The day of Yaotai Divine Feast had finally arrived. Yaotai Enchanted Island was bustling with festivities.
The top principalities had all arrived at the enchanted islands in advance. They were all traveling by boat to the largest enchanted island. Their destination was the king of all the islands, the home of Yaotai Divine Palace.
On the immense lake, thousands of boats traveled together. The sunlight shone down and the waves sparkled, creating an extremely lovely landscape.
On the boats, many of the well-known figures from Emperor Xia's Realm observed the lone figure who was sailing ahead of them. Many discussions centered around this individual.
"That's His Royal Highness the Fifth Prince." Someone pointed to the figure in question. Xia Lun stood with his hands folded behind his back as the boat moved downstream.
All around him, the passengers of the other small boats bowed and acknowledged him as they passed him, much like the stars surrounding the moon.
Many people were wondering whether the Fifth Prince, Xia Lun, had come here for Goddess Yao Xi. If so, who could possibly compete with him for her hand?
However, some news had come out of Yaotai Divine Palace yesterday. After many of the top figures in Emperor Xia's Realm had arrived, Goddess Yao Xi had gone to visit Ye Futian alone. She had not paid a visit to the Fifth Prince.
Many people couldn't help but be impressed. Ye Futian, who had come from the Lower World in recent years, had truly captured the imagination of his generation. Before him, all the proud sons of Emperor Xia's Realm battled to be at the top. All of them were brilliant in their own right and power.
However, his appearance had overwhelmed all the others. With him around, no one else mattered very much.
Now, was it possible that he could take away attention from the prince?
Many people turned and looked for Ye Futian. Even those who had never met him were inquiring after him.
After a while, the boat passengers' eyes locked onto a figure in the distance. The man had just taken a boat from an enchanted island. He was clad in clothing white as snow and stood casually, looking extremely handsome and attractive. His visage was perfection in itself, one in a million.
What was even rarer about him was the transcendent temperament of his person. It still made others notice him immediately.
As the small boat moved forward, his entire person seemed to integrate into the scenery, as if he had always been part of it.
"That's Ye Futian," someone remarked.
As other boats started to cross, one after another, the passerby looked in Ye Futian's direction.
Everyone was at least a little curious about this world-famous figure whose reputation resounded through Emperor Xia's Realm. Even the cultivators in the Saint Plane were no exception in their curiosity.
Although the cultivation between sages and saints was only one step away, the distance between them was as far as heaven from earth. The fact that Ye Futian had been able to defeat saints as a sage was lore for the ages.
It was a pity that Xiao Sheng, the genius figure from Xiao Clan, had ended up as no more than a footnote in this legacy.
Undoubtedly, Ye Futian sensed the attention of the people. The boat continued moving downstream. His eyes focused on the Yaotai Enchanted Island in front; it was indeed a fairyland, beautiful beyond description.
Looking forward, one could see the stairs next to the lakeshore that lead up to the magnificent connected palaces. Further ahead lay the cultivation temple of Yaotai Divine Palace.
Each island was occupied by a palace.
A boat rushed past Ye Futian at an incredibly fast speed, causing ripples to spread across the calm lake. Ye Futian looked around and saw a lone boat overtaking his in an instant. Standing upon it was a figure clad in all black, showing a hint of coldness in his expression.
Ye Futian had encountered this figure yesterday. It was the young master of Shura Palace, Chu Xi.
Chu Xi continued forward as if he was not aware of Ye Futian's presence. Once he had passed Ye Futian, he went straight toward Yaotai Enchanted Island.
This scene had indeed attracted the attention of many.
Yesterday, Chu Xi had hovered outside the enchanted island where Ye Futian stayed. Everyone knew it. There seemed to be some invisible contention between the two.
After all, it was no secret that Chu Xi had once courted Yao Xi.
Ye Futian did not look at Chu Xi either. Instead, he directed his attention at the boat passing him. The boat seemed to slow down intentionally as if to wait for him. When Ye Futian's small boat caught up to it, the person on the other boat turned around to face him. He nodded with a smile, his appearance very diplomatic.
Ye Futian brought his hands forward and bowed slightly in greeting. "Ye Futian greets His Royal Highness."
The man he addressed was the Fifth Prince, Xia Lun.
Yesterday, Xia Lun had sent a message to the island where Ye Futian stayed, the meaning of which still eluded Ye Futian. Given Xia Lun's status, if he had thoughts about keeping Yao Xi for himself, he need not resort to such a method. Directly competing with Ye Futian would only make himself appear classless.
So, what exactly was Xia Lun's intention?
For the time being, he was still puzzled.
Although he knew that Emperor Xia had five sons, he did not understand the Fifth Prince.
Xia Lun was the first prince he had met.
Xia Lun smiled winsomely at Ye Futian and said, "Brother Ye, I'm afraid my sister won't like this trip you are taking."
Everyone around who heard Xia Lun's words looked surprised.
What did that even imply?
Was the Little Princess truly interested in Ye Futian?
If this was the case, Ye Futian already possessed an unparalleled talent. Coupled with this layer of relationship, it would be enough for him to summon all the forces within Emperor Xia's Realm. No wonder he dared to challenge the Xiao Clan head-on!
Perhaps Queen Xiao simply could not deny her baby girl.
