BAAF Chapter 121

Only after the two had taken their seats in the pavilion did the crowd below begin to make sounds again, speculating whether Xu Ziling’s union ceremony would still proceed after Xu Ziyue’s death.

 

Amidst the discussions, the Xu family announced that everything would continue as planned.

 

They had prepared such a grand feast and were in a difficult position. They couldn’t possibly send all the guests away, as that would be an enormous joke. Now they had to continue, even if reluctantly.

 

Immediately, the entire scene returned to normal, as if the previous incident had never happened.

 

Although Su Baiche couldn’t sit in an aerial pavilion, his position was relatively close to the front, in a separate small pavilion. He sat cross-legged in a chair, one hand supporting his head.

 

A maidservant beside him was peeling purple grapes, about to feed them to him, when Su Baiche frowned, raised his hand, and knocked the grapes away.

 

The maidservant hurriedly knelt down, saying helplessly: “Chamber Master, this servant…”

 

“Get up, it’s not your fault,” Su Baiche rubbed his brow. “All of you, withdraw.”

 

After the maidservants left the pavilion, Su Baiche cursed softly: “What are you going crazy about now?”

 

Seeing Xu Xingchen take Shen Liuxiang up to the pavilion, Tong Xi seemed to have been stimulated somehow, shouting in his mind.

 

“This honor should have been yours!” Tong Xi was furious. “If you had done as I said, the person being led by Emperor Xingchen would be you!!”

 

Su Baiche felt he was increasingly problematic and sneered: “Honor? If it were someone else, that would be fine, but Shen Liuxiang is his elder brother. Can’t you praise their brotherly affection instead of using such terms? Besides, they protect each other because of their blood connection. Is it the same between me and Xu Xingchen?”

 

Su Baiche picked a grape, pointing at the pavilion: “Say yes, and I’ll immediately rush up to claim kinship, even claiming two relationships, as you wish.”

 

Tong Xi was extremely angry: “Who wants you to claim kinship? He should like you the most! Mission one is gone! Gone!!”

 

“That’s truly sad news,” Su Baiche smiled coldly, throwing the grape into his mouth.

 

The Xu family members dared not neglect them anymore, bringing the best tea and wine, rare snacks, all to the rightmost pavilion, filling an entire table.

 

Shen Liuxiang took an orange, felt a coolness on his left wrist, and looking down, saw the small black dragon’s head resting on the back of his hand, seemingly somewhat tired, and also a bit cold.

 

Seeing this, Shen Liuxiang placed his left hand under the edge of the table, pulling his sleeve over the back of his hand, covering Zhou Xuanlan like a blanket.

 

Xu Xingchen took in all his movements, silently snorting, just as he was turning his head to the other side, he heard Shen Liuxiang say: “Pour me a cup of tea.”

 

All the attendants had been sent away, and with one hand inconvenienced, Shen Liuxiang had to ask Xu Xingchen.

 

Xu Xingchen picked up the teapot, poured the tea, and handed it to Shen Liuxiang. Just as he was about to say that this tea was good and worth savoring, he saw Shen Liuxiang place the teacup under the table, explaining: “It’s a bit hot, let it cool down by swirling it for a while.”

 

Xu Xingchen put down the teapot with a “clang.”

 

Zhou Xuanlan poked his head out to drink some water, then lay back on Shen Liuxiang’s hand, closing his eyes, spiritual energy circling around the dragon’s body.

 

Shen Liuxiang put down the teacup, took an orange, and tossed it in his hand. Just as he was wondering why the ceremony hadn’t started, the master of ceremonies walked onto the high platform, and the union ceremony began.

 

However, it hadn’t proceeded for long-Xu Ziling and her Dao companion had just received magical treasures gifted by her father-when dark clouds rolled in from the distance, covering the sky. As they approached, the crowd was greatly alarmed.

 

The Devil Lord Nan Yuequan, and a group of devil generals.

 

“Such a grand display, could it be that the devil realm is going to war with the cultivation world?!”

 

“No, the Devil Lord always travels like this. Look at the brocade boxes his subordinates are carrying. Doesn’t it look like they’re bringing congratulatory gifts?”

