Chapter 441: Entry
And at that moment, Song Yubing finally understood. The only reason Jiang Tao had sought her out earlier was to get her spot and hand it over to the man in white!
The man in white had likely approached Jiang Tao long ago.
It was just that back then, Jiang Tao hadn't been willing to simply hand over his spot.
That was why he had come to intercept Song Yubing—to find out what level of expert she had transferred her spot to.
But when he discovered that Chi Ming's strength had reached the Divine Might Realm, he was completely crushed, and his fighting spirit vanished.
In the face of a Great Power of the Divine Might Realm, a young prodigy like him was nothing but cannon fodder, unable to withstand a single blow.
He had originally hoped to make a name for himself at the Peach Blossom Banquet. 'Now I realize I'm just a clown!'
'What's the point of even attending this Peach Blossom Banquet? I'd just be a stepping stone for the successors of the great powers!'
Jiang Tao completely lost his will to fight and transferred his spot to Bai Yujie.
But of course, he wouldn't give it up for free. Gritting his teeth, he said, "You said you could definitely take first place! When you do, I get my pick of the rewards!"
Having gotten the spot for the Peach Blossom Banquet as he'd wished, Bai Yujie smiled faintly. "I always keep my promises."
"By the way, I hear you want to get that Purple Jade Hairpin?" he asked, looking at Song Yubing with a mocking glint in his eyes.
"Did those bastards from the Song family tell you?" Song Yubing's expression faltered. She had a very poor impression of the man in white, and her tone grew cold.
"I don't know what's so special about that Purple Jade Hairpin..."
"But with me here, do you really think you have any chance of getting it?"
The man in white didn't answer her question, continuing as if talking to himself.
But his indifferent words made Song Yubing's heart clench.
"Song Yubing, don't say I didn't warn you."
Jiang Tao spoke up as well, his expression complicated. "If you don't want anything to happen to your master, you'd best stop being so stubborn."
"What did you say?"
Song Yubing trembled. "What happened to my master?"
"He's been 'invited' as a guest by the Song family," Jiang Tao said grimly. "I don't want to see Elder Shi Juechen constrained by them either, but as long as you continue to oppose the Song family, they will eventually use him as a hostage against you."
"Can you really bear to watch Elder Shi Juechen suffer?"
"The Song family... They've gone too far!"
Song Yubing's mind was in turmoil. Her face was pale, and she felt completely lost.
'No wonder I suddenly couldn't contact my master.'
'Who would have thought that the Song family, one of the Four Great Families of Dongxuan Province, would resort to such dirty tricks!'
"Opposing the Song family will only bring you suffering."
"Besides, even if you keep insisting, what are your chances of winning?"
Seeing the vacant look in Song Yubing's eyes, Jiang Tao couldn't be bothered to say more. "I've said what I needed to. The rest is up to you."
Jiang Tao turned and left without another word.
Only Bai Yujie remained, standing in place with an air of casual indifference.
Just yesterday, he had been severely wounded by a single strike from Ye Chen, yet after only one night, he had already recovered to his Peak state. There wasn't the slightest sign of injury on him.
"I had no intention of targeting insignificant characters like you. I wasn't even planning to accept the Song family's offer of cooperation."
"Unfortunately for you, that bastard Li Jianyin just had to stand up for you and make an enemy of me."
Bai Yujie's eyes turned dark, his voice chilling. "If you run into me at the Peach Blossom Banquet, I hope you don't surrender without a fight."
With that, his figure gradually faded from before Chi Ming and the others, leaving only his contemptuous words to echo through the air.
"That bastard..."
Song Yubing clenched her fists, her heart filled with despair.
With so many obstacles in her way, it seemed impossible that she would be able to retrieve her mother's keepsake at this Peach Blossom Banquet.
The Realm Spirit seemed to sense Song Yubing's frustration and worry. She couldn't help but say, "Don't worry. The Master won't just stand by and do nothing."
"With him here, he will absolutely keep his promise to you."
Hearing this, Song Yubing was taken aback. She seemed to be inspired by the conviction in the Realm Spirit's voice, and her own spirits lifted slightly.
"You're right. With Ye Chen here, there's no crisis we can't overcome!"
...
The Peach Blossom Banquet was to be held in a plaza at the center of Dongxuan City.
The plaza was already vast, measuring three thousand meters across and capable of holding tens of thousands of Cultivators.
But compared to the magnificent sea of people, a mere three thousand meters was clearly not enough.
To accommodate them, Zhong Luoxun, the City Lord of Dongxuan City, personally laid down a spatial Forbidden Array, expanding the space around the plaza.
At first glance, it seemed to be only three thousand meters across, but once inside, one would discover the space actually stretched for over ten thousand meters, far larger than it appeared!
Only a space this large could accommodate the endless tide of people.
As time passed, Cultivators from all over Dongxuan City gathered, packing the entire plaza until it was impassable.
Yet even with such a massive crowd, whenever a major power made their entrance, the people would consciously part to form a path, not daring to stand in their way.
Soon, the Four Great Families, who stood at the apex of the Dongxuan Province Cultivation Realm, had all arrived.
Each family was personally led by its Patriarch!
Countless gazes converged on them, filled with deep reverence and awe.
After all, great figures on the level of the Patriarchs of the Four Great Families were not people one could hope to see on a normal day.
Ordinary Cultivators had only ever seen the Patriarchs in ancient texts or illusory recordings.
In their eyes, the Four Great Families of Dongxuan Province were like towering, unattainable Divine Mountains standing at the province's summit—something they could only gaze up at, but never reach.
But immediately after, an even greater uproar spread through the crowd. Countless gazes were drawn away, a reaction far more fervent than even the one for the arrival of the Four Great Families.
The members of the Four Great Families naturally noticed this as well.
But they weren't surprised in the slightest. On the contrary, even their own faces showed a flicker of respect.
It was because the ones now entering were the people from the Dongxuan Prefecture!
If the Four Great Families were the towering mountains at the apex of the Dongxuan Province Cultivation Realm, then the Dongxuan Prefecture was the single greatest power standing on that mountain's summit, bar none.
According to rumor, the cultivation of the Prefecture Head had long since reached an unfathomably profound level.
If not for his official duties and the fact he couldn't find a suitable successor, he likely would have left Dongxuan Province long ago to seek a higher path in the Central Province.
Soon, under the leadership of the Prefecture Head, Li Yu, the upper echelons of the Dongxuan Prefecture appeared.