The storage ring given by the Sect Master had originally been sealed with tremendously powerful magic. Now that Yun Lie had brought it to Ruyi Immortal Estate, however, the moment its contents were released and came into contact with the Estate Mistress’s aura, the seal opened and produced this astonishing phenomenon.
A clear space several zhang across lay beneath the steps. As soon as the object appeared, it covered the entire area.
Its base was a thick trunk that would have taken both arms to encircle. Branches spread outward in bold, sweeping angles. The instant it appeared, a fierce, wild aura seemed to surge in every direction. Yet the object’s surface was translucent and even-textured, its layers of blood-red color appearing to flow.
There was no cultivator in the hall who failed to recognize it.
It was clearly a gigantic coral formation! Not only did it occupy half the palace floor, but its highest branches stretched straight upward, almost touching the ceiling. Its scale was extraordinary.
Its outermost branches reached nearly to the cultivators seated on both sides. They could not touch it, but they could examine it closely.
And what they saw astonished them again.
Tiny blood-red nodules covered the giant coral, even deeper and richer in color than its branches, releasing waves of a dark, penetrating fragrance.
The bloodlike color that seemed to move inside the branches was actually frozen there like amber. Light played through its twists and turns, making it breathtakingly beautiful.
The entire hall fell silent at the appearance of the giant coral.
Only after a long while did the spectators emerge from that almost suffocating stillness and release their breaths.
Then the splendidly dressed announcer proclaimed, “The Wuling Immortal Sect congratulates the Estate Mistress on her birthday and presents the complete skeleton of a Deep-Sea Blood Dragon!”
Her words sent shockwaves through the assembly.
The skeleton of a Deep-Sea Blood Dragon!
The Wuling Immortal Sect’s gift was actually the remains of a Deep-Sea Blood Dragon!
It was almost impossible to believe.
Whether sect disciples or rogue cultivators, anyone who intended to travel and temper themselves had to know something about the demon beasts of the world.
Seeing the immense blood-colored coral had already shaken them. Hearing the name Deep-Sea Blood Dragon was like a thunderclap, however, and everything suddenly became clear.
Dragons were immortal beasts, extraordinary creatures born in the Immortal Realm and known in the lower worlds only through legend.
Nevertheless, the cultivation worlds possessed many strange creatures carrying dragon bloodlines. These could be called dragonkin.
Among them were dragon carp that could leap through the Dragon Gate, ascend to the Immortal Realm and transform into true dragons. But dragon carp were vanishingly rare, and no one even knew what the Dragon Gate was. It had not been seen in ten million years.
There were also snakes that cultivated diligently for countless years, underwent a lightning tribulation and transformed into flood dragons, then cultivated for countless more years before enduring another tribulation to ascend as true dragons. Such snakes, however, had to awaken at least a trace of dragon power in their blood before becoming flood dragons, or they would not have the capacity to withstand the tribulation. Even beforehand, they could call themselves dragon-serpents.
Thus, below the Immortal Realm, anything bearing the word dragon implied extraordinary power, great rarity and a connection to the Immortal Realm itself.
The Deep-Sea Blood Dragon was just such a creature carrying a dragon bloodline, a demon beast that lived in the ocean’s deepest reaches!
At birth it was already several zhang long. It lay within a seabed abyss, where countless bodies divided from one central “foot,” each with its own head. Every three days it opened its mouths to draw in seawater and swallowed all living creatures nearby, creating dense, crisscrossing undersea currents like a forest of hidden streams.
Most terrifyingly, a Deep-Sea Blood Dragon was a fourth-rank demon beast from birth, equivalent to a Foundation Establishment cultivator. The more it devoured, the faster it cultivated and the more bodies it could divide into, each growing increasingly thick and vigorous. It consumed everything and expelled nothing. All the blood, flesh, bones and skin of the creatures it swallowed accumulated within its own body, producing its many rich, crimson branches.
When a Deep-Sea Blood Dragon died, it instantly lost all flesh and blood, leaving a hard, bony substance that was an exceptional spiritual material. Because the creature lived underwater, treasures refined from its skeleton also inherited certain water-related properties, increasing cultivators’ greed for it.
Deep-Sea Blood Dragon skeletons did sometimes appear in marketplaces. Usually, though, they came from young dragons killed before reaching maturity.
This skeleton, however, covered half the hall, and blood relics had actually formed upon its branches. That alone proved the Deep-Sea Blood Dragon it came from had been an adult.
An adult Deep-Sea Blood Dragon was a monstrously powerful ninth-rank demon beast!
By offering its skeleton, the Wuling Immortal Sect had effectively presented the corpse of a peerless expert at the Out-of-Body stage. Such remains generally held the gathered essence of an entire demon beast’s existence!
No wonder everyone was stunned.
Only an immense sect with the Wuling Immortal Sect’s foundations could afford to present such an incomparable treasure, something for which no market price could truly be set, as a birthday gift.
The gift had already outshone every rogue cultivator and sect before them. It was unlikely anyone who followed could offer anything equally precious.
After releasing the blood-coral skeleton, Yun Lie returned to his seat.
Because the Wuling Immortal Sect was of a higher grade than Ruyi Immortal Estate, its gesture was not described as offering tribute but as giving a gift. Likewise, Mu Wuxin upon her elevated throne would not bestow a reward upon them in return.
The presentation of further gifts continued, though none could compare with the Wuling Immortal Sect’s. Even so, every major and minor sect had selected something worthy of enhancing its reputation, so the remaining treasures were hardly poor.
