Chapter 1077 - The Inner Area

“I, Chu Luo’er, from the Demon Sword Sect, greets Young Master Li.”

A slender woman in a long dress came to Li Mu and bowed, her eyes exuding extraordinary charm.

By then, half of the Sea Dragon Star Area heard that Li Mu from the Cloud Shadow Sky had entered the Yuan Ying Realm and became one of the best in the younger generation of the Cloud Shadow Sky. Of the Eight Great Young Masters in the Cloud Star Area, he was the first one to break through to the Yuan Ying Realm. He was the man of the time. It could be said that he was the center of attention on the occasion.

As an ordinary disciple, if Chu Luo’er wanted to rise to the top, a person like Li Mu could provide her the perfect opportunity.

If she became Li Mu’s Cultivational Partner, she would practically reach heavens at a single bound.

To her dismay, Li Mu only lightly nodded to her in response. His gaze wandered about as if he was looking for someone.

Seeing Li Mu’s expression, Chu Luo’er was a bit discouraged.

“Greetings, Young Master Li.”

“Young Master Li Mu, I heard that you have moved forward to the Yuan Ying Realm and become an important figure in the upper class of the Sea Dragon Star Area. Congratulations!”

“Young Master Li, how handsome and elegant you are! I wonder if you’re interested in participating in Nina’s fiancé selection this time. If you enter the competition, we people won’t have a chance.”

“…”

For a moment, Li Mu was in the limelight like the moon surrounded by stars.

“Well, well, well, that guy is really having his moment here.” Mu Xue curled her lips and clicked her tongue. “If they saw the famous Young Master Li serving tea for my master, they would probably be flabbergasted.”

“Hahaha…”

Mu Xue’s words instantly evoked laughter from Jiang Yanlan, Zhao Feng, and others. Even Zi Yan felt like laughing.

Li Mu was truly as humble as what Mu Xue said when he was with them.

He served drinks and offered many other services for them. He also tried his best to collect fine wine to win favor with Zhang Guangyou.

He did all that just to gain the opportunity to learn the Highest Clouds Sketch.

Many who appeared to be important and superior suffered when they were out of the limelight. That was probably Li Mu’s case. But Li Mu didn’t really suffer. His character was quite likable.

Seeing Li Mu being so successful and popular, the others in the group also laughed with emotion.

“What an interesting young man!” Zhang Guangyou said with a smile, “He must have prepared a lot of special wine for us this time.”

“Of course, he still wants to learn the Dragon Shadow from me,” Zhang Han said with a chuckle, “He’s a smart guy. In just a few days, he grasped that we were tired of those hypocritical tricks, so he began to try to move us with his sincere attitude. That’s why I say he is smart.”

“What matters most is that his character and integrity are quite good,” Zi Yan said and pressed her red lips.

They seemed to have become spectators. Under their gazes, Li Mu gloriously walked into the corridor of a sea of flowers and went into the inner court.

Only about seven people followed Li Mu in, while the others stayed here. It could be seen that not everyone was qualified to enter the inner area.

“Zhong An is here!”

The arrival of Li Mu from the Cloudy Shadow Sky Academy seemed to be the beginning of the arrival of the upper class.

Zhong An from the Silver-winged Hall came in with a cool face. He was dressed in black, his long hair worn in a long braid.

“Greetings, Hall Master Zhong,” said a woman.

“Hall Master Zhong, it’s been three years. I see you have been well.”

“Zhong An is here!”

“He is still very detached.”

“That’s his disposition. He is a man of action rather than words. He is very mature and steady. Otherwise, how could the chief of the Silver-winged Hall let Zhong An be a Hall Master? It is a lucrative position. It’s obvious that the chief wants to groom him.”

“…”

With the murmur’s discussions, Zhong An walked into the inner area with a poker face. What made everyone curious was that on the way, Zhong An only responded lukewarmly to the greetings of the crowd. But his eyes, like Li Mu’s, looked around several times, as though he was looking for someone.

