Xia Yi shot a glare at the Bright Dragon King. He knew the Nine Dragon Kings were deliberately releasing divine-level auras to show off in front of human experts.
But if you want to show off, at least look at the occasion first.
"Hehe." The Nine Dragon Kings smiled knowingly. Instantly understanding Xia Yi's meaning, they withdrew their divine aura.
Seeing that most guests had arrived, Xia Yi raised his wine cup and said loudly, "Today is my wedding day. I, Xia Yi, sincerely thank all of you for coming to celebrate. Please drink as much as you like later."
His voice echoed across Sky City, loud enough for everyone to hear. Then, in a flash, he appeared before the crowd.
"That's Xia Yi?"
"So that's him—Xia Yi, the greatest genius in the history of the Douluo Plane. Even the lone hero Sea God Tang San and the God of Emotion Huo Yuhao didn't shine as brightly before ascending to godhood, right?"
"What are you saying? It sounds like Sea God Tang San and the God of Emotion Huo Yuhao were more carefree after becoming gods than Master Xia Yi is now."
"True. Unless Cun Ying's Chaos in the Divine Realm is real, even as gods, their lives wouldn't be as blissful as Master Xia Yi's."
Whispers spread through the crowd, and countless eyes fell upon Xia Yi, radiant in his wedding robe.
Though Xia Yi was famous across the realm, many were seeing him in person for the first time.
"The bride is arriving!" Moments later, a crisp voice rang out within Sky City.
In that instant, the bustling square fell gradually silent as all eyes turned toward the voice. Seven graceful female figures, all in red wedding robes with veils covering their faces, appeared in the sky, surrounded and escorted by a group of women like stars surrounding the moon.
Seeing the seven beautiful silhouettes, Xia Yi lightly pushed off the ground and soared upward to meet them. Under the red veils, seven pairs of enchanting eyes looked toward him, their bodies trembling slightly. Even Gu Yue, who had been with him the longest, had tears welling up in her eyes.
Let alone Muxi and Yali—they were even more overwhelmed.
"Lord, I'm not late, am I?" Just as the wedding was about to begin, Di Tian arrived in a hurry.
"You're right on time. Didn't think you were this punctual," said a graceful figure in red beneath one of the veils, her voice like an orchid—cold and commanding.
"Ah, Lord, I didn't mean to be late!" Di Tian hurriedly apologized after hearing Gu Yue's cold tone.
As the Beast God, it was indeed his fault for cutting it so close to the wedding of Xia Yi and Gu Yue.
"It's fine, you're here. Take a seat," Xia Yi played peacemaker and gestured for Di Tian to sit.
"The auspicious time has arrived. First, bow to Heaven and Earth."
"Second, bow to the elders!"
Among the women, only Mu Xi's parents were still alive.
Under the signals of Zi Ji and Bi Ji, Xia Yi and the women bowed respectfully to Mu Chen and Yuan Bao'er.
"Third, bow to each other as husband and wives."
As this final ritual concluded, the joy of the wedding reached its climax. Thunderous cheers filled Sky City, echoing like rolling thunder.
The wedding ceremony continued into the evening. Though night had fallen, Sky City was still brightly lit and full of joyous activity.
Xia Yi, however, was thoroughly confused. This wedding was nothing like what he had imagined. The entire ceremony had been orchestrated under Zi Ji and Bi Ji's direction, and for nearly every step, they had to send him mental instructions to explain the customs.
"Finally done… What kind of wedding custom is this? I remember weddings on the Douluo Continent didn't follow this procedure. Even soul beasts shouldn't have such complicated ceremonies," Xia Yi muttered as he returned to the Sky Fox Hall. Following Zi Ji's earlier instructions, he used a prepared rod to lift the veils of his seven lovely brides.
He had been busy building the Sky Fox Hall lately, but ever since they decided to hold a wedding, he had researched all kinds of ceremonial traditions.
Not only human wedding customs from the Douluo Plane, but he also consulted Gu Yue and the Nine Dragon Kings about ancient soul beast wedding traditions.
After the Dragon God War, soul beasts declined and no longer followed many customs. But in their prime, divine beasts certainly had their own marriage rituals.
Xia Yi's original intention was to combine human and soul beast customs into a hybrid ceremony.
If there was no wedding, fine—but since they were going to have one, he didn't mind the effort. Bottom line, whether it was Gu Yue, Leng Yaoyu, or the others, he didn't want any of them to have regrets.
Xia Yi wasn't afraid of trouble, but being totally confused the whole time was still a bit much.
The worst part was, this process was nothing like what he had previously discussed with Gu Yue and Leng Yaoyu.
Still, despite his confusion, looking at the seven stunning brides before him, he felt it was all worth it.
"What? You don't like it?" Gu Yue huffed coldly. "Marrying all of us and you're complaining it was too much trouble?"
"No, no! Being able to marry you, Yue'er—no matter how complicated, I'd never complain. I'm just curious—how did the ceremony change so suddenly? It's nothing like what we discussed before." Xia Yi smiled, holding Gu Yue close.
"That's more like it." Gu Yue lifted her chin proudly and turned to Lan Fozzi. "This ceremony isn't from soul beast customs or Douluo human customs. Fozzi, explain to our husband."
"Mm." Lan Fozzi nodded, glanced at Leng Yulai, and looked back at Xia Yi with a charming smile. "Husband, we did originally plan to merge human and soul beast traditions. But Yulai raised a concern: if we mix the two, we might end up omitting meaningful parts from both, and in the end, neither side would feel complete. So she suggested we recreate your wedding from your past life instead. We all liked the idea. At first, we planned to ask you about your past memories—but Yulai insisted on surprising you. So we went to Mingdu and asked Xia Hong to design the ceremony."
