Chapter 0186: Blood Seal

Chapter 0186: Blood Seal

A puppet silver lion appeared at the grand hall’s wide-open entrance, with Qin Yun sitting on its back, gazing at Empress Ye and Qin Zhengfeng.

The empress and Qin Zhengfeng, both dressed in splendid attire, were seated in the upper seats of the hall. They were the first to notice Qin Yun at the gate and couldn’t help but spring to their feet in surprise.

Qin Yun observed the people inside the hall, many of whom were familiar faces to him.

Yang Shiyue, dressed in a blue gown, her beauty striking, sprang up when she saw Qin Yun. Her cold eyes, which had been indifferent, now sparkled with surprise and delight.

The people seated at her table were also dressed in blue robes, men and women, young and old—members of the Eastern Palace of the Blue Spirit Star Palace.

Meng Feiling, Xie Wufeng, Huo Zhong, and Murong Daren, who already knew that Qin Yun was alive, weren’t too surprised.

Du Gui and Hou Xingfeng, however, had not known that Qin Yun was still alive and were now filled with joy.

After dismounting the silver lion, Qin Yun was approached by Empress Ye and Qin Zhengfeng, who flew over from the front.

"Qin Yun, why are you here?" The empress’s eyes were filled with coldness as she spoke sternly.

Qin Yun smiled, "A year ago, you asked me to come. Have you forgotten? This engagement banquet would be too dull without me! Besides, Xiao Yuelan was once betrothed to me. As the fifth prince of Tian Qin, I have every right to be here!"

Qin Zhengfeng, dressed in golden dragon robes, his face cold, felt a surge of anger seeing Qin Yun alive. His sudden appearance would further complicate the situation.

"Qin Yun, you better not cause any trouble at the engagement!" Qin Zhengfeng’s tone was threatening, as if he could crush Qin Yun at any moment.

"By your attire, are you the emperor now?" Qin Yun smiled.

"Soon!" Qin Zhengfeng coldly replied.

The empress, with her cold gaze, glared at Qin Yun and said frostily, "Take your seat!"

After all, in front of so many people, if they didn’t let Qin Yun in, it would seem petty.

Qin Yun put away the gleaming silver lion beside him, his smile calm and composed, and slowly walked towards Du Gui’s table to sit with Xie Wufeng and the others.

At this table, there was also Zhuochuan.

From the front, Duke Yan spoke in a clear voice, "Qin Yun was thrown into the Tian Qi forbidden land, which was later destroyed by a meteorite. How did he survive? He was in the forbidden land with the Soul Refinement Fiend for some time; it’s very possible he learned the Soul Refinement technique."

Zhuochuan smiled, "Duke Yan, we can discuss this after the engagement ceremony. Let’s focus on today’s main event first!"

Everyone looked at Qin Yun, their hearts filled with doubt. Most of them believed that Qin Yun might have mastered the Soul Refinement technique, which to them was a terrifying evil art!

Qi Yu stared at Qin Yun, his teeth gritted. Only the core members of the Tian Qi Empire knew the truth about the Soul Refinement Fiend.

They were also aware that Qiao Ruiwen was a kind old lady, so they were quite certain that Qin Yun had obtained the Soul Refinement technique from her.

Qin Yun looked at the table in front, where members of the Tian Xiao Empire were seated. Xiao Yanglong and the Emperor of Tian Xiao were both there.

When Qin Yun looked over, Xiao Yuelan also looked back.

Xiao Yuelan, with her hair tied up, dressed in a blue combat outfit, looked refreshingly simple. Her cold eyes, radiating icy resolve, gave her an air of heroism. Sitting next to her, Xiao Yanglong noticed her gaze toward Qin Yun and gave her a discreet glance, causing her to lower her head slightly.

Qin Yun stopped looking at Xiao Yuelan and turned to Yang Shiyue at another table, making a playful gesture, eliciting a faint, beautiful smile from her. Since Yang Shiyue joined the Blue Spirit Star Palace, she had rarely smiled, but seeing Qin Yun now brought a smile to her face.

Xiao Yanglong, seeing the interaction between Qin Yun and Yang Shiyue, was consumed by anger. He tightly grabbed the tablecloth and glared intensely at Yang Shiyue.

Yang Shiyue pretended not to notice Xiao Yanglong and continued to look at Qin Yun.

This made Xiao Yanglong even angrier. If it weren't for the occasion, he would have definitely exploded in anger, because this youngster, Qin Yun, who was only in his teens, was publicly courting his fiancée.

Many people were watching Qin Yun, and they all saw the suggestive glances exchanged between him and Yang Shiyue. They admired him in secret for being able to make Yang Shiyue, the unmatched icy beauty, smile—and in front of Xiao Yanglong no less!

Du Gui coughed twice and said, "Young man, today's engagement is not as simple as it seems!"

Qin Yun calmed himself, gave Yang Shiyue a look, then turned to Du Gui and asked, "Can you explain?"

Murong Daren replied, "Because Qi Yu also intends to marry Xiao Yuelan... Besides Qi Yu, there's also the grandson of the Blue Spirit Southern Palace's leader, the grandson of the North Palace's leader, the youngest son of the East Palace's leader, and the grandson of the West Palace's elder!"

The influential young men from the Blue Spirit Four Palaces were also planning to marry Xiao Yuelan, and they would all offer generous conditions!

Qin Yun understood why Qin Zhengfeng and the Empress had such grim expressions when he first came in. They hadn't expected this to happen either.

"Strange, why hasn't the Heavenly Roar Empress shown up? Is it because she's too ugly, so they didn't let her come?" Murong Daren chuckled softly.

Zhuochuan frowned and said, "Ye Changchao hasn't appeared either. He's the father of Empress Ye, the head of the Ye family, and the most powerful and influential person in the Tian Qin Imperial Palace!"

