The Divine City at night was not quiet. There were people in every street and ancient alley, and melodious music flowed from the halls and palaces. Along the grand avenue, the endless palaces gleamed with gold and jade, lights bright everywhere, brilliance flashing in all directions. The songs were ethereal, drifting and enchanting, stirring the heart and making people lose themselves in it. The Celestial City was a city that never slept, filled with divine radiance, auspicious glow bursting everywhere, like a dreamlike realm.
Ye Fan said, “In this Celestial City, half the people here are cultivators. Why is it so extravagant? It doesn’t look like sacred land, it looks like a city of indulgence.”
Blackwater smiled and said, “Cultivators are still human, not emotionless immortals. They have the seven emotions and six desires. This is a city of cultivators.”
Starlight fell, and the moonlight was like water. The entire Celestial City was shrouded in a sacred veil, beautiful beyond words, the sound of songs and zithers softly resonating through the night.
Fragrance of fine wine drifted from the sky. A magnificent palace in the heavens shone brilliantly, lights dazzling as it floated above the avenue.
“What fine wine! That must be millennia-old spirit liquor, a peerless brew!” Blackwater gazed upward with intoxicated expression. “There must be Supreme Giants feasting there.”
“Even Supreme Giants are this flamboyant?” Ye Fan was surprised.
Blackwater shook his head. “It’s not showing off. At high altitudes, the cold is unbearable. The Immortal Dao is endless, why must one cultivate through bitter seclusion? There are many paths. Some seek enlightenment within the red dust of the mortal world. When cultivators reach a certain realm, they may descend again into worldly life to find new insight.”
Ye Fan looked intrigued. “You know quite a lot.”
“That’s not from me. It’s what the old bandit, my grandfather, told me. What we see as the mortal world, they might already see as the realm of immortals. Different people, different paths, different visions.”
Ye Fan nodded. “Indeed, it’s about perspective. What I see as decadence, others might see as divine purity or a living paradise.”
Blackwater said, “Even among the younger generation, some have reached that spiritual realm, enlightening themselves amidst the mortal world.”
“Who?” Ye Fan asked in surprise.
“No one knows. The old men didn’t say. But I think it’s just a mental realm, not true power. Otherwise, it would be terrifying, almost impossible.” Blackwater shook his head.
High above, palaces floated in the sky, lights dazzling, wine fragrance drifting through the air, music echoing, “Most likely a great elder from a sacred land is entertaining a powerful cultivator,” Blackwater guessed. “Tonight we’ll go to Exquisite Desire Temple. Next time, I’ll take you to this Drunken Immortal Palace and we’ll indulge ourselves.”
“How much source stone does it cost to dine there?” Ye Fan asked.
“The price depends. The cheapest banquet costs ten kilos of source. The most extravagant ‘immortal feasts’ cost tens of thousands of kilos, even more, immeasurable.”
Ye Fan gasped. “That’s outrageous! What could possibly be worth that much?”
“Not an exaggeration. Dragon ginseng, divine phoenix wings... just their names tell you how rare they are. Some even serve enlightenment tea that can grant insight even to a Supreme Giant.”
Ye Fan was speechless for a long time. “Who runs this Drunken Immortal Palace?”
“The Northern Reaches’ Imperial Gold Bloodline, an unimaginably powerful lineage. Among the eight great taverns and immortal halls of the city, it ranks in the top three.”
“When I sweep all the sacred lands clean of their source stones, I’ll take you there for an immortal feast,” Ye Fan joked.
“Immortal feasts are only held when a Sacred Lord entertains a Supreme Giant,” Blackwater laughed. “Let’s not dream too big.”
The Divine City’s night was extraordinary. Along the ancient avenue, palaces stretched endlessly, like stepping into the realm of the immortals, dreamlike, unreal.
Ahead, brilliant light gleamed. The Exquisite Desire Lake was luminous under the night, glowing blue like a giant gem.
The lakeshore was already crowded, mostly with young people, all eagerly waiting.
“The night view here is beautiful.”
Flowers and grasses along the shore glowed softly, shining with colorful light that reflected on the blue lake, creating a scene like a celestial garden.
Under silver moonlight, a dozen jade boats floated lightly, each carrying a beautiful woman in flowing robes, playing flutes, their music drifting like sound from another world, cleansing the soul.
Farther away, dragon barges and phoenix pavilions glimmered in five-colored light, veiled by mist and moonlight.
Deep within the lake’s misty skies, floating palaces shimmered, half-hidden by fog, crystal bright and mysterious.
