Free Web NovelChapter 864: Chapter 118: Thousands of Lights, Tens of Thousands of Lights
Understanding Yang Liu’s emotions didn’t prevent Jiang Wang from seizing the opportunity to draw closer to him. He took advantage of the moment when Yang Liu was drunk to arrange the introduction to Hai Jingping.
The next day, Jiang Wang, accompanied by Yang Liu, entered the residence of Hai Jingping, and it wasn’t until an hour later that he left.
Afterward, he visited Hai Jingping alone twice, each time purchasing a new Storage Box beforehand.
Of course, his actions were hidden amid the growing noise of Huai Island as the day unfolded, attracting little attention from most people.
For the annual Sea Festival of the Near Sea Archipelago had already begun.
The renowned End of the World Platform is located right in the center of the arching back of Crescent Island, which is also the point that juts out the most towards the direction of Lost World.
This naturally became the main site of the Sea Festival, as well as the highest point on Crescent Island.
Crescent Island, Crescent Moon Island, Huai Island... No matter what it is called, it is undoubtedly the core island of the Near Sea Archipelago. Its status is nearly that of a nation’s capital. frёeωebɳovel.com
Therefore, the End of the World Platform is akin to the location of The Imperial Ancestral Temple.
The entire End of the World Platform is a gigantic stone platform, with an area of a thousand zhang square.
The slope on the side of the island is gentle, while the other side facing the sea is a cliff.
The overall shape is like a surging wave that charged forward and suddenly froze. It resembles a giant frozen wave crest.
The Cang Sea once surged toward the End of the World Platform, and a tide of cultivators from the Human Race has also once rushed toward the Cang Sea. When the sea of people collided with the Cang Sea, they never retreated.
Some say that the End of the World Platform is like an inverted palm held high, with the vertical cliffs of Huai Island as the arm. It holds aloft the transcendent cultivators of the Near Sea, granting them strength and courage.
But no matter which description is used, the End of the World Platform remains an irreplaceable sacred site in the hearts of the sea people, representing honor and greatness.
Even if the Monks of Yang Valley wield terrifying killing power, even if the national power of Qi Country is alarming, the main site for the Sea Festival can only be at the End of the World Platform.
It is even said that only the Sea Festival conducted at the End of the World Platform is recognized as the true Sea Festival. It is believed that only then can the spirits of the fallen heroes be truly consoled.
Although various activities have already unfolded during the day, the actual Sea Festival ceremony only officially begins in the evening.
Jiang Wang had managed to get an entry through Yang Liu. After their bonding session over drinks, their relationship was now fairly good, and they could be considered ordinary friends. As a True Disciple of the Fishing Sea Tower, it was easy for Yang Liu to arrange a spot for Jiang Wang on the End of the World Platform.
Of course, it couldn’t possibly be a very good spot.
For today, nearly every notable power from the Near Sea Archipelago was sending representatives to the End of the World Platform to participate in the ceremony. It wasn’t compulsory, of course, as truly pressing matters couldn’t be delayed for a festival. But for many, being able to ascend the End of the World Platform on the fourth day of April was an honor in itself, so most would not miss it.
At this moment, to say that the End of the World Platform was overcrowded would not be an exaggeration.
As a result of Jiang Wang’s deliberate low-profile, he could only blend into the crowd, exchanging glances with a bunch of strangers who were small sect elders.
"This young brother here looks unfamiliar. May I ask which island you hail from?"
"Oh, I wander the world and haven’t settled anywhere."
Casually brushing off the small talk from others, Jiang Wang quietly observed the situation on the End of the World Platform.
By now, the four Tower Masters of the Fishing Sea Tower responsible for the practical matters of this Sea Festival had all appeared on the End of the World Platform. Led by Hai Jingping, they, along with a group of elite disciples, welcomed the guests from various regions, with Yang Liu naturally among them.
However, Chongguang Zhenren, the nominal main host of the Sea Festival ceremony from the Fishing Sea Tower’s First Elder, had yet to appear.
One would think that such a significant figure would only show up after everything was properly arranged.
On the other hand, Jiang Wang also spotted some friends and acquaintances.
