Chapter One: The Wedding and the Unexpected

Ten thousand meters above the Changbai Mountain range, two mountain peaks hung suspended, connected by a steel cable bridge. Floating beside them was a saucer-shaped spacecraft with a diameter of two kilometers. These peaks were known as Feiyun Peak and Shencai Peak, and the spacecraft was named Jette.

Tang Yi had acquired a vast amount of precious ore on the planet Dream Blue, which allowed him to perform a monumental upgrade on the Jette. The spacecraft was now capable of full-ship phase shifting to avoid obstacles, and he had added a jump-drive function. Its trans-dimensional flight capabilities were significantly enhanced; the return trip to Earth took only a quarter of the time it had taken to arrive, even including the time spent detouring to collect resources from numerous planets. Had he flown directly back to Earth, it would have taken only a tenth of the time.

Light-beam channels had been established between the spacecraft and the two peaks. Both channels featured bidirectional transport; one simply had to step onto the transfer point, and like an automatic escalator, the system would transport them to the opposite side without the need to walk. The steel cable bridge between the peaks possessed the same functionality.

Today, people were frequently traversing these three channels. It was a momentous day—the day Tang Yi officially founded his sect, and also the joyous day of his wedding to Hua Ruoxue.

Nearly a year had passed since his return to Earth. When he first arrived, Lu Changsheng had delivered the earnings from the Tang Group for the past two years. Upon checking, Tang Yi was stunned; there was a staggering amount of spirit stones, most of high grade, with a portion being of supreme quality. A rough calculation placed the value at two hundred million high-grade spirit stones. Seeing Tang Yi’s skeptical look, Elder Lu chuckled and explained that the development of the Fairy Galaxy had revealed several new mineral veins rich in spirit stones, all thanks to the inventions Tang Yi had left behind for the Tang Group. Consequently, after consulting with others like Li Xianyun, they decided to include Tang Yi in the shares of these new mines.

Tang Yi simply decided to divest some of his shares in the Tang Group, retaining only forty percent—enough to remain the largest shareholder—and let the various sect leaders divide the rest among themselves. How they chose to distribute them was no longer his concern.

Today’s inauguration ceremony and wedding were exceptionally lively. Every sect and family in the cultivation world, regardless of size, had done whatever they could to attend this once-in-a-millennium event. Three months prior, Tang Yi had released news that he would provide a grand gift to everyone who attended. Who was Tang Yi? Anything that came from his hands was considered a masterpiece by the cultivation world. Whether it was his storage rings or communication devices, they offered immense convenience to cultivators. As for the life-saving, rare medicines produced by the Tang Group, they were priceless items, often impossible to find despite having the money to pay. Since Tang Yi had been away roaming the cosmos, the raw materials he had left behind—created using his special abilities—were limited.

In the banquet hall inside the spacecraft, Tang Yi and Hua Ruoxue, both dressed in traditional red wedding attire, stood at the entrance to welcome guests. Hua Ruoxue held a large bouquet of roses, smiling and nodding at the arriving guests, while Tang Yi kept bowing with his hands clasped until his mouth felt stiff from smiling.

"Wife, I never imagined there would be so many people. My face is getting stiff from all this smiling," Tang Yi communicated mentally with Hua Ruoxue while continuing to bow to the guests.

"I know, I didn't expect it either. It’s because you’re so famous. What? Are you starting to regret the gifts you prepared?" Hua Ruoxue replied.

"Those are just trifles, nothing to worry about. It’s just that if I keep bowing like this, I’m going to turn into a robot."

"Giggle, you deserve it. Who told you to do this? You’re making me suffer along with you, and I haven’t even complained yet."

"I'm sorry, my love! I apologize here and now. Please forgive me just this once. There won't be a next time."

"Hmph, you better not have a next time!" Hua Ruoxue pouted.

"I was wrong! Ah, it's finally over. Let's go inside!"

"Dang... dang..." The Wedding March began to play. Tang Yi took Hua Ruoxue’s hand and they walked into the hall toward the podium.

Standing on the podium was Zhang Sanfeng. Given his supreme cultivation level and his impending ascension, he was the logical choice to officiate the ceremony. The wedding followed standard Western traditions. Except for Tang Yi, no one present had ever seen such a ceremony, so they all watched with wide, curious eyes, terrified of missing a single detail. Of course, the staff had rehearsed countless times after studying numerous videos to ensure the results were perfect.

