Chapter 2443: Declined

“Junior Sister Tan Juan!”

Li Chen greeted as soon as he stopped right in front of the three ladies with a sunny smile on his face. He then greeted Ji Xinyi and Lin Xiaoying, “Junior Sister Ji and Junior Sister Lin, your arrival at our Holy Heavens branch really adds radiance to our humble place, ah.” From his tone and words, it sounded as if the three ladies were visiting him.

It was no wonder Li Chen acted this way, as he was closer to the Clear Snow Palace’s Tan Juan when compared to most disciples who were present. Moreover, he had the Body of Dragon while Tan Juan’s was the Body of the Nine Phoenix. Thus, Li Chen had always believed that he and Tan Juan were a match made in heaven. There was also a long-standing rumor about them in the Holy World. Whether it was the Holy Heavens organization or the Clear Snow Palace, it was widely acknowledged amongst these two forces’ disciples that Li Chen and Tan Juan were meant for each other.

Tan Juan nodded lightly at Li Chen as she responded to his greeting, “Senior Brother Li Chen.”

Ji Xinyi and Lin Xiaoying also greeted Li Chen with a “Senior Brother Li Chen.”

Xie Yao’s voice sounded at this moment, “Huang Xiaolong, there’s none of your business here. Senior Brother Li Chen will entertain the Senior Sisters well.”

Li Chen tactfully said to the three ladies, “Junior Sisters come this way. Please follow me to my courtyard. I have already ordered people to set up the table, and ordered the Crow Child Wine that Junior Sisters like. There are also many spiritual fruits.”

The three ladies were caught off guard and hesitated.

In truth, Tan Juan and Ji Xinyi were accompanying Lin Xiaoying to the Holy Heavens branch. Lin Xiaoying had naturally come over to see Huang Xiaolong. Then again, Tan Juan and Ji Xinyi were also interested in meeting Huang Xiaolong due the battle stage challenge.

It had never occurred to them that Li Chen would misunderstand.

And judging from Li Chen, Xie Yao, and the others’ attitude, it seemed that their relationship with Huang Xiaolong was not that harmonious.

Many people had long noticed there was a contradiction between Li Chen and Huang Xiaolong. The three ladies had heard rumors of it before coming. At first, they had merely assumed that it was outsiders making something out of nothing, but now, it seemed like Huang Xiaolong and Li Chen were really not on good terms.

While the three ladies hesitated, Li Chen spoke again, “Junior Sister Tan Juan, I know that you’ve been looking for the Heavenly Phoenix Spiritual Stone. I have found it,” He announced while taking out a spiritual stone. This spiritual stone was entirely opaque red, glowing like a burning red ember, and one could see the phantom of a phoenix within.

The Heavenly Phoenix Spiritual Stone was a rare kind of holy spiritual jade stone that greatly benefit the Phoenix Race and cultivators like Tan Juan that possessed a phoenix attribute physique.

As she looked at the Heavenly Phoenix Spiritual Stone Li Chen brought up to her face, Tan Juan frowned subconsciously instead of feeling happy. True that the Heavenly Phoenix Spiritual Stone benefited her in many ways, but if she accepted Li Chen’s Heavenly Phoenix Spiritual Stone, she would feel embarrassed to decline Li Chen’s invitation. On the other hand, if she accepted Li Chen’s invitation, she would embarrass Huang Xiaolong.

She could guess what had motivated Li Chen to take out the Heavenly Phoenix Spiritual Stone in this situation, and it was nothing more than wanting to make Huang Xiaolong embarrassed and humiliated.

Li Chen had once saved her life. Thus they had always been on good terms ever since. If she refused Li Chen now, it wouldn’t look good. After all, Li Chen bore kindness towards her.

Right at this time, Lin Xiaoying spoke, “Senior Brother Li Chen, I came here to see my little brother Thirteen. Senior Sister Tan Juan and Senior Sister Ji Xinyi are merely accompanying me. I have something to discuss with Thirteen, so I won’t be able to attend the banquet Senior Brother Li Chen has arranged. We’ll do that another day.”

It was no longer a secret that the Profound River’s Thirteen was Huang Xiaolong.

And it was also known that while at the Profound River, Thirteen was Lin Xiaoying’s ‘little brother.’

Li Chen was stunned.

“Thirteen, let’s go.” Lin Xiaoying turned and said to Huang Xiaolong with a smile. Without waiting for Li Chen’s response, she walked towards Huang Xiaolong’s courtyard.

Tan Juan inwardly sighed in relief, seeing Lin Xiaoying take charge. Thus she faced Li Chen with a smile and said, “Senior Brother Li Chen, thank you for your hospitality, but we’ll visit you another day.” With that said, she and Ji Xinyi followed after Lin Xiaoying.

