Feng Qingyun learned of that while he was at the Marquis Manor, discussing the matter of the Xiān Gōng Sect’s Heavenly Gate Ceremony with Long Yin and Yue Jinshu.
“An invitation?” Yue Jinshu froze for a moment. “The Demon Palace did receive one. I just assumed the two of you definitely wouldn’t agree to go, so I didn’t get the chance to mention it.”
As she spoke, she peeled a few lychees for Feng Qingyun, continuing, “But whether to go, and how many to bring, doesn’t that all depend on Your Highness?”
Feng Qingyun neither agreed nor refused. He merely pushed the lychees back toward her, and Yue Jinshu blinked in surprise, asking, “Wasn’t Your Highness always fond of sweets? What’s wrong?”
Feng Qingyun: “……”
He licked the roof of his mouth, maintaining a blank expression under someone’s faintly smiling gaze.
“…I just don’t feel like eating anything sweet right now.”
Seeing that, Yue Jinshu blinked again, then seemed to understand. “So… are we going or not?”
The Heavenly Gate Ceremony would inevitably be watched closely by countless immortals. Attending meant stepping directly into the eye of the storm, but Feng Qingyun said nothing, only turning his head to look at Long Yin.
Long Yin let out a short laugh, answering for him, “Of course, we’re going. Why wouldn’t we? If we refuse, wouldn’t that make us look afraid, wasting that Mu fellow’s eagerness to court death?”
Hearing his overbearing reply, Feng Qingyun neither objected nor responded. He only lowered his eyes, his expression heavy. Long Yin didn’t even need to read his thoughts to guess what he was thinking. He had just taken Feng Qingyun’s right hand, intending to offer a few words of comfort, when Bai Ruolin’s letter arrived.
Feng Qingyun unfolded the paper and read it with lowered eyes, and his expression changed immediately.
“What is it?” Yue Jinshu jumped in alarm, thinking something had happened to Bai Ruolin.
Feng Qingyun pressed his lips together, his face darkening as he answered, “…Ruolin says several elders tried to dissuade Mu Hanyang, but he insists on moving the Heavenly Gate Ceremony forward.”
Once the ceremony was advanced, it also meant Long Yin’s return to heaven… would be advanced as well.
No wonder Feng Qingyun’s mood instantly plummeted.
Long Yin glanced down at the contents of the letter and immediately sneered: “If that surnamed Mu is so eager to die, then let him have his wish.”
Feng Qingyun clenched the letter without speaking, his face faintly pale.
As for Yue Jinshu, she still didn’t quite understand, asking in confusion, “Wait, why is he in such a rush to hold the Heavenly Gate Ceremony? Could it be… the rumors that Mu Hanyang is the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao are actually true?”
Feng Qingyun suddenly closed his eyes.
“…They’re true.”
“Eh?” Yue Jinshu froze, clearly shocked that someone like Mu Hanyang could become the Heavenly Dao. After a moment, she hurried to comfort him: “But if he merges with the Heavenly Dao, wouldn’t that basically be sending himself to death? That way it wouldn’t delay Your Highness and His Majesty’s ascension either, wouldn’t that be the best of both worlds?”
She meant well, speaking in ignorance, yet her words struck like a blade, plunging straight into Feng Qingyun’s heart. His face turned as pale as snow-white paper.
Seeing that, Long Yin gently pulled him into his arms, coaxing, “It’s alright… sooner or later, this day was bound to come.”
“You’re right. Sooner or later… better a short pain than a long one.” Feng Qingyun slowly opened his eyes. “If it truly must be moved forward, I need to return.”
Lowering his gaze, he displayed extreme calm and rationality despite being in extreme pain.
“Everything must remain under control.”
……………………..
Three days later, within the Xiān Gōng Sect.
Below the Main Hall, which had always been tranquil whenever Feng Qingyun was present, chaos now reigned.
Mu Hanyang was determined to move the Heavenly Gate Ceremony forward. But in previous ceremonies, either the Sword Venerable Zhong Yulan or Feng Qingyun had presided. Now, one had passed away, and the other had eloped with the Demon Emperor. The Xiān Gōng Sect could not produce a full ceremonial plan in such a short time.
