Chapter 141 - I’ve Got Your Back
Beside Luo Junlin sat a beautiful girl. It was the girl who drank with Luo Junlin on the island last night. Her name was Shen Ruoshuang. Her makeup was light, unlike last night. She looked soft and gentle and had the aura of a wealthy family’s daughter. Last night, she gave herself to Crown Prince Luo Junlin and because of that, there was a seat for her next to him today.
Many nobles looked over at her. They knew exactly what was going on. They thought, this girl really has a few tricks up her sleeve. Seems like there’s no hope for the position of first wife. Maybe a second or third wife? Crown Prince Luo Junlin was only steps away from being a big shot at the Royal Xuan Temple. Even if he didn’t manage to do that, he could still be emperor of the Nandou Nation. A second or third wife wouldn’t be so bad. They wouldn’t even mind being a concubine.
Many people on the battle platform also recognized Shen Ruoshuang. She had also participated in the Tingfeng Banquet. Plus, she was a well-known beauty in the imperial city. She was disqualified during yesterday’s banquet, but who would have thought that she would receive the Crown Prince’s sympathy.
Shen Ruoshuang glanced coldly at Ye Futian but did not say anything. However, Ye Futian paid no attention to the gazes that fell upon him. He took his seat and looked out on to the nine battle platforms ahead. He also observed the crowd quietly.
Just then, a few bursts of light shined from a distance in the skies above. Multiple figures appeared in mid-air. The leader of the group had a majestic aura, just like a mighty emperor.
“Brother Luo, how come you didn’t invite me for a drink to celebrate this big news?” asked the leader. Based on the way he greeted Emperor Luo, it was easy to guess his status. To be on the same level as Emperor Luo, this person must be an emperor as well.
“The emperor of the Mo Kingdom has graced us with his presence. What an honor.” Emperor Luo stood to welcome his guests. “Please join us and have a seat.”
“I have also come to join the fun,” laughed another person. In the sky above the crowd, a bright light erupted and a figure bathed in a red light stepped forward.
“Congratulations to the Nandou Nation’s Crown Prince for entering the Royal Xuan Temple. There will be yet another Noble Plane cultivator in the future,” said the newcomer. His voice was clear and his aura powerful.
“What a surprise! The emperor of the Hongye Kingdom is also here. Please, have a seat,” said Emperor Luo.
“The Donglin Kingdom has come to congratulate the Nandou Nation for the Tingfeng Banquet.” Another group appeared in mid-air.
“The Tianluo Kingdom would like to congratulate Luo Junlin for entering the Royal Xuan Temple.” More people arrived in the opposite direction the emperor of the Donglin Kingdom came from.
Seeing the majestic figures in the skies made many people from the Nandou Nation nervous. The atmosphere was raging. No one expected the arrivals of yet another four emperors. Now, there were eight emperors present at the Tingfeng Banquet. This was a grand occasion unseen in the last three hundred years. The last time something similar happened was during Emperor Luo’s coronation.
Without being told, many people understood that this was not simply because of the Tingfeng Banquet. If it had been so, then there was no need for them to show up uninvited and unannounced. It was good enough that the three emperors Emperor Luo personally invited came to attend the banquet.
Obviously, they had gotten the news that Crown Prince Luo Junlin was accepted by the Royal Xuan Temple. They did not show up during any of the other days of the Tingfeng Banquet but all chose to appear on the last day, as if they had planned it together.
Emperor Luo smiled happily. The four emperors were all from close-by nations. The Yunchu Nation’s neighboring country was present, as was the neighbor of the Yan Kingdom. Now that they were all gathered to congratulate him, even though he was already an emperor, Emperor Luo still felt proud. This was a big boost to his ego.
“Everyone, please have a seat,” Emperor Luo said as he toned down the smile on his face. Immediately, the four newly arrived emperors descended on to the observation deck, landing in different directions.
Emperor Ye and the three other emperors watched them quietly. They felt slightly conflicted on the inside. Had the emperors of these four large nations really come to attend the Tingfeng Banquet personally? It seemed like they were keeping close tabs on the banquet, or else they would not have been able to make it here so quickly.
From this scene, it was possible to foretell the future rise of the Nandou Nation.
Ye Futian also observed quietly. He watched the proud Emperor Luo and the lively audience. All of this was brought about by Luo Junlin’s admission to the Royal Xuan Temple. Today seemed to be an unprecedented day, worthy of celebration. Unfortunately, the people of the Nandou Nation were probably going to be highly disappointed.
“Let’s begin!” Emperor Luo smiled. Immediately, a loud whistle came from the crowd and 18 genius cultivators stepped on to the nine battle platforms, welcoming their final battle. On every platform were the best cultivators of each plane.
“Xi Lou!”
“Yun Tianhao!”
Supporters called out to them from the lively audience. With their spectacular gifts, many of the contenders on the platforms had impressed the people and were worshipped by them. Yun Tianhao was an example of this. He broke through the Seven-Starred Glory Plane and made his way on to the Eight-Starred Glory Plane platform. He remained peerless as always. As soon as his matrix appeared, no one was able to counter the force. The results would remain the same even if his opponent was in the Nine-Starred Glory Plane.
