Chapter 1001 - 86: What a Heavy Birthday Gift! (23 Updates)

Chapter 1001: Chapter 86: What a Heavy Birthday Gift! (23 Updates)

Chu Nian saw Mu Qingge suddenly in a daze and couldn’t help but laugh, "What are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking about the meaning of what you just said." Mu Qingge replied honestly.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she said that, a quick hint of playful reproach flashed in Chu Nian’s phoenix-like eyes. She twisted her slender waist, mumbled "Fool" in a low voice, and swiftly walked forward.

Mu Qingge furrowed her brows slightly, standing there without understanding why.

After walking a few steps quickly, Chu Nian thought to herself, ’What’s wrong with me? That was just a common expression, a simple polite remark. Why does his serious questioning make me feel so confused inside?’

She took a deep breath, shook her head slowly, and silently performed the Heart Purifying Mantra once to calm her emotions.

Chu Nian smoothed out her emotional waves, turned back, and saw Mu Qingge still standing there, prompting her to say, "What are you standing there for?"

Mu Qingge came back to her senses, smiled helplessly, and followed her with a graceful sweep of her sleeves.

Only Yin Chen, when looking at Mu Qingge and Chu Nian, showed a moment of doubt in his eyes. However, he didn’t think much about it and simply followed Mu Qingge.

The Divine Emperor Palace was already filled with banquet tables.

The Wuhua God Emperor still sat high on the Divine Emperor’s Throne, maintaining his divine emperor’s dignity as he watched those who came to celebrate his birthday.

Most of those who came to celebrate were juniors, and it was impossible for emperors from other domains to come personally, so the Wuhua God Emperor had to maintain his status and hold his posture.

Many people were already standing in the grand hall, including those from the Wuhua Domain and other guests.

Earlier, Chu Nian had noticed that Mu Qingge didn’t like this kind of mutual politeness and perfunctory exchanges, so she directly brought her to the Wuhua God Emperor.

"Father, your daughter wishes you longevity equal to heaven and earth, and hopes you soon break through to the Saint Realm." Chu Nian said to the Wuhua God Emperor.

Seeing his daughter’s arrival, a layer of smile touched the Wuhua God Emperor’s eyes. He nodded at her, then upon seeing Mu Qingge beside her, he said, "Young God Emperor Mu, have you been comfortable in the Wuhua Palace these few days?"

Mu Qingge nodded with a smile, "Everything’s well, thank you for your concern, God Emperor."

Young God Emperor Mu!

Yes! The young God Emperor of the Huan Yue Domain is named Mu.

The people in the grand hall were initially surprised upon hearing this sensitive surname, but then they returned to normal.

When they first saw the edict from the Huan Yue Domain stating the young God Emperor was named Mu, they were quite shocked. However, after verification, it was found that this young God Emperor Mu had ascended from the Lower Realm, and the surname was purely coincidental, having no connection with the avoided Mu of the Four Seas Divine Land. Furthermore, with the Huan Yue Domain’s involvement, they ceased to dwell on the matter.

"Good, as long as you’re comfortable." The Wuhua God Emperor nodded slightly again and instructed Chu Nian, "Nian’er, lead the young God Emperor Mu to her seat first."

"Yes, Father." Chu Nian nodded and led Mu Qingge away.

The banquet seats were arranged alongside the left and right sides of the grand hall in layers. Mu Qingge’s position was arranged extremely close to the front, indicating the Wuhua God Emperor’s high regard for her.

Of course, this level of regard came from the backing of the Huan Yue Domain, and as for herself... she might only be a small part of the reason, perhaps not enough to be a reason at all.

"My seat is adjacent to yours; if you need anything, you can tell me." Chu Nian said to Mu Qingge.

Her attentive care made Mu Qingge feel somewhat amused, like an elder sister taking care of a younger sister, detailed and gentle.

Of course, this was only her own feeling and couldn’t be shared openly.

The two took their seats, Yin Chen sat in the secondary position beside Mu Qingge, while the Divine Demon Puppet quietly stood behind Mu Qingge.

Behind Chu Nian stood two maids, one of whom Mu Tianyin had seen before, and the other happened to be someone Mu Qingge had seen — the woman playing the zither in the Immortal Dew Pavilion that day.

Gradually, more and more people were seated with the help of the ten top disciples of the Wuhua Domain.

After a while, the middle of the grand hall cleared out.

In the Divine Emperor Palace, the ancient bell rang, announcing the start of the birthday banquet.

The celebrators sitting outside the Divine Emperor Palace stood up upon hearing the bell, tidying up their appearance, lest they appear disrespectful in front of the Wuhua God Emperor.

Mu Tianyin and his two companions stood up along with them, his mood at the moment was very poor.

The original plan now seemed completely unachievable.

He misjudged some of the rules in the Wuhua Palace and overestimated how Chu Nian viewed him.

He thought Chu Nian would treat him differently, so he could seize the opportunity to get closer and discover the information he needed. But now, he couldn’t even approach Chu Nian, let alone inquire about anything.

The most infuriating thing was, Chu Nian was walking so closely with the person he detested to the core!

