Chapter 433: Preparing for the Feast

Chapter 433: Preparing for the Feast

"Then outside, let's call each other old friends. Please come in, Fellow Shen, and I'll take care of the treasure ship."

Shen Yi gave her face, and Liu Qianyun naturally didn't dare to be neglectful. She politely stood at the bow of the ship and began to introduce Shen Yi to Hongze.

The ocean is vast, with aquatic tribes leading the way, controlling the waters and lands of Hongze.

But this place still falls under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court.

Thus, there are Immortals from the Heavenly Court overseeing this place, carrying the divine decree and governing Hongze. However, the Immortals have no interest in mortal affairs, so the place remains in its original state, with the aquatic tribes being revered.

The South Flood Seven Sons are a major power in the region, protected by seven Transcendent Deities, passing down through generations, and rarely ever diminishing. They are extraordinary and transcendent.

Liu Qianyun is an administrator of the Qingyue Sect.

In her words, the South Flood Seven Sons are naturally held in high esteem, ruling over the region.

Shen Yi and Li Qingfeng listened quietly, occasionally glancing at each other.

They were not naive.

It was easy to discern the exaggeration in Liu Qianyun's words.

No matter how grand her descriptions were, it didn't change the fact that the water demons held a position of honor here. She spoke of their transcendence and detachment, yet they were confined to the region of South Flood, which was more like self-preservation than expansion.

But Shen Yi didn't show any signs of disdain.

It's worth noting that Liu Qianyun had mentioned the Heavenly Court again and even spoke of Immortals.

She wasn't an ordinary person but a powerful cultivator at the third level of Reverting Void Realm.

The Immortals she spoke of were most likely real.

It was already an extraordinary feat to achieve self-preservation under the watch of an Immortal.

"Immortals..."

Shen Yi withdrew his gaze and looked down at the area below the treasure ship.

With the aid of the Golden Eagle Divine Ability, he finally saw the lush land with water and land intertwined, but there were hardly any signs of human habitation.

Most likely, they lived within the Harmony Dao Site, just like the Qingyue Sect.

Even the creatures wandering outside found it difficult to form any significant power.

If there were such existences, like the country of Da Qian, able to openly exist outside without harm, the strength behind them would probably surpass the South Flood Seven Sons by a level.

"Today's birthday banquet is for a nearby famous loose cultivator named Spirit Cloud Elder."

"His cultivation is similar to mine. Every time he celebrates his birthday, he sends us invitations, but no one has ever paid attention to him."

Liu Qianyun covered her mouth and laughed, "This time, since we have nothing else to do, let's bring Fellow Shen... Fellow Daoist Shen to take a look."

In truth, the reason she invited Shen Yi was also to showcase the strength of the South Flood Seven Sons to the other party. Otherwise, after Elder Yang's performance yesterday, they might be underestimated.

"..."

Li Qingfeng sat in a corner of the treasure ship like a little quail, not daring to participate in such a conversation.

No matter how outgoing he was, he didn't dare to casually voice his opinions.

Similar cultivation... that meant the third level of Reverting Void Realm.

In the Southern Yang Sect, an old cultivator at this level had been bullying the human race for nearly a hundred thousand years.

But in Liu Qianyun's words, Spirit Cloud Elder seemed more like a pathetic loose cultivator who was eager to climb the social ladder but was completely ignored.

Shen Yi quietly processed this information.

The aquatic tribes were revered... no matter how nice it sounded, they were still demons. It implied that as long as his strength increased, he wouldn't lack food.

However, he still needed to maintain a low profile and accumulate wealth quietly.

He quietly memorized the route below, so that after a successful hunt, he could find his way back to the Southern Yang Sect.

It had to be said that South Flood was even larger than Shen Yi had imagined.

Although they were both traveling on treasure ships, it had only taken one incense stick's time to travel from the Southern Yang Sect to the Qingyue Sect, and only a cultivator at the Reverting Void Realm could have crossed such a distance. Yet, at this moment, two hours had passed, and they still hadn't reached their destination.

Such a distant place was considered "nearby."

Just then, Liu Qianyun suddenly interrupted Shen Yi's thoughts and pointed to a turquoise lake below with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Shen, look over there. This place is called Purple Lotus Lake, and it's where the Purple Lotus Fairy bathes."

"Next time, when the time comes, I'll invite you to come and see the Purple Lotus Fairy bathing. It's a rare and magnificent sight."

Suddenly remembering that Shen Yi was from the Southern Yang Sect, Liu Qianyun quickly added, "The Purple Lotus Fairy isn't a human, but an aquatic tribe of Hongze. Now that she's fully grown, she's a cultivator comparable to those in the White Jade Capital."

