Three Letters and Six Rites

The sky was faintly gray with the first light of dawn. A grand procession of nearly a thousand people set out from the Great Xia Sword Sect to deliver the betrothal gifts! Music played and dancers swayed as immortal cranes soared alongside them, accompanied by the ringing chime of swords. Countless disciples rose into the air on flying swords, bowing in salute! Rosy dawn clouds blanketed the sky, and a red carpet stretched all the way to the teleportation array. The clans and factions surrounding the Great Xia Sword Sect took to the air in unison to offer their congratulations. The entourage stepped into the teleportation array, which shimmered translucently amidst a brilliant shower of radiance. The disciples bearing the betrothal gifts scattered spirit stones across the heavens. Spectating cultivators scrambled to grab them, yet no one came to blows. Those tossed out were primarily low-grade spirit stones, only occasionally mingled with mid-grade or high-grade ones. Such treasures were not worth a desperate brawl for the cultivators along the way. What was more... Every single person knew who was offering these betrothal gifts, making them even less inclined to cause trouble. A faint, pervasive aura of pressure washed across the surroundings. Though this formidable might was merely a fraction of what leaked outward, it was more than enough to cow any petty troublemakers. One at the Ascension realm, five at the Tribulation Transcendence realm, and several at the Great Vehicle realm... Who would dare make trouble for an entourage like this? If one wished to die, there was no need to pick such a fight... Along the way, countless cultivators stepped forward to offer their felicitations. Li Guanqi merely smiled and nodded in return. The celebratory music played without pause as the mighty procession wound past mountains and rivers. Many clans and sects inquired who was presenting the gifts and whose hand was being sought. When they learned the suitor was Li Guanqi, their shock surpassed all measure. Moreover, the news that Li Guanqi had attained the Ascension realm had long since swept across the Six Domains. Countless sects and clans mobilized at the whisper of the news, eager to show their faces and convey their good wishes. Even factions from the Ancient Clan and the Misty Immortal Domain came forth along the journey to offer congratulations. To all of this, Li Guanqi remained composed. Meanwhile... The entire Shenbao Domain was a scene of bustling celebration. The Meng Clan Domain Boundary stood wide open, welcoming guests from every corner of the world. Meng Jiangchu was clad in magnificent brocade robes that were clearly an extraordinary set of ceremonial dharma robes. The smile never once left the man's face; a mere betrothal ceremony had drawn cultivators from all eight directions to celebrate. Even the Masters of the Six Domains sent congratulatory gifts. Li Guilan carried herself with stately grace and dignified poise, having shed much of her former rustic air. Before long, the procession bearing the betrothal gifts arrived in the Shenbao Domain. The disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect scattered spirit stones and inscribed talismans with renewed vigor. Having held themselves back along the journey, they now hurled them with lavish generosity! Countless spirit stones streamed out from both sides of the procession. Across a brief distance of a thousand zhang, at least ten thousand spirit stones were cast into the air. Many onlookers' lips twitched at the spectacle. "The Great Xia Sword Sect has truly risen..." "Tsk. The number one sect under heaven is indeed wealthy and imposing! What sensible person throws spirit stones around like that? They're treating money as though it were worthless!" "If it weren't for saving face, even I would want to go grab a few." A man glanced back over his shoulder. "Are you a fool? If you won't grab them, you can send the juniors of your clan!" "Just say a couple of auspicious phrases, and whatever you snatch will be pure profit!" "Besides, there are inscribed talismans personally drawn by Grand Talisman Master Gu Li in there!" Another bearded burly man blinked in surprise, then hurriedly signaled his clan's disciples to join the scramble. Watching the mighty procession approach in the distance, Meng Jiangchu unconsciously straightened his back. The Great Xia Sword Sect's ostentatious display was doing great honor to his Meng clan. The grander the momentum and the more people who knew of it, the clearer it became how much the groom's side valued this union. Though Meng Jiangchu supported their marriage wholeheartedly, having both face and substance generously granted made him all the happier. Meng Jiangchu took Li Guilan's hand without the slightest embarrassment, standing steadfastly before the gathered crowd! The elders and senior members of the Meng clan also took their places behind him. Lu Kangnian stepped forward slowly and