Chapter 648 - 629: Dancing for You

Wang Meng was nearby, but he didn’t blend in, choosing instead to watch quietly. This was a characteristic of the Middle Thousand Realm—mortals and Cultivators mingled freely, giving it a more human touch than the Small Thousand Realm.

The Qilin Beast’s parade lasted for fifteen minutes. After five lucky individuals were chosen, it came to a close. Members of the Pill Immortal Alliance carefully led the Qilin Beast out of the square toward the main altar outside the city.

Watching the Qilin Beast depart, Fatty Bai breathed a sigh of relief, yet also sighed with a hint of regret.

"You like the Qilin that much? Why not just catch one on the next hunt?" Wang Meng casually remarked.

Fatty Bai gave a bitter smile. "Boss, this is a Qilin. Capturing it took hundreds of Cultivators, not to mention Wang City’s top expert, Mulholland Drive. Speaking of which, you should really watch out for him, Boss. He’s bound to come back sooner or later."

"Heh, Muhe Xiaoyu’s older brother, right? I suppose he can’t be half bad." Wang Meng chuckled. ’This Mulholland Drive is an interesting one. If he’s so exceptional, why is he absent at such a critical moment? What could possibly be holding him back?’

The main ceremony of the Five Elements Divine Beast Festival commenced. The five major priest clans took their places according to the Five Elements alignment. The Three Major Conferences—the Spirit Control Association, the Divine Artifact Pavilion, and the Pill Immortal Alliance—also settled into the seats of honor.

"Let... the Sacrificial... Dance... begin!"

After a string of tongue-twisting and abstruse Five Elements incantations, it was time for the Sacrificial Dance—the event the people of Wang City had anticipated all year.

Everyone knew that this year’s dance would be performed by the Twin Beauties of Wang City: Muhe Xiaoyu and Jiang Biyao!

The crowd held its breath in eager anticipation.

Melodious music began to drift through the air.

The crowd listened, utterly entranced. The music was performed by an Earth Wheel Realm Cultivator proficient in the art of musical rites. To an ordinary person, this was truly celestial music!

Suddenly, two rainbow-hued streaks of light flashed across the sky! Like celestial maidens descending from the heavens, Muhe Xiaoyu and Jiang Biyao landed upon the altar.

Jiang Biyao was adorned in vibrant, colorful makeup, her beautiful eyes shining with an otherworldly luster. Her rainbow-hued dance attire complemented her stunning look, and she radiated an aura that made hearts pound. Once you laid eyes on her, it was impossible to look away.

This was Jiang Biyao giving her absolute all. She poured every ounce of her being into this dance. Zhe Wulei had gone back on his word—the letter annulling their engagement had arrived at the Jiang Family residence just this morning. The Zhe Family couldn’t even wait for the Five Elements Festival to pass! Clearly, Zhe Wulei was desperate to disassociate himself from her.

She was beautiful, flawless... She danced like a phoenix from the nine heavens, pouring her life, her emotions, and all her beauty into the performance!

Magnificent!

And yet... it wasn’t impossible to look away from her!

Muhe Xiaoyu!

She wore no glamorous makeup, appearing bare-faced in an elegant, otherworldly white dress. There was no color but white. Her dark hair was coiled into a simple, plain bun, yet she possessed a purity so intense it took one’s breath away. She was transcendent, dreamlike, illusory, and utterly enchanting.

The Dance of Spirit Control!

Her dance was a response to the breathtaking Jiang Biyao. It had fewer movements, but she was like moonlight shimmering on water, drawing one in, deeper and deeper, until they were completely mesmerized.

If Jiang Biyao was temptation, then Muhe Xiaoyu was ethereal purity.

The music swelled to a crescendo, and then the final note fell silent!

On the altar, the two women stood motionless.

After a long silence, applause thundered through the square, as if the crowd were waking from a dream.

It was followed by thunderous, frenzied cheers.

It was the same for men and women alike. For the men, to witness such a dance made life worth living. For the women, they had just seen the pinnacle of femininity—a new standard to aspire to.