“Master…” Hua Ying pleaded earnestly, “The hearts of the Four Ancient Beasts are not yet gathered. Advancing the ceremony will bring no benefit!”
Mu Hanyang sat high upon the main seat like a mortal emperor, turning a deaf ear to the voices below. Several elders, already parched from persuasion, looked ready to wipe sweat from their brows.
“The Xiān Gōng Sect has never once advanced the ceremony before! This matter is likely improper, Sect Leader, please reconsider!”
“Exactly!” Others immediately chimed in.
Yet Mu Hanyang still refused to listen. Left with no other choice, the crowd turned their gaze toward Bai Ruolin, who had only just returned to the sect.
“Third Palace Master Bai, please try persuading him as well!”
“Me? What do I know?” Bai Ruolin gave a cold laugh. “It was always my Senior Brother who presided before. If you really want to move the ceremony forward, why not go kneel and invite him back yourselves?”
The “Senior Brother” she spoke of was clearly not Mu Hanyang.
The hall fell abruptly silent.
“…That’s true,” Hua Ying said cautiously. “Previous Heavenly Gate Ceremonies were all held under the Second Palace Master’s supervision. Now…”
Before she could finish, Mu Hanyang’s second disciple, Wei Fang, frowned and cut her off.
“Junior Sister, are you questioning Master?! You only went to the Demon World once. How did your loyalties already turn outward?”
“Wei Fang!” someone snapped coldly.
Wei Fang curled his lips, but the quarrel had already begun.
Hua Ying, spoiled since childhood, froze for a moment before retorting angrily, “I’m only stating the truth! Second Senior Brother, what do you mean by that?! Who here even understands the Heavenly Gate Ceremony?!”
The elders, caught between internal conflict, dared not provoke her and lowered their heads in silence. Wei Fang was momentarily speechless from her rebuttal, but upon recovering, he immediately flew into a rage.
“This is how you speak to your Senior Brother?!” he raged. “You only saw that traitor once in the Demon World, and you’re already bewitched to this extent!”
Hua Ying, furious, had just opened her mouth to reply when Wei Fang sneered again: “If you’re so partial to Feng Qingyun, why not simply become his disciple outright and follow him back to the Demon Palace to serve as a demon attendant!”
The words were extremely harsh, and Hua Ying froze. Even Bai Ruolin, who had been watching the show, frowned.
“Master!” Hua Ying cried in humiliation, turning to Mu Hanyang. “Look at Second Senior Brother…”
“Now you remember I’m your Senior Brother?” Seeing Mu Hanyang remain silent, Wei Fang grew even more arrogant, continuing, “You still know you have a Master? Just now, when you defended that wretch in front of Master, why didn’t you…”
“Wei Fang!”
Bai Ruolin raised her hand, and a streak of sword Qi shot past his neck.
“Go to the Punishment Platform and receive your sentence yourself.”
Wei Fang’s voice cut off abruptly. He clutched the wound at his neck, standing there with an unwilling expression. From beginning to end, Mu Hanyang merely lowered his head, flipping through the old almanac in his hands, without saying a single word.
In the end, Wei Fang could only snort coldly and answer, “Yes,” unwillingly. Only then did the matter subside, yet Hua Ying felt no relief. Instead, she looked in disbelief at Mu Hanyang, who had remained silent throughout, as though seeing her Master for the first time.
Didn’t he always claim he loved Martial Uncle Feng? Then why was he allowing Wei Fang to insult him?
She couldn’t understand.
Aside from Bai Ruolin, the others present acted as though nothing unusual had happened, turning back to their earlier attempts at persuasion.
The Main Hall dissolved into chaos once more, and Bai Ruolin frowned impatiently. At last, Mu Hanyang spoke: “My decision is final. There is no need to argue further.”
Some elders’ expressions darkened, as if they had reached the limit of their patience and were about to storm out, when suddenly, footsteps sounded from outside the hall.
One person turned at the noise, then froze instantly.
The clamor inside the hall subsided like receding waves, gradually falling into deathly silence. Outside the Main Hall, a figure walked upward against the light, step by step. And when he lifted his foot, entered the hall, and came to a stop, the entire place remained utterly silent. For a fleeting moment, the same words surfaced in countless hearts:
As if a lifetime had passed.
