“Clang——”
The lingering bell sound was solemn and majestic, spreading to every corner of the Imperial Plaza, instantly silencing the previous cacophony.
A grand arena stood at the center, flanked by three decorated pavilions on three sides. Directly facing the arena sat the royal family, while the left side was occupied by civil and military officials attending the birthday celebration, and the right side was reserved for the various “immortals” gathered for this grand assembly.
An old eunuch stepped onto the stage and, with great effort, shouted in a falsetto voice: “The Immortal Assembly to Celebrate the Emperor’s Birthday—commence!”
“Xuannü, from Mount Zifu, greets the Human Emperor on behalf of our sacred mountain!” Xuannü was the first to step forward, gracefully floating into the air. While expressing goodwill toward the human emperor, she naturally displayed the lofty and revered status of Mount Zifu.
The appearance of an immortal from Mount Zifu was a rare event, occurring perhaps once every hundred years in the mortal realm. The elderly empress was delighted, her face beaming with joy, while the emperor quickly stood to return the gesture respectfully.
Following Xuannü, various sects of human cultivators also stepped forward to offer their birthday greetings. However, Longmu (Dragon Mother) remained seated, serene and composed, merely nodding slightly toward the royal pavilion with a dignified expression.
“Heh, heh…” Suddenly, a casual laugh echoed across the plaza. “Lady Dragon Mother, I’ve offered incense to you before—will you bless me?”
Longmu gently lifted her round, beautiful eyes and saw the figure of a mischievous rogue approaching on clouds.
The bold words of Qiao San reminded the ruler of the four seas of an incident at the Dragon Mother Temple over a year ago. Even now, the memory of her full, shapely waist and hips sent a strange, fiery sensation through her body. In a surge of anger, she unleashed a fierce killing intent that swept toward the casually strolling rogue.
“Qiao San! If you dare to pull any tricks today, this palace will ensure you never reincarnate!”
“Heh, heh… Sister Dragon Mother, why get so angry? Be careful not to harm your immortal body!” The sound of silver bells rang clear and simple, yet in the ears of everyone present, the melody lingered endlessly. With each shift in tone, a wave of confusion seeped into the minds of both mortals and cultivators.
“Hmph! Yushan, you are not worthy to call yourself my sister!”
With a slight twitch of her proud nose, Longmu instantly cleared the daze from the crowd. As they focused their attention, they saw two new figures had already appeared on the platform—man and woman.
The civil and military officials couldn’t help but gasp collectively. Although they had already anticipated the appearance of the notorious troublemakers, the moment those figures entered their vision, their long-buried fears surged back to life.
“Your Majesty, I hope you’ve been well. Qiao San has come to celebrate your birthday too. Heh, heh… Let’s forget everything that happened before, shall we?”
Qiao San had always been indifferent toward the supreme authority of the human world. He casually glanced at the old emperor’s face, only pausing slightly when his gaze fell upon the emperor’s concubines.
“Ah!” From among the royal women came a series of soft moans. Although Qiao San had only cast a subtle glance, a searing heat had already begun to surge between their thighs.
Yu Fei and the others were somewhat more composed, but the Empress Dowager was overwhelmed with emotions—first came seething hatred, then bone-deep humiliation, and finally a faint, shameful itch that she could not suppress. Unable to overcome this inner turmoil, the beautiful royal consort’s face flushed red and pale alternately, her eyes flickering between cold and warm.
Sitting beside the empress was Princess Zhen. Perhaps because she was about to elope, or perhaps due to the maternal bond she could never erase, Beigong Zhen noticed her mother’s strange expression and instinctively leaned in to whisper with concern: “Mother… Mother, are you… unwell?”
“N-no… I’m fine!” The daughter’s concern warmed the empress’s heart, but it also threw her into turmoil. She quickly forced herself to suppress her inner distress, fearing her daughter might detect something amiss.
How clever Beigong Zhen was—following the subtle glance in her mother’s eyes, her gaze immediately fell upon Qiao San.
“Ah! How could it be him? Could he have done something to my mother?” Knowing Qiao San’s character all too well, Princess Zhen was instantly on edge. If the circumstances weren’t so unusual, she would have rushed forward, grabbed Qiao San by the collar, and forced him to reveal the truth.
On the arena stage, the contest had not yet begun, but Qiao San surprised everyone by stepping forward and offering half of a mysterious parchment. “Esteemed cultivators, this is half of the map. Whoever emerges victorious shall claim it.”