gently patted Li Guanqi on the shoulder. Only then did Li Guanqi's nervous tension ease somewhat. He had not expected the presentation of the betrothal gifts to draw such a colossal crowd. At this moment, more than ten thousand cultivators stood gathered outside the Meng Clan Domain Boundary alone. And more were still arriving in steady streams. It was fair to say that Li Guanqi's betrothal ceremony had shaken the Six Domains. One could hardly imagine the grandeur of the wedding day seven days from now. Lu Kangnian raised a hand slowly, and the procession behind him came to an immediate halt. Many of the onlookers inhaled sharply. Li Guanqi was lightly releasing his aura, and heaven and earth fell silent. This pressure struck awe into countless hearts and confirmed the truth of the rumors. Li Guanqi was indeed an almighty expert of the Ascension realm!! To say nothing of the Ascension realm, even Great Vehicle realm cultivators were exceedingly rare across the Six Domains. Those at the Tribulation Transcendence realm were figures of legend, not beings one could meet simply by wishing for it. Let alone an Ascension realm cultivator so remarkably young... "Hiss... The rumors are true!!" "This pressure is beyond even what an almighty Tribulation Transcendence expert could display. Look at the sky! The lightning laws are utterly docile—that is clearly the power of laws belonging to an Ascension realm cultivator!" "Good heavens! Those men behind him must be Sword Madman Ye Feng and the others!" "All five of them are likely almighty Tribulation Transcendence experts! And they are personally bearing the betrothal gifts for the Yanluo Sword Venerable!" "What do you know? Those five are sworn brothers of the Yanluo Sword Venerable." "Every single one of them is renowned across an entire region!" "The golden-haired Ye Feng was the Sword Venerable's fellow disciple from the same generation back at the Great Xia Sword Sect." "Cao Yan and Xiao Chen are both guest elder lords of the Great Xia Sword Sect." A young man spoke with effortless familiarity, reciting the details with ease. "Sigh, five Tribulation Transcendence experts and one Ascension realm expert under a single sect—who could possibly rival the Great Xia Sword Sect now?" "Such power is terrifying..." "Heh, years ago some people claimed Li Guanqi was clinging to the high branches of the Domain Master's daughter." "Looking at it now, it's not at all clear who is climbing higher." The clamorous murmurs between heaven and earth gradually subsided. After all, the pressure of the Ascension realm was no trifling matter. Li Guanqi looked around and frowned slightly. Yet at that single furrow of his brow, Ye Feng's pressure erupted with a roar. In an instant, all the uninvolved cultivators plummeted a hundred zhang through the air! Bearing the betrothal gifts on his shoulder, Ye Feng swept a haughty gaze across the surroundings and nodded slightly, saying in an even voice, "Fellow Daoists here to witness the rite, please refrain from loud clamor." With those words, heaven and earth turned dead silent. The members of the Great Xia Sword Sect and the Meng clan naturally felt none of that pressure. Everyone else was silenced on the spot. The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward slightly. Lu Kangnian took a step forward, cupping his hands and bowing deeply! "Lu Kangnian of the Great Xia Sword Sect leads Li Guanqi of the Li clan to present the betrothal gifts and formally propose marriage to Lady Meng Wanshu of the Meng clan!" As the words fell, Lu Kangnian brought forth the betrothal letters carved on purple crystal tablets with both hands, offering them up respectfully! "The Betrothal Letter, the Gift Letter, and the Marriage Document!" The Three Letters and Six Rites. With a solemn expression, Meng Jiangchu received the three letters with both hands, then burst into hearty laughter. "Good, good, good! Come, let us all step inside to speak!" The procession swept grandly into the Meng Clan Domain Boundary. In an instant, fireworks burst over the Meng clan estate, ceremonial music sounded in unison, and the din of drums and gongs soared into the clouds. The betrothal party was even less sparing with the rest of their spirit stones and spiritual treasures. Scattering them outside was hardly as good as tossing them inside the Meng clan. At once, the juniors and branch descendants of the Meng clan reached out to catch the spirit stones and items. Every face was alight with joy. Li Guanqi even heard several children shouting things like "Cousin-Brother-in-Law!" A broad smile spread across Li Guanqi's face. He raised a hand and lightly crooked a finger. Instantly, the clouds above the Meng Clan Domain Boundary churned, and fine electric arcs of lightning, thin as ox hairs, drifted downward. Li Guanqi smiled faintly, the silver mark on his brow shimmering. As the arcs of lightning sank into the children's bodies, foul-smelling black impurities began to seep from their skin.