 

“The Xu family actually has dealings with Nan Yuequan? I’ve never heard of this before. They truly keep things hidden!”

 

After his initial surprise, the head of the Xu family saw there was no hostility. He personally escorted the couple to greet the Devil Lord, received the gift box, and had someone arrange for him to be seated on a pavilion.

 

Nan Yuequan scanned around, his gaze falling on the simple pavilion. He frowned, then looked at the red-clothed youth waving at him, and lightly snorted.

 

Heartless fellow, running away without coming back to visit him.

 

Time to settle accounts.

 

Nan Yuequan flicked his sleeve, and his figure appeared on the rightmost pavilion, his target very clear.

 

The crowd below was dumbfounded.

 

When had the Devil Lord ever had any interaction with Shen Liuxiang? Could the rumors be true-that after Shen Liuxiang’s death, the Devil Lord was so heartbroken that he didn’t step out of the Devil Palace for sixteen years!

 

The clamor immediately rose several notches.

 

In the pavilion, Su Baiche held his forehead with one hand and smashed a crystal cup on the ground with the other, his mind in chaos due to Tong Xi’s disturbance: “What’s wrong with you now? Can you shut up!”

 

Tong Xi’s tone carried a sob, as if he had been cried to tears: “This mission target is also gone.”

 

Su Baiche couldn’t bear it anymore: “It’s been gone for a long time! If I hadn’t escaped quickly back then, I would have been drawn and quartered by Nan Yuequan… no, he wanted this body, so my soul would have been dismembered. Can you wake up from your daydream!”

 

Tong Xi ignored him, completely immersed in his own world, grief-stricken.

 

Looking back at the high platform, the ceremony that had been interrupted continued, but in the audience area, a commotion suddenly arose.

 

The newcomer wore a long white robe, with an upright posture, a cold and handsome face, and the sword in his hand emitted an icy aura.

 

Zhao Lin was the first to react, standing up and saying: “Senior Brother,”

 

The Sword Sect disciples behind him came to their senses and hurriedly bowed in unison: “Greetings to the Sword Venerable!”

 

Ye Bingran nodded slightly, then glanced at the simple pavilion, just as the red-clothed youth turned his head, their gazes meeting. The phoenix eyes blinked, eyebrows slightly raised, revealing a smile with an indiscernible meaning.

 

Shen Liuxiang, hearing the words “Sword Venerable,” perhaps because he looked over too quickly, irritated the evil dragon wrapped around his wrist, which lightly bit his wrist bone.

 

It didn’t hurt, but rather tickled a bit.

 

Shen Liuxiang couldn’t help but smile.

 

With the Sword Venerable’s arrival, Xu Guanhai naturally had to personally welcome him. He immediately had the master of ceremonies stop, and brought his daughter and son-in-law over to exchange a few words.

 

Ye Bingran was a cold person. After delivering his congratulatory gift, with simple “mm” and “yes” responses, he nodded and left. Xu Guanhai hurriedly had someone lead Ye Bingran to the aerial pavilion prepared for the Sword Sect.

 

Ye Bingran declined: “No need, I’ll go to the right pavilion.”

 

Xu Guanhai: “…”

 

He took a deep breath, his heart muttering, he had miscalculated, underestimated Shen Liuxiang. Now both the Devil Lord and the Sword Venerable had gone to his pavilion. Surely there wouldn’t be more…

 

As the thought arose, Xu Guanhai’s heart skipped a beat. He pondered about one person, and looking up, saw Ling Mushan rising from the pavilion arranged for the Qinglin Sect Leader, bowing toward the air: “Disciple pays respects to Master.”

 

Seeing this, the Qinglin disciples below, though not seeing the Immortal Lord’s figure, also bowed toward the air in unison: “Greetings to the Immortal Lord!”

 

The unified voices echoed throughout this space.

 

Ling Ye stood in the air, wearing a blue robe, his jade-like face slightly turned, catching sight of the red-clothed figure on the pavilion. The corner of his lips curved into a gentle smile, and in an instant, he appeared before him.