It was no longer the Second Palace Master they remembered, the one who always carried a gentle smile. It was as though he had become an entirely different person. Simply standing there, holding the Linshuang Sword, he inspired boundless dread from the depths of one’s heart.
Wei Fang, who had just been speaking so brazenly, suddenly fell silent. Feng Qingyun cast him a faint glance, and Wei Fang’s face instantly flushed the color of rotten liver.
An awkward tension spread through the Main Hall. But when Mu Hanyang saw Feng Qingyun, he was overjoyed, as if all past grievances had never existed. He immediately rose, exclaiming, “Qingyun, I knew you would return!”
Liu Wu and Hua Ying also straightened hurriedly, somewhat awkwardly, mumbling a quiet “Martial Uncle…”
It was as though those conflicts had never happened, and only Wei Fang stared at them in shock, shouting, “You…!”
Had they all forgotten how he left during the Dao ceremony?!
He had trampled the Xiān Gōng Sect’s dignity into the ground, so why did it now seem as though nothing had ever happened?!
In disbelief, he turned toward the elders, hoping to find support, yet the elders’ joy was even more genuine than Hua Ying’s. After exchanging glances, they all spoke at once: “Welcome back to the Xiān Gōng Sect, Second Palace Master Feng Qingyun!”
Truth be told, no one was happier about Feng Qingyun’s return than they were. When he had been present, everything he did went unnoticed; no one realized who was truly keeping the Xiān Gōng Sect running in perfect order.
Only after he left, leaving behind a tangled mess, did they finally understand his worth.
Among all people, the ones who missed him most were those elders, who had been tormented by Mu Hanyang to the point of wishing they could self-destruct on the spot. Bai Ruolin could at least escape the turmoil under the pretext of traveling down the mountain…
They, however, could not, ah!
Now that Feng Qingyun had returned, regardless of the reason, the elders were overjoyed and immediately wanted him to persuade Mu Hanyang not to recklessly advance the ceremony.
Yet before they could speak, Mu Hanyang struck first.
“They’ve been trying to persuade me for quite some time now,” he said, “insisting that in the past, the Heavenly Gate Ceremony was always arranged by you and Master, and that I can’t manage it clearly. Since you’ve returned, Qingyun, why not have you preside over this ceremony as well? What do you think?”
His tone was intimate and casual, as though he truly believed they had returned to how things once were.
Hua Ying was startled and instinctively looked toward Feng Qingyun. For a fleeting moment, she felt he might draw his sword without a word and cut Mu Hanyang down on the spot.
But that never happened.
Instead, Feng Qingyun replied calmly: “That’s acceptable. However, the guest list and seating arrangement must be redrafted by me.”
His words sounded almost like a sign of reconciliation. Mu Hanyang immediately smiled, not taking the matter of seating to heart at all.
“Of course!”
Yet before long, he would no longer be smiling.
……………………………
Ten days later, under the gaze of the entire world, the Heavenly Gate Ceremony indeed opened ahead of schedule.
Immortal carriages draped in gauze arrived in endless streams, and cultivators of great power descended one after another at the break of dawn.
Celestial music drifted through the air, echoing for thousands of miles.
Inside and outside the Xiān Gōng Sect, the scene was magnificent beyond measure. On the martial grounds, countless banquet tables were arranged in orderly rows, laden with jade dishes of delicacies and golden goblets of fine wine. The spectacle surpassed even the Dao ceremony that had once shaken heaven and earth.
Because guests from different sects would naturally sit together according to their affiliations, while the relationships among independent cultivators were difficult to judge, they entered first. After the independent cultivators were seated, representatives of each faction would enter in turn. This, too, was customary for past Heavenly Gate Ceremonies.
Yet that single small detail made countless guests suddenly realize something…
Feng Qingyun had returned.
The arrangement matched previous Ceremonies exactly; at a glance, it was clear the organizer had not changed. After the independent cultivators entered, they quickly confirmed that suspicion, but almost immediately, they noticed something else.
The seating arrangement for the entire Ceremony was extremely strange.
The strangeness lay not only in the unusually grand scale, but also in how the three Palace Masters’ seats were arranged. The three principal seats were not together… and not only were they separated, but beside each one was an additional accompanying seat.
By the time the independent cultivators sat down, someone had already taken the seat beside Mu Hanyang. From afar, they saw it was a young man in red robes.
