After the dance, Ye Qingyi couldn't help but ask, "Master, how do you think I danced? Was it beautiful?"
...
"It was beautiful, but what exactly do you mean?"
Wu Tao nodded upon hearing this and then spoke.
"I really have many things to attend to, no time to play with you."
...
"This, Master, you..."
Upon hearing Wu Tao's words, Ye Qingyi, who had made up her mind, seemed somewhat awkward at this moment.
"Master, don't you have anything to say?"
...
"No."
Facing Ye Qingyi's inquiry, Wu Tao stated with unwavering firmness.
As soon as Ye Qingyi heard Wu Tao say this, the smile completely vanished from her face, and she slumped like a deflated eggplant.
Then, she left without looking back.
...
Wu Tao watched Ye Qingyi's retreating back and murmured to himself, "My foolish disciple, liking someone is not that easy."
In one's life, it's best to find someone you like who also likes you back.
If you can't find such a person, it's better to find someone who likes you, rather than you liking them.
This is his own hard-earned experience.
And this kind of experience won't actually harm anyone, it's just that no one is willing to listen to the advice of their elders.
...
At the Emperor's Peak, where the Liu imperial clan and the four great families convened.
The melodious and soaring sound of bells and tripods resounded throughout the heavens and earth.
Many cultivators, upon hearing this sound, set aside their dignity and prostrated themselves in reverence, gazing towards the direction of the mountain peak with utmost respect.
The Double Ninth Festival, a ritual for heaven and earth, with eighty-one chimes, is a ceremony reserved for the appearance of an Immortal Emperor, a grand display of the most supreme music.
At the summit, nine seats glowing with golden radiance suddenly materialized from the mountain.
Each seat floated in mid-air!
Covered by the power of laws, each seat exuded an aura that suppressed the heavens and earth, instilling awe in all beings, akin to the presence of lofty deities.
The nine seats connected the vast heavens above and the earth below.
Countless strands of dragon qi coiled around, lifting the nine seats, as if welcoming the sovereign of all realms.
Below, the cultivators responsible for maintaining order and security watched the nine seats with fervent eyes, their gazes filled with reverence and adoration.
These nine supreme powerhouses seated above were capable of determining the fate of the Purple Continent's cultivation world; to them, they were akin to the heavenly way.
For these imperial and noble clan disciples, Liu Xie, Liu Chuang, Liu Shan, Liu Gao, Liu Jing, Qin Ruohuo, Wang Quán Guì, Li Zihao, and Kong Xiangxi were their ancestors, their strongest reliance, and the very foundation of their arrogance.
As long as these clan-protecting Purple Mansion stage cultivators remained alive, these disciples could flaunt their power, bully the weak, and remain untouchable.
...
As if sensing something, nine figures simultaneously manifested above the nine seats, each appearing ethereal and indistinct, making them difficult to discern!
Nine supreme forces of law collided in the sky, like nine suns, seemingly restraining something.
This mutual obstruction among the nine top experts was an unspoken contest, as none wished for another to claim a seat first.
"Boom boom boom boom boom boom!!!"
Nine distinct forces of rule, forming pillars of law, intertwined and clashed, colliding with each other.
Nine colossal pillars of law, standing tall like the heavens, majestic and grand, were established between heaven and earth.
The nine top experts unleashed their divine abilities, influencing the operation of a vast expanse of heaven and earth, causing immense repercussions.
Even time and space seemed to have halted at this moment.
...
An unimaginably immense power collided in the sky. The closer one was to the point of collision between the nine experts, the closer they were to death.
This was because the aftershocks of these collisions were too terrifying, capable of destroying even time and space.
Liu Xie was the first to take his seat.
Imperial aura emanated from him, and countless small golden dragons enveloped his surroundings.
Each small dragon possessed a power capable of destroying the world. Countless forces converged into one, exuding infinite majesty, as if he were the supreme emperor controlling the ebb and flow of the world.
Dragon qi overflowed. Above Liu Xie's head hovered the top-grade spirit treasure, the Imperial Extremity Immortal Bell, while beside him, two other top-grade spirit treasures, the Ten Thousand Dragon Jade Seal and the Imperial Heaven Divine Sword, stood suspended, circling him.
Imperial aura, overwhelmingly dominant, was sufficient to suppress any force in the world.
Seated, his gaze was steady and resolute. He looked at the other eight still in confrontation in the sky, his expression outwardly calm.
However, occasionally, a fleeting, well-concealed killing intent would flash across his eyes before returning to its placid state.
No one could fathom this contemporary Immortal Emperor; undoubtedly, Liu Xie was the strongest cultivator in the Purple Continent.
...