"Mhm, thank you."

Shen Yi was indeed quite interested. If he could witness it in person, it might deepen his understanding of the Dragon Soar Heavenly Virgin.

As they spoke, the treasure ship began to descend towards the area below.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, this is the Spirit Cloud Grotto."

Liu Qianyun straightened her clothes and nodded at Shen Yi, then put on an indifferent expression.

She slowly stepped off the ship, took out a golden invitation from her sleeve, and threw it towards the silhouette at the entrance, "I've come to visit with a fellow Daoist."

Li Qingfeng watched, feeling that if it weren't for their presence, the other party wouldn't have even bothered to say those few words.

But what left him even more stunned was the silhouette at the entrance—a deer demon over ten feet tall, wearing a Daoist robe, and its aura was no weaker than his own, "Are we... here to celebrate a demon's birthday?!"

Shen Yi also fell silent for a moment, but he didn't say more.

Although he was skilled at killing demons, he wasn't thoughtless. Perhaps the way humans and demons interacted outside was different from within the Southern Yang Sect.

Let's take a closer look.

Just then, the deer demon hurriedly bent down to receive the invitation, hearing Li Qingfeng's grumbling. It narrowed its eyes, trying to hide the malevolence in its eyes, but its face still showed great joy.

It shouted in a loud voice, "The Qingyue Sect Immortal has arrived at the Spirit Cloud Grotto! Hurry and welcome them!"

As it spoke, it immediately knelt on the ground and performed a grand kowtow.

With the deafening shout, various strange and precious treasures appeared in the stone mansion within the picturesque landscape. Hasty footsteps echoed as numerous bizarre figures emerged.

They smiled and bowed to Liu Qianyun, "We didn't know the Qingyue Sect Master had arrived, forgive us for not welcoming you from afar, forgive us for not welcoming you from afar!"

Among the demons, a larger deer demon with a long neck protruding from its Daoist robe stepped forward. It looked rather comical, but it solemnly straightened its sleeves before bowing, "Administrator Liu has arrived, please come in."

"Liu Qianyun's expression was calm, her eyes straight ahead, and she merely responded with a faint 'hm' from her nose.

Only then did she take a step into Lingyun Grotto.

As she completely entered, the tall Plum Blossom Deer Demon had a look as if it wanted to laugh but didn't want to. It scanned the crowd of demons with its eyes and, with a sense of style, patted its robe.

'It's all thanks to Brother Lingyun's face that not only did the Hongze Aquatic Tribes come to the banquet, but even the Immortals of Qingyue Sect were invited. It's truly enviable.'

The crowd of demons began to flatter and surround it, following it inside.

Li Qingfeng scratched his fingers... There were six demon monsters in total, not counting the one guarding the door. The rest were all cultivators of the same level as his master.

In his eyes, those chatty figures were like mouths ready to devour people, making his scalp tingle.

'I suddenly regret coming here...'

Li Qingfeng forced himself to stand straight, not daring to embarrass Shen Zongzhu.

Why is it that after so many years in Nanyang Sect, there's only one Returning Void demon monster, but outside, they're everywhere in groups?

Of course, he was just venting.

He was also aware that if it weren't for Liu Zhishi, these friendly-looking great demons were not beings he could have come into contact with.

Just looking at the little deer guarding the door was enough to slap him, Li Qingfeng, to death.

As he was thinking, the 'little deer' had already walked to the side of the treasure ship. Although it seemed a bit distant, it still politely said, "Please, both of you."

According to the rules, after Liu Zhishi entered, it would definitely introduce these two fellow cultivators to Spirit Cloud Elder.

It was obvious that Li Qingfeng's previous mention of demon monsters had annoyed it, so it intentionally ignored the two.

'Just let the little cultivator watch over your treasure ship.'

'...'

Shen Yi nodded and took a step towards the cave.

He wasn't used to dealing with people, let alone demons.

Li Qingfeng followed closely behind, taking small steps and not daring to leave Shen Zongzhu's side.

'Tsk.'

The deer demon's hand had just reached halfway out when it saw that the two had already stepped into the cave. Its expression froze for a moment, and it awkwardly retracted its hand.

Where did this country bumpkin come from, not knowing even the basic rules?

The Qingyue Sect Administrator didn't need to follow the formalities, but these two, one at the early stage of Returning Void and the other at the mid-stage of Soul Transformation, not even wearing their sect's attire, actually looked down on it.

Just stepping into the luxurious Stone Mansion.

Before Li Qingfeng could observe the surrounding exquisite coral furnishings, he instinctively sensed that the atmosphere was off.

