Imperial Palace Banquet (Part 2)

When Huang Tian emerged from his cultivation state and opened his eyes, he saw Liu Erlong and Tang Yuehua watching him with worried expressions. He smiled and said, "There's no need to worry. I've finished cultivating."

Liu Erlong said, "Husband, while you were cultivating just now, the Soul Rings that appeared around you were a different color from the red ones before. They looked even more noble and imposing."

Huang Tian asked curiously, "What color were they?"

"Brilliant gold."

Huang Tian found it somewhat strange. He had not added Soul Rings to any of his martial souls, nor did he need to. As for the soul skills he used, they were all self-created, and their power was in no way inferior to the skills granted by Soul Rings from soul beasts.

The Nine Heavens Profound Technique he cultivated had been created several years ago at the Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy. He had secretly learned the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Mysterious Jade Hand, Purple Demon Eye, and other cultivation methods from Tang San, then derived and refined them himself into the Nine Heavens Profound Technique. It could cultivate Soul Power and soul power while also tempering the body. It was countless times more profound than Tang San's own Mysterious Heaven Skill.

When ordinary people cultivated this technique, their progress would be incredibly swift, with almost no bottlenecks. Only after reaching level ninety-nine would they become stuck. Still, they could continue cultivating, because what a Soul Master needed was not merely powerful Soul Power, but also physical strength and the strength of their soul power. The Nine Heavens Profound Technique could still satisfy a level ninety-nine Peerless Douluo's continued cultivation.

As for why Soul Rings had appeared around him during cultivation, and why they were no longer the simulated hundred-thousand-year red color, he guessed that it was most likely because all his Soul Power had been transformed into divine power and now possessed divinity. What appeared was no longer a simulated Soul Ring, but a Divine Ring infused with divine power.

The Nine Heavens Profound Technique was no longer enough to support his cultivation. The speed and efficiency at which it converted Soul Power into divine power were far too low. Huang Tian urgently needed to create a new version, one capable of driving the circulation of divine power and automatically converting it into divine power during cultivation. That way, he would no longer need to worry about his cultivation progress.

However, the dual cultivation section of the Nine Heavens Profound Technique could still be used. Otherwise, he really would have a problem. It was not enough for him alone to be strong—his women had to become strong alongside him. Only then was he truly strong! If any god dared offend him, Huang Tian would bring his wives to block their path, teach them a brutal lesson, and kill them.

Though he did not know whether a god like himself, one without a divine position, would be stronger or weaker than those gods who possessed divine positions.

Huang Tian smiled and said, "Oh, it's nothing. That color should be normal. I'm already a god, so my Soul Rings have become Divine Rings. It's perfectly normal for their color to change. Don't you think brilliant gold looks nice?"

Inside Qian Renxue's carriage, she said, "Elder Heavenly Sword, please send the news of the Peerless Prodigy Ranking's first place back to Spirit City. Report his portrait, information, and everything else to the Elder Hall and the Pontiff's Palace. We cannot afford to provoke someone like him."

"Yes, please rest assured, Saintess! This old man will go at once." An aged voice came from the air.

At the same time, many princes, nobles, and officials connected to Major Sects and Major Clans also sent Huang Tian's information back to their respective forces, hoping they would not provoke this terrifying new god and drag them down with them.

A new god's strength already stood at the peak of the continent, and the strength under his command was equally terrifying. Even Spirit Hall could not produce a Guard Team like that one. There was no need for the new god to act personally; his subordinates alone could flatten every force. And who could guarantee that the new god had no other Guard Teams besides this one?

The Heaven Dou Imperial Palace occupied an area of several hundred thousand square meters within the imperial city. Every building was tall and majestic. Imperial Guard Team members clad in armor stood every two meters, gripping long spears and halberds as they maintained order throughout the palace.

Ordinary people walking through the imperial palace would feel their own insignificance and become even more awed by imperial authority. But to experts at the level of Title Douluo and above, no matter how grand the buildings were or how numerous the guards might be, a few soul skills would be enough to deal with them easily.

