39: The banquet begins, show your strength

The day after the Ten Chiefs received the invitation, countless Jade Slips carrying azure streams of light densely flew from the Jun Family's sky towards the various Families of the Ten Directions Immortal Court.

The scene was so spectacular it even dyed the sky azure, drawing the attention of countless people.

News of the Divine Son of the Jun Family's tenth birthday banquet had already spread some days ago, with the banquet set to begin seven days later.

Countless people looked up, their faces full of longing, wondering if they would ever have the chance to visit the Jun Family in their lifetime.

It was one of the Three Heavens of the Ten Directions Immortal Court; being invited was a form of recognition, an unparalleled honor that could be passed down through the ages!

...Seven days later, Divine Son Hall.

"Young Master, it's time."

An Luoxin called out from outside Jun Lingxiao's Cultivation room:

"Come in."

She opened the door and entered, her eyes met with the young man's handsome face and slender figure, his aura elegant, like a banished immortal.

At ten years old, Jun Lingxiao had also matured, his handsome youthful appearance making him endearing.

However, his handsome young face was currently filled with confusion.

At eight, he was at Spirit Sea Level 2, suppressing all Prodigies in the world. At nine, he reached Spirit Sea Ninth Realm, but he was finally stuck.

He was firmly stuck at Spirit Sea Ninth Realm.

One must know that even a peerless Prodigy like his aunt only reached Spirit Sea Ninth Realm at eighteen. An ordinary Prodigy would take a full twenty years to reach this Realm! He reached it at ten, which was simply Heaven-Defying!

But Jun Lingxiao always felt it wasn't enough, that it wasn't his limit, and such a him was finally sanctioned.

To Breakthrough from the Spirit Sea Realm to the Spirit Domain Realm, one must comprehend a Domain, but this Domain was very mysterious, and he still couldn't grasp any clue.

"What exactly is a Domain, and how did you comprehend it?"

Jun Lingxiao asked.

An Luoxin blinked, seemingly wanting to remind Jun Lingxiao that time was up, and he needed to change and prepare for the banquet.

But thinking of her Young Master's obsession during this period, she patiently explained:

"A Domain is a Small World unique to oneself. Within this Small World, there are Laws established solely by the caster. What a Domain looks like varies from person to person. To some extent, what Laws one's Domain produces is actually beyond control, but one thing is certain."

"The owner of the Domain holds the advantage of time and place. Inside, not only will one be attacked by Laws, but the caster will also be strengthened. Therefore, once one enters another's Domain, death is almost certain."

"The only way to counter it is to also cast one's own Domain to contend. And there are many types of Domains, and the methods of comprehension are not fixed; this can only be explored by oneself."

After An Luoxin finished, seeing Jun Lingxiao's unsatisfied expression, she quickly added: "Young Master, don't dwell on it. Ordinary Prodigies take three to four years to comprehend a Domain, the shortest being three years. Some people never grasp a Domain in their lifetime. You've only been at it for less than a year, take your time."

"Everyone says that, but it's like hearing nothing."

Jun Lingxiao was exasperated.

He had changed many teachers in between, but still had no clue. Was he also going to take three years to comprehend?

He had originally planned to Breakthrough at this time to settle scores with the Fang Family, but now it seemed unlikely.

Sighing, he stopped thinking about it. Jun Lingxiao put the Soul Nurturing Wood into his armguard and left the Cultivation room, following An Luoxin to change clothes.

As the Divine Son, his attire for the event was not simple. Even the decorations on the cuffs took a while to put on. It took at least half an hour to put on everything, so preparations had to be made in advance.

This task naturally fell to An Luoxin; she wouldn't be happy if anyone else did it.

But as he was getting dressed, Jun Lingxiao felt something was off.

"Not white, change to black."

Looking at An Luoxin approaching with a white robe, he pointed to the black robe beside him and said faintly.

He was tired of the protagonists in white horses and silver robes. Since he was a villain, he would do something different.

Besides, he also liked black.

Dominating.

——————

While Jun Lingxiao was changing, the Jun Family had already begun receiving guests.

There were Divine Turtles comparable to the heavens carrying cities walking by, massive flying beasts with wings spanning dozens of miles bringing entire clans descending from the sky, and even sky-shrouding Divine Boats suspended in mid-air.

This was not just a banquet, but also a competition for various Families to compare their strength.

A banquet that all Ten Chiefs would attend, such a grand opportunity to appear could not be missed. "Take out all your Family's wealth to let those big shots see; who knows, you might be favored and ascend to the heavens in one step?"

At the very least, they couldn't let others look down on them.

Of course, what came was not just people, but also their congratulatory gifts.

"The Wen Family of the Ten Chiefs has arrived! Presenting ten bottles of Seven Illusions Azure Spirit Saliva and 1000 bottles of top-grade Divine Marrow as congratulatory gifts!"

