Chapter 488: Banquet
"Third wife?" Hui Yue shook his head. "This is my beast companion Huli." He tried to explain, but he was as clear as the others that she did indeed look like his wife. Her affection was quite obvious.
"Huli let go, or I will remove the bond between us." Hui Yue said sternly, and although Huli clearly was not interested in doing so, she let go of Hui Yue's arm with an indignant expression on her face.
Seeing that she actually followed his orders, a smile finally appeared on Hui Yue's face. He gently petted the woman's head, "good girl." He said as if he were still speaking to the fox-shaped Huli. His act of kindness caused the sadness on her face to vanish and a trace of comfort appeared instead.
"Let's go to the banquet hall together." Hui Yue said with a smile as he started moving. He left behind his father who had a confused expression on his face.
"Isn't Sha Yun a beast as well?" He mumbled to himself, unaware that everyone present could hear his mumbling as clear as day. "If she can be his wife, why can’t this fox-woman also be a wife? I don't get it."
The Gods all started chuckling while Sha Yun's face was filled with unwillingness and uncertainty.
Hui Yue moved to Sha Yun and Wang Ju Long and took their hands in his. He smiled and kissed them both. "My heart belongs to the two of you and that will always be the case"
His gentle smile melted away all the doubt and discomfort the two women were feeling, and they smiled gently. Walking together, hand in hand, the three experts followed ahead of his parents and the Gods. Right behind them was Huli, and although she did not show any signs of displeasure on her face, her eyes were glistening dangerously in the dim light. When looking at her, she seemed far less easy-going than whenever she spoke. Looking at her like this, she seemed as if she would listen to no one apart from herself. As for what her real personality was like, no one truly knew.
As they reached the banquet, the head of the table was set aside for Hui Yue to sit the middle with Sha Yun and Wang Ju Long on each side. Lao was seated next to Wang Ju Long and Jo next to Lao.
Next to Sha Yun were the nine Gods and next to Jo was Deng Wu.
The mortals, including Hui Yue's parents, were placed at a completely different table, and these tables were all placed in a horseshoe shape with a large bonfire in the middle. This fire would be alive for a few days.
The food that was prepared would come out throughout the day long feast and banquet. Although Hui Yue wished to cultivate, he also knew how much the village wanted to show him their gratitude. Hui Yue was the person that single-handedly turned the village from the poor state it was into what it was today, and they deeply appreciated what he had done. Fortunately, they had gained the Formation of Life, and consequently, everything was much easier now.
Although they needed to train and improve themselves, there was a limit to how much they could do. They needed to be Saints to use the Formation of Life, and all of them were Saints, apart from Jo who was very close to making a breakthrough. It would take years before all of them were Gods, and she had plenty of time to reach the Saint rank.
Taking one day away from cultivating was not necessarily a bad thing. The Gods who had been in the realm for so many years truly wanted to enjoy their time now. They wanted to eat a lot of food and converse with others to hear what had happened in the Divine Beast World since they had been gone.
Although this small village did everything in its power to hide from the outside world’s merchants, they would still sometimes come by and provide news about the outside world. If they didn’t show up for a while, then the villagers who often shopped in Riluo City would learn about the newest happenings there. In Riluo City, they would hear about the outside world, what was happening, and the latest news. The news was swallowed up whole by the Gods. Even if the news was not the latest, it was still much more than what they knew currently.
What the villagers knew most about were Hui Yue and his achievements because they were so proud of this young man. They would tell rumors and share the stories they had heard about him with each other. Even the fake rumors about his heritage were known by almost everyone in this village even though they knew exactly where and how he grew up.
The Gods enjoyed themselves, but the moment Hui Yue sat down, Huli had turned into a small black fox landing in his lap. She laid down, completely ignoring everything else happening around her.
Due to habit, Hui Yue did not chase her away, instead, he gently petted her during the meal. Although Sha Yun glanced at the fox with hostility in her eyes from time to time, she did not comment.
Both Sha Yun and Wang Ju Long were aware that Huli had saved Hui Yue back in the Grave of the Unknown and thus they accepted her presence.
While Sha Yun was quite jealous, Wang Ju Long did not think too much about the sudden appearance of this woman. She did not even glance at the fox, but just enjoyed the food she had been offered and chatted quietly with Hui Yue from time to time.
Hui Yue, in turn, spoke with many of villagers who came to his seat to tell him what had happened in their lives since he had left. Even some of the newer villagers came to converse with him in the attempt of forming a good relationship.