Huang Tian's convoy swaggered straight through the main gate of the imperial palace. The palace Guard Team had received word in advance, so they did not approach to verify their identities, lest they offend them.

The convoy stopped before a grand palace hall. Outside the carriage, the coachman Li Fu transmitted his voice with Soul Power. "Hall Master, we have arrived at the imperial palace." Then, he shaped his Soul Power into a flight of Soul Power steps and waited for Huang Tian and the others to emerge from the carriage.

Huang Tian stood up and stretched his arms, smiling as he said, "Since we're here, let's get out. We shouldn't keep them waiting too long." With that, he lifted the curtain and stepped outside.

Liu Erlong and Tang Yuehua hurriedly rose from the couch and followed Huang Tian out of the carriage compartment.

The three of them descended from the carriage one after another along the golden steps formed from Soul Power.

Qian Renxue stepped forward and bowed. "Your Excellency Huang Tian, Aunt Yuehua, Madam, please follow me."

Tang Yuehua nodded and said softly, "Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Liu Erlong said suspiciously, "So he's Xue Qinghe, the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire? He certainly looks outstanding, but why do I feel that something is off about him? I just can't put my finger on it." Liu Erlong's intuition was indeed sharp. This Xue Qinghe was a fake. No matter how convincingly a woman disguised herself as a man, there would always be people with sharp instincts who sensed that something was wrong.

Huang Tian had long known that this Xue Qinghe was Qian Renxue of Spirit Hall, who had been impersonating him since childhood. But now was not the time to expose her identity. He smiled and said, "Er Long, this is the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, the future heir to the throne. How can you say such things so casually?"

Qian Renxue's heart skipped a beat. Er Long? Could she be Liu Erlong, the level ninety-six Title Douluo who had previously appeared on the ranking? What sharp intuition. No, her identity absolutely could not be exposed like this. She smiled and said, "Madam, we have never met before. Perhaps you are mistaken. Your Excellency, the banquet is about to begin. Please follow me." With that, she quickly turned and led the way.

Huang Tian and the two women followed behind Qian Renxue at an unhurried pace, entering the palace hall under her guidance.

Because the banquet used an individual dining arrangement, aside from Xue Ye at the head, the seats below were arranged along the left and right sides, with the left side being honored. Huang Tian and the two women were assigned the first seat on the left. He sat in front, with the two women behind him. The first seat on the right, directly across from them, had been left vacant.

After all, Huang Tian was a god of incomparably noble status. His willingness to attend Xue Ye's imperial banquet was already giving the Heaven Dou Empire immense face. No one present was qualified to sit in the same row as him.

The second seats on the left and right belonged to Crown Prince Xue Qinghe and Prince Xue Xing respectively, while below them sat the other princes and the nobles descended from dukes.

Once everyone was seated, a group of gorgeously dressed palace maidens entered the central hall and began to dance gracefully to the musicians' accompaniment. Meanwhile, the imperial kitchen staff brought out the prepared dishes one by one while the guests watched the performance, setting them on the dining tables before them.

When Xue Ye saw that dishes had been placed on every table, he poured himself a cup of wine in a glass luminous cup, stood up, and said, "I thank the new god, Your Excellency Huang Tian, for honoring this emperor by attending tonight's banquet. I shall drink first as a sign of respect!" With that, he tipped back his head and drained the wine in his cup, then turned the cup upside down to show that he had emptied it.

Huang Tian picked up his wine cup. Liu Erlong stood and filled it for him before sitting back down. He smiled and said, "Your Majesty is bold and forthright. Cheers!" With that, he tipped back his head and drank the wine in his cup, turned it upside down, and placed it back on the table.

Seeing that Huang Tian had given him such face, Xue Ye laughed heartily and said, "My lords, do not stand on ceremony. Please begin dining."

With the emperor's words, the princes, nobles, and ministers no longer held back. They picked up their chopsticks and began eating. They had been hungry for several hours, and it was time to fill their stomachs.

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