Chapter 989: Mundane World's Fireworks

A joyous occasion ended, but it was soon followed by more celebrations.

After Xiong Er and Tang Ruxuan, Lingxiao and Xiaoxiang also held the most important ceremony of their lives.

Compared to Xiong Er and Tang Ruxuan's wedding, theirs evoked far more sighs and reflections.

Whenever Xiaoxiang was mentioned, everyone would recall the past events with Yin Zhiping. It was he who had taken her innocence, which was why so many felt emotional. The fact that Lingxiao was willing to marry her showed his deep affection, earning him admiration from all.

Their wedding ceremony was completed with everyone's blessings. This rare and precious bond deserved the world's well wishes.

More joyous events followed one after another.

There were Liu Yi and Nangong Yue, Ziyan and Ling Hao, Qingyun and Li Xinghun, Wei Wenzhuo and Dongfang Yuyan, and Nangong Ziyue and Zhao Ziyun.

These weddings brought a long-awaited festive atmosphere to the peaceful Da Chu. Many who had endured war felt the comfort of peace and stability, promising a prosperous era.

A new day dawned, and Ye Chen, along with Chu Ling'er and the others, flew out of Hengyue Zong, heading straight for the mortal world of Zhao Guo.

This time, Xiyan joined them. As a princess of Zhao Guo, she had rarely returned home since embarking on the path of cultivation. Even though she had become a lofty immortal in the mortal world, the ties of blood could never be severed.

Today was the wedding day of Ye Xingchen and the Xingyue Shengnu.

The ceremony took place in an ancient town in Zhao Guo.

As Ye Xingchen's true self had said, he only sent out about a dozen invitations. The attendees besides Ye Chen and his group were just the Xingyue Palace palace master and the three great elders. There were no grand displays, no majestic palaces, and no opulent bridal chambers – everything was remarkably simple.

In a modest courtyard planted with peach trees, it was peaceful and ordinary.

In the courtyard, Ye Chen and the Xingyue Palace palace master sat together at a bamboo table, while Chu Ling'er and the others curiously surveyed their surroundings, waiting for the wedding ritual to begin.

Meanwhile, Ye Xingchen's manifestation paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan, acting rough and childlike, nervous for the first major event of his life.

In the room, the Xingyue Shengnu sat quietly in front of a bronze mirror, gazing at her reflection in a daze, occasionally letting out a silly laugh.

Behind her, a village girl stood holding a sandalwood comb, gently combing her long hair.

"One comb to the end."

"Two combs for the lady's white hair to reach her eyebrows."

"Three combs for children and grandchildren to fill the hall."

"Four combs for the husband to have good fortune, encountering noble people amid fragrant winds."

"..."

"..."

"Ten combs for the couple to grow old together until their hair turns white."

As she combed, the girl murmured these blessings with sincere heartfelt wishes.

In a simple bamboo house in the courtyard, Ye Chen and the Xingyue Palace palace master sat on chairs facing the door.

As Ye Xingchen's true self and as the palace master of Xingyue Palace, they were playing the roles of the bride and groom's parents, accepting their bows and offering them tea.

"May you grow old together and enjoy a harmonious union!" Ye Chen smiled and handed over a red sachet. Inside was not some rare treasure or priceless artifact, but just a few silver coins.

"Take good care of my Xing'er." The Xingyue Palace palace master also smiled and presented a red sachet, containing the same – a few silver coins.

"Thank you, Palace Master, and thank you, big brother." Ye Xingchen's manifestation smiled, his eyes on the Xingyue Shengnu filled with tenderness.

Just as the wedding ceremony was simple and unadorned, the banquet was equally ordinary, with no delicacies from land or sea – only the simple fare of a common household.

This plain wedding ritual concluded perfectly under Ye Chen and his group's blessings.

Ye Xingchen's manifestation drank until he was completely drunk and was carried into the bridal chamber.

Ye Chen and the others left without disturbing them. It was a rare moment of ordinariness, and they didn't want to intrude. The life in the mortal world might not be as splendid as in the cultivation realm, but its simplicity was something the cultivation world could never match.

Instead of returning to Hengyue immediately, Ye Chen and his group headed straight for the Zhao Guo imperial palace.

For some reason, as they passed a certain mountain peak, Shangguan Yuer and Ye Chen's expressions became strangely peculiar.

Years ago, the two of them had an untold incident on that very mountain peak, inside a dan furnace – a scene that still felt incredibly sensual when remembered.

Shangguan Yuer turned her head and glared fiercely at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen coughed awkwardly. Back then, he had indeed been shameless, not sneaking around but boldly acting without restraint, which made him blush even now when he thought about it.

Seeing their odd expressions, Chu Ling'er and the others were puzzled.

Of course, the events in the dan furnace had been kept secret between the two of them. Shangguan Yuer wouldn't speak of it out of a woman's modesty, and even the thick-skinned Ye Chen had been too embarrassed to mention it – first, to avoid a beating from the Shangguan family, and second, because the matter was just too mortifying.

Amid this strange atmosphere, they landed one after another in the Zhao Guo imperial palace.

"Father! Mother!"

As soon as they entered the palace, Xiyan eagerly called out, like a child returning home after a long absence.

In the grand hall, Zhao Yu and Xiyan's mother supported each other as they came out. Upon seeing Xiyan, they were overcome with emotion, tears welling up before they could speak. Their hair had turned white with age, but seeing Xiyan made them seem youthful again.

"We greet the immortal!"

After his excitement, Zhao Yu politely tried to bow to Ye Chen, but was gently blocked by a soft force Ye Chen released.

