Chapter 739: The Extreme Joy Banquet

In the elegant chamber.

The Feiying Thirteen Guards left, carrying the unconscious Shangguan Yuanfan and the scattered remains of Shangguan Yu'er.

Just as the Vermilion Bird hesitated about whether she should also leave, the leader of the Golden Light Sect finally hurried over. Upon smelling the scent of blood in the room, Golden Light's expression changed slightly.

As soon as the two women in green and white saw Jinguang, they both could not help but become tense.

Jinguang was, after all, a titan of the righteous path and the leader of the Xuanxin Sect.

Yu Liancheng remained calm, drinking wine to himself.

After the Vermilion Bird informed Golden Light of what had transpired, Golden Light's expression turned stern. His gaze shifted to Yu Liancheng, revealing a hint of gravity, before he immediately smiled and said, "May I ask if you, fellow Daoist, have come to participate in the Extreme Joy Banquet?"

Yu Liancheng held his wine cup and smiled slightly: "Indeed."

Jinguang smiled: "I wonder if you, fellow Daoist, possess an Extreme Joy invitation?"

"I do not; I was just troubled by that very matter." Yu Liancheng shook his head.

"I happen to have one extra Extreme Joy invitation here."

Jinguang took an invitation from his robes. The invitation was held by an invisible force and drifted slowly before Yu Liancheng: "Your cultivation, fellow Daoist, has reached the level of creation, and your magical power is profound; you are like a celestial being. If you could participate in the Extreme Joy Banquet, it would add luster to the event. I hope you will not decline."

Yu Liancheng looked deeply at Jinguang and took the invitation: "Then I thank you."

Golden Light exchanged a few more pleasantries before taking the Vermilion Bird and leaving in a streak of light.

"See? The invitation arrived on its own; there was no need to worry at all." Yu Liancheng smiled and waved the invitation in his hand.

Bai Suzhen's beautiful eyes flashed: "The Xuanxin Sect is responsible for the security of the Capital, especially regarding cultivators and demons; they have never been soft-handed. Yet, now that they know we killed Shangguan Yu'er, why would they not act, and instead send us an invitation?"

"Forget about him; perhaps he is afraid of Yu Liancheng."

Xiaoqing did not care at all; she snatched the invitation from Yu Liancheng's hand and looked at it curiously. The invitation was golden and brilliant, with the characters written in gold powder, and it was decorated with flying celestial maidens, cranes, and other such things.

Yu Liancheng was already standing by the window, overlooking the sights of Chang'an.

"This leader of the Jinguang Sect appears upright and magnificent, but in reality, his thoughts are deeper and more sinister than anyone else's. He sent the invitation with no good intentions, indeed. However, how can mere tricks and schemes prevail against the vast Will of Heaven?"

Xiaobai asked in confusion: "The Will of Heaven?"

"My will is the Will of Heaven!"

Xiaobai: "..."

Xiaoqing retorted: "Be careful of being struck by lightning for bragging."

On the other side, the Vermilion Bird and Golden Light had returned to the Mysterious Heart Sect.

Zhuque asked in confusion: "Sect Leader, that Yu Liancheng's background is mysterious, his cultivation is unfathomable, and he dared to kill in Chang'an; I fear he is a dangerous person. Inviting him to participate in the Extreme Joy Banquet, I fear..."

Before she could finish, Golden Light raised a hand, interrupting Zhuque, and said calmly: "I have my own considerations; you need not worry. You may go."

"... Yes."

After Zhuque withdrew, Golden Light sat on the sect leader's throne. He swept his sleeve across the desk, and a piece of paper appeared in his hand—a secret letter sent by a spirit pigeon. The letter recounted an event: the National Master's chief disciple had gone to search for the assassin, only to end up dead, his body turned into a dried corpse and his entire cultivation drained away.

Coincidentally, the place where this disciple died was not far from where the Saintess of the Three Realms discovered demonic energy, nor from Guobei Town.

