Chapter 485: The Selection After the Peach Blossom Banquet

"What did you say?!" Song Yubing clenched her fists, her delicate frame trembling with rage.

"I'm only giving you three days."

"When those three days are up, you can just wait and see your master's corpse strung up outside my Song family's estate!"

Song Yeming left these parting words in an indifferent voice before turning to leave.

The Murong family and the Jin family also dispersed, led by Murong Lengfang and Jin Ninghai.

Hong Cangkuang, Yun Tianhan, Xiao Yunpo, and the others merely watched from a distance, not intervening.

Ultimately, the only reason they had acted was because Hongyu Pill Venerable had entrusted them with helping Ye Chen.

But Ye Chen had met with disaster due to an uncontrollable external force. Attacking the Song family and his other enemies now was meaningless, and there was no need to waste the effort.

Besides, even Hongyu Pill Venerable, the one who had asked them to act, said nothing at this moment.

"Those guys are so arrogant…"

"Father, if we don't put them in their place, I'm afraid our Provincial Government will be looked down upon."

Li Jianyin said with a cold smile, watching the departing figures of Song Yeming and his group.

Li Yu's expression was also rather grim.

That group led by Song Yeming had brazenly crashed today's Peach Blossom Banquet and disrupted the order, and now they were leaving as if nothing had happened.

Yet he could say nothing.

After all, although Princess Changyue had no intention of backing the Song family, the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce stood behind the Murong and Jin families!

The power of the Great Hong Dynasty's number one chamber of commerce alone was not something a mere provincial governor like him could oppose.

Li Jianyin understood his father's predicament, so he just shook his head and sighed.

Even the Heaven-Reaching Sword Institute behind him was wary of the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce, to say nothing of his father!

In the end, the Peach Blossom Banquet concluded in this unceremonious fashion.

Although Li Yu mentioned that he would first tidy up the martial arts arena over the next few days and then reopen the Peach Blossom Banquet, the responses he received were few and far between.

After experiencing such a disturbance, who would still be in the mood to attend a Peach Blossom Banquet?

Not to mention that experts from the four great families had fallen during the turmoil, and without exception, the leaders and upper echelons of many other factions hostile to Ye Chen had been dealt with by him.

All the remaining guests were frightened and panic-stricken.

Some, worried about being implicated, even took their people and left Dongxuan City overnight, abandoning any intention of attending the banquet.

This left Li Yu with a wry smile.

Who could have imagined that this year's Peach Blossom Banquet would stir up such a massive storm?

Chimei was ultimately rescued by Song Yubing, but Cyan Rainbow Hall was no longer a safe place, so she sent him to the Provincial Government estate to recuperate.

And Li Yu was naturally happy to accept.

Aside from an unparalleled prodigy like Ye Chen, Chimei was the strongest participant at this Peach Blossom Banquet.

If it weren't for the major chaos that erupted midway, Chimei should have been the rightful winner of the Peach Blossom Banquet.

...

"This Peach Blossom Banquet… what exactly was the selection for!?"

Under the deep night sky, inside a plainly decorated hall in the Provincial Government estate, Hongyu Pill Venerable sat opposite Li Jianyin.

It was Hongyu Pill Venerable who spoke.

Li Jianyin immediately replied, "The winner, I'm told, will be sent to the Central Province to join its top geniuses in an even bigger selection."

"A bigger selection?"

Hongyu Pill Venerable furrowed her brow.

"That's right."

Li Jianyin took a small sip of his drink and continued, "You've been away from the Central Province for too long. You're out of the loop on many things."

"In fact, this larger selection originally had no slots for the other four regions. The candidates could only be chosen from within the Central Province."

"But because I'm from Dongxuan Province, I couldn't stand seeing the Central Province monopolize all the slots!"

"So, after arguing our case, a few other young cultivators from various provinces and I finally won this opportunity—the chance to return to our home provinces and select other geniuses."

"I told them then that there might be prodigies outside the Central Province even more monstrous than their own, and that it would be a huge shame not to give them a chance. The elders in the Central Province didn't believe me at the time!"

"It's a good thing I came back this time, or I never would have met a monstrous talent like Ye Chen."

Li Jianyin sighed with emotion.

Hongyu Pill Venerable raised a delicate eyebrow. "So, you're saying you've already been chosen and are qualified to participate in that larger selection."

"But you didn't think the slots should be limited to the Central Province, and you ultimately secured one for Dongxuan Province."

"So for this Peach Blossom Banquet, the person who takes first place gets to go to the Central Province and join you in that bigger selection!"

"Correct." Li Jianyin nodded. "That is the ultimate purpose of this Peach Blossom Banquet."

"And it's been proven that fellow cultivator Ye Chen was indeed qualified to be compared to the top prodigies of the Central Province. It's just a shame…"

As he spoke, Li Jianyin's gaze couldn't help but dim.

In truth, as a native of Dongxuan Province, even though he had spent years cultivating in the Central Province and had successfully become a Saint Heir of the Heaven-Reaching Sword Institute, there was always something that left him feeling ill at ease.

Namely, that the so-called geniuses of the Central Province were far too arrogant and aloof!

Whenever they mentioned the other provinces, their dismissive tone always made Li Jianyin, who came from Dongxuan Province, feel very uncomfortable.

In the eyes of the Central Province's geniuses, it was simply impossible for the other provinces to produce cultivators of the same generation who could compare to them.

After all, everywhere in the Great Hong Dynasty outside of the Central Province was just too desolate.

How could such a barren land possibly produce any stunning talents?

Li Jianyin was supposedly the only exception.

But Li Jianyin believed that the world was vast. Looking at the entire eastern region of the dynasty, it was impossible that he was the only exception!

Through the selection of the Peach Blossom Banquet, he was certain he could find a peerless prodigy who was in no way inferior to those guys from the Central Province!

And today, he had seen Ye Chen!

Ye Chen's performance was undoubtedly brilliant. Even in the Central Province, he would be considered a first-class, peerless talent, enough to have the top factions fighting to recruit him.

But unfortunately, who could have expected that Ye Chen would suffer such a calamity, vanishing without a trace, with no body to be found?

Hearing Li Jianyin's words, Hongyu Pill Venerable couldn't help but fall silent.

She had met Ye Chen on the Cloud Mist Tower Ship. They'd had a wonderful conversation, and Ye Chen had helped her a great deal, giving her immense inspiration in the Dao of Alchemy.

Their relationship had always been that of both teacher and friend. She felt a heartfelt reverence and admiration for Ye Chen, often marveling at how someone so young could possess such astonishing accomplishments and talent.

She felt she had done her best to support Ye Chen from the shadows, but in the end, he still couldn't escape his fate.

This left Hongyu Pill Venerable feeling deeply frustrated.

"I'm going to see Changyue!" Hongyu Pill Venerable suddenly stood up, her tone cold.

"What are you going to do?" Li Jianyin asked.