At the manor where Xu Letian and the others resided, Yang Cheng quietly returned.
"Master Yang!"
Everyone turned toward him, their gazes filled with both admiration and unease.
"What were you all discussing just now?"
Yang Cheng asked with a faint smile.
Seeing that his demeanor was still calm and friendly, Xu Letian and the others secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Of course, none of them dared to treat him as casually as before.
Back by Golden Lake, the divine might he had displayed had been terrifying beyond words. The image of that moment still lingered deeply in their hearts.
"Master Yang," Yan Qingzhi said, "these days, more beings from the Horn Constellation Realm have descended upon the Great Zhao Empire."
Yan Qingzhi continued, "Among them are a few important figures. One of them is hosting a banquet in the Great Zhao Empire, and Letian happened to receive an invitation."
Yang Cheng showed little interest at first.
But then Yan Qingzhi added, "This time, even Young Master Wang Taiyuan of the Wang family from the Horn Constellation Realm will attend."
Yang Cheng's expression paused slightly.
Wang Taiyuan.
It had been over three hundred years, and he had nearly forgotten that name.
Wang Taiyuan was a future disciple of the Grand Yan Dao Palace.
That man bore deep hostility toward the Wasteland Realm. In the future, he would openly advocate for the extermination of every nation within the Wasteland Realm—a call that would gain considerable support.
Fortunately, the powers across the heavens were not united. Many great figures stood against such an idea; otherwise, the Wasteland Realm might truly have been annihilated.
"Count me in," Yang Cheng said lightly.
Hearing his words, the group's faces lit up with joy.
Soon after, they boarded a flying vessel bound for the Great Zhao Empire's coast.
This grand banquet was to be held on an island far out at sea.
When they arrived at the coast, a young man's gaze immediately brightened the moment he saw Lu Lingyi. "Miss, are you also attending the banquet?"
As he spoke, he deliberately lifted his right hand, showing off the silver ring on his finger—a void ring.
In the Wasteland Realm, void rings were rare and not yet widely produced. But among the myriad worlds of the heavens, that was far from the case.
His ring was engraved with the Seven-Star Emblem—the mark of the famous Seven-Star Chamber of Commerce.
Moreover, the ring's silver color indicated it was a silver-grade void ring, with an internal space diameter of thirty zhang (about 100 feet). Its price: three million top-grade spirit stones.
Lu Lingyi clearly recognized the symbol but showed no interest. Instead, she walked straight to Yang Cheng's side and said to the youth, "Apologies, I already have a companion."
Her tone carried a trace of nervousness, as if she feared Yang Cheng might distance himself from her.
But he didn't.
The young man's brow furrowed slightly before relaxing again. He smiled and said, "Brother, I am Gong Yi of the Gong family from the Horn Constellation Realm, one of the hosts of this banquet. I'm quite familiar with the attendees. Perhaps I could guide you around?"
It was obvious he wasn't giving up. His eyes still carried a predatory gleam as they swept over Lu Lingyi again.
As he spoke, his gaze flicked toward Yang Cheng's right hand.
Yang Cheng also wore a void ring—but his was black, unmarked, the kind typically sold by unknown craftsmen.
A ring like that rarely exceeded an internal diameter of three zhang.
Clearly, to Gong Yi, this young man had no background worth noting.
"Speaking of which," Gong Yi continued, "I'm acquainted with Wang Taiyuan himself. If I introduce you, you might even catch his eye."
At the mention of Wang Taiyuan, a flicker of excitement appeared on Lu Lingyi's face.
After all, Wang Taiyuan was a legendary prodigy of the Horn Constellation Realm—a twenty-seven-year-old Insight God.
Seeing her reaction, Gong Yi's heart brightened.
So, she admired strength. That meant she had vanity. And vanity was something he could easily exploit.
He didn't believe that, with his family background and cultivation, he could lose to the unknown youth beside her.
Yang Cheng remained silent the entire time, clearly disinterested in exchanging words with such a man.
His thoughts, however, grew more serious.
'Wang Taiyuan should already be at the Insight God realm by now,' he thought.
'So, Insight God powerhouses have begun descending into the Wasteland Realm?'
Even if it wasn't a large-scale descent yet, this was still no trivial matter.
The fact that a few peak experts could descend meant that eventually, the floodgates would open—and a true wave of divine arrivals would follow.
'This life's changes are far greater than before,' Yang Cheng realized, his mind tightening.
His very existence had already altered the course of history.
Under normal circumstances, Insight God cultivators weren't supposed to descend for another hundred years.
But now—everything had arrived a century too soon.
At first, Xu Letian and the others chatted politely with Gong Yi. But soon, they realized that in both knowledge and experience, Gong Yi far surpassed them.
Gradually, the conversation turned into a one-sided monologue—Gong Yi spoke while everyone else simply listened.
Amid this uneasy atmosphere, they finally arrived at the banquet island.
The island had clearly been transformed by people from the Horn Constellation Realm, reshaped into a sacred land overflowing with spiritual energy.
The moment they stepped ashore, they were greeted by a group of alluring women dressed in revealing silks.
Gong Yi laughed lightly. "These women are the daughters of noble families from various regions of the Wasteland Realm. They came here hoping to build connections with us.
"Of course, to us, they're nothing more than low-born natives. Still, they do have their charms—quite pleasant, actually. If any of you are interested, it's easy enough to have a little fun with them."
His words made Lu Lingyi and the other women frown deeply in silence.
Xu Letian and his companions didn't respond either.
Having spent a long time in the Wasteland Realm—and knowing that geniuses like Tang Xingyu and Yang Cheng were themselves from this world—they no longer looked down on its people.
So, Gong Yi's arrogant, condescending tone only filled them with discomfort.
At the center of the island stood a magnificent palace, its golden roof glimmering beneath the sun.
But just as they were about to enter, a group of guards stopped them.
"My invitation doesn't work?" Xu Letian said angrily. "That can't be right. This invitation was given to me by a friend—how could it be invalid?"
The guard's tone was cold. "Your invitation is an ordinary one. It allows you to stay on the island, but entry into the palace requires an elite invitation."
Xu Letian's face turned pale with embarrassment.
Being turned away at the door—especially in front of Yan Qingzhi and the others—was utterly humiliating. He wished he could dig a hole and crawl into it.
Gong Yi's smile widened slightly, a glint of amusement flashing in his eyes as his judgment of their status grew clearer.
Having an invitation meant they had some standing. But possessing only a standard one meant their status was mediocre at best—probably just disciples of minor families.
He then stepped forward gracefully and showed his own invitation. "They're with me."
The guards' expressions changed immediately. "Ah, so they're Young Master Gong's friends. Please, enter."
Their tone was suddenly polite, almost reverent.
Gong Yi lifted his chin slightly, pretending modesty while enjoying their deference.
Xu Letian and the others couldn't help but feel a bit of awe toward him now.
If not for Yang Cheng among them, they might have completely lost confidence. But remembering that he was there kept them calm.
Inside the banquet hall, Gong Yi smiled faintly and said, "Feel free to look around, but don't offend anyone. I have to meet with Young Master Wang."
"Understood."
Xu Letian and the others responded respectfully.
"There really are a lot of important people here," someone whispered.
"Look over there—that's Huang Yuxuan of the Huang family!"
"And over there—that's Liu Yunche, the true disciple of Lingxiao Pavilion!"
At that, their expressions grew even more cautious.
Everywhere they looked, there were prominent figures—young prodigies from the major sects and noble clans of the Horn Constellation Realm.
Then Ma Ruoruo suddenly pointed ahead, eyes wide. "Look—Chu Xianyin!"