Chapter 568: Birthday Feast

Chapter 568: The Birthday Banquet

Soon, the day of the Jade Prince's millennium birthday banquet arrived.

The entire Jade Domain was brimming with the atmosphere of grand celebration.

Lanterns were hung and banners strung about.

Welcoming flags and ribbons extended even a hundred miles beyond the borders.

The Jade Prince's extravagant gestures surprised every guest who had come to attend the birthday banquet.

Naturally, only the most elite figures of the human empire were invited to this legendary prince's birthday feast.

Each one was either a powerful dignitary wielding great authority and remarkable strength, or a gifted genius with immense potential.

Though the emperor himself did not personally attend, he sent one of his princes to offer congratulations on behalf of the Jade Prince—a gesture of considerable prestige.

This was truly an imperial event of great significance.

Many people took pride and honor in receiving an invitation.

Even those prominent figures who could not spare the time to attend sent valuable gifts at great expense to celebrate the Jade Prince's thousand-year milestone.

The Jade Prince—oldest among all the empire's princes.

His power once overshadowed the heavens; during his prime, even the emperor had to heed his words.

Although his influence had waned since then, he still stood among the very few at the apex of the empire's hierarchy.

In terms of open status, he could rightly be called second only to the emperor, towering above ten thousand others.

Beyond the emperor himself, there seemed no figure more esteemed throughout the empire.

Within the Elemental Tower, many individuals had received invitations from the Jade Prince.

Among them were aged legendary mages whose days of glory had long passed and whose futures held little promise.

Seeing that Li Wei had actually received an invitation while they themselves had not, these old legends flew into fits of rage, puffing up their cheeks and glaring fiercely.

It wasn't merely flattery toward the Jade Prince—it was simply human nature to compare oneself with others.

A single invitation instantly divided the legendary mages of the Elemental Tower into two distinct ranks.

Those who received the invitation were seen as favored by the Jade Prince, renowned and elevated above those who hadn’t been invited.

At least, so it appeared in the eyes of other noble houses within the empire.

Legendary mages weren’t immortal sages detached from worldly affairs.

They too needed social connections and alliances with noble powers.

Behind many legendary mages stood influential noble families offering support.

Otherwise, gathering sufficient resources for legendary-level cultivation would have proven a tremendous challenge relying solely upon personal effort.

With noble backing, however, much time could be saved collecting such materials, allowing focus instead on training, enhancing abilities, and researching magic.

To gain such noble patronage, reputation—or fame—was paramount.

Participating in the Jade Prince’s millennium banquet presented an excellent opportunity to rise to prominence.

It also offered chances to meet numerous high-ranking nobles within the empire.

While noble factions might not seek outright control over a legendary mage,

having access to a cooperative legendary mage made resolving countless issues far easier.

After all, this was a world governed by magic.

What posed insurmountable challenges to ordinary folk could often be effortlessly resolved by mages.

And legendary mages required no further explanation.

Having a readily available legendary mage capable of solving virtually any problem was akin to possessing a divine tome capable of answering all questions—for any noble faction.

Cooperation between legendary mages and noble forces was mutual—

each fulfilling needs the other possessed.

Just as mighty institutions like the Elemental Tower relied on nobility for benefits and rare magical resources.

Thus, when Li Wei received his invitation, jealousy and envy arose among several legendary mages.

Li Wei traveled alongside Elemental Tower mages to the Jade Domain, attending the Jade Prince’s millennium birthday banquet.

Before departing the Elemental Tower, Li Wei sent one final message to the legendary lich.

He told him to wait for the right moment, to await good news from him.

To prepare to act at any time.

The legendary lich immediately replied—he was always ready.

The Tower Master of the Elemental Tower did not attend the Jade Prince’s millennium banquet.

Instead, he dispatched two deputy masters bearing gifts and congratulatory messages prepared by himself, representing both him and the Elemental Tower in extending felicitations to the Jade Prince.

The Elemental Tower activated its teleportation array, transporting everyone attending the Jade Prince’s millennium banquet directly to the largest city within the Jade Domain—the Jade City.

Jade City also served as the capital of the Jade Domain.

The Jade Prince resided permanently within Jade City.

There, he owned a forested courtyard estate.

This estate lay nestled in the heart of Jade City’s busiest district.

It was inconceivable that amidst countless bustling crowds, endless streams of traffic, and land valued by the inch, there should exist such a completely natural ecological mountain-forest courtyard.

The Jade Prince’s forested courtyard spanned over one million square meters.

From the main gate to where the Jade Prince lived, guests still needed to ride carriages—if walking, it would take half a day just to traverse the distance.

It was Li Wei’s first visit to Jade City.

