Chapter 320: Mysterious Desire

The Holy City at night was anything but silent; people walked through its streets and ancient alleys, and melodious music drifted from the various palaces.

Countless resplendent and brightly lit palaces lined the main streets, shimmering with light as far as the eye could see. Faint, ethereal songs drifted in, stirring hearts and intoxicating souls.

The Holy City was a city that never slept, with palaces shrouded in divine light and radiating auspicious glow, creating a dreamlike and illusory spectacle.

Ye Fan remarked, "More than half the people in the Holy City are cultivators, yet it's so extravagant. It doesn't seem like a divine land; it's more like a demonic city that tempts people to abandon their cultivation."

Li Heishui chuckled, "Cultivators are human, not emotionless immortals. They all have their feelings and desires. This is a divine city for cultivators."

Starlight descended and moonlight flowed like water, enveloping the entire Holy City in a sacred veil, creating a scene of exquisite beauty as songs and zither melodies gently resonated.

The fragrant scent of wine drifted from the sky, as a magnificent celestial palace, brilliantly lit, floated suspended in the sky beside the main street.

"Good wine! It's definitely a thousand-year-old vintage, a peerless fine wine!" Li Heishui exclaimed, gazing up at the wine pavilion in the sky with a look of intoxication. "Perhaps some great figure is hosting an honored guest here."

"Do great figures also act so ostentatiously?" Ye Fan asked, surprised.

Li Heishui shook his head. "This isn't ostentatious. It's cold at the top, and the path to immortality is endless, so why must one always pursue bitter cultivation? There are thousands of cultivation paths, and different people have different ways; some transcend themselves within the mortal world. Especially those great figures, once they reach a certain realm, they don't necessarily need to go into seclusion. Many experience the 'five colors' of the mundane world, re-entering it to seek opportunities for breakthrough."

Ye Fan looked surprised. "You know quite a lot."

"These aren't my own insights," Li Heishui replied. "They're what a few of my Grand Bandit Uncles told me. We see this mortal world as just the mortal world, but they might see it as the immortal realm. Different people, different paths, different sights in their eyes."

"Indeed, it's a matter of high realms," Ye Fan nodded. "So, what I perceive as extravagance might, in others' eyes, already be the immortal realm, or even a vibrant pure land."

Li Heishui added, "Actually, some among the younger generation have also reached this spiritual realm, comprehending their own Dao realm alone amidst the vast mortal world."

"Who are they?" Ye Fan asked, surprised.

"I don't know; the old masters didn't say," Li Heishui shook his head. "But I think it's just a spiritual realm. Their true power couldn't be that high; otherwise, it would be too terrifying, almost impossible."

High in the sky, palaces floated, their lights dazzling. The rich scent of wine drifted through the air, intoxicating to the bone, while pleasant string and wind music played, and songs were moving. "It's likely an Elder-level figure from a Holy Land, hosting a powerful being," Li Heishui conjectured. "Today we're going to the Convent of Erotic Desires. Next time, I'll treat you to a lavish banquet here at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion."

"How much source energy does a banquet here cost?" Ye Fan asked.

"The grades are hard to define," Li Heishui replied. "The lowest-grade banquet costs ten jin of source energy, while extremely luxurious immortal banquets can easily cost tens of thousands of jin of source energy, or even more — it's immeasurable."

Ye Fan gasped upon hearing this. "This is too extravagant! Tens of thousands of jin of source energy for one meal! What are they even eating? Isn't this too exaggerated?"

"Not at all exaggerated," Li Heishui countered. "Dragon ginseng, divine phoenix wings... just by hearing their names, you should know how rare and precious these things are. There's even enlightenment tea that can potentially give powerful beings sudden insights."

Ye Fan's mouth hung open, utterly speechless. It was a long time before he finally managed, "Who exactly opened this Drunken Immortal Pavilion?"

"The Golden Family of Beihou," Li Heishui explained. "Their background is terrifyingly powerful. The Holy City has a total of eight great wine houses and immortal pavilions, and this one ranks among the top three."

