After leaving the imperial palace, Xiang Shaoyun returned to the Great Han Dynasty's place. A number of people were there waiting for him. Yu Caidie, Devil Concubine, Lu Xiaoqing, Liu Qingchen, and the Overlord Legion members were all there. They all stepped forth to meet him when he returned. Evidently, they were worried that something would happen to him during his visit to the imperial palace.
"Go back and rest, everyone. The Heaven Battling Ranking Competition is starting soon. Get into your optimal condition for the incoming competition. I don't expect everyone to get onto the ranking, but you should at least be strong enough to protect yourself on the battlefield," said Xiang Shaoyun.
He then called Lu Xiaoqing over and handed her the clump of God Realm energy he had gotten from the Immortal Arena. He said, "Xiaoqing, your advancement has been fast but not fast enough. You can directly absorb this clump of energy, but remember to refine it several times so that it won't affect your future cultivation."
After several years, Lu Xiaoqing had advanced by another stage, becoming a fourth-stage Heaven Battling Realm cultivator. Her advancement was fast, but she still wasn't strong enough to survive on the ancient battlefield.
She did not hesitate and nodded as she said, "I know what to do." She looked away in a certain direction and asked, "The two sisters won't mind this, right?"
"Don't worry. They're not that petty," said Xiang Shaoyun with a smile.
Both Yu Caidie and Devil Concubine were already strong enough to face Great Saints. With their numerous trump cards, they were much stronger than Lu Xiaoqing. The clump of Saint Realm energy wasn't too useful for them.
After absorbing the clump of energy, Lu Xiaoqing entered a short cultivation session. As for Xiang Shaoyun, he also entered a cultivation session after spending a day with the Overlord Legion members, waiting for the Heaven Battling Ranking Competition to start.
As the date of the Heaven Battling Ranking Competition became nearer and nearer, more Heaven Battling Realm cultivators arrived at the Immortal Capital. Even some old freaks who had been in seclusion for a long time had appeared. The entire Immortal Capital was bustling with noise and excitement.
Xiang Shaoyun paid no heed to it all. He was focused on absorbing the clump of God Realm energy he had obtained, bringing him to late-stage Great Saint Realm. Additionally, he continued cultivating his devil core, pushing his devil cultivation to second-stage Devil Pseudo-God Realm.
That was his final growth spurt before the competition. He might have a powerful soul clone, but anything might happen in the ancient battlefield. It would never be a bad idea to increase his strength. He aimed for nothing but first place in the Heaven Battling Ranking.
Before long, the Heaven Battling Ranking Competition was only three days away. Xiang Shaoyun and the others ended their cultivation sessions one after another. They would be ready for the competition after a short rest.
But right after Xiang Shaoyun ended his cultivation session, he received yet another invitation from the Immortal Dynasty. This time, the invitation came from the first prince, He Changrui. After a slight hesitation, he decided to accept the invitation.
He brought Yu Caidie, Devil Concubine, and Lu Xiaoqing with him to attend the invitation. As for Devouring Ghost, he naturally tagged along as Xiang Shaoyun's most faithful subordinate. Additionally, Liu Qingchen was also invited due to his identity as the Great Han Dynasty's most talented prince.
He Changrui's banquet was not held in the imperial palace. Rather, it was held in an imperial estate. He had booked the estate for the day and hosted a feast for the individuals he considered noteworthy.
That estate was not owned by the imperial clan alone. Rather, it was jointly owned by the imperial clan and the Immortal Road Chamber. The imperial clan was entitled to a portion of the income, while the Immortal Road Chamber was in charge of running the place. The estate was known as the Immortal Fairy Chamber.
The Immortal Fairy Chamber was almost as gorgeous as the imperial palace. Its main customer base was the influential individuals of society. Nobody without status would be able to step foot inside. One was practically guaranteed to spend a large amount of spirit crystals with every visit.
In the Immortal Fairy Chamber, one could drink, solicit the courtesans, gamble, place bets on fights, participate in auctions, and so on. It was said that all forms of entertainment could be found there, and no desires would be left unfulfilled.
Thanks to the Immortal Road Chamber's excellent management skills, the Immortal Road Chamber was the wealthiest among the three greatest organizations. The first prince had spent a large amount of saint crystals to book the entire place for his banquet.
When Xiang Shaoyun's group arrived, they saw a large number of Saints arriving in luxurious carriages. Some were also arriving on demonic beast mounts. All these people looked impressive and strong, carrying themselves with an air of arrogance.
"Looks like He Changrui is trying to make all these people work for him," said Liu Qingchen with a smile.
"Since we're here, let's take a look," said Xiang Shaoyun without commenting on the remark.
When the group arrived before the entrance, they attracted numerous gazes. All these people had a deep impression of Xiang Shaoyun, who had been hogging the limelight in the Immortal Arena recently.
The doorman hurriedly ran over and respectfully said, "Welcome, Young Master Xiang. Please come in. The first prince is already inside."
The others appeared unhappy when they saw how polite the doorman was. After all, none of them was an ordinary person, yet the doorman was far less deferential before them. When Xiang Shaoyun's group walked inside, they attracted many young gazes. The men were all attracted by Yu Caidie, Devil Concubine, and Lu Xiaoqing.
The three were incredibly beautiful, and no man could escape their charm. Xiang Shaoyun, as the man of all three beauties, became a target of envy for all the young men in the building.
As for the women, they all looked at Xiang Shaoyun tenderly and appeared hostile toward the three women. It was unknown if they were merely envious or if they were unhappy that the three had hogged Xiang Shaoyun for themselves.
He Changrui and He Caiyi personally came out to welcome Xiang Shaoyun, further shocking all the Saints present.
"Young Master Xiang, my apologies for the abrupt invitation!" said He Changrui politely.
Xiang Shaoyun cupped his hands in greeting and said, "You're too polite, first prince."
"Please take a seat. I have invited a lot of young Heaven Battling Realm experts together, hoping to reach an understanding to assist each other at the Heaven Battling Realm Competition in three days," said He Changrui with an inviting gesture.
Xiang Shaoyun nodded and walked inside the room. He did not spare He Caiyi even one glance. He Caiyi seemed unhappy, but her gaze quickly focused on Yu Caidie, Devil Concubine, and Lu Xiaoqing.
"Sisters, you're so beautiful. I envy the men who would be able to take the three of you as their wives," said He Caiyi with a slight trace of provocation in her voice.
"You jest, princess. We belong to the overlord," said Yu Caidie as she met He Caiyi's gaze.
Devil Concubine added, "Only the overlord is worthy of us."
Lu Xiaoqing said gently, "I only love the overlord."
...