The Immortal Alliance governed a territory spanning several provinces, and the Wunan Basin was rely a section of its northern region. However, this major power was not inherently strong.
Those grand cultivators simply viewed it as the ultimate form of consensus—a platform to help govern their territories and find the greatest common denominator for their interests.
The Immortal Alliance held power not because it possessed absolute authority, but because it accommodated the factions beneath its banner. Within the Alliance, there was no existence above the Golden Core realm.
Furthermore, due to the unique nature of the new Purple Palace cultivation thods, the absolute gap in status between a Purple Palace Grand Cultivator and a Golden Core True Person within the Alliance wasn't too large—at least, not as vast as the gap between the Purple Palace and Foundation Establishnt realms.
In the past, when Yuan Zhengju used his divine ability to lead a pursuit of rogue cultivators, Wang Yulou had managed to escape and secure victory relying solely on his speed. The clash of interests between the Purple Palace and Golden Core realms under the Immortal Alliance operated on a similar logic.
Simply by being troubleso enough, Purple Palace cultivators could reap the united front value of a seat on the Gathering Immortals Platform.
After all, if a new-thod Purple Palace cultivator was willing to stir up trouble, the Golden Core True Persons—who had to endure heavenly lightning strikes every few years—would only waste their precious ti running around trying to deal with them.
Therefore, a Purple Palace Grand Cultivator like Zhou Bojiao was a renowned grand cultivator with status and privileges, whether within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect or the Immortal Alliance. However...
Old Zhou's current situation was a bit unique. As a daughter of the direct lineage from a top-tier cultivation family, Zhou Yingxi's life bore all the hallmarks of a major clan's scion.
She began Qi Refining early in her youth, gaining a massive head start. During those sa teenage years, while Wang Yulou was still bitterly struggling with Qi Induction, unable to secure even a mont of extra cultivation ti each day, Zhou Yingxi had already achieved success in Qi Refining.
A spot as an inner disciple of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect—sothing many rogue cultivators could never hope to attain in their entire lives—was easily handed to her. In the future, upon reaching the Foundation Establishnt realm, she would be directly promoted to a Core Disciple.
All of this was brought to her by Perfected Man Fujiao. With this ancestor of the Zhou Clan present, Zhou Yingxi enjoyed a life where she could run effortlessly across an open wilderness.
However, Old Zhou's grotto-heaven had collapsed, and many things began to change.
The direct lineage mbers of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's Purple Mansion families, whom Zhou Yingxi had once been familiar with, started looking at her with strange gazes. She clearly understood that they were not looking at her, but at the gradually declining Zhou Clan.
Nevertheless, no Purple Palace cultivator was a fool. Zhou Bojiao was a hero among heroes, a ruthless overlord among overlords.
After his grotto-heaven collapsed, he paradoxically beca the most influential Purple Palace cultivator in the Red Lantern Illumination Sect. While other grand cultivators were holed up cultivating in their grotto-heavens, he was the only one active outside every day. How could he not be the most influential?
Riding on Perfected Man Fujiao's activity over the years, the Zhou Clan soared higher amidst the cold, spectating stares of their peers.
In just over ten years, the direct lineage had gained seven more Foundation Establishnt cultivators, and Zhou Yingxi had cultivated to the Peak Qi Condensation realm. She only needed to polish her cultivation base to perfection before she could establish her foundation.
But the more this was the case, the more an indescribable, unspoken fear grew in her heart. Perfected Man Fujiao acknowledging Mang Xiang as his master seemingly secured a stable future for the family after he passed, but could she truly beco a Purple Palace cultivator smoothly?
Not every cultivator held the grand ambition of becoming an immortal or an ancestor. Zhou Yingxi knew her own desire for cultivation wasn't nearly that high; perhaps because it had always been too easy for her to obtain whatever she wanted.
Deep down, Zhou Yingxi was sowhat resistant to becoming the center of a vortex. Yet fate equally tortured every irresolute soul.
No matter how much she wished to avoid the center of the storm, she could not shirk her family responsibilities and her ancestor's high regard. She couldn't do it, and she shouldn't do it.
The first principle a major clan disciple learned was endurance; the second was that they had to repay the future they took from the family. Having enjoyed the protection of her clan and ancestor, Zhou Yingxi had no right not to repay them.
Thus, she could only let down her friend, Wang Yulou. Without attaining true freedom, one could not be considered to have escaped the sea of bitterness.
Zhou Bojiao's helplessness in the face of his collapsed grotto-heaven, and Zhou Yingxi's helplessness in the face of her family's arrangents, were both manifestations of this sea of bitterness. At this thought, Zhou Yingxi rose from the quiet room.
She currently lived in the rear courtyard of the Treasure-Wielding True Human's Residence, residing in its most luxurious quarters. This place was originally the cultivation ground prepared by the Immortal Alliance for the Treasure-Wielding True Person of the West Sea.
But Zhou Bojiao no longer needed to cultivate. Her ancestor lay in the water every day, solely to nourish the flood dragon corpse with water essence.
As if to demonstrate his high regard for Zhou Yingxi, the ancestor had yielded the Immortal Alliance's cultivation ground to her. Outside the gauze curtains, Cuiguo, who had been reading an illustrated book, saw her miss co out. She hurriedly put the book away and stood up.
"Miss, today's ceremony isn't complicated. There's no need to start preparing so early."
More than ten years had passed, and Cuiguo had also grown up. Her cultivation base had reached the ninth layer of Qi Induction, not far from breaking through to Qi Refining.
