The Ninth Elder gave a barely perceptible nod, signaling his agreement.
Before long, a file of beautiful women in fluttering robes entered, carrying exquisite jade cups and placing them before each cultivator.
A rich aroma of wine mixed with a strange scent wafted through the air. Just smelling it made one's soul sway slightly.
The Immortal Venerable leaned back against his dragon throne. He lazily stroked the chin of the beauty beside him with his fingertip and said, “This wine was brewed from Our favorite consort. She was a thousand-year-old fox demon. On ordinary days, We cannot bear to bring it out to drink.”
Everyone stiffened, wondering if they had heard wrong.
Wine brewed from a consort?!
And a fox demon at that?!
The delicate jade cups before them suddenly felt scalding hot. The cultivators exchanged glances, their fingertips hovering over the rims of their cups, none of them daring to touch them first.
The Immortal Venerable scanned the room, the smile on his face instantly vanishing as his gaze swept across the hall from behind his mask.
A chill crept down the jade steps, his voice completely devoid of warmth. “What? You refuse to drink the wine We have bestowed upon you?”
“...”
The cultivators choked on their breath.
Was he joking?
Who would dare drink this?
After a moment of hesitation, the Twelfth Elder took the lead. She picked up her jade cup and took a quiet sip. Seeing this, the others had no choice but to lift their own cups.
Yet, the Immortal