Even so, this guy had still come to attend the Yaotai Divine Feast, which was kind of a shameless act.
Although Yao Xi was perfect, if a choice had to be made between her and Xia Qingyuan, most people would choose the crowning jewel of Emperor Xia's possession. After all, she was widely known as the future Renhuang.
Xia Qingyuan herself was truly beautiful, the daughter of the first beauty in Emperor Xia's Realm. How could her beauty be questioned?
Yao Xi had more womanly charm, but wouldn't a proud and untouchable noblewoman like the Little Princess be a more fulfilling conquest?
And even though such an expectation was a long shot, just imagine what would it be like if the Little Princess dressed in women's clothing of her own volition one day.
Moreover, the people also noticed that the Fifth Prince, Xia Lun, had addressed Ye Futian as "brother Ye," which paid Ye Futian more than enough respect.
After all, Ye Futian's title, for now, was nothing more than the princess's bodyguard. Of course, no one was stupid enough to still consider Ye Futian only as that. Would a bodyguard be able to force Xiao Sheng to his death?
When Ye Futian heard Xia Lun's words, he also revealed a look of surprise. As a prince, Xia Lun's words were a little too casual and carried a sense of ridicule. Still, it was surprisingly pleasing to the ears, as if the prince could get close to you in an instant.
"Surely His Royal Highness is joking. How could my attendance of Yaotai Divine Feast be a source of unhappiness to the Princess? Isn't Your Royal Highness here also?" Ye Futian responded. Xia Lun was the older brother of Xia Qingyuan, and he could joke with Ye Futian, but Ye Futian had to pay careful attention to the consequences.
Xia Lun smiled at Ye Futian with a profound smile. He continued, "It seems that there is someone even Qingyuan can't control."
Ye Futian couldn't figure out a way to respond. Xia Lun's speech seemed to be a bit too casual.
If only Xia Qingyuan knew, what would she think?
The two men sailed side by side in their boats. Surprisingly, there was no sense of competition between them. Ye Futian would not take the initiative to compete with the prince. Xia Lun did not seem to want that either.
It was the young master Chu Xi of Shura Palace who seemed to harbor that intention.
However, in the eyes of everyone else, no matter how exceptionally talented the young master of Shura Palace was, if he faced such genius as Ye Futian, he would probably be crushed.
If Ye Futian wanted to fight, except for His Royal Highness, no one would stand a chance against him.
After all, everyone had witnessed Yao Xi's behavior yesterday.
The boats docked at the shore. The passengers alighted one after another and walked up the steps to the Yaotai Divine Palace.
Both sides of steps leading to the Yaotai Divine Palace were lined with goddesses clad in pure white. They looked as if they had emerged out of the ether. The place appeared to be a true paradise.
Ye Futian had also stepped onto the road. As he moved forward with everyone else, he sometimes felt a look or two being cast his way.
On this trip so far, Xia Lun, the Fifth Prince, and Ye Futian had attracted the most attention.
The mighty group continued moving forward. All those who had qualified to be here were extremely outstanding figures.
The Yaotai Divine Palace had a platform set for a huge banquet. After the arrival of all the attendees, goddesses led everyone to their seats. Many found out that the seating arrangement had not been made at random, but had been done in a very deliberate manner.
The most outstanding figures had been seated at the front.
Ye Futian was naturally seated at the forefront of the Yaotai Divine Feast.
There was no one on the platform yet. The top figures of the older generation had not come to the Yaotai Divine Feast this time. In fact, they hadn't been invited, which sent a clear message that the feast had nothing to do with them.
Fine wines and delicacies were being offered up. The attendees chatted easily amongst themselves. But the important figures like the Holy Mother of the West and Yao Xi were no-shows so far, so the rest waited quietly.
"I had heard that Palace Lord Ye entered the Divine Path. Now that we met again, I salute Palace Lord Ye." Gu Mu of Jiutian Temple faced Ye Futian, toasting him. Beside him were several extraordinary persons who were all children of the master of Jiutian Temple. They, too, raised their glasses to Ye Futian to pay their respects.
"Thank you very much." Ye Futian raised his glass in return. Once upon a time, Gu Mu had accompanied Pei Qianying to Jiutian Temple. However, that little grudge no longer mattered to Ye Futian, who was now a saint.
"Unfortunately, there is no saint ranking in the Jiutian Temple. Otherwise, there would be a place for Palace Lord Ye." Mo Wen from Tianji Pavilion also laughed and raised a glass to Ye Futian. "I also salute Palace Lord Ye, who is now Saint Ye. "
Ye Futian took another drink and asked, "I heard that there was nothing that Tianji Pavilion doesn't know, so do you know who poisoned Xiao Sheng?"
"Surely Saint Ye jokes. Omniscience is dependent on the who and the what, so only God could be truly omnipotent. If Tianji Pavilion knew something that even the Little Princess could not detect, we would report personally to Emperor Xia's Palace," Mo Wen said with a smile.
Indeed, Tianji Pavilion did not know, but through certain clues, some conclusions could be drawn. Even if they knew, they would dare not speak of it.
The things that had already been entangled with that palace were not things they were able to participate in. No matter how well the Tianji Pavilion collected its information, it must respect the ultimate authority!