As the Sea of the Moon, a place the Moon Clan called a forbidden land, absorbed a great amount of life essence, it seemed to come to life. It exhaled a breath of white vapor that lingered above it for a full half-minute before drifting away. Unfortunately, no one witnessed this scene.

If Xu Yanyang had left just ten minutes later, he would have completed the first task assigned to him by the Heavenly Dao: to investigate whether there were living beings in the Sea of the Moon.

After receiving an opportunity from Xu Lai, Xu Yanyang, who was about to undergo his tribulation, quickly met the little boy he hadn't seen in hundreds of years. The two talked for a long time and reached an agreement.

Xu Yanyang agreed to help the Heavenly Dao with three things, the first of which was to investigate Moon Lake. However, there was a condition. He had to undergo his tribulation on the shore of the Sea of the Moon and then meditate there for a month. If no living beings emerged from Moon Lake within that month, Xu Yanyang would be free to leave the Moon and roam the Immortal Domain as he pleased. If he found something, he was to inform his contact, after which he would also be free to leave.

At the time, the Heavenly Dao hadn't said who the contact was. Xu Yanyang had met him two days prior—a Sea Demon named Yu Ren. The two didn't talk much. Yu Ren delivered his message and then vanished without a trace.

Thus, Xu Yanyang, who desperately hoped to meet Xu Lai again, missed his chance.

***

Millions of celestial palaces dotted the sky, shrouded in mist and rosy clouds. Cranes, Divine Dragons, and Phoenixes soared past. The Heavenly Court, which governed the Immortal Domain, stood aloof above the Nine Heavens.

When Xu Lai returned to the Heavenly Court, he saw no one. He simply stood with his hands clasped behind his back, staring blankly at the distant, radiant river of stars.

Only Taotie knew The Supreme Emperor had returned. He stood silently behind him, not uttering a word.

"Taotie, what kind of wine is left in the Heavenly Court's treasure vault? The strongest, the best," Xu Lai asked softly.

"There's the 'Intoxication of Life and Dream of Death' brewed by the Ancient Demon Clan, a 130,000-year-old vintage. There's also the Monkey Wine from the Divine Monkey Clan, a 150,000-year-old vintage..."

Taotie listed over a hundred varieties, all supreme vintages over 100,000 years old. A single jar of any of them, if placed in the Immortal Domain, would make any wine aficionado drool. This included a tea wine steeped with precious leaves from the Hongmeng Tea Tree.

But Xu Lai kept shaking his head; none of them were what he was looking for.

"The Supreme Emperor, are you planning to pay respects to the old master?" Taotie asked tentatively.

It had to be said that the First Divine General could read him like a book, having vaguely guessed The Supreme Emperor's purpose.

"Mm," Xu Lai responded lightly.

Taotie said in a solemn voice, "The Supreme Emperor, you once said that a hundred thousand years ago, after you were accepted as a disciple, you personally picked plums from the back mountain and brewed five jars of Plum Wine."

Xu Lai had brewed a great deal of wine, mostly Plum Wine. The five jars he was most satisfied with were the ones he had brewed with his mentor's guidance right after joining the Sect during his Foundation Establishment Stage.

The old man had planted countless plum trees on the back mountain of the Heavenly Court for a simple reason: the fruit could be used to make wine. In those days, the Sect was so poor they didn't even have a few Spirit Stones, so they certainly couldn't afford good wine.

Xu Lai was an orphan. He had never met his parents, so his mentor was both a teacher and a father to him.

He vividly remembered that while they were brewing, his mentor had smiled and said they would make five jars: one to be opened when his daughter married, one for each of his three disciples when they wed, and the last one when he died of old age.

After a moment of silence, Xu Lai mimicked his mentor's calm demeanor and said with a faint smile, "Mm, it's been a hundred thousand years. They should be ready to drink by now."

Xu Lai was no longer plagued by indecision and regret. He had left back then with nothing but his integrity and a heart full of vengeance; now, he returned to his old home empty-handed. His mentor, his elder martial sister, and his martial brothers would surely not blame him.

Xu Lai brought Taotie home—back to the home that had appeared in his dreams countless times over the past one hundred thousand years.

***

「In the Eastern Immortal Domain.」

The Eastern Immortal Domain was divided into 999 domains. Each domain's territory was so vast that even a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage could not reach its frontier in a lifetime of flight. Most people lived and died without ever visiting another domain. Only through the use of Teleportation Arrays could one travel long distances between them.

