Chapter 418: Chapter 418: Joy with Zhu Zhuqing — Even the God Realm Is a Jianghu, Where Human Ties Still Matter

The Divine Realm held a banquet.

Truth be told—

During this period, the Divine Realm had indeed become far livelier than before.

Although cultivators from the mortal world had ascended before,

At most they were only first-class gods—not enough to warrant such large-scale mobilization from the assembled deities.

Do not think that gods are free of worldly dust.

In truth, the Divine Realm is little different from the jianghu of the mortal world—ultimately, it cannot escape the web of human relationships and social conventions.

Under the Sword Lord’s sharp prestige, which god would dare not give face?

Cups were raised and exchanged, and after several rounds of wine—

The gods all understood perfectly well.

They knew that Li Zhexian, reunited with his old friends, would surely have endless private words to share.

Thus, the banquet did not last long. One by one, the gods smiled, clasped their hands in farewell, and departed.

"Brothers, time to change venues!" Li Zhexian’s cheeks were flushed red as he waved his hand broadly.

"Come on, let’s head back to our own turf and keep drinking!"

The gods who had not yet gone far paused and looked back.

They saw that group of young people with arms slung over one another’s shoulders, heading eastward—utterly lacking the dignity and solemn bearing expected of gods.

They could not tell whether the sighs that escaped them were born of emotion or wistfulness.

At that moment—

A god spoke softly:

"As gods, behaving so unrestrainedly—doesn’t that seem somewhat improper?"

A scoff immediately came from beside him.

"If you’ve got a problem, go say it to the Sword Lord."

The gods fell silent.

Only the sound of wind remained among the clouds.

After a long while, another god spoke in a complicated tone:

"The wine the Sword Lord drinks later will surely be far more intoxicating than what was served at the banquet."

...

Following Li Zhexian, the moment they stepped into the Eastern God Region—

The breathtaking scenery before them made everyone instinctively hold their breath.

Immortal mountains rose amid rolling seas of clouds, dotted with spirit springs and cascading waterfalls.

Palaces and pavilions suffused with divine light appeared and vanished in the mist, stretching endlessly beyond sight.

"This..."

Dugu Yan gazed at the grandeur—something utterly impossible in the mortal world—and her eyes grew misty.

Yu Tianheng and the others stood frozen as well, minds utterly captivated.

"This is Brother Zhexian’s domain? Unbelievable!"

"As expected—whether in heaven or on earth, Brother Zhexian is extraordinary!"

Li Zhexian shook his head with a smile.

"Every God King has their own arrangements. But you are my closest friends—talking about rank and hierarchy would only create distance."

With a sweep of his sleeve, he gestured across the vast mountains and rivers.

"From now on, the Eastern God Region is your home."

"Whatever style of divine abode you like, feel free to discuss it with the Craft Gods!"

Warmth surged through everyone’s hearts.

They had only just ascended to the Divine Realm, yet already they had a place to belong. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Tsk tsk—having a God King as a close friend really does feel different." Feng Xiaotian chuckled mischievously.

Everyone exchanged glances, then clasped their hands together with grins.

"Greetings, Sword Lord God King..."

Li Zhexian laughed and waved them off.

"Enough, enough—cut it out!"

Amid laughter and chatter—

They crossed tens of thousands of miles of cloud sea.

They arrived before a towering divine hall shaped like a blade just drawn from its sheath.

Above the hall’s entrance—

Four magnificent gilded characters shone brilliantly: Sword Lord Divine Hall

The doors slowly closed behind them,

Sealing the rules of the Divine Realm completely outside.

Within the doors lay their own world.

The atmosphere instantly relaxed.

Laughter rang out freely, with no restraints remaining.

As the wine flowed and spirits rose,

No one knew who started it first—

But carried by the drink, they actually began sparring within the vast divine hall.

Divine power surged—thunder roared, wind shadows flickered, and multicolored divine light interwove, illuminating faces full of youthful spirit and vigor.

Li Zhexian reclined lazily on a sandalwood chair he had brought from the mortal world, smiling as he watched the lively scene before him, his eyes filled with warmth and contentment.

And when it came time for Xiao Wu to make her move...

The situation suddenly changed.

