496: This is incredibly nourishing! (•̩̩̩̩＿•̩̩̩̩)

At the moment they bowed to each other, White Lotus felt a cool aura emanate from the black ring on her finger, strangely calming her chaotic emotions.

"The ceremony is complete!" Black Robe almost roared the final words, cold sweat visible on his forehead.

The great hall fell silent for a moment; only the festive music continued to play tirelessly, sounding exceptionally hollow.

"Send them to the bridal chamber!" Lu Jiuyuan clapped and laughed.

Several low-browed, submissive female demons immediately stepped forward, leading the still-restrained newlyweds toward the "bridal chamber" prepared in the rear hall.

White Lotus looked back, her gaze sweeping past Lu Jiuyuan and No Heaven, finally meeting Qiao Linger's worried eyes before their figures disappeared behind the bead curtain.

The newlyweds exited, but the atmosphere in the hall did not relax.

No Heaven slowly rose from his seat as the elder and walked back to his Black Lotus Throne, his body radiating a cold aura that warned others to stay away.

Lu Jiuyuan remained seated leisurely.

"Is Your Majesty satisfied?" No Heaven spoke, his voice devoid of emotion.

"It's acceptable," Lu Jiuyuan smiled. "The wedding is done, but I wonder if the newlyweds will get their wish on this wedding night?"

"The Buddha-nature within the Spirit Child seems a bit restless. If, at the critical moment, Tathagata awakens even a tiny bit... Tsk tsk, that scene would be quite interesting to imagine."

No Heaven's eyes turned cold. "Your Majesty need not worry. The Concentric Ring can temporarily suppress his spiritual perception and block the connection between inside and out."

"Within the Thirty-Three Heavens, he is only Qiao Linger."

"I hope so."

No Heaven said indifferently, "As for Your Majesty, delivering the Spirit Child and personally attending this wedding—what exactly is your intention? Is it merely to watch Tathagata make a fool of himself?"

"Making a fool of himself is only part of it."

Lu Jiuyuan admitted frankly, "More importantly, I want to see how you will play this game when the most crucial piece of 'Destiny' is placed on the board ahead of time,"

"And wrapped in layers of variables. How will Tathagata's 'Return to the Buddha Land' actually 'return'?"

"I've given you the advantage. Can you defeat Tathagata?"

"I will certainly defeat Tathagata!" No Heaven said coldly.

Qiao Linger was protected by Tathagata's spiritual light, so No Heaven could not kill him, but that didn't mean there weren't other ways to deal with him.

The key lay in the seventeen sarira beads. As long as the sarira did not fall into Tathagata's hands, No Heaven would remain in an unbeatable position.

"Qiao Linger must consummate the marriage!" No Heaven looked at Black Robe and Ying Yao. "You must break his Golden Buddha Virgin Body! Do you understand?"

"Every bit of essence he loses now will be a bit of strength lost when he returns!"

"How much he loses depends entirely on White Lotus's ability! Do you understand?"

"Yes, Buddha!" Protector Black Robe and Ying Yao bowed to accept the order.

Ying Yao said, "I will prepare highly nourishing food!"

Black Robe said, "I will prepare aphrodisiac wine! Is there a Tiger Demon? You, come over here!"

A demon saw Black Robe pointing at him and suddenly had an ominous premonition.

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Come here!" Black Robe nodded.

"Lord Black Robe, I can't do it! We tigers have very short stamina! Those are all rumors, all rumors, Lord Black Robe!" The demon's face immediately fell into misery!

"Shut up, I'm borrowing your tiger penis!" Black Robe's hand rose and fell with a blade; he now held a barbed object and soaked it into a wine jar!

"Go heal your wound, grow a few more, cut them off, and send them to me."

"Regenerating a limb shouldn't be hard for you, right?"

The Tiger Demon said with tears in his eyes, "N-n-not hard!"

"Good that it's not hard! Go! Your cultivation years are sufficient; don't go finding some minor demon for me."

"If the medicinal potency isn't enough, I'll hold you responsible."

"Ah? Yes! Lord Black Robe!"

Lu Jiuyuan clapped and laughed, his laughter echoing in the empty hall with a hint of playfulness and understanding.

"Good, very good! Nourishing the body, boosting the mood, and breaking precepts—No Heaven, you're being quite the 'motherly' figure, so thoughtful and meticulous!"

He stood up, the gold threads on his imperial robe flowing with a faint light under the dim demonic glow. "However, I won't meddle in the affairs of the bridal chamber. Watching a young couple engage in intimacy doesn't suit my status."

He turned to the Monkey King and little Nezha, beckoning to them. "We've seen enough of the play and joined the fun. Wukong, Nezha, it's time for us to leave. If we stay here, we might overstay our welcome."

The Monkey King was scratching his head, listening with great interest. Hearing this, he was somewhat reluctant. "Leaving already? Old Man, there might be a good show in that bridal chamber! Old Sun's Fiery Eyes of Truth..."

"Pah, pah, pah!" Little Nezha quickly covered his ears and made a face. "Monkey, have you no shame! Eavesdropping on people will give you sties! Old Man, let's go, let's go quickly. There's a weird smell here!"

No Heaven sat upon his Black Lotus, not speaking to make them stay, but his gaze was heavy as he watched Lu Jiuyuan, his expression deep and difficult to read.

Lu Jiuyuan didn't mind. Standing with his hands behind his back, he smiled at No Heaven. "Buddha No Heaven, I've delivered the 'gift' and witnessed the wedding. Manage these Thirty-Three Heavens well."

"As for those seventeen sarira beads..." He paused. "Look for them well; you can find them. Wukong, let's go."

As his voice fell, a faint purple-gold halo rose around Lu Jiuyuan. It wasn't dazzling, yet it carried a majesty that ruled over the heavens and was immune to all laws.

The halo spread out, enveloping the Monkey King and little Nezha within it.

The Monkey King felt his body become light, and the scene before him blurred instantly. When he opened his eyes, they had arrived at an immortal blessed land.

The Blessed Land of Mount Wanshou, the Grotto-Heaven of Wuzhuang Temple.

It was still shrouded in immortal clouds with shady pines and bamboo, but compared to the scenes in Lu Jiuyuan's memory, it seemed to have gained a bit of age and lost some of the bustle of its peak period.

In front of the temple gate, the couplet "Immortal Abode of Eternal Life, Daoist House as Old as Heaven" was still there, the brushwork vigorous and naturally imbued with Daoist charm.

Lu Jiuyuan appeared on the stone steps in front of the gate with the Monkey King and little Nezha without any warning.

"Eh?" The Monkey King scratched his head, looking at the familiar gate. "Wuzhuang Temple? My Big Brother's territory? Old Man, what are we doing here?"

Little Nezha also looked around curiously. "Monkey already brought me here to play. Great Immortal Zhenyuan even treated us to a Ginseng Fruit."

Lu Jiuyuan smiled and didn't answer directly, but called out loudly, "An old friend has come to visit. Fellow Daoist Ancestor of Earthly Immortals, won't you open the door to welcome your guest?"

"Creak—"

The heavy temple gates slowly opened, and an extremely fresh spiritual wind containing dense life energy blew toward them.

The person walking out was not an ordinary Daoist boy, but a middle-aged Daoist wearing a purple-gold crown and a carefree crane-patterned cloak, with silk-tied shoes and a silk sash at his waist. His face was like polished jade, and a three-strand long beard flowed over his chest.

It was indeed the Ancestor of Earth Immortals, the Peer of Heaven and Earth, Great Immortal Zhenyuan!