Tan Juan was very clear about Li Chen’s amorous feelings towards her, but she didn’t feel the same as him.

Li Chen felt the Heavenly Phoenix Spiritual Stone in his hand singeing his flesh as he watched Tan Juan and her junior sisters decline his invitation and walk towards Huang Xiaolong’s courtyard with him.

He, Li Chen, was exceptional in every sense. So many female disciples were madly obsessed with him and they dreamt about being his life companion. Yet, the Clear Snow Palace’s three beauties had actually declined his invitation in public for Huang Xiaolong’s sake. On top of it all, Tan Juan had not accepted his Heavenly Phoenix Spiritual Stone!

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Although Huang Xiaolong had not shown any disdain on his face, Li Chen could imagine that he was inwardly ridiculing him and gloating at his embarrassment.

As they watched Li Chen’s expression growing worse by the second, exuding a chilling aura, Xie Yao, Lin Yijia, and the others didn’t even have the guts to say a word to comfort him.

Li Chen’s hand clenched the Heavenly Phoenix Spiritual Stone in his palm, and the hard spiritual stone’s surface was dented with grooves of his palmprint.

“Have Gu Xuanxu and the others arrived?” Li Chen asked suddenly.

Li Chen had originally planned to have Holy Heavens’ disciples below Fourth Tribulation half-True Saint to participate in the stage battle, but those disciples didn’t have the guts to go up the stage. Therefore, Li Chen could only seek outside help.

Under the lucrative reward he offered, Li Chen had found a group of geniuses below Fourth Tribulation half-True Saints with shocking battle prowess, and Gu Xuanxu was the most talented of the group. His battle prowess was also the strongest.

“Gu Xuanxu’s group will probably arrive in half a day,” Xie Yao stepped forward and answered. “Senior Brother Li Chen, rest assured. It is only a matter of minutes, defeating Huang Xiaolong on the battle stage with Gu Xuanxu’s talent. It’s even better that the Clear Snow Palace’s three beauties are here. They will definitely go to spectate the stage battle. Imagine how refreshing it will feel to watch Gu Xuanxu abusing Huang Xiaolong on the stage, grinding his face to the ground right in front of them!”

Li Chen nodded his head and then returned to his own courtyard without a word. However, he asked his people to inquire about the situation at Huang Xiaolong’s courtyard.

Li Chen’s anger soared, and he directly crushed the Heavenly Phoenix Spiritual Stone to pieces when he heard his subordinate’s report about how the three ladies were having a good time, laughing and talking with Huang Xiaolong. Recalling that Tan Juan had actually declined his invitation as well as the Heavenly Phoenix Spiritual Stone added fuel to the fire.

At the time Li Chen crushed the Heavenly Phoenix Spiritual Stone, in Huang Xiaolong’s courtyard’s hall, Lin Xiaoying converged the smile on her face as she stated, “Thirteen, you’re too impulsive about the stage battle event this time. Although you have two complete dao saint godheads and the Holy Mandate Imprint, the Ancient Emperor Holy Ground and Beast Tamer Holy Gate have many outstanding Holy Princes below Fourth Tribulation half-True Saint. For example, the Ancient Emperor Holy Ground’s Fang Xing has the Sacred Emperor Saint Godhead, and you won’t be able to defeat him!”

Huang Xiaolong merely smiled.

After seeing that Huang Xiaolong could still smile at this point, as if he did not have a care in the world, as if he was completely unbothered by what she had just informed him, Lin Xiaoying fumed, “You still have the mood to smile? I’ll tell you that the Beast Tamer Holy Gate’s Sui Yunfeng is a peak Third Tribulation half-True Saint, and he has the Life Reversing Saint Godhead!”

Huang Xiaolong’s smile did not diminish as he responded, “So what?”

He had already known these facts, as Li Chen had been generous enough to tell it to his face.

Tan Juan and Ji Xinyi inwardly shook their heads in disappointment at Huang Xiaolong’s attitude, while Lin Xiaoying’s anger burst through the roof.

Half a day later, the Clear Snow Palace’s three beauties left the Holy Heavens branch.

Before they left, Huang Xiaolong gave each of them twenty pieces of Yang Bone Leaves. Only then did the gloomy expression on their faces ease a little.

After the three ladies left, Huang Xiaolong returned to his own courtyard. He continued cultivating and absorbing Yang Bone Leaves.

Huang Xiaolong maintained his previous mode of shutting off whatever happened outside, and he fully focused on cultivating. In the blink of an eye, a dozen days passed and the day of the stage battle arrived.