Chapter 307

Chapter 307: A New Wave of Trouble

Since Fang Lie decided to attend the Grand Banquet by the Sea and Sky, he naturally needed to prepare well. In addition to bringing his personal maid, Little Peach Red, and Mi Qing, he also called upon the Seven Dragon True Immortals to join him.

Because Qingyu Island was building a large Formation, which involved many secrets, they were not suitable to stay there, so they usually resided on their own Seventh Dragon Island.

However, upon receiving a letter from Fang Lie, they rushed over immediately, and the group then set off on the Crystal Palace treasure ship.

Bringing the Seven Dragon True Immortals was a necessary decision.

Fang Lie had many enemies, even more than his father, and many of them were second generation immortals.

These true second generation immortals had powerful guardians with them, usually Fire Tribulation Immortals.

If they encountered each other at the Grand Banquet, there was no telling whether they would insult or even kill Fang Lie.

After all, the Penglai Sword Sect, as the organizer, could not truly take action against them; they could only mediate at most. Even if there were fatalities, they could simply retract the invitations and not allow those individuals to participate.

However, for those second generation immortals, not attending such events was not a big deal; it wouldn’t cost them anything.

In this situation, the Grand Banquet also posed a certain level of danger, with arguments nearly always occurring, and there had even been fatalities in the past.

So, Fang Lie decided to follow others’ examples and brought the Seven Dragon True Immortals as bodyguards.

Individually, the seven of them were surely not as strong as the Fire Tribulation Immortals from the major sects, but when united, along with the newly acquired seventh-rank formation flags, they were enough to hold their ground, at least not to be at a disadvantage.

After several dozen days, Fang Lie and his companions arrived at Penglai Immortal City.

At the dock, there was a huge colorful pavilion, specially set up for receiving guests, towering a thousand feet high and stretching for miles, built with high-quality materials and adorned with hundreds of thousands of pearls that shone brilliantly in the daytime.

Occasionally, people would come out to welcome the arriving VIPs.

However, when Fang Lie and his group arrived, they did not attract much attention.

It was inevitable; the Crystal Palace they rode was simply too shabby, being just a Sixth-Rank treasure ship.

Among scattered cultivators, the Crystal Palace could boast a bit, but in the eyes of second generation immortals, it was nothing but trash; only Seventh-Rank treasure ships were considered acceptable, and Eighth-Rank treasure ships were truly impressive.

However, when Mi Qing presented their invitation and infused a bit of Magic, the other party quickly responded, and a grand team of several hundred people came to greet them.

The main body of this team consisted of three hundred clam women, each a formed demon that had trained for hundreds of years; although their combat strength was quite weak, they were stunningly beautiful.

Dressed in vibrant attire, they played various musical instruments, making the welcoming team quite luxurious.

As for the leader of the group, he appeared to be a young cultivator. He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, exuding grace and charm, and with a subtle yet sharp Sword Energy around him, he looked extraordinarily heroic.

Mi Qing glanced at him and instantly whispered in Fang Lie’s ear, "This person is called Li Jingyun, an Inner Elite Disciple of the Penglai Sword Sect. His cultivation has reached the Purple Palace level, and it is said that his Golden Pool Qi Sea exceeds seven hundred miles, possessing the qualifications to challenge a Fire Tribulation Immortal; he is quite a prominent figure in the Penglai Sword Sect."

Fang Lie nodded to show he understood.

When Li Jingyun arrived with the welcoming team, he clasped his hands and smiled, saying, "You must be Master Fang Lie, the Great Pill Master from the Mo Sect? It is a pleasure to finally meet you!"

Although Fang Lie was of lower status, Li Jingyun had strong backing, and being a Great Pill Master elevated his position even more. Additionally, as a guest, Li Jingyun treated him with great courtesy.

Fang Lie also clasped his hands in return, saying, "I am Fang Lie from the Mo Sect, honored to meet you, Senior!"

"Ha ha, I wouldn’t dare to consider myself a senior~" Li Jingyun quickly replied, "I am Li Jingyun, the Steward specifically assigned to host you. You may call me Steward Li!"

"In that case, I will trouble Steward Li!" Fang Lie nodded in acknowledgment.

"Ha ha, no trouble at all~" Li Jingyun said, then turned to Mi Qing and asked, "Mi Qing, why are you with Master Fang?"

"I am now the young master’s personal maid~" Mi Qing replied earnestly.

Li Jingyun’s face instantly turned dull when he heard this. He couldn’t help but say, "You, you must be joking, right?"

"Not at all, it’s absolutely true!" Mi Qing said as she reached out to hold Fang Lie’s arm, showing her affection.

Li Jingyun felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his face filled with bitterness and despair; he gazed at Mi Qing in a daze, speechless.

Even if Fang Lie were wooden, he could tell that Li Jingyun had feelings for Mi Qing. He couldn’t help but quietly ask Mi Qing, "What is going on?"

"Alas~" Mi Qing sighed, communicating softly, "You mustn’t misunderstand, though he has feelings for me, I have never agreed to anything. Well, how should I put it? I am someone with pride; why would I settle for a scoundrel who is even worse than I am? He is merely one-sidedly infatuated."