“Could it be that a great figure is going to come today? Otherwise, why did they look around like this?”

Some people with keen senses were surprised and bewildered.

“The Dawa Alliance’s Wu Qing is also here.”

“Didn’t they say Wu Qing had gone to another Star Area? Why did he come back? I remember that the other day he had a dispute with Prince Hu Cheng of the Tiger Talisman Royal Family. He got furious and half-crippled Hu Cheng, causing his cultivation to go wasted. The Tiger Talisman Royal Family was enraged. The Dawa Alliance then compensated them with a ton of cultivation resources. In addition, Wu Qing escaped to another Star Area and disappeared without a trace. That’s how the heat of that incident subsided. But now, he’s back now. Is this some sort of sign? Or does this mean the Dawa Alliance no longer fears the Tiger Talisman Royal Family?”

“Since he dares to show up here, he must have come prepared. Five years ago, Wu Qing’s cultivation was at the Peak-Stage of the Elixir Realm, not far from the Yuan Ying Realm. Now five years have passed. He should have made the breakthrough, don’t you think so?”

“Not necessarily. Not everyone can easily break through to the Yuan Ying Realm.”

“If he isn’t in the Yuan Ying Realm, how could he dare to come here?”

The majority of people present did not go to greet Wu Qiang for fear of getting themselves in trouble. These days, the Tiger Talisman Royal Family was very sensitive. Although there were many forces that could contend against or even overpower the Tiger Talisman Royal Family, it was still an existence that most of the forces in the Sea Dragon Star Area had to look up to.

Had the case not been like this, how could the King of Elves decide to marry the prettiest Seventh Princess into a foreign clan?

“The members of the Tiger Talisman Royal Family have arrived!”

In an instant, the whole field was in an uproar.

“Can’t believe it’s Hu Yuan who leads the team!”

“It is said that Hu Yuan was already one of the top Yuan Ying Realm Middle-Stage cultivators 50 years ago. His strength is extremely terrifying, and he’s been held in awe by many. There are few cultivators like him in the Tiger Talisman Royal Family. Apart from cultivating, he is also a mechanic. His means are numerous. He had conquered large pieces of land for the Tiger Talisman Royal Family, and he is also a big shot in his family. Nina’s Coming of Age Ceremony is definitely not a grand enough occasion for him to attend. But as he has come, well… it seemed that the Tiger Talisman Royal Family is going to take action.”

“Prince Hu Qi is also here.”

“He seems to be at the Elixir Realm Peak-Stage, isn’t he? In the Sea Central Star Area, he is a well-known playboy. He has slept with more than 100 royal women and Saintly Women. Do you remember that scandal about Hu Qi and his women? Those videos disclosed provided a feast for many’s eyes. Who would have thought that some of those seemingly unapproachable Saintly Women could be so slutty in bed, hahaha…”

“Since Prince Hu Qi has come, his target must be Princess Nina. She is the most beautiful Elemental Elf Princess. Moreover, if one is paired with an Elemental Elf, it will be extremely beneficial to one’s cultivation. Hu Qi will definitely not miss this opportunity.”

“That’s right. If he succeeds, he’ll get lucky.”

“…”

Hu Yuan was a beefy man with a big head and a thick neck. He was 2.5 meters tall. His arm was almost as thick as the waist of many people present. His bulging muscles constantly advocated his horrible strength.

The most eye-catching thing about him was the necklace he was wearing, which was as thick as an ordinary person’s arm and silvery-white in color. The pendant was a round disk. When those from powerful forces saw it, their eyes narrowed slightly.

The necklace Hu Yuan was wearing was a Space Treasure, which housed the mechanical troops he commanded in battle.

Usually, he wouldn’t wear it in public. But today, he did. This gave the others the feeling that something unpleasant might happen during this Coming of Age Ceremony.