Yet, in front of her miss, she remained as thoughtful as that little maid from back then. The wedding ceremony for Zhou Yingxi and Wang Yulou had invited all the prominent figures of the Western Sea Immortal City, but the ceremony itself was not complicated.
Zhou Bojiao didn't believe in ceremonies, and Wang Yulou didn't care for them. These two—one her ancestor and the other her future husband—left Zhou Yingxi with no choice but to follow their attitudes, forcing herself to feign indifference.
Only this way would she look like a cultivator of true stature. No one knew or could define what kind of cultivator was the most formidable, but everyone strived to approach the ideal image in their own hearts.
In Zhou Bojiao, it manifested as the sheer resolve to find life in the face of death. He refused to let his life fade away so carelessly.
To continue his path of the Dao, he would not hesitate, even if it ant throwing himself into servitude beneath his forr enemy. In Wang Yulou, it manifested as the tenacity to hide his edge and conceal his brilliance.
He could not easily reveal his true self. In order to walk further, he would endure even the greatest of humiliations.
The first lesson Purple Mansion families taught their disciples was endurance. The Wang Clan lacked that level of elevation, but by so twist of fate, Wang Yulou had stepped onto the exact sa path—the correct path.
If you didn't endure, why would the vested interests of heaven and earth give you a chance? Because of your good talent?
Forget it. The old cultivation arts that relied solely on talent had already been eliminated by the tis.
The grand cultivators endowed with heaven-defying talent stood at the apex of heaven and earth, dismantling the path of counterattack ant for geniuses.
"Are the things I asked you to prepare ready?"
Zhou Yingxi's voice revealed neither joy nor anger. Cuiguo knew this was a sign that her miss was in a bad mood.
She faintly understood that the increasingly bizarre atmosphere within the Zhou Clan over the years stemd from the ancestor, but as a re little maidservant, she could do nothing. Therefore, she deliberately replied cheerfully, hoping to improve her miss's mood.
"They're ready. When the ti cos, that Wang Yulou will definitely love them."
Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes shifted as Zhou Yingxi solemnly instructed.
"Don't call him Wang Yulou. From now on, call him Master. As long as it's ready, that's fine. Let's go, accompany for a stroll through the immortal city."
"Miss, going out at this ti... won't it delay the major event this afternoon?"
"Delay what? The ceremony is just a formality. You wouldn't understand."
"Hehe, Cuiguo actually understands. Isn't it just the ancestor wanting to use this to collect... Hmm, Cuiguo said too much again."
"It doesn't matter. The ancestor wouldn't care what a little maidservant like you says."
The master and servant made their way out the back door of the Treasure-Wielding True Human's Residence. Just as they stepped out, they ran into Zhou Fangming, who was intimately entangled with a female cultivator from the Bright Moon Night Inn right outside.
"Yingxi, why are you here?"
Seeing Zhou Yingxi suddenly erge from the back door, Zhou Fangming awkwardly released the Bright Moon Night Inn female cultivator from his embrace and greeted her, flustered. Although he was at the Foundation Establishnt stage, he had already been over a hundred and forty years old when he broke through.
If Perfected Man Fujiao hadn't single-handedly pushed for it, he could never have obtained the family's resource allocation. Compared to Zhou Yingxi with her promising future, the 'drink today, get drunk today' Zhou Fangming was a truer representative of the Zhou Clan.
Zhou Liangzhuor, who didn't even look like a pillar of talent, was paradoxically a pillar of the Zhou Clan.
"Mhm. Just out for a stroll."
Nodding to this clan elder, Zhou Yingxi departed with Cuiguo. Seeing Zhou Yingxi walk far away, Zhou Fangming wrapped his arms around the Bright Moon Night Inn female cultivator again with a lecherous smile.
"Fifty spirit stones isn't a small amount. How much do you even earn in a year? I'm giving this sum directly to you, skipping the Bright Moon Night Inn, so it's all yours."
"No way, Young Master Zhou. I am still a little maiden."
The Bright Moon Night Inn female cultivator feigned a bashful appearance, spouting nonsense without the slightest psychological burden. As to whether she was actually a maiden, the Moon Splendor Sect naturally had its secret arts; even a ninety-year-old crone who had birthed eighteen children could beco a 'little maiden'.
Hearing the deeply alluring words of the beauty in his arms, Zhou Fangming's eyes instantly lit up. He swallowed hard and said.
"Then fifty-five... sixty. Sixty should be enough, right?"
"How could he act like that? Doing such things right at the door of the Treasure-Wielding True Human's Residence... it's too much!"
Cuiguo followed beside her miss, speaking with indignant grievance. Zhou Yingxi didn't answer.
There were many things she couldn't say and had no right to say. Perfected Man Fujiao's grotto-heaven didn't collapse in a single day; the entire process spanned many years.
During those years, Zhou Bojiao was busy trying to save his grotto-heaven and had absolutely no mind to manage the younger generation of the clan. Consequently, the several generations encompassing Zhou Liangzhuor, Zhou Fangming, and the rest beca so unseemly.
"Let's go to the donkey at restaurant. Cuiguo, you used to fetch my als from the Flavorful Bistro, and it was always so expensive. I thought you had been secretly pocketing so, but now I know..."
"Ah? Miss? How can you accuse out of thin air?"
Hearing Zhou Yingxi's words, Cuiguo felt as if the sky were falling. At most, she had been a bit gluttonous and sneaked a couple of bites.
How could she possibly embezzle spirit stones?
