Chapter 37: Grand Scene, Small Tricks

"Changshou Shixiong, you and I are responsible for leading the team today. We should work together to uphold the reputation of our Duxian Men."

"Um, Youqin Shimei is right."

"Changshou Shixiong, before we left, the elders instructed that several of our sect's Tianxian elders will be going to the main platform. We're heading to the viewing platform, and things could get chaotic, so we need to keep a close eye on everything."

"Um, Youqin Shimei is absolutely right."

"Changshou Shixiong, how has your cultivation been going these past few years?"

"Um, Youqin Shimei, what you're saying is very... Well, my cultivation has been going fairly well, quite smoothly, in fact."

Li Changshou replied with a smile, silently adding to himself:

'It’s also thanks to you, Youqin Shimei, being constantly confined for reflection.'

Youqin Xuanya pressed her lips together, momentarily at a loss for a new topic, yet she tried hard to keep the conversation going...

Unfortunately, most of her life experiences revolved around cultivation, so reciting a Daojing passage on the spot wasn't an option.

Perhaps seeing how difficult it was for her to think of something, Li Changshou took the initiative: "Let's rest and gather our energy for now. Later, you'll have important responsibilities, Youqin Shimei."

"Um," Youqin Xuanya nodded in response, closing her eyes to meditate as instructed. Her pursed lips relaxed, returning to their usual cool demeanor.

As a result of Li Changshou's words, the young disciples who had been secretly observing the two of them felt quite comfortable with his "self-awareness"...

After flying for two hours, still some distance from the Donghai coast, the Duxian Men group encountered seven or eight other "immortal sect delegations."

In response to the Donghai Longgong's grand invitation for this assembly, the various immortal sects that received the invitations had secretly coordinated many details.

For instance, each sect's team was scaled to about a dozen disciples and a dozen Zhenxian, totaling around thirty people. This would make it seem as though human Qi refiners weren't taking the Yao-slaying Assembly too seriously—it was more about giving the Dragon Palace some face and participating half-heartedly.

Another example: during the assembly's sparring matches, they would stop at light contact, avoid bloodshed as much as possible, and temporarily set aside any longstanding grudges among the sects to prevent giving the Dragon Clan an easy laugh.

There were many such agreements.

The primary purpose of these arrangements among the immortal sects was to ensure that human Qi refiners didn't lose face in front of the Dragon Clan, thereby demonstrating the grace befitting the current protagonists of the world.

Among these, there was one slightly odd agreement: the young disciples sent by each sect had to be under one hundred and fifty years old.

Why was that?

Most of the young disciples traveling with them were puzzled and didn't dare ask. Li Changshou, however, had a rough idea.

Dragon eggs required at least one hundred and fifty years to hatch, with the young dragons essentially cultivating inside their eggs. Once hatched, these young dragons possessed extraordinary strength, and after a century of cultivation, they could become immortals. If they had the Dragon King's bloodline, they would even gain powerful innate divine abilities.

Based on past assemblies, the Dragon Palace always brought out their young dragons to show off and mock human Qi refiners.

As long as the sects' young disciples were under one hundred and fifty years old, facing these young dragons would mean a win showcased superior skill and brought joy to their sect, while a loss wouldn't damage their reputation...

Human destiny gathered in the Nanzhanbuzhou, with human Qi refiners' experts concentrated in the Zhongshenzhou. If the immortal sects of Dongsheng Shenzhou couldn't hold their heads high in front of the Dragon Palace, they would face criticism from those major sects in Zhongshenzhou, which is why the Dongshenzhou immortal sects cared so much about saving face.

As they approached the Donghai coast, the sky was filled with clusters of white clouds enveloped in immortal light.

Although the number of immortal sects in Dongsheng Shenzhou was vast, only fewer than a hundred were qualified to receive invitations from the Dragon Palace.

Yet, to clearly define the boundaries of the East Sea, the Dragon Palace hadn't just invited established sects like Duxian Men; they also extended invitations to the various large and small sects along the narrow coastal regions.

This resulted in a huge number of attendees, even if each sect only sent thirty people—the sky near the assembly site was getting a bit...

Crowded with clouds.

