle intent soared. He looked ready to charge back in.

"You and your big mouth!" Ye Chen shot back. He wasn't afraid of Jin Wu Tai Zi, but they were clearly in the wrong here, and the Tai Zi's move to assert his authority was justified. More importantly, he didn't want to waste time on this.

"Today, you two will give me an explanation before leaving." Jin Wu Tai Zi stepped out of the hall and appeared in the vast sky, like a blazing sun radiating dazzling divine light.

"Don't try to scare us, I—" Xiao Yuan Huang's words were cut off as Ye Chen pulled him aside. Ye Chen glanced at Jin Wu Tai Zi and said, "We've realized our mistake. We hope Jin Wu Tai Zi can be magnanimous."

"A simple apology to settle this? That's far too easy," Jin Wu Tai Zi said with a sinister smile.

"Then what do you want?" Ye Chen replied calmly. "Do you insist on fighting us to the death?"

"I'll give you two a chance." Jin Wu Tai Zi smiled mockingly. "You can both come at me. Just ten rounds, no more. After ten moves, regardless of life or death, this matter ends."

"The young master accepts!" Before Ye Chen could respond, Xiao Yuan Huang charged forward with his iron rod, delivering a heaven-shattering strike that seemed capable of smashing a hundred thousand li of mountains.

Jin Wu Tai Zi looked on with utter contempt, his palm evolving secret techniques as he struck back from the sky.

Their clash erupted in thunderous booms, and Xiao Yuan Huang was completely overpowered, sent flying backward. He staggered back seven or eight steps upon landing, each one collapsing a chunk of the void.

Ye Chen stepped forward and waved his hand to dispel the hidden force in Xiao Yuan Huang's body, steadying him. A trickle of fresh blood spilled from Xiao Yuan Huang's mouth, and his Wu Jin iron rod still hummed with vibrations.

Xiao Yuan Huang's blood energy surged, undeterred by his defeat. His battle intent burned even hotter, his golden eyes blazing like fire.

Standing beside him, Ye Chen eyed their opponent warily. Jin Wu Tai Zi's bloodline was extraordinarily powerful, far beyond an ordinary Saint. Even alone, Ye Chen wouldn't be his match.

But clearly, he wasn't fighting alone. With Xiao Yuan Huang, whose strength matched his own, they could easily hold out for ten rounds. The Sacred Body and the Fighting Sacred Ape were no jokes.

Below, everyone from the hall had emerged, and the Kong Que family members were alerted, popping up from all directions. Gazebos, arched bridges, mountain peaks, and pavilions were filled with onlookers, all watching the scene.

"Is that Jin Wu Tai Zi? He's truly extraordinary." Many female disciples from the Kong Que family gazed at him, their hands in prayer poses, utterly infatuated.

"A Jin Wu Tai Zi at the Quasi-Saint level has the power to challenge those above his rank, let alone now as a Saint." The old folks stroked their beards. "Taking on two at once is no problem for him."

"Xiao Yuan Huang is done for." Many glanced at Xiao Yuan Huang with annoyance. "It's about time that monkey learned a lesson. He's always sneaking in to steal our treasures every few days."

"What intrigues me is the identity of the black-robed figure with the Gui Ming mask beside Xiao Yuan Huang." Some didn't know Ye Chen and stroked their chins in speculation.

"Just two Quasi-Saints, that's all." The Jin Wu clan Great Saints sneered with confidence.

"Sheng Zhu, should we intervene by force?" A Kong Que family elder sent a message to Kong Que Sheng Zhu.

"No need," Kong Que Sheng Zhu replied with a smile. "It's good to temper Xiao Yuan Huang's arrogance. Besides, with the Huang Gu Sacred Body helping, the two of them might just last ten rounds together."

Qian Shang Yue was present but said nothing. No one understood Ye Chen's power better than he did. The aura of someone who had slain a Great Emperor was unmatched across the myriad realms.

"On the road to the Yellow Springs, don't blame me for being ruthless." Amid the discussions, Jin Wu Tai Zi in the sky made his move, striking with a palm infused with various secret techniques. Runes swirled within it, the palm seal massive at a thousand zhang, as heavy as a mountain, crushing the ethereal sky.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, or you might pull something," Xiao Yuan Huang cursed, activating his forbidden arts. An ancient divine pattern etched itself on his forehead, boosting his combat power. Behind him materialized a massive illusory giant ape, a hundred zhang tall, its dominating aura shaking the heavens and earth.

The illusory giant ape roared and raised its hands, forcefully blocking Jin Wu Tai Zi's heaven-piercing palm.

In that instant, Ye Chen ascended to the sky, gripping Yin Yang Qian Kun and evolving the Tai Ji Wu Ji. He fused numerous secret techniques with chaos and reinforced it with chaotic Dao principles, unleashing a heaven-defying punch.

Jin Wu Tai Zi's mountain-like palm seal was pierced straight through, shaking the very heavens and earth.

"So, I underestimated you two." With his palm destroyed, Jin Wu Tai Zi wasn't angry. In fact, his mocking smile grew. Winning too easily would be boring.

As he spoke, a beam of immortal light burst from his forehead, a dominating thunderbolt aimed at Ye Chen. It was a Yuan Shen secret technique, icy and annihilating, intent on obliterating Ye Chen's true form in one blow.

Ye Chen didn't respond but didn't dare take it head-on either. Jin Wu Tai Zi was too strong; he could shatter even the defenses of Feng Huang Xian Yu. Ye Chen instantly merged his nine divine shangs to counter it directly.

The divine shang's glow and the Jin Wu immortal light shattered together. Ye Chen followed up with a fierce punch, while Jin Wu Tai Zi retreated and struck down from the nine heavens, sending Ye Chen staggering with blood spilling from his mouth.

Xiao Yuan Huang wasn't idle, instantly closing in with a sky-piercing rod strike aimed at Jin Wu Tai Zi's head.

Jin Wu Tai Zi smirked, flipping his hand to repel Xiao Yuan Huang, then followed with a finger strike of devastating power. Even Xiao Yuan Huang's formidable physique was pierced through.

Ye Chen darted across the nine heavens to Xiao Yuan Huang's side, and the two joined forces, charging toward the sky.

The battle erupted in full, with thunderous booms echoing everywhere, shaking the Kong Que family disciples until blood seeped from their eardrums.

In the sky, the fight was monumental. The three combatants resembled immortal kings, war gods, and ape emperors, clashing with earth-shattering force. Golden blood rained down, weaving a brilliant light.

The onlookers below watched with gleaming eyes. While marveling at Jin Wu Tai Zi's prowess, they couldn't help but gasp at Ye Chen and Xiao Yuan Huang's strength, especially Ye Chen's, which was utterly astonishing.