"No, no. I only found out yesterday that the chief manager of the Flavorful Bistro in the Western Sea Immortal City was secretly betraying his masters. The extra spirit stones I paid were all pocketed by him," Zhou Yingxi explained with a smile.
"Miss, are you saying that the manager deliberately overcharged and pocketed the spirit stones?"
"Correct."
Cuiguo imdiately grew anxious.
"Then hurry up and arrest him! He has to refund the extra spirit stones he took from us!"
Poking Cuiguo's cheek and watching her vivid expressions, Zhou Yingxi felt her mood improve.
"They've already been refunded. That Master of yours is a formidable person. From now on, you must respect him just as you respect ."
"What does he have to do with it?" Cuiguo was puzzled.
Zhou Yingxi simply smiled and didn't explain, instead pulling her into a jewelry shop.
Naturally beautiful, she had never cared for these complicated trinkets. But Wang Yulou's senior martial sister Lin was formidably beautiful and incredibly skilled at dressing up. Sigh.
Being a Dao Companion was difficult. Being the Dao Companion of a formidable cultivator was even more difficult. Being one of multiple Dao Companions to a formidable cultivator was harder still. And Wang Yulou was exactly that kind of top-tier formidable cultivator.
Wang Yulou's cultivation base wasn't high, but that was only in comparison to the old monsters. Among his peers, he was already a heavenly genius among heavenly geniuses.
If it were just that, it would be fine. But the most distinctive thing about Wang Yulou was the air of mystery surrounding him. Zhou Yingxi was absolutely certain she had never truly seen through him.
He rarely revealed his true emotions, as if afraid that showing them would lead to disastrous consequences. He had been like this over ten years ago, and he remained the sa now.
He was clearly a cultivator in his pri, yet he lived like a little old man. Zhou Yingxi thought that perhaps this composure and restraint was one of the reasons Wang Yulou had managed to smoothly reach where he was today.
Cuiguo watched her miss hold a light purple bracelet without moving. She stared at it earnestly for a long ti before finally setting it down with visible reluctance.
"Let's go, ti to eat." Catching up to her miss's footsteps, Cuiguo asked cautiously, "Miss, aren't you going to buy it?"
The Zhou Clan mbers currently suffered from a peculiar affliction: they seed perfectly normal on the surface, but harbored intense sorrow and bitterness in their hearts, sotis inexplicably falling into a sullen silence. The attendants and maidservants of the Zhou Clan had also caught this mood, serving with great caution.
"There's nothing worth buying."
Hearing this, Cuiguo rely assud her miss was having another episode. She didn't dare say more, silently deciding to order an extra plate of donkey intestines once they reached the Flavorful Bistro. In truth, Zhou Yingxi was not suffering from any ntal affliction at all.
She simply couldn't be as unbothered as Zhou Bojiao, nor treat it as ordinarily as Wang Yulou did. Marriage.
A Dao Companion to accompany her for life. Attaining the Dao.
Borrowing Wang Yulou's Dao foundation to forge her own Purple Palace. Fulfillnt.
Her ancestor's arrangent actually fulfilled her wishes. But with all three matters tangled together, Zhou Yingxi knew she would have a very hard ti coping.
She wasn't ready. She didn't want it to happen so fast, nor did she want it to be so hasty.
But Zhou Bojiao couldn't wait any longer. No one dared to ask their ancestor how many more years he had left to live; not even Zhou Bojiao's most favored descendant dared to ask.
Thus, Zhou Yingxi could only bite the bullet and accept the ancestor's Sacred Decree, entering into a hasty marriage with Wang Yulou, a man she already viewed in a special light. Taking Cuiguo along, Zhou Yingxi wasn't in a hurry.
They walked slowly from the north city to the south city. The Flavorful Bistro of the Western Sea Immortal City was located in the south city.
But not far from the entrance of the Flavorful Bistro, she suddenly stopped. Cuiguo, following closely behind, didn't notice and accidentally bumped into her miss's back.
"Ah, it hurts!"
"Shh."
Zhou Yingxi hissed softly, hiding beside a wall. A suspicious Cuiguo rubbed her forehead and followed her miss's gaze, only to see Wang Yulou standing at the entrance of the Flavorful Bistro, exchanging pleasantries with several cultivators.
Fellow Daoist Yingxi's gaze was subtle, but Cuiguo didn't know how to hide her stare. Almost the exact mont she looked over, Wang Yulou and another cultivator—a dark-skinned man wearing worn-out magical armor—glanced in their direction.
"Uncle Zheng, wait a mont. I'll be right back," Yulou said to Zheng Yan, withdrawing his gaze.
"Do as you please, Yulou. Hahaha."
When Wang Yulou called him 'Uncle Zheng', Zheng Yan just listened, absolutely not daring to put on the slightest air of a Foundation Establishnt cultivator. In the short term, Wang Yulou was the leading figure of the Wang Clan's next generation and would be his future superior.
In the long term, Wang Yulou was about to marry a daughter of the Zhou Clan and beco a Core Disciple of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect—an achievent Zheng Yan could never reach in his entire lifeti. Wang Yulou calling him 'Uncle Zheng' was purely out of courtesy.
If Zheng Yan truly dared to present himself as a senior, he would never have survived to attain Foundation Establishnt. Major clans could cultivate the likes of Zhou Fangming and Zhou Liangzhuor to the Foundation Establishnt realm, but for rogue cultivators, anyone even slightly dull or slow might not even achieve Qi Refining.
Seeing Yulou walk toward her, Zhou Yingxi no longer hid. She gracefully stepped forward and took his voluntarily extended hand.