"I see…" Xia Yi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had been trying to consider Gu Yue and the others, but things had turned out differently.
"Do you like it?" Leng Yulai asked with a sweet smile.
"Oh, you… what should I say to you?" Xia Yi was touched, gazing into Leng Yulai's warm eyes.
He knew this was deliberate. He hadn't wanted the women to have regrets, so he tried to craft a hybrid ceremony.
But Leng Yulai also didn't want him to have regrets—so she'd thought of this plan.
This woman always thought from his perspective.
"Hehe, if you marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog. Since we've married you, naturally we should follow your customs," Leng Yulai said playfully. "The Douluo Plane can't hold you forever. Someday, you'll return to your past world. If, by then, we can't go with you and you find new love, then at least on your new wedding night, you'll still remember today."
Speaking of the future, even the carefree Leng Yulai looked uncertain.
She believed Xia Yi wouldn't abandon them now.
But once he regained his past memories, everything might change.
"Don't think like that. Our wedding was witnessed by so many people—how could I forget you all?" Xia Yi gently ruffled her hair. "I promise you, no matter what, I won't forget you."
"Wahh! I knew you were the best!" Leng Yulai burst into tears and clung to Xia Yi's neck.
Seeing her sob "messily," Xia Yi's face instantly darkened.
"Could you at least act a bit more genuine? Crying isn't just bawling—how about squeezing out a single tear at least?" he said through gritted teeth. He had been so moved, but her over-the-top performance left him exasperated.
"Hehe, Sister and the High Priest told me not to cry today!" Leng Yulai broke into a grin, arms wrapped around Xia Yi's neck.
The Demon Empress froze. She wanted to smack Yulai—why drag her into this?
Leng Yaoyu simply turned her head, used to this by now.
"I admit we kept the wedding a secret, but we didn't prepare separate bridal chambers. Husband, tossing us all into the same room is too much! Sisters, rivals—that's one thing. But you could've at least separated the mother-daughter pair! I think a person shouldn't—at least not…" Leng Yaoyu began teasing.
"Don't say nonsense! I didn't arrange that. Zi Ji and Bi Ji handled everything! Ask them tomorrow if you don't believe me," Xia Yi cut her off in a panic. Who knew what embarrassing truth she might reveal next?
What do you mean by 'a person shouldn't…'—makes me sound like some pervert!
And to think he had believed Leng Yulai was so considerate—now she was publicly roasting him.
Even the Demon Empress and Lan Fozi hadn't complained—so why was it her place?
And anyway, Xia Yi was legally married to them!
"I believe you! A pure man like you would never do anything so wicked!" Leng Yulai said solemnly, patting her chest and giggling.
Her dramatic acting made Xia Yi grind his teeth again.
"Oh, you dare mock me—see how I deal with you…" Xia Yi growled and threw her onto the bed, leaping after her.
...
As the night deepened, though the wedding had concluded and Xia Yi and his seven brides had withdrawn, Sky City remained bright and lively. Many guests still lingered, hoping to witness more of this unprecedented place.
In a garden near the Sky Fox Hall, Ye Xinglan and Yuanen Yehui watched the hall in silence.
"I saw Xu Xiaoyan earlier. She came with her family," Ye Xinglan said softly.
"Oh? I remember Xu Xiaoyan and Tang Wulin came from the East Sea Academy together and joined Shrek Academy, right?" Yuanen Yehui asked curiously.
"Mm… that's right," Ye Xinglan nodded with an awkward smile. "I just spoke with her. I invited her for a walk, but she refused. Seems she wants to completely cut ties with Shrek Academy—something to do with Devil's Island."
"Devil's Island? I remember in Mingdu, during the wedding of Tang Wulin and Long Yeyue, the spiritual projections of the Passionate and Ruthless Douluos didn't include Xiaoyan…" Yuanen Yehui frowned. Back then, Long Yeyue betrayed Tang Sect to save herself, leading to the Douluos resenting Shrek. They revealed the events of "Yun Ming repaying a debt" and "Long Yeyue battling alone."
Aside from Tang Wulin, the male students in that vision had already left Shrek before Yali announced its disbanding.
"I heard Xiaoyan also attended that Devil's Island military training, but since Light and Darkness Douluo was a woman, she wasn't harmed. However, she must have witnessed it all and was traumatized. That's probably why she's cutting ties," Ye Xinglan sighed.
"Lucky we avoided it," Yuanen Yehui smiled. Had they not been stuck in the Eight Kings' Domain, even if they survived the Level-12 Godslaying Cannon, they wouldn't have escaped that training.
"Yeah." Ye Xinglan agreed, then looked thoughtful. "Say, if Xia Yi is from the Sky Fox Tribe, then back when we were trapped by the Star Luo Empire and rescued by them… could Xia Yi have been involved?"
"It's possible." Yuanen Yehui pondered, then nodded. "I think it's very likely. If it were just regular Sky Fox folks, maybe not. But we were saved by the chieftain—Spirit Fox Douluo Xin Yuehu. We're not important enough for her to intervene—unless Xia Yi asked her to."
They had long known that Da Ji, their savior, was Xin Yuehu, the Sky Fox chieftain.
They had always wondered why she saved them.
Now it all made sense.
"Right. Back then, she had no reason to know we entered Sky Fox territory. Unless Xia Yi learned that Star Luo was trying to shift blame, and asked her to help us." Ye Xinglan became more convinced.
"Exactly. Otherwise, why weren't we even interrogated when we crossed into their land?" The more they recalled, the more certain they were: it had been Xia Yi who saved them.
(End of Chapter)