"Haha! Everyone, allow me to introduce a new friend, Venerable Tuxin!"

Seeing the figure fly over, Zhao Xun shot to his feet, his eyes glinting sharply as he let out a hearty laugh.

"Venerable Tuxin?"

Hearing this name, everyone was taken aback.

The Divine Wind Empire only had so many Ultimate Venerables, hailing from the Four Great Families (including the Royal Family), the two major sects, and then there was the genius Mo Yanqing. ’So when did this Venerable Tuxin suddenly appear?’

’This man is powerful!’

Though puzzled, they all turned to look at the approaching man. He appeared to be around forty, with thick, black eyebrows that formed a single, straight line. His aura was so restrained it was almost imperceptible, like a placid spring whose depths were impossible to fathom.

They were all Ultimate Venerable Powerhouses, yet none of them could fathom his true strength. This alone proved his power was no less than any of theirs!

’When did Zhao Xun meet such a formidable expert?’

"Heh, Venerable Tuxin is from *that place*. We started off with a few business dealings, but we hit it off so well we became brothers in life and death. That’s why I made a special point of inviting him here today!"

Seeing their astonished expressions, Zhao Xun chuckled. While it sounded like an explanation, he was actually making a point about his connection to the man.

Sure enough, the moment he spoke, the look in their eyes as they regarded him immediately changed.

The Imperial Capital’s Four Great Families and two major sects boasted a total of six Ultimate Venerables. Among them, the Mi Tian Sect Master was the undisputed number one. The Baihua Sect Master and the Royal Family’s ancestor, Feng Yu, were closely matched, making it difficult to tell who was stronger. That left Huo Gang and Luo Tianxiang, both at the Ultimate Venerable Peak and not far apart in strength. Of the six, the weakest was Zhao Xun!

It was for this very reason that Mo Yanqing had challenged him, and not someone else, as soon as he advanced to the Ultimate Venerable Level!

His own weakness, coupled with his defeat by Mo Yanqing, had caused the status of Zhao Xun and even the Zhao Family to plummet in the Divine Wind Empire. To raise their standing, he had deliberately organized this grand wedding as a way to introduce Venerable Tuxin to everyone!

’Someone from *that place*? A brother in life and death?’

Hearing these two phrases, all the Ultimate Venerables present fell silent.

*That place*... only those at the Ultimate Venerable Level knew what it was. Its people were all immensely powerful. To know someone from there—let alone become their sworn brother—was to have a formidable backer. With that one statement from Zhao Xun, everyone couldn’t help but look at him with newfound respect.

A bond of life and death was not the same as a casual acquaintance. It meant you could entrust your life to the other, the ultimate relationship. If everyone had been somewhat dismissive of Zhao Xun before, now, with Venerable Tuxin on his side, his standing in their minds was no less than that of the Royal Family’s ancestor, Feng Yu!

"Tuxin, come, sit!"

Zhao Xun knew his show of force had achieved its desired effect. With a chuckle, he gestured to the seat beside him, inviting the just-landed Tuxin to sit.

Tuxin didn’t refuse, sitting down and closing his eyes slightly. He completely ignored the others’ attempts at friendliness, the picture of arrogance.

"This..."

Seeing how rude the man was, everyone seethed internally. Still, it was normal for people from *that place* to put on airs. Though they were unhappy, no one dared to say a word.

"Tuxin, this is the Royal Family’s Ultimate Venerable..."

Zhao Xun obviously hadn’t expected his friend to have this kind of attitude. He gave an awkward laugh and stood up to introduce everyone to him, but he was cut off before he could finish.

"I have no interest in meeting mundane people," Tuxin said coldly, crossing his arms.

"This..."

Zhao Xun’s expression stiffened.

"You..."

The others were even more incensed to hear Tuxin’s words. But he was undeniably powerful, and he was from *that place*. As furious as they were, they swallowed their anger.

"Mo Yanqing! Mo Yanqing!"

"Mo Yanqing! Mo Yanqing!"

Just as the atmosphere among the great patriarchs on the high stage grew awkward, a tidal wave of cheers suddenly erupted from below the stage. Following the sound, they saw another figure flying through the air.

It was the Empire’s number one genius, Mo Yanqing!

Truly befitting of being everyone’s idol, the crowd reached a fever pitch before he even landed.

"Hmph, nothing special," Tuxin snorted upon seeing the young man fly over, then closed his eyes again and said no more.

Mo Yanqing ignored the excited shouts from below, landed lightly on the stage, casually greeted the few patriarchs, and sat down.

"Haha, the Mi Tian Sect Master was unable to attend today due to some business. Now that everyone else is here, let the wedding begin! Sound the drums!"

Accompanied by a resounding drumroll, two figures in splendid attire walked slowly up from below the stage. They were the groom and bride of this grand wedding: Zhao Xingpu and Luoqing City!

Luoqing City was dressed in a pure white wedding gown, her legendary beauty radiant. From a distance, she resembled the Lingbo Fairy, possessing a pure and noble grace that seemed beyond this world.

"Is that the bride? She’s gorgeous!"

"She’s just as the legends say, a beauty that could topple nations. If I could marry a wife like that, I’d die a happy man right then and there!"

"You? A woman like that is only a match for a young master like Zhao Xingpu. She’s completely out of your league!"

Seeing the bride’s face clearly, the crowd below went wild.

So beautiful! She was like a fairy who had descended to the mortal realm, a beauty not of this world!

"Haha, I, Zhao Xun, am very happy that everyone could come to my grandson’s wedding today! After the ceremony, each of you may collect ten taels of silver from my Zhao Family as a gift!"

"Ten taels of silver?" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"What a grand gesture! There must be at least a hundred thousand people here. Ten taels each... that’s a million..."

"As expected of the Empire’s God of Wealth. He’s truly rich!"

Hearing the gift Zhao Xun announced, the crowd below was thrown into a frenzy.

Ten taels of silver might not have seemed like much, but to an ordinary person, it was a huge sum of money—more than a small family might spend in an entire year! To get such a great benefit just for attending a wedding... the Zhao Family truly lived up to its reputation as the God of Wealth. They were loaded!

"Heh!" Seeing the ceaseless cheers, Zhao Xun knew his prestige among the common folk had been secured. He pressed his hands downward to quiet the shouts. "Very well! The wedding ceremony of my grandson, Zhao Xingpu, will now begin!"

"Mr. Zhao Xingpu, do you take Miss Qingcheng, the woman beside you, to be your wife? To care for her, to love her, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and respect one another, to never leave or forsake her, and to be together forever?" the officiant’s voice boomed from the high stage.

The officiant was a Peak Powerhouse of Qi Sect, and his voice boomed with power. Though Divine Wind Plaza was vast enough to hold several hundred thousand people, his words reached every ear with perfect clarity.

Unlike the traditional ceremony of bowing to Heaven and Earth, wedding rituals in the Divine Wind Empire included the recital of vows, which were preceded by these questions.

"I do!" Zhao Xingpu shouted excitedly, glancing at the beautiful woman before him.

"Miss Qingcheng, do you take Mr. Zhao Xingpu, the man beside you, to be your husband? To care for him, to love him, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and respect one another, to never leave or forsake him, and to be together forever?"

The officiant continued.

"No need to ask. She doesn’t!"

Suddenly, a soft voice sounded in the air. A youth who looked to be only sixteen or seventeen had appeared in the sky at some unknown time. Behind him hovered three ferocious-looking Demon Beasts.

P.S. The wedding follows a Western style for a better atmosphere, so don’t read too much into it... (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) and vote with recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)