Ouyang Estate's Grand Birthday Celebration, Zhuge Feng Comes Bearing Gifts

"Hehe, Master, someone reached the fifty-ninth level of the Heavenly Ladder today. At this rate, new junior brothers and sisters will probably join us tomorrow!"

Another day passed. With a trace of excitement on his face, Xiao Yan came before Su Bai to report.

Su Bai nodded, unsurprised. By his calculations, it was about time.

"How is your physical training coming along?" he asked Xiao Yan.

"Reporting to Master, this disciple has never slacked off in cultivation these past few days. Lifting a thousand-pound boulder is now effortless, and I am not far from the second level of the Fleshly Body Realm," Xiao Yan said proudly.

"Three years from now, do you have confidence in defeating Liu Yanran?" Su Bai asked again.

"Please rest assured, Master. This disciple is absolutely confident in defeating Liu Yanran!" Xiao Yan declared resolutely.

Before entering the Heavenly Dao Sect, he had indeed felt utterly powerless in the face of Liu Yanran.

But now that he had joined the Heavenly Dao Sect and seen so many heaven-defying immortal arts, while his senior brothers and sisters broke through their cultivation as easily as eating and drinking, his mindset had naturally changed.

Was the Cloud Heaven Sect truly that formidable?

Though it ranked among the Immortal Alliance's top five hundred, compared to the Heavenly Dao Sect, it still fell far short!

"Master, this disciple shall take his leave and go cultivate. I will strive to catch up to my senior brothers and sisters as soon as possible."

Xiao Yan bowed, turned, and ran down the mountain.

As he ran down the mountain, his back was straight and full of drive.

"Mm."

Su Bai nodded in satisfaction.

Xiao Yan possessed exceptional talent and extraordinary comprehension. He was an uncut jade; if properly polished, his future would be boundless.

Not only Xiao Yan—every one of the Heavenly Dao Sect's five disciples was the same!

Turning his head, he saw Xiao Lingxi practicing her swordsmanship nearby. Her sword techniques were growing ever fiercer, her sword momentum surging into the sky like tidal waves.

Ye Qingyao was making dinner. Ever since Xiao Lingxi had mistaken salt for sugar last time, Su Bai had never allowed her into the kitchen again.

Su Bai had no desire to experience that flavor a second time!

What he had not expected was that Ye Qingyao's cooking was comparable to that of a culinary god!

By now, the fragrance had already drifted across the entire mountain peak.

Moreover, every day she cooked, she could earn one reward point!

With points, she could exchange them for cultivation pills, increase her cultivation speed, and make up for the shortcomings in her foundation.

Mu Lingxian was helping at the side, using the flames from her spells in place of firewood to practice precise control over flames.

First, she would control ordinary flames, then attempt to control Demonic Flame!

All the disciples were working incredibly hard, which greatly pleased Su Bai.

With the Heavenly Dao Sect like this, why worry that it would not flourish?

Eighty-six li southeast of Cloudwater City lay a small town called Yellow Earth Town.

In the back mountain of Yellow Earth Town, Zhuge Feng knelt before two gravestones, tears streaming down his face.

"Father, Mother, your son has failed you. I was unable to let you live happy and blessed lives."

"Your son encountered a fortunate opportunity and entered the Heavenly Dao Sect. I have now become an immortal cultivator."

"A year ago, you died with your eyes still open. Your son did not avenge you immediately, not because I cherished my own life, but because I lacked the strength at the time and had no choice but to endure. If I had died, your vengeance could never have been exacted."

"Now that your son possesses enough strength, I will surely make the Ouyang Household pay a painful price and avenge Father and Mother!"

"Ouyang Household!"

"Just wait for me!"

Zhuge Feng's eyes were bloodshot, and his fists clenched until they creaked.

He knelt before the graves for an entire night before slowly rising at dawn.

A powerful Killing Intent and baleful aura erupted from his body, making the surrounding grass and trees sway.

"Father, Mother, your son is going to avenge you." Zhuge Feng wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, bowed deeply before his parents' graves, then left without hesitation.

