Chapter 605: Chapter 568: Birthday Banquet (Part 2)

Fully armed soldiers stood guard on both sides of the road, preventing any unauthorized personnel from entering the incredibly wide, eight-carriage lane.

After passing through the wealthiest part of Jade City, Li Wei saw a mountain forest appear ahead.

He looked surprised.

’A mountain forest inside the city?’

’How is that possible?’

Li Wei wanted to use his Spiritual Perception to investigate.

But after a moment’s thought, he restrained the impulse.

’There are too many powerful individuals here. Rashly using my Spiritual Perception could cause unnecessary trouble.’

’Although I’m the biggest source of trouble here.’

’But before this time bomb goes off, I can’t afford to stir up any other problems.’

Li Wei had no intention of letting a moment of curiosity jeopardize his mission.

He closed his eyes, sensing his surroundings to pinpoint the spatial coordinates.

’It’s not time to open the Teleportation Gate yet.’

’I’ll wait until I see the Jade Prince.’

’But I can prepare in advance. Once I lock onto the spatial coordinates, I can fine-tune them.’

’That way, opening the Space Teleportation Gate will be faster when the time comes.’

’I won’t have to determine the Space Teleportation coordinates on the fly.’

The coordinates for the other side of the portal were already etched in Li Wei’s mind.

He could open the portal on the other end at any time.

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

Outside the wall was the bustling metropolis.

Inside was a vast, wild garden that simulated a natural ecosystem.

Seeing that the Dragon Blood Carriage showed no sign of slowing, Li Wei knew they were about to enter the peculiar, forested courtyard ahead.

To the outside world, this place had a name: the Jade Courtyard.

Noble officials had once tried to impeach the Jade Prince over the Jade Courtyard, claiming its construction was so extravagant that it surpassed the scale of His Majesty the Emperor’s own Imperial Palace.

In the end, it came to nothing.

The Emperor himself had even stepped in to smooth things over.

This showed the untouchable status of the Jade Prince’s power.

As the Dragon Blood Carriage drove into the Jade Courtyard, Li Wei saw that the road was laid with a bright red carpet.

The carpet stretched all the way to the banquet hall where the millennial birthday celebration was to be held.

The carriage wheels made not the slightest sound as they rolled over the red carpet.

Clearly, the carpet was of the absolute highest quality.

Li Wei had yet to meet the Jade Prince, but he already had one word to describe him: extravagant.

’Was there any difference between this and paving the roads with solid gold?’

Before long, Li Wei arrived at the banquet hall for the millennial birthday celebration.

It was a colossal palace, containing an immensely spacious fountain plaza.

It was the height of a scorching summer in the Jade Territory, yet the entire palace was kept at a perfect, constant temperature, with a gentle breeze drifting through the air.

Li Wei sensed faint Magic Fluctuations from the palace floors and walls.

The entire palace was inscribed with all sorts of Magic Arrays, designed to provide the guests with the most comfortable environment imaginable.

The number of Magic Stones required just to maintain the palace’s Magic Arrays every minute had to be an astronomical figure.

Li Wei thought he had already grasped the Jade Prince’s extravagance, but this magical palace shattered his understanding once again.

’There was no peak to this extravagance, only new heights.’

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

He noticed the air was filled with a faint, fresh fragrance and a pleasant aura of life.

It was no exaggeration to say that simply spending time in this palace could extend one’s lifespan.

’But this kind of method probably has no effect on the Jade Prince anymore.’

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

After entering the banquet hall, Li Wei found an inconspicuous corner to wait for the Jade Prince’s appearance.

He glanced at the steady stream of dignitaries arriving at the entrance.

’Looks like there’s still a long time before the banquet officially starts.’

While they waited, many guests mingled and chatted, hoping to make useful connections.

Even though Li Wei stayed in a corner and made no effort to approach anyone, plenty of people still came up to him, trying to get acquainted.

Finally, Li Wei had to release a faint trace of his Dragon Mighty.

It made anyone who approached him subconsciously feel a sense of fear and an urge to retreat.

That finally gave him some peace and quiet.

Li Wei eyed the various fruits, all brimming with Magic Elements, that filled the tables.

He subtly swept them into his Spatial Ring.

’It’d be a waste not to.’

’I’ll give them to Saint Xi later.’