“If he wasn’t prepared to fight, why would he have worn this thing?

“He must be prepared.”

“I guess the Tiger Talisman Royal Family urgently wants to establish its prestige,” someone speculated.

Because of the pressure Hu Yuan emitted, no one dared to go over and greet them. Everyone just watched the 20 or so people walk along the corridor to the inner area.

“The people of the Dark Shadow Alliance are also here.”

“If I’m not mistaken, the person who just came in is Hua Nuo?”

“…”

Many important figures came in one after another, which caused a series of sensations among the people present.

When Zhang Han and his group arrived, it was still early, so there were only about 1,500 people present. Then, the number of guests kept increasing. Thankfully, the square was quite large. Three hours later, the number of guests actually reached 10,000.

Many elves weaved through the crowds to replenish food and drinks at each table.

During this time, Yue Xiaonao chatted with an elf for a while and shockingly found that there were eight such outer areas.

Every outer area accommodated more than 10,000 people. The total number of guests in the eight outer areas was nearly 100,000.

The scale of the party astonished Liu Qingfeng, Lei Tiannan, and others.

It was the first time they had seen such a huge banquet.

“I don’t think we’ve met before. May I know which force do you belong to?”

A woman in cyan came over. She passed through the soundproof cover and walked to the group. Then, she cast her eyes over everyone present and smiled. “I’m Chu Luo’er from the Demon Sword Sect. I saw Mo Wen greet all of you earlier and I got curious, so I took the liberty to come and say hi.”

After she finished speaking, there was an awkward silence.

Neither Liu Qingfeng nor the bold Mu Xue cared to respond to her words.

When outsiders came to hail them, they actually didn’t talk much.

“We don’t belong to any force.”

Chen Chuan, who had good manners, waved at her and said, “You can go mind your own business. We already have enough food here.”

Chu Luo’er was perplexed.

“He is shooing me away right after I said hi?”

“Hee-hee.”

Mengmeng couldn’t help sniggering.

Chen Chuan only focused on eating. When he saw the awkwardness, he kindly said something to break the silence. Yet, what he said made the other party feel even worse.

“Girl,” Deep Flame smiled and said, “Didn’t your seniors tell you not to casually greet strangers when you’re out of your sect?”

“Senior, excuse me, my elders told me that I should make more friends when I’m outside. I am Deputy Manager in charge of purchasing and selling resources in the Demon Sword Sect,” said Chu Luo’er gently.

Hearing this remark, they immediately cottoned on.

“So she is in charge of the resources deals. She is basically playing the role of a social butterfly to promote the deals.”

“We’re not in any force. Girl, please go back,” Zhang Mu said.

This caused Chu Luo’er’s smile to stiffen slightly.

“Our Demon Sword Sect is, after all, a second-rate force in the Sea Dragon Star Area. Yet, they didn’t show us any bit of due respect. How could that be?”

“We are all guests on the outer area. I’m still very glad to meet you.”

With that, Chu Luo’er beamed and turned around to leave.

The implication was that since they were also sitting in the outer area, why did they pretend to be big shots?

“Who said that?”

Chen Chuan also understood her double meaning. He put down the snacks and said seriously, “We’re going to eat the delicious food inside later.”

“You’re going to the inner area?”

Chu Luo’er was slightly stunned. She turned around and glanced about. With a charming smile, she said, “Little boy, it’s not so easy to enter the inner area. You should be the core members of second-rate or higher-ranked forces. If some who are not qualified to go in there, it will upset some important people. If they are upset…”

She didn’t go on. Her meaningful eyes were already expressing her thought.

“I know a lot of people here. If you need anything…”

“Get lost.”

Zhang Han raised his eyebrows slightly. His patience had run out.

“How dare you!”

Chu Luo’er’s expression slightly changed. She glared at Zhang Han. However, in the end, for fear of causing trouble on such a grand occasion, she didn’t say anything and took off.