Sneaking a half-head out from behind Shen Yi, he took a look.

As expected, Liu Qianyun was seated in the place of honor, while Spirit Cloud Elder was standing beside him with a smile, asking about his health.

Just from their expressions, one couldn't tell that they were cultivators of the same realm.

But the uneasiness in the atmosphere was coming from another place.

There, a particularly wide stone chair was placed, and on it squatted a fat toad, wearing a dark green robe over its rough skin covered in large, pus-filled blisters.

In its hand, it held a raw lamb leg, and with a slight curl of its tongue, it devoured the meat with the skin.

It ate the delicacy expressionlessly.

In front of the stone table, several wine cups were placed, scattered and half-filled on the table.

Obviously, someone had just been offering it wine.

But now, only the cups were visible, and the person offering the wine was nowhere to be seen. Those figures were standing behind another table, looking slightly uneasy.

Li Qingfeng glanced over and understood the situation.

Obviously, this toad was the Hongze Aquatic Tribe that the demons had mentioned earlier.

Even in Liu Qianyun's words, the Aquatic Tribe was ranked above the South Flood Seven Sons... But as the saying goes, the local official is more important than the county official.

Being local demons, they naturally leaned towards currying favor with Qingyue Sect.

'...'

Shen Yi sat down with Li Qingfeng in a corner, his expression calm and silent.

Seeing a bunch of demons' lifespans flashing before his eyes, he didn't dare to reach for the chopsticks, and his mood wasn't great.

Fortunately, no one paid them any attention.

That saved a lot of trouble.

To make a name for himself in a new place, it was necessary to understand the situation.

Shen Yi picked up the wine cup and silently observed his surroundings.

'Liu Zhishi has a good capacity for alcohol!'

Amidst the clinking of cups, Spirit Cloud Elder laughed and toasted Liu Qianyun. As he stood up, he noticed the neglected toad. In front of it were seven or eight lamb leg bones haphazardly discarded.

It suddenly froze, and a cold sweat broke out on its back, realizing what was going on.

It had thought that whether it was the Hongze Aquatic Tribe or the South Flood Seven Sons, either side would be able to give it face in front of these brothers.

It didn't know if today was its lucky or unlucky day.

Both sides had come.

Looking at those brothers, each one wanted to climb Qingyue Sect's high branch.

Oh dear... Spirit Cloud Elder wiped his sweat and suddenly remembered something. He quickly said, "Senior Baihai, Liu Zhishi, the little cultivator invites you two here not only to celebrate your birthday but also to taste a jar of precious medicinal wine that he just obtained. I'd like to invite you to have a taste."

"Please follow me upstairs."

Spirit Cloud Elder bowed to the two and then led the way, bowing as he walked towards the stone stairs.

Liu Qianyun discreetly gave Shen Yi a glance.

If the wine was truly good, he would definitely bring a gourd for this Zong Master.

He immediately stood up and followed.

When the two reached the second floor, Spirit Cloud Elder lifted the pearl curtain, ready to enter. As he looked down, he saw that the toad hadn't moved at all and was still sitting there.

"Er... Senior Baihai..." It hesitantly called out again.

"You two go ahead, I'm not interested."

The Baihai Toad licked the lamb leg again, not even bothering to lift its head. Its voice was hoarse, but it was still recognizable as a female toad.

"Why, can't I drink your precious brew alone?" Liu Qianyun glanced at Lingyun with a sideways glance.

"If the toad doesn't want to drink, then more for Shen Yi."

Just as she had said earlier, the South Flood Seven Sons didn't cause trouble, but they were also fearless.

Even the Hongze Aquatic Tribes couldn't do anything to them.

However, it was fortunate that they had discussed it beforehand; otherwise, if Shen Zongzhu had come wearing the Southern Yang white robe, the news would have spread today.

"What are you saying?"

Elder Lingyun sighed, accompanied Liu Qianyun into the pearl curtain, and walked into the stone path leading to the storage room.

A moment later.

"Tsk."

The toad finally let out a cold laugh and threw the lamb leg in his hand onto the table, "We've been eating fatty spirit sheep all this time, and they dare to invite me here with such a meager offering. They're not afraid of losing face."

Upon hearing this, the other four great demons looked embarrassed and glanced over, "After all, we sent invitations to Qingyue Sect. We can't really bring a few cultivators here. Please be more understanding, Senior."

They were all Elder Lingyun's brothers, so naturally, they wanted to help him explain.

But as soon as these words were spoken.

Li Qingfeng suddenly clenched his fist and subconsciously looked at Shen Yi beside him, "..."

