Among the banquet guests sat Ji Mingxing’s master, the Great Sun Realm Lord, as well as Emperor Feng Ming Wuliang.
There were also many princes and nobles, yet Feng Mingxiao was conspicuously absent.
By now, the bride had already been welcomed in. Logically, it was unusual for a mother not to attend.
Yet she simply did not come.
Back in Sin City, Ling Xiao had vaguely learned from Feng Yinshan’s words that Feng Mingxiao had undergone the baptism of the Divine Phoenix Sacred Light, losing all human emotions in the process. She had become merely a tool loyal to the Divine Phoenix Empire.
If viewed that way, her absence made sense.
Besides these dignitaries, there were also many of Ji Mingxing’s friends from the martial world, all young and outstanding talents from various places on the Divine Phoenix Continent and Heavenly Dragon Continent.
Each one appeared to have considerable cultivation and could be considered promising youths.
Of course, these people had all followed Ji Mingxing into the Divine Phoenix Academy.
The current Divine Phoenix Academy had gradually recovered. The wound Ling Xiao had once inflicted was slowly healing, giving it a sense of thriving prosperity once more.
These young people followed Ji Mingxing, naturally hoping to become meritorious officials in the restoration of the Sage Dynasty. Then they could secure an official position and live worry-free for life.
Warriors in the Profound World did not all pursue the same things.
Some sought supreme power all their lives.
Some pursued immortality.
Others wished to step through the Chosen Giant Gate to see the world beyond.
However, most still hoped to use their skills to gain wealth and power for themselves. That was the most practical goal.
These people were exactly like that.
They could even imagine that, with the support of the Great Sun Realm Lord and Emperor Feng Ming Wuliang, Ji Mingxing’s future was boundless. He would surely advance to the Cave Heaven realm or even the Yin-Yang realm, becoming a peerless sage lord who would replace that overreaching Heavenly Emperor Ling Xiao.
At that moment, guests continued to arrive at the wedding venue.
“Young Master Kong Ming of the Peacock Clan has arrived!”
“Tianpeng Phoenix Prodigy Peng Yue of the Great Peng Clan has arrived!”
“Young Master Jia Tianfeng of the Righteous Alliance has arrived!”
The butler receiving guests at the gate called out three clear announcements in succession, drawing the attention of many young people.
Though the Peacock Clan had fallen somewhat silent after the Peacock Phoenix Prodigy Kong He was crippled, its foundation remained intact.
This Kong Ming was an outstanding talent within the family. Rumours suggested he might be even more formidable than Kong He, but because he was born of mixed human blood, he had never been valued.
Now that Kong He was crippled, he had finally stepped into the spotlight.
The Great Peng Clan needed no further explanation. The Tianpeng Phoenix Prodigy carried considerable prestige and, as a Divine Phoenix Academy disciple, wielded great influence.
As for Jia Tianfeng of the Righteous Alliance, he was particularly interesting.
This man had become the newly adopted son of the Righteous Alliance Leader.
Though not old, only in his twenties, he was steady and capable. Compared to Jia Yun and Jia Lin, father and son whom Ling Xiao had already killed, he was in a completely different league.
Moreover, he handled matters with great thoroughness. Not only did the Righteous Alliance show no signs of decline, it even seemed more prosperous.
Within the alliance, there were already plans to promote this Jia Tianfeng as the future leader, which showed just how formidable he was.
The near-simultaneous arrival of these three was certainly something to ponder and gave ample face to Ji Mingxing.
“Good grief. The Mingxing Phoenix Prodigy truly lives up to his name. People from the Peacock Clan, Great Peng Clan, and even the Righteous Alliance have come.”
Exclamations of surprise rose from the crowd.
Ji Mingxing, the groom in his red robes, looked quite presentable. He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, “I welcome my three brothers. Please come inside and take your seats.”
“Brother Mingxing, when you rise to greatness in the future, do not forget us three. The four of us became sworn brothers and made an oath to the Divine Phoenix.”
The one who spoke was the domineering Tianpeng Phoenix Prodigy.
Hearing this, the crowd was filled with astonishment.
No wonder the Emperor valued Ji Mingxing so highly. Who would have thought Ji Mingxing was actually sworn brothers with Kong Ming, Peng Yue, and Jia Tianfeng!
This made things very interesting.
Feng Ming Wuliang smiled inwardly. Ji Mingxing not only carried the title of Sage Dynasty Holy Son, but his master was the renowned Great Sun Realm Lord.
Many would surely come to curry favour. By giving benefits to Ji Mingxing, he was giving benefits to the Great Sun Realm Lord.
How could he not understand such a simple principle?
Kong Ming, Peng Yue, and Jia Tianfeng entered the mansion and took seats in the front row, second only to the Great Sun Realm Lord and Emperor Feng Ming Wuliang.
Though they represented their clans, they were still juniors and could not sit on equal footing with the two seniors.
“Interesting. Truly interesting. Before the Dragon-Phoenix Selection even begins, the imperial capital has changed quite a bit.
Peng Yue, that waste, can be ignored for now. But Kong Ming and Jia Tianfeng are two troublesome figures. It seems the Peacock Clan and Righteous Alliance still have some vitality left.”
Ling Xiao had no intention of actively provoking them.
Of course, if they were foolish enough to provoke him, he would not mind crippling these two as well, leaving the Peacock Clan and the Jia family of the Righteous Alliance with no successors.
“What is that expression? Are you dissatisfied? With your pathetic look, you are not even fit to polish the shoes of those four young masters!”
Perhaps Ling Xiao had unintentionally revealed a disdainful smile, for a nearby young onlooker noticed it.
This person actually began questioning him self-righteously.
Ling Xiao glanced at him with some curiosity. A mere Sixth Celestial Realm cultivation in the Celestial Human realm was nothing but an ant before him. This fellow truly did not know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth.
“I am dissatisfied?”
Ling Xiao smiled faintly. “You are absolutely right. Even if those four wastes combined their strength, I would not take them seriously.”
“Insolence! How dare you belittle those young masters? If I do not teach you a lesson today, it will not do.”
Unexpectedly, Ling Xiao’s single sentence enraged the self-appointed champion of justice. He raised his hand and attacked.
In that instant, Ling Xiao merely sneered, then directed his killing intent straight at the opponent.
He did not even move, yet the man spat blood, his limbs went limp, and he collapsed to the ground.
“A waste like you is only fit to worship those four wastes.”
Ling Xiao glanced disdainfully at the warrior on the ground. He did not even feel like lifting a hand.
This person was far too weak, no longer comparable to the current him.
Bullying someone like this would only bring him shame.
“Y-y-yes, I am a waste. I am a waste. I only beg Grandfather to spare my life.”
The man who had been so righteous moments ago now behaved in a utterly contemptible, cowardly manner.
“Get lost! Do not let me see you again, or I will kill you.”
Ling Xiao barked coldly.
“I am getting lost! I am getting lost right now.”
The warrior scrambled away into the crowd.
In that moment, a name suddenly flashed through his mind: Ling Xiao.
“It cannot be. Could Ling Xiao really have returned?”
Thinking of that fiend, he could not help but shiver. To escape alive from Ling Xiao’s hands could be considered a stroke of luck.
In street gossip, Ling Xiao was even rumoured to be a capricious demon, which explained why the man was so terrified.
This small incident did not affect Ling Xiao’s mood.
He looked up at the “Holy Son’s Mansion” plaque and revealed a ferocious grin.