The youth appeared as serene as the moonlight. With lowered eyes, he spoke little, only occasionally lifting the teapot to refill Mu Hanyang’s cup, the very image of gentle attentiveness.
Feng Qingyun and Bai Ruolin sat somewhat closer to each other, and beside each of them, too, was an empty seat.
The independent cultivators couldn’t help feeling puzzled. Before they could think it through, however, it was already time for the righteous sects to enter.
“Xiaoyao Valley, the Ten-Thousand-Wood Medicine Saint Mu Tingwan, sending disciples to congratulate the Xiān Gōng Sect on this Grand Ceremony!”
Up to this point in his second life, Feng Qingyun had not yet met Mu Tingwan. Hearing the announcement, he lifted his eyes to look at them. The pain from his previous life, the suffering caused by seeking medicine from her, now felt as though it no longer existed. By custom, someone at the Nascent Soul stage, like Lady Mu, would not personally attend.
Yet there she was.
Her chief disciple stepped forward to offer congratulations on her behalf, and after exchanging formalities with Feng Qingyun and the others, Xiaoyao Valley took their seats.
Next to enter was the Lingyuan Sect, known for only taking in female disciples.
“Lingyuan Sect, Chief Disciple Nan Anxue, leading the Lingyuan disciples to congratulate the Heavenly Gate on its auspicious Ceremony!”
Hearing the familiar name, Feng Qingyun paused slightly before looking over. Among the group of female cultivators in green stood one whose robes fluttered sharply in the wind.
Her brows and eyes resembled Nan Anyu, whom he had once seen, but her unsmiling expression was cold as frost. She stepped forward with steady composure and bowed neither humbly nor arrogantly.
“I am Nan Anxue, offering congratulations on behalf of the Lingyuan Sect.”
“Our joy is shared,” Feng Qingyun quickly replied. “Please, fellow cultivators, take your seats.”
When Xiaoyao Valley and the Lingyuan Sect offered their congratulations, there was no visible bias.
But the Righteous Sects that followed showed their leanings far more clearly.
“Kuangdao Sect, Yan Xiao, greets Lord Mu and congratulates the Heavenly Gate Ceremony! May the Xiān Gōng Sect endure for ten thousand years!”
“Yuchan Palace, Liu Emei, greets Sword Venerable Mu Hanyang…”
“…”
“Luoyun Sect, Zhu Nianqing, greets Sect Leader Mu and congratulates the grand celebration of the Xiān Gōng Sect!”
Mu Hanyang returned the greetings with an unceasing smile. Some even deliberately included Bai Ruolin in their salutations, but only Feng Qingyun sat there as though completely ignored.
He was not surprised.
After the incident of the bride-snatching, the Righteous Sects still harbored resentment toward him. Now, in front of Mu Hanyang, they deliberately slighted him to show their allegiance.
Seeing that, Wei Fang couldn’t help curling his lips in satisfaction. Hua Ying, however, frowned slightly, seeming displeased.
Among the independent cultivators present, some thought it was entirely natural… After all, Mu Hanyang was rumored to be the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao. No matter how powerful Feng Qingyun had become recently, how could he possibly be compared with him?
Yet not long after the Righteous Sects finished entering, when the invited demon clans began to arrive, countless jaws dropped on the spot.
“Qingqiu Mountain, fox Patriarch Qing Luo, accompanied by the Demon Saint Mao Yanhe of the Ten Thousand Mountains, the Hundred-Eyed Demon Yan You, the Moon-Crying Wolf Ruan Qinghe… here to congratulate the Heavenly Gate Ceremony!”
Among the previous sect representatives, aside from Mu Tingwan, most were only at the Foundation-Building or Qi Condensation stage. Only Nan Anxue had reached the Golden Core stage, standing above the rest.
But when Qingqiu Mountain entered… not only did Bai Ruolin immediately sit upright, but the moment the already seated cultivators saw the leader, countless eyes widened in shock.
Fox Patriarch Qing Luo!
The ancestral demon clans had sent the fox Patriarch in person!
In past Heavenly Gate Ceremonies, even if the fox Patriarch attended, he would appear only briefly at the end to present gifts, merely giving the Xiān Gōng Sect a token of respect.