Fang Lie finally understood the whole story and couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Li Jingyun.

Mi Qing was exceptionally talented, from a good family, and possessed an incredibly beautiful appearance, making her the target of countless admirers. However, sadly, hardly anyone could catch her eye.

Now that she was with Fang Lie, he naturally wouldn’t allow anyone else to get close, so he cleared his throat twice and said, "Li Jingyun, can we leave now?"

"Ah~" Li Jingyun finally woke from his daze, realizing he had lost his composure, and quickly said, "Yes, please follow me!"

With that, he led the way, while Fang Lie and the others slowly followed behind.

As they walked, Fang Lie looked around and noticed there were indeed quite a few people responsible for welcoming guests, numbering in the thousands.

Many guests had arrived, with two or three waves just in a short time.

Among them was a group that had arrived in a gigantic white bone flying pavilion.

The white bone flying pavilion was hundreds of meters in size, crafted from the skull of a giant beast, which alone measured over two hundred meters. It emitted an extremely terrifying aura, at least that of a Great Demon that had lived for tens of thousands of years, and its combat power was definitely not lower than that of the Thunder Tribulation Immortal!

Clearly, this was an Eighth-rank large magical tool flying pavilion. From the white bone insignia above, it should belong to the White Bone Sect among the top ten demonic sects.

While Fang Lie carefully observed the large flying pavilion, he was unaware that Li Jingyun was undergoing a fierce internal struggle.

Just after leading Fang Lie forward, Li Jingyun’s sect communication magical tool rang out with an elderly voice, "Jingyun, help me with a favor, consider it a debt of gratitude. Take Fang Lie to passage A-3; the True Young Master of the White Bone Sect has arrived, and it’s a great chance for them to meet!"

Li Jingyun was astonished upon hearing this.

It is well known that the Grand Banquet by the Sea and Sky was held to gather wealth, and the Penglai Sword Sect naturally wished to maintain harmony, not wanting conflicts among guests.

To avoid confrontations between the righteous and demonic paths, the Penglai Sword Sect had set up multiple pathways in this welcoming tent. Each pathway was designated for different sects, especially those with feuds.

Their sole purpose was to prevent rivaling factions from meeting, as it would be difficult to handle if a fight broke out.

However, the instructions Li Jingyun received completely contradicted his sect’s intentions.

The White Bone Sect was part of the demonic sect, and it was in direct opposition to the Righteous Sect like the Mo Sect.

He had also heard that the True Young Master’s temperament was notoriously fierce, especially against the Mo Sect, where if they met, the chances of a fight were extremely high!

More importantly, the highest cultivation level on Fang Lie’s side was merely that of a few Thunder Tribulation Immortals, while the True Young Master of the White Bone Sect was a direct descendant of a great family within the sect. This family had three Thunder Tribulation Immortals, plus countless relatives, so they could summon ten Thunder Tribulation Immortals if needed.

In that case, the True Young Master’s bodyguards were bound to be incredibly powerful, at least late-stage Fire Tribulation experts.

If a conflict arose between him and Fang Lie, it would most likely spell disaster for Fang Lie.

Li Jingyun knew that the elder who had given him these instructions bore a deep grudge against Fang Lie.

In the past, Fang Lie had been wanted by the Four Seas Alliance, only to enact a heroic scene of slaying thousands. During that massacre, a disciple from the Penglai Sword Sect had fallen victim to Fang Lie’s greed and had died at his hands.

His grandfather was a Thunder Tribulation Immortal of the Penglai Sword Sect. For various reasons, he did not dare to confront Fang Lie openly, and now he was in charge of welcoming guests, hence coming up with such a scheme to harm him indirectly.

At this moment, Li Jingyun felt very conflicted; he could easily ignore the elder’s instructions, as this was against the rules and he wasn’t afraid of the other’s pressure.

However, Li Jingyun was filled with resentment towards Fang Lie, who was merely an inexperienced scoundrel. By sheer luck, he had achieved his current reputation, and that would have been fine, but he had also shamelessly sought after his beloved goddess!

Just thinking about how a pure and flawless goddess like Mi Qing could be trampled and ruined by Fang Lie, a one-eyed monster with wings, made Li Jingyun’s heart ache like being cut by a knife.

Therefore, he ultimately resolved to lead Fang Lie and the others into the A-3 passage as instructed by the elder.

At that moment, the Banshee’s ceremonial procession had already dispersed, leaving only Fang Lie’s group and Li Jingyun behind. As they flew into the exclusive passage, they encountered three individuals who had just entered.

Sensing movement behind them, the three immediately became alert and turned to check.

Among the three was a young man in a white robe, with a pale face and deeply sunken eyes, showing signs of excess drinking and revelry; even now, he carried a strong smell of alcohol and looked somewhat dazed.

He gazed with blurry eyes at Fang Lie and the others, and upon recognizing the Mo Sect insignia on their robes, he immediately revealed a look of disgust. "What, are there still Mo Sect scoundrels appearing here? Who are they?"