C4 She Was Forced to be His Wife!.

"She's stunning! When did North Cloud City get such a beauty?"

Many men lining the streets couldn't tear their eyes away. The girl was sizzling; one look was all it took to set a man's heart racing.

"That demonic lion earlier, wasn't it the Scarlet Scale Demonic Lion from the legends?"

"That's no ordinary beast!"

People gasped in awe at the sight of the lion, realizing that a girl with such a mount must be of no ordinary standing.

"Rumble..."

As the onlookers buzzed with excitement, the ground shook. A dozen massive demonic beasts charged down the street, their presence formidable.

Astride each beast were figures radiating immense power, all in hot pursuit of the direction the red-clad girl had taken.

"Hurry, we must catch up with the second young miss."

"The Crown Prince has given the order, chase!"

The beasts thundered past, kicking up clouds of dust that left the crowd in awe.

"Who are these people? They must come from remarkable origins."

"They're surely from a major sect or powerful faction to have such a force."

The street buzzed with speculation and amazement.

...

As dusk fell outside North Cloud City, an ancient temple lay in ruins, a place seldom visited.

"Roar..."

The Scarlet Scale Demonic Lion let out a deep growl, its blood-red, malignant eyes fixed on the dozen or so massive beasts surrounding it.

The riders of these beasts, numbering around thirty, had dismounted.

They were enveloped in a shimmering light, encircling the lion.

These individuals appeared to be split into two factions. One group, led by an old man past his fifties, wore sturdy garments and exuded the strongest aura.

The other group, all clad in armor, was led by a middle-aged, burly man with an intense presence.

Beside the Scarlet Scale Demonic Lion, Lee Ling'er's long, slender legs drew the eye. She surveyed her surroundings with a grave look, dagger in hand at her throat, and warned, "Don't come any closer. If anyone dares, I'll end my life right before your eyes!"

"Second Miss, please reconsider. If anything were to happen to you, what would become of the City Lord and Lady?"

The old man leading the group was visibly distressed, on the verge of tears. The safety of the Second Miss was paramount.

"Imperial Concubine, please, don't be rash. Come back with us."

The armored middle-aged man eyed Lee Ling'er cautiously, not daring to make a move.

"Who is the Imperial Concubine? Go tell your Crown Prince I will never marry him!"

Lee Ling'er declared defiantly. She had no intention of joining the royal family or becoming the Crown Prince's bride.

"Imperial Concubine, this decision is irrevocable. The Crown Prince is a prodigy, his martial prowess unmatched, and to marry him is the pride of every woman in Yuv State. You should feel honored by his favor. The Crown Prince has already petitioned the Sovereign, and the imperial decree is likely on its way to Fengling City. Defiance is a grave offense!"

The armored middle-aged man held Lee Ling'er's gaze. No one dared to defy the Sovereign's will. The Crown Prince's choice of Lee Ling'er was set in stone; to resist was to court disaster.

"Hmm..."

Du Shaomu awoke at the most inconvenient moment, his head still foggy from the aftereffects of soul transmigration. Despite being a dual master of martial arts and alchemy in his past life, the current Du Shaomu was indistinguishable from a novice.

Lee Ling'er's face was a mask of fury, but upon hearing Du Shaomu stir, her eyes took on a cunning glint. She bit her lip and turned to the armored middle-aged man and the elder past his fifties, declaring, "I cannot marry the Crown Prince; I'm already in love with someone else. We're getting married right now!"

"Marrying now?"

The crowd was taken aback, and even the massive demonic beasts widened their malignant pupils in shock.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lee Ling'er grabbed the half-awake Du Shaomu and implored, "Don't worry about the truth. Just help me out, and I'll make it worth your while later. What's your name?"

"I'm Du Shaomu."

He was still groggy.

"By the heavens above and the earth below, I, Lee Ling'er, take Du Shaomu as my husband today. One bow to the heavens, two bows to the earth..."

Before Du Shaomu could grasp the situation, Lee Ling'er knelt beside him, and with a firm push, they both bowed their heads in unison.

"Husband and wife shall exchange vows of blood!"

Their heads collided, sending Du Shaomu's dizziness to new heights.

After the third bow, Lee Ling'er took Du Shaomu's hand, and with a swift slice of her dagger, drew blood from their index fingers. Her delicate fingers dripped blood onto Du Shaomu's parched lips, and she then sucked on his bloodied finger with her cherry lips.

In that moment, Du Shaomu snapped to full alertness, completely dumbfounded.

Everyone was stunned.

Even the Crimson Scale Demon Lion and other beasts stared, halting their roars.

"With blood as our bond, let the heavens and earth bear witness..."

The armored man and the elder were dumbstruck, never anticipating such a turn of events.

With blood as their bond and the cosmos as their witness, any further opposition would be futile.

...

As night fell upon Fengling City, a powerhouse among the Dreamy Cloud Ninth Cities, the vast Castellan Mansion lay quiet.