Following alongside other legendary mages, he rode in dragon-blood horse-drawn carriages specially arranged by the Jade Prince, heading toward the Jade Courtyard.

A purebred dragon-blood horse alone was worth a fortune in gold.

Here now, each guest holding an invitation to the Jade Prince’s millennium banquet enjoyed exclusive use of a separate dragon-blood carriage en route to the Jade Courtyard.

Simply unimaginable.

The wealth accumulated by the Jade Prince over a thousand years—if described as rivaling nations’ treasuries—it would still fall short of capturing its true magnitude.

Gazing through the window at the vibrant streets outside, everywhere adorned with lanterns and banners, drums beating and gongs clanging,

from afar he could see crowds gathered watching performances.

Along the road stretching from the teleport plaza of Jade City leading toward the Jade Courtyard, passage remained unimpeded.

Soldiers fully armed lined both sides of the wide eight-horse carriage lane, maintaining order and preventing unauthorized entry.

Passing through Jade City’s wealthiest districts, Li Wei saw ahead a mountain range emerging before him.

Surprise flickered across his face.

Could there really be a mountain forest inside a city?

What was going on?

Li Wei wanted to release his spiritual perception to assess the situation.

After some thought, he suppressed the urge.

There were too many experts here; recklessly unleashing his spiritual senses might provoke unnecessary trouble.

Although he himself was already the greatest source of potential chaos.

But before this walking bomb of trouble exploded, he absolutely must not attract any additional complications.

Li Wei had no intention of letting momentary curiosity interfere with what he was about to do.

He closed his eyes and perceived the surrounding world, capturing spatial coordinates.

It wasn’t time yet to open the portal.

He would wait until he met the Jade Prince in person.

Still, he could prepare ahead of time—once he locked onto the spatial coordinates, he could fine-tune them.

That way, when it came time to open the spatial gate, it would be much faster.

No need to determine the teleportation coordinates at the last second.

The coordinates for the other side were already firmly imprinted in Li Wei’s mind.

He could open the gateway there at any moment.

Before long, a wall dividing the city came into view.

Beyond the wall lay a bustling metropolis.

Within the wall stretched vast natural mountain ranges and wild gardens.

Seeing that the carriage showed no sign of slowing down, Li Wei knew they were about to enter this peculiar mountain estate.

To the outside world, this estate had its own name—the Jade Courtyard.

In the past, nobles and officials had even impeached the Jade Prince over the extravagance of his courtyard, claiming it surpassed the scale of the Emperor’s own palace.

Nothing ever came of it.

The Emperor himself had stepped in to smooth things over.

It clearly showed how exalted the Jade Prince’s position truly was.

Once the dragon-blood carriage entered the Jade Courtyard, Li Wei saw red carpets laid across the ground path.

The carpet extended all the way to where the millennium banquet was being held.

Even as the wheels rolled over the crimson carpet, not a single sound was made.

It was clear that this carpet was of the highest quality.

Li Wei hadn’t even seen the Jade Prince yet, but his impression of him was already set—one word: extravagant.

What was the difference between this and paving roads with gold?

Not long after, Li Wei arrived at the venue of the millennium banquet.

A colossal palace stood before him, inside which lay an expansive fountain plaza.

Though the season in the Jade Domain was the height of summer, the entire interior of the palace maintained a perfectly comfortable temperature, with gentle breezes flowing through.

Li Wei sensed faint magical fluctuations from the floor and walls.

The whole palace was inscribed with countless magical arrays, all designed to provide guests with the utmost comfort.

Just maintaining these arrays required a staggering amount of magical stones per minute—a terrifying figure indeed.

Having already witnessed the Jade Prince’s extravagance,

this super-magical palace once again shattered Li Wei’s understanding.

There was no limit to luxury—it only got more excessive.

Li Wei stepped out of the carriage and walked along the soft red carpet into the venue.

He noticed the air was filled with a faint fragrance and a soothing life energy.

To put it bluntly, staying longer in this palace might actually extend one’s lifespan.

Though such methods likely no longer worked on the Jade Prince.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so desperately seeking the heart of a dragon.

Upon entering the banquet hall, Li Wei found a quiet corner to wait, watching for the Jade Prince’s appearance.

He glanced toward the entrance, where various prominent figures continued to arrive.

It seemed there was still quite some time before the banquet officially began.

During the wait, many people mingled and chatted, hoping to make useful connections.

Even though Li Wei stayed in his corner without approaching anyone,

many still came up to him, eager to strike up a conversation.

Eventually, Li Wei had no choice but to subtly emit a faint aura of draconic pressure.

Those who approached him would instinctively feel fear and hesitation, stepping back unconsciously.