The Duxian Men disciples had all stood up by now, and Youqin Xuanya had returned to her original position, ready to follow the instructions of the Shishu and Shibo up front.

Li Changshou didn't pay much attention to his surroundings; he simply stood quietly in the corner, eyes downcast and mind focused.

A disciple up front exclaimed:

"It's truly worthy of the Yao-slaying Assembly hosted by the Dragon Palace—it's like a gathering of ten thousand immortals, incredibly grand."

"Each sect is giving the Dragon Palace this much face, after all. They are one of the ancient three great races."

A male immortal turned and scolded: "Watch your words! Just observe. Don't go around discussing origins on someone else's turf—that's taboo!"

"Yes, I misspoke, Shibo, please don't be angry."

Suddenly, another female disciple said: "Is that the site of this assembly over there?"

Everyone followed her gaze and let out waves of admiration.

Li Changshou also glanced toward the horizon and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

How impressive.

What a formation!

In the southeast direction, at an unknown distance over the sea, a massive waterspout stood tall, like the stem of a lotus flower, lifting vast amounts of seawater into the air to form a enormous lotus platform.

The waterspout was stabilized by immortal power, standing firm, while the lotus platform above was steady and expansive, surrounded by mist, resembling a celestial realm on the sea.

That was the main venue for the Yao-slaying Assembly.

A Zhenxian from their sect chuckled and joked: "The Dragon Palace never disappoints when it comes to putting on such a grand spectacle."

Hearing this, Li Changshou smiled lightly and glanced at his Shishu Jiujiu, who was standing near several female immortals...

Throughout the journey, Shishu Jiujiu seemed like a completely different person—exceptionally quiet. She didn't even touch the small gourd at her waist and barely spoke.

After all, her master was right overhead.

It had to be said that Shishu Jiujiu in this state was truly endearing and well-behaved.

Having collaborated with her on refining pills and setting up formations over the years, the more he interacted with her, the more he felt she could only be described in five words:

A pity she speaks.

Ahem, just kidding.

The closer they got to the waterspout and lotus platform, the more awe-inspiring the scene became, drawing constant exclamations from their companions about the Dragon Palace's extravagance.

The sea surface was packed with ranks of shrimp soldiers and crab generals, far superior to the minor demons Blue Ling'e had slain before—their auras were solid and strong. Even the weakest shrimp soldier had fluctuations rivaling those of the Return to Dao realm Qi refiners, clearly the elite of the Dragon Palace's water army.

At present, the Heavenly Court was still impoverished, with no troops or generals in the Tianhe, and the position of Tianhe Water Army Commander merely nominal. Thus, the strongest water forces in the world remained the Four Seas Dragon Palaces.

As the white clouds drew near the lotus flower, a series of dragon roars echoed from the waterspout, which was over ten li in diameter.

Dozens of dragons in various colors burst from the waterspout, soaring up and down around it!

Layers of water curtains cascaded from the edges of the lotus platform, and under the sunlight, rainbows arched across the sky...

On the lotus platform, thousands of figures soared into the air.

These were armored Dragon Clan Xianjiao soldiers, mostly in human form with dark skin and dragon horns on their heads.

Their true forms were Xianjiao with bloodlines close to the Dragon Clan, serving as a major combat force for the Dragon Palace, renowned since ancient times.

These three thousand Xianjiao soldiers were evenly distributed around the lotus platform, responsible for maintaining order at the Yao-slaying Assembly.

Once the Xianjiao soldiers took their positions in the air, they each released their auras—all were uniformly at the Zhenxian realm, making the scene even more magnificent and delivering a significant shock to the human Qi refiners.

The Dragon Clan, even in decline, was still mightier than most...

Best not to make enemies of them, nor to seek friendship—just avoid any karmic ties...

Li Changshou pondered this.

A Shijie up front asked: "Is the Dragon Palace taking this assembly so seriously?"

A female Zhenxian from their sect laughed softly and whispered: "They just love these flashy displays to show off. But who doesn't know about the Dragon Clan's current troubles?"

Hearing the word "troubles," Li Changshou's thoughts delved deeper.

