Qin Feng had just awakened from his insights into fusing with the Heavenly Heart Seal when he heard his master's words.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and a flicker of satisfaction passed through his eyes.
It was much as he had expected. After all, no one would refuse an Immortal Emperor's decree, nor would anyone dare.
"I'll leave everything to your arrangements, Master," Qin Feng said with a smile.
"Good. You two need only kneel three times and kowtow nine times before me. You can dispense with bowing to heaven and earth," Emperor Bone Brother said.
With an Immortal Emperor like him personally officiating, there was no need for mundane formalities, much less bows to heaven and earth, for he had long since risen above them.
Standing together, Qin Feng and Sky Phoenix nodded to each other, then approached Emperor Bone Brother with great reverence. They performed the rite of three kneelings and nine kowtows before their master, then bowed to each other as spouses, completing all the formalities.
This marriage would be watched over by an Immortal Emperor. Anyone who dared destroy it would forge a weighty karmic entanglement with him.
The other two Immortal Kings also came over and stood to one side as witnesses, observing the ceremony.
"Greetings, my wife!" Qin Feng said, cupping his hands.
"Mm. Greetings, my husband!" Sky Phoenix said.
The two had officially become Dao partners.
Golden Blade Immortal King stepped forward to congratulate them. "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Qin Feng, Fellow Daoist Sky Phoenix, on your joyous union as Dao partners."
Old Heavenly Horned Ant stepped forward and cupped his fist. "Congratulations! You two truly are a match made in heaven."
After offering their congratulations, the two presented several gifts. Having witnessed the marriage, they could hardly come empty-handed.
The two Immortal Kings were not particularly wealthy. Each gave only some immortal gold materials and a few innate spirit herbs.
Their wedding gifts also included the Golden Blade Precious Technique and the Heavenly Horned Ant Precious Technique, along with their respective Immortal King scriptures.
Qin Feng did not stand on ceremony. He accepted everything, then returned their courtesy.
His master had indeed told him not to cultivate too many Precious Techniques, but that applied once his cultivation had risen. For now, he was still only at the Supreme level and needed to learn a few top-tier Precious Techniques.
Besides, these were scriptures belonging to Immortal King-level experts. In the future, he could let his own disciples study them as well.
This wedding was a little too low-key! Only two Immortal King-level experts attended, so I didn't get many gifts.
Once I reach the giant realm, I'll have to hold another wedding and invite every Immortal King in the Immortal Domain. Who knows? I might even receive a few plants of the Immortal Medicine of Longevity.
"The rites are complete. From this day forward, you two are Dao partners. Henceforth, you will share both glory and ruin.
"Look after each other and cultivate diligently. Strive to achieve transcendence as soon as possible," Emperor Bone Brother said.
"I will bear your teachings in mind, Master," Heavenly Phoenix Immortal King said, bowing to Emperor Bone without daring to show the slightest negligence.
Now that he had married Qin Feng, he could also address the Immortal Emperor as Master. He had truly found himself an overwhelmingly powerful backer!
He now genuinely had a chance of surviving the coming Dark Turmoil safely.
Still, he could not grow careless. If even an Immortal Emperor-level expert could suffer such grievous injuries, their future enemies were bound to be formidable.
"Very well. Everything is settled, and I must rest now. Unless you face certain death, I will not awaken," Emperor Bone said.
He intended to properly restore his strength here, preparing to contend with his dark body for control of the Emperor Body in the future.
"Rest assured, Master. I understand," Qin Feng said.
Emperor Bone nodded. Then his translucent figure drifted into the Rotten Wooden Box and fell silent within the Chaos Space.
"My dear disciple, when you become a Quasi-Immortal Emperor, master and disciple will meet again. I believe you can do it." Emperor Bone delivered these final words to Qin Feng through voice transmission. None of the others heard them.
Although he had left behind a method for breaking through to the Quasi-Immortal Emperor level, how many could succeed remained unknown.
Even with an unparalleled cultivation art laid out before you, you still needed the aptitude to comprehend it.
He had faith in his disciple. As for the other three Immortal Kings...
In his judgment, it would already be extraordinary if those three managed to reach the giant realm.
The Chaos Space grew quiet. Emperor Bone Brother had fallen into a deep slumber.
"Fellow Daoist Qin Feng, has the Immortal Emperor entered his slumber?" Golden Blade Immortal King asked.
Originally, the three of them had been his seniors. Now, however, they were all Qin Feng's subordinates, so they had changed their form of address to "Fellow Daoist."
Qin Feng smiled politely. "Yes, seniors. Master has fallen asleep. Unless something unexpected happens, he will not awaken for at least an epoch."
"Please don't address us so, Fellow Daoist Qin Feng. How could we dare call ourselves your seniors? Let us treat one another as equals!" Golden Blade Immortal King hurriedly said, waving his hands.
"You two are being far too modest. Let's save 'Fellow Daoist' for when I reach the Immortal King realm!
"When we're outside, I'll still address you as seniors. My master's identity is of utmost importance. It absolutely must not be revealed.
"I imagine you know something about the Dark Turmoil. Its true horrors lie far beyond anything you can imagine.
"So until my master recovers, and until I grow strong enough, you must not reveal anything," Qin Feng said.
They might call him a fellow Daoist, but Qin Feng would never truly believe he could drape himself in his master's might like a fox borrowing a tiger's terror and stand as an equal to Immortal Kings. That would be courting death, and it was unsafe besides.
Two Immortal Kings addressing a mortal-path Supreme as a fellow Daoist was obviously abnormal. He would wait until his cultivation caught up before treating them as equals.
"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Qin Feng. We will still call you 'young friend' when we're outside, but in private, we cannot neglect the proper courtesies.
"As for security, why don't we sever these memories right now? Would that do?" Golden Blade Immortal King asked.
Today, he had seen the legendary Immortal Emperor with his own eyes. The tangled emotions in his heart were beyond words. Some memories were perhaps better left unkept.
Even Old Heavenly Horned Ant nodded beside him, agreeing to sever those memories without leaving a trace.
"There's no need for that, seniors. I trust you both. Besides, my master's methods are not something ordinary Immortal Kings can probe," Qin Feng said, shaking his head.
Severing their memories was completely unnecessary. Qin Feng had confidence in his master's methods.
He mainly wanted to remind them not to show him excessive respect once they went outside. If three Immortal Kings treated a Supreme-level cultivator with utmost reverence, anyone would see that something was wrong.
"Husband, you're our guiding pillar now. Tell us, what should we do next?
"How should we resist the Foreign Realm's attacks and plan our next moves?" Heavenly Phoenix Immortal King asked.
Old Heavenly Horned Ant and Golden Blade also looked toward Qin Feng, waiting for his arrangements.