“It really feels like a fairyland. Exquisite Desire Temple certainly knows how to create an image of holiness,” Ye Fan said.
“Of course,” Blackwater replied. “Few establishments in the Celestial City can compare, only Water Moon Pavilion and Cold Radiance Hall are on the same level.”
“Everyone probably knows what’s really going on, yet they still flock here, even the heirs of the sacred lands can’t resist.”
Blackwater smiled. “Those heirs, steadfast as they are, may not come for desire, perhaps just curiosity.”
Ye Fan nodded. “True. Exquisite Desire Temple wants support from future holy masters, and those heirs want to see the most beautiful woman in the East.”
“Still, it’s dangerous. An Miaoyi is unlike any previous temple master, peerless beauty. A woman so flawless could make even the strongest hearts fall.”
Ye Fan smirked. “And you?”
“If I could win such a beauty, that’d be wonderful,” Blackwater laughed.
“Careful not to fall too deep.”
“I should warn you instead,” Blackwater said seriously. “You’re young and untested, don’t underestimate the charm here.”
Ye Fan was speechless.
“I’m serious,” Blackwater continued. “In the past, even saints and heirs of ancient families fell for the temple masters. And this An Miaoyi, she’s one of the most beautiful women in the East. ‘One of’ is just modesty, she’s likely the number one.”
Ye Fan sneered. “At most, it’s just the human heart. If she offers her beauty, I’ll accept it, what more could it mean?”
“Don’t underestimate her,” Blackwater said solemnly. “Their sect’s techniques are strange, defense beyond comprehension.”
“What kind of techniques? Could they compare to ancient scriptures?”
“In the past, they cultivated dual-cultivation arts blending Daoist methods. A thousand years ago, they gained a Buddhist scripture from the Western Desert. Now they practice the path of both Dao and Buddha, refined to an incredible level.”
“Dual cultivation… seriously?” Ye Fan frowned.
“You’ll see soon,” Blackwater grinned.
“Buddhism…” Ye Fan touched his chin and said no more.
Suddenly, flutes and zithers rang in unison, heavenly music swirling through the night.
“An Miaoyi…”
Her voice, pure and melodious, filled the air. She appeared like a moon fairy, white robes fluttering as she glided toward a flower-decked boat glowing with five-colored light, vanishing into the mist.
“What’s happening?” someone asked.
“The main event. To see her up close, you need to pay in source stones.”
The lakeshore erupted. People surged forward, scrambling to buy jade boats and sail into the lake.
“Isn’t this ridiculous? All for one woman?” Blackwater sighed. The boats were outrageously expensive, yet many didn’t care, just for a glimpse of An Miaoyi.
“Can’t we just fly over?” Ye Fan asked.
“That’d be disgraceful, and dangerous,” Blackwater said, then suddenly brightened. “Got it.”
He spotted a disciple from the Five Elements Mountain and chuckled. “That guy’s the Seventh Disciple of their Sectlord.”
The disciple had spent a fortune to board a grand dragon ship, taller than all the rest. Ye Fan thought Blackwater would hitch a ride, but instead, he called one of the disciple’s attendants aside and whispered something. Moments later, the attendant rushed to report, and the Seventh Disciple’s face changed. He quickly left the ship and hurried off.
Blackwater swaggered aboard, waving for Ye Fan to join him. People nearby were baffled, the dragon ship had changed owners without a word, but no one dared interfere.
“What did you tell him?” Ye Fan asked.
“Just that his fiancée, that tigress of a woman, had arrived,” he said casually.
“You’re awful,” Ye Fan sighed, realizing how cunning Blackwater truly was.
Blackwater chuckled. “His fiancée is the sect leader’s daughter. Even if he doubts it, he wouldn’t dare risk it, his whole future’s at stake.”
In the misty lake, there were many jade boats, but only a few dragon ships, reserved for elite disciples. They stood at the bows, guiding the ships with divine power, sailing deep into the lake.
Suddenly, killing intent filled the air, not directed at them, but close enough to feel.
Not far away, a vast divine ship loomed, more massive than their dragon vessel. A man in purple robes stood on deck, black hair flying, eyes deep and sharp.
“The Young Lord of the Godfiend Palace,” Blackwater said in surprise.
Opposite him was another grand ship, golden and resplendent, like a floating fortress. On its deck stood a man in golden battle armor, tall and imposing, with chiseled features and bronze skin, majestic and powerful.
“The Crown Prince of the Imperial Gold Bloodline,” Blackwater laughed. “Those two fought fiercely not long ago. Looks like we’re in for a good show.”