From a martial arts disciple to a god through countless trials and tribulations

Chapter 374: Turning against guests
Marriage!

The Imperial Dynasty – Dali – is one of the most prominent forces on the Five Directions Land, belonging to one of the dozen or so supreme lineages recognized by all races, and is at its zenith.

The news that a princess from the grand ceremony would become a Daoist couple with Chen Xuan, the Daoist of Qingnang, shocked the entire capital city. Many cultivators were dumbfounded and bewildered.

All of this happened so suddenly. Just as the grand ceremony was about to take place, such news broke out, exceeding everyone's expectations.

"Heavens! What is the Ji family up to? Are they going to form an alliance with Qingnang of the Southern Region? What are they planning?"

"While the princesses of the Ji family are indeed of exceptionally high status and are all favored daughters of heaven, if I may be so bold, Qingnang Daozi... possesses extraordinary talent."

"After all, it is the Feixinzhai, and Qingnang has also fallen into decline. If we were to match her with the princess of the Ji family, in a careful consideration, it would be Qingnang Daozi who is climbing the social ladder."

"The Ji family is an imperial clan, and they do not act pettily. It is said that the Ji family has a princess who is over two hundred and twenty years old. She was once the most beautiful woman in the world, no less than the immortals of her generation, and she has not yet found a Daoist partner... Even now, every year, immortal dynasties come to propose marriage."

"Huh? Qingnang Daozi Chen Xuan is only twenty-two or twenty-three years old now, right?" Someone was stunned upon hearing this, thinking that he had ten times the lifespan.

"What do you know? That princess has long since retained her stunning beauty, and she has a very youthful mindset. It's outrageous that she's being taken advantage of by the people of the Southern Region!"

On this day, all sorts of true and false news flew around.

The news spread like snowflakes from the capital to faraway places, shocking the world. No one expected such a sudden and untimely event to occur.

As the central figure, Chen Xuan was dumbfounded by this. He never expected that his first moment of prominence in the capital would be in this way.

"I didn't come to Dali to find a wife," Chen Xuan said, both amused and exasperated.

He found it unbelievable; it all happened so suddenly. A Daoist partner had inexplicably fallen from the sky, leaving him completely bewildered.

“Chen Xuan, it’s time for you to settle down. When I was your age, I already had six sons and three daughters,” Ji Youbing said.

In fact, Ji Youbing was only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, but since the other party was the designated future leader of the dynasty, it was obvious what was going on...

"Brother Youbing, why did you make this decision on your own?" Chen Xuan asked, puzzled.

"It's not completely settled yet. We'll arrange for you to meet her in the next few days. I hope you two will hit it off," Ji Youbing said seriously.

"..." Chen Xuan sighed inwardly. What kind of mess is this?!

Intermarriage between ancient lineages was rare, so this involved the inheritance of each family, and marriage between direct descendants would have many hidden dangers.

More importantly, both the Dali Ji family and the Qingnang Daoist Temple primarily cultivate the Earth element. Although they are separated by hundreds of millions of miles, they are still in a competitive relationship where one rises and the other falls.

It is said that thousands of years ago, Qingnang Taixuan, full of vigor and ambition, forcibly elevated his junior sister Yunjin to the position of True Lord, which indirectly caused a genius of the Ji family who was expected to become a True Lord to grow old in despair.

The subtle relationships between these lineages need not be elaborated upon, because Chen Xuan's communication talisman had already begun to resonate.

"I heard you're getting married? Fellow Daoist, you're quite the ladies' man, attracting beauties wherever you go," Yan Yushu teased, having learned the news from other princes and princesses of the Ji family.

"Too talkative!" Chen Xuan replied irritably.

"Heh, the calf eating the old grass, you love this kind of thing the most," Yan Yushu snorted.

"..." Chen Xuan's face was full of black lines.

However, if it weren't for the problems that arose after the Mountain and Sea Banquet and the Tribulation of the Mortal World, Chen Xuantao would have considered this matter before entering the Mortal World... After all, in the past, the Tribulation of the Mortal World often lasted three to five years, and some even one or two decades, long enough to turn a young man into a middle-aged man.