“Hahaha, Master, you are too straightforward.” Mu Xue laughed at once.

Zi Yan shook her head slightly and said nothing.

That woman was being rude by suddenly disturbing them. Her errors were judging others based on her own situation and speaking sarcastically. Zhang Han and the others certainly would not tolerate her.

“Never knew there would also be this kind of person in the Sea Dragon Star Area,” Liu Jiaran said in bewilderment.

“I didn’t know, either. It’s the first time I’ve seen someone like that here.” Ah Hu scratched his head and remarked, “Back on the Lost Continent, we never encountered such a situation. During the trial, I felt that it was just the tip of the iceberg of the Cultivation World. Now I feel it’s similar to society.”

“This kind of banquet is common in the Cultivation World,” Zhang Han said, “but such a quirky woman is still rare.”

“Daddy, when will the Coming of Age Ceremony start?” Mengmeng asked under her breath.

After sitting there for so long, there was still no sign of the Coming of Age Ceremony. She was getting bored of waiting.

As soon as he finished speaking, Irene, the female elf who had been guarding the gate before, came out of the inner area.

She looked around and declared in a loud voice, “Seventh Princess’s Coming of Age Ceremony will start in two hours. Please wait patiently.”

It was just a reminder, which did not affect the mood of the people present for chatting.

After saying that, Irene looked at Zhang Han with meaningful eyes. There was even a hint of derision in her eyes.

She seemed to be telling Zhang Han, “You guys have managed to get in, but you only dare to hide in the corner of the outer area?”

“Let’s go to the inner area,” Yue Wuwei said.

“Sure.”

Zhang Han nodded.

It was time for the show to begin.

If they still didn’t show up, the pressure on Nina would be multiplied.

Thus, they got up one after another and walked toward the corridor in the center.

This attracted a lot of attention in an instant.

“What are they gonna do?

“Entering the inner area?

“If they’re qualified to go into the inner area, why have they lowered themselves to sitting in the outer area for such a long time?”

“Humph, they’re just putting on an act.”

Chu Luo’er, who had been cold-shouldered earlier, revealed a look of contempt.

She was good-looking and relatively virtuous. She had hoped to marry a big shot so that she would not have to work hard for cultivation resources anymore. This way, she would be able to squander the resources unscrupulously and buy a lot of gorgeous luxury goods that were useless to improve her combat capability.

However, despite her years of effort, she had not been able to get what she wanted.

At this time, seeing them walking toward the inner out, part of her felt offended and provoked.

“What right do you have to go in?”

She very much looked forward to seeing these people being rejected outside the door. That scene would definitely be beautiful.

Unfortunately, some things were bound to be disappointing.

Yue Wuwei reminded the others, “If we go in with our true appearances, the atmosphere would be tense since the beginning of the Coming of Age Ceremony. There could even be a big battle. How about we change our appearances and wait for Nina’s Coming of Age Ceremony to end before showing who we are?”

While speaking, Yue Wuwei glanced at Mengmeng.

Yue Wuwei was never interested in other people’s business, but he cared a lot about Mengmeng’s mood.

Because Mengmeng was the Heavenly Lord, and he was the Heavenly Butler.

To put it bluntly, the Saint Warrior Planet no longer had much to do with his master. It was Mengmeng’s property now. As the butler of the Saint Warrior Planet, he was also Mengmeng’s butler. He knew this was the design of his master from the very beginning.

He also understood that this design was quite thoughtful.

“Okay.”

Zhang Guangyou nodded. “We can wait until the critical moment to take action.”

“Yes.” Mengmeng echoed, “Let Nina have her Coming of Age Ceremony first. It’s very important to every Elemental Elf, isn’t it? Then, we’ll take her away when she proceeds to pick her fiancé. I’ve told Nina about it and said she could rest assured.”

“Mengmeng, regarding the business of your friend, you call all the shots. Today, we are all your subordinates.” Zhang Han laughed out loud.

