C12 Shen Family Rescinded the Engagement

With this in mind, Ye Chen stopped hesitating. Straightening his attire, he made his way to the Hall of Affairs.

"Brother Yuanming, I must be honest with you, the main reason Shen Lingwei and I are here is to dissolve an engagement... Our families were shortsighted, arranging a marriage when the children were but toddlers. However, Shen Lingwei's heart now belongs to Qin Huai, ranked fifth at the War Cloud Sect's Outer Academy."

"The Qin family holds Lingwei in high regard, and they've even consented to a proposal. A month from now, after the War Cloud Sect's outer sect tournament concludes, the Qin family will officially come to ask for her hand... As such, the engagement our families previously agreed upon must, regrettably, be annulled."

"After all, Brother Ye, you're well aware of the Qin family's standing."

Ye Chen had just reached the entrance of the Hall of Affairs when he overheard Shen Hanzhou, the Shen family patriarch, speaking to Ye Yuanming with a tone of regret.

Ye Chen's pupils narrowed at these words, a chill of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

It seemed the Shen family was determined to use the Ye family as a stepping stone to secure their position in Heavenly Cloud City. Well, they would soon come to regret their actions.

"The Qin family..."

Inside the Hall, Ye Yuanming shuddered, his face clouded with dismay.

The Qin family was a formidable presence around Heavenly Cloud City, with their patriarch, Qin An, at the cusp of advancing from the Martial Master Stage Level Ten to the Martial King Stage Level One!

And their Young Master, Qin Huai, was among the top five prodigies of the War Cloud Sect Outer Academy!

In terms of both talent and resources, they eclipsed the Ye family.

The Ye family was in no position to challenge such a behemoth. Should the Qin family's Young Master truly desire Shen Lingwei, the Ye family would have no choice but to yield without a whisper of grievance.

And once Shen Lingwei became a part of the Qin family, the Shen family would undoubtedly leverage that alliance to ascend within Heavenly Cloud City.

"Of course, Brother Ye, the Shen family will certainly provide compensation. This bottle of middle-grade Spirit Fount Pill is a betrothal gift from the Qin family to ours. Please accept it... Once my daughter is married into the Qin family, the Shen family will offer additional compensation."

Upon seeing Ye Yuanming's ashen face and his body shaking violently, Shen Hanzhou let out a cold laugh before speaking.

He had learned upon his arrival at the Ye household that his son, Shen Yanfan, had been beaten to death by Ye Chen right outside the Treasure Pavilion.

At that moment, he was livid with rage, yearning to kill Ye Chen and exact revenge for his son!

However, the current strength of the Shen family paled in comparison to the Ye family...

It was only after Shen Lingwei became part of the Qin family that he could use their influence to annihilate Ye Yuanming and the entire Ye family, avenging his son, Shen Yanfan!

"The Shen family really is full of surprises," came a voice laced with cold mockery from outside the Hall of Affairs.

The speaker was none other than Ye Chen!

His unexpected interjection caused Shen Hanzhou and Shen Lingwei, who had been smirking, to suddenly stiffen.

The Hall of Affairs was enveloped in a heavy silence.

All eyes instinctively turned toward the entrance of the hall.

"A mere bottle of middle-grade Spirit Fount Pill—a betrothal token from the Qin family? It seems they expect your miss to settle for the role of a concubine," Ye Chen said, his voice dripping with scorn as he surveyed the room, finally resting his gaze on Shen Lingwei.

"Son, you...!" Ye Yuanming began, first in shock, then with a look of utter bewilderment.

A bottle of middle-grade Spirit Fount Pill was a rarity in Heavenly Cloud City, a treasure by any measure.

And yet, Ye Chen had dismissed the Qin family's token of engagement as if it were nothing. Should the Qin family catch wind of this, it could spell tremendous trouble for both Ye Chen and the entire Ye family!

Meanwhile, Shen Hanzhou and Shen Lingwei were left looking visibly distressed, at a loss for words.

Just as Ye Chen had pointed out, the Qin family truly held the Shen family in low regard...

Indeed, the Shen family's ability to gain favor with the Qin family hinged on the support of a relative within the War Cloud Sect Inner Academy. Only then did the Qin family finally relent and agree to an alliance.

The terms set by the Qin family, however, were exceptionally strict.

Shen Lingwei was to join the Qin family as a concubine, and the Shen family was forbidden from meddling in any of the Qin family's future affairs.

What left Shen Hanzhou and Shen Lingwei utterly incredulous was how Ye Chen could be so intimately acquainted with these internal matters of the Shen family.

"Ye Chen, you good-for-nothing, you've arrived just in time. You killed my son outside the Treasure Pavilion, and I've yet to settle that account with you, out of respect for your father. To think that a worthless wretch like you would dare to stir up more trouble!" Shen Hanzhou fumed.

Recalling how Ye Chen's Bone Structure had been stripped and his Martial Soul shattered, leaving him no better than a cripple—and that he had killed his son, Shen Yanfan, relying solely on brute force—Shen Hanzhou took a deep breath, unable to contain his seething resentment and icy glare.

"Indeed, Ye Chen. Once I inform Qin Huai of this matter, he will certainly demand justice for my brother!" he declared.

At his side, Shen Lingwei also scoffed coldly, sparing no courtesy as she sharply rebuked Ye Chen.

There was a time when Ye Chen, as one of the top ten talents of the War Cloud Sect Outer Academy, had been the object of her affections, and she had been utterly devoted to him.

Regrettably, Ye Chen seemed to have no interest in her whatsoever.

It was only after Ye Chen's Bone Structure had been excavated and his Martial Soul destroyed that she came to the bitter realization: she had been infatuated with the prodigious Ye Chen of the past. As for the current Ye Chen, who was indistinguishable from a cripple, she couldn't care less to even glance his way.

"Father, here are ten perfect-grade Spirit Fount Pills that I've acquired. I trust they will aid in your cultivation," Ye Chen said, dismissing the Shen family duo. He retrieved the ten Spirit Fount Pills he had crafted from his Storage Bag and handed them to Ye Yuanming.

In Ye Chen's view...

The Shen family pair before him, father and daughter, were nothing more than insignificant jesters, hardly worth a second thought.

As for the so-called Qin family, they were as inconsequential as ants.

They didn't merit even a glance from him.

"Wh... What, ten perfect-grade Spirit Fount Pills?"

Upon witnessing the ten perfect-grade Spirit Fount Pills that Ye Chen produced, Shen Hanzhou and his daughter Shen Lingwei were initially dumbstruck, quickly followed by a chorus of incredulous shrieks, barely able to believe their eyes.

It was common knowledge that the Qin family's engagement gift to the Shen family was a mere middle-grade Spirit Fount Pill.

Yet how had Ye Chen come into possession of ten perfect-grade Spirit Fount Pills?

Could it be that Ye Chen was an alchemist himself?

This thought brought a flicker of uncertainty to Shen Lingwei's gaze as she looked at Ye Chen.