Yellow Earth Town, Ouyang Estate.

At this moment, Ouyang Estate was adorned with lanterns and colored banners, bustling with activity.

Within the estate, gongs and drums clamored while firecrackers rang out in unison.

A birthday banquet was underway, the hall packed with countless guests.

Within an incomparably luxurious courtyard.

At this moment, dozens of finely dressed men and women had gathered in the courtyard, with all kinds of rare treasures and jewels piled around them in a display of immense splendor.

Old Master Ouyang sat in the seat of honor, his face brimming with delight.

"Hahaha, today is this old man's sixtieth birthday. For all of you to honor me with your presence truly makes my humble home shine!"

He stroked his beard, smiling broadly as he looked at the guests below.

"May Old Master Ouyang's blessings be as vast as the Eastern Sea, and may you live to a hundred years!" Everyone clasped their hands in congratulations.

"Haha, good, good, good." Old Master Ouyang nodded repeatedly.

Then, changing the subject, he said in a loud voice, "For so many distinguished guests to come celebrate my sixtieth birthday, I am truly blessed through three lifetimes."

"Whether my Ouyang Household can rise to another level will still depend on everyone's support."

"Today, I have specially prepared fine wine and delicacies. I hope everyone enjoys themselves to the fullest."

The Ouyang Household was the wealthiest landowning family in Yellow Earth Town. They possessed abundant riches and numerous businesses. Even in all of Cloudwater City, they were considered among the notable wealthy families.

Therefore, those who came for his birthday celebration were naturally people of status—merchants, wealthy households, cultivators...

Clang!

The sound of a wine cup falling to the ground was crisp and pleasant, yet it carried a trace of chill.

Old Master Ouyang's face instantly darkened. He looked toward the lower seats, his expression turning ugly.

"M-Master... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I-I'll compensate you..."

She was a plainly dressed woman, apparently a servant of the estate.

At this moment, her entire body trembled, and her legs shook without stopping.

Everyone knew that Old Master Ouyang had a violent temper and would beat or kill servants at the slightest provocation.

At last year's birthday banquet, a servant had accidentally broken a teacup and was beaten to death on the spot.

When her husband came to demand an explanation, he too was beaten to death in the street.

On ordinary days, servants like them lived in constant fear, treading on thin ice, terrified that one improper word might anger their master.

"Master, I have elderly parents above me and young children below me. My child is still waiting for me to return and nurse them..."

The woman immediately burst into tears of terror, continuously kowtowing and begging for mercy. Her forehead struck the ground with loud thuds until it bled.

But Old Master Ouyang remained completely unmoved, cold to the extreme.

"Drag her out and bury her."

With one merciless sentence, he casually decided a person's fate.

"Yes!"

Two burly men immediately rushed out and dragged the woman away.

"Master... Master, spare me... I can't die... My child is still waiting for me to return..."

The woman cried out miserably.

Yet no matter how she struggled, she could not escape the fate of being dragged away.

Old Master Ouyang did not even raise an eyelid, as though whether the woman lived or died had absolutely nothing to do with him.

"Alright, the banquet shall continue. Everyone, drink to your hearts' content." Old Master Ouyang waved his hand and smiled, as if nothing had happened just now.

"Drink!"

The guests also raised their wine cups in succession. Cups clinked amid laughter and cheerful voices that resounded throughout the courtyard.

To people like them, was a servant's life even a life?

It was nothing more than crushing an ant beneath their feet!

In this world, the strong could do whatever they pleased!

Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, two sounds came from outside the gates, followed by a tremendous boom.

The two burly men who had just dragged the woman away were sent flying back inside, vomiting blood without end.

The people who had been chatting and laughing a moment ago were instantly stunned, all turning toward the entrance.

Old Master Ouyang also frowned, his expression somewhat ugly.

"What is going on?"

A figure appeared at the entrance, holding a huge object wrapped in black cloth aloft in one hand as he walked inside.

At the same time, a faint, emotionless voice rang through the courtyard.

"On the occasion of Ouyang Estate's grand birthday celebration, Zhuge Feng has come bearing gifts!"