He paused briefly, then, with a suddenly solemn expression, provocatively gazed at Xuannü and said, “Holy Maiden, perhaps you could also hand your half of the map to the emperor for safekeeping. Heh, heh… I hope that won’t be a problem?”
Xuannü and Longmu instinctively exchanged glances, surprised by Qiao San’s unexpected straightforwardness. Could it be that he was truly afraid and willing to surrender?
Xuannü’s beautiful eyes, deep as an abyss, calmly regarded Qiao San for a moment before she gracefully floated toward the enigmatic rogue. With a gentle toss, she sent her half of the map soaring. The two halves, revered by cultivators, joined together as if alive and drifted into the emperor’s hands.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd like waves. Young cultivators from various sects, whose cultivation levels were still shallow, began to breathe heavily. Some even lost control of their legs, their minds completely captivated by the floating parchment.
As the unity of the sects seemed on the verge of collapse under the lure of greed, Qiao San’s lips curled into a disdainful smile. He had seen the so-called righteous path all too clearly.
“Esteemed cultivators, please prepare yourselves. Only the victor shall claim this secret map!”
At this critical moment, Xuannü’s bare foot spun lightly in midair, her flowing black robes tracing an arcane path through the void. Her tranquil aura instantly dispelled the restless desires of the mortal cultivators.
The Immortal Assembly finally regained its order. Watching silently from afar, Longmu couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. No wonder, despite the vast number of cultivators in the world, only a handful had achieved immortality in thousands of years!
Ah… the seven emotions and six desires, the illusions of the mortal world—truly difficult for mortals to transcend!
“Dong—”
The solemn and majestic toll of the bell resonated through every corner of the imperial square, swiftly silencing the myriad of clamorous voices.
A grand stage stood at the center, flanked by three colorful pavilions on each side. Facing the stage was the royal family, to the left were the civil and military officials offering their congratulations, and to the right were the various “immortals” attending the Celestial Assembly.
An old eunuch stepped onto the stage, straining his voice to announce in a high-pitched tone, “The Celestial Assembly for the Emperor’s Birthday—begins now!”
“The Mystic Maiden of Purple Mansion Mountain greets the Emperor of Aolai!” The Mystic Maiden was the first to ascend, expressing goodwill towards the mortal dynasty while naturally showcasing the transcendence and reverence of Purple Mansion Mountain.
The descent of an immortal from Purple Mansion was a rare event in the mortal world, and the elderly Empress Dowager was overjoyed, while the old Emperor hurriedly rose to return the courtesy.
After the Mystic Maiden, various mortal cultivators took turns to offer their congratulations. Only the Dragon Mother remained seated, her serene and dignified immortal countenance nodding slightly towards the royal pavilion.
“Heh, heh…” A casual laugh suddenly echoed across the square. “Dragon Mother, I’ve offered incense to you. Will you bless me?”
The Dragon Mother’s bright, round eyes lifted slightly, catching sight of the rogue figure approaching on a cloud.
The words of Bold Three reminded the ruler of the four seas of the incident at the Dragon Mother’s shrine. Over a year later, her voluptuous waist and hips still felt a strange, burning sensation. Enraged, a fierce killing intent immediately surged towards the lazily approaching rogue.
“Bold Three, if you dare play any tricks today, I will ensure you never reincarnate!”
“Giggle, giggle… Sister Dragon Mother, why so angry? Be careful not to harm your immortal body!” The silver-bell-like laughter was clear and simple, yet it lingered in the ears of all, each note subtly infiltrating the hearts of mortals and cultivators alike.
“Hmph! Jade Fan, you are not worthy to call me sister!”
The Dragon Mother’s high nose twitched slightly, and the multitude of mortals immediately regained their senses. Looking up, they saw that a man and a woman had appeared on the high stage out of thin air.
The civil and military officials collectively gasped. Though they had known that the demon who had caused chaos in the imperial city would appear, the moment the demon’s figure entered their sight, their unyielding fear resurfaced.
“Old Emperor, long time no see. Bold Three has come to offer his congratulations. Heh, heh… Let’s just forget about the past, shall we?”
Bold Three was always indifferent to the supreme authority of the mortal world. He casually glanced at the old Emperor’s face, only pausing when his gaze fell upon the concubines.