The domains were ranked by strength. The former site of the Heavenly Court was located in the most remote of these, the Nine Hundred and Ninety-ninth Domain, also known as the Eastern Desolate Domain.

The sects and Sect Gates in the Eastern Desolate Domain were innumerable. There were large and small ones alike, and some vassal states were affiliated with the Sect Gates. Of course, there were also powerful dynasties that controlled entire domains, such as the Supreme Dynasty in the Third Domain, which had countless subordinate Sect Gates.

Given the cultivation realms of Xu Lai and Taotie, they naturally didn't need a Teleportation Array to travel. Even so, the journey from the Heavenly Court had taken them a full hour.

He hadn't visited in five years, but the Eastern Desolate Domain hadn't changed much.

「Qiuyue City.」

Though called a city, its area was larger than Hua Country's East Sea Province. Xu Lai and Taotie stopped to rest at a teahouse in the city. After leaving the city, the former site of the Heavenly Court was another three hundred li away.

The teahouse was filled with people from all walks of life, cultivators and ordinary people alike, chatting about various matters.

"Did you hear? The Domain Master of the Eastern Immortal Domain, Fairy Qing Yuan, is getting married!" a Foundation Establishment cultivator said, sipping his tea. He was already seventy, his hair peppered with gray, but his cloudy eyes held a glint of shrewdness.

As soon as he spoke, the entire teahouse erupted in shock. The 999 domains of the Eastern Immortal Domain obeyed the commands of only two people. One was the Lord of the Heavenly Court, Emperor Qingfeng, and the other was Fairy Qing Yuan.

"Nonsense! Fairy Qing Yuan is Emperor Qingfeng's beloved! Their love for each other is boundless. How could the Fairy possibly marry someone else!" an ordinary person retorted.

In this world, even mortals who couldn't practice cultivation were interested in the gossip surrounding powerful figures. As the Domain Master of the Eastern Immortal Domain, Fairy Qing Yuan was a household name.

Taotie clasped his hands together and said with a murderous air, "The Supreme Emperor, your servant is willing to remove any obstacles for you!"

"Drink your tea," Xu Lai said flatly. "We're leaving soon."

"But The Supreme Emperor..."

Taotie was growing anxious, but before he could finish, the old Foundation Establishment cultivator spoke again.

"Obviously! Don't I know that Fairy Qing Yuan is Emperor Qingfeng's partner? Looking across the entire Immortal Domain, who else is worthy of marrying the Fairy!?"

Everyone began to discuss animatedly.

Xu Lai's heart skipped a beat.

This is bad. Could it be...

"Could it be The Supreme Emperor?" a cultivator exclaimed.

"That's right." The old Foundation Establishment cultivator gave him an approving look, as if to a teachable child, then lowered his voice. "Legend has it that Emperor Qingfeng has already arrived in the Eastern Immortal Domain and is preparing to propose to Fairy Qing Yuan at her Green Sect."

Xu Lai looked impassively at Taotie.

Taotie's face turned green, and he hurriedly explained via Divine Sense, The Supreme Emperor, it wasn't me! Even if I were a thousand times bolder, I would never dare reveal Your whereabouts! Besides, it's only been half a day... How could the news have reached the Eastern Desolate Domain already?

Taotie scratched his head. The Immortal Domain was vast, and the Eastern Desolate Domain was especially remote. News from the rest of the domain was often delayed by three to five years.

As he was puzzling over it, a young man sneered, "Give me a break. The Supreme Emperor has been in seclusion at the Heavenly Court for the past five years, and now he's here to propose? Which storyteller's novel did you get that gossip from?"

"I think you're desperate for fame. Daring to use The Supreme Emperor's name like that... you must have a death wish."

This man had a bamboo fan on his table and wore a shimmering green robe, carrying the proud air of a disciple from a major sect.

"Nonsense!" the old Foundation Establishment cultivator, his face flushed with anger, said urgently. "I happened upon an omen! It said that The Supreme Emperor would come to the Eastern Immortal Domain this year. If not to marry Fairy Qing Yuan, then for what other reason?"

Taotie let out a sigh of relief.

So it's all just wild speculation based on some omen... Wait...?!

Taotie's pupils shrank. Whose omen could possibly predict the movements of an Emperor Realm expert, and with such accuracy down to the very year?

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