Having been away for so long, Xiyan naturally didn't leave too soon, and Ye Chen and his group didn't depart right away either.

After the meal, the women went out together to explore the bustling streets of the mortal world.

Most of them were visiting the mortal world for the first time, and everything here felt novel to them. As lofty immortals, they were like a group of wide-eyed young girls experiencing the world for the first time.

As for Ye Chen, he dutifully played the role of bag carrier, quietly following behind the women.

Watching them so carefree, he couldn't help but smile warmly, but he wasn't as free-spirited as Ye Xingchen. Ye Chen had provoked heavenly wrath and would face heavenly punishment; his romantic entanglements were destined to be filled with hardship.

The bustling street became even more lively with their arrival.

It was mainly due to their ethereal auras – each one in flowing robes, untouched by worldly dust, like exiled immortals with peerless beauty. Whether it was ruffians or nobles, they came in waves.

Until nightfall, the women were still wandering the streets, each holding a skewer of candied haws.

One could only imagine the expressions of cultivators if someone captured this scene with a memory crystal and sent it to the cultivation world.

"Ye Chen, we want to see fireworks."

At some point, the women turned together to look at Ye Chen, who was following behind.

"If you want to see them, then we'll see them." Ye Chen said, raising his hand as if to conjure a spectacular display of fireworks covering the sky for them and the mortal world.

"We want to see the fireworks of the mortal world." The women replied with light smiles.

"I understand." Ye Chen smiled and stepped away, holding mortal world silver in his hand as he moved through the streets and alleys. He bought up all the fireworks in the entire imperial city and had them set up in an open area.

Soon, bursts of fireworks soared into the sky, blooming magnificently in the vast starry expanse. They were like vibrant flowers in full bloom, like butterflies dancing gracefully, or like fiery trees in splendid array – seemingly distant, yet almost within reach.

The dreamlike scene made everyone in the imperial city look up.

"How beautiful!" The women tilted their faces upward, their eyes like shimmering water, lost in intoxicated admiration.

Even after the fireworks faded, everyone still gazed at the sky with lingering enchantment, as if watching celestial fairies from the nine heavens dancing gracefully, their elegant forms making one forget the passage of time.

Ye Chen smiled too, looking up at the sky. Those fireworks in the heavens were so much like a person's life – glorious yet fleeting, rising to brilliance only to end in darkness.

As he watched, his body suddenly trembled, a sharp pain stabbing his chest, and a trickle of fresh blood overflowed from his mouth.

Seeing this, the women quickly turned, their eyes full of worry as they looked at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen furrowed his brows and abruptly stepped into the void, like a dazzling meteor streaking toward a distant direction.

The women also frowned slightly and followed him into the vast starry sky.

Wow!

Watching them flash across the sky, the people of the imperial city exclaimed in awe, then collectively knelt on the ground. In their eyes, these were exalted immortals, and they knelt devoutly, hoping for the immortals' protection and peace.

After some time, Ye Chen descended from the void.

It was a quiet town in the mortal world, peaceful and serene at night, with everything wonderfully ordinary.

Ye Chen stopped and tremblingly pushed open the door of a small courtyard.

In the courtyard, peach blossom petals were scattered about, but each one was stained with a heartbreaking crimson blood, painfully vivid.

Ye Chen's body shook as he stared fixedly at the center of the courtyard.

There, the Xingyue Shengnu lay collapsed on the ground, clutching Ye Xingchen tightly. He had no breath, no heartbeat – only streams of fresh blood seeping from his mouth and a lingering tenderness on his face.

How... how could this be?

Chu Ling'er and the others followed him in, and upon seeing the scene, their bodies trembled, hands covering their mouths as tears well in their eyes. They had witnessed a beautiful union, only to now see a love torn apart by tragedy.

"You promised we'd grow old together." The Xingyue Shengnu clung to Ye Xingchen's face, smiling through her tears, her expression heart-wrenchingly beautiful and pitiful.

"Xing'er." Chu Ling'er and the others knelt down, gently brushing aside a strand of her hair and softly caressing her sorrowful face.

"You promised we'd grow old together." The Xingyue Shengnu repeated the words mechanically, as if her soul had departed, lost in a haze of madness, her eyes blurred by bloody tears.

"Why?" In the distance, Ye Chen stood like a statue, his fists clenched until they bled.

Gazing at the pierced wound on Ye Xingchen's chest, his eyes filled with bloodshot rage and tears of hatred. He knew exactly who had killed Ye Xingchen – the brilliant seven-colored divine light at the wound site was something he would recognize even if it turned to ash.

Had he given Ye Xingchen his freedom just to fulfill his marriage with the Xingyue Shengnu?

No, that wasn't it. That was merely what everyone thought. His true purpose was to save Ye Xingchen's life.

In the past, his Sanqing manifestation had been slain, his Immortal Fire manifestation had been slain, and his Heavenly Thunder manifestation had been slain. All of this pointed to one thing: any manifestation of Ye Chen was doomed to be hunted by that ghostly white-haired woman.

So, he had found a perfect excuse to sever his connection with Ye Xingchen, granting him freedom in hopes that the elusive white-haired woman might show mercy and spare him.

But only now, in this devastating moment, did he realize how foolishly he had deluded himself from the start.

"They only wanted a simple life." Ye Chen's vision blurred with tears, his icy killing intent sweeping across the heavens and earth, instantly covering the small courtyard in frost.

"Why must you torment them?" Ye Chen roared inwardly, his snow-white hair visibly turning blood-red strand by strand, and the blood flowing through his veins transforming into black before his eyes.