The next day, at the imperial palace of Tiandu, in the royal flower garden.
Today the place was bustling, nobles and dignitaries from all over Da Xia, adorned in vermilion and purple robes, came and went without end.
The music of strings, wind instruments, and zither played rhythmically, flowing like a tranquil stream from the mountains, exceedingly pleasant to the ear.
At the same time, gorgeously dressed palace maids walked about, and numerous singers performed on stage, showcasing their exquisite dance skills.
Here lay one jade-stone long table after another, loaded with various rare and excellent delicacies, with many of Da Xia’s influential figures gathered, all discussing joyously.
In the front, King Huai was present, and so was the new Emperor Ji Yuan, though the latter had a rather poor complexion.
Because, although this palace banquet was held in his name, nearly everyone’s attention was directed towards King Huai, overlooking him, the emperor of Da Xia.
Closest to King Huai and the new Emperor Ji Yuan were the ministers of the six departments and some other high-ranking officials of the current dynasty, as well as various nobles with tremendous influence.
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Beyond them were over a dozen young warriors who seemed out of place with everyone else present, but every Da Xia dignitary who looked their way had eyes filled with intense curiosity.
These individuals had an extraordinary air about them, with appearances that were far from ordinary, and each one had formidable cultivation levels, the weakest among them having reached the Great Perfection of the innate realm.
They ignored everyone from Da Xia, only willing to speak with King Huai outside their circle, not even acknowledging Emperor Ji Yuan of Da Xia.
"I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation. Should you need anything in the Nine Provinces, just let me know at any time," said King Huai, raising his golden jade cup toward the group of distinguished young warriors with a warm smile.
"No problem," replied the group of young warriors with a faint smile, raising their cups and downing the contents in one gulp.
"This ordinary drink really has no taste," they commented.
"Did you think this was the Upper Realm? It’s but a barren land beyond civilization. What more could you want?" one remarked.
"Hahahaha, you’re right," a few laughed shamelessly, disregarding the darkening expressions of the new Emperor Ji Yuan and his ministers.
Indeed, these young men all hailed from the Upper Realm and would not have appeared here had King Huai not invited them, agreeing to cooperate with them to achieve their objectives in the Nine Provinces. Even if Da Xia was the orthodox force in the Nine Provinces, they would not have come without that.
In their eyes, the entire Nine Provinces was a barbaric land, a place they, from the Upper Realm, disdained.
After all, being capable of crossing realms to reach the Nine Provinces, each of these individuals had a considerable background, and even in the Upper Realm, they were disciples of a great sect.
They felt that simply attending this banquet was giving enough face.
Upon seeing this, King Huai did not show any anger, a smile still on his face. However, in the depths of his pupils, there was complete calmness, even a hint of indifference.
"Marquis Wu’an has arrived!" At this moment, a eunuch announced Gu Chen’s name; hearing of Gu Chen’s arrival, Emperor Ji Yuan, seated on the throne, immediately brightened.
Among the group of warriors from the Upper Realm, upon hearing the name "Gu Chen," two young men’s expressions changed instantly.
These two were none other than Cang Qing and Wu Ming from the Upper Realm’s Vault of Sky Sword Sect, who had encountered Gu Chen in Youzhou previously.
Soon, the figure of Gu Chen appeared. He had now achieved divinity in martial arts, his fame spreading across the world, and had become one of the only two peak grandmasters in Da Xia’s divine realm. Even Da Xia’s nobles and grandees, as well as those in vermilion and purple, could not ignore him.
The moment he appeared, all eyes turned towards him, and Gu Chen instantly became the center of attention at the gathering.
Those from the Upper Realm also looked on with keen interest.
Today, Gu Chen was still clad in his dark mystical robe. He was tall and straight, with a heroic spirit. His thick black hair hung down to his waist, and his whole being shimmered with an indescribable luster, as if enveloped in a halo of light, giving him an extraordinary demeanor.
"Eh?" Among the group from the Upper Realm, a few with sharp senses noticed something special about Gu Chen, their eyes lighting up.
They recognized the extraordinariness of Gu Chen, and at the same time, they vaguely perceived an unusual aura about him, too detached from the world, somewhat similar to their own.
One should realize that the Nine Provinces was a dilapidated realm, so these Upper Realm denizens often sensed a "twilight qi" from the native beings of the Nine Provinces, but Gu Chen seemed different.
What these individuals did not know was that Gu Chen’s uniqueness came from his Heavenly Seed, which contained complete cosmic rules. It had merged with him, and thus, Gu Chen also possessed a trace of this aura, unlike others born in the Nine Provinces.
Upon seeing Gu Chen appear, Cang Qing and Wu Ming’s expressions immediately darkened, teeth grinding audibly.
The Light Escaping Talisman was incredibly rare; even they had only brought one each for their descent to the lower realm. They hadn’t expected them to be wasted on Gu Chen; how could that not breed resentment in Cang Qing and Wu Ming?
"What’s the matter, you two have a feud with him?" At that moment, sitting beside Cang Qing and Wu Ming was a young man dressed in a robe embroidered with red clouds, smiling at the two.
His name was Bi Xin, a disciple of Red Cloud Sect from the Upper Realm, a force just as powerful as the Vault of Sky Sword Sect.
Importantly, Bi Xin’s strength was even greater than Cang Qing and Wu Ming, having reached the divine realm.
"That’s none of your business!" Cang Qing and Wu Ming replied coldly, not wanting Bi Xin to see them as a laughingstock.
Upon hearing the words, Bi Xin merely smiled faintly, without saying much more. In his eyes, though, was a thick scorn when he looked at Gu Chen, and he showed some disdain towards Cang Qing and Wu Ming as well.
To have suffered a loss at the hands of such a local was tolerable enough for Bi Xin; he refrained from directly ridiculing the pair, which was considerate.