And...

The leader of the Jinguang Sect narrowed his eyes slightly.

Earlier, he had sensed a trace of snake demon aura in the private room, and it was normal for that woman named Xiaoqing to have leaked a trace of aura when she clashed with Zhuque.

It was likely that both women in green and white were transformed snake demons.

Through the many clues, Jinguang had already guessed much of the truth.

"If those are truly two snake demons that have attained cultivation, and they killed the National Master's disciple, I do not believe Taiyin Zhenren will be able to sit still." Jinguang stared at the paper for a long time, then suddenly closed his eyes. The paper instantly turned to dust, while a smile of calculated strategy slowly curled at the corners of his mouth.

"My Xuanxin Sect is the number one sect in the world, and we have been on good terms with the Imperial family for generations; by rights, this position of National Master should be held by the successive sect leaders. But that Taiyin Zhenjun actually used alchemy and longevity arts to bewitch the Emperor; he is truly detestable. Coupled with his own not-insignificant cultivation, even I cannot deal with him. If Yu Liancheng were to clash with him in the Imperial Palace, hehe..."

The twenty-ninth year of Kaiyuan, August 5th.

Today is the Swing Festival personally designated by Emperor Li Longji.

This festival has been observed since the seventeenth year of Kaiyuan, lasting for twelve years now. During this festival, the entire court is granted a three-day holiday, but all ministers must toast the Emperor with longevity wine every day.

This year's Swing Festival is being held with particular grandeur, inviting everyone in Chang'an City to Guangda Tower to join the celebration. It is truly a scene of gongs and drums, firecrackers, red flags fluttering, and a sea of people.

In the past, the Li Tang dynasty relied on Guanzhong to dominate the world and establish Chang'an; it experienced the prosperity of the Zhenguan era and accumulated a hundred years of peace. And the current romantic Emperor, Li Longji, has brought it to an era of extreme prosperity.

It is a pity that Li Longji is a good emperor, but he lived a bit too long. In his early years, he was a wise monarch, but in his later years, he grew weary of state affairs and indulged in luxury and pleasure, delegating military power. Before long, the entire world will fall into great chaos, and the mountains and rivers will be broken. There are not many people in the world who can see this, and even if they can, facing an emperor bent on pleasure, they can only sigh in helplessness.

Bursts of melodious flute and zither music drifted over.

A giant swing appeared in front of Guangda Tower, suspended in mid-air.

The stars in the sky twinkled like a galaxy hanging beneath the firmament.

Under the slanting light of the bright moon, a woman stood on the swing at some unknown moment.

This woman had a voluptuous figure, her elegant eyebrows slanted into her temples, and her eyes were as black as lacquer, full of spirit; a single glance could make any man infatuated and captivated. Combined with her brilliant, flowing robes, she was truly peerless in beauty; who could not help but feel stunned?

Her grace and beauty were like a fairy from the Moon Palace who had descended to the mortal world.

Yet, her magnificence and nobility were something a cold, lonely Moon Palace fairy could not compare to.

Even though there were countless beauties in the palace, they could not in the slightest obscure this woman's peerless elegance.

Many people, upon seeing her, found their minds going completely blank.

This graceful, luxurious, and voluptuously beautiful woman was swinging on the swing.

Her palace attire fluttered and flew, as if she were about to ascend to immortality at any moment.

"Yang Yuhuan."

Yu Liancheng was also among the crowd, looking up at this famous Noble Consort Yang from the long river of history.

"A horse kicks up red dust, the consort smiles; no one knows it is the lychees arriving." In the writings of later scholars, this Noble Consort Yang has been both slandered and praised countless times. But regardless, thousands of years later, countless people will still remember this peerless beauty. It is a pity she was merely an ornament of a prosperous age; in the near future, she will perish along with the splendor and magnificence of Datang.

"Hmm, the Tang people consider plumpness to be beauty; they truly did not deceive me."

