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He then said to Lan Yan, "Please speak!"

"Lan Xi is the future mistress of the Goddess Palace. When she marries into the Heavenly Family, she must be the sole mistress of the Nine Heavens. I wonder if Crown Prince Ya can achieve that." Lan Yan’s expression was unreadable, as she seemed to take this matter very seriously.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Heaven’s eyes flickered. Although the request was somewhat excessive, considering it was Lan Xi, it was bearable.

After all, Lan Xi was to be a goddess in the future. There would be no other woman in this world who could surpass her and steal her man.

The Emperor of Heaven looked towards Ya.

Ya’s gaze, however, anxiously fell upon Lan Xi.

She had rejected him in the morning, and now she remained silent. What did that mean?

For the moment, he couldn’t quite grasp Lan Xi’s thoughts. As for the words of the Goddess, he naturally had no objections.

"I swear, if Lan Xi marries me. I will love her and protect her for a lifetime, keeping her from harm. I will not so much as glance at another woman."

His words were firm, resounding loudly and traveling far.

Everyone present heard them.

Lan Xi, fanning herself, wore an indifferently calm expression that revealed neither joy nor anger.

As Ya finished speaking, she nodded her head, "It’s just an engagement! I agree, but I have my conditions. Give me the Heavenly Lantern!"

Her tone carried a certain distance, and it was clear to any discerning person why she had only now agreed to the engagement.

The Emperor of Heaven’s smile stiffened slightly, but there was nothing to be done as he sent someone to fetch the Heavenly Lantern.

Ya could also vaguely sense some secret in her words.

"Lan Xi, are you truly willing?" he asked.

Lan Xi, gazing at the man in purple, heaved a deep sigh.

She thought of the Three-Life Stone and the names inscribed upon it.

"Ancient Dragon Ya, you are not mistaken, are you?" Lan Xi asked.

Ya, confused but earnest, nodded solemnly; Ancient Dragon was his ancestral surname.

"On the Three-Life Stone, there are both my name and yours. Since it is the arrangement of the heavens, I have nothing to say. We don’t need so much for a dowry, just the Heavenly Lantern and the Xuanyuan Sword will do." Lan Xi stated in a detached tone, treating the marriage like a cheap trade.

The Goddess was immediately displeased.

The amount of the dowry is a matter of face for the Heavenly Family and the Goddess Palace, and should not be taken so lightly.

"Emperor of Heaven, the child doesn’t understand the importance. Since the engagement has been decided, let’s go to the heavenly altar to pray. Let us all bless the children together," Lan Yan quickly explained.

Although the Emperor of Heaven was very displeased with Lan Xi’s attitude, it was not appropriate to show it at this time.

He quickly made excuses for himself, "Since Lan Xi has specifically asked for them, they must be what she needs. Alright then, the Heavenly Lantern and the Xuanyuan Sword will be given directly to Lan Xi. The rest of the dowry will be sent to the Goddess Palace later."

Naturally, no one had any objections to this.

The heavenly altar is where generations of the Heavenly Family have held their engagement ceremonies.

Once incense is burnt and the cauldron is worshipped, one cannot be of two hearts regarding the marriage.

Lan Xi stood in front of the altar, holding the incense with a vacant gaze.

Excitement, unspeakable, was written all over Ya’s face.

He would finally be able to marry Lan Xi, although she didn’t seem very happy about it.

In time, he would certainly treat her well and cherish her for a lifetime.

The process was not complicated; having accepted the golden light of divine approval from the heavenly altar, the engagement was complete.

The banquet ended.

Outside of the Southern Heavenly Gate, Lan Xi bid farewell to Lan Yan, "Mother, you go back to the Goddess Palace first. I have some things to do and it may take some time before I can return."

"How long is ’some time’?" Lan Yan couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.

Lan Xi shook her head, not having an exact time, "Mother, you needn’t worry, nor must you come looking for me. Should there be any major issue, I will naturally return."

"But won’t there be any dangers?" Lan Yan asked anxiously.

"No!" Lan Xi clearly didn’t wish to say more.

Lan Yan saw she couldn’t get an answer, as long as her daughter was safe, she let it be.

Lan Xi took Rong Feng and left the Heavenly Court, flying directly toward the direction of the Heavenly Pond.

On the way, Rong Feng was very puzzled by her actions.

"Master, why are you going to the Heavenly Pond?"

Lan Xi did not answer him.

No-return Valley.

Looking down at the bottomless abyss beneath his feet, with white clouds drifting by, Rong Feng’s face was filled with curiosity.

Lan Xi grabbed his shoulder and jumped down.

Once they reached the bottom, he felt as though he had jumped into a quagmire, all of his immortal power was sealed.

Only Lan Xi seemed unaffected, as if everything was normal, not influenced by the surroundings at all.

They passed through the increasingly dense forest and finally arrived at a flat and open grassland.

The grassland was filled with colorful flowers, with butterflies playfully fluttering above them.

As Lan Xi arrived, all the birds and beasts in the valley ceased their doings, prostrating on the ground and trembling.

Lan Xi put Rong Feng down, took out the Xuanyuan Sword, her wedding gift, and said to him with a heavy tone, "This is your master’s gift to you for our meeting."

"Master!" Rong Feng had not expected that she would offer this sword, and for him.

Such a precious item, how could he be worthy...!

Seeing Rong Feng motionless, Lan Xi raised an eyebrow, her tone slightly cool, "Don’t like it? Indeed, this sword isn’t much, but it’s enough for you."

The corner of Rong Feng’s mouth twitched, feeling his thoughts couldn’t keep up with his master’s pace.

Such an important immortal sword, yet she said it wasn’t much.

Without further hesitation, he carefully took the treasured sword and gripped it tightly in his hand.

Seeing this, Lan Xi nodded with satisfaction, and said, "You’ll be living here with me for a few thousand years. So, go familiarize yourself with the forest sooner rather than later. And start planning what we need to get ready."

Rong Feng looked around at the vast emptiness, this place was hardly suitable for living!

Getting things ready would likely take some time.

Seeing the master’s resolute decision, he no longer hesitated and turned towards the forest.

After Rong Feng left, Lan Xi took out an ancient lamp the size of a fist, carved with dragon patterns.

As the lamp appeared, the surrounding air began to twist.

Lan Xi infused the lamp with Spiritual Energy, then let it go.

The lamp circled around her a few times, then rose into the air and stopped three feet above her head. Lan Xi then took out the Heavenly Sword again.

She compressed Ah Qing’s breath into a small pellet and placed it into the wick of the lamp. Soon, the wick ignited, and a plume of white smoke rose and dissipated into the air.

After carefully completing these steps, Lan Xi finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Ah Qing, I’ve lit the lamp for you. Upon seeing the light and feeling the call of the Heavenly Sword, hurry back!"

She knew that a Dispersed Soul wouldn’t be able to gather its spirit quickly.

But she wasn’t afraid, and she had plenty of time to wait.

In the forest, Rong Feng saw many wild animals cowering on the ground, which aroused his curiosity.

"Why are you all so scared?"

At Rong Feng’s words, a little squirrel spoke tremulously, "She is terrifying, we’re scared of her."

Uh!

It was hard to imagine that the gentle Lan Xi could frighten these fierce beasts.

"What did she do to you?" Rong Feng asked.

But upon hearing his question, all the animals shook their heads, saying nothing.

Seeing their frightened shaking heads, Rong Feng didn’t press further. Instead, he spoke sternly, "The master wants to live here for a few thousand years, so I plan to build a house on the grassland ahead. You all come to help chop wood!"