Chapter 127: The Banquet and Connections

In the following days, the Lu family's residence on the islands of Lei Guang Hai was indeed very lively.

Many Undying Gods arrived early to offer congratulations; after all, this was the Virtual Universe, and traveling to other regions only required spending a tiny bit on transmission fees — far, far more convenient than in reality.

"King Jinlun King, Iron Fist Marquis, Silver Garment Marquis… so many Wang Hou powerhouses! It's only been a few days, and already dozens of super-powerful beings have arrived!"

"Father is truly amazing!"

"That's right! I never imagined Teacher would already have such a great rallying power!"

At this moment the banquet had not yet officially begun, so those handling reception duties were mostly Lu Qingshan's children and disciples at the Boundary Lord Realm.

As for King Jinlun King and the others, they were not truly Hei Fengwang Undying, but titles bestowed by the Lord of Yanfeng; in reality they were all Fenghou powerhouses, the strongest among them being at the peak of Fenghou.

……

And so, time kept flowing by, and soon a month had passed.

At this moment the banquet was about to begin, and the Lu family estate had long been laid out with all manner of precious fine wines and delicacies.

To prepare this banquet, Lu Qingshan spent a full three hundred thousand Hunyuan units — for a Fenghou Undying, that was absolutely a lavish outlay!

Of course, because this was the Virtual Universe, the prices of these fine wines and delicacies were considerably lower than in the real world.

But even so, the preciousness of the ingredients at this banquet never surpassed that of the banquet once held by Tian Shi Wang on the continent of the Virtual Universe Company's headquarters across the entire universe.

However, most of those Lu Qingshan invited were Fenghou Undying, with only a few Hei Fengwang Undying, so naturally there was no need for such precious ingredients.

On the day of the banquet, Lu Qingshan rose early and, together with Lu Hongwen and Huo Gesi, waited at the entrance of the residence.

And as time went by, one powerful Undying God after another arrived in succession.

Some wore gray robes with their hair loose, some were tall and burly, inspiring awe at a glance, some wore ancient-looking battle armor as if they had been through countless bloody battles…

These Undying Gods, the vast majority of whom were at the Fenghou level, appeared at the gate of the Lu family residence one by one — some alone, some in pairs or small groups.

"Teacher!"

Huo Gesi secretly transmitted: "When sending out the invitations this time, I mostly followed your instructions. However, many Fenghou Undying from our Virtual Universe Company faction who aren't actually familiar with you, upon hearing this news, also wanted to come join the fun, so this disciple took it upon himself to send them invitations as well!"

"It's fine!"

Lu Qingshan said with a smile: "The banquet is already prepared anyway — the more people who come, the better. It also gives the younger members of the family a chance to broaden their horizons, so they don't go thinking that just because the family now has two Undying, they can look down on everything and bring trouble upon the family!"

Hearing this, Lu Hongwen beside him quickly said: "Father, please rest assured — I will definitely help you look after the family, and absolutely will not let any scoundrels appear within it!"

Just then, three gorgeously dressed Undying Gods quickly walked over from the opposite direction, followed by several other Undying.

"Yan Chihuo, Mie Xin Hou, Zi Lin Hou!"

Lu Qingshan quickly stepped forward two paces, then welcomed them very warmly: "Welcome, the three of you, to my banquet!"

These three were precisely the three great leaders of the Virtual Universe Company's Yanfeng branch. Although they were only at the peak of Fenghou, their status within the Virtual Universe was extremely high — even many Hei Fengwang Undying treated them as equals.

Although Lu Qingshan now possessed the strength to contend with peak Fenghou Undying, and even the chance to slay one, he had never shown it.

So for Lu Qingshan, the fact that Yan Chihuo and the other two could come together to attend the banquet he was hosting was already quite a show of respect.

"Qingshan Hou!"

Yan Chihuo and the others, upon seeing the warm Lu Qingshan, greeted him just as warmly, then turned their smiling eyes to Lu Hongwen beside him: "Qingshan Hou, this must be your son who just broke through!"

"That's right!"

Lu Qingshan introduced with a smile: "Hongwen, these three are the three department heads of the Virtual Universe Company's Yanfeng branch!"

