The person arriving was none other than Wang Chen, City Lord of Xiaoyao City.
After Great Yi had swept through the Ten Thousand Beasts Royal Court and annexed all of Yizhou into its territory, Xiaoyao City could no longer remain aloof. With no other options, joining the Great Yi Dynasty became the only path.
Upon becoming part of Great Yi, Wang Chen's former title of Xiaoyao King naturally became a thing of the past. In the hierarchy of the dynasty, continuing to call himself by such a name would undermine the authority of other top officials. As such, he had reverted to being simply the City Lord of Xiaoyao. Of course, the benefits that came with this new position were beyond anything he could have imagined before.
Wang Chen had visited Xuanhuang City once before, to select cultivation techniques from the Scripture Pavilion. At that time, he had also wandered around the city a bit. However, this time, he could clearly sense that the city had undergone even more changes. He couldn't help but marvel at the astonishing speed of transformation in Great Yi.
The phrase "changing with each passing day" was no longer adequate to describe Great Yi.
Even his own Xiaoyao City had undergone earth-shaking changes—transformations beyond his prior imagination.
Moreover, within the Great Yi Dynasty, Wang Chen truly felt what it was like to live in a world of human civilization. Day or night, the lights never dimmed—a true land where the sun never sets. Then there was the Star Network, a dreamlike existence that made Wang Chen feel as though he had returned to a modern society—except far more advanced. It was like living in a dream.
"Come, let me show you around the city. Soon the Xianzhen Banquet will begin. This time, family members are allowed to attend, so we'll get to personally experience just how incredible the banquet of Great Yi truly is."
Smiling, Wang Chen took the jade-like hand of the woman beside him and walked into the crowd.
If there was one downside to being in Great Yi, it was that he could no longer openly gather beautiful women for dual cultivation as he had before. Because of his past actions, he had already been warned once by the Six Doors Division, and since then, he hadn't dared to repeat such behavior. Truth be told, deep down, he still had the mentality of a lowly man.
That night, silence quietly fell.
Above Xuanhuang City, brilliant fireworks lit up the sky.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
This dazzling scene could be seen in nearly every immortal city across Great Yi's territory.
Countless brilliant fireworks bloomed in the night sky. Many of them formed all kinds of stunning images: celestial maidens flying, golden monkeys holding moons, blossoming flowers, trees of fire and silver, and more—turning the night into eternal day. The radiant colors and enchanting scenes filled the air with a festive spirit.
Inside the imperial palace, in the Imperial Garden—an area transformed from the former Old Summer Palace—the banquet was not held in a waterside pavilion like last time, but rather in a garden filled with artificial mountains.
Upon closer inspection, each of these mountains was lifelike, vividly resembling famous mountains from the real world in miniature form. Scattered across them were numerous pavilions—on summits, mid-slopes, or at the foot of the hills—each harmoniously integrated with the surrounding landscape.
This garden was known as "Ten Thousand Great Mountains".
Inside the pavilions, every seat was taken. Tables were laid out with delicacies of the mountains and seas, fine wines, and dishes that dazzled the eyes and overwhelmed the senses with their fragrance and presentation. Glimmering spirit fruits adorned the table, and the food shimmered with divine radiance.
Gathered were mostly the City Lords of the various immortal cities of Great Yi.
Compared to the first Xianzhen Banquet, the number of attendees had increased dramatically—far more city lords, many of them newly appointed.
Not only were the city lords present, but also many of Great Yi's officials. The entire upper echelon of the dynasty had gathered in one place.
Even the family members of the officials had come. This was both a national banquet and a family gathering.
A large number of palace maids flitted between the pavilions like butterflies among flowers—another captivating sight.
Joy lit up every face.
Without realizing it, it was time for the banquet to begin.
"His Majesty has arrived!!"
With a sharp cry echoing through the garden, everyone immediately stood up and looked toward the center.
At the heart of the Ten Thousand Mountains stood the grandest artificial mountain, and atop it, the largest pavilion, which was more like a grand mobile palace. A round jade table there was already filled with food and drink.