Many disciples continued watching without blinking, exclaiming in admiration.
Xu Ziqing learned a great deal. In particular, whenever the Jade Maiden Venerable spoke gently from her lofty seat, those astonishing gifts would vanish into the mist around her like young swallows returning to their nest. He gained even greater appreciation of the marvels of profound techniques and still more reverence for Mahayana cultivators.
Beneath the Immortal Realm, aside from loose immortals, Mahayana and Tribulation Transcendence cultivators were probably the very summit of existence!
Gradually every gift was presented. With so many sects large and small in attendance, the announcements alone took a full two shichen, four hours. Some minor sects lacked the status or gifts to present theirs in this setting and simply entrusted them to the estate’s female disciples for collection.
Only then did the birthday feast properly begin.
Countless female disciples moved into action, carrying trays of immortal flowers, fine wine, nectar-like drinks and sumptuous jade-like dishes. Skillfully cooked demon-beast meat, spiritual grains and fragrant fruit were also brought out.
Soon every low table was covered with delicacies, their delicious aromas filling the hall and their colors and flavors perfectly matched.
Mu Wuxin did not speak. Instead, the richly dressed woman who had announced the gifts called out, “Fellow Daoists, please enjoy the banquet!”
The cultivators then began eating the food before them.
The atmosphere truly became lively. Ruyi Immortal Estate’s female disciples descended the steps with jade wine vessels, drinking and conversing cheerfully with the guests.
The cultivators talked together with enthusiasm. Some even rose from their seats to share wine with others, presenting a hundred different scenes of conviviality.
Xu Ziqing looked over the dishes on their table. They were exquisitely prepared and wonderfully fragrant, tempting anyone to eat.
Beside him, Yun Lie picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of demon-beast meat and placed it in his mouth.
Xu Ziqing stared, his eyes widening slightly. For a moment he was dumbfounded.
Noticing his gaze, Yun Lie turned his head. “What is it?”
Xu Ziqing recovered at once. With a smile, he shook his head. “Nothing, Senior Brother. Please enjoy your meal.” He then picked up a morsel from another dish and placed it in Yun Lie’s bowl.
His amazement was understandable. He had never seen his senior brother eat before.
Back in the small world, Xu Ziqing had been human, while “Brother Yun” was a wisp of soul that naturally had no need for food. Upon arriving in the great world, his senior brother had formed his Golden Core on the very first day, achieving abstention from grain and no longer needing to eat.
So even after moving to Little Slaughter Peak, Xu Ziqing had never invited Yun Lie to share a meal. He himself usually devoted his time to cultivation and relied on Fasting Pills when hungry.
Attending this banquet was the first time Xu Ziqing had witnessed Yun Lie eating. Naturally, it left him staring.
It was… a rather novel sight.
Yun Lie did not say much. He ate the piece Xu Ziqing had placed in his bowl before speaking. “Three of the dishes at our table come from sixth-rank demon beasts.”
Xu Ziqing immediately understood. Lowering his eyes, he saw that the demon-beast meat in the three dishes set before Yun Lie held considerably denser spiritual energy than the food before himself. A Golden Core Perfected One did not need to eat, but meat from a demon beast of comparable rank could indeed replenish their strength.
Realizing this, Xu Ziqing felt somewhat embarrassed. He had just offered his senior brother meat from his own side of the table. Yun Lie had kindly eaten it, but it had been of little use to him.
Xu Ziqing coughed softly and stopped serving him meat. After some thought, he pushed over a plate of fruit from a little farther away as a token of consideration. The fruit came from an upper-grade sixth-rank spiritual plant. With his Wood-attribute cultivator’s discerning eye, he could see its quality was excellent. Surely this was something his senior brother could eat without difficulty.
Still feeling shy about his mistake, Xu Ziqing looked elsewhere in the hall to distract himself.
What he saw was something new.
At some point two long tables had appeared below the steps, each with six stunning female cultivators seated behind it. Their beauty, deportment and bearing surpassed even those of the women mingling with the guests.
Xu Ziqing took notice because he recognized several of them.
At the table on the right sat Mu Ronghua, the cold, proud woman who seemed always to wear black robes. Rui Rou, gentle and dignified as ever, sat second beside her. Three others wore different but comparatively simple garments, appearing elegant and restrained.
At the left-hand table, Su Furong sat in the third position. The five women with her wore much more elaborate garments than Rui Rou and her companions. They were more strikingly adorned, and the disposition apparent in their expressions was entirely different.
Xu Ziqing immediately understood. The six women at the right-hand table must be the six Jade Maiden Envoys among the twelve Ruyi Envoys, while the six to the left were the Pure Maiden Envoys.
It seemed the Jade Maiden Envoys enjoyed somewhat higher standing in Ruyi Immortal Estate.
Xu Ziqing had not forgotten his earlier lesson, however. To avoid further trouble, he soon withdrew his gaze, picked up a wine flask and filled the jade cup before him.
He hesitated inwardly. He had once heard that his senior brother did not drink, but they were attending another person’s birthday banquet. Should he pour a cup for Yun Lie anyway?
Just then a seductive laugh sounded from beyond the palace doors, and a graceful silhouette appeared at the entrance.
A voice of irresistible charm rang out. “On the Estate Mistress’s birthday, how could she forget an old acquaintance?”
Yet Xu Ziqing’s gaze drifted involuntarily to the figure behind her.