Chapter 365: Wedding Day
"Oh?" The young man set down his wine glass with a faint smile. "I've often heard that among the seven kingdoms, Cang Feng is the weakest. I never imagined it would be this pitiful and laughable. Add to that the narrowness of this territory, and it's barely worthy of being called a mere speck of land. I wonder why His Father the Emperor suddenly took an interest in this place."
"The Emperor never does anything without reason, let alone something of this magnitude," the black-robed elder said with a chuckle. "I've vaguely heard that His Majesty's move was prompted by the Lingkun Hall accidentally detecting the presence of a massive Purple Crystal mine—and that mine is located within Cang Feng's borders. Before Cang Feng discovers it, the best way to seize that Purple Crystal mine is naturally... heh."
"Regardless of whether that rumor is true or false, although His Majesty has been making careful preparations, he has no intention of acting in the short term. At the very least, it will be after the Seven Kingdoms Ranking Battle. A grand event held once every twenty years—if one kingdom were missing, it would truly be a shame," the red-robed elder said expressionlessly.
"Heh," the black-robed elder smiled faintly. "His Majesty's decision to hold off has nothing to do with the Seven Kingdoms Ranking Battle. In the Ranking Battle, Cang Feng Kingdom has always been nothing more than a laughingstock at the bottom. Its presence or absence makes no difference. Now that the 'Primordial Mystic Ark' has reappeared, and its doors will soon open, His Majesty's primary focus naturally lies with the Primordial Mystic Ark. Before he finishes exploring its secrets, why would he divert his attention to a tiny little kingdom like Cang Feng?"
"Still, it seems we arrived at an inconvenient time—we just happened to land on Yun Che's wedding day." The young man narrowed his eyes. "His influence in this small, backward place is not bad. I've heard his name no fewer than a hundred times these past few days."
"I heard that Yun Che single-handedly wiped out the Fen Tian Gate, one of the four great sects of Cang Feng. Hmph, in such a barren land, for a genius like him to suddenly appear out of nowhere—the reason is self-evident," said the black-robed elder.
"Bloodline," the red-robed elder said flatly, without emotion.
"Heh, I wonder which careless bastard left a bastard outside, letting him rely on our Shenhuang bloodline to strut around this tiny Cang Feng kingdom. But since we've arrived just in time for his wedding day, I'm actually a bit reluctant to act. Besides, if we just go directly, it would be somewhat 'disrespectful.' After all, he is now marrying the only princess of the Cang Feng royal family." As the young man spoke, a playful gleam shone in his eyes. Finally, his gaze landed on the four members of the Iron Palm Sect, and his smile grew even more contemptuous.
The four Iron Palm Sect members finished their meal and left the tavern, heading straight toward the direction of Cangfeng Imperial City. Along the way, whenever the nameplate of "Iron Palm Sect" was revealed, everyone around them hastily gave way. When they reached a desolate area, a lazy voice suddenly sounded behind them: "Friends from the Iron Palm Sect, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."
The voice was soft yet carried an air of arrogance that brooked no opposition—clearly no good Samaritan. The four turned around. The sect leader, Tie Ruide, glanced at the three approaching figures. Seeing that the young man in the middle was dressed impressively with an extraordinary bearing, he did not underestimate him. "Speak quickly. Don't delay the Iron Palm Sect's journey."
He deliberately brought up the "Iron Palm Sect" name, expecting to intimidate them, but the young man merely smiled amiably. With a flick of his wrist, a white jade folding fan appeared in his hand. He waved the jade fan casually and said unhurriedly, "We don't have any major business. We just wanted to borrow a few of your invitations."
"Looking for death!" One of the Iron Palm Sect elders stepped forward, his brows furrowed in anger. "Sect Leader, these three are clearly here to cause trouble. It seems our Iron Palm Sect hasn't displayed its might enough lately—even rats dare to climb over our heads."
Tie Ruide's brow darkened. "If you're looking for trouble, you've picked the wrong targets. I'll give you three breaths to get out of my sight, or else..."
"Hahahaha, or else what?" The young man burst into laughter. He closed his jade fan and walked toward Tie Ruide with a smile. "It seems our friends here are unwilling to cooperate. In that case, I'll just have to take them myself."
"You brat, you're asking for it!" The Iron Palm Sect elder was furious. He stepped forward, extending his right hand as a chilling gust of wind gathered around his palm, aiming for the young man's throat.
As the "Iron Palm Sect," their cultivation naturally centered on their iron-like palms. This strike was enough to leave a deep handprint in solid steel. Facing this iron palm, the young man merely smirked disdainfully. With a slight twist of his wrist, his jade fan lightly tapped against the incoming palm.
"Aaaaahhh!!"
A scream of unbearable agony rang out. The Iron Palm Sect elder who had struck rolled on the ground, clutching his arm as it was instantly drenched in blood. His appearance was one of utter torment, as if all the flesh and bones in his arm had been shattered into fragments.
"Grand Elder!!"
Tie Ruide was greatly alarmed. The Grand Elder's profound strength was at the third level of the Heavenly Xuan Realm—second only to Tie Ruide himself in the Iron Palm Sect. To see him severely wounded by this young man with such an effortless move sent shockwaves through Tie Ruide. Enraged, he struck out with both palms, which turned a striking metallic color as he thrust them toward the young man with a roar.