But now, he had arrived right at the ceremony’s opening. Even Lian Ziqing, beside Mu Hanyang, frowned almost imperceptibly, clearly not expecting him so early.
But what stunned everyone even more was that Qing Luo personally stepped forward to congratulate Feng Qingyun. After glancing around as if searching for someone and not finding them, he turned back with a smile, asking, “Has my Lord’s honored spouse not yet arrived?”
No one had expected that the fox Patriarch’s very first sentence would be that!
The entire hall froze into stunned silence, yet Feng Qingyun simply smiled.
“He’s right behind you. Fox Patriarch, did you not see him?”
Qing Luo looked slightly surprised, then chuckled, saying, “This one truly did not. I thought, given how the two of you act as though a single day apart feels like three autumns, the Second Palace Master would surely have him enter first.”
“I would have liked to,” Feng Qingyun smiled. “But someone truly does have an old friend she hasn’t seen in three autumns… naturally, she must come first.”
Hearing that, Bai Ruolin flushed at once. Still, she called toward the fox-woman behind Qing Luo, who had been smiling at her the whole time: “Elder Sister, please come and take the seat of honor!”
Qing Luo immediately understood. Turning back with a smile, he said, “So you’re the true honored guest, and we’re merely the accompaniment. The Third Palace Master is inviting you to the seat of honor. Go on.”
After the eight-tailed fox sister took her seat beside Bai Ruolin, the members of the ancestral demon clans offered their salute and, without even sparing Mu Hanyang a glance, turned and walked toward their seats.
Mu Hanyang’s expression darkened noticeably. Seeing that, the crowd’s reactions grew increasingly varied.
Yet an even greater shock was still to come.
Once the previous group of guests had taken their seats, the announcer should have immediately called out the next names. Instead, he paused, seemingly stunned by what he read. After a moment, he finally raised his voice:
“The Demon Palace congratulates the Heavenly Gate’s grand Celebration! Demon Emperor Long Yin, accompanied by the Rakshasa Demon Yue Jinshu, the Blood Saint Kū Xuè, the Thousand Skulls Crow Ancestor Qiān Lóu Míng… offers blessings: may His Highness Feng Qingyun be granted every fortune and boundless longevity! May the Third Palace Master Bai Ruolin’s swordsmanship flourish and her immortal path be smooth!”
The moment those words fell, the entire venue went silent. Only the announcer’s voice echoed across the grounds.
Bai Ruolin clearly hadn’t expected to be included. She had been chatting with the fox sister beside her, and upon hearing that, she hurriedly straightened, both surprised and flattered.
In the next instant, a vast surge of demonic Qi swept across the sky above the Xiān Gōng Sect, nearly pressing down on the heavens themselves. Even the rising sun seemed dimmed in comparison.
Under that immense pressure, countless people stared at the arriving figures in astonishment. Even the famously cold Chief Disciple of the Lingyuan Sect couldn’t hide a flicker of surprise.
Mu Hanyang’s face, meanwhile, turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.
The reason was simple.
He had miscalculated.
His original plan had been to invite only Long Yin, forcing him to endure the same humiliation he once suffered, like an abandoned drowning dog, helplessly watching Mu Hanyang reconcile with Feng Qingyun.
What he had never expected was that once the matter fell into Feng Qingyun’s hands, Feng Qingyun would simply wave a hand and send invitations to the entire Demon World.
Now Long Yin had arrived like a peacock displaying its tail, practically bringing the Demon World’s top combat forces with him. The demonic Qi was so overwhelming that it eclipsed much of the spiritual energy present.
In a heartbeat, the Xiān Gōng Sect no longer felt like an immortal sanctuary, but like the Demon Palace itself.
Beside the Demon Emperor, half a step behind, followed a skeleton whose bones clattered sharply and a woman with a solemn, righteous face, along with an extravagantly dressed young lady. The remaining demon generals trailed behind them.
But when the younger woman slowly lifted her gaze, Mu Hanyang’s expression sank abruptly.
It was that Rakshasa Demon from years ago…
How was she still alive?!
Yue Jinshu took in his livid face completely, yet revealed nothing, only smiling faintly.
The group stopped on the martial grounds. By rights, given the Demon Emperor’s strength and status, it should have been his subordinates who stepped forward to offer congratulations.