A true descendant of immortals would never die alone; they would be able to give birth to offspring of exceptional talent.

For example, Han Shuangjiang of the Five Elements Sect in Yunmeng Prefecture has been in love with the Lord of Two Realms for a long time, which has made him an "oddball" that many people talk about behind his back.

"Hey!"

Just then, a large rooster flew into the courtyard; the Little Underworld's Rabbit Day Star Official had arrived.

"Holy Son, are you going to marry into the Ji family?" The rooster flew half a circle in the courtyard, shaking its golden feathers, and landed in front of Chen Xuan, looking up curiously to ask.

"Brother Mao, it's completely unfounded," Chen Xuan sighed. These gossips really do spread fast.

"Unfortunately, the Lesser Underworld is mostly inhabited by ghosts and monsters, and Lord Black and White have never trained a Holy Maiden." The rooster said regretfully. Chen Xuan was the Holy Son of the Southern Wilderness, and in the minds of many ghosts and spirit beasts, his identity was very special.

"..." Chen Xuan sighed, then turned to the Ji siblings and asked, "When will the True Lords begin their meetings? Recently, Wan Guo Fang has been like a powder keg, with tensions running high everywhere."

Not only have True Monarch forces arrived, but even some powerful forces that have only reached the Limitless Divine Travel realm have sent people to the capital to gather information.

In recent days, some Qi practitioners have had several conflicts for unknown reasons, which were eventually stopped by the intervention of the Demon Suppression Division.

"To avoid offending the elders, I dare not presume to speculate. However, it should be soon," Ji Youbing replied. Most of the True Lords in the world should now know about the Grand Ceremony.

……

Two days later, several princes and princesses of the Ji family held a grand banquet in Wanguofang, and Chen Xuan received an invitation from Ji Youbing.

"She will be there tonight, Chen Xuan. Perform well. Once you gain her favor, you will become the highest-ranking person in the world. In this era, no righteous Qi practitioners will harbor any malice towards you."

Chen Xuan never expected that Ji Youbing would say such a thing to him.

At this moment, he was drinking in a pavilion in the Yanxian Garden. The Yanxian Garden was located in the center of Wanguofang and was extremely vast. There was a large lake in the middle and pavilions and waterside pavilions all around.

This is where hostages from various countries who come to Dali to "seek the Dao" gather, and it is also a place where cultivators from other places in the Wanguofang resolve disputes, allowing small-scale battles.

Chen Xuan, along with the Ji siblings, the rooster, and fellow Daoists such as Jiang Muying, sat in the southern pavilion, drinking wine and discussing Dao, while the fragrance of spiritual lotuses wafted from the lake.

"You guys... sigh!" Chen Xuan put down his wine glass, speechless for a moment. So tonight's banquet was his "blind date"!

"Could there be some other test in the future?"

Jiang Muying joked, and continued, "Brother Chen, such a generous gift lacks sincerity. Our Jiang family has many fine young ladies of marriageable age."

She was rescued by Chen Xuan and others at the Mountain and Sea Banquet, thus accumulating a lot of friendship. Now, she has also successfully ascended to godhood and traveled here in spirit, becoming one of the members of the Jiang family who came to pay great respects and gather information.

"Fellow Daoist Mu Ying, you also like to joke."

"Qinghuang, the younger sister of Chu Kingdom, advanced to the Cauldron realm half a year ago. Fellow Daoist, you haven't forgotten your old friend, have you?" Jiang Muying covered her mouth and chuckled, quite carefree.

"Uh……"

Chen Xuan remained silent for a moment, then looked around and saw that the surrounding pavilions were brightly lit, with many disciples of great sects drinking and discussing scriptures.

He saw that in some pavilions, Yan Yushu was like a bright pearl, fawned over by many disciples of great sects, with the White Fox God pouring wine and the Six-Eared Ape God acting as a door god. In other pavilions, imperial aura surged, with Emperor Yu and a group of royal families from ancient dynasties and kingdoms drinking, making merry, and enjoying the songs and dances of beautiful women. In still other pavilions, demonic aura soared to the sky, where demon cultivators were feasting...