For instance, Li Fengyao, representing Binghuang Island, was seated in a VIP spot. Her stunningly beautiful face drew countless gazes, but her cold demeanor prevented people from looking too long.
Li Longchuan was naturally there as well, constantly leaning in to say something to Li Fengyao.
However, Xu Xiangqian was nowhere to be seen.
Jiang Wang scanned the crowd with his gaze, and in a slightly less prominent spot, he found Zhao Wuyan and Zi Shu, with Xu Xiangqian indeed squeezed in beside them. Yan Fu, clearly, had been forcibly dragged along to keep them company.
One couldn’t help but wonder if Yang Liu, the one who greeted guests, would burst into tears upon encountering them... Although Xu Xiangqian didn’t seem to have much of an opportunity either, he was still better off than Yang Liu, who had already been declared out of the running. freewёbnoνel.com
The reason Zhao Wuyan’s seat was less prestigious wasn’t because Longmen Academy, one of the Four Great Academies of the World, was inferior to the Shimen Li Clan. Instead, it was because Longmen Academy’s influence at sea was very weak; they didn’t have a branch on the island.
In the Near Sea Archipelago, only maritime rankings were considered; otherwise, the ceremonial officer from Qi Country should have presided over the Sea Festival.
Jiang Wang actually knew all about his friends’ arrival at Huai Island, yet he had not made contact with any of them.
Just as he was now hiding among the crowd, without revealing his whereabouts. He had his own plans and preparations and had made corresponding resolutions but didn’t intend to drag anyone else down with him.
Then there was Zhongxuan Xin, who also attended the ceremony as a representative of Eternal Winter Island. Probably limited by his own power, his seat was hardly different from that of Zhao Wuyan.
Moreover, he saw Tian Chang. As the recent lead of the Da Ze Tian Clan in the Near Sea Archipelago, his seat was even more forward than Li Fengyao’s, reflecting the Tian family’s maritime strength.
The sky gradually darkened, and the bustle grew more intense.
The Sea Festival activities of the Near Sea Archipelago are as significant to the sea-dwellers as the Spring Festival is to the people on land.
Today, every household on Crescent Island has hung up lanterns.
The original intention of this custom was to light the way home for Heroic Spirits, allowing the souls of Human Race cultivators trapped in the Lost World to find their way.
Over time, as the practice was passed down, among the oral traditions of the sea-dwellers, it became about guiding the lost Dead Spirits at sea back home. The messages of the Lost World and the Sea Clan were slightly obscured, but the tradition became somewhat more widespread.
Looking back from the End of the World Platform at this moment, one could see thousands of lanterns, illuminating Huai Island as if it were the eternal light.
Making Crescent Island shine like Bright Moon, illuminating the Azure Sea.
Someone said, "The moon in The Heavens is in the night sky, the moon in the water is in the Azure Sea, and the moon in the Human World is in Huai Island."
Not until this moment did Jiang Wang truly feel it.
The so-called moon of the Human World is not the crescent-shaped island, but the lights ignited by countless people living on this island, struggling for its sake. When all these lights come together, they form the moon of the Human World.
This moon can illuminate the heart, calm storms, drive away the long night, and comfort the souls of the dead.
Seeing that the time was almost right,
As if from the bright moon on the horizon, a person descended.
The person’s long sleeves fluttered, enveloping him in a clear glow, making him appear as another source of light outside the bright moon in the night sky.
Like a star falling to the Human World.
In one step, he appeared high in the sky, and with another, he had already landed on the End of the World Platform.
Immediately, a disciple from the Fishing Sea Tower announced, "Chongguang Zhenren has arrived!"
He was Elder Jinghai of the Sea Tower, ranking first in order, a core figure of the establishment with a status just below that of the Tower Master.
Standing before the main seat’s grand chair, facing the crowd, and also facing the vast sea beyond the End of the World Platform,
He stood over eight feet tall, with a towering figure, his face always shrouded in a layer of light that was hard to make out, but undoubtedly he possessed an imposing demeanor.
On the entire platform, everyone stood up out of respect.
And with a spread of his arms and a downward press, he sighed,
"The bright moon remains as before, yet time has swiftly flown by. Unnoticed... it is April fourth again."