"Greetings, Yan Chihuo, Mie Xin Hou, Zi Lin Hou!" After hearing Lu Qingshan's introduction, Lu Hongwen quickly bowed slightly and saluted.

"Hahaha!"

Zi Lin Hou, who wore a purple robe and had his face covered in purple scales, nodded slightly, then said with a smile: "Qingshan Hou, the two of you, father and son, have both now become Undying Gods with eternal lifespans — truly enviable!"

"Indeed!"

Mie Xin Hou beside him also said with a smile: "Although I became Undying a bit earlier than you, Qingshan Hou, as time went by, everyone close to me has long since passed away. Now all that's left are a few useless descendants of the family!"

"You're too kind, both of you!"

Lu Qingshan hurriedly said with a smile: "Actually, Hongwen just got lucky!"

"Those of us who managed to break through and become Undying — honestly, we were all pretty lucky!"

Yan Chihuo, who wore a crimson robe, quickly said: "Qingshan Hou, I heard you didn't let your son join our Virtual Universe Company faction?"

"That's right!"

Lu Qingshan nodded slightly and said: "Hongwen prefers to stay in his hometown, but that's fine too — he can hold down the family!"

Hearing this, Mie Xin Hou beside him quickly said in a soft voice: "Qingshan Hou, even holding down the family doesn't get in the way of doing things! Recently our Yanfeng branch is short on manpower — several major starfields near the Lei Guang Hai starfield have no one managing them. Why not let your son go help us shoulder some of the burden?"

"This…"

Hearing Mie Xin Hou's words, Lu Qingshan's heart stirred, but he still said: "Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

"What's inappropriate about it?"

Yan Chihuo beside him quickly said: "Our Yanfeng branch already has the authority to recruit Undying Gods. With manpower short now, recruiting a few Undying Gods to help out is perfectly normal!"

"Qingshan Hou, just rest assured — we'll handle everything that follows. All you need to do is have your son report to our Yanfeng branch as soon as possible!"

Hearing this, Lu Qingshan naturally wouldn't keep objecting: "Then I'll trouble the three of you!"

"Hahaha, Qingshan Hou, just rest easy!"

After reaching a consensus with Lu Qingshan, Yan Chihuo and the others soon walked into the banquet hall with smiles, accompanied by several subordinates and led by the service staff.

……

One Undying God after another arrived in succession with their subordinates, and Lu Qingshan, together with Lu Hongwen and Huo Gesi, received each of them one by one.

A moment later……

To everyone's surprise, Lei Guang Laozu of the Lei Guang Hai starfield had actually arrived together with Marsais, Lu Qingshan's former superior from his Boundary Lord days.

"Lord Qingshan Hou, that you could invite the two of us truly makes us happy!"

The moment Lei Guang Laozu and Marsais saw Lu Qingshan, they came up to greet him very warmly.

"Lei Guang, Marsais, you two are far too courteous!"

Lu Qingshan immediately smiled and replied, "You've always been my good friends; inviting you was only natural!"

Hearing Lu Qingshan's words, Lei Guang Laozu and Malsa's smiles deepened, and they followed the attendants into the banquet hall.

One by one, people arrived.

Huo Gesi had sent out over a thousand invitations, mostly to Cultivation Immortals of the Marquis rank, and since the banquet was held by the Virtual Universe Corporation, very few would miss it.

Lu Hongwen followed Lu Qingshan in receiving these Marquis Immortals, and his understanding of Lu Qingshan's current strength and status grew clearer.

Previously, to him, the Marquises of Yanfeng Universe Nation and the three top leaders of the Yanfeng branch were towering figures—yet each one who arrived here treated Lu Qingshan with great warmth.

This was something he could never have imagined before!

At that moment, another streak of light flew in from afar.

"Someone else is coming!"

Huo Gesi turned to look and saw a burly man in purple-gold robes approaching, smiling, his body radiating powerful energy.

"It's Ji Dianwang!" Huo Gesi recognized the newcomer first.

"Ninth Senior Brother!" Lu Qingshan quickly stepped forward to greet him.

Ji Dianwang was the strongest among all disciples under Lu Qingshan's master, Lei Huanwang—he had passed the Seventeenth Level of the Tongtian Bridge, and his strength rivaled that of ordinary Peak Sovereign-level experts!