Chen Xuan also saw the figures of Liu Chenqiang, Dan Daoren, Yao Feiyue, and the Heaven-Mending Saintess, but he did not recognize most of them.

Where is your "Daoist companion" at this moment?

Princess Huaisheng, the over two-hundred-year-old head of the Ji family... an "old" princess.

Chen Xuan has been hearing this name frequently lately.

……

On the opposite shore of the lake, in a pavilion.

A group of demon cultivators, their expressions indifferent, scanned their surroundings with pairs of scarlet eyes.

"The Grand Ceremony is a variable in the Great Battle for Immortality, and it could very well be a turning point," a gibbon god said to the demon cultivators from other factions, clutching a piece of spirit beast meat.

Many cultivators suspected that Da Li's invitation to the True Lords for this meeting was a ploy to form a united front, first to jointly eliminate the Earth Virtue Immortal of the Immortal Palace, with the first Immortal leading the way for the later Immortals.

"What turning point? The matter of Yaochi Forbidden Land, the matter of the demon Feiyue on Nuwa Mountain, the matter of Emperor Yu, don't you know the inside story? There are at least five Golden Core Immortals in the Immortal Palace!"

A demon sneered, "Do you really think that by swallowing all the True Lords' Qi, you can become an immortal? Those Golden Core Immortals disagreed, so it was all just a mirage!"

The Long-Armed Ape God, the White-Haired Heavenly Wolf, and other demon cultivators all frowned.

"It seems that the True Lord behind you is going to oppose the Ji family of the human race this time?"

"Does your True Lord intend to cooperate with the old emperor of the Grand Ceremony?"

"It's not about cooperation, it's just... if our demon race wants to cooperate, why do we need the Ji family of the human race to take the lead? The Ji family overestimates itself."

The group of demon cultivators sneered and began to discuss amongst themselves.

"Almost all the human forces that were supposed to come have arrived." A demon cultivator's eyes were bloodthirsty as he sized up the human cultivators in the surrounding pavilions.

“Da Li wants to use the pretext of this meeting to probe the attitudes of the other True Lords. You all should express your opinions in advance.” The Long-Armed Ape God leaned against the pavilion pillar and said, “We need to make those wavering True Lords firm in their minds.”

"Tonight, representatives from all the major powers have arrived; this is a golden opportunity," the white-haired wolf said with a smile. In recent days, some people couldn't resist deliberately creating conflict and instigating unrest, but these were all minor skirmishes. However, this also shows that many powers are unwilling to cooperate with the grand gesture.

"We need to target someone with a special identity to achieve the desired effect and make more people understand the attitude of the true master behind us... It's time to take sides."

"Who? Are they young immortals of extraordinary status like Emperor Yu or Immortal Yu, or even the pinnacle of the Great Dao?"

You Yao spoke up: "Or should we just deal with Ji Youbing and Princess Huaisheng of the Ji family directly?"

Some of them were of unusual status and had close ties with the Great Li Dynasty. They had entered the imperial palace in advance and discussed some matters.

“There are better options now.” The white-haired wolf said with a smile, his dark green eyes swirling like dark stars.

"Who?"

"The Waste Heart Studio..."

Recently, rumors have been circulating that the Ji family is going to form a marriage alliance with Qingnang, and isn't Qingnang Daozi the perfect target?
Moreover, although Qingnang Daozi has powerful figures behind him, they are ultimately not as important as other targets such as Yu Zhe Xian. This is the option with the lowest risk but the most significant effect.

More importantly, while suppressing Qingnang Daozi, it might also cause the Ji family to lose face and all prestige.

……

Chen Xuan drank the immortal wine in the pavilion, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

"Immortal Emperor!" Upon seeing the Taoist priest arrive, Chen Xuan immediately stepped out from his seat. He was 99% certain that the marriage alliance was related to the other party.

Because the other party knew about the marriage alliance even two days earlier than Ji Youbing.

"Hiss..." Yu Zhexian felt a chill run down his spine. He turned around and saw Chen Xuan, his face dark with anger, walking quickly toward him from the distant corridor.

