Heavenly Star City.
Within the Heavenly Star Alliance's internal celebration venue for representatives of the various top-tier powers, open only to cultivators of the Nascent Soul Realm and above.
The hall was packed with distinguished guests, its atmosphere magnificent and vibrant.
The number of Nascent Soul Cultivators in attendance had astonishingly surpassed a hundred!
Such a gathering of Nascent Souls was almost an unprecedented spectacle in the history of the Qingxuan Realm.
The guests chatted and exchanged pleasantries amid a fervent yet solemn atmosphere. Naturally, their discussions could not avoid that great war and the Qingxuan Sword Immortal.
In a relatively secluded corner of the venue, several guests whose auras differed slightly from those of pure Human Race cultivators sat around a jade table.
At their head was none other than Cang Mingxiao, the current emperor of the Sea Tribe's Merfolk Race. He had known Su Bai somewhat in his early years and had now reached the Mid Demon King Stage.
Seated with him were several Sea Tribe Demon Kings from different seas. They were friendly with Cang Mingxiao and, because of Su Bai back then, held relatively mild attitudes toward the Human Race.
Cang Mingxiao lifted a cup of Spirit Wine and drained it in one gulp. He looked toward Yun Jianming and the others at the center of the hall, surrounded like stars around the moon, then raised his head as though he could see the thousand-zhang divine statue through the roof.
His expression was complicated—filled with emotion, wistfulness, and a faint trace of loneliness.
Setting down his cup, he sighed quietly to his companions beside him:
"Ah, in the blink of an eye, daoist friend Lu—no, Senior Lu Jiu—who once needed a little care from us, has become the Qingxuan Sword Immortal worshipped by countless living beings.