'Wife, how about accompanying in putting on a show?' Yulou transmitted his voice with a smile on his face.
After all, anyone's mood would improve upon seeing a beauty. In terms of deanor and temperant alone, Fellow Daoist Yingxi was extrely competitive.
Led by Wang Yulou, Zhou Yingxi accompanied him back to the people he had just been conversing with. She even smiled and gave them a slight nod.
Although Zheng Yan couldn't see Zhou Yingxi's full face, he still understood her intent from the shift in her bright peach-blossom eyes and her nod. He hurriedly nodded in return.
'Since my husband commands, how could Yingxi dare to disobey?'
Pulling his Dao Companion—who had yet to formally cross the threshold into his household—to stand before Zheng Yan, Yulou gave a brief introduction. Then, he led Zheng Yan and the rogue cultivators under his demon-hunting command up to the second floor of the Flavorful Bistro.
Today, Wang Yulou was treating. Wang Rongwen kept them company, Wang Rongchuan served, and the Wang Clan's external-surna Foundation Establishnt cultivator Zheng Yan was the guest of honor, while the demon-hunting cultivators under his command sat to the side to freeload food and drinks.
"Senior Zheng, demon hunting is the Immortal Alliance's grand plan spanning thousands, even tens of thousands of years. But we both know that the Immortal Alliance's grand plans have nothing to do with lowly cultivators like us.
"Venturing deep into the West Sea to participate in demon hunting is for nothing more than two things: military rit and demonic beast materials. The forr can be exchanged for cultivation thods and the nurous treasures within the Military rit Court, while the latter can be exchanged for cultivation resources.
"But demon hunting is dangerous, after all. I have never liked taking risks.
"In all my years of cultivating immortality, I have never actively initiated magical combat with either humans or demons."
Zheng Yan thought to himself, 'It's not just that you don't like taking risks; you have the Wang Clan's protection and the future protection of the Zhou Clan. You don't need to take risks. But why aren't I cultivating under a family's protection like you? Is it because I don't like it?'
"Yulou is right. Demon hunting is indeed dangerous, but we rogue cultivators don't have many avenues," Zheng Yan said aloud. "Being able to join the Wang Clan is already one of the best paths available to us. Take , Old Zheng, for example. I have lived for over a hundred years in vain and know nothing but demon hunting. Even if I wanted to make a change, it would be difficult."
Extremities of the Immortal Alliance's rule like the Wang Clan acted as a buffer zone between sects and rogue cultivators. By joining the Wang Clan, a Foundation Establishnt cultivator like Zheng Yan could shore up his own shortcomings at a lower cost.
While gaining a certain level of organizational support, the obligations he undertook were also much smaller than joining a sect. Therefore, joining the Wang Clan wasn't a servile choice.
Rogue cultivators were clear-eyed about where their ceilings lay and wouldn't entertain the pipe dream of joining a sect to achieve the Purple Palace realm.
"The opportunity for change is right now," Yulou said. "My marriage with Yingxi is Perfected Man Fujiao's arrangent. You are well aware that the West Sea currently hosts two True Persons from the Red Lantern Illumination Sect: Perfected Man Fujiao and True Person Haikuo.
"The Immortal Alliance only has a total of three True Persons in the West Sea."
Wang Yulou guided the topic while picking up a piece of donkey intestine for Zhou Yingxi.
Looking at that piece of at, Zhou Yingxi felt intensely irritated. 'I am a proper, stunning beauty. How can I eat donkey intestines?' The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, and she reached under the table to pinch Wang Yulou's thigh.
It hurt fiercely, but Yulou's expression didn't waver in the slightest. He silently lanted that his good intentions had been completely wasted. Even a dumb donkey knew to bray twice after being fed, but Zhou Yingxi got a piece of intestine and still pinched his thigh. She was truly worse than a donkey!
"Yulou, what do you an?" Before Zheng Yan lay a spread of dishes he normally couldn't bear to spend money on, but he had absolutely no appetite.
Yulou hadn't painted empty promises; instead, he had thrown out a question that rogue cultivators like Zheng Yan would normally never even conceive of. Indeed, the Immortal Alliance had only three True Persons in the West Sea, and now two of them were from the Red Lantern Illumination Sect.
How could this be an accident or a coincidence? Information was priceless in the cultivation world; the complete monopoly on information regarding achieving the Purple Palace realm was one such example.
As a disciple of the Behemoth Lineage, Wang Yulou had access to information that a Foundation Establishnt cultivator like Zheng Yan couldn't even imagine. For a rogue Foundation Establishnt cultivator, simply being able to truly understand the Immortal Alliance's everyday edicts and rules was already an accomplishnt.
Yet Wang Yulou pointing out the anomaly of Zhou Bojiao and Li Haikuo taking office in the West Sea was top-tier, crucial insider information. Perhaps this kind of clue, with its relatively easily spotted traces, would eventually be noticed by others.
But Yulou pointing it out right now was akin to sweeping aside the clouds to reveal the sun for Zheng Yan. And as the clouds parted, what Zheng Yan saw was a blazing sun with a myriad rays of brilliance.
As for what the sun exactly looked like, that remained blurred and unseen.
"With two Red Lantern Illumination Sect True Persons entering the West Sea, this should be the ti when we sect supporters can accomplish great things."
"Inviting you over today, Uncle Zheng, was partly for a formal eting, and partly to invite you to Yingxi and my wedding. Although the family has appointed Yulou as the chief steward of the Wang Clan in the West Sea, many matters remain difficult to execute."
