Just thinking about it made her uncomfortable.

"If Princess Pingyang were to marry me, Sima Ke's influence would greatly increase, and his chances of ascending to the position of Crown Prince would also soar. I believe, Your Highness, you would support that."

"You really want to...."

"Hmm?"

"You really want to have it all, don't you?"

Noble Consort Yang spat again, suddenly feeling that Chen Yuan was somewhat shameless and perverse.

She originally thought he just had unusual preferences, but now it seems... it's far more than that.

"Throughout my life, I have accumulated virtue and done good deeds, so having such a fortunate encounter is only proper. When the time comes, Your Highness, would you be willing to lend me a helping hand?" Chen Yuan teased.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible. I will never agree to such a request, you... you can forget about it." Noble Consort Yang snorted coldly, but suddenly felt her tone was somewhat heavy, and quickly added:

"Even if I agreed, with Pingyang's temperament, she would never agree. You'd better give up on that idea."

"Your Highness, don't worry. I was just joking. Princess Pingyang, although nice, is not what I seek. My only pursuit is the path of cultivation; I have no intentions of marriage or starting a family. This matter... I will refuse," Chen Yuan said solemnly.

Until he understood Jingtai's true intentions, he would certainly refuse.

He was a man destined to rebel, planning to seek promotion to one of the four Divine Envoys of the Heavenly Patrol Bureau and then transfer out of the capital. Marriage here was out of the question.

Much less becoming Jingtai's son-in-law!

"Really?"

Noble Consort Yang looked at him suspiciously.

"What do you think?"

"But... on His Majesty's side..."

Noble Consort Yang became inexplicably worried. If he defied the imperial edict, Chen Yuan might be suppressed by the Emperor, or even punished. She did not want to see that happen.

"There will be a way when the cart reaches the mountain. Could Jingtai really force me?"

Chen Yuan said indifferently.

If Jingtai indeed tried using every means to force him into marriage, the plot must be bigger, and he certainly would not sit around waiting to be slaughtered. At worst, he would flip the table.

With his Yang Transformation cultivation, no place under heaven would be unreachable?

People are driven to do things.

If Jingtai truly went mad, Chen Yuan wouldn't mind activating the Asura Demon Lord. Let's see if he, in the Yang Transformation Realm, combined with Senior Moluo's power, could launch a surprise attack and ruin him.

"That's not certain."

Regarding Jingtai's personality, Noble Consort Yang was quite aware. He would indeed do whatever it takes to achieve his goals.

"Your Highness need not worry about this matter; I will make my own decision."

"I believe in you."

Noble Consort Yang's eyes sparkled. She just liked Chen Yuan's confident and tough demeanor, full of vigor and unafraid of anything, even if any difficulties stood in his path.

He could still carve out a blood-soaked path with his own fists and the long blade in his hand.

"It's getting late, hmm...."

Chen Yuan looked at the Noble Consort with a smile.

"Indeed, it's getting late...."

(To save space, three thousand words are omitted here.)

...

...

The night had fallen.

On the rooftop of a tall building several thousand feet away from the Duke Wu'an Mansion, a middle-aged man, exuding authority without anger, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, frowning deeply as he stared fixedly at the silent mansion.

His name was Xiang Qianfeng, one of the Yang Transformation Elders of the Xiang Family and the biological father of Xiang Lingtian. Upon learning that Xiang Lingtian had died at the hands of Chen Yuan, and his head was being heavily publicized by the Sima Family, he became furious.

Xiang Lingtian was his most promising son, always his pride, and he saw him as the future clan leader of the Xiang Family, even the Crown Prince after their resurgence.

Even though Xiang Qianqiu, the current clan leader, rigorously tested his son, he tolerated it.

But he could not tolerate Xiang Lingtian's death.

He dared not confront Xiang Qianqiu, so naturally, he targeted his grievance at Chen Yuan, the so-called greatest genius of the Central Plains who had climbed onto the position of Marquis over his son's body. Upon hearing the news, he constantly thought of killing him.

He even pleaded with Xiang Qianqiu to employ the spies hidden in the capital to assassinate Chen Yuan and avenge Xiang Lingtian.

He did not know who Xiang Lingtian's spies were, but he knew many of the Xiang Family's resources had been circulated to the capital, and over decades or centuries, the numbers were astonishing.

And, from what he understood, Xiang Qianqiu's arrangement could never be ordinary spies, for that would be meaningless; only those climbing to high levels in court would count.

It was precisely because the Xiang Family had some power in the court that they could repeatedly forewarn against the court's several sieges on their family, ensuring the Xiang Family escaped without significant losses.

Sadly, that power rested solely in the hands of Xiang Qianqiu. Apart from him, no one else knew about it.

In response to Xiang Qianfeng's plea, Xiang Qianqiu remained indifferent, even stating that Xiang Lingtian's skills were inferior. Despite possessing Double Pupils, he couldn't kill Chen Yuan in the same realm and was killed instead, deeming him a waste; dead was dead.

He was unwilling to use the power accumulated over the years to retaliate against Chen Yuan.

Then, in a rage, Xiang Qianfeng came to the Divine Capital City alone.

His arrival was known to no one other than Xiang Lingtian, and no efforts were made to stop him from avenging his son, as if feeling confident he could succeed on his own.

Yet, after finding out Chen Yuan's residence, he did not act immediately.

After all, this was still the capital, and if he couldn't resolve everything within thirty breaths, it would inevitably cause a great uproar, and if a True Monarch were to appear, he'd be doomed.

In the end, considering his stature, he had only reached the Refining God Peak level of cultivation.

Even though his strength was above Chen Yuan by a level, he was well aware of Chen Yuan's reputation as invincible within the same realm. Even with the confidence to kill him, it was certainly impossible to conclude the fight within thirty breaths.

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