Chapter 331 Nighttime Banquet (5)
Jiaojue and Ji Rong walked through the dense water plants and arrived at a viewing platform made of a semi-floating island.
There are steps made of cold white jade in front of this platform, and where it reaches the water's edge, it is built with a peculiar type of earth and stone that Ji Rong has never seen before.
The soil and rocks have many dark, sunken holes, in which grow soft, warm moss and grass.
Ji Rong walked onto the floating island and saw a huge crescent moon on the water's surface, rising and falling with the water.
At the confluence of the water and the misty surface, the moon appears as a semicircle, and together they form a complete moon.
For a moment, Ji Rong couldn't tell which half was the real moon and which half was its shadow.
Ji Rong and Jiao Jue gazed at the moon for a while on the cold jade steps, when they saw a large insect covered in earth spikes walking towards them with its mouthparts outstretched.
Ji Rong pointed at the large insect and said uncertainly, "Big brother, look, there's a large insect over there that looks a lot like Senior Brother Guan Shan."
As the insect drew closer, they realized it was a yellow-faced true worm that emitted a foul stench.
The insect came to the jade steps, pushed Jiao Jue and Ji Rong aside, then went up to the floating island and used its mouthparts to catch flies on the water's surface.
The giant insect turned its head occasionally and saw Ji Rong and Jiao Jue still standing aside, examining it.
The creature immediately stopped eating the flies and raised its mouthparts high, aiming them at Ji Rong's open beak.
Seeing that this bug was so reckless, Ji Rong immediately turned her head away, stepped onto the floating island, and pulled out three knives from her thigh with her wings and stabbed them into the ground.
The first thrust failed to penetrate, so Ji Rong channeled her spiritual power and forcefully inserted it again, shouting, "How dare you! You stinky creature, how dare you come near me!"
"Ouch! Who's stabbing me here!" Ji Rong shouted as soon as she plunged her knife in.
It trembled violently, and a bloody white liquid oozed from the cuts of the three knives.
Ji Rong immediately sheathed her sword, flapped her wings, and flew away with Jiao Jue, leaving only the fly-catching bug lying on the floating island.
The "viewing platform" touched its wound with its claws and then sat up abruptly; it turned out to be a giant crocodile.
She stretched her limbs, swung her thick tail, and then used her claws to peel off all the moss and dirt from her body.
Then, she grabbed the large, trembling bug clinging to her back and threw it into the water, shouting at Ji Rong and Jiao Jue, "How dare you! Do you know who I am? How dare you injure me right under the Yuanjun's nose! State your names!"
Upon hearing this, Ji Rong and Jiao Jue ran forward, with the giant crocodile in hot pursuit.
Along the way, flowers and grass were crushed, birds flew and dogs jumped.
Before long, a giant, red-faced beast covered in earth spikes, with its long mandibles, charged straight at Ji Rong and Jiao Jue.
Upon seeing Jiao Jue, the giant beast's mandibles split into six lobes, revealing a set of fine, sharp teeth, and it said to Ji Rong, "Jue Jun, is this my junior sister?"
Jiaojue nodded to him
Upon seeing this, Qing Guanzi immediately lashed his tail downwards, blocking the gap between Jiao Jue and the crocodile, and said, "Dream Girl, is that you?"
"Where did you fall asleep this time? I looked all over but couldn't find you."
Upon hearing the voice, the crocodile said uncertainly, "Qing Guanzi?" and then fled as if its life depended on it.
Once the crocodile was gone, Jiao Jue pointed to Ji Rong beside him, indicating that Qing Guanzi should take her back. He said, "Guanshan, why did you take so long?"
Qing Guanzi happily flicked his mouthparts in the air and said, "Hey, I'm going to scare my old friends."
"Juejun, junior sister, let's have a drink together."
As Ji Rong walked, he asked, "Senior Brother Guanshan, why is that Dream-Calling Woman's giant crocodile afraid of you?"
Qing Guanzi smiled smugly and said, "Junior sister, you and Jue Jun are too attached to each other. She is afraid of me because I know how young she is."
"Junior sister, when we drink later, we'll be bathed in moonlight again, and then you'll be able to see what these guys really look like."
They returned to the bank where the golden lotus grew, and saw the Yuanjun, whose whole body radiated a bright, clear light, standing on a golden lotus.
He spread his six hands wide, and the crescent moon at the junction of the sky and water quickly became a full moon. The full moon flew to the top of his head, making the Yuanjun shine with unparalleled radiance.
Upon seeing this scene, Ji Rong tilted her head and thought that if the Yuanjun were willing to retract her pink and white tongue, she would appear even more holy at this moment.
But the other beings clearly didn't have as many thoughts as Ji Rong; they all excitedly shouted, "Yuanjun," and then bowed down.
As the moon grew fuller, the golden lotus leaves also grew exceptionally tall, supporting the sky high above, one leaf after another.
Above the connected golden leaves, only one flower and one leaf are level with each other in the high sky. The golden flower and leaves reflect each other, obscuring the cold giant moon from the center, leaving only a ring visible on the outside.
The bright, gentle moonlight refracted through the golden lotus leaves, turning into a cold, white-gold color.
Countless luminous figures and fireflies set up tables and placed dishes on the lotus leaves, while Ji Rong sat high on the golden lotus leaf that was level with the lotus throne of the Yuanjun.
Qing Guanzi strolled happily on the lotus leaves below and called out to Ji Rong at the head of the table, "Junior sister, I'm going to play for a while. I'll come back to find you later."
As soon as he finished speaking, he slid down the successive golden lotus leaves and disappeared into the distance.
Throughout the banquet, cultivators sat in groups of three or five at a table, while a dozen or more rode together on a leaf. They gathered in one place, whispering among themselves. The air was filled with the fragrance of lotus and a faint aroma of wine, creating a lively yet dreamlike atmosphere.
Yuanjun placed a round-bellied jade bottle with a curved neck on Jiaojue's table and said happily, "Juejun, drink this thousand-year-old Yinhua Dew."
Jiaojue bowed to Yuanjun and said, "Thank you."
He asked the firefly attendants flitting between the tables for seven small cups, poured seven cups, and without any hesitation let the four little dragons drink first.
Then, He grabbed Feng Qing’s four tails upside down from Ji Rong’s neck, shook them constantly, and said, “Ugly thing, get up and eat something.”
Feng Qing opened her eyes and said, "Where am I ugly now?"
Seeing the four little dragons drinking the liquid, Feng Qing also reached out with his claws to the table and began to drink from a cup.
The Yuanjun at the head of the table stuck out her long, pinkish-white tongue and laughed, "Juejun's power is indeed extraordinary, and the little slave she keeps is also unique."
Jiao Jue squinted and replied respectfully, "These are all inanimate objects."
"Today's achievements are entirely due to your mastery of spatial manipulation."
Upon hearing this, Yuanjun's smile widened. He stood up, spread his six arms to the sky, and said, "Everyone, please take your seats and drink to your heart's content."
Then, a great light shone all around, and round, plate-sized bright moons reappeared on the water's surface. They shone like lamps through every gap in the lotus leaves, and the cold golden light they refracted gradually revealed the true appearances of all the cultivators.
Laughter, some startled and some joyful, suddenly rang out from the lotus leaves.
Ji Rong excitedly lay down on the lotus leaf and looked down.
The lotus leaves below are arranged in two layers according to size, alternating between each other.
Like two winding snake tails, they swayed back and forth around the large lotus leaf where Ji Rong was.
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