He held a jade egg in his hand, rubbed his bruised eyes, and then, in a flash, took off running with his long legs.

"There really is something about him!" Chen Xuan was immediately annoyed when he saw this, but since this matter involved "Daoist partners" and was a private matter, he couldn't be too ostentatious, so he tried to pursue Yu Zhe Xian in a low-key manner.

But he was very fast, like a gentle breeze, quickly weaving through the crowd in the corridor.

"boom!"

On the road, something flew backward and crashed to the ground.

"Did you hit someone?" Chen Xuan stopped in his tracks, looking puzzled.

She was a woman with an ethereal beauty, dressed in a magnificent nine-colored feather robe, as if woven from the feathers of a phoenix, shimmering with divine light, which was extremely dazzling.

Her body was slender and graceful, radiating a crystalline glow, and she was incredibly pure. Her waist was slender and her curves were perfectly captivating. Her entire being was radiant and dazzling, making it impossible to look directly at her.

But at this moment, the other person was leaning against a pillar, staring at Chen Xuan. Her face was covered by a Qilin mask, radiating light, making it impossible to see through her.

“You…” She was very angry and opened her mouth to speak.

But Chen Xuan spoke first, frowning, "Why did you deliberately bump into me?"

He chased after the immortal, but the immortal ran out from the pavilion next to him, bumped into him, and flew away.

Chen Xuan stared at the Qilin mask on the other person's face. Was this a princess of the Ji family?

The legendary Princess Huaisheng?
Chen Xuan had ample reason to suspect that the other party was acting intentionally, because his speed wasn't particularly fast, so how could the other party not be able to dodge? Could it be that Yu Zhexian was using magic to play tricks again?!

"How dare you turn the tables on me? I was the one who came out first, and it was me who flew out!" The princess of the Ji family was furious. She was dazzlingly beautiful, with her long, flowing hair shimmering and her whole body as white as jade, radiant and captivating.

"Is this a test? How can a woman who's over two hundred years old be so unsteady!" Chen Xuan frowned, thinking that the other party was a "little fairy" flower grown in a greenhouse.

He became increasingly suspicious that the other party was Princess Ji Huaisheng, not only because of her ethereal beauty and temperament, which were on par with Yao Feiyue and Yan Yushu, but also because a group of Ji family members were rushing over in astonishment from a nearby pavilion.

At the same time, he couldn't tell how strong the other party was. Either the other party had a treasure that prevented him from being spied on, or the other party was at a very high level.

Princess Huaisheng is undoubtedly the one.

Princess Ji was furious upon hearing this. She raised her flawless and delicate chin, her hair flying, and said, "You country bumpkin, not only did you deliberately bump into me, but you also dared to speak rudely. I won't let you off tonight!"

With a wave of her hand, she commanded the Ji family members who had rushed over, "Seize him for me."

The group of Ji family princes and princesses had strange expressions, because some of them had already recognized Chen Xuan's identity.

"Alright, stop making trouble. We're not meant to be!" Chen Xuan said coldly.

He was already uninterested in arranged marriages, and now his impression was even worse.

The surrounding area was alarmed and people all looked in this direction.

"You, you..." The princess of the Ji family was taken aback by the sound. She put one hand on her hip and pointed at Chen Xuan with the other, her chest heaving. She said, "You are overconfident and talking nonsense. You are insulting me. You are simply vulgar."

Chen Xuan glanced at her, turned to leave, but Yu Zhexian had already disappeared.

"So you are Qingnang Daozi? What right does a mere Feixinzhai have to be so rude to the Ji family's princess and not apologize? You dare to dream of marrying into the royal family, what nonsense!" On the lake, a young man with a wolf tail walked across the waves, sneering repeatedly.

Chen Xuan turned around and looked at the wolf-tailed youth. Then, his gaze fell on the opposite shore of the lake behind the youth, where some demons were staring at him with strange smiles.

On the other side, upon hearing the sound, the princess of the Jiang family suddenly looked at Chen Xuan.

"You're ruined, and so is Qingnang. You're not worthy of the supreme Dali Ji family." The wolf-tailed youth looked down at Chen Xuan, speaking with extreme disrespect, completely disregarding him.