"Young Master, we’ve mixed in now, but we can’t gather any information. What should we do next?" Mu Lin asked quietly.

Mu Tianyin’s eyes flickered a few times, and he said to Mu Lin and Mu Shan, "You two take the opportunity to leave, and while everyone’s attention is focused here, capture a few disciples from the Wuhua Domain and force them to reveal the layout of the Divine Emperor Palace and hidden places where things are stored."

"This..."

Mu Lin and Mu Shan exchanged glances, and Mu Shan said, "Young Master, wouldn’t this be too risky? If anyone notices, it will alarm the Wuhua God Emperor."

"Do as I say." However, Mu Tianyin stubbornly insisted.

Seeing their troubled expressions, he couldn’t help but sneer, "Do you have any better ideas?"

This question rendered the two speechless, and they had no choice but to follow Mu Tianyin’s instructions.

Before leaving, Mu Lin couldn’t help but remind, "Young Master, be more cautious, prioritize the bigger picture. There will be plenty of opportunities for revenge later."

Mu Tianyin’s gaze swept coldly, causing Mu Lin’s heart to skip a beat, and both quickly and silently made their exit.

Shortly after they left, disciples of the Wuhua Domain stood on the outside steps of the hall, shouting to the nearly thousand people below: "Step forward and await the audience."

Finally, they no longer had to wait in place, even if they still had to wait, many were still delighted.

Nearly a thousand people moved forward silently and in order, standing on the open platform at the hall’s entrance, taking in the scene inside the hall.

The grandeur of the hall, the magnificence, and the prodigies from various Divine Domains, along with the high-above God Emperor, filled them with envy and inferiority.

Standing outside the hall, those looks directed at them were full of scorn and mockery.

Their condescending attitude made Mu Tianyin, mixed in the crowd, feel an intense suffocation. He tried hard to suppress his violence, standing among the crowd.

His gaze was fixed on Mu Qingge, who was seated close to the Divine Emperor’s Throne, even near the Princess Chu Nian.

And as he looked over, Mu Qingge also looked over intentionally or unintentionally. Those clear eyes revealed a strong mockery upon meeting his.

’He dares to mock me!’ Mu Tianyin’s gaze almost shot out flames.

Yet, no matter how angry he was, he couldn’t do anything at this moment, only endure Mu Qingge’s mocking gaze.

Provocation! Enrage!

Just when Mu Tianyin thought Mu Qingge’s intent was to provoke him into revealing himself, Mu Qingge casually withdrew her gaze, as if she didn’t care about him at all.

This feeling left him with even more rage, his cheeks flaming, wishing to abandon everything and charge forward to tear Mu Qingge apart.

Just as he was about to lose control of himself, a solemn voice suddenly echoed in the hall: "Present the birthday gifts—!"

It was time to present the birthday gifts, and naturally, those in the hall would be the first to present.

Those outside all knew that it was just a formality, the gifts they sent might not even catch the Wuhua God Emperor’s eye.

But they were curious about what kind of birthday gifts these high-ranking prodigies would present.

As the words were spoken, one person immediately stepped forward and came before the Wuhua God Emperor, taking out the prepared birthday gift from their Qiankun Device and introducing it loudly, "Divine Emperor, this is what I offer..."

He recited a long list of treasures, his expression smug.

However, the Wuhua God Emperor showed no emotion, seemingly unimpressed by the meticulously prepared gifts.

He glanced at the Wuhua God Emperor, the pride on his face turning into embarrassment, but there was nothing he could do, he could only awkwardly smile and retreat.

After he retreated, another stepped forward to offer their gift.

Yet, the same few items came and went, even the rare ones, were nothing the Wuhua God Emperor hadn’t seen in his many years.

Nowadays, there were very few treasures that could move him.

After a round, the expression on the Wuhua God Emperor’s face remained unchanged, causing those who came to celebrate the birthday to feel somewhat embarrassed. However, with the God Emperor’s status, any dissatisfaction had to remain unspoken.

Mu Tianyin stood outside among the crowd, looking at those birthday gifts, thinking of his own meticulously prepared gift and suddenly feeling it was a wasted effort.

He looked at Chu Nian but saw her chatting and laughing with Mu Qingge, not even knowing he was there.

Instantly, his eyes darkened, filled with unfathomable depth.

’Mu Qingge! Again with Mu Qingge! Why does every time I encounter him, my well-laid plans go awry? Various unexpected incidents occur! Are you truly the nemesis fated for me? No! You’re unworthy! You’re merely a stepping stone for me!’ Mu Tianyin thought hatefully to himself.

Finally, it was Mu Qingge’s turn to present the birthday gift in the hall.

She stood, walked out of her seat, and stood before the Wuhua God Emperor. Her status and the special attention given by the Wuhua God Emperor made others curious about what gift she had prepared.

With a wave of her hand, several packaged birthday gifts appeared before everyone.

People craned their necks but found the gift boxes unremarkable, looking as if they were merely items bought from Wuhua City.

Immediately, the sounds of mockery, disdain, mild jeering, and ridicule began to float quietly through the air...