"Younger brother, this is quite the lively gathering."

Ji Dianwang glanced at Lu Hongwen beside Lu Qingshan: "This is your son who just became an Immortal, right?"

"That's right!"

Lu Qingshan nodded, then quickly told Lu Hongwen, "Third son, this is your Ninth Senior Uncle!"

"Greetings, Ninth Senior Uncle!"

Lu Hongwen bowed deeply in salute.

"Hahaha, excellent! The two of you, father and son, becoming Immortals one after the other—what a fine tale!"

Ji Dianwang looked at Lu Hongwen and chuckled, "Now that you've become an Immortal, your younger brother will finally have family by his side!"

"By the way, younger brother, have the other senior brothers and sisters arrived yet?"

"Almost all of them are here!"

Lu Qingshan quickly said, "Only Thirteenth Senior Sister hasn't arrived yet!"

"Thirteenth Senior Sister is currently adventuring in the Outer Battlefield; arriving late is perfectly normal!"

Ji Dianwang continued, "Wait for her first—I'll go in and meet up with the other senior brothers and sisters."

"Alright!" Lu Qingshan nodded quickly, and Ji Dianwang was soon led into the banquet hall by an attendant.

……

As time passed, most guests had arrived, and Lu Qingshan's Thirteenth Senior Sister had finally come.

The banquet hall now held over a thousand Marquis Immortals; with their attendants, the total exceeded several thousand.

After Lu Qingshan delivered his thanks speech at the front of the banquet, he quickly introduced his third son, Lu Hongwen, to everyone present—and the crowd gladly applauded!

After all, they had come to the banquet because of Lu Qingshan's strength, status, and potential; naturally, they owed him face.

"It seems Yanfeng Universe Nation now has another major power!"

"I heard the Lu family has little interest in expanding influence—Lu Qingshan has been an Immortal for over a million years, yet the rulers of the Lei Guang Hai Star Region are still the original Lei Guang Hai imperial clan!"

"Even without expansion, it's impressive! Lu Qingshan now holds a post at the Virtual Universe Corporation's headquarters, and his family has another Immortal standing guard—likely surpassing most Immortal families in Yanfeng Universe Nation!"

"Indeed! Training talented disciples is one thing, but producing a second Immortal within the family? That's incredibly hard!"

……

Many Immortals within Yanfeng Universe Nation, considering their own family's development, now recognized the strength of Lu Qingshan's family.

As for the Marquis Immortals of the Virtual Universe Corporation's branch, they paid no attention to these matters at all.

Once Lu Qingshan had finished introducing Lu Hongwen, he simply had Huo Gesi take Lu Hongwen around to mingle with others.

Though Huo Gesi was only a High Military Lord, he served at the Virtual Universe Corporation's headquarters and had broad connections—perfect for guiding Lu Hongwen in socializing.

As for Lu Qingshan himself, he quickly approached the table with the highest-ranking guests.

The weakest among them were Peak Marquis-level Immortals; among them were even the three top leaders of the Yanfeng branch, whose status rivaled Sovereigns, and Lu Qingshan's three Senior Brothers and Sisters at the Sovereign level.

"Marquis Lu, you've finally finished your duties!"

Chi Huo Hou, Minister of Martial Affairs of the Yanfeng branch, quickly said, "We all wanted to chat more with you—now you owe us three cups of wine!"

The three top leaders had just reached an agreement with Lu Qingshan regarding Lu Hongwen's future assignment; their relationship had naturally grown warmer.

Lu Qingshan smiled and replied, "Chi Huo Hou, I rarely host large banquets like this—I only organized it because my kin just became an Immortal. But if you ever have free time, feel free to visit my estate on Lei Ting Island for a small gathering!"

Hearing this, Chi Huo Hou was delighted: "Then I'll take you up on that!"

Nearby, Mie Xin Hou quickly added, "Marquis Lu, when that happens, I'll go with Zi Lin Hou and Chi Huo Hou—surely you won't refuse us?"

"Mie Xin Hou, you're teasing me!"

Lu Qingshan smiled quickly, "If all three of you come to my estate, I'd welcome you eagerly—how could I refuse?"

