Chapter 536 - 534: Elder Lawson and the Others Also Came

Chapter 536: Chapter 534: Elder Lawson and the Others Also Came

Nerida’s marriage proposal caused a huge stir. In less than half a day, the news had spread throughout all of Silvanis.

This was especially true in Nephria, where countless Cultivators had gathered to watch the spectacle.

The Cultivators, men and women alike, all stared as one at the betrothal gifts piled high along an entire street. They were utterly stunned.

The Cultivators immediately began to chatter amongst themselves.

"Are these all betrothal gifts? Hiss... This is an unbelievable amount."

"A while back, I heard our Young Lord had fallen for a female cultivator and that the two were inseparable. It seemed like wedding bells were on the horizon. I just didn’t expect them to get engaged so quickly."

Their Young Lord Aeron was renowned as the most handsome man in all of Silvanis. Countless female cultivators had become utterly infatuated with him after just a single, fleeting glimpse.

When word got out that the Young Lord had found someone, many a female cultivator’s heart was broken. But no one had imagined that Young Lord Aeron’s fiancée wouldn’t be a local from Silvanis, but someone from a massive power beyond their kingdom.

A series of sharp gasps rippled through the crowd.

If, before, countless female cultivators had secretly seethed with jealousy over Nerida, feeling she wasn’t worthy of Young Lord Aeron, they couldn’t muster an ounce of it now. This woman was taking a husband entirely on her own merit.

"Oh my god, those are chests upon chests of Spirit Stones! They’re so bright I can barely open my eyes. An entire street of betrothal gifts... what an extravagant display."

Hearing this, someone nearby leaned in and said, "Ma’am, you’re only seeing what’s right in front of you. In reality, it’s not just this street—another one is completely full, too. You know where I just came from? The Imperial Palace. The gifts stretch from inside the palace gates all the way out here, leaving no room to even walk. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. It’s a real eye-opener."

For the rest of the day, this was the only topic of conversation among the city’s Cultivators. It wasn’t until late afternoon that the treasures filling every open space were finally collected and put away.

The marriage proposal was a perfect success.

With Nerida and Aeron’s engagement settled, Elder Stratton and his contingent departed, heading back first. Only Celeste Grant and a few others remained. She mainly wanted to stay and explore for a couple more days.

This was Amarantha, a matriarchal kingdom, and she wanted to see for herself how different it was from other places. So Celeste Grant stayed in Silvanis for a few days, visiting all the interesting spots before she and her party finally headed back.

Over the next month, Elder Lawson and the others from the Lower Realm began to ascend to the Upper Realm, one after another. In addition to Elder Lawson’s group, The Azure Dragon, Jade, also ascended, and Sprout came with him.

Celeste Grant wasn’t surprised to see Jade ascend to the Upper Realm. He had been Javier Sinclair’s mount in the Lower Realm, and after succeeding in his cultivation, he became Javier’s Right Protector and most loyal subordinate.

Jade was The Azure Dragon, chief of the Four Cardinal Beasts. Though born in the Lower Realm, his bloodline was immensely powerful. Celeste wasn’t surprised at all to see him ascend so quickly.

’What did surprise her was that Sprout had ascended as well. Based on his cultivation speed, it should have taken him another one or two hundred years. How did he get here so fast?’

The moment the youth with antennae on his head saw Celeste Grant, he lunged toward her with arms outstretched. The boy, dressed in green, had shining eyes, and his antennae swayed and crackled with a green glow. His joy and excitement were palpable even from a distance.

’Glowing? Green?’

"Mistress... Mistress, do you have any idea what I’ve been through all these years? You and Master both left, leaving a poor, lonely centipede like me to suffer in the Lower Realm, tormented by how much I missed you! I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep. All I could do was curl up into a ball and bury myself in a pile of grass to pass the time."

As the youth lunged, he instantly transformed into a giant centipede, coiling around her again and again. Finally, its enormous head snuggled up against her shoulder, nuzzling her affectionately. "Mistress, *sniffle*, I missed you so much. Ah, this comforting scent... and I can smell Master, too."

Celeste Grant looked at the giant Jade Centipede nudging her, its massive body nearly engulfing her. She reached out and patted Sprout’s head. "Alright, alright, we’re together now, aren’t we? You’re a big centipede now."

Seeing Sprout’s shameless display, Jade, who was standing off to the side, rolled his eyes.

He couldn’t help but speak up. "Sprout, you shameless creature! You say you couldn’t eat well? I’d say you have a bigger appetite than anyone. You ate several meals a day and then just slept. You lived like a king in the Bloodfiend Den, with disciples waiting on you hand and foot. Every few days, you’d demand a soak in the Blood Pool and have those disciples scrub your carapace for a full-body spa treatment. You had it better than anyone!"

’Speaking of which,’ Jade thought, ’I’m an Azure Dragon, a majestic Divine Beast, and even I’m not that decadent. Ever since Sprout learned to take human form, he’s gotten better and better at indulging himself. No... he’s just gotten more and more degenerate.’

From Jade’s roasting, Celeste Grant could already picture it: a gigantic centipede lounging in the Blood Pool while countless disciples scrubbed its carapace.

’That mental image is too much to handle,’ she thought. ’But I have to admit, that’s my centipede, all right. He really knows how to enjoy life. He even figured out how to soak in the Blood Pool and get a full-body spa treatment.’

Hearing this, Sprout shifted his body and lifted his head high. "Hmph. Has it ever occurred to you that I could have actually eaten *more*? The only reason I ate so little was because I couldn’t see my Master and Mistress."

Jade replied, "...Do I look like I believe you? Not even the Mistress would believe that."

Celeste Grant let out a laugh. "It’s okay, it’s okay," she said softly. "I know you both missed me. I missed you, too. In any case, it’s wonderful to see you here in the Upper Realm. We can all be together again."

Upon arriving and seeing Celeste Grant again, a flicker of happiness appeared in Jade’s eyes as well.

He knelt on one knee, placed a hand over his heart, and bowed his head to Celeste Grant in a formal greeting.

"Your subordinate greets you, My Lady."

"I swear my undying loyalty to The Exalted One, and to you, My Lady."

"Alright, alright... I know you’re both loyal. Get up."

"Thank you, My Lady."

Jade rose to his feet.

Celeste Grant’s gaze fell upon the centipede again. She reached out and flicked a finger. The giant centipede coiled around her instantly shrank. With a flash of green light, the massive creature became the size of a chopstick, clinging to her clothes. It then crawled from her shoulder down to her wrist and wrapped itself there.

She looked down to see Sprout’s tiny head resting against her thumb.

Celeste looked at Sprout and couldn’t help but ask, "By the way, Sprout, how did you manage to ascend so early? And with Jade, no less."

Sprout looked incredibly smug.

"For that, Mistress, you have my Master to thank! I always liked soaking in the Blood Pool. Turns out, Master left a drop of his blood there for me. I swallowed it and ascended instantly!"

Celeste Grant had not expected that at all.

’So that’s how he cheated the system.’