To tell the truth, although there were many spectators below, the Noble Consort on the swing was at least a hundred meters away from the commoners, and with the swing constantly swaying, the commoners could only vaguely see the rainbow-feathered garment of Yang Guifei, but as for how beautiful or how lovely it was, it was truly impossible to see clearly, like looking at flowers through a mist.

"It's really... very high... I wonder what kind of expression they would make if I jumped down."

Standing on the swing, Yang Guifei felt as if she were riding the wind, drifting along as if she were soaring through the void.

Her beautiful eyes rippled as she looked at the surging crowd of commoners below, and suddenly, an impulse to jump down arose within her.

Whether it was the Extreme Joy Banquet or this swing ride, both were advocated by Li Longji.

Yang Yuhuan knew that this was Li Longji showing off to the people of the world, showing off that he was the person with the greatest power in the world, and showing off that he had kept the most beautiful canary in the world in captivity.

She had lived with Li Longji for many years and had been showered with all his favor, but as an old husband and young wife, and given that she was once Li Longji's daughter-in-law, it was impossible for the two of them to have no estrangement at all.

Just as a faint sense of sorrow welled up in Yang Yuhuan's heart, she suddenly felt a gaze sweeping over from the crowd, looking at her as if it were something tangible. Yang Yuhuan had once been a Daoist nun for a period of time, was granted the title Taizhen, and had also learned superficial magic and martial arts; her ears and eyes were sharp, and she soon spotted the owner of this gaze in the crowd.

"What a handsome man."

The moment she saw the man in black standing with his hands behind his back, Yang Yuhuan could not help but praise him in her heart.

Their eyes met, and the man in black did not dodge in the slightest, nodding slightly with a smile. Yang Yuhuan's heart could not help but skip a beat, and she felt even more that his gaze was clear, without that disgusting greed, but merely pure appreciation, like the appreciation one feels when seeing a painting or a flower. I appreciate your beauty, merely appreciation...

Beside the man in black were two women, one in green and one in white, who were also peerless beauties, the finest in the human world.

Even with Yang Yuhuan's graceful and luxurious bearing, she was completely unable to overshadow the beauty of the two women, and in terms of liveliness, she was even a notch inferior.

The girl in green to the left of the man in black seemed to have noticed Yang Yuhuan's gaze; she tugged at the man's sleeve as if to declare ownership, then made a fierce grimace at Yang Yuhuan.

Yang Yuhuan could not help but burst into laughter at the girl's actions, blooming in an instant like a hundred flowers.

Until the melodious sound of strings and bamboo gradually faded, Yang Yuhuan took out a Talisman and left in a streak of colorful light.

The crowd gradually dispersed, yet countless curious people still looked around.

A moment later, the palace gates opened, and eunuchs walked out to announce the start of the Extreme Joy Banquet.

Officials and famous scholars took out their invitations and walked into the hall, excitedly participating in this Extreme Joy Banquet.

Yu Liancheng did not enter the palace for the banquet immediately, but instead looked toward the sky above the Imperial Palace, his eyes seemingly containing the unimaginable birth and death of stars.

He saw strands of Qi rising, some strong and some weak, yet they were not constant, changing every moment, though it was not obvious.

Among them, a strand of upright and majestic True Dragon Qi occupied the sky above the Imperial Palace, more powerful than all the other Qi combined, as if it filled the entire heaven and earth.

It was also because of the protection of the True Dragon Qi that this Imperial Palace had no Demons causing trouble. Otherwise, just counting the eunuchs and palace maids beaten to death every day, the Imperial Palace would have turned into a ghost realm before long.

It was just a pity that this True Dragon did not know when it had become stained with faint black Qi, and there were faint signs of it collapsing.

Especially above this Imperial Palace, there was also a strand of Flood Dragon aura, devouring the True Dragon aura, its eyes filled with murderous intent and fierce light.