 

The entire venue finally fell into dead silence, all gazes uniformly falling on the rightmost aerial pavilion. The pavilion that entered their eyes no longer seemed simple, but rather shone like it was inlaid with spirit stones.

 

“Someone wake me up! Seeing so many great figures at once, I actually feel like I could die without regrets!”

 

“Are they all here for Immortal Lord Shen? I want to switch places with the Immortal Lord!”

 

“The rumors are indeed all true, it’s too much… If you have the ability, leave Immortal Lord Shen alone and come for me!”

 

For a time, people couldn’t hide their excitement, discussions rising and falling, quite lively.

 

In the pavilion, everything on the table had been swept to the ground, creating a mess below.

 

Su Baiche’s head was splitting with pain, and he rolled on the ground in agony. Tong Xi seemed to have been driven mad, screaming shrilly in his mind, as if the system had malfunctioned and collapsed, saying this mission was gone, that mission was gone.

 

Previously, it was Su Baiche who was unwilling to cooperate, making the missions impossible to proceed. But for the first time, Tong Xi so clearly felt that the missions were facing a complete collapse, and as punishment, he would be trapped in this continent forever!

 

Su Baiche, covering his forehead, tried to save himself: “Calm down! Isn’t there still Zhou Xuanlan? He hasn’t come! Your most important mission can still be saved!”

 

Tong Xi paused, as if grabbing a lifeline, and stopped.

 

Su Baiche caught his breath, sat up, clenched his fist, increasingly determined in his heart to eliminate Tong Xi. He looked at the pavilion with fierce eyes, but his words were soothing: “Look, in the pavilion there are only six… six?!”

 

Cultivators sitting in the vast venue were discussing heatedly when someone suddenly mentioned: “If that one from the demon realm also came…”

 

The people around changed their expressions, all waving their hands: “The Demon Emperor? Don’t scare people! Don’t scare people!”

 

Zhou Xuanlan had once eliminated strange beasts in the cultivation world. Most of those present were from the cultivation world, so they weren’t afraid of him. They just thought that with the current chaotic scene, if another such figure came, something big might really happen.

 

“Haha, just saying, I just feel that if the Demon Emperor came, based on the rumors with Immortal Lord Shen, today would be… too exciting!”

 

“That would be too exciting! Look, how harmonious the pavilion is now, but if the Demon Emperor came… wait, why is there another figure beside Immortal Lord Shen?!”

 

Hearing this, everyone’s gazes uniformly turned toward the black-robed figure. After a long while, seemingly sensing the almost frozen atmosphere in the pavilion, they all swallowed and tremblingly withdrew their gazes.

 

“I suddenly… don’t want to switch places with Immortal Lord Shen anymore.”

 

“Not good, my heart can’t handle such a scene. Where’s the life-saving pill? Quick, give me one! But even if I die, I must persist until the people in the pavilion disperse!”

 

“It seems that next year today will be the death anniversary of this pavilion!”

 

“Ah, life has finally laid its hands on the small pavilion.”

 

“The pavilion is bearing a weight that its material shouldn’t have to endure.”

 

“Small pavilion, big pressure.”

 

…

 

The crowd sighed and lamented, all believing that the pavilion wouldn’t last much longer before turning to ashes, and they began collectively mourning it.

 

Until a childish voice rang out: “In the future, I also want to be like Immortal Lord Shen, who, with just Nascent Soul realm cultivation, can remain composed and calm in front of Emperors, Sect Leaders, and Venerables. How truly impressive!”

 

Hearing this, all the cultivators drew in a cold breath and looked toward the red-clothed figure on the right pavilion: “Immortal Lord Shen is indeed-a model for us all!”

 

At this moment, the ‘model for us all,’ under the gaze of several pairs of eyes, slightly lowered his head, blinked with difficulty, his lips tightly pressed together.

 

Shen Liuxiang was somewhat confused, not knowing how things had suddenly become like this.

 

His slender, fair fingers held an orange.

 

Where his gaze fell, the orange seemed to be… trembling?!

 

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 (advanced chapters available on kofi)