“Crack!”
Without any warning, the plaque of the Holy Son’s Residence suddenly split open, then fell to the ground.
The guards at the entrance descended into chaos, and Ling Xiao seized the opportunity to slip into the residence, a cold smile lifting the corners of his mouth.
Although he had once found Ji Mingkong extremely irritating, the title of Holy Son belonged only to Ji Mingkong. What was Ji Mingxing? How dare he claim to be the Holy Son?
Moreover, this mansion had been bestowed upon the great general Ji Ning by Ji Fuling and Yu Xuanyue. No one else deserved to occupy it.
That naturally included the Emperor himself.
Even if the house lay abandoned, unless Ji Ning himself spoke, anyone who took possession showed disrespect to him, and disrespect to Ji Fuling and Yu Xuanyue.
Fengming Wuliang had committed a grave offence by doing such a thing, so Ling Xiao naturally had to destroy the plaque.
Of course, there was also a small secondary reason: he intended to use the chaos to sneak into the residence.
Clearly, he had succeeded.
Although the shattering of the plaque caused considerable disorder, the wedding ceremony still had to proceed. Fengming Wuliang ordered the guards to be strengthened, and only then was order gradually restored.
However, his expression was far from pleasant. Someone had actually dared to destroy the plaque he had bestowed upon Ji Mingxing; this was a direct slap to his face.
If he discovered who was responsible, he would certainly make that person suffer.
After the brief disturbance, the guests gradually arrived in full.
Yet from beginning to end, no sign of Fengming Xiao appeared.
In the VIP seats, the young disciples of Divine Phoenix Academy all carried themselves with proud elegance, sitting ramrod straight, drawing admiring murmurs from the other guests.
Although half a year earlier, this academy had suffered a calamity when a youth named Ling Xiao forced them to pay a heavy price.
But in just six months, they had risen again. With the Dragon-Phoenix Selection approaching, even more geniuses had joined their ranks.
Qingxu Academy had been left far behind.
If Qingxu Academy had not cooperated with the Tianlong Merchant Association to produce and sell some secret medicinal pills, it might truly have collapsed under the impact.
There was no helping it; Divine Phoenix Academy enjoyed the full support of the imperial family, something Qingxu Academy could not match.
Ji Mingxing alone had nearly stripped Qingxu Academy of all face, and people increasingly felt that Qingxu Academy was finished.
The future of the Divine Phoenix Empire belonged to Divine Phoenix Academy, to these proud young people in the VIP seats.
That, at least, was the view of most people.
Some, however, knew that in the past six months, including at Qingxu Academy, many genius martial artists had chosen secluded cultivation.
For example, Long Chen of Qingxu Academy.
His cultivation had originally been inferior to Ji Mingkong’s, yet he had overtaken him later. Had he not gone into seclusion, Ji Mingxing might not have gained any advantage at all.
And there were quite a few others like Long Chen.
The recently renowned Sword Demon, whose name rang even louder than Ji Mingxing’s, had also not attended today’s wedding. That person was probably even more terrifying than Ji Mingxing.
Then there were a very few individuals who looked upon the crowd of useless fools in the VIP seats with utter disdain.
The most obvious were Ling Xiao, Leng Mei, and Yue Nü.
It truly was a case of the tiger leaving the mountain and the monkeys proclaiming themselves king.
In the half year Ling Xiao had been away, a waste like Ji Mingxing had somehow become the foremost genius of the Tianlong Continent, even daring to provoke Ji Mingkong at Qingxu Academy.
Now that the fierce tiger had returned to the mountain, it was time for this monkey to understand who the true king really was.
Boom! Boom!
Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, the thunderous sound of ceremonial cannons echoed from outside.
The noise spread throughout the entire imperial capital, as if terrified that others might not know Ji Mingxing was holding his grand wedding today.
Fengming Wuliang really had gone all out. To curry favour with the Great Sun Realm Lord, he had done everything possible.