But Shen Zongzhu's expression remained unchanged, as if he hadn't heard a thing.

The young boy's subtle movement caught the toad's attention.

It stared at the boy's rosy lips and white teeth, smacking its lips, "Who's this?"

Hearing the toad's question, the other demons exchanged glances, hesitating, "He seems to have come with Liu Zhishi, but he's not wearing sect attire, so he's probably a loose cultivator."

Liu Zhishi? The toad glanced at Shen Yi and, upon sensing his Returning Void Realm cultivation, indifferently averted his gaze, only pointing his claw at Li Qingfeng, "Bring him over."

"This..."

If it were any other time, the four great demons wouldn't have cared about two loose cultivators.

But now that Liu Zhishi had brought him, even if he wasn't a sect disciple, there was still some connection.

"Have you forgotten where we are?"

The Emerald Sea Toad seemed to be taking advantage of the situation, as it had already put down its cup and turned to leave earlier.

At this moment, it kept chuckling, and its gaze made the other demons shiver.

South Flood... that's Hongze.

They slowly stood up and walked over to the two loose cultivators, "Little friend, come and sit with Emerald Sea Senior for a while, and you won't be lacking in rewards."

Upon hearing this, Li Qingfeng's face turned red.

He didn't understand how the situation had suddenly turned like this.

What did it mean to sit with it? It was a damn toad! But when he looked at the other great demons, all of whom were Returning Void Realm experts, and Liu Zhishi wasn't around, he couldn't cause trouble for the sect master.

He stood up with trembling breath... sitting was fine, as long as he didn't touch him.

"..."

Shen Yi glanced at Li Qingfeng with a strange look.

He casually pulled Li Qingfeng back.

Before Li Qingfeng could react, the robust bull demon beside him was already getting impatient, "Hey! What's it to you?"

As it spoke, it reached out towards Li Qingfeng.

The other three demons also surrounded the two.

In an instant.

Shen Yi finally put down his wine cup, and just as the thick arm reached out, he suddenly spread his five fingers and grabbed the bull demon's flesh.

With the support of the Phoenix Immortal Body, even the golden flames didn't appear.

The bull demon's robust body stumbled under the sudden surge of immense strength and slammed onto the table!

Until this moment, Shen Yi maintained his previous calm posture, not even stirring his robes.

Watching the struggling old bull, the three demons subconsciously took a step back.

"..."

The Emerald Sea Toad was stunned for a moment, then stared coldly at Shen Yi.

It finally stood up from the stone seat, like a small mountain of flesh, and walked towards the two of them. Then, it waved its hand and pulled the old bull off the table.

It sat directly on the stone table, looking down at the two of them, its voice hoarse, "What do you mean? Do you want to trade places with him?"

With the support of the Third Layer Reversion to Void cultivation.

Li Qingfeng was still in shock, his entire face was wrapped in a crimson tongue.

Wet liquid stained his collar.

He suddenly raised his eyes and stared, panting heavily, "Huff... Huff..."

But the toad was full of greed, "It's so sweet, follow me to the Emerald Sea Pool as a guest, and when I'm in a good mood, I'll naturally send someone to notify you to come and get him."

Li Qingfeng clenched his fist tightly, and his other hand was already reaching for his waist, unable to hold back.

At this moment, he was grabbed by Shen Yi and pushed towards the door.

Li Qingfeng stumbled and stood there, dazed for a moment. Then he saw Shen Yi also getting up and walking towards him, and he suddenly realized.

So... with Qingyue Sect here, they actually didn't dare do anything. As long as they avoided the conflict until Liu Zhishi returned, it would be fine.

As expected of Shen Zongzhu, facing so many demons and still able to remain calm, his mind was clear.

"Try leaving this grotto?"

The Emerald Sea Toad didn't get up to chase them, but instead stared at the two of them with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

"..."

Li Qingfeng stared at Shen Yi in a daze, and saw that he had stopped at the cave entrance.

It seemed like the sect master didn't want to leave?

Under his gaze, Shen Yi stirred his breath, gripped the two copper rings, and indifferently closed the stone door.

A loud rumble echoed.

He had thought there would be something different, but it was still the same.

Since it was the same, he was used to it.

"..."

Shen Yi lifted the corners of his lips in a slight arc and opened his clothes.

He slowly turned around and looked at the astonished demons.

The next moment, a spiritual light flashed from his forehead and transformed into a black-backed yellow dog, grinning as it strode towards the demons.

At the same time, golden flames overflowed from Shen Yi's body, transforming into golden stream wings that spread out.

After drinking for so long, it was time for a meal.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end