"By the way, Malsa, who oversees Lei Guang Hai Star Region for your department, is also my friend. He said he'd come by later to pay his respects after hearing you three were attending!"

Previously, Malsa had overseen several star regions around Lei Guang Hai; if control passed to Lu Hongwen, Malsa would be in trouble!

But when Malsa had helped Lu Qingshan secure his initial Cosmic Insight slot, he'd offered some assistance—Lu Qingshan couldn't repay kindness with betrayal, so he said this.

Mie Xin Hou and the others were clever—they immediately understood Lu Qingshan's meaning.

Zi Lin Hou then smiled and said, "Malsa's abilities are indeed excellent—he's handled many tasks for us three over the years; we'll surely burden him with more in the future!"

Thus, Lu Qingshan and the others gathered, enjoying food and casual conversation.

Ji Dianwang soon turned to a stunning woman in purple battle armor and asked, "Senior Sister Tong Ye, how have your recent gains been in the Outer Battlefield?"

"Not much,"

Lu Qingshan's Thirteenth Senior Sister, Tong Ye Wang, waved her hand, "If a Sovereign Immortal slaughters High Military Lords, they'll incite outrage. And most Marquis Immortals have immortality—killing them is still very difficult!"

"In the last ten thousand years, I have only slain one High-Rank Alien Noble of the Duke-Sealing tier and seventeen Low-Rank Alien Nobles of the Duke-Sealing tier; my gains are quite ordinary!"

Hearing Tongye Wang's words, the many Duke-Sealing Immortals present all felt a tightening in their hearts.

Although they were all Duke-Sealing Immortals and had once trained on the Outer Battlefield, most had not gone to the Outer Battlefield for a very long time.

After hearing Tongye Wang's words, each and every one of them felt a killing aura belonging to a King-Sealing Immortal!

Meanwhile, Lu Qingshan sighed inwardly at his own luck!

If he did not possess a clone, his gains would surely be far inferior to his senior sister Tongye Wang's; but now, the gains of a single Duke-Sealing Immortal were more than a hundred times those of his senior sister Tongye Wang!

Thus, the banquet proceeded smoothly throughout.

During this time, a Peak-Duke-Sealing Immortal suddenly asked, "Duke Lu Qingshan, I heard you are acquainted with Lord Tian Shi Wang?"

Hearing this, Zilin Hou nearby quickly said, "Duke Lu Qingshan and Lord Tian Shi Wang are indeed acquainted! When Lord Tian Shi Wang first broke through and held a banquet back then, I accompanied my teacher and saw Lord Tian Shi Wang conversing intimately with Duke Lu Qingshan!"

With these words, many Immortals around were startled again.

Who would have thought that Duke Lu Qingshan was not only a disciple of Lei Huanwang but also had such a relationship with Lord Tian Shi Wang; he was truly incomparable to ordinary people.

It must be known that Lord Tian Shi Wang was hailed as an unparalleled genius appearing once every ten million eras in the Human Race; now that he has broken through to become a King-Sealing Immortal, he holds an extremely astonishing status within the Human Race, and even many Universe Zifeng Zunzhe associate with him.

Besides this, numerous Alien Races also wished to eliminate him immediately, while many in the Human Race had already regarded him as the next Universe Zifeng Zunzhe of the Human Race.

"There are rumors that Lord Tian Shi Wang has been in secluded cultivation recently, aiming to break through to become a Universe Zifeng Zunzhe as soon as possible. Does Duke Lu Qingshan have any new news?" a Peak-Duke-Sealing Immortal from the Yanfeng Universe Kingdom asked with a smile.

Lu Qingshan simply spread his hands and said helplessly, "Duke Yin Yi, even those Alien Races, despite their utmost efforts, cannot discover news of Lord Tian Shi Wang; how could I possibly know?"

"Moreover, given Lord Tian Shi Wang's talent, breaking through to become a Universe Zifeng Zunzhe in the future is surely only a matter of time, is that not correct?"

With these words, everyone present immediately agreed, and for a moment the atmosphere of the entire banquet was extremely harmonious.

During this banquet, everyone conversed with great enjoyment; it continued for more than a day before everyone bid farewell and departed separately.

(End of this chapter)