The second to appear was Wang Quán Guì. As his figure materialized, waves of power continuously rippled, tearing through the surrounding space, with streaks of white spatial cracks appearing around him.
A spatial storm gradually formed around him, not by his intent, but as a result of the diffusion of spatial laws.
The third to appear was Kong Xiangxi. Countless characters converged, and as these characters reformed, Kong Xiangxi's figure slowly appeared on the seat.
...
The Law of Literature is a particularly special among the three thousand laws, possessing unique and potent abilities!
For any race, writing is of utmost importance.
The advent of writing broke through the limitations of time and space, propelling the progress of various races.
For the heavens and earth, writing also held a distinct significance.
The fourth to appear was Qin Ruohuo.
Innumerable powerful souls roared forth, their soul energy vast and earth-shattering.
The Law of Souls, concerning the mysteries of life and soul, traversing the realms between life and death, Yin and Yang, possessed unimaginable capabilities.
Dark energies swirled, like the King of Hell from the netherworld. Each wisp of dark energy held the power to manipulate all living beings, his presence akin to the king of all souls as he quietly occupied the fourth seat.
A giant of earthy yellow color rose to the sky, enveloped by the Law of Earth. Above, it touched the heavens; below, it stood upon the earth, as if capable of shattering the firmament.
The giant's form was truly like that of the giant race, with boundless earthly power flowing into his being.
He let out a skyward roar, and silence ensued, his voice shaking the nine heavens. With a single step, the entire peak trembled, and the pressure from this top expert instantly spread for ten thousand li.
The fifth to appear was Li Zihao.
Leveraging the power of the Law of Earth, Li Zihao claimed the fifth seat.
...
The sixth to appear was Liu Chuang!
He let out a furious roar, as if venting his anger.
A bolt of lightning tore through the sky, descending upon the six seats.
He was like the master of myriad bolts, wielding the lightning of heaven and earth, embodying the Great Dao of Lightning. The Law of Lightning, the most rigid and powerful of laws, possessed the might to cleave the heavens and earth!
Thousands of lightning bolts converged in the sky, and with the power of the Law of Lightning, Liu Chuang secured the sixth position.
...
The seventh to appear was Liu Shan!
Countless rays of light gathered, and the entire world began to brighten. Above and below, only the power of light continuously flowed.
The power of aurora converged into one, the Law of Light, fully concentrated in the will of a single person.
A white figure sat on the seventh seat. However, Liu Shan's face was somber, clearly indicating his displeasure.
The eighth to appear was Liu Gao!
He cultivated the Law of Stars.
Innumerable stars suddenly appeared, radiating dazzling starlight in the sky. The vastness of the star sea was immeasurable, its expanse unknown.
Guided by the Law of Stars, Liu Gao took the eighth seat.
Although Liu Gao's expression appeared calm, the flashing divine light in his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.
He lightly tapped the armrest of his seat and looked at Wang Quán Guì, Qin Ruohuo, Li Zihao, and Kong Xiangxi.
The ninth person, the last one.
Liu Jing cultivated the Law of Sand.
A vast expanse of wind and sand gathered, forming a spectacle of swirling sand and clouds, a rare sight throughout the ages!
Moving through the wind and sand, Liu Jing was as if the master of the wind and sand, effortlessly manipulating all the grains of sand in the world!
Compared to the previous eight, Liu Jing's expression was actually the most grim, his countenance darkened to the extreme.
And Liu Xie, the first to occupy a seat, also had a very unpleasant expression.
Initially, his expression was somewhat acceptable, but upon seeing Wang Quán Guì, Kong Xiangxi, Qin Ruohuo, Li Zihao, and the others successively take their seats, his countenance gradually worsened.
Interestingly, the expressions of Liu Xie, Liu Chuang, Liu Shan, Liu Gao, and Liu Jing, the five Purple Mansion stage cultivators of the Liu imperial clan, were all rather displeased.
In contrast, Qin Ruohuo, Wang Quán Guì, Li Zihao, and Kong Xiangxi wore faint smiles, as if they had gained some advantage in the preceding contest.
The reason for this was that the nine individuals had engaged in a tacit collision, using their respective laws as a basis to test their strengths and identify the weakest.
Even though the purpose of this event was negotiation, they still wished to exert dominance.
After all, in negotiations, those with more leverage are more confident, and vice versa.
The initial confrontation was a test of strength, a subtle way to establish dominance before the formal negotiations began.
The Liu imperial clan members were displeased because they likely perceived the others as having gained an advantage or that their own display of power was not as overwhelming as they had intended. The four great families, on the other hand, seemed pleased, suggesting their performance had met or exceeded their expectations.