"Tsk tsk..." The young man sneered contemptuously. Faced with Tie Ruide's full-force attack, he didn't even take a step back. With a wave, a point, and a sweep of his folding fan,
Bang! Bang! Shiiing!!
In an instant, Tie Ruide's formidable Iron Palm force, which was at the mid-stage Heavenly Xuan Realm, vanished like a stone cast into the sea, leaving no trace. Meanwhile, a transparent bloody hole an inch wide appeared in his throat. Behind him, the throats of the other two elders were also slashed with deep, bloody gashes—gashes that nearly severed their heads from their necks.
"You... you..."
Tie Ruide's eyes were filled with the greatest terror he had ever known in his life. His eyes wide, he collapsed along with the two elders... All four fell silent.
The four strongest members of the Iron Palm Sect—four immensely powerful Heavenly Xuan experts—were all killed by the young man in mere breaths. Even the two elders who hadn't had time to strike died without knowing how.
"Pathetic." The young man put away his jade fan, which had not a single bloodstain on it.
The black-robed elder stepped forward and made a grasping motion with his hand. The four spatial rings on the corpses were all sucked into his palm. After finding the invitations inside, he tossed the four rings aside without even bothering to see what else they contained... For sects of this level, even their supreme treasures were nothing more than slightly better trash in their eyes.
Opening the invitations, the black-robed elder used his finger to smear the original names away. With another movement of his finger, he used profound energy to engrave new names. He closed the invitations and handed them to the young man.
"Excellent." The young man took the invitations and laughed heartily. "As a civilized and courteous nation, I do understand basic etiquette, hahahaha."
"Let's go. Let's see just what kind of goods this Yun Che really is."
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Today was arguably the busiest and most festive day in Cangfeng Imperial City in centuries.
The vast imperial city was nearly bursting at the seams with the crowd. Every inn, big or small, had been fully booked days ago, and even though prices had been driven up more than tenfold, people were still fighting tooth and nail for a room. On the main roads in front of the imperial palace, it was extremely difficult just to turn around.
Looking out, the entire imperial city was decked with lanterns and colorful banners, filled with joy and celebration. Bright red lanterns and huge red carpets could be seen everywhere. In front of the palace, ornately decorated wedding carriages lined up one after another in a spectacular display. Inside the palace, ribbons fluttered in the wind, and a riot of flowers bloomed... A princess marrying was naturally a lavish affair, but in the thousand years of the Cangfeng Imperial Clan, no princess's wedding had ever been so extravagant. Moreover, this princess did not seem to be marrying out—since the wedding was being held in the palace, it looked more like Yun Che was marrying into the royal family!
Cang Wanhe had turned this imperial event into a national celebration, as if he wanted the whole world to know that his only daughter was marrying Yun Che. Those who first arrived at the imperial city were dazzled by the endless sea of splendor and the seemingly infinite stream of people. Even some well-traveled sect masters were left dumbfounded.
"Oh my god... Isn't this a bit too much?" Ling Jie, who had come to attend the wedding, arrived above the imperial city and was stunned for a long time. He groaned inwardly.
The city lords of all major cities, secondary cities, and small towns had all gathered in the imperial city—not a single one was missing. Famous and prestigious sect masters had also flocked to the city. Not a single person who received an invitation failed to show up, and countless uninvited guests also came. If it were merely the princess's marriage, it would never have drawn such a crowd, but Yun Che... he was the future overlord of Cang Feng Kingdom. Even if they had to force their way in, everyone wanted to be part of it.
At nine in the morning, the reception began. The palace turned no one away, even uninvited guests, though their seats were slightly more distant and humble.
"Lord Ma Tengyu of Fenghua City and his wife have arrived!"
"Great General Li Liancheng of the Western Pacification has arrived!"
"Young Master Ling Yun and Young Master Ling Jie of Tian Jian Villa have arrived!"
"Sect Master Du Cangran, Grand Elder Du Yuntian, and Young Sect Master Du Ziteng of the Taiji Sect have arrived!"
"Lord Ouyang Bo of Cangbei City and his lady have arrived!"
"Sect Master Xiao Juetian, Grand Elder Xiao Boyun, and Elder Xiao Wuji of the Xiao Sect have arrived!"
Each name was more intimidating than the last, making the master of ceremonies, who was calling out from the entrance with an invitation list, tremble more and more. Beads of cold sweat poured down his face. In all his life, he had never seen so many dignitaries gathered in one place. Everyone who had received an invitation was either someone Yun Che or the royal family wanted to invite, or a powerful noble or sect ruling over a region. Even city lords of major cities could only be seated in the side halls. As for those nobles and prestigious sects or families that were normally nearly impossible to meet even once—they did not even qualify for an invitation. When they arrived, they had to sit in distant seats outside the main and side halls, attended by palace eunuchs and guards, and none dared to show any dissatisfaction... Compared to the names being announced by the master of ceremonies, their own status and fame were utterly insignificant.
"Young Palace Master Xia Qingyue of Bing Yun Fairy Palace and Ice Glass Fairy Chu Yueli have arrived!"
In the main hall, Yun Che had been listening intently to every name that arrived. When he heard Xia Qingyue's name, his heart stirred sharply, and he quickly lifted his head to look toward the hall entrance.