As soon as the deacon recording the gifts spoke, some people who were chatting immediately cast their gazes: "Only the Wen Family has Seven Illusions Azure Spirit Saliva, right? It seems even within their clan, very few Disciples can consume it. To give out ten bottles at once, what a grand gesture."

"The Qiu Family of the Ten Chiefs has arrived! Presenting 100 Dao Seeds as congratulatory gifts!"

"Dao Seeds?! My heavens, these are used to refine the Dao Embryo after the Nirvana Realm. Even one is hard to find, and they've brought out 100 at once?" Some people stared in amazement, sighing that they were indeed great Families.

Dao Seeds are consumables, containing Law. They are used when condensing one's own Dao Seed, with one representing a Supreme. On one hand, they are also used to Breakthrough to the Emperor Realm, but how much one comprehends depends on oneself; even a hundred might not be useful.

Therefore, even in the Ten Chiefs Family, these things are always in short supply, and bringing out a hundred at once practically blinded everyone.

A hundred Dao Seeds would be enough to cause a bloodbath outside, but here, they were merely gifts of goodwill.

Although everyone was envious, no fool dared to cause trouble at the Jun Family's banquet. Even the juniors brought along were repeatedly warned: say nothing, do nothing, and even control their eyes, for fear of inviting catastrophe.

Following this, many other forces continuously came forward to present gifts.

However, these forces outside the Ten Chiefs were not qualified to have their names read out; only those among the Ten Chiefs had this honor.

Among them were Immortal Dynasties, or surrounding Sacred Sects. Even the Heavenly Dao Sect, far away, rushed over.

These were, without exception, the top forces invited by the Jun Family. Although not comparable to the Ten Chiefs, they were indeed considered top-tier in the Ten Directions Immortal Court. As for other first-tier forces, they didn't even have the qualification to present gifts.

The banquet had three layers: the inner layer, which was separately sectioned off specifically for receiving Emperor Realm and above figures. After all, the pressure of an Emperor's Law was present; if they appeared, even if restrained, they could directly crush some of the attending guests.

The middle layer was the core of the banquet, mostly for the younger generation, where Jun Lingxiao would make an appearance.

And the outer layer, where people could attend without an invitation, but it was exceptionally far from the Jun Family Main Hall, serving as a crowd-filler. Yet, even so, only first-tier forces could be seated; this was the ticket.

"The Ye Family of the Three Heavens has arrived! Presenting 100 Nine Revolutions Divine Pills, 1000 Eight Revolutions Divine Pills, 100 Dao Seeds, 1000 bottles of top-grade Divine Marrow, and five Imperial Rank Magic Treasures as congratulatory gifts!"

The deacon Elder receiving gifts continued to read. They had initially thought that after the previous scene, nothing could shock them anymore, but upon hearing this, they still couldn't help but cast astonished glances.

"How many Pill Furnaces must be ruined to produce one Nine Revolutions Medicinal Pill? They are rare in the world! Only a Family of the Three Heavens can produce them, but isn't this a bit too generous, so generous it feels wrong?"

"Not just that, there are also five Imperial Rank Magic Treasures!"

"Perhaps there's some cooperation?"

If Dao Seeds could still be found outside, then Nine Revolutions Divine Pills were simply not something ordinary Cultivators could obtain. Even if you were given the Medicinal Pill and Pill Furnace, you couldn't refine them. The required quantity was too absurd; three or four Furnaces would melt before one could be refined.

The Jun Family and the Ye Family, both of the Three Heavens, had an ordinary relationship. Giving such gifts was clearly unusual. The matter of the marriage alliance had not been publicized, so although those present had guesses, no one knew that the Jun Family and the Ye Family had actually reached a marriage alliance.

"The Fang Family of the Ten Chiefs has arrived!"

A single sentence instantly drew everyone's attention. They hadn't expected the Fang Family to come. The feud between the Fang Family and the Jun Family had lasted for a thousand years; who among those present didn't know?

Suddenly, everyone showed expressions of anticipating a good show.

"The Fang Family presents ten Dao Seeds, 100 bottles of top-grade Divine Marrow, 100 Tier 6 Divine Pills..."

This Law enforcement Elder said, then stopped reading, instead revealing a sneer and pointing to a spot:

"The Elder has ordered that the Fang Family's congratulatory gifts... just place them there yourselves."

Fang Sheng, disguised, came with an Elder from his clan. He had initially thought the Jun Family wouldn't cause trouble in public, but he didn't expect to be stopped at the entrance.

The two looked in the direction the Law enforcement officer pointed, and their faces immediately turned ashen.

On the ground... and on the ground next to the main entrance of the great hall... everyone entering could see his Fang Family's so-called congratulatory gifts. This meant they had no intention of letting them enter with dignity from the very beginning!