"Once I've swept clean all the stone materials from the various Holy Lands, I'll treat you to an immortal banquet here," Ye Fan said with a laugh.

"Immortal banquets are only occasionally held when a Holy Lord entertains a powerful being," Li Heishui said, shaking his head. "Let's not overthink it."

The night in the divine city was truly different. As they walked along the ancient main street, with palaces stretching endlessly, it felt as if they had entered the immortal realm, dreamlike and illusory.

Ahead, a crystal-clear expanse shimmered. The Lake of Erotic Desires, soft and smooth as fine jade under the night sky, glowed with blue light like a gigantic gemstone.

The lakeside was already filled with people, most of them young, all eagerly waiting.

"The night scenery here is really nice."

Various flowers and plants on the shore shimmered with iridescent light, reflecting off the crystal-clear blue lake, creating a scene like a divine garden from another world.

Silvery moonlight fell upon the lake, where over a dozen jade boats floated gently. Each carried a beautiful woman, their dresses flowing, playing ethereal jade flutes. The music seemed to drift from a vast, otherworldly pure land, cleansing one's spirit.

Further away, dragon-prowed boats and phoenix-pavilioned vessels shimmered with five-colored light, appearing hazy under the night sky.

The sky above the depths of the Great Holy Lake was even more magnificent, with ethereal jade palaces faintly visible, surrounded by night and mist, sparkling brilliantly.

"It truly feels like we've arrived in an immortal realm," Ye Fan remarked. "The Convent of Erotic Desires has such skill, making even a place of pleasure so pure and refined."

"Naturally," Li Heishui responded, "the places of pleasure they operate are unparalleled in the Holy City. Only the Water Moon Pavilion and the Guanghan Palace can compare."

"Many people must understand how to praise it," Ye Fan commented. "Why do they flock here, even the successors of the Holy Lands are no exception?"

Li Heishui smiled. "Those successors have firm hearts; they don't necessarily come out of genuine desire, it's just for pleasure."

Ye Fan nodded. "That's true. The Convent of Erotic Desires needs the support of future Holy Lords, and the successors of the Holy Lands also wish to meet the most beautiful women of the Eastern Wasteland."

"But it's hard to say," Li Heishui countered. "After all, An Miaoyi is different from previous abbesses; her immortal grace is unparalleled. Such a flawless woman might genuinely cause some successors to fall."

Ye Fan chuckled, "What about you?"

"Me... if I could win the beauty's heart, that would certainly be wonderful!" Li Heishui burst into laughter.

"You, fellow, must not fall."

"Indeed, you should be careful," Li Heishui warned. "Especially you, little Ye Zi, so young and not very resolute. You haven't seen this kind of occasion, so don't fall into their trap."

Ye Fan was somewhat speechless.

"Don't disbelieve me, what I'm saying is true," Li Heishui insisted. "Previous abbesses of the Convent of Erotic Desires made some Holy Sons and successors of ancient aristocratic families fall. What's more, this generation's An Miaoyi is one of the most beautiful women in the vast Eastern Wasteland — 'one of' is even being modest; she's probably the most beautiful woman in the Eastern Wasteland."

Ye Fan's lips curved into a sneer. "Pleasure, at its highest, is just about human desires," he said. "If she offers herself, I'll simply accept it. What else could there be?"

"Absolutely do not underestimate her," Li Heishui warned, a rare look of seriousness on his face. "If you are so dismissive, you might truly fall into her trap. This lineage, apart from their foundations, is truly not much worse than a Holy Land. Their cultivation methods are very peculiar and hard to guard against."

"What kind of methods do they cultivate, exactly? Are they comparable to ancient scriptures?"

"In the past, they practiced ancient Taoist dual cultivation divine arts," Li Heishui explained. "Recently, I learned that over a thousand years ago, they acquired another cultivation method, said to be a secret Buddhist text from the Western Desert. Now, they practice a dual cultivation of Buddhism and Taoism, which they have developed to a mystical state."

