Chapter 324: Subtle Desires
At night, the Divine City was not silent. Pedestrians filled the main streets and ancient alleys, while melodious music drifted from various palaces and halls.
Along the avenues, countless palaces stood resplendent, brilliantly lit, their golden grandeur shining brightly as far as the eye could see. Ethereal songs wafted through the air, stirring the heart and intoxicating all who heard them.
The Holy City was a city that never slept. Clusters of palaces shimmered with divine radiance, auspicious clouds blooming, creating a dreamlike scene.
The music seemed to come from a pure land beyond the mundane world, cleansing the mind and spirit.
Further away, dragon boats and phoenix pavilions glowed with five-colored light, appearing hazy and indistinct beneath the night sky.
The sky above the depths of the great lake was even more magnificent. Rows of jade towers and celestial halls flickered in and out of view, surrounded by night and mist, sparkling with crystalline brilliance.
"It truly feels like I've arrived at an Immortal Palace. The Subtle Desires Nunnery has impressive methods, making even romance and pleasure seem so sacred and ethereal," Ye Fan remarked.
"Naturally. Their establishment in the realm of romance is unmatched in the Divine City, rivaled only by the Water Moon Pavilion and the Guanghan Tower."
"Many people should understand what's really going on. Why do they flock here like ducks to water, unable to resist even the heirs of the Holy Lands?"
Li Heishui chuckled. "Those heirs have hearts as hard as iron. They aren't necessarily moved by desire—it's just romance."
Ye Fan nodded. "That's true. The Subtle Desires Nunnery needs the support of future Saint Lords, and the heirs of the Holy Lands also want to see the most beautiful woman in the Eastern Wasteland."
"It's hard to say for sure. After all, An Miaoyi is different from previous abbots. With her peerless celestial grace, such a flawless woman might indeed cause some heirs to lose themselves."
Ye Fan smiled. "What about you?"
"Me... if I could win the beauty and bring her home, that would be wonderful." Li Heishui laughed heartily.
"Don't you dare fall into that trap."
"I really need to be careful. Especially you, Little Leaf. You're young, your will isn't that firm, and you've never seen this kind of scene before. Don't get caught."
Ye Fan was speechless.
"Don't think I'm joking. I'm serious. In the past, the abbots of the Subtle Desires Nunnery made some Holy Sons and heirs of ancient aristocratic clans lose themselves. And this generation's An Miaoyi is one of the most beautiful women in the vast Eastern Wasteland. Saying 'one of' is modest—she might be the number one beauty in the Eastern Wasteland."
A cold smile curled at the corner of Ye Fan's mouth. "At its core, romance is nothing more than human desire. If she offers her physical form, I'll gladly accept it. What more could there be?"
"Don't underestimate her. If you're so dismissive, you might really fall into her trap." Li Heishui rarely showed a serious expression. "Their lineage, aside from their foundation, is not much weaker than a Holy Land. Their methods are very strange and hard to guard against."
"What kind of technique do they cultivate? Is it comparable to ancient scriptures?"
"In the past, they had an ancient Daoist dual cultivation divine technique. I only recently learned that over a thousand years ago, they obtained another mental cultivation method, said to be a Buddhist secret scripture from the Western Desert. Now, they cultivate both Buddhism and Daoism, elevating it to a mysterious and wondrous realm."
"Dual cultivation... that works?" Although Ye Fan had heard of it, he didn't believe in such cultivation methods.
"You'll find out soon enough." Li Heishui snickered.
"Buddhism..." Ye Fan rubbed his chin but said no more.
Suddenly, the sound of strings and bamboo instruments rose in unison, accompanied by beautiful singing that lingered in the night sky, stirring the heart.
"Your servant, An Miaoyi..."
A heavenly voice came through. An Miaoyi finally appeared. She was like a Guanghan fairy, ethereal and otherworldly under the moonlight, her white robes fluttering as she flew toward a flower boat.
It was a five-colored jade boat, piled high with flowers, radiant with auspicious clouds. It carried her into the misty depths of the great lake.
"What does this mean?" someone asked, puzzled.
"The main event is here. If you want to catch a glimpse of her beauty, you'll have to spend Source."
The lakeshore erupted into chaos. Many people rushed forward, eager to buy jade boats and row into the lake, creating a noisy commotion.
Ye Fan and Li Heishui went to ask about the price. The Source required was absurdly expensive, making even them gasp. Yet many people didn't care, willing to pay just for a close encounter with An Miaoyi.
"Isn't she just An Miaoyi? Is it really worth all this?" Even Li Heishui was speechless. They couldn't even afford a jade boat at such exorbitant prices, but there were too many people with Source, all throwing money around like dirt.
"Can't we just fly over?" Ye Fan asked.
"That would be too embarrassing, and we might get beaten back." Li Heishui thought for a moment, then scanned the crowd. His eyes lit up. "Got it."
He fixed his gaze on a disciple of a major sect and grinned. "That's the seventh disciple of the Five Elements Palace's Sect Master. I've seen this guy before."
This disciple of the Five Elements Palace had paid a sky-high price to board a massive dragon boat, towering above the surrounding jade boats, quite imposing.
Ye Fan thought he was going to hitch a ride, but instead, Li Heishui walked over, called aside one of the seventh disciple's attendants, and whispered something.
The attendant immediately scrambled onto the dragon boat as if his tail was on fire to report.
"What?!" The seventh disciple of the Five Elements Palace changed color instantly. He quickly descended from the dragon boat and hurried away through the crowd.
Li Heishui swaggered onto the dragon boat, then waved at Ye Fan, inviting him aboard.
The people around looked on in confusion, not understanding what had happened. The dragon boat had changed owners, but they didn't dare ask too many questions, simply watching as they sailed into the lake.
"What did you tell him?" Ye Fan asked.
"Just provided a piece of information—that his fiancée, who's like a tigress, has arrived." Li Heishui answered nonchalantly.
"Aren't you being a bit too underhanded?" Ye Fan was beginning to understand Li Heishui's methods.
Li Heishui snickered. "His fiancée is the youngest daughter of the Five Elements Palace's Sect Master. Even if he suspects something, he wouldn't dare stay here for a moment. It concerns his future."
On the great lake, there were many jade boats, but dragon boats like this were limited in number, all reserved by disciples of major sects.
They stood at the bow, using divine power to steer, cutting through the waves as they reached the depths of the lake.
Killing intent!
Both of them sensed a powerful killing intent, though it wasn't directed at them.
Not far away, a divine ship even larger than their dragon boat floated. On it stood a man in purple robes, hands clasped behind his back, black hair wild in the wind, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
"The young master of the Heavenly Demon Palace!" Li Heishui exclaimed in surprise.
Opposite him was a golden ship, equally magnificent, like a towering pavilion. On it stood another man.
He wore a suit of golden battle armor, his figure tall and imposing, his skin bronze. His face was sharp as a knife, with long eyebrows slanting into his temples, giving him an exceptionally heroic look.
"The heir of the Golden Family from the Northern Plains!" Li Heishui chuckled. "Never mind the Holy Lands—just these two showing up means there'll be a good show. They fought a big battle not long ago."