Even Wang Meng found himself somewhat entranced. It was beautiful, but in his Heart Spirit, his thoughts turned to people far away.

’In a place like this, I find myself thinking of them more and more often. Ying’Er’s Phoenix Dance was just as magnificent, and that Little Witch, Cheng Cheng... her dancing had an indescribable, bewitching allure.’

Jiang Biyao panted softly, feeling... utterly spent. She had poured her entire being into that Sacrificial Dance!

Her gaze shifted toward Wang Meng. She thought of the letter annulling her engagement that she’d received this morning, and then she thought of Wang Meng’s many miraculous feats... For the first time, a pang of regret struck her, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth...

’Maybe... just maybe, I could get back with him...’ The letter of annulment had been a devastating blow to Jiang Biyao. Even though she knew the Zhe Family intended to break the engagement and had mentally prepared herself, seeing the actual document had left her feeling hollow. In contrast, the image of Wang Meng in her mind shone so brightly!

’I remember how he stared at me, completely distracted, when we first met... He must like me, right?’

’Although my woman’s intuition tells me Muhe Xiaoyu likes Wang Meng too... with Little Yu’s quiet personality, she’d never make the first move. So, if I’m proactive... especially at an event like this... I’ll have a chance. For my family’s honor... no, to make those who look down on me regret it!’

Just as Jiang Biyao was having these thoughts, she saw Muhe Xiaoyu, in the full spotlight of the crowd, suddenly make a gesture indicating she wished to speak.

’What is she doing?’

Jiang Biyao froze. She heard Muhe Xiaoyu begin to speak, her clear and lovely voice ringing throughout the plaza, "I have one more dance, dedicated to our guest from Haojing, to thank him for healing Wang City’s Auspicious Qilin!"

Muhe Xiaoyu’s voice was so sweet and clear that everyone knew the dance was for Wang Meng.

The music, accommodating her, began to play once more...

Jiang Biyao watched, dumbfounded, as Muhe Xiaoyu began to dance with a light, ethereal grace. Now, Little Yu’s movements were like a joyous little bird searching for something...

Before she knew it, Jiang Biyao was standing at the very edge of the altar... She was no longer the main attraction, having quietly faded from the spotlight.

Wang Meng watched Muhe Xiaoyu dance, a little exasperated. ’Is this girl worried I don’t have enough enemies? Now every man in Wang City is going to see me as a rival... Heh, but what’s one more city of them, anyway?’

After Muhe Xiaoyu’s second dance, the Sacrificial Dance concluded amid a brilliant display of fireworks.

Only after Little Yu left the stage did the crowd erupt into a wild roar, releasing their pent-up emotions and preparing for the even greater climax yet to come!

Indeed, the most thrilling part of the Five Elements Divine Beast Festival was the Sacrificial Battle!

Each of the five major priest clans would send out a True Essence Beast to battle right there in the plaza!

Compared to the beautiful, celestial dance, this battle was far better at stirring the passions of the crowd. After all, Wang City itself had been built on the backs of True Essence Beasts. A romantic fascination with their battles ran in the very blood of its people!

"Sacrificial Rite, Battle!"

"Battle! Battle! Battle!"

Unlike the silence during the Sacrificial Dance, the crowd now roared with abandon, shouting the slogan until their throats were raw!

This was their annual madness, the one day a year they could cast aside their usual identities and lose themselves in pure joy!

Fatty Bai raised his hands and let out a couple of roars himself, but he quickly regained his composure. ’I’m not the man I used to be,’ he reminded himself. ’I’m a clan head now. I have to stay calm, no matter the situation.’

"First... the True Essence Beasts will make their appearance! The first to appear is... from the Muhe Clan..."

"The Third-Transformation Ice Flame Arrogant Bone Bird!"

With the announcement, the cheers from the crowd instantly became deafening!

"SKRAWW..."

The sky suddenly darkened!

A cry, regal and proud as a king’s, came from the sky!

"It’s Ice Flame! It’s so badass and cool!"

