But when he perceived the strong and subtle cultivation emanating from the young man in the dark robe, he nonetheless released the reins and earnestly cupped his fist, "Western Palace Dragon Descendant, Qi Laojiu, acting on the orders of the Western Palace, is here to welcome fellow Daoists coming to celebrate the birthday."
"Fellow Daoist, this way please."
Upon saying that, Qi Laojiu casually waved his hand, and the surface of the water quickly parted, creating what seemed like a bridge leading deep into the sea.
On hearing the words "celebrate the birthday," Shen Yi’s slightly raised hand suddenly froze, then lowered again, as if nothing had happened, softly nodding his chin.
It seemed he had unknowingly stumbled into something involving the Dragon Palace.
Birthday celebrations, especially for Demon... Although it had happened once since leaving Nanyang Treasure Land, Shen Yi actually quite enjoyed them.
Although he was not arrogant enough to think he could host a feast in the Western Dragon Palace, meeting more Demons coming for the birthday and returning together... It was certainly better than blindly crashing into the unknown depths of the Demon race’s lairs.
Qi Laojiu was also observing the changes in Shen Yi’s expression.
As a Western Palace Dragon Descendant, the ones he welcomed were all notable figures from Western Hong. As for this person, judging by his attire, the magic treasures he used, and his cultivation level, all seemed quite modest.
He was either a highly talented Loose Cultivator or possibly an elder from a smaller sect, having changed his appearance by some means.
Judging by the young man’s silent and somewhat haughty demeanor, he appeared somewhat unworldly.
Qi Laojiu was qualified to make this judgment.
Because a cultivator who had ascended to White Jade Capital might be an extremely formidable being elsewhere, but in front of the Western Dragon Palace, he really wasn’t much.
He probably just heard about the Dragon Consort’s birthday celebration and wanted to get involved, perhaps without even an invitation.
"Fellow Daoist?" Qi Laojiu called out again.
Shen Yi pondered for a moment, felt the presence of the three Hall Masters in the Ten Thousand Demon Hall, and the Ghost Python Suppressing Stone, whose power surpassed that of any cultivator from the four cities, gaining a bit more confidence.
He finally looked up and casually said, "Thank you."
If he dared not go here or there, he might as well just return to Southern Hong.
"You’re welcome, Fellow Daoist."
Qi Laojiu waved his hand again, and water surged up, gently guiding Shen Yi toward the water.
Not until he had fully entered the water.
Shen Yi looked back and saw that Qi Laojiu had not followed, so he summoned Yu Lan again, signaling to split up and scout ahead in case there were any situations they should be aware of beforehand.
After making these preparations, he finally turned his attention to the waters below.
He saw that the water-flow bridge released by Qi Laojiu seemed to connect to another place.
Once he reached a considerably deep part,
Shen Yi saw many figures walking together, all treading on the river waves, chatting and laughing as they headed in the same direction.
Among them were cultivators and Demons.
Shen Yi raised an eyebrow, somewhat unfamiliar with this setting, and it was precisely because of this that he keenly spotted a "fellow type" among the crowd.
It was a girl in plain clothes, outstanding in appearance, and possessing a distinguished air, with no identifying marks on her.
She was clearly following a sect, her eyes slightly downcast to mask her displeasure.
Shen Yi averted his gaze, showing no intention of acknowledging her.
Mainly because he wasn’t very familiar with her.
They had only traveled together for a while when he left Southern Hong.
He remembered she seemed to be a Daozi from the Blue Sea Sect, but he wasn’t clear on her name.
For Shen Yi, there was only one important matter at the moment.
That was to figure out whose birthday banquet this was, for he had formed enemies in Western Hong. Fairy Bao Hua was barely normal, but the Elder from the Treasure Flower Sect he had communicated with using the Jade Slip apparently had connections with the Western Dragon Palace, and if by chance they had sold some information to the Dragon Palace...
But he also didn’t need to scare himself, it probably wasn’t that coincidental.
With this thought in mind, Shen Yi began listening carefully to the surrounding conversation.
However, the first sentence he heard made him instinctively lift his gaze.
"You say it’s the Dragon Consort’s birthday; do you think Dragon Lord will come back?"
"Come back? It dares to."
"I heard that person has already found an excuse to go to Southern Hong, avoiding the spotlight."
You see, this is in the territory of the Western Dragon Palace, where although the cultivators spoke in hushed tones, they clearly weren’t afraid of the matter being overheard.
This shows that the fact that Lord Qi is henpecked has long been an open secret in Western Hong.
As Shen Yi moved along with the flow, his expression remained unchanged, but his eyes flickered with complexity.
Well, although it was indeed a bit of a coincidence, at least the Dragon Demon, comparable to the Unity Realm Stage, was not present. As for the Dragon Consort, putting it bluntly, even if she knew about his past deed of killing the Snake Demon at Xiao’s fortress, she should thank him.
Shen Yi also realized why the Blue Sea Sect Daozi had looked upset before.
Lord Qi’s eldest, who was leading troops to Southern Hong to deal with the Seven Sons, while as a sect Daozi, he still had to waste time on celebrating his wife’s birthday, which would frustrate anyone.