"Dual cultivation... that works?" Ye Fan asked. Although he had heard of it, he didn't believe in such cultivation methods. "You'll see in a moment," Li Heishui chuckled. "Buddhism..." Ye Fan stroked his chin, saying nothing more. Suddenly, string and wind instruments played in unison, and beautiful singing reverberated under the night sky, stirring hearts. "Your humble servant, An Miaoyi..."

A celestial voice drifted over as An Miaoyi finally appeared. Like the Moon Goddess Chang'e, she was ethereal and transcendent under the moonlight. Her white robes fluttering, she floated towards a flower boat.

It was a five-colored jade boat, piled high with fresh flowers and dotted with auspicious light, carrying her into the depths of the surging mist.

"What does this mean?" someone asked, puzzled.

"The main event is here," Li Heishui explained. "If you want to go and catch a glimpse of her beauty, you'll have to spend source energy."

The lakeside instantly erupted. Many rushed forward, vying to buy jade boats and paddling towards the lake, creating a clamor.

Ye Fan and Li Heishui went forward to inquire. The required source energy was exorbitantly expensive, leaving them speechless. However, many didn't care, just to get a close look at An Miaoyi.

"It's just An Miaoyi, is it really worth this much?" Li Heishui muttered, somewhat speechless. Even the jade boats were prohibitively expensive, a sky-high price, but there were truly too many people with source energy, all spending lavishly.

"Can't we just fly over?" Ye Fan asked.

"That would be too disgraceful," Li Heishui replied. "And we might get struck back." He thought for a moment, then scanned the crowd, his eyes suddenly lighting up. "Got it," he announced.

He fixed his gaze on a disciple from a major sect. He chuckled, "That's the seventh disciple of the Five Elements Palace master. I've met that fellow."

The disciple from the Five Elements Palace spent a sky-high price to board a huge dragon boat. It was much taller than the nearby jade boats, appearing very grand.

Ye Fan thought he was going to hitch a ride, but instead, Li Heishui walked over and whispered something to a subordinate of the Five Elements Palace's seventh disciple.

As a result, that subordinate rushed onto the dragon boat as if his backside was on fire, to report.

"What?!" The seventh disciple of the Five Elements Palace's face instantly changed color. He quickly disembarked from the dragon boat and hurried away through the crowd.

Li Heishui swaggered and boarded the dragon boat. Then he waved to Ye Fan, inviting him on board too.

The people around looked on, puzzled. They didn't know what had happened for the dragon boat to change owners, but it was inappropriate to ask too much, so they just watched them enter the great lake.

"What did you say to him?" Ye Fan asked.

"I just gave him a piece of news," Li Heishui replied. "Telling him that his tiger-like fiancée had arrived."

Li Heishui answered nonchalantly.

"Aren't you despicable?" Ye Fan exclaimed, beginning to understand Li Heishui's methods.

Li Heishui chuckled, "His fiancée is the youngest daughter of the Five Elements Palace master. Even if he suspected, he wouldn't dare to stay here for another step. This concerns his future."

Amidst the surging crowd, there were many jade boats, but such dragon boats were limited in number and had all been reserved by disciples from major sects.

They stood at the bow, steering with divine power, riding the wind and breaking the waves, arriving at the depths of the great lake.

Everyone present felt a very powerful killing intent, but it was not directed at them.

Not far away, on a divine ship even larger than their dragon boat, stood a lone man in purple robes, his hands clasped behind his back. His black hair fluttered wildly, and his eyes were incredibly deep.

"The Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Palace!" Li Heishui exclaimed in surprise.

Opposite him, there was a large golden-yellow ship, equally grand and imposing, like a towering pavilion. On it also stood a man.

He was clad in golden battle armor, his figure imposing and magnificent. His skin was bronzed, his face sharply chiseled, and his long eyebrows extended to his temples, making him appear incomparably heroic.

"The successor of the Golden Family of Beiyuan!" Li Heishui chuckled. "Even without considering the Holy Lands, just these two arriving means there'll be a good show. They had a big fight not long ago."