The old face of the Great Sun Realm Lord was wreathed in smiles. Just one month earlier, he had broken through to the Yin-Yang Realm, making him one of the rare supreme experts on the Tianlong Continent.
Even on the Divine Phoenix Continent or White Tiger Continent, he would be considered a top-tier master.
It was perfectly normal for Fengming Wuliang to fawn over him.
Crowds of people thronged the entrance to the Holy Son’s Residence, martial artists who lacked the qualifications to enter the mansion but still wanted to watch the spectacle.
Inside the residence itself, the place was similarly packed with people, all江湖 heroes who had come to show support for Ji Mingxing, Fengming Wuliang, and the Great Sun Realm Lord.
One could say that the grandeur of this wedding rivalled even that of a crown prince’s marriage ceremony.
Fengming Wuliang had truly spared no expense.
Within the mansion grounds, countless martial artists cast envious and jealous glances at Ji Mingxing.
This fellow had actually gained a master like the Great Sun Realm Lord to personally train him, and had even received a marriage personally arranged by Emperor Fengming Wuliang.
Not only that, he had sworn brotherhood with outstanding geniuses from the Peacock Clan, Great Roc Clan, and Righteous Alliance.
He was practically a peerless protagonist blessed with every possible favour.
While people envied him, they also felt they had truly broadened their horizons today.
Watching those lofty figures who rarely appeared in public chatting and laughing amiably in the VIP seats, they felt their entire lives had been worthwhile.
The strong possessed the bearing of the strong.
Geniuses possessed the elegance of geniuses.
That VIP area seemed to concentrate the very essence of the entire Divine Phoenix Empire.
After welcoming his several sworn brothers into the mansion, Ji Mingxing hurriedly departed.
When the ceremonial cannons sounded, by rights, he and Fengming Lian should have appeared hand in hand on the red carpet.
Yet the cannons continued to fire, and still no one emerged.
Ling Xiao guessed that Fengming Lian was truly deeply unhappy about this wedding; otherwise, she would not have delayed at this critical moment.
As if fearing an awkward silence, Emperor Fengming Wuliang stood up and gestured for everyone to quiet down.
Even amid the cannon fire, his voice reached clearly into the ears of every person present.
“Today is the joyous occasion of my adopted son Ji Mingxing’s marriage to my niece Fengming Lian. The groom and bride are perhaps feeling a little shy, so I shall say a few words first.”
As he spoke, someone had already gone inside to hurry the pair along.
At that moment, the cannons continued to boom.
Ji Mingxing had money to burn anyway; all the wealth of the Great Sun Realm Lord belonged to him.
Even if they fired all day, there would be no shortage of ammunition.
Fengming Wuliang continued, “Of Fengming Lian, little need be said. She is the daughter of my dynasty’s foremost genius Fengming Xiao. Though she rarely appears in public, her talent is equally extraordinary. At only sixteen years of age, she has already reached the late Tenth Direction Heaven stage!”
Hearing this, even Ling Xiao was somewhat shocked.
He himself had reached the Half-Step Cave Heaven Realm at seventeen, which was already astonishingly fast.
He had not expected Fengming Lian’s aptitude to be no less than his own.
She truly was a genius.
What a pity that she was to marry a worthless man.
“As for Ji Mingxing, the sole disciple of the Great Sun Realm Lord. At just seventeen, he has reached the peak of the Tenth Direction Heaven stage! The foremost genius of the Tianlong Continent, he surpasses even the Ling Xiao of the past!
At a young age, he caught the eye of the Great Sun Realm Lord and received meticulous training.
This youth is the beloved son of the former Holy Dynasty’s Holy Emperor, yet in his childhood he was ambushed and nearly killed by villains. Fortunately, a righteous person saved him.
As the saying goes, one who survives great calamity is bound to enjoy great fortune thereafter.
Now Ji Mingxing has returned. He personally settled his old grudge, crippling the false Holy Son Ji Mingkong!”