"However, the ancestor has already agreed to take as a disciple. Once Yulou ranks among the Core Disciples of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, certain matters will beco much easier to handle."
His gaze shifted slightly before withdrawing. Zheng Yan gleaned much from the familiar embrace between Wang Yulou and Zhou Yingxi. He wasn't well-acquainted with Wang Yulou, but he understood that those words were neither a request nor an invitation. They were a demand.
"Understood. Uncle Zheng is old, and my mind can't keep up with many things. I hope you will offer plenty of guidance, Yulou." As he spoke, this external-surna Foundation Establishnt cultivator of the Wang Clan raised his wine cup and unexpectedly stood up to toast Wang Yulou. Cultivating immortality, cultivating immortality—how was this not a part of cultivating immortality?
What was the Great Dao? At the very least, neither Wang Yulou nor Zheng Yan knew.
For Wang Yulou, aside from the threat of being forced to beco a cultivation cauldron, laying a solid foundation in the West Sea for himself and his family was the Great Dao. It was a Great Dao that, should the need arise, could serve as a safety net for himself and his clan.
The favor and empty promises of True Persons couldn't necessarily be relied upon, and the developnt of many events would certainly not align with human expectations—such as the cultivation path the family had arranged for Yulou being completely disrupted by a chess piece placed by the ancestor.
Grand cultivators like Mang Xiang, Shen Guang, and Qingrui stood at the summit of the world, manipulating everyone's destinies and extracting all the resources within their factions. Only in this way could they live up to their status as grand cultivators.
Otherwise, why would they have racked their brains to climb so high in the first place? In such a complex cultivation world where advancent was so difficult, if Wang Yulou wanted to go far, he had to make ample preparations, and make them early.
Even if today's preparations might not prove useful in the future, from the perspective of the present, his decision was flawless. As long as one hadn't beco a grand cultivator standing independently at the crest of the tide, nothing was inevitable; everything was rely a direction of possibility.
One had to accept this point, whether they wanted to or not! A grand cultivator could change a lowly cultivator's fate with a single Sacred Decree; did that an a lowly cultivator shouldn't persist in their own struggles?
No. On the contrary, the more this was the case, the more one had to stir things up.
Stir up changes, stir up value! As for Zheng Yan, he understood even less about what the Great Dao was.
In fact, the period leading up to his Foundation Establishnt breakthrough had paradoxically been the most desperate mont of his long cultivation life. Rogue cultivators didn't understand the Immortal Alliance's rules, much less the cruelty of grand cultivators.
It was only when Zheng Yan stood before the threshold of Foundation Establishnt that he realized his path might be a dead end. But after struggling for the better half of his life and finally reaching that threshold, could he really just give up and not try to break through?
He couldn't. He still had to break through.
But breaking through couldn't change the fact that he had nowhere to go, so he chose to join a fringe power like the Wang Clan. After shoring up his deficiencies in secret cultivation thods, he ca to the West Sea, drifting along while leading a demon-hunting team.
Wang Yulou could see where the direction of the Great Dao lay. Zheng Yan was a Foundation Establishnt cultivator, yet ironically, he could not.
The way he stood up to toast Wang Yulou looked laughable, but he knew that he was never laughable. How could the hardship of a rogue cultivator's struggle be explained in just a few words?
Along the way, there had been scams and traps everywhere. Having reached this point, the Wang Clan was actually the most rule-abiding faction Zheng Yan had ever encountered, so he naturally wanted to seize the opportunity.
He didn't understand why the Red Lantern Illumination Sect had sent two True Persons to the West Sea, but he knew that Wang Yulou—who had reached the Peak Qi Condensation realm at such a young age, was marrying a daughter of the Zhou Clan, and was becoming a Core Disciple of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect—understood.
Therefore, at this mont, Wang Yulou was the clearest direction toward the Great Dao that Zheng Yan could see. He raised his cup in a toast not just to Wang Yulou, but to his own yearning for the Great Dao.
A mayfly could not shake heaven and earth, but every rogue cultivator who fought their way up from the bottom never abandoned their charge to shatter the shackles of fate. Applying Zhou Bojiao's mantra of 'finding life in the face of death' to Zheng Yan would not disgrace the phrase in the slightest.
Walking from the front lines of demon hunting to where he was today—how was that not a form of finding life in the face of death? Zheng Yan was charging at the shackles of fate.
He had charged from being an ordinary Qi Refining demon hunter in the West Sea to an external-surna Foundation Establishnt cultivator of the Wang Clan, and he wanted to keep going further. Wang Yulou was also charging at the shackles of fate.
He didn't yet know what the results of his efforts would be, but he still held hope in his heart.
Accompanying Wang Yulou to see Zheng Yan off, Fellow Daoist Yingxi realized that she had been used as a tool by Wang Yulou.
"We're getting married this afternoon, and you still ca out at noon. Aren't you afraid of delaying things?" On the way back while escorting Fellow Daoist Yingxi, Wang Yulou sniffed the refreshing, pleasant fragrance from the beauty and asked with a smile.
"Aren't you completely unhurried? I learned it from you."
Wang Yulou's hand was extrely proper, only lightly supporting her waist, but Zhou Yingxi still felt an inexplicable flash of irritation in her heart. Only when there was expectation would there be care.
Pinching Wang Yulou's thigh because he gave her donkey intestine was caring; talking back to him right now because of his composure was also caring. Yulou understood that this girl was still the sa as before.
Her feelings for him might not have reached the level of love, but she definitely cared.
"Little Xi, give your hand."