When Zhang Sanfeng announced, "The groom may now kiss the bride!" the atmosphere erupted.

"Kiss... kiss..." Amidst the cheering of the crowd, Tang Yi kissed Hua Ruoxue passionately. Her face flushed a deep crimson, as beautiful as peach blossoms, prompting Tang Yi to kiss her again.

"Whoo..." The younger generation in the crowd began to roar.

Under the cover of Gu Zhenzhen and Liu Yuefeng, Hua Ruoxue fled the scene!

"Alright, alright! Let the wedding banquet begin!" At Zhang Sanfeng’s command, the buffet-style banquet commenced.

The leaders of the various sects and families took this rare opportunity to mingle, discuss cooperation, and conduct business. As time passed, the guests gradually dispersed, leaving behind only those closest to Tang Yi, such as Hua Shaojie, Lü Zhengyang, Ding Pengfei, and Bai Dongfang.

"Tang... Tang... Brother Tang!" Hua Shaojie’s speech began to slur. "Come on, let's drink more!" He finished an entire pot of wine in one go.

"You... you guy, *hic*, even though this spirit wine is good, you... you shouldn't drink it like that. Look at yourself, you're already drunk..." Lü Zhengyang said, swaying as he pointed at Hua Shaojie while holding his own cup.

Tang Yi looked at the group of drunken fools and shook his head helplessly. "Look at you all. Fine, I'll take you out to get some fresh air." With a wave of his right hand, he transported the entire group to the plaza of Feiyun Peak. A cold wind blew, and the chill seemed to dispel much of their intoxication.

"Brother Tang, why did you bring us out here to catch the cold?" Bai Dongfang asked.

"I brought you to look at the stars. Look, aren't they lovely?" Tang Yi said, gazing up at the starry sky.

"Brother Tang, how could you come to look at the stars without telling us?" Hua Ruoxue, Gu Zhenzhen, and Liu Yuefeng appeared, drifting gracefully toward them.

"Brother Tang!" Hua Shaojie suddenly grabbed Tang Yi’s hand. "Brother Tang, do you have a new generation of super-rings? You gave your wife so many, right? Can I have one too?"

Hearing this, more than a dozen pairs of eyes, including those of Lü Zhengyang, stared fixedly at Tang Yi. Even Zhang Sanfeng, who was on the verge of ascension, was interested; the rings Tang Yi crafted were now comparable to immortal artifacts, with functions that exceeded them.

"Alright, alright, I knew you’d be like this. Here, one for everyone! No one gets left out!" Tang Yi helplessly produced a pile of rings and distributed them.

"Hahaha, everyone gets a share. It seems we arrived at the perfect time, don't you think?" Lu Changsheng and the leader of the Huashan sect flew over from Shencai Peak.

"Sigh, you caught me. It's fine; they were meant for you anyway. Just a bit earlier than planned!" Tang Yi shrugged.

"Haha..." Everyone took their rings and prepared to leave.

Suddenly, an anomaly occurred.

"Hum..." A buzzing sound that made everyone’s spiritual sense stagnate rang out incessantly. A massive, dazzling seven-colored sphere of light, shimmering like an aurora, suddenly appeared above Feiyun Peak.

Tang Yi, who had been holding Hua Ruoxue’s hand, was suddenly launched into the air like a ball, heading straight toward the seven-colored sphere.

"Brother Tang..." "Fellow Daoist Tang..." The crowd gasped, wanting to fly forward to grab him, but they found themselves unable to move. They could only watch helplessly as Tang Yi was sucked into the sphere.

Just as Tang Yi was completely swallowed by the light, a pile of items fell out from the sphere—all the belongings he had been carrying, including his clothes. With a sudden "swish," the sphere and Tang Yi vanished entirely. If not for the pile of items on the ground, it would have seemed as if nothing had happened at all.

As the sphere vanished, everyone regained the ability to move.

"Brother Tang, Brother Tang... how could this happen? How could this be..." Hua Ruoxue clutched the items Tang Yi had left behind, her face streaming with tears.