Chapter 1368 - A Grand Occasion in a Flourishing Age
The whereabouts of Nan Tieyi and Hu Bugui had always been on his mind, even after so many years.
He had tried all sorts of means and methods, but he was still unable to figure out where they could have gone.
He couldn't find them even if they were still alive, and if they were dead, he couldn't find their bodies either.
Ye Qingyu had used the Light Emperor Detection Technique on more than one occasion.
He was now so powerful that he was even able to detect the presence of other King of Sovereigns across several star domains. However, no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to detect the presence of these two people who were his closest friends and who had left so many clues behind everywhere. He drew a blank each time he used the Light Emperor Detection Technique.
Since the space battle ended, Liu Shaji had started to roam around the various star domains and planets, and explored the unexplored and dangerous areas. He traveled all around the world, but everyone knew that he was searching for Nan Tieyi and Hu Bugui. He had shelved his plans to rebuild the White Lotus Sword Sect and he seemed hell-bent on searching for his friends. This had always been a thorn in his side since he learned about his past.
Yu Xiaoxing and Song Xiaojun looked at Ye Qingyu and said in unison, "We can delay the wedding if you'd like your friends to attend our wedding." Then, they looked at each other and exchanged a smile.
Ye Qingyu stretched out his hand, took the girls' hands in his, and said with a smile, "Let's not wait any longer."
Yes, he couldn't delay his wedding any longer.
Youth would fade away and so would their beautiful looks.
Ye Qingyu was not a block of wood, so he knew how much these two women loved him. More than two thousand years had passed since they first met each other. And although the spiritual qi in the Vast Thousand Domains was extremely abundant these days and this had resulted in the average lifespan of the Human Race increasing significantly, the Human Race could now live for more than two hundred years. But two thousand years was the span of ten lifetimes and these two women had waited way too long for him.
Yu Xiaoxing and Song Xiaojun were both highly skilled martial experts with long lifespans, so they were in the prime of their youth right now. However, waiting would often prove to be torturous, as one would get tired and drained after waiting for such a long time.
Men would often fall for women who were kind to them.
Ye Qingyu owed them so much, so he could not afford to let them wait any longer.
He was certain that Nan Tieyi and Hu Bugui would agree with his decision.
...
...
Time ticked by.
Ten years soon flew by in the blink of an eye.
Time seemed to fly by extremely quickly for highly skilled martial experts. A decade seemed like an instant to them.
The Heaven Wasteland Empire and the Immortal Empire finally officially merged to become a single empire, and this merger was processed smoothly and peacefully.
The Imperial God Emperor personally suggested that the Dark Realm be renamed the Light Realm, the Royal City of the Guardians be renamed the Light City, and the new empire be named the Immortal Heaven Empire. Snow Capital of the Heaven Wasteland Empire would be the capital of this new empire and the Heaven Wasteland Domain would be an imperial planet.
Ye Qingyu's marriage to his two beloved women was also conducted in a grand fashion after a decade of preparation.
The Emperor qi caused the entire Heaven Wasteland Domain to be filled with red flower petals overnight. It was a romantic and beautiful sight to behold, and the various ambassadors, experts, officials, old friends, and the disciples of Immortal Dojo from the various domains and planets thronged the vast Heaven Wasteland Domain. These people were all of different races, from different domains, and of different ages, but they spoke the same language and they were here for the same reason.
Countless people witnessed this grand wedding ceremony.
The official ceremony was held in the imperial capital, Snow City, and Imperial God Emperor Ye Qingyu and his two empresses entered the city from the eastern gate. They were in a flying ship that was driven by the true dragon, Little Silver, and they were bathed by flower petals and entered Light City to the cheers of countless citizens and pilgrims. Then, their wedding was officially held in the fire tree woods next to the Fiery Springs.
Their master of ceremonies was none other than Great Emperor Li Xiaofei.
Li Xiaofei ranked higher than Ye Qingyu and the others in terms of seniority and he had once been the pride and savior of the Human Race. Thus, he was the only person who was qualified to host this grand ceremony. Although he did not hold an official title within the Immortal Heaven Empire, nor did he establish his own sect, he was still highly regarded within the empire.
Ye Qingyu's elders were the two divine generals and Aunt Lan.
As for the women's side of the family, Yu Xiaoxing was accompanied by the ex-Snow Emperor, who had since retired to the ancestral shrine of the Snow Capital, and First Princess Yu Junqing. Song Xiaojun entered the ceremony with her arms linked with her sister, Song Qingluo.
The optical brain, [The Beginning], had planned the entire ceremony and this ceremony incorporated the ancient customs of the Heaven Wasteland Domain with the traditional practices of Earth's civilization.
Light City could hold one hundred thousand people, and so many people had thronged into the city that it was bursting at the seams.
Those who were allowed to set foot inside Snow Capital to witness this grand ceremony were all major influential figures of the Vast Thousand Star Domains. And those who were invited to the Light City were strong titans, prodigies, talents, supremely powerful experts, and authoritative figures who were powerful enough to reign over a certain part of the world. Every single one of them was so powerful that their identity and status would astound large crowds. But after entering Light City, they were only able to find a space that was so tiny that they were forced to stand throughout.