Blocking the sun were the Ice Flame Wings emanating from the Ice Flame Arrogant Bone Bird. They were pure True Essence Wings, but their immense scale created an aura as imposing as dark clouds stretching for thousands of miles!

Fatty Bai stared, dumbfounded... The Third-Transformation Demon Spirit he had prepared was instantly dwarfed by comparison. Forgetting strength for a moment, just its appearance was leagues below. His beast simply couldn’t compare to the Ice Flame Arrogant Bone Bird. Judging by the sheer density of its True Essence, the bird was most likely already at the Third Transformation Peak!

’The Muhe Clan’s foundation is truly profound,’ he thought.

"The Zhe Family! The Third-Transformation Wood Shadow Jungle Leopard!"

ROAR!

From the Zhe Family’s position, a giant leopard, half again as tall as a man, leaped out. It lacked the imposing aura of the Ice Flame Arrogant Bone Bird, but the insignia on its forehead made everyone who understood True Essence Beasts hold their breath.

"A King Leopard! It’s the king of a leopard pack! Heavens, where did the Zhe Family get it!" a sharp voice shrieked from the crowd.

A Wood Shadow Jungle Leopard was an extremely formidable True Essence Beast to begin with, and a Leopard King from a pack usually possessed special Talent Magic, making its power several times that of an ordinary Wood Shadow Jungle Leopard.

However, the stronger the Spirit Beast, the more difficult it was to tame its wild nature and convert it into a controllable True Essence Beast. An Immortal Binding Rope would be far from sufficient; it would require special techniques and unique Spiritual Artifacts, and even then, success was not guaranteed.

For the Zhe Family to produce a Third-Transformation Wood Shadow Jungle King Leopard meant that while they might lose to the Muhe Family’s Ice Flame Arrogant Bone Bird in sheer presence, their hidden depth was intriguing. If the two were to clash, it was hard to say which would emerge victorious. After all, it was a King Leopard, and no one knew what kind of Talent Magic it had developed.

In the plaza, the roars of the Wang City citizens grew even louder, rising in wave after wave.

In the honored guest seats, the Cultivators from the Divine Artifact Pavilion, the Spirit Control Association, and the Pill Immortal Alliance nodded in approval. Beasts of this caliber were worthy of the Five Elements Divine Beast Festival.

Yang Qi frowned. Having come from a commoner background, he was naturally more concerned about the ordinary people. "Pang Hong, go check the Defense Array’s... no, go double its strength."

"Yes, Master."

Luo Shan of the Spirit Control Association snorted coldly. "Xueyou."

Su Xueyou just grinned foolishly.

"What’s so funny! Hurry up and go reinforce the Defense Array. If something goes wrong when they start fighting, see if I don’t beat you!"

"Oh, got it."

Yang Qi sneered, "Don’t just copy everything others do."

Luo Shan retorted, "And don’t be so petty about everything."

Just as the two were about to argue further, another shocking change occurred on the field!

"The Jiang Family! A Third-Transformed Molten Fire Dragon Turtle! A Molten Fire Dragon Turtle possessing a trace of Dragon Blood!"

The Priest in charge of the announcements was so excited his voice trembled! Who said the Jiang Family was in decline? Who said the Jiang Family was finished?!

Damn it! This was a Molten Fire Dragon Turtle with Dragon Blood! And it was the Third-Transformation True Essence Beast the Jiang Family was putting forward!

Even if the bloodline was so diluted as to be almost nonexistent, it was still there! The potential between having it and not having it was night and day. If the Jiang Family could successfully nurture this True Essence Beast, they would practically be defying the heavens.

"The Jiang Family had a trump card like this? The Dragon Blood... it’s hard to say how much there is, but a Molten Fire Dragon Turtle is a powerful True Essence Beast on its own. Moreover, fire and ice are incompatible. It seems the Muhe Family’s Ice Flame Arrogant Bone Bird has a real opponent now." Yang Qi frowned.

"What clan doesn’t have a few trump cards? Or have you grown so old and senile that you failed to notice the Ice Flame Arrogant Bone Bird has a mutation, in addition to its abundant True Essence?" Luo Shan sneered.