“Ah!” Among the royal women, a series of faint moans immediately arose. Though Bold Three’s glance was subtle, a burning sensation already raged between their legs.
The Jade Concubine and others fared better, but the Empress was overwhelmed with emotions—first, gnashing hatred, then deep humiliation, and finally a tinge of shameful itchiness. The royal beauty, unable to overcome her inner turmoil, alternated between blushing and paling, her eyes flickering between cold and warm.
The Chaste Princess sat beside the Empress. Perhaps due to her impending elopement or the indelible mother-daughter bond, when she saw the Empress’s strange expression, she couldn’t help but whisper with concern, “Mother… Empress, are you… feeling unwell?”
“N-no, nothing!” Her daughter’s concern warmed the Empress’s heart but also threw her into disarray. She hurriedly suppressed her turmoil, fearing her daughter might notice something amiss.
The Chaste Princess was astute. Following the Empress’s subtle glance, her eyes immediately landed on Bold Three’s face.
“Ah! How could it be Qiao Lang? Did he do something to the Empress?” The Chaste Princess, who knew Bold Three’s character, felt as if sitting on pins and needles. If the situation weren’t so peculiar, she would have rushed up to grab Bold Three’s collar and demand the truth.
On the stage, the contest had yet to begin, but Bold Three unexpectedly presented half of the sheepskin map in advance. “Fellow cultivators, this is half of the sheepskin. Whoever emerges victorious will claim it.”
He paused, then turned his righteous gaze towards the Mystic Maiden. “Holy Maiden, why don’t you entrust your half to the Emperor? Heh, heh… No problem, right?”
The Mystic Maiden and the Dragon Mother instinctively exchanged glances, surprised by Bold Three’s straightforwardness. Could he really be surrendering out of fear of death?!
The Mystic Maiden’s deep, pool-like eyes calmly regarded Bold Three for a moment before she “calmly” floated towards the enigmatic rogue, lightly tossing her half of the sheepskin. The two halves of the map, treasured by all cultivators, merged and then, as if guided by a spirit, floated into the Emperor’s hands.
Whispers and murmurs surged like waves. Younger cultivators from various sects began to breathe heavily, some even losing control of their feet. Countless minds were fixated on the floating sheepskin.
Seeing the unity of the sects on the verge of crumbling under the weight of greed, Bold Three’s lips curled into a disdainful smile, seeing through the so-called righteousness of the orthodox path.
“Fellow cultivators, please prepare. The victor of the contest shall claim this secret map!”
At the critical moment, the Mystic Maiden’s bare feet turned in place, her ethereal robes tracing an arcane path in the air. Her “calm” aura instantly dispelled the restlessness of the mortal cultivators.
The Celestial Assembly finally returned to its intended course. The Dragon Mother, observing quietly, couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. No wonder, despite the multitude of cultivators in the world, those who achieved immortality over the millennia were always few and far between!
Alas… the seven emotions and six desires, the temptations of the mortal world—how difficult it is for mortals to see through them!
“Bold Three, since you are participating in the contest, please take your seat!” Bei Gongping, representing both the orthodox path and the imperial court, stepped forward promptly, pointing with dissatisfaction towards the area where the young cultivators were seated.
Bold Three glanced sideways and immediately saw countless hostile faces, especially a man in a scholar’s robe, his eyes gleaming with intensity, a folding fan in hand, exuding a certain charm.
“Thanks, but I’ll sit over there.” Bold Three, unwilling to waste time, quietly glanced at the sky before walking with the Jade Fan Princess towards the area of the civil and military officials, chuckling as he went. “Everyone, mind if I join you?”
Before the demon could approach, the officials surged like a tide to one side. The vast pavilion, filled with so many officials, suddenly crowded into a tiny corner, leaving Bold Three truly impressed by their “capabilities.”
Glancing sideways, Qiao San immediately saw countless hostile faces, especially one man in scholarly robes whose eyes sparkled with sharp light while he continuously fanned himself with a folding fan, exuding a certain charm.
“Thanks, but I’ll just sit over there.” Qiao San had no time to waste. Casually glancing at the sky, he walked with Princess Yushan toward the section reserved for civil and military officials, joking along the way: “Everyone, mind if I share a seat?”
Before the notorious rogue could approach, the officials scattered like a tide, retreating to one side. Despite the large pavilion filled with officials, they all squeezed into a tiny corner, leaving Qiao San deeply impressed by their “abilities.”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage