I long to return home!

At the banquet, countless sects sat down in neat rows according to their seats. The closer to the jade steps, the stronger the sect was. The elders leading the sects sat at the head of the table.

Upon closer inspection, eight areas below the jade steps featured more luxurious and grand jade tables and cushions, which seemed out of place with the decorations of the area where the Luoyun Sect was located.

"Brother Xu, why are the first eight seats different? I can understand the top one, but why these eight? Are they being given special treatment?" Xue Wu leaned closer to Xu Tao's table and asked in a low voice.

"Ah? Oh, those are the eight most powerful sects in the Wuji Empire. Each sect has at least one or more Nascent Soul stage experts, so their treatment is naturally different." Xu Tao explained casually, but his eyes did not look at Xue Wu. Instead, he looked at the female sword cultivator from the Sword Sect sitting on the left.

The female swordsman was dressed in pristine white, a sword at her waist with its tassel fluttering in the wind, like a fairy descended to earth, breathtakingly beautiful. Her eyes were icy cold, as if capable of freezing one's soul, making people hesitant to approach.

The female sword cultivator seemed to have noticed Xu Tao's intense gaze, turned her head, and said calmly, "Fellow Daoist, hello."

Xu Tao was taken aback, cupped his hands in a salute, and stammered, "I...I am Xu Tao of the Luoyun Sect."

Upon hearing this, the female swordsman nodded slightly, turned her head away, and ignored him.

"What's wrong with Xi Yao?" An Nanyue turned her head and asked indifferently.

"It's nothing," the female swordsman replied.

So her name is Xi Yao. Xu Tao's cheeks flushed, as if he had fallen in love at first sight.

call out!

Upon hearing the sound, everyone looked over and saw eight cultivators of different ages appear like the wind below the jade steps. They were like eight chief disciples, each with a radiant spirit and an indescribable aura of power emanating from them.

Like a god descending to earth, he possessed an aura unmatched by ordinary cultivators. He dusted off his sleeves and sat down.

This is the Nascent Soul stage?! Is it really that impressive?

Xue Wu's pupils lit up. He had never seen such an aura before, and even his master, Lin Mubai, could not match it.

"Why didn't the sect leader of the Free and Unfettered Sect come? Instead, a junior cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage has arrived." A middle-aged cultivator dressed in black robes looked at the Free and Unfettered Sect's seats and said in a deep voice.

"The sect leader has arrived, but... he's not quite used to this lively banquet. On behalf of the sect leader, this junior apologizes to all the seniors," said a young man dressed in blue, with a dignified expression, bowing as he spoke.

"Never mind, never mind," the black-robed cultivator waved his hand dismissively.

Seeing this, no one said anything more, and the monk in blue sat down with a smile on his face.

As more and more sects gathered, it was inevitable to see some familiar faces, such as the Xuanzong Sect, the Tuyan Sect, and the Wandu Sect, which arrived later.

"Han Sen!" Xu Tao murmured, anger surging in his eyes, wishing he could rush up and fight the latter right now.

As Han Sen took his seat, he also noticed the gazes of Xu Tao and the others. He narrowed his eyes and said sarcastically, "Brother Xu, we meet again. Which of your junior brothers is still alive? He's really lucky to be alive."

"You..." Xu Tao gritted his teeth, but still calmed down and took a deep breath. He knew he must not make a move now, but entering the Foundation Establishment Holy Land was already a risky situation.

Seeing that Xu Tao remained unmoved, Han Sen laughed and said, "Judging from Brother Xu's expression, you're not going to kill me in the Foundation Establishment Holy Land, are you?"

"Isn't that obvious? Do you think I'm the one who should die?" Xue Wu said.

Upon hearing this, Han Sen was speechless, unable to find any words to refute it: "What a sharp tongue you have."

"Alright." Su Yifeng and the Wan Du Sect elder spoke at the same time to stop the verbal sparring. The most important thing right now was to attend the banquet, not to fight like this.

The two sides fell silent, each muttering to themselves about how the Foundation Establishment Holy Land could kill the other.

In a short while, the banquet was packed with people. All the middle and upper sects were full, while some lower sects only had a few disciples participating, and some sects did not bring anyone to participate at all. They came just to watch the show, knowing that there would be many casualties in this battle of geniuses, and that coming would only be suicide.

When all the sects, large and small, had arrived, four figures suddenly appeared in the main hall. Upon seeing this, all the sect cultivators stood up and looked at the newcomers with utmost respect.

Leading the way was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties or sixties. He was imposing and domineering, with a head of bright purple hair that reached his waist. He was broad-shouldered and burly, wearing a magnificent purple robe embroidered with several five-clawed dragons with bared teeth and claws. Combined with the majestic crown on his head, it was immediately clear that this man was the emperor of the Wuji Empire.

Lei Qianjun.

With his left hand he held the hand of a beautiful woman. The woman's long black hair was lightly tied with a silver and jade moon hairpin. She was stunningly beautiful, like a fairy. Time could not hide her once gorgeous face.

It was none other than Empress Lin Qianyue of the Wuji Empire.

Behind them followed closely a stunningly beautiful woman and a dashingly handsome man.

The woman was none other than the Second Princess Lei Mengying, and the man was the First Prince of the Wuji Empire, also known as the Crown Prince, Lei Chenshu.

Like Lei Mengying, he was an extremely handsome man with long, willow-like eyebrows, a body like a jade tree, and long purple hair draped down his neck. It was rare to find a man who could look like that.

"Please take your seats, fellow immortals." Lei Qianjun swept his hand over everyone, then pulled Lei Qianyue down to sit.

Upon hearing this, the various sects of the immortals bowed deeply and sat down. As soon as they sat down, countless graceful palace maids emerged from behind, carrying fine wine and placing it in front of each table.

After the offerings were placed, Lei Qianjun coughed a few times and said in a deep voice, "I am very pleased that you immortals have brought your sect's young talents here."

"The Foundation Establishment Holy Land opened ahead of schedule this time, in preparation for my daughter's future," Lei Qianjun said proudly, then gestured to Lei Mengying, who was sitting upright to the side.

"My daughter recently acquired the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Blade, and her cultivation also broke through the limit of the Qi Refining stage, entering the fourteenth level of Qi Refining."

"The main reason is to enable my daughter to start the Foundation Establishment stage ahead of time. On the other hand, the war with the Yin Moon Empire is intense, and I also want to see what kind of extraordinary talents the geniuses of various sects are. Therefore, I opened the Holy Land so that everyone can go there to obtain opportunities."

Upon hearing this, all the sects turned their gazes to Lei Mengying, praising her exceptional talent. However, the latter remained unmoved, carefully observing the banquet as if searching for something.

Suddenly, that familiar figure appeared in her eyes. Xue Wu also looked over, but after exchanging a glance, he turned his head and started chatting with Jin Lingjiao beside him.

This indifferent scene took Lei Mengying by surprise. She was still bothered by that incident. Although it wasn't her fault, she felt guilty. Even though she severely punished Mo Kun afterward, she still couldn't forget it.

"Well then... esteemed immortals, let the banquet begin." Lei Qianjun said with a smile, clapping his hands. Countless palace maids once again emerged from behind, carrying various kinds of dishes, which they placed one by one on the jade table.