The banquet was set at the highest point of the imperial palace, on an open-air platform called the Star-Picking Platform.
From here, the view was exceptional; one could not only overlook the entire palace but also see the pitch-black sea far in the distance.
However, tonight, there were no stars to be picked.
Thick, heavy black clouds hung overhead, and the crimson rain continued to drizzle, staining the entire platform a deep, dark red.
There was no array protecting the area from the rain.
This was at Yin Wudao's direction. He called it the Rain-Bathing Banquet, claiming the red rain was a gift from the heavens meant to wash away the dust of the world, inviting everyone to bathe in divine grace together.
As the Lord of Two Domains, Chen Zhou was seated in a highly prominent position of honor.
To his left were the civil and military officials of the provincial capital, and to his right was one of the primary parties of interest this evening: the royal family of the Eastern Region.
In addition to these two major powers, other demons and monsters sat at the far end of the tables.
These were great demons who lived in seclusion within Gloomlight Province year-round or the overlords of certain forbidden zones.
Most were around the level of the second transformation of eerification. They appeared in all sorts of strange and grotesque forms, their demonic energy billowing toward the sky.
Yet on an occasion like tonight, they all appeared exceptionally restrained.
After all, those seated at the top were either seventh-stage experts with a first symbiosis contract or monsters very close to achieving one. These lesser demons were merely here to join the festivities and see if they could pick up any scraps.
As soon as Chen Zhou took his seat, he drew the gaze of countless onlookers.
Recently, the title of 'Bone God' had become far too famous. Moreover, as soon as he arrived, he had crippled one of the Crown Prince's eyes. Who wouldn't be curious about such a fierce character?
Chen Zhou had no interest in joining the others in getting soaked. Regardless of whether it would offend Yin Wudao, he directly manifested a small ghost domain above his head to block the rain.
Yin Wudao said nothing. He simply held up his wine cup and toasted him from afar.
Seeing this, a few daring demons, hoping to curry favor, emboldened themselves to approach with their cups.
"Lord Bone God, I have long admired your name. I am from the Black Wind Ridge..."
A demon king with the head of a wild boar had just approached when his words were cut short.
The little pig in Chen Zhou's arms suddenly opened its eyes.
'Oink!'
Purple fiendish qi puffed from the little pig’s snout, instantly drilling into the eyes of the wild boar demon king.
In the next second, the wild boar demon king looked as if he had seen something utterly terrifying. The wine cup in his hand fell to the ground with a loud 'clatter.'
His face turned deathly pale, and his entire body trembled violently as he let out a pig-like shriek of agony.
"Don't eat me! Don't eat me!"
The wild boar demon king rolled frantically on the ground, as if experiencing the torture of being flayed alive. Then, his form rapidly faded, vanishing from reality as he was dragged into a deep dream.
The surrounding demons retreated in horror.
The little pig curled its lip in disdain. What kind of trash boar demon dared to approach its master?
Besides, the nightmares of such low-level demons were far too boring—nothing but the fear of being hunted.
With this example before them, no one else dared to come within half a step of Chen Zhou.
The demons who had originally intended to offer a toast turned pale with fright and immediately switched their target to flatter the Eastern Region royals instead.
After all, while the Sea Race appeared cold and aloof, they were at least living beings. They weren't like this Bone God, whose very pet was so sinister.
A tree demon with a sycophantic smile approached Cangming with a wine cup.
"Prince, I have heard that the Sea Race possesses the wealth of the four seas..."
Cangming had been staring at Chen Zhou the entire time. Tormented and irritable from the black spots on his body, he found the sight of the ugly tree demon blocking his view utterly disgusting.
He didn't even wait for the other to finish. Emulating Chen Zhou’s earlier actions, he simply gave a look to the Clam Maiden beside him.
Understanding his intent, the massive clam shell behind her suddenly snapped open like a maw that could swallow the sky.
'Crunch!'
A crisp sound rang out.
The tree demon didn't even have time to scream before being dragged into the shell.
The sound of chewing followed as blood and plant juices seeped from the gaps of the clam shell, mixing with the red rain on the ground in a jarring display.
"Too noisy," Cangming said coldly. He picked up a silk cloth from the table and wiped his hands, as if he had merely swatted a fly.
This single move completely cowed the entire assembly.
Now, it was clear: the distinguished guests on both sides were harbingers of death.
Cangming loathed the proximity of others. Even his subordinates kept a significant distance from him, as he was terrified someone might notice the black spots on his skin.
Having dealt with the fly, Cangming turned his head, his gaze piercing through the crowd to lock onto Chen Zhou.
That dragon aura... he felt it again.
It was coming from that human.
Chen Zhou had long since grown accustomed to being the center of attention. He completely ignored Cangming's gaze, calmly peeling a spirit fruit and feeding it to the little pig in his arms.
'Dong—'
A bell chimed.
Yin Wudao rose from his seat at the head of the table. Tonight, he had specifically changed into more formal black ceremonial robes embroidered with nine golden dragons—though the eyes of those dragons were all closed.
The white silk bandage still covered his left eye, but it did nothing to diminish his aura.
Yin Wudao raised his wine cup, a gentle smile on his face.
"Everyone, tonight the red rain washes away the dust of the world, and we are joined by many distinguished guests. This is truly a blessing for my Gloomlight Province."
"I am sure everyone here is well aware that we are all gathered for the Golden Buddha."
"Since ancient times, opportunities have gone to those with the strength to seize them. However, for a treasure as rare as this, appearing only once in a millennium, I imagine no one would be willing to let it pass."
Yin Wudao scanned the room, his gaze lingering briefly on Cangming and Chen Zhou.
"Everyone here is a figure of standing in Gloomlight Province. Cultivation is no easy path."
"To reach the level of sixth-stage eerification or even touch the threshold of the seventh-stage, who among you has not waded through mountains of corpses and seas of blood?"
"I believe everyone here is intelligent. At the very least, most of you value your lives."
Yin Wudao paused, his tone becoming sincere.
"I have a proposal."
"The descent of the Golden Buddha will surely be accompanied by a great calamity. If we fight amongst ourselves, we will only make ourselves a laughingstock to outsiders, and we might even end up with nothing for all our efforts."
"Why don't we form a temporary alliance to seize the Golden Buddha together?"
"Once we have it, we can divide its benefits among ourselves."
"While it may not be as lucrative as keeping it for oneself, everyone would get a share. Using this opportunity to take a step forward in one's cultivation is better than fighting to the death and seeing one's path destroyed."
"I wonder, what do you all think?"
As Yin Wudao's voice fell, the banquet hall went silent.
Then, the demons of the smaller and medium-sized factions began to respond.
"The Crown Prince is correct."
"We are willing to follow the Crown Prince’s lead."
They were only here to make up the numbers anyway. Getting a taste of the soup was enough; they didn't dare dream of taking the whole thing.
But Chen Zhou and Cangming remained silent.
Cangming snorted coldly, looking down to drink his wine in silence.
The Sea Race only cared about purification and survival; everything else was negotiable.
However, he did not trust Yin Wudao.
Chen Zhou, for his part, didn't even bother to lift his eyelids.
An alliance?
A share of the prize?
Such nonsense only fooled idiots.
Chen Zhou’s plan was, of course, to take everything for himself, and he believed Yin Wudao felt exactly the same.
A man like that could not possibly have small ambitions. Who would be willing to share something like the Golden Buddha—a treasure capable of washing away all mutations—with anyone else?
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