Hearing Wang Yulou's slightly intimate address, Zhou Yingxi forcibly suppressed the restlessness in her heart and raised her left hand, while her right hand still rested sowhat uneasily on the green-bristle fox's back. An embrace didn't necessarily bring an absolute sense of security.
At this mont, Little Zhou's heart still harbored wariness toward Wang Yulou. Exchanging affection was one thing, but doing so twice didn't an they could be entirely intimate without barriers.
Zhou Yingxi couldn't see through Wang Yulou, so she couldn't fully trust him. That right hand resting on the green-bristle fox's back was a sign of this distrust.
Zhou Yingxi felt Wang Yulou's hand leave her waist. He seed to have taken sothing out.
Then, Wang Yulou slid a beautiful magical artifact bracelet made of mirror-silver onto her left wrist. The Mirror-Silver Bracelet was incredibly beautiful.
Wang Yulou was a bona fide master of the Fire thod tal-Stone Artificing Way—well, half a master, at least. In short, his cultivation in the tal and Stone Refinent Dao followed the legacy of An Ning, a renowned Foundation Establishnt cultivator of Wunan, so his skill level was exceedingly high.
Furthermore, he had also learned Hongi's ticulous 'mosquito leg' artifact refining techniques. This Mirror-Silver Bracelet gifted to Zhou Yingxi looked no different from the bracelets worn by ordinary female cultivators.
It was just as slender and beautiful, adorned with many finely crushed gemstones. But it was actually a genuine magical artifact, and one with six layers of restrictions at that.
"The evening ceremony is held for outsiders. Consider this my gift to you. Little Xi, no matter why we crossed paths, fate always exists. As my Dao Companion, I will never mistreat you."
As she rotated her wrist, the silver bracelet emitted a faint glow. Zhou Yingxi's lips curled up slightly as she asked,
"How many spirit stones is this bracelet worth?"
"Priceless. You see those crushed gemstones on it?
"I saved them up, bit by bit, from shattered materials after my artifact refining failures. It might look like an inconspicuous bracelet, but it actually hides the path I took to get here.
"From Clear Stream Market over ten years ago to the current Western Sea Immortal City, you and I can be said to have walked many paths together. We will walk many more paths together in the future.
"Little Xi, are you willing to accompany down them?"
Zhou Yingxi knew he was lying, but lies were not entirely evil, foolish, immoral, or aningless. A world without lies was impossible. Lies were generated alongside humanity's innate cowardice, evasion, foolishness, and greed... They were an inevitable product of competition, a ans and thod of survival. To deny the significance of lies in an isolated, one-sided, and chanical manner would rely lead down another path, arriving at the sa destination of foolishness, cowardice, evasion, and greed.
In short, Zhou Yingxi understood that Wang Yulou was lying, and Wang Yulou also understood that Zhou Yingxi knew he was lying. Yet, the two smart descendants of major clans cooperated tacitly, performing a tender warmth that turned a blind eye to the lies. Zhou Yingxi saw his current attitude in Wang Yulou's lies, so she released her right hand and leaned entirely against Yulou's chest.
"Wang Yulou..."
With the words on her lips, Zhou Yingxi didn't feel like acting anymore.
In the silence, Yulou took the initiative to reach out and hold Fellow Daoist Yingxi's left hand. Her fingers were very slender, like five frail little white scallions.
Wrapped in Yulou's large hand, it appeared sowhat powerless. Zhou Yingxi tried to pull free once, failed, and then stopped moving.
The green-bristle fox's steps were very gentle. Of the two people on its back, one looked with a deep gaze at the path ahead, while the other looked with complex eyes at the bracelet, or perhaps at Wang Yulou.
anwhile, Cuiguo was running behind, panting heavily. In her heart, she had already strung Wang Yulou up and beaten him a hundred tis.
"See you this afternoon?"
At the entrance of the Treasure-Wielding True Human's Residence, Wang Yulou smiled and took the initiative to say goodbye. Jumping down from the green-bristle fox's back, Fellow Daoist Yingxi walked up the steps of the residence, instructing sowhat haughtily.
"Don't be late. Even if we're just going through the motions, you have to do it properly."
"Understood."
The two parted ways, and Cuiguo finally caught up to her miss. Fellow Daoist Yingxi entered the residence and returned straight to her boudoir without stopping.
"Miss, why are you walking so fast?" Cuiguo grumbled in a dissatisfied whisper.
She had an extrely good relationship with Zhou Yingxi. However, Zhou Yingxi did not reply to her.
Cuiguo stepped forward to look, only to see her miss holding a bracelet, entirely engrossed in it.
"When did you buy this? Why don't I rember?"
"It wasn't bought. It was picked up," Fellow Daoist Yingxi explained as she put away the bracelet. Cuiguo was even more confused.
"Ah? Picked it up where?"
Not knowing what she had recalled, Zhou Yingxi answered with a smile. "One day, I saw a dog passing by on the side of the road, and a bracelet fell off its body. So I picked it up. After all, it is a magical artifact, at any rate."
Cuiguo was confused at first, but then realization dawned on her. Wasn't it just a gift from the master?
Her miss was always so stubborn. Before, it was, 'I have four more like you.'
And now she was saying it 'fell off a dog by the side of the road.' Perhaps this was just flirting between Dao Companions?
Unable to figure it out, Cuiguo pulled out her illustrated book and resud reading. By the afternoon, all the prominent cultivators of the West Sea had gathered at the Treasure-Wielding True Human's Residence.