“Hee-hee, that’s not true.”

Zhang Han was the one who knew Mengmeng best. His few words made Mengmeng burst into laughter.

But before her smile had yet faded, Irene, the female elf in the front said coldly, “Where do you want to go?”

“Do I need your permission?”

Zhang Han took the lead and walked forward.

“Thump!”

His steps suddenly carried a kind of mysterious rhythm.

“Thump! Thump!”

Irene suddenly found that her heartbeat had synchronized with Zhang Hanyang’s steps.

“Thump! Thump!”

“Thump! Thump!”

One step, two steps, three steps…

With every step of Zhang Han, Irene sensed an exceptional aura from him.

When Zhang Han took the third step, the surrounding environment seemed to have sunk into darkness.

“Hiss!”

“What, what’s wrong with me?”

Irene’s expression changed radically, shock filling her eyes. She wanted to summon her spiritual force to resist, but she couldn’t.

Her entire body was no longer under her control.

“Thump! Thump!”

When Zhang Han took the fifth step, she felt that the surroundings turned into a light blue color, as if endless blue flames were burning.

“Thump! Thump!”

Upon the sixth step, all the people around Zhang Han disappeared. His figure was enlarged several times. His eyes became ferocious. His face was getting more and more surreal. His figure was partly hidden and partly visible as if there were invisible flames blazing around him.

“How can this be?”

Irene instantly got into a panic.

“Thump! Thump!”

Upon the seventh step—

“Swish!”

The absurd vision altered without warning.

The man in front of Irene suddenly burst into faint black flames. His eyes were scarlet, and his body was a thousand feet tall. In front of him, she was as small as a grain of sand.

When she looked up, she saw that the blood-colored eyes contained ice-coldness and an endless evil spirit. The pressure was almost suffocating.

“Rumble!”

The whole world seemed to have exploded.

It suddenly twisted and deformed.

“Whoosh!”

The clamor in the surroundings entered Irene’s ears again, but she took no notice of it.

She felt she was kind of traumatized. Her countenance was pale while her body was limp and shaky. If she hadn’t gritted her teeth to hold on, she would have collapsed to the ground.

“It’s an illusion!

“The top-tier kind!

“In that illusion, I saw him crush my soul!

“Good heavens!

“Who is he on earth?”

Zhang Han took the lead and walked to Irene. He looked her squarely in the eye and asked slowly, “Can we go in?”

“Of, of course, I’m sorry.” Irene was tense. Her words were incoherent. In the end, her flustered face dissolved into a look of shame.

Such a mighty cultivator was not someone she could provoke.

Just like this, Zhang Han and the others entered the corridor without being stopped.

Irene’s garments were soaked in a cold sweat. She bowed slightly toward them as they walked away.

She still had a lingering fear.

“Looks like… many people have underestimated Zhang Hanyang. He is absolutely, absolutely a magnate among those in the Yuan Ying Realm!”

Irene heaved a long sigh.

She felt that today’s matter might not develop in the way she had imagined.

“Will there be a fierce battle among the mighty?”

She touched her forehead and found that her fingers were stained with sweat.

“Yes, there will,” she muttered with certainty.

At a table not far away.

“Clang!”

A crystal goblet fell onto the table, spilling wine everywhere.

Chu Luo’er, however, paid no attention to it. She just gawked with her mouth agape at the scene ahead of her.

“They really went in?”

“I, I…”

One could not judge a book by its cover. A strolling old man on the side of the street might have a fortune worth tens of millions. A sharply dressed man might also turn out to be in debt.

At that moment, Chu Luo’er suddenly became worried. If she offended an important figure, with a single remark, that important figure could sometimes place her in a difficult situation.

In the business of trading resources, connections meant everything. She could not afford to tread on any important figure’s toes.

But she didn’t know that, to those important figures, sometimes, the provocation of an ant was just a joke.