If Yu Liancheng had not guessed wrong, the Dragon Qi naturally came from the current Emperor, while that Flood Dragon aura was An Lushan, who was also attending today's Extreme Joy Banquet. According to the original path, ten days later, An Lushan would rebel.

"Fellow Daoist Yu, are you observing the Qi? Have you seen anything?"

Jinguang, accompanied by the Xuanxin Four Generals, appeared beside Yu Liancheng at some point and asked curiously.

Yu Liancheng smiled slightly and said casually, "The prosperous age of Datang is truly like boiling oil with flowers added to the brocade."

"Oh?" Jinguang's eyes flickered: "What does this mean? Could it be that Fellow Daoist Yu thinks... Datang will not last long..."

"Just a joke, Datang is so powerful, how could one say it won't last long," Yu Liancheng shook his head: "Let's go in together."

"Fellow Daoist Yu, please." Jinguang smiled.

"Sect Master, no need for such courtesy."

The location for the Extreme Joy Banquet was the Hua'e Zheng Hui Tower.

This building was a three-story high-rise in the shape of the character "gong", with long corridors built on the outside. Specifically, the corridors were in the shape of the character "ri", and the building was built on the upper "mouth" of it. The lower "mouth" was a courtyard, and the corridor was two stories high. The entire exterior looked like a flower and its sepals. It could not be called majestic, but it excelled in being ingenious and elegant.

The most moving part was not the building itself, but the sea of flowers outside the tower. After being cultivated by Taixuan Zhenren, it was spring all year round, with flowers in full bloom. Various brilliant flowers were gathered together, and stepping into the flower cluster, waves of rich floral fragrance came from all sides, and countless startled butterflies fluttered up and down around him; being in it, one actually felt a sense of detachment from the world.

Inside the Hua'eXianghuiPavilion, it was even more lively, with many red candles placed about, making the hall as bright as day.

Dancers danced gracefully, the drumbeats grew faster, and the mist moved more quickly. Every turn of Peach Blossom's smiling face was full of charm. And the clothes on her body swirled into a blooming large mandala flower with the rapid dance.

There were winding streams with floating wine cups, high officials and famous scholars tasting delicacies, drinking and chatting; whoever could not compose a poem was punished with three cups of wine. There were strange illusions, bamboo staffs turning into beauties, and beauties holding wine pots rising into the air; when the wine pots fell from the sky, they did not splash wine, but bloomed into many gorgeous flowers.

Beside the wine pool, there was another person living in a drunken dream, waiting for a certain warrior to come and ask for a poem. The poet then took advantage of the wine's inspiration to write a masterpiece for the ages.

—Clouds remind me of her clothes, flowers of her face, the spring breeze brushes the railing, the dew is thick.

If not seen at the top of Qunyu Mountain, one would meet her under the moon at the Jade Terrace.

The poet had not yet met Yang Guifei, but those lines full of praise came naturally, without a shred of falsehood.

Datang.

This was Datang.

"His Majesty and the Noble Consort have arrived."

After a sharp voice, the entire Hua'eXianghuiPavilion suddenly fell silent.

Immediately after, teams of attendants poured into the hall from both sides, all of them vigorous and full of vitality; placed in the Edo, they would all be First-class Experts.

Everyone lowered their heads, bowing to the group that had just stepped into the palace; Jinguang and the others were the same, and even the White Snake was influenced by human etiquette and bowed her head at the same time. Yu Liancheng, however, stood still with a smile on his face, appearing particularly conspicuous amidst the bowing crowd. And Xiaoqing was looking around, appearing particularly curious about everything.

Xiaobai whispered that it was bad and tugged at the sleeves of Yu Liancheng and Xiaoqing; Xiaoqing looked at her sister in confusion, while Yu Liancheng did not move at all. Helpless, Xiaobai could only stand up.

Jinguang glanced at them, a cold sneer curling the corner of his mouth.

A moment later, Xuanzong and Yang Guifei walked in.