Xihai Hu had once said that Zhou Bojiao throwing a wedding ceremony for his family's daughter was rely an excuse to collect a wave of tribute. While it might not have been Perfected Man Fujiao's primary objective, it was certainly one of his goals.
The procession Wang Yulou brought with him was massive.
Leading the charge were two Foundation Establishnt cultivators riding spirit beasts. One was a steward from the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's West Sea Outer Courtyard and a junior martial brother to Wang Jingyi; the other was from the Yan Family, a generational friend of the Wang Clan and also under the tutelage of the Behemoth Lineage.
These two could be considered Yulou's elders, playing the role of clearing the path. Two seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators leading the way, both riding Great Demon mounts, was an extraordinarily impressive sight in itself.
As the groom, Wang Yulou stood out even more. The magical robe he wore was the Myriad Nights Everbright, exclusive to Red Lantern Illumination Sect Core Disciples, and his mount was the Great Demon, Black Dragon Steed.
The Black Dragon Steed, carrying the Wang Clan heavenly genius dressed in his golden magical robe, was followed by a procession of over a hundred people bearing various gifts, making their way toward the Treasure-Wielding True Human's Residence.
Within the Western Sea Immortal City, wherever the procession passed, many shops completely emptied out as everyone stepped outside to watch. However, whether it was Wang Yulou in the procession or Wang Jingyi bringing up the rear, both understood that the ceremony was rely a formality.
Traveling all the way to the Treasure-Wielding True Human's Residence, Yulou only dismounted from the Black Dragon Steed after entering the estate and arriving before the main hall. Mu Changze was already standing in the very center of the hall, bearing a dignified appearance that commanded quite a bit of presence.
The two Foundation Establishnt cultivators who cleared the path for Wang Yulou briefly coordinated with the Zhou Clan mbers, and the gifts they brought were arranged outside the main hall. There were rows of chests crafted from spirit wood; the value of the items inside, combined with the chests themselves, totaled exactly ten thousand spirit stones.
If it were any more, Wang Yulou feared taking a loss. Once all the arrangents were settled, Yulou was called into the main hall by Mu Changze.
The main hall was the primary gathering place of the Treasure-Wielding True Human's Residence. Its interior was incredibly spacious, yet at this mont, it was packed full of people.
Wang Yulou walked forward step by step. Standing closest to the hall doors were the low-tier disciples of the Western Sea Immortal City's inner circle.
Qiu Lianpu, Mo Yunshu, and others were among them, and those from Dripdrop Cave's West Sea Outer Courtyard who had co to support Yulou were squeezed in as well. Yulou gave them a slight nod of acknowledgnt before continuing forward.
Further ahead were the backbone forces of the Western Sea Immortal City's inner circle. Here, Yulou spotted Feng Jianxian and Xihai Hu.
That such seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators couldn't stand at the forefront was the very embodint of the Immortal Alliance's rigid hierarchical rules. Those close to the True Persons were the true core of the Immortal Alliance.
Failing to reach the Purple Palace realm ant remaining a vassal and a beast of burden in the end. Yulou walked even slower here, continuously paying his respects to the familiar seniors and peers on both sides.
Continuing forward was where the true leading figures of the Western Sea Immortal City stood. At the head was Mu Changze, a subordinate of Zhou Bojiao and a key general of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's Patriarch Mangxiang lineage.
On the sides, taking the first position on the left, was a seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator with a temperant as clear as a fresh breeze and a bright moon. He was accompanied by two other seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators: one looking like a fierce general, the other bearing a benevolent visage.
The three were respectively Xihai Qingfeng, Xihai Longhu, and Xihai Zhongcheng. Xihai Qingfeng: Manager of the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda, disciple of the Immortal Venerable, and Grand Elder of the Hall of Benevolence.
Xihai Longhu: The one backing the South City Expansion Departnt, disciple of the Immortal Venerable, and Second Elder of the Hall of Benevolence. Xihai Zhongcheng: Manager of the Myriad Dao Origin Hub, disciple of the Immortal Venerable, and Third Elder of the Hall of Benevolence.
At the fourth position on the left was an old man with a trace of exhaustion on his face, wearing the magical robe of the Annex City Enforcent Team. Yulou clearly knew this was Zhang Heng.
Zhang Heng: Captain of the Annex City Enforcent Team, Alliance Leader of the Rogue Cultivator Alliance. While not a disciple of the Immortal Venerable, everyone knew he was the Immortal Venerable's man. At the first position on the right was Jiuqu, the youngest disciple of True Person Li Haikuo from Wondrous Peak Mountain.
This Foundation Establishnt cultivator had once shared so history with Yulou; when Hidden Dragon Market was attacked, he was the leader of the Town Guardian Cultivators stationed there.
Now he had indeed reached Foundation Establishnt, followed Li Haiping to the West Sea, and was currently serving in Wondrous Peak Mountain's West Sea Outer Courtyard, acting as True Person Haikuo's eyes and ears.
At the second position on the right was Mo Xunzhou, a Foundation Establishnt cultivator from True Person Hansong's family, Wang Yulou's superior, and the Deputy Seal-Holder of the Information Gathering Court.
At the third position on the right was Gu Qilang, manager of the Gu Family Tea House in the Western Sea Immortal City, backed by the Gu Family led by Gu Qiyuan Zhenren.
Four factions: from Shen Guang Immortal Venerable to Immortal Venerable Mangxiang, then to the local True Persons of the West Sea, and the neutral special faction, the Gu Family Tea House. The complexity of the West Sea's situation was clearly evident.
Shen Guang Immortal Venerable's people lined one side, and the rest combined were only just enough to tie with them.