Both of these individuals had been dealt with by Qin Yun, so they weren't going to appear.

The Empress and Qin Zhengfeng were also very troubled due to Ye Changchao's absence and Xiao Yuemei's disappearance.

Hou Xingfeng laughed softly, "Things are getting more interesting!"

"Brother Yun, what are your plans?" Xie Wufeng asked.

Qin Yun picked up his chopsticks, selected a bone with plenty of meat, and said, "Not sure yet, let’s wait and see."

This had been his plan all along.

In any case, he was resolved to help Xiao Yuelan escape her predicament, mainly to repay her for the favor of giving him the Profound Heart Grass.

The Duke of Yan walked to the front and announced loudly, "It is well known that because of Qin Yun's notorious reputation, his position as Crown Prince was abolished, which had an adverse effect on the Tian Qin Empire. When he was young, he was betrothed to Princess Yuelan, which damaged her reputation and led to mockery. The dignity of the Tian Xiao Empire was also affected."

"Today, after discussions between the Tian Xiao Empire and our Tian Qin Empire, we have decided to remarry Princess Yuelan to the Tian Qin Crown Prince, who is about to ascend the throne. This is common knowledge."

"Now, we invite our distinguished guests to witness the engagement ceremony of Princess Yuelan and the Tian Qin Crown Prince!"

"Please come up, Princess Yuelan, to complete the engagement ceremony!"

As Xiao Yuelan stood up, she saw Qin Zhengfeng about to speak and coldly said, "I was betrothed to Qin Yun first, and we have a written engagement contract with the blood seals of the emperors of both our countries! I believe everyone knows what that means!"

A commotion broke out in the hall!

Everyone had assumed the engagement back then was merely verbal. They hadn't expected there to be a blood-sealed contract!

The blood seal is the most sacred type of contract. If one party fails to uphold the promise, it means they have no integrity and will be recorded in history as a disgrace!

Moreover, this was a contract sealed by the emperors of two nations. If it were to be recorded in history, even the reputation of the empires would be affected.

All eyes turned to the Tian Xiao Emperor, Xiao Rongchen.

Xiao Rongchen, in his fifties, wore luxurious white and gold clothes. Tall and thin, with some wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and a thin mustache, his long, narrow eyebrows gave him a somewhat scholarly look, lacking the majestic presence of an emperor.

His eyes wandered, and he didn't look too spirited. He nodded and said, "It's true. I used my own blood to seal the contract with a blood seal back then!"

This Xiao Rongchen, like Qin Long, did not refer to himself with the imperial "I" (Zhen).

Everyone let out another collective gasp of surprise.

"Father… this is an extremely important matter, why didn't you say anything before?" Xiao Yanglong asked, his voice full of reproach and his face anxious.

"I forgot!" Xiao Rongchen's response was so ridiculous that people didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Now, everyone was certain that the rumors of the Tian Xiao Emperor's declining mental state were true.

Duke Yan hastily said, "It has long been said that the Tian Xiao Emperor's spirit and soul were damaged due to a mistake in cultivation, resulting in memory impairment. So, there might not even be a betrothal contract at all! We need to see that betrothal contract with our own eyes to confirm its existence. This must have happened more than ten years ago!"

"This matter was handled by the previous emperor and the late Empress. The contract should be in their hands, but they never mentioned it to us ministers, nor did they hand over the contract. I doubt such a contract ever existed."

"Princess Yuelan, are you certain about this? It must have been your mother who said this, right? You might not even be sure yourself!"

Xiao Yanglong hastily added, "That’s probably it! Yuelan, I know you're unhappy about Yue Mei's situation, but don't make a scene over something so crucial!"

Qin Yun glanced at Du Gui, who nodded at him. This meant that the Tian Xiao Emperor was being manipulated; otherwise, Xiao Yanglong wouldn't be the one speaking on behalf of the Tian Xiao Empire.

Xiao Yuelan looked at Qin Yun and called out, "Qin Yun, is the betrothal contract in your possession?"

Qin Yun, still eating, replied, "Yes."

Seeing his nonchalance, everyone frowned and shook their heads, thinking that having Princess Yuelan remarry Qin Zhengfeng was an excellent decision for the Tian Xiao Empire.

"Why haven't you taken it out yet?" Xiao Yuelan urged anxiously, also frowning as she watched him eat and drink at such a critical moment.

Qin Yun wiped the oil from his mouth and produced a yellowed piece of paper, on which there were indeed two large seals emitting golden-red light.

"These are indeed the imperial blood seals of the Tian Xiao and Tian Qin Empires, matching those we have signed in the Runes Hall!" said Zhuochuan. "The light from the Tian Xiao blood seal is the brightest, indicating that the Tian Xiao Emperor is nearby."

Zhuochuan was the Grand Elder of Runes Hall, which existed in various countries, so he had to sign a series of blood contracts with the emperors of each nation.

Upon seeing the contract, Xiao Yanglong, Duke Yan, the Empress, and Qin Zhengfeng couldn't help but grit their teeth in frustration.

Several others who had hoped to marry Xiao Yuelan, along with their supporters, also found the situation extremely troublesome.

Because this sacred contract cannot be broken. If they forced someone to break it, they would be saddled with a bad reputation.

Xiao Yuelan also sighed in relief, knowing she wouldn't have to marry Qin Zhengfeng.

Qin Zhengfeng clenched his fists tightly in anger.

At that moment, an elder from the Western Palace said, "As long as the contract is burned, it will become void! Qin Yun, your Inner Element has been shattered, and your spiritual veins are few. Although you possess a few high-grade runes, they are insufficient to improve your dire situation. Why don't you sell the contract to me?"