But Long Yin never played by convention.
He stepped forward himself and declared with formal grandeur: “This Lord has long admired the Sword Venerable Feng and was honored to receive the invitation! I hereby wish the Sword Venerable Feng enduring immortal longevity, peace, and joy!”
Everyone in the world knew their relationship, yet here he was, pretending solemn formality… and Feng Qingyun actually played along. Raising his teacup, he replied, “And I wish Your Majesty a smooth path ahead and unending immortal fortune!
Many onlookers stared at the bizarre exchange, dumbfounded.
After speaking, Long Yin seemed to have nothing further to add. His congratulations had clearly been directed solely at Feng Qingyun, barely related to the Heavenly Gate Ceremony at all.
Next, Yue Jinshu stepped forward as the Demon World’s representative.
“This lowly one, on behalf of the Demon Palace, congratulates the Xiān Gōng Sect on celebrating yet another joyous occasion, adding another auspicious day to its long history!”
The phrasing sounded extremely strange. What “auspicious day” needed to be added to the Heavenly Gate Ceremony? Hearing that, many people’s expressions turned subtle, clearly recalling the last grand ceremony once held at the Xiān Gōng Sect…
Yet Yue Jinshu seemed completely unaware of any impropriety. After finishing, she bowed gracefully to Bai Ruolin, continuing, “Congratulations to the Third Palace Master on the perfection of your swordsmanship!”
“Oh, no, no, my skills are hardly presentable,” Bai Ruolin hurriedly replied. “Sister Yue overpraises me! Please rise!”
Yue Jinshu smiled, then bowed to Feng Qingyun with a “May Your Highness have all your wishes fulfilled and peace year after year!”
She was a demonic cultivator. Since when was the Xiān Gōng Sect’s Second Palace Master her “Your Highness”?!
Some quick-witted Xiān Gōng Sect disciples stiffened at once, yet Feng Qingyun merely smiled and accepted it with a “Thank you, Miss Yue.”
Yue Jinshu straightened… and then unexpectedly turned toward Mu Hanyang.
“Congratulations to Sword Venerable Hanyang,” she smiled, though the smile never reached her eyes, “may you soon find a good match and form a happy union.”
The entire audience was stunned by her uncanny ability to poke precisely where it hurt most. Mu Hanyang’s face darkened immediately, and even the announcer looked shaken.
A long silence fell before the announcer finally recovered.
“Please… Demon Emperor, take your seat.”
But before the crowd could even recover from their shock, their jaws nearly dropped again. Right before everyone’s eyes, Long Yin calmly ascended the steps and, without the slightest hesitation, sat down beside Feng Qingyun.
It was as though he had stepped squarely over Mu Hanyang’s dignity and walked straight into the Main Hall. Under countless burning stares, Long Yin sat there as if no one else existed, even turning with a smile:
“Several days apart, yet Second Palace Master, your elegance remains unchanged.”
Feng Qingyun smiled faintly, simply answering, “Your Majesty as well.”
Long Yin looked as though he had just heard celestial music. The corners of his lips curled upward as he picked up the teacup Feng Qingyun had just used and drained it in one gulp.
All the cultivators present watched them in horror.
After withdrawing his gaze, Feng Qingyun checked the time and said, “Everyone may begin the banquet at will. However, this one has invited another cultivator friend. Please do not be alarmed.”
The moment his words fell, before anyone could start eating, the sky suddenly darkened. Turning their heads, the crowd realized…
At some unknown point, dusk had already arrived.
Lian Ziqing, who was usually gentle in expression, finally stiffened, a trace of astonishment flashing through his eyes.
Among those at the Golden Core stage in the world, aside from the two demon Patriarchs whose werebouts were still unknown and that one who governed reincarnation, everyone had already gathered here!
Just what kind of background did this Feng Qingyun have?!
Feng Qingyun took in everyone’s reactions, lowered his eyes, and smiled.
At dusk, green ghost-flames and chilling winds suddenly rose, as the sound of bells mingled with eerie music. Even the announcer had no idea who this arrival was until one great cultivator, shocked, spoke the name aloud.
“The Mistress of the Underworld?!”