However, through his observation of the guests, Yulou realized sothing was amiss—the people belonging to True Person Longhu, Jin Shan, had not co! Such a grand cultivator couldn't possibly hold a grudge against a small fry like Wang Yulou, so the only answer was that Zhou Bojiao and Li Haiping were not favored by Jin Shan.
Jin Shan had also once argued with Li Haikuo. Looking at it now, many of these issues had shown signs of brewing long ago.
Thinking about the open strife and veiled struggles of these grand cultivators, Yulou pondered how he could find opportunities amidst it all. Simultaneously, he went through the motions, moving step by step according to the procedure.
Before long, the uncomplicated ceremony was complete.
Holding his daughter's hand, Mu Changze spoke to Yulou with a sigh. "Yulou, I watched you grow up.
Now that you and Yingxi have beco Dao Companions, I am happy to see it happen. You are a smart child, while Yingxi can sotis be foolish.
Please be tolerant of her, alright?"
His words completely revealed Mu Changze's reluctance to part with and worry for Zhou Yingxi. Wang Yulou naturally agreed, and then stood by Zhou Yingxi's side. The beauty was not wearing a veil this ti, but was covered by a red silk cloth, holding a red flower in her hands, its petals even bearing slight traces of dew. Taking a deep breath, Yulou reached out and lifted Fellow Daoist Yingxi's red bridal veil. His greatest worry did not co to pass. Hidden beneath Fellow Daoist Yingxi's veil was neither a pig's nose nor a deer's snout, but a normal human nose. This allowed Yulou to let out a long sigh of relief. A human nose is good. A human nose is great! He had many opportunities in the past to use his divine sense to see Zhou Yingxi's true face, but that would be too impolite, so he had never done so. Now, seeing the beauty's true visage for the first ti, he indeed sighed in his heart. Bright, clear and cold, alluring, fragile, and magnanimous. Zhou Yingxi's current state of mind was undoubtedly revealed when she looked at Wang Yulou. The brightness was a subtle brightness. She was blooming, but blooming subtly, because she feared that her flower would be broken by fate. The clear coldness was because she was afraid. Fear made her subconsciously repel the world, so she grew cold, yearning to be ward. The allure was because she had ambition. After all, she was born of a major clan and had seen the finest things in the world. Within the vortex, she seed to have found her goal, so she wanted to take action. Her exposed ambition, transmitted through her peerless visage, beca an alluring charm. The fragility was because she deeply knew how difficult this path was to walk. Under the weight of her desires, playing it safe had turned into venturing forward. Her heart yearned to reach the end of this road, while her body feared the unknown storms, and thus she appeared fragile. The magnanimity was the bearing she had been cultivated with for a long ti. She was a sensible and smart girl who understood how important family responsibilities and her personal future were. As Zhou Bojiao's most highly regarded descendant, she naturally possessed a magnanimous presence. Noticing the heavy stillness in Wang Yulou's eyes, Fellow Daoist Yingxi thought that her trepidation seed sowhat weak before such stillness, so she slightly lowered her brows again.
"First bow to the Immortal Alliance."
"Second bow to Heaven and Earth."
"Third bow to the High Hall."
"Ceremony complete!"
The ceremony was perford for outsiders to see, and the process was just that simple. Wang Yulou's task was rather more complicated; he still had to lead his bride to toast the fellow Daoists and seniors who had co to attend his grand wedding today.
Zhou Yingxi held the wine pot, Cuiguo carried the tray of cups, and Wang Yulou drank cup after cup. Perfected Man Fujiao's prestige was imnse.
There were over seven hundred guests present today, all core figures of the Immortal Alliance in the West Sea. Yulou dared not slight them and could only toast them table by table.
By the ti everything had settled, a heavily intoxicated Wang Yulou, barely able to walk, was supported by Zhou Yingxi into their bridal chamber. Along the way, any blind fools who tried to step forward and help were chased off by Cuiguo's glares.
This little maidservant didn't know how complicated the relationship between Wang Yulou and Zhou Yingxi was. She only understood that her miss had lost her heart to this convenient Master over ten years ago.
Inside the bridal chamber, Yulou sat on a chair, only to see Zhou Yingxi give Cuiguo a look. Cuiguo asked in surprise,
"Today already?"
"Go quickly!" Zhou Yingxi said in a firm tone.
Wang Yulou was imdiately intrigued—straight to that today? It wasn't impossible.
He, Wang Yulou, still had his combat prowess even when drunk. However, just as he pulled his newlywed Dao Companion's small hand, wanting to take things a step further, Cuiguo returned, bringing along ten pretty young girls.
These young girls were all as beautiful as flowers, beauties at least on the level of Qin Churan, each possessing her own unique charm. Upon entering, they stood bashfully in the room.
"Wang Yulou, these are all daughters of the Zhou Clan's vassal families. They have at least four-attribute spirit roots and will be able to reach Qi Refining in the future.
Cultivators are always bound to be separated, and the sa goes for Dao Companions. In the future, when you and I cannot be together, there must always be soone by your side.
Therefore, I plan to give you two to be your concubines. Make your pick."
Looking at those pretty and shy young girls, Wang Yulou glanced at Fellow Daoist Yingxi and asked, "I can only pick two?"
Zhou Yingxi furrowed her brows, realizing the matter wasn't so simple.
"What, how many more do you want?"
"All of them!" Wang Yulou said with a smile.
Zhou Yingxi's fists instantly clenched. "Wang Yulou, you are an absolute beast!"
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