Hui Yue was too kind to shoo anyone away, and soon he was overwhelmed by the many people who came to talk with him. Slowly Sha Yun and Wang Ju Long started talking with some of the guests and in that way managed to lessen some of the pressure on Hui Yue.
Day turned to night, and even more food was produced. Although the village had to butcher many beasts, no one seemed to care. Even though it was an expensive feast, the village could afford it.
From time to time the laughter of the Gods rung through the air as they were enjoying themselves. They happily ate food and chatted with the mortals. They had not been part of such celebrations for a long time, and even though they had partaken in much more grand banquets, to them this was one of the most memorable experiences they had ever had.
As the light vanished, the only light source was the bonfire in the middle of the tables, and after a bit, many of the villagers started dancing. They were happily celebrating. For them, dancing was a tribute to the gods who had given them good fortune.
They were filled with life as their figures could be seen in the flames of the bonfire.
Clapping sounds were heard as the spectators clapped their hands and a small group of villagers had started playing music for the dancers to dance to.
During the entire night, Hui Yue had a smile on his face. He did not leave the celebration until the sun was rising in the sky.
Many of the mortals had gone to sleep by then. Although they were celebrating, they had chores to do the following day, and many had children they needed to get to bed. Only the old or the young remained when Hui Yue left, and as he left the Gods followed him.
After them leaving the banquet continued for a few hours but the night did not last forever, and soon they had to return to their chores, their jobs, and to maintaining the village. No one was trying to avoid doing their part.
"Take a few days to relax." Hui Yue said with a gentle smile on his face as he looked at his friends behind him. "When we have been here for a few days we will enter into the deepest parts of the Magical Forest."
"In the deepest parts of the Magical Forest, I will create a formation and a small pocket dimension to place the Formation of Life within. No matter how much people search, they will be incapable of finding it. I will bind this pocket dimension with my blood so only I can open it."
"When it is time for the next person to enter the Formation of Life and for Cai Jie to leave then I will once more open the formation. I will be able to feel what happens in this dimension, and I will also know when you have to leave."
"I don't understand." Sha Yun said frowning. "You are not an Immortal of Creation, how can you create pocket dimensions?"
"A pocket dimension is not a world, nor is it a realm. It is just a small pocket made from an already existing world. Any God can create one, and when bound with blood no other God will be able to find it." Hui Yue explained. He could feel that it was possible for him to make a pocket dimension, and this was the best solution for the Formation of Life.
This would be beneficial in more than one way. First, because it was bound with blood to Hui Yue, no one else would be able to find it. Secondly, a pocket dimension was a part of the world, and therefore, the energy that was leaked from the Formation of Life would directly enter the Divine Beast World. It would not be stopped from leaking out like it had with the red realm. Lastly, this method would allow Hui Yue to constantly monitor any changes that took place in this sealed dimension.
Hearing Hui Yue's words everyone nodded their head. What he said made sense and even the Gods felt that this was the best solution. Although it was possible for Hui Yue to keep the formation with him at all times, it was not a viable option.
As long as the Formation of Life was within the Universe Box, the energies of this formation would not enter the Divine Beast World, and eventually, it would run out of energy. This was not something they would approve of so this solution made them happy.
Reaching the mansion, the group split up, and everyone returned to their own rooms. Hui Yue, who felt relaxed went to bed and laid down. Although he did not need sleep, he had found that sleep made him feel comfortable and let his mind get some rest. This put him in a much better state of mind when he was awake.
Currently, he was feeling pressured. He felt that the hope of his entire village was placed on his shoulders, and he wished to ensure that his family and friends could keep living the way they were.
He also felt pressured whenever he thought about the fact that needed to merge with the Divine Beast World. What was he going to do if something went wrong?
Lastly, the whole ordeal with Huli had truly made him feel exhausted. He wanted to just sleep for a short while and forget everything which was expected of him. He laid down on the bed, closed his eyes, and slipped into a deep sleep.
Darkness enveloped Hui Yue, and he was surprised when he found out that this darkness was not what he was used to. Instead, he found himself in a massive cave. Around him were other caves and these caves had other things placed within. In one cave he saw the green pearl, in others, he saw the blue cloud and the red mist. He also saw the red gem and the golden wings. Curiously, Hui Yue left the cave in which he was standing and started wandering through the other caves, wondering if this was a dream.