After sweeping the crowd once more, the system pinged three or four more times—female cultivators in the two-to-three-thousand range. Anything below two thousand was now automatically filtered out. Present-day Ye Chen had little interest in anything under two thousand.

"Aren't you getting off?" he asked, lazily twisting the gemstone piercing at Luo Bingling's navel. "I'm about to fight the Holy Prince to the death. Careful, or the myriad races might revoke your bloodline."

Luo Bingling glanced around at his words. It was true. Countless cultivators from the myriad races were glaring at her with open displeasure. She was, after all, a princess of the exalted War God Clan, one of the top bloodlines among the myriad races, with countless admirers.

Yet here she was, eagerly clinging to a human's side, letting him toy with her waist—and now her navel gem—in front of the entire world. While that human was about to duel their Holy Prince. Many among the myriad races felt deeply humiliated and burned with anger because of it.

Yet Luo Bingling merely swept her disdainful gaze across the crowds and lifted her chin proudly. "A bunch of trash, that's all!"

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned to Ye Chen and spoke in the most tender, lovorn tone she could muster. "What do I care about the myriad races? You are the man I, Luo Bingling, have chosen. Let alone one Holy Prince—even if you wanted to make an enemy of the entire cultivation world, I would stand firmly by your side!"

Ye Chen's mouth twitched the moment he heard her. There was really no need! Why on earth would he pick a fight with the whole world just because he had nothing better to do? And forcing those corny lines out of this little succubus's mouth must have taken heroic effort. He could feel goosebumps rising on the smooth, taut skin of her waist beneath his palm.

Still, in front of so many people, Ye Chen decided to give her face. Especially since half the males from the myriad races looked ready to spit fire, he gently lifted her chin with a fingertip and dropped a light kiss on her lips.

"I know your heart, and I'm truly touched. But this is my battle. Do not interfere."

Luo Bingling had long since tasted everything there was to taste; a little kiss meant nothing to her now. Seeing the determination in Ye Chen's eyes, she nodded. Yet she still added seriously, "If anyone else jumps in midway, I will enter the field without a second's hesitation." She was treating this entire showdown like a favorability-grinding instance.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Ye Chen only smiled. After Luo Bingling stepped down, he rose gracefully into the air. The bronze chariot vanished beneath him as he flew toward the sky battlefield.

Yao Yuekong's expression turned grave. "Back when Ye Chen fought us, he never even left his chariot. It seems the Holy Prince really is strong enough to make the Heavenly Emperor heir feel threatened…"

Beside him, however, Yao Yuezhi had no interest in chatting with her brother. She kept that same shy, timid demeanor, cheeks faintly flushed. Yet beneath those willow-leaf brows, her beautiful eyes quietly studied Luo Bingling. They flickered with lively thoughts, turning over some unknown scheme…

Yao Yuekong spoke, but his sister ignored him completely. He turned to look at her. Her cheeks were still flushed pink. He couldn't help but marvel at her acting skills. Still, he lowered his voice and pressed on. "Little sister, you saw it yourself. Even if Ye Chen is willing to share the Stasis Secret and bear the future wrath of the Celestial Prince for you. That man has far too many women around him. He's utterly addicted to them. Just now, I watched his gaze linger on every famous female heaven's chosen in the crowd. He really isn't the right match for you."

Yao Yuezhi's lips curved into a faint, playful smile. "So what? Only the strong deserve beautiful women. The stronger the man, the more he should have. Brother, what I'm curious about right now is why Luo Bingling is clinging to Ye Chen like that. If she had truly fallen in love, with the War God Clan's temperament, she would have offered herself long ago.

"If she has no interest, then why stay by his side for years, letting him wrap his arm around her waist and kiss her whenever he feels like it? So I suspect… Luo Bingling has ulterior motives toward Ye Chen. And what does the War God Clan value most? Cultivation speed. So tell me—could the War God Clan's Dao Cauldron be in Ye Chen's hands?"

Yao Yuezhi knew Luo Bingling well. She knew the princess was an extreme hardliner among the myriad races, someone who looked at other races the way humans looked at dogs. Yet now she was letting Ye Chen kiss her in public? Something was definitely wrong.

Yao Yuekong froze, stunned. Was it real? The Dao Cauldron was in Ye Chen's possession too?

When Yao Yuezhi thought of the Dao Cauldron's effects and compared it to Ye Chen's current terrifying cultivation base, her eyes sparkled brighter than ever, curiosity burning hotter within them…

…

Among the onlookers, the crowd had first been thrown into chaos by Ye Chen's casual kiss before the battle. The human side felt exhilarated; the myriad races gnashed their teeth harder. But now, as the shock from the kiss faded, everyone noticed the change in Ye Chen's aura. A collective uproar swept through the ships.

The Heavenly Emperor heir had already reached the late stage of the Second Heaven of the Mahayana Realm! It had only been a few years! How could the Heir's breakthrough speed be this insane? His talent was simply too monstrous!

Killing intent blazed even fiercer in Prince Lu Ya's eyes. The Little Peacock King stared at Ye Chen, remembering how this man had dared covet his aunt. He narrowed his eyes, body tensing like a peacock about to spread its deadly feathers…

…