The Empire's Pill God Dugu Quan, the Divine Doctor Ouyang Buping, the old marshal Li Guangbi, the ex-Left Minister of Snow Capital and the current Prime Minister of the Empire Lin Zheng, the War God of the Dragon Human Race Xu Yuwa, and the other titans from the older generations that numbered thousands of people were all present at fire tree woods. There were some amongst them who had already retired in seclusion and had only emerged from seclusion to attend Ye Qingyu's wedding.
"Lil Ye Qingyu has finally made it," Dugu Quan said with a sigh and exchanged a smile with the Divine Doctor.
These two elderly men couldn't help sighing in wonder.
Dugu Quan thought back to his first encounter with Ye Qingyu. They had met because of a [Mysterious Heaven Pellet], and Ye Qingyu had merely been a military official back then. No one would have thought that this outstanding young man, who had received polarizing criticisms and praises while he was stationed at the Youyan Pass and also at the Snow Empire, would be able to make it this far.
The female Sword Immortal, Wang Jianru, was also overcome with mixed feelings when she saw Song Xiaojun smiling so happily next to Ye Qingyu.
After the blood of darkness was ignited within Song Xiaojun's body, she became the enemy of the empire overnight. In other words, the entire empire was full of her enemies, and she was in such dire straits that Wang Jianru had to reveal her true identity and unleash her true strength ahead of time. She had assumed that she was strong enough to protect and guard over Song Xiaojun for a lifetime. She remembered when Ye Qingyu gave up his body to see Song Xiaojun and how he seemed infatuated and determined before they parted reluctantly. However, she had assumed that this was just a youthful infatuation, and no matter how passionately he loved Song Xiaojun, she was certain that this love would die once he was forced to face reality. She had instinctively assumed that Ye Qingyu's and Song Xiaojun's love would disappear as time passed and that the gap between their status and identities would become even wider. Even after Ye Qingyu displayed his potential and talent, she did not think that he would truly take on the entire world for the sake of Song Xiaojun, but she had been wrong. This man turned out to be so powerful that he could destroy all of the obstacles that stood between their love. When she remembered how much they suffered and what they had been through to be with each other, she truly wished them well and hoped that they would have a blissful marriage together.
Bai Yuanxing, Jin Ling'er, Li Ying, Li Qi, and the others who were present were so happy that they could hardly contain their excitement and reacted like little children as they watched the ceremony. It was hard to think that these people were now Sovereigns of foreign domains of their own who were famous throughout the Vast Thousand Star Domains.
Li Ying's and Li Qi's parents had also been invited and were present at the wedding.
Mother Wu and Elder Li attracted the most attention amongst the crowd.
Mother Wu had been with Ye Qingyu since he was at the Youyan Pass. Although she was merely a cook, her status had risen after Ye Qingyu rose to fame. She did not cultivate the martial way, but because of Ye Qingyu, Li Qi, and Li Ying, she managed to enjoy longevity and health. Elder Li, who stood beside Mother Wu, was also extremely nervous. He was a simple and honest man, and though his son and daughter were now Kings of Sovereigns themselves who stood at the pinnacle of the martial way, he had always kept a low profile and lived quietly with Mother Wu in Light City just like an ordinary resident.
The chief clerk of the Immortal Heaven Empire, Luo Yi, stood in the front row, and his eyes as he watched Ye Qingyu performing the wedding formalities were full of gratefulness and fervent respect.
This young man who had risen in the world still remembered the glorious days after he had been transferred to Ye Qingyu's side. He remembered the humiliation he had felt after his betrothed had broken off their engagement and how he managed to regain his dignity in the simplest and most direct manner. His life had changed thereafter, and as time passed, this chief clerk had won the favor and respect of many respectable people. After he retired, he had brought up this precious memory on more than one occasion in his autobiography. This had also become one of the most legendary and amusing anecdotes of the Immortal Heaven Empire.
Lan Tian and the tall and skinny Martial Emperor were also present.
Lan Tian was no longer burdened or held back by his past, so he could finally enjoy life as he wished.
Ye Qingyu's ex-classmates were beside Lan Tian. Those who managed to survive after Deer City had been destroyed by the Invaders were Zhou Yu, Qin Wushuang, Yan Xingtian, Bai Yuqing, Quan Yalin, and others. Hon Kong, Li Chenzhou, and others were also present, and they were the representatives of White Deer Academy. They were all unable to hide their pride because Ye Qingyu and Song Xiaojun were alumni of White Deer Academy, while Yu Xiaoxing also had a deep affinity with White Deer Academy. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that White Deer Academy had emerged as the biggest winner.
Ye Qingyu was an extremely sentimental man, and after so many years had passed, his old friends were scattered everywhere. He didn't have many old acquaintances left, but he invited them all.
Tang San, who had always been by Xiao Cao's and Qing'er's side, couldn't hold back his excitement either. He had merely been a house slave of the Ye residence, but his life had changed because of Ye Qingyu. He was now the main supervisor of the Ye residence and his status was even higher than that of a ruler of a large domain. Everything felt like a dream to him as he looked back at how he managed to get to this point, and he was terrified that he would awaken from his fantasy. Xiao Cao and Qing'er chattered excitedly next to him. These two little girls had grown to become beautiful women who had gotten married to men they loved. Ye Qingyu had done some background checks and confirmed that these were upright men, so these women were now living happily with their husbands.
The Old Master Li Shizhen was also seated in the front row.