In a tranquil backyard, within an elegant room, Du Shaomu's lips curled into a wry smile. He had intended to find a secluded spot to deal with his troubles, not to unwittingly marry and be subjected to the intense scrutiny of strangers, as if they wished to flay him alive and drag him to Fengling City.

What did it matter if he was a revered figure in his past life? Now, he was nothing but a rookie, powerless to resist.

On the journey, Du Shaomu pieced together the puzzle. Fengling City, like North Cloud City, was part of the Dreamy Cloud Ninth Cities and under the jurisdiction of Yuv State. Lee Ling'er, the fierce daughter of Fengling City's Castellan, had failed to flee her arranged marriage, resulting in this bizarre wedding.

"Get some rest for now," Lee Ling'er told him in the room, having already assessed her unexpected 'husband.' Judging by his attire, his background seemed as ordinary as they come, though his features were undeniably refined and handsome.

"I'll be heading home tomorrow."

Du Shaomu kept his thoughts to himself as he gazed at Lee Ling'er. Despite his resistance to coming to Fengling City, he had been forcibly taken back to the Castellan's mansion. It seemed now that leaving would be even more difficult.

Regardless, his mother was waiting in North Cloud City, and he needed to get back to her as soon as possible.

Lee Ling'er was taken aback by Du Shaomu's declaration.

She found it odd how this ordinary man, who had exchanged vows with her—a gesture that would have thrilled anyone else—showed no excitement. He seemed solely focused on returning home.

Even her beauty, which could easily distract any man, didn't seem to faze him; he hadn't spared her more than a glance the entire journey.

"You probably won't make it back tomorrow," she said. "If you need anything, just send someone. I'm staying in the front courtyard. This place is large, so don't wander off unnecessarily. I'll make sure you're not disturbed."

Suppressing her curiosity, Lee Ling'er left without another word, her long, shapely legs carrying her swiftly away.

"Strength is key," Du Shaomu muttered to himself as he watched her leave. "I must recover quickly."

He closed the door and sighed. Even as a supposed Martial and Martial Arts God, he felt like a novice. Under someone else's roof, he had no choice but to bow his head. Forced into marriage without any say, resistance was futile.

Unable to resist, he had to accept his fate.

Moments later, in his room, Du Shaomu sat cross-legged on the bed, forming hand seals, his eyes half-closed as he delved into his mind.

There, an ancient bell hung suspended, still and silent.

"Mysterious ancient bell!" he murmured, surprised. The bell was both familiar and foreign to him.

Back on Earth, he had worn the bell around his neck, an heirloom said to be passed down from his ancestors.

In his previous life, after transmigrating, the bell had somehow made its way into his mind. Despite reaching the heights of Martial and Martial Arts Godhood, its origins remained a mystery.

Now, in this life, the enigmatic bell had followed him into his mind once more.

Du Shaomu sensed that his soul's second transmigration was closely linked to this little bell.

After a brief pause, he focused his consciousness, intent on uncovering the secrets of the bell.

*Boom!*

The moment Du Shaomu's consciousness connected with the mysterious little pagoda, the tranquil ancient tower burst into light. A thunderous, muffled sound echoed in his mind, as loud and jarring as a clap of thunder, with the force of wind and lightning.

Unseen by anyone, a glow emanated from Du Shaomu's forehead, quickly enveloping his entire body.

A vast, ancient presence, as if traversing through eons, descended and shrouded him.

The startling disturbance was fleeting; no one witnessed the room now aglow with a luminous light, Du Shaomu's form vanished from sight.

In that brief moment, as astonishment and alarm gripped him, Du Shaomu found himself in a misty, indistinct space.

The expanse before him seemed boundless, a vast horizon where visible ripples of space undulated, warping the very fabric of the void.

*Boom!*

A dazzling light burst forth from the depths of the void, striking like thunderous lightning, and plunged straight into Du Shaomu's forehead. It transformed into a torrent of information flooding his mind.

Simultaneously, an ancient and immense presence, transcending eons, surged into Du Shaomu's body with intense energy fluctuations, as if a tornado had descended upon him.

"Ah..."

Overwhelmed by the maelstrom of energy, Du Shaomu couldn't suppress a pained cry.

The power was immense, coursing through him, threatening to rip his very flesh apart.

His body, inherently flawed with a sealed meridian, could not channel this energy, causing his muscles to swell visibly.

Veins bulged across Du Shaomu's body, a network of them spreading across his face, adding a fierce, almost monstrous aspect, as if he were on the brink of bursting.

"Ancient Heaven Shrouding Mantra!"

The initial shock gave way to elation. The Ancient Heaven Shrouding Mantra was a practice he had mastered in a past life, acquired from the enigmatic ancient bell, which had since fallen silent.

Armed with the Ancient Heaven Shrouding Mantra, he had ascended to the esteemed rank of the Dual Divine Alchemist by the age of twenty-five.