Only then did he finally gain some peace.

Li Wei looked at the table laden with fruits brimming with magical essence.

Without drawing attention, he slipped them into his spatial ring.

Free stuff was free stuff—he wasn’t about to pass it up.

He’d give them to Sheng Xi later.

He swept his gaze across the hundreds of tables piled high with food.

If Sheng Xi could devour all of this, her strength might increase significantly.

After all, weakening the enemy meant strengthening oneself.

Li Wei quietly began taking food from the tables.

The disappearing dishes went unnoticed, as servants quickly replenished them.

In fact, someone even followed behind Li Wei, restocking whatever he took.

It was simply outrageous.

Seeing this, Li Wei let out a deep sigh.

“Utterly inhumane.”

Suddenly, the music in the banquet hall shifted tone.

Li Wei’s eyes flickered slightly as he turned toward the far end of the palace, where a closed door stood.

The Jade Prince might emerge from there.

As the music changed, conversations ceased and everyone’s attention turned to the raised platform ahead.

Against the backdrop of the melody, the golden, ornate doors at the end of the red carpet slowly opened.

A figure emerged from the grand gates with a slow, deliberate pace.

The resplendent Prince of Jade stepped to the edge of the high platform, casting a downward glance upon the gathered crowd.

Behind him followed several masters, maintaining a close, protective stance.

Levi sensed from them the distinct aura exclusive to legendary powerhouses.

The personal bodyguards of the Prince of Jade were actually all legendary-tier practitioners.

No wonder the Legendary Lich had claimed he could not get close to the Prince of Jade.

The Prince of Jade looked upon the multitude below, a smile gracing his features as he spoke: "Welcome, everyone, to my millennium jubilee..."

Levi glanced around the surroundings; the palace was filled with powerful practitioners exuding formidable auras.

He was in no hurry to open the portal.

To open it at this moment would be nothing short of seeking death.

Gathered here was the vast majority of the top-tier practitioners within the human empire.

No matter how powerful the Legendary Lich might be, he could not oppose everyone.

Levi bided his time.

He memorized the appearance of the Prince of Jade, quietly locking onto his aura.

Standing upon the high platform, the Prince of Jade expressed his welcome to the arriving guests.

Then followed the presentation of gifts from various factions.

The first, naturally beyond all dispute, was the birthday gift from His Majesty the Emperor.

The Ninth Prince represented the Emperor in offering congratulations to the Prince of Jade, presenting the gift prepared by the sovereign—a demi-artifact.

Everyone was profoundly astonished.

None expected the Emperor to actually present a demi-artifact as a birthday gift to the Prince of Jade.

This gift was simply too precious.

Even for the entirety of the human empire, the number of demi-artifacts was extremely limited.

Currently known demi-artifacts were basically in the hands of those celebrated powerhouses.

The number of unowned demi-artifacts left scattered in the world was exceptionally rare.

After receiving the demi-artifact birthday gift, the Prince of Jade smiled and expressed his gratitude to His Majesty the Emperor through the Ninth Prince.

Though a demi-artifact was precious, to the Prince of Jade, it was merely ordinary.

The number of unused demi-artifacts in his possession exceeded the fingers on one hand.

Shortly after, various factions successively presented their birthday gifts.

Essentially, they were grand figures representing a faction to wish the Prince of Jade a long life and offer gifts.

There were no individual gifts of congratulations.

The only individual was His Majesty the Emperor of the empire.

Only he possessed such status and capability.

Everyone else could only represent the faction behind them.

Levi quietly mingled the gift he had prepared into the pool of gifts along with those of others.

There were too many people bearing gifts, so it was naturally impossible for the Prince of Jade to receive every single gift personally.

Most people merely had their names recorded, then placed their gifts into the gift pool.

Later, someone would deliver these gifts before the Prince of Jade, leaving it to him to decide how to handle them.

Most gifts would likely end up gathering dust.

They might not even have a chance to be seen by the Prince of Jade.

They would be thrown into a warehouse, followed by a prolonged existence away from the light of day.

No unexpected incidents occurred during the course of the banquet.

Nor was it possible for any unexpected incidents to occur.

Too many powerhouses were gathered here.

Should anyone dare to rashly stand out, they wouldn't even know how they died.

After the banquet concluded.

Levi was just preparing to depart.

A servant of the Jade Manor found Levi, saying, "Greetings, Mage Levi. His Highness the Prince wishes to see you. Please move your steps to the palace's backyard garden."

An expression of surprise surfaced on Levi's face.

Before the backup measures he left behind were even utilized, the other party had proactively come to his door.

To think there was such a fortunate turn of events?

(End of chapter)