Boom! Boom! Boom!
Bonfire after bonfire was lit, from the cities on the plains to the tribes on the grasslands, to the mountain fortresses amid the forests.
Beneath the blazing flames, the people sang and danced.
Roast meat, rice wine, singing, dancing—in the night of the New Year, everyone gave themselves over to joy.
Children ran about with sugar figurines and pinwheels in their hands, chasing and playing.
The elderly sat amid the crowd, watching the lively figures before the bonfires and laughing happily.
Young men and women, meanwhile, ate great chunks of meat and drank huge bowls of wine, singing and dancing around the bonfires as they celebrated this year's harvest and offered wishes for the year to come.
Bonfires lit up one after another across the lands surrounding Phoenix Mountain, scattered like stars yet densely covering the earth, displaying the vast population and flourishing prosperity of the people under Phoenix Mountain's command.
Phoenix Mountain itself was even more brilliantly illuminated. Under the firelight, the red leaves covering the mountain seemed to blaze as well, scarlet flames filling the sky.
On the square before the great hall atop Phoenix Mountain's main peak, an enormous bonfire burned, illuminating the entire plaza as brightly as day.
No one remained inside the great hall. The tables, food, and wine had all been arranged outside, and everyone sat in a circle without distinction between host and guest.
Spirit wine and Spirit Fruit in a dazzling array of colors flowed forth without end, cups clinked and crossed, and the atmosphere was boisterous and bustling.
Lu Zheng and Si Lingxi sat at the table before the great hall, with Shen Ying, Liu Qingyan, Lin Wan, and Du YueYao seated to either side.
Ten Thousand Pines Daoist and Song Kaichuan occupied the highest seats among