He glanced around at the hundreds of tables in the hall, each piled high with food.

’If Saint Xi could eat all of this, her power would probably increase significantly.’

’Weakening the enemy is strengthening myself, after all.’

Li Wei continued to swipe food from the tables.

The disappearing food didn’t attract any attention, because servants would immediately appear to replenish the empty spaces.

It even reached the point where a servant was following right behind him, refilling the spots on the table as soon as he emptied them.

’This is just ridiculously over-the-top.’

Seeing this, Li Wei let out a deep sigh.

"Disgustingly rich."

Suddenly, the music in the banquet hall changed.

Li Wei’s eyes flickered as he looked toward a set of closed doors at the far end of the palace.

’The Jade Prince will probably emerge from there.’

As the music shifted, the crowd fell silent, and all eyes turned to the high platform at the front of the hall.

Against the musical backdrop, at the far end of the red-carpeted dais, a pair of magnificent, gilded doors slowly swung open.

A figure emerged, walking out at an unhurried pace.

The magnificently attired Jade Prince walked to the edge of the dais and looked down upon the crowd.

He was followed by several powerful experts, his personal bodyguards.

Li Wei sensed the unique aura of Legendary Level experts radiating from them.

’The Jade Prince’s personal bodyguards are all Legendary Professionals.’

’No wonder the Legendary Witch Lich said he couldn’t get close to the Jade Prince.’

The Jade Prince looked down at the crowd, a smile on his face as he spoke. "Welcome, everyone, to my millennial birthday banquet..."

Li Wei glanced around. The palace was filled with powerful Professionals, their auras radiating immense strength.

He wasn’t in a hurry to open the Teleportation Gate.

’Opening the gate now would be suicide.’

’The vast majority of the top Professionals in the Human Empire are gathered here.’

’Even someone as powerful as the Legendary Witch Lich couldn’t possibly take them all on.’

Li Wei waited for the right moment.

He memorized the Jade Prince’s face and discreetly locked onto his aura.

The Jade Prince stood on the dais, welcoming his guests.

Then came the presentation of gifts from the various powers and factions.

The first, unsurprisingly, was the gift from His Majesty the Emperor.

The Ninth Prince, representing the Emperor, stepped forward to offer his congratulations and presented the Emperor’s gift: a Demigod Artifact.

Everyone was stunned.

’To think the Emperor would actually give a Demigod Artifact to the Jade Prince as a birthday gift.’

’The gift was far too valuable.’

Even across the entire Human Empire, the number of Demigod Artifacts was exceedingly small.

All known Demigod Artifacts were in the hands of famous, powerful individuals.

Very few ownerless Demigod Artifacts remained undiscovered.

Upon receiving the Demigod Artifact, the Jade Prince simply smiled and conveyed his thanks to the Ninth Prince for His Majesty the Emperor’s generosity.

A Demigod Artifact was precious, but to the Jade Prince, it was nothing extraordinary.

He had more than five Demigod Artifacts that he had no use for.

Afterward, the other factions presented their gifts in turn.

For the most part, it was dignitaries representing their respective factions who presented gifts and offered their congratulations.

No one offered a gift on a purely personal basis.

The only exception was His Majesty the Emperor of the Empire.

Only he possessed the status and means to do so.

Everyone else could only represent the power behind them.

Li Wei discreetly mixed his own prepared gift in with the others, adding it to the growing pile.

With so many people presenting gifts, the Jade Prince naturally couldn’t receive each one personally.

Most guests simply had their names recorded before placing their gifts in the collection area.

Later, someone would present the gifts to the Jade Prince, who would then decide their fate.

Most of the gifts would likely end up gathering dust.

They might never even be seen by the Jade Prince himself.

They would simply be tossed into a storehouse, never to see the light of day again.

The banquet proceeded without any incidents.

Nor could any incidents have possibly occurred.

Too many powerful figures were gathered here.

Anyone who dared to cause trouble would be dead before they knew what hit them.

「After the banquet ended.」

Li Wei was just preparing to leave.

A servant from the Jade Manor found Li Wei. "Greetings, Mage Li Wei. The Prince wishes to see you. Would you please come to the garden in the palace’s rear courtyard?"

Li Wei looked surprised.

He hadn’t even had to use his backup plan, and his target was walking right into his hands.

’Could things really be this easy?’

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