"Come, Marquis of Wuan," beckoned Ji Yuan with a smile, "come here to Us."
Gu Chen advanced, ignoring the group of gazes fixed on him and, with a calm demeanor, arrived beside Ji Yuan.
Once there, he naturally saw Cang Qing and Wu Ming looking at him with livid expressions, as well as the other young warriors from the upper realm.
Of around the same age as him, their realms were also broadly comparable. It seemed the environmental conditions in the upper realm were indeed extraordinary, Gu Chen silently nodded to himself.
"So you’re the renowned top martial prodigy of the Nine States that’s been causing such a stir?" asked one of the upper realm geniuses at that moment, scrutinizing Gu Chen with a measure of curiosity as he looked him up and down.
Clearly, he had heard the recent widespread rumors about Gu Chen.
"The top martial prodigy of the Nine States," Gu Chen replied to the claim with a slight shake of his head, "I dare not assume such a title."
The other visitors from the upper realm, hearing this title connected to Gu Chen, were obviously intrigued and somewhat surprised.
"The top martial prodigy of the Nine States, it seems this Gu Chen has a decent martial talent?"
"What does it matter if it’s decent? In the end, he’s just a native sprung from this barbaric land. How profound can his understanding of martial arts be?"
"Hmm, I haven’t been in the Nine States long, but I’ve heard of him," another remarked. "They say he’s only twenty-three and has already condensed spiritual thought, indeed a bit extraordinary."
Bi Xin, who was with Cang Qing and Wu Ming from the Red Cloud Sect, heard the surrounding discussions and chuckled, "It seems you two have suffered quite a loss at his hands."
"Shut up!"
"If not for the decrepit essence of this land, he would never be our match. Killing him would be as easy as flipping a hand!"
Cang Qing and Wu Ming, feeling aggrieved, countered. They didn’t consider themselves inferior to Gu Chen but blamed the deficiencies of the Nine States’ lands, which prevented them from fully unleashing the power of their talismans.
With the disciples of the Da Sect’s reliance on talismans accounting for eighty percent of their strength, the incomplete laws of the Nine States and the insufficient Heavenly Earth Essence Qi put them at a significant disadvantage.
This was precisely why the Da Sect had only sent Cang Qing and Wu Ming at this time.
Of course, they were just the first to arrive, with others set to follow.
Bi Xin just smiled faintly, offering no comment. In his view, sects like the Da Sect that relied on external forces were not truly respectable. As expected, once in the Nine States, their true colors were revealed.
At that moment, a young man from the upper realm’s eyes lit up, suddenly remarking, "I remember now. I’ve heard that this Gu Chen killed the emissaries from Vault of the Sky Sword Sect, as well as those from Mount Tianzhu and Burning Heaven Valley in the Nine States, acting extremely arrogantly. No, it can even be said he’s recklessly audacious."
In the Nine States, all six sacred lands originated from these six forces in the upper realm. Even there, institutions like Vault of the Sky Sword Sect and Mount Tianzhu ranked as top forces, surpassing the Da Sect and the Red Cloud Sect by quite a margin, enjoying fame across the world with few rivals to match.
Thus, hearing about Gu Chen’s brazenness, someone immediately expressed schadenfreude, "Those three forces are very protective of their own. If their geniuses descend upon the Nine States, Gu Chen will probably be doomed."
Hearing this, those from the upper realm all nodded in agreement, gazing at Gu Chen with amused eyes, sizing him up.
Their words were unreserved and straightforward. When Ji Yuan and others learned that more people from the upper realm would be arriving, their expressions immediately changed.
The intentions of these foreign guests were unclear, and with King Huai coordinating with them, the more who came, the less stable the situation. It was uncertain what kind of storms they would stir up in the Nine States.
For Da Xia, this was unquestionably bad news, causing Emperor Ji Yuan’s brows to furrow deeply.
Moreover, hearing their words about Gu Chen being in danger only added to Ji Yuan’s worries.
Cang Qing and Wu Ming, reveling in the prospect of Vault of the Sky Sword Sect, Mount Tianzhu, and Burning Heaven Valley’s descendants arriving in the Nine States, scoffed coldly at Gu Chen, "Your death is not far off!"
Clearly, the two did not fear Gu Chen. Their inherent sense of superiority hadn’t changed, and they didn’t believe Gu Chen would dare act in front of everyone, especially since they were King Huai’s guests that day.
However, unfortunately for them, they had misjudged Gu Chen’s character.
"Two defeated underlings," Gu Chen retorted dismissively, "seeing me should have you fleeing in terror, yet you dare bark here?"
"What?"
"What do you mean?"
"What’s going on, you two have suffered at his hands before?"
Hearing this, the group of upper realm geniuses turned their gazes toward Cang Qing and Wu Ming.
As for the officials of Da Xia, once they realized the identity of Cang Qing and Wu Ming, they too tensed up upon hearing Gu Chen’s words, sweating for him.
After all, these were people from the upper realm, each with a boundless background. Marquis of Wuan daring to tackle even them meant his courage was truly immense.
Crack!
Elsewhere, upon hearing Gu Chen’s words, the faces of Cang Qing and Wu Ming darkened to the extreme, fists clenched so tightly their teeth nearly shattered.
"Mind your status; you don’t have the right to speak to us like this!" Cang Qing and Wu Ming shouted angrily, turning their eyes toward King Huai.
"Status? You two rotten fish and shrimp also deserve to have a status?"
Gu Chen remained indifferent, simply standing there and with a mere sweep of his sleeve, a surge of force shot forth. Before Cang Qing and Wu Ming could even react, amid the scrutinizing eyes of all, the sound of a slap rang out, and the two were sent flying through the air by Gu Chen’s distant strike!