Yang Kai involuntarily sat down.
The next instant, he was thrown into shock, scrambling to grab his clothes: "What are you seniors doing?!"
His intense reaction was hardly surprising—he had barely taken his seat before several women immediately set about stripping off his outer robe.
"My, still shy!" One of the Upper-grade Open Heaven women giggled, her seductive gaze trailing like silk—clearly bearing traces of her Yin Yang Heaven origins.
"Who are you calling 'senior'? You're making people sound old for no reason." Another Upper-grade Open Heaven flicked a finger against Yang Kai's forehead, sending his body tilting to one side.
Yang Kai didn't know whether to laugh or cry. In his mind, they all looked like flowers and jade, young and beautiful, but anyone whose cultivation had reached Upper-grade Open Heaven had to be some ancient monster who had lived for thousands or even tens of thousands of years. Calling them "senior" was merely a polite address—what was he supposed to call them, sisters? How would that look?
During that brief hesitation, the group of women had already deftly pulled off his outer garment with practiced efficiency, and then, from who knows where, produced a brilliant crimson robe. One pulled Yang Kai back to his feet while two others gripped his arms and stretched his body out, and the robe was swiftly draped over him.
The women darted back and forth around him—one smoothing, another fastening the belt—and in no time they had him looking perfectly put together.
Yang Kai remained in a daze, completely unaware of what had just happened.
He was pressed back down into his seat. One of the Upper-grade Open Heaven women circled behind him, loosened his long hair, and with practiced hands re-tied it into a proper topknot.
A polished mirror sat before him, its surface bright enough to reflect every detail. Yang Kai stared blankly at himself—clad entirely in red, he looked incredibly festive.
The women beside him bustled about, producing rouge, powder, and other cosmetics, moving to apply them to his face.
Yang Kai hurriedly raised his hands in protest. Being forced into such a festive robe was one thing, but smearing ladies' cosmetics on his face was something he simply could not tolerate: "Seniors, what exactly is going on here?!"
"Stop fidgeting!" The Upper-grade Open Heaven woman from Yin Yang Heaven slapped his arm, knocking his raised hand back down, and chided him: "It's a joyous occasion, of course you need to look handsome and dashing."
"Joyous occasion?" Yang Kai's jaw dropped. "What joyous occasion?"
The Yin Yang Heaven Upper-grade woman smiled gently: "What do you think joyous occasion?"
Yang Kai immediately turned to his sister, his face full of inquiry. Yang Xue grinned: "Big brother, don't worry about a thing—just cooperate quietly and that's all you need to do."
Yang Kai felt both exasperated and amused, and he was beginning to vaguely grasp what was going on. After a moment's internal struggle, he gave up resisting, sat there obediently, and let the women fuss over him with their grooming and cosmetics.
Something stirred faintly in his heart.
In less time than it took an incense stick to burn, everything was done. The women circled Yang Kai, inspecting him from every angle, and nodded one after another: "That's about right!"
The Yin Yang Heaven Upper-grade woman then took a large red flower arrangement and tied it securely to Yang Kai's chest, giving it a final pat before clapping her hands: "There we go!"
"Let's go—time to fetch the bride!" Yang Xue cheered, and the group of women ushered Yang Kai along, pushing and shuffling him out of the great hall.
Outside, a crowd had already been waiting. Yang Kai looked up and saw that they were all people from Lingxiao Pavilion—various Great Emperors and individuals like Mao Zhe and Yue He lined both sides. When they spotted Yang Kai emerging in his festive attire, they all cupped their fists in salute: "Congratulations, Sect Master! Joyous blessings, Sect Master!"
Yang Kai forced a grin and returned the gesture: "Same to you, same to you!"
The words had barely left his mouth before things turned awkward—this wedding procession was for him, so what did "same to you" even mean?!
The truth was, this surprise ambush had left him thoroughly stunned. Just moments ago he had been thinking about how to apologize to Yu Rumeng and the others, and in the blink of an eye he was apparently off to fetch a bride.
Moreover, judging from the way everyone was acting, it seemed every single person had been in on the secret, and he alone had been kept completely in the dark. He had no idea who had come up with this plan.
"Sect Master, please!" Mao Zhe gestured forward.
Ahead of them, an ornately decorated tower ship was waiting. The vessel was draped in red and adorned with festive garlands, and many people stood aboard it—clearly, preparations had been underway for quite some time.
Yang Kai took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement and nervousness churning within him, and waved his hand: "Let's go!"
There was no avoiding it—getting married was something he was experiencing for the first time, and claiming he wasn't nervous would be a lie. He had never felt this anxious even during the hundred years he'd spent in that cage alongside the Mo Royal Clan.
The people of Lingxiao Pavilion boarded the tower ship behind Yang Kai. He swept his gaze across the deck and saw that every person aboard was an Open Heaven Realm cultivator from the various Grotto-heavens and Blessed Lands—among them were several Seventh-Grade Open Heaven experts.
Each person held a musical instrument, though where they had procured them from, Yang Kai had no idea.
Congratulatory voices filled the air without end. At the command of the Iron Blood Great Emperor, the musicians on the tower ship immediately launched into a full performance—horns, drums, and cymbals ringing out in a cacophony of celebration.
The tower ship glided forward, heading toward a Spirit State in the distance, and festive music accompanied them along the entire route.
The ensemble aboard the tower ship was remarkably diverse, consisting of at least fifteen to twenty families' worth of Open Heaven cultivators, including no shortage of Seventh-Grade Open Heaven experts. To have so many cultivators from various Grotto-heavens and Blessed Lands mobilized solely to play music and provide entertainment for one man's wedding—throughout all of history, there had likely only ever been Yang Kai.
Before long, they arrived above a Spirit State. The music continued without pause as the wedding procession disembarked from the tower ship and headed straight for a grand hall ahead.
A crowd blocked the path before the great hall, and at their head stood Divine Lord Liu Mu of the Golden Antelope Blessed Land!
Divine Lord Liu Mu wore a pleasant smile on his face, flanked by Sixth-Grade and Seventh-Grade Open Heaven cultivators. The group numbered well over a hundred, completely blocking the entrance to the hall.
"Divine Lord!" Yang Kai stepped forward to offer his greeting, his eyes guarded. Divine Lord Liu Mu's expression toward him carried a hint of ill intent, making Yang Kai feel that something was off.
Moreover, even though he had hastily agreed to go along with the wedding procession, he still hadn't fully grasped the specifics of the situation, and he couldn't understand why fetching the bride had led him all the way to the Golden Antelope Blessed Land's stronghold.