From the Dragon Clan's current behavior, this former dominant force of the world seemed unwilling to fade into obscurity.

Looking at their current strength and assertiveness, they were still quite prosperous...

Then thinking about after the Fengshen calamity, when the Dragon Clan became a cautious tool for the Heavenly Court, dispensing rain...

Once the Heavenly Court grew strong, any slight breach of heavenly laws by the Dragon Clan, like a minor miscalculation in rainfall, would lead to executions, and dragon liver and phoenix marrow became common delicacies for the Jade Emperor...

What tragedies had this ancient trio endured between the Fengshen events?

Li Changshou felt a wave of emotion, further solidifying his resolve not to venture out until reaching Daluo.

Although the Fengshen catastrophe was still distant, he needed to start preparing early.

Li Changshou stood quietly on the cloud, lost in thought, as the Duxian Men's white cloud, along with dozens of others, approached the lotus platform first...

Immediately, a golden turtle flew up from the platform.

On the turtle's back stood two "Turtle Prime Ministers," both dressed in large red robes with their turtle shells visible, their necks ending in small heads—quite comical.

The one on the left cleared his throat, waved a small fan, and spoke in a warm, mellow baritone full of masculine charm:

"Please, the Tianxian and elders from each immortal sect, proceed to the upper Immortal Appreciation Platform."

Then, the one on the right shouted in a sharp, piercing voice:

"Please, the disciples from each immortal sect, enter the inner area!

The viewing platforms around have tables, chairs, fruits, delicacies, and fine wines prepared. Dongshenzhou's top-ranked sects have signs—look carefully!

If you can't read, ask the attendants!

For lower-ranked sects without signs, just find a spot in the back!"

It was just like the same-surname staff in a human secular brothel.

"Pfft..."

Jiujiu, who had been quiet the whole way, couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh, and the Duxian Men group was amused by these two turtle immortals.

Turtles sure know how to put on a show.

The Duxian Men members naturally didn't worry about seats; not only did they have them, but they were in the front row.

At that moment, Wangqing Shangren and the several Tianxian elders flew toward the high platform in the air.

The sect's sixteen Zhenxian positioned themselves around the disciples, abandoning the white cloud and heading toward the Duxian Men's seating area.

There was nothing for Li Changshou and Youqin Xuanya, the team leaders, to do...

As previously discussed among the sects, each sent about thirty people; the Dragon Palace, apparently aware of this, had prepared only twenty-five cushions and twenty-five low tables in each sect's area.

The fruits and tea were also set for twenty-five portions.

But it was a minor issue—a couple of female disciples pulled out their own cushions and made do with two extra tables.

The smaller sects, however, had it rough—just rows of stone cushions, no low tables, let alone wine or fresh fruit.

Li Changshou sat in a corner of the Duxian Men seating area, with one of the attending clam spirits standing nearby.

He scanned the fruits and wine before him, let out a soft sound of surprise, picked up a crystal grape, examined it, and popped it into his mouth.

The attractive clam spirit beside him covered her mouth and giggled but said nothing, stealing glances at Li Changshou.

Soon, Li Changshou burped and confirmed what it was.

This Dragon Palace was quite bold in its pranks, serving each member of Duxian Men a portion of the ice-condensing immortal grapes, known as a "postnatal minor spiritual root."

Looking at the other sects' areas, they had a different variety of immortal grapes.

Ice-condensing immortals were indeed good—consuming a small amount could nourish a Qi refiner's primordial spirit, regulate their energy, and aid in healing, with an excellent taste and high value.

But they had one drawback: eat too much, and you'd end up... needing to relieve yourself urgently... essentially losing control from the back, with an unrelenting aftereffect that even immortals couldn't hold back.

Li Changshou thought for a moment and whispered a reminder to Youqin Xuanya:

"Youqin Shimei, before eating these, go ask the Shishu and Shibo if there's anything off about them. I see some of our fellow disciples have already started eating. Just say you feel something's not quite right—don't mention I said anything."

Youqin Xuanya blinked, turned to Li Changshou, and with her slender fingers holding a peeled, round grape to her lips, she tilted her head slightly.

Li Changshou: ...

Fine, pretend I didn't say anything.