The Huangquan lady’s skin, by some unknown, probably unholy method, had regained its former flawless smoothness. Her magnificent robes carried the majesty of an ancient empress, and the deathly aura of the Underworld wrapped her in heavy, overwhelming pressure.
No one had ever imagined they would one day see the Underworld’s ruler walk on the mortal plane with their own eyes, and the entire hall fell silent; someone even dropped their cup beneath the table.
After stopping on the grounds, ghost attendants flickered faintly behind her robes. Yet she didn’t spare anyone else a glance, turning directly toward Feng Qingyun and Long Yin.
“Several days apart, yet the two of you remain deeply devoted,” she greeted, “Truly a match of immortals, most admirable.”
“Thank you for the blessing,” Long Yin replied openly with a smile. Whether intentionally or not, he still held Feng Qingyun’s teacup as he returned the greeting, looking more like the Xiān Gōng Sect’s master than Mu Hanyang did.
Feng Qingyun shot him an amused, helpless glance, then raised Long Yin’s teacup in return.
“The Mistress of the Underworld has come from afar. Forgive us for not welcoming you personally.”
While the three exchanged courtesies, Mu Hanyang watched Long Yin’s smile from the side, nearly grinding his teeth to dust as fury surged within him.
When I reclaim my place as the Heavenly Dao, he thought, we’ll see if you can still smile then!
Once the Mistress of the Underworld took her seat, the grand banquet officially began.
As the celebration continued deep into the night, the Heavenly Gate Ceremony’s long-standing tradition came into play. During the feast, young disciples from each sect could spar in the martial arena. This both displayed each sect’s future strength and allowed for exchange and competition, promoting the prosperity of the Righteous Path.
In practice, however, most sects selected their strongest disciples in advance and submitted their names beforehand. Thus, what was once “voluntary participation” had gradually become a stage for sects to display their power and openly bully each other.
But with such an unprecedented gathering… Many righteous disciples had no idea what level the younger generation of demons, monsters, or Huangquan beings possessed!
They could only sit tense, waiting for their names, barely able to drink!
Not long after the banquet began, Bai Ruolin, who was overseeing the matches, drew the first pairing and announced it across the grounds with spiritual amplification:
“The first match…”
“Xiān Gōng Sect, Cold Star Sword Wei Fang, versus…”
“Demon World, Rakshasa Demon Yue Jinshu!”
No one had expected such a dramatic opening, and many immediately set down their cups and looked toward the arena. Yet right before everyone’s eyes, Wei Fang suddenly stood and declared:
“I refuse to fight!!!”
Yue Jinshu, who had just stepped lightly into the arena, raised an eyebrow. As for Bai Ruolin, she narrowed her eyes, asking, “And why do you refuse?”
“The martial arena is sacred ground of the Xiān Gōng Sect!” Wei Fang shouted. “How can it be defiled by such demonic creatures?!”
His words struck the field like a thunderclap, and nearly everyone froze and turned toward them. Bai Ruolin’s gaze turned icy as she prepared to speak…
…but Mu Hanyang suddenly interjected: “Fang’er, times have changed.”
Just when everyone thought he was about to restrain his disciple, his next words stunned them.
“If you defeat her in the arena, then it will not be defilement. And if you kill her… I’ll pass the Hanyang Sword on to you.”
The moment those two sentences fell, the ceremony, which had at least appeared harmonious, seemed to freeze solid.
Bai Ruolin whipped her head toward Mu Hanyang.
Wei Fang also froze, clearly not expecting such words from his Master. Yet instinctively, he glanced toward Feng Qingyun and Long Yin.
But when he saw the two of them calmly peeling fruit and sipping tea as though nothing were happening, the humiliation of being ignored made him grit his teeth.
Finally withdrawing his gaze, he bowed to Mu Hanyang.
“Yes! This disciple obeys!”
With that, he drew his life-bound sword like a man marching to his death and strode into the arena under countless watching eyes. After taking his position, he seemed ready to issue some harsh declaration, but Yue Jinshu had already been waiting.
The moment he approached, she cut him off with a bright smile:
“So you’re Palace Master Mu’s prized disciple. I’ve long heard of you.”
“They say Palace Master Mu trains his disciples exceptionally well. He disciplines them more obediently than our Demon Palace trains its dogs…”
“Seeing you today, the reputation is indeed well deserved.”
“I truly admire it.”
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