Divine power flowed around her body, carrying a uniquely sharp aura. A hint of sly amusement appeared on her pretty face.

Then—

A flash of pink divine light.

She vanished on the spot, transforming into a snow-white spirit rabbit.

Li Zhexian seemed to sense something and raised an eyebrow.

The Qinglian Sword appeared out of thin air.

The white rabbit turned into a streak of light, lightly darting toward the sword hilt.

That soft glow trailing behind her—like a scorpion-tail braid—

naturally coiled around the hilt, just like a perfectly fitting sword tassel.

Under everyone’s astonished gazes—

The white rabbit fused flawlessly with the Qinglian Sword.

She became a lively, extraordinary living sword tassel upon the hilt.

"Interesting."

Li Zhexian nodded with a light chuckle.

Calling a young girl a "Sword-Bearing Divine General" did indeed sound a bit too rough—

transforming into a nimble sword tassel suited her far better.

Pink divine light spread once more.

Xiao Wu stood before everyone again, lively and radiant.

"My situation is a bit special..."

"I need Zhexian’s consent before I can use my divine power."

Her pink eyes sparkled as she smiled.

"But as long as he allows it..."

"I feel that my level of strength probably isn’t inferior to that of a first-class god."

As soon as she said this—

Gasps erupted throughout the hall.

Everyone loudly exclaimed that Li Zhexian was truly "monstrous."

Feng Buyu turned into a wisp of clear wind and zipped in front of Li Zhexian, eyes shining as he inspected him.

"Brother Zhexian, quick, let me see what other ’accessories’ you’re missing!"

Li Zhexian laughed as he stood up.

"Watching you all spar has made my hands itch too. Brother Buyu, let’s have a match."

...

The banquet lasted an entire day.

The divine hall was left in utter disarray.

Everyone lay sprawled on the ground in various undignified poses.

In the end, it was the divine attendants who usually managed the hall who carefully helped them one by one to the guest palaces prepared in advance.

The divine hall was vast beyond measure—

accommodating this small group was nothing at all.

Li Zhexian seemed particularly deep in his drunkenness,

lying in the sandalwood chair with a wine jar clutched in his arms.

Qian Renxue’s cheeks were flushed crimson as she forced herself to remain somewhat clear-headed and softly said to Zhu Zhuqing beside her:

"Little Sister Zhuqing... Zhexian... I’ll leave him to your care."

Zhu Zhuqing was already shy, and with the wine rising to her head, she blurted out without thinking:

"Sister Xue’er, why don’t we do it together—"

Qian Renxue’s beautiful eyes widened. The blush on her face deepened further. Like a startled skylark, divine light flashed around her as she hurriedly fled the hall, leaving behind only a faint fragrant breeze and a drifting voice transmission:

"I... I’m really drunk... Little Sister Zhuqing, you go instead..."

Zhu Zhuqing stared in the direction Qian Renxue disappeared, stunned for a moment, before softly letting out a breath.

She walked to the sandalwood chair.

Supporting the sleeping Li Zhexian, she slowly made her way toward the main hall.

After gently settling him onto the bed, Zhu Zhuqing carefully removed his shoes and socks, then pulled over the cloud quilt and tucked him in.

Only then did she turn around and lightly wave her hand, slowly closing the hall doors.

However—

When she turned back again and looked toward the bed, her heart skipped a beat.

Li Zhexian had somehow already sat up, smiling at her.

His eyes were clear and bright, a smile lingering at the corner of his lips—there was not the slightest trace of drunkenness.

"Zhuqing,"

he called softly, patting the empty space beside him.

"Come sit here."

Zhu Zhuqing gently bit her lower lip, her gaze soft as water as it rested on that handsome face illuminated by flickering candlelight.

For a moment—

It felt as though she had returned to that year in the Star Dou Forest, when the boy she first met looked exactly like this.

A full year of longing accumulated in the mortal world melted away like spring snow, impossible to restrain any longer.

She stepped forward lightly.

Her cheeks flushed red as she came to the bedside.

She bent down and gently drew his head into her embrace.

A thousand unspoken words churned in her heart, finally condensing into a softly trembling whisper:

"Zhexian... I missed you so much."

...

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