Chapter 842: An Extravagant Ceremony

Chapter 842: An Extravagant CeremonyAll manner of luxury transportation parked by the port: carriages drawn by genetic lifeforms, ornate to the extreme, studded with gold and jewels. Each carriage was more extravagant than the last, as though the guests were each trying to outshine the other.

There were all sorts of lifeforms being used as mounts, but they were uniformly at least superior-grade.

Guests dressed in traditional eastern and western attire came pouring out, businessmen and politicians all, each influential in their own right. Essentially everyone rich and famous was present, including the nouveau riche of the west.

After the king of the east Li Zongming took control of the western world, he stripped much of the wealthiest and most influential westerners of their land and riches, then distributed them to his supporters.

Suited attendants passed through the crowds of guests, passing them beverages and exquisite hors d'oeuvres.

A gigantic stage stood in the middle of the venue, a temporary construction that was nonetheless as ornate as a palace. Clearly, no expense had been spared for this occasion.

As beasts began to cry out and howl, an imposing authority spread through the sky as two great beasts made their presence known. Antlers shining in all the colors of the rainbow adorned their heads like crowns. Their aura pressed on the guests despite how far away they still were.

The lifeforms on the ground all lowered their bodies, as though paying respects to those above. They were the size of small cities, and the air shook as they passed through. Their scales glittered with such radiance that even the sun seemed to pale in comparison.

A halo of light shone above their heads. Nine pairs of wings kept them aloft, forming strong winds that buffeted the guests below. The lifeforms seemed to be staring at them with an air of disdainful arrogance.

"The stars of the show are here," a guest whispered.

The two beasts carried a lavish palace between them, resplendent in its wealth. Just a jewel studded on its outer walls was comparable to the total wealth that the average guest possessed.

As the disaster-grade beasts flapped their wings, radiant light shone through the sky, spreading out from them like stardust. They shone as brilliantly as the sun, their gigantic wings covering up the skies, their eyes piercing sun and moon, star and sky.

The two disaster-grade lifeforms landed on stage as the rainbow light they brought with them spread throughout the venue. The palace they carried between them radiated such light the guests had to shield their eyes. A black figure appeared from its doors.

The golden light materialized in the form of stairs. A long sheepskin carpet rolled down the steps, and a rain of flower petals floated down from the top of the palace.

The first people to step down from the palace were two black-clad bodyguards, one on either side of the stairs, followed by twenty to thirty aliens dressed in suits. They clasped their hands behind their backs, standing straight up. As the golden radiance dimmed, the figure of the eastern king, Li Zongming, came into view.

Thunderous applause filled the venue.

Li Zongming extended a hand behind him. "Let's go, Qianlin."

A woman of peerless beauty appeared behind him, graceful and lithe, as radiant as a chrysanthemum blooming in the summer heat, as lush as a pine tree whose branches unfurled in a spring breeze, as pure as a rising sun at dawn, as fresh as a lotus flower blooming amidst a patch of verdant green.

Her shoulders were narrow, her hips slender, her neck a graceful line that revealed her white, perfect skin. Her brows were fine and thin, her lips red and luscious, her teeth as white as ivory. Her eyes shone as bright as stars, and two dimples appeared on her face as she smiled.

She was graceful and reserved, warm and unassuming, gentle and carefree.

She dressed in the elegant attire of the east, with exquisite ornaments that magnified her beauty. Gold and silver hairpins studded her fine black hair, pearls radiant against her skin.

Her accessories and clothing only served to embellish her beauty.

She walked down the steps with practiced ease, giving off a fragrant scent that didn't lose out to the flowers around her, her beauty so picturesque that one could get drunk on it. On that day, no one could think of her as anything less than a heavenly maiden.

The nouveau riche of the west felt their hearts beating out of their chests. "She's too beautiful—I'm in love!"

"I heard that the princess of the east was a radiant beauty, but not to such an extent!"

"She has captured my heart..."

"I don't think I'll be able to avoid comparing any other woman to her now..."

"I'd give ten years of my life just for a touch of her hand!"

The eastern guests couldn't help but titter at their uneducated western counterparts. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NʘvᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

"You didn't attend our princess' wedding, did you? She was even more beautiful then, so much so that I'm having trouble expressing it in words. Even a celestial maiden wouldn't have been fit to do more than be one of her attendants."

The eastern guest who had spoken looked into the air, as if reminiscing about a dream.

A frown marred the appearance of a middle-aged western woman. "You must be exaggerating, surely?"

"No, certainly not. No one comes close to matching our princess' peerless beauty. The day of her wedding, our children were all struck down by an affliction: they fell in love at first sight, swearing never to marry any but her."

The nouveau riche of the west clenched their fists. "We'll work hard to be deserving of that princess!"

"Hah! Keep dreaming. She's already spoken for."

"What? By whom?!"

"You'd better keep your mouth shut. The groom snatched the princess away from the hands of the king himself."

"Wasn't the king incensed?"

"Surprisingly not. He's strong enough to win her hand, after all. He slaughtered his way through the western world and delivered the head of the western king to our king himself as her bride price. Even if the eastern king didn't want to recognize him, he had no choice—if the man could kill the king of the west, he could kill the king of the east, too."

The nouveau riche gulped: truly, he was no match for this groom.