Only after unifying the world did I realize that immortals existed in this world.

At the Yuntai Night Banquet, Lu Junfeng and his party, who had been waiting for a long time, were finally summoned by Xie Cangrong. Both sides had their own requests and curiosities, and had been looking forward to this meeting for a long time.

Upon reaching the imperial city gate, the majestic palace seemed to pierce the inky sky, and an invisible pressure quietly enveloped my shoulders. The cold moonlight illuminated the layers of stone steps beneath my feet, extending upwards and disappearing into the brightly lit yet even more secluded depths of the palace, as if I were ascending to heaven.

Lu Junfeng's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he let out a soft breath: "Let's go!"

Led by guards, the group of cultivators entered the palace and arrived at the banquet hall. There, they heard light and beautiful music, accompanied by the boisterous laughter of men.

"Squeak~"

As if aware of Lu Junfeng and his group's arrival, the main hall doors slowly opened.

For a moment, all was silent, and in the bright light, it seemed as if countless eyes were flocking to it.

Lu Junfeng knew that there was someone sitting in the highest seat, but his line of sight could only see the other person's table leg.

He lowered his head slightly and followed the attendant up the stone steps into the magnificent hall.

They were disciples of the immortal sect, tasked with maintaining the sect's dignity and respectability in the presence of mortal dynasties. In Crane Cry Continent, however, they could hold their heads high, freely meeting with and even commanding the monarch.

However, upon arriving here, as they entered the main hall amidst the quiet atmosphere and under everyone's gaze, a heavy feeling inexplicably weighed on their hearts. Let alone maintaining the pride of a transcendent cultivator, they couldn't even raise their heads to look directly at the person on the main seat opposite them.

His peripheral vision swept to both sides, and his pupils involuntarily contracted.

On the left, generals drank and ate meat heartily, their smiles broad as they sized them up. But in Lu Junfeng's eyes, they were all menacing killing gods and demons, their bloodlust soaring and their presence terrifying.

"One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand," and behind this group of people seemed to be an endless mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood.

On the other side, an aura of righteousness rose, forming another kind of oppressive force. The civil officials were also observing them. They had different duties, thoughts, and personalities, so their auras were also completely different. However, their gazes were as clear as mirrors, as if they could penetrate the skin and see into the depths of people's hearts.

In the corner, a woman in a wheelchair, fiddling with an unidentified wooden box, was also observing them with great interest, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Ning Boxing and Song Zhaowen are not isolated cases at all!

These people are so weird!

Bearing these gazes, Lu Junfeng felt his steps grow heavier with each step.

He knew very well who he was facing.

"Envoy, now that you have met the monarch, why do you not bow?"

Not far from Xie Cangrong, Liu Bingxuan spoke, breaking the silence.

Upon hearing this, Lu Junfeng shuddered, looked up in a daze, and stared straight at Xie Cangrong, the leader who had been repeatedly mentioned along the way.

A young king came into view.

He was handsome, dressed in brocade robes and wearing a crown. His sword-like eyebrows slanted upwards, and the pearls and jade on his crown swayed gently. His deep eyes seemed to contain a vast galaxy. He was looking at him calmly with a warm smile, without any sense of oppression.

Xie Cangrong had no magical power whatsoever; he was just a mortal.

However, at this moment, through Xie Cangrong's eyes, Lu Junfeng seemed to see an indescribable and ineffable fear, a pressure as immense as ten thousand mountains rushing towards him, heaven and earth upside down, all laws collapsing, and the roar of the sun, moon, mountains and rivers exploding in his sea of ​​consciousness!

He had only ever felt this way with the sect leader.

They are from the immortal sect, cultivators, who pursue the creation of heaven and earth and transcend all things.

Before coming, they had made preparations. To maintain the dignity and prestige of the immortal sect, they could not be as obsequious to this monarch as mortals. Instead, they had to be neither humble nor arrogant, but to display their abilities and power before others.

However, at this moment, facing Xie Cangrong's gaze, his soul seemed to be struck by that powerful force, his mind went blank, and the humble yet assertive words he had prepared were long forgotten.

"thump!"

He didn't know what he had done.

"Hehe~"

With bursts of clear laughter, all the pressure vanished.

Lu Junfeng then came to his senses, his eyes widening in disbelief. He realized that he and his fellow disciples had knelt in the main hall, their worship no different from that of subjects paying homage to the emperor.

Xie Cangrong casually waved to them and said with a faint smile, "Envoy, please rise. There's no need for formalities. Please take a seat!"

The waiters led Lu Junfeng and his party to their seats.

In a daze, Lu Junfeng only heard Xie Cangrong's laughter: "This banquet is not about official business, so everyone doesn't need to be nervous. Just eat and drink to your heart's content~"

As he spoke, the musicians began to pluck the strings again, and the melodious music flowed once more. The civil and military officials in the hall resumed their conversations and laughter, exchanging toasts, and the atmosphere seemed to ease.

After a moment, Xie Cangrong put down his wine cup, turned his gaze to Lu Junfeng again, and asked with just the right amount of curiosity, "May I ask the envoy's name, where he comes from, and how he came to our Eastern Sea?"

This kneeling act essentially wiped out all the preparations.

If they're all kneeling, what's the point of talking about the demeanor of cultivators?

The leader of this strange and mysterious country is indeed no ordinary person.

Lu Junfeng forced a smile and could only respectfully reply, "Your Majesty, my name is Lu Junfeng. I come from the Taihua Sect of Heming Continent. I am a disciple of Master Xiaozheng of Qiyuan Peak. I traveled across thousands of miles of miasma aboard the sect's secret treasure, the 'Cloud-Piercing Boat'."

"oh?

Ning Boxing had already reported all these matters to Xie Cangrong; asking this question was merely a pretext.

Xie Cangrong smiled, and without beating around the bush, went straight to the point, asking, "May I ask what brings you esteemed envoys, who have traversed miasma and crossed oceans, to my Great Xia?"

Although the banquet continued, Lu Junfeng and his group could feel that the attention of the entire hall had instantly shifted to them, and an invisible pressure permeated the air.

Lu Junfeng hadn't expected Xie Cangrong to be so decisive.

There is a huge cognitive barrier between the Immortal Alliance and the Great Xia.

This monarch didn't ask them what cultivators were, what kind of power they had, how they cultivated, whether they could achieve immortality, what the other world was like, or what their world was like.

The two sides did not exchange information first.

Without asking anything else, they went straight to the most crucial issue of interests.

Lu Junfeng originally wanted to describe how their Immortal Alliance protected the world and educated all living beings. He wanted to describe how wonderful it was to transcend the mortal world through cultivation, and how chaotic it was when demons and monsters plagued the world. He wanted to lay out the basic framework first.

While we're at it, we can also gather some information about the Great Xia and find out how this strange and contradictory dynasty came to be.

Only then can we discuss mutually beneficial cooperation.

However, when Xie Cangrong asked him this question, he didn't know what to say.

The protection offered by the Immortal Alliance also seemed weak.

He paused, then looked up at Xie Cangrong: "To be honest, Your Majesty, the Demonic Sect is rampant, and demons and ghosts are causing chaos, leading to widespread suffering. The Immortal Alliance's esteemed elders foresaw the impending calamity for Great Xia and could not bear to see such a prosperous nation suffer. They have specially ordered us to come here to sincerely invite Your Majesty to join the Immortal Alliance and receive the protection of our sect. Only by working together can we protect countless people from disaster."