The most outstanding contender from the Glory Plane was definitely Yun Tianhao. If it wasn’t him, then it had to be Nine-Starred Glory Plane cultivator, Jing Xuan. His abilities were terrifying. He was most likely able to battle against common realizations of Dharma.
The battles of the nine platforms began. The platforms shook with the force. The sounds resonated beyond the platforms and washed over the area. The most powerful contenders fought with full force for their final battle. Every battle was nerve wracking to watch.
“My friends, what do you think of the geniuses of our Nandou Nation’s Tingfeng Banquet?” asked Emperor Luo. He smiled brightly from his seat on the observation deck.
“In due time, they will become the pillars of the nation,” said a fellow emperor.
“They are indeed outstanding. At the very least, they’re much better than those on the Fenghua Rank,” said the emperor of the Yan Kingdom. Ye Futian glanced coldly at him. It was evident that the emperors had a bias. None of them wanted to get on Emperor Luo’s bad side. However, Emperor Ye did not seem to care. He continued to watch quietly. To be completely honest, he had to admit that the contenders of the platforms were indeed very gifted. Their combat abilities were very strong. Had it not been for Ye Futian, Yu Sheng, and Ye Wuchen, the Fenghua Banquet may have truly lost in comparison to the Tingfeng Banquet.
Emperor Ye had a sudden thought. What would the Tingfeng Banquet have been like if Emperor Luo hadn’t chased out Ye Futian and Yu Sheng?
Finally, the battles ended one by one. The victors of each battle did not leave the platform, for they were the stars of the Tingfeng Banquet, the center of attention. They waited for the rewards from the emperor.
In the crowd, the people from Donghai Academy looked to the figure standing proudly on the Eight-Starred Glory Plane platform. All of them had a satisfied smile on their faces. Although Zhuo Qing was disqualified, Yun Tianhao was able to make it to the end. On top of that, he used his great powers to completely destroy his opponent, gaining his victory. He fought hard to be the last one standing on that platform. As a student of Donghai Academy, Yun Tianhao had brought them great honor.
Among the crowd from Donghai Academy, Headmaster Tang of Heiyan City’s Heiyan Academy was also present. Beside him was Tang Yue. She still had some unresolved conflict with Ye Futian from way back on Mount Tianyao. Seeing that the young Yun Tianhao was able to make it to this stage, they also felt proud and happy for him.
They had also spotted Ye Futian. Rumors had it that he was freakishly powerful. He had once fought against Yun Tianhao. It was unforeseen that he would become the best of a nation. However, the Yun Tianhao in the present was not any weaker than Ye Futian.
In the end, nine figures stood on the battle platforms with the utmost glory. The Tingfeng Banquet’s best of each plane had finally revealed themselves.
A smile spread across Emperor Luo’s face. He was very satisfied with these nine people. They all possessed extraordinary gifts. Perhaps with proper guidance, they could become great aids for his son, Luo Junlin.
“The strongest nine have been born. The prodigy cultivators from our four nations are now gathered here. Would it be alright if we verified each other’s abilities?” asked Chu Kuangren. Emperor Luo smiled at the nine figures on the platforms in front of him and said, “The best of the Yunchu Nation, Cangye Kingdom, and Yan Kingdom would like to test your abilities. Do you guys accept their challenge?”
“Pleased to.”
“Let’s go.” The nine figures were ready to fight.
“Very good.” Emperor Luo nodded in satisfaction. He then turned to look at the cultivators of the three visiting nations and said, “I leave them to you now.”
Chu Kuangren nodded and shifted his gaze in the direction of the Cangye group. “You’ve avoided it for so many days and will finally show your face. Today marks the end of the Tingfeng Banquet, you should have no more excuses.” He stared straight at Ye Futian and Ye Wuchen as he spoke.
On a platform, Yun Tianhao also had his eyes on Ye Futian. Speaking out loud and clear, he asked, “Ye Futian, do you dare battle with me?” His voice vibrated through the air. The best of the Eight-Starred Glory Plane cultivators at the Tingfeng Banquet had challenged Ye Futian.
Ye Futian looked as calm as ever. Whether it be the people from the Yunchu Nation or Yun Tianhao, their provocations were unable to shake him. He lifted his head and looked at Chu Kuangren as well as Yun Tianhao. He replied with a smile, “It’s okay that you guys pick a fight with us, but are you willing to pay the price?” Ye Futian sounded so calm, far from how resonant Chu Kuangren and Yun Tianhao sounded. However, this calm voice also bore extreme arrogance.
Ye Futian did not seem to give a damn about these genius cultivators from the Yunchu Nation nor did he care about those from the Tingfeng Banquet.
“It’s okay that you guys pick a fight with us, but are you willing to pay the price?”
“I’m willing to pay whatever price it takes,” Chu Kuangren answered with a cold demeanor.
“Let’s fight.” This was all Yun Tianhao said. His intent to battle was in overload.
Ye Futian turned back to look at Emperor Ye who was seated behind him. Eight emperors had gathered today, a day of glory and pride for Emperor Luo. All the other emperors were friends of Emperor Ye, so if he didn’t want Ye Futian to fight, then he wouldn’t. But when their eyes met, Ye Futian saw Emperor Ye break out into a huge smile, and listened as he said casually, “I’ve got your back!”