Chen Xuan glanced at the wolf-tailed youth and asked, "Have you carefully considered the consequences of stepping forward to do this?"

"Why pretend to be calm? Without Xinzhai, what are you? You've long since fallen into the mortal realm. The Ji family was deceived by you, a villain, which is why they made such an unwise decision," the wolf-tailed youth said coldly, a jade pendant shaped like a plate at his waist radiating a sacred white light.

The Ji family members nearby frowned, while Ji Youbing, Jiang Muying, and others rapidly approached from afar.

Ji Youbing said solemnly, "Fellow Daoists of Greedy Wolf Mountain, this is a family matter of my clan, and it is a decree personally issued by the True Lord. Please do not speak recklessly."

"Is your emperor perhaps old and senile? He's been deceived; the Waste Heart Sect is utterly unworthy of your family," the wolf-tailed youth sneered, speaking without any politeness.

These words caused many members of the Ji family to change their expressions drastically. To discuss the Ji family emperor in such a public setting was not only targeting Chen Xuan, but also the entire Ji family.

"Are you trying to cause trouble on purpose? Even if Qingnang Daozi is from Wuxinzhai, he is no less than a Celestial Seed, and he will surely become a True Lord in the future!" Jiang Muying stepped forward to rebuke him. Those who refine Crimson Qi all have fiery tempers.

The wolf-tailed youth sneered, "A future True Monarch? You think he can really reach that level? Don't dream, the Waste Heart Sect is still the Heart Sect!"

"It seems you came prepared tonight, but we, the Jiang family of Dazhuan, will not tolerate you!" Jiang Muying said coldly, and began to secretly call out to the elders of the same industry in Wanguofang.

"The Jiang family is one, and anyone else who wants to stand up for Feixinzhai, feel free to jump out together!" The wolf-tailed youth laughed loudly.

"Who else?!" Just then, more than a dozen figures emerged from the pavilion on the other side of the lake, stepping across the water. Their identities were quite extraordinary; they came from different factions and stood before the wolf-tailed youth, coldly staring at Chen Xuan and Jiang Muying.

It is worth mentioning that among these dozen or so figures, there were not only demons, but also several human Qi cultivators.

The commotion here alarmed many of the people gathered in the pavilion, and many came out of the pavilion to cast puzzled glances in this direction.

Upon seeing Chen Xuan, the Ji family members, and the restless group of demons, everyone's expressions changed, and they showed thoughtful expressions.

The wolf-tailed youth shouted, "The Ji family's True Lords are even capable of forming marriage alliances with the Wasted Heart Sect. How can these muddle-headed True Lords possibly defeat the Immortal Palace!"

"A mere novice like the Waste Heart Sect dares to aspire to the supreme Dao lineage? What a foolish dream!" Another demon cultivator deliberately uttered sarcastic remarks.

Chen Xuan turned to look at Ji Youbing, whose face was pale, and said, "Shouldn't your family step in to resolve this matter?"

Ji Youbing looked troubled. He had already summoned the divine generals of the Demon Suppression Division outside, as well as several old princes and princesses at the Divine Ascension level in the Banquet Immortal Garden, but they were being entangled by some demons and humans.

Clearly, this group of demons deliberately chose this important occasion tonight to cause chaos, and many people were happy to see this happen, so they were cooperating in tacit agreement?

Beside him, the princess of the Ji family, who was wearing a Qilin mask, let out a disdainful sneer upon hearing Chen Xuan's plea for help.

“They are highly skilled and numerous,” Ji Youbing said in a low voice, indicating that they should not act rashly. The situation was not good, and there were many more beings secretly watching with ill intentions.

Chen Xuan nodded and said, "Then I'll take the initiative and do it."

"boom!"

Chen Xuan's eyes flashed with cold light as he extended a massive, white, radiant hand, facing off against more than a dozen demons and forcing them all into the lake.

The giant hand, carrying countless streams of energy, intertwined to create dazzling runes, causing the great lake to surge with terrifying waves.

(End of this chapter)