Yi Tianxing, along with Cai Yan and his other consorts, entered.
"Long live the Emperor! May His Majesty live for ten thousand years!"
"Greetings to the Empress and the Imperial Consorts!"
Everyone stood, bowing respectfully to Yi Tianxing and the women.
"All of you, please rise."
Yi Tianxing nodded with a smile.
Looking around at the crowd—clearly much larger than at the last banquet—he couldn't help but smile. The more people, the better; it symbolized the growing prosperity of the Great Yi Dynasty.
Just as he was about to declare the feast open—
Suddenly, a strange cry echoed from the sky.
Yoo-yoo!!
"A bird! A huge bird!"
"It really is a giant bird… but why does it look familiar?"
"Its wingspan must be wider than an immortal city!"
Everyone turned their eyes toward the sound.
A giant bird was soaring above them—truly massive, with a wingspan like a drifting blue cloud. Its blue feathers radiated a pure, natural aura that made people instinctively feel at ease and drop their guard. It was hard to feel hostility toward it.
Most peculiar of all was the bird's face, which looked like a child's—round and fuzzy, with innocent, curious eyes.
"It's a Wandering Bird!"
"A traveling merchant has arrived!"
Those who had seen such creatures before immediately recognized it.
Wandering Birds were harmless, and the wandering merchants they carried generally posed no danger. Of course, that didn't mean one could completely trust a merchant's integrity.
"Who is the esteemed guest among the traveling merchants? If there is no urgent matter, why not come down and share a drink?"
Yi Tianxing looked up at the bird. This one was even bigger than any he'd seen before. He had a favorable impression of the wandering merchants—they had played a key role in Great Yi's rise. After all, it was thanks to them that he had once obtained the Universal Printer.
The bird descended gracefully.
Upon receiving Yi Tianxing's invitation, it landed in the garden.
Everyone could now clearly see that this giant Wandering Bird actually carried an entire city on its back. Though not large, it was unmistakably a city.
"The wanderer roams the world—everywhere is home."
"Fellow Daoists, forgive my unexpected visit. Please be gracious and forgive any disturbance."
From the city walked out a man in a cyan robe, thin as a stick, but with a face as round as the full moon—a truly peculiar sight, hard to forget.
"Huh? Isn't that Fellow Daoist Jia?"
Yi Tianxing's face lit up in recognition. This was a familiar figure—Jia Chengxin, the first wandering merchant he had ever met.
"So it's Fellow Daoist Yi!"
Jia Chengxin's smile deepened with recognition.
"Tonight is New Year's Eve and the annual Xianzhen Banquet of our dynasty. Since we're meeting again after so long, come and share a drink."
"Then I'll respectfully accept your invitation."
Jia Chengxin laughed and descended from the Wandering Bird to join Yi Tianxing's pavilion.
With the cry of "begin the feast," the Xianzhen Banquet officially began.
Exquisite dishes and divine brews were served one after another.
This pavilion was reserved only for Yi Tianxing and his consorts—essentially a family banquet. Jia Chengxin, now part of the group, did not appear ill at ease. Gazing at the feast before him, he sighed in admiration:
"Although I always knew you were not destined to remain ordinary, I never imagined that in just seven or eight short years, you would establish such a vast empire. I'm truly humbled."
His emotion was genuine. His journey to Yizhou had been unplanned—the Wandering Bird had no fixed route and traveled aimlessly unless directed. Often, a place visited once might never be seen again in a lifetime.
He had never expected to return here—nor to witness the transformation of Yi Tianxing from a struggling village head to the Emperor of Great Yi, ruling all of Yizhou.
From the countless immortal cities he'd seen along the way, one could tell just how thoroughly Great Yi had changed—a true rebirth.
He couldn't help but feel deeply shaken.
"I was merely forced down this path. If I hadn't moved forward, I would've died. If I hadn't grown stronger, other races would have enslaved the human race—turned us into blood food. Even now, I move forward… all for the sake of survival."
Yi Tianxing's tone was calm.