Mt. Yun, located a hundred miles outside the city of Dongyang, was the tallest mountain there, though its height, at a paltry 800 meters above sea level, was nothing to boast of.
The reason it was famous was because the mountain boasted more than five dozen luxurious manors, within which lived politicians and dignitaries of all sorts. The higher up the mountain a manor was, the higher the position of those within.
There was only one road winding up the mountain from its base; the other face of the mountain was a steep cliff.
Today seemed to be a special day, because the road, not more than twenty meters wide, had turned completely pink from bottom to top. The reason it was pink was because the road had been carpeted with orchid petals so thick they were inches deep. Even from hundreds of meters away, one could smell their intoxicating scent.
The trees on either side of the mountain were dressed in wedding gowns—yes, not just draped in white cloth. Each tree's gown was custom-made and white as snow, with lace frills and necklaces of pearl. They signified immaculate purity, flawlessness. contemporary romance
The land within a hundred miles from Mt. Yun had been locked down and placed under security. This wasn't something that could be accomplished with wealth alone—one needed strong political backing as well.
Since last night, the entire region had been cleaned to spotlessness.
Someone strong had dispelled the clouds in the air, making the sky shine as brightly as a gemstone. Rays of light from the morning sun struck the mountain in its entirety.
Outside the cordon, quite a few citizens had gathered. As they looked toward Mt. Yun, they murmured to themselves.
The aliens of this world would easily be considered beautiful to the human eye. They boasted silver hair, gemstone-like eyes, green or blue or red, snowy-white skin, slim bodies, and sharp ears like those of an elf.
"Is the wedding about to begin? It's said to be the largest interrealm wedding in a lifetime! Even from afar, it's a sight to behold. Look at those people manipulating the very clouds!"
"Indeed! It's a grand occasion. Apparently, the strongest champions of the eastern and western realms will put together a show."
"The wedding ceremony will be hosted first in the east, and then in the west..."
"Ah, the luck of that western brat—he'll be marrying the princess of the east, the daughter of the eastern king himself!"
"It's a pity that she'll end up as nothing but a political sacrifice..."
"That's how arranged marriages are, you know."
"What a pity..."
"Who knows? No one has seen the princess' appearance before. What if she's an ugly old hag?"
"Che! The princess might be a mystery, but everyone has seen the handsome prince of the west, the son of the western king. Despite its being a political marriage, I can't imagine that the two parties would differ too much in terms of appearance."
It was hard to believe that at the top of the mountain lay what was essentially a palace. The buildings in the palace were layered atop each other, melding occidental and oriental architecture into an impossibly cohesive whole.
Pink and white were the colors of the day, and it seemed almost as though the entire palace had put on a wedding gown itself.
The palatial manor was a hundred acres wide, with lavish interior furnishing. The outdoor pool was filled with clear blue water. Water drained out of one end of the pool and down its edge like a waterfall toward the next layer of the palatial structure, a pond filled with a hundred and eight gleaming silver fish.
By then, all manner of guests had arrived at the patio next to the pool, with all manner of luxury transportation: carriages drawn by superior-grade lifeforms.
Aliens in formal attire arrived at the palace, one after the other. Most of them were personages that the public would hardly ever have the opportunity to see—businessmen and politicians all, each influential in their own right.
Suited attendants passed through the crowds of guests, passing them beverages and exquisite hors d'oeuvres.
Mt. Yun was located on a large world, and it didn't seclude itself as a medium-sized world might. Instead, it harbored close connections with quite a number of worlds surrounding it, as though it were the center of a constellation. It was linked to countless medium-sized and small worlds, each of which were linked to other large worlds as well.
There were many intelligent races in large worlds, each with their own cities and settlements. They welcomed alien visitors and cooperated with them to mutual benefit, much like a modern-day metropolis. The races of the Milky Way were no exception.
The current king of the east was collaborating closely with the races of the Milky Way on all manner of projects, and the guests at the wedding reception included many of the strongest races of the Milky Way: the Tianxin, the black eagles, the Poxian, the Jinghun, the starbeasts, the Jindao, the winged—over half of the top hundred races of the Milky Way had representatives present.
The worlds of east and west were large even by third-realm standards, with rich, fertile land and an immense wealth of resources. Even the hundred strongest races of the Milky Way were happy to make connections with the indigenous races there.
A lithe, middle-aged man stood out from the crowd. His suit was immaculately pressed, his waist and back straight, his hair cropped short, his face handsome and his gaze resolute.
"Has anything unusual happened around the Milky Way recently?"
He was surrounded by over a dozen people, and it was apparent that he held a high position even among this influential crowd. All intelligent lifeforms of the world of the east knew his name: he was the youngest-ever king of the eastern realm, Li Zongming, as well as the host of today's reception.
One of the aliens of the Milky Way suggested, "Perhaps Zhang Lie, the champion of mankind?"
"The champion of mankind? ?What about him?"
He discovered how to absorb disaster-grade cores, as well as the existence of limit fragments!?That was what the guest wanted to say, but the indigenous races would hardly understand what he was talking about.
"Indeed, the champion of humans. The reason he's special, well... he managed to get into the warlord ranking almost immediately upon entering the third realm. He's ranked 85th now."
"Oh? Don't all you intelligent aliens suffer from a period of weakening upon entering this realm?"
"Yes, but not him. That's why he's special!"
Li Zongming's interest was piqued. "A curious individual. I'd like to meet him someday."
Just then, an attendant whispered a few words in Li Zongming's ear.
Li Zongming smiled and inclined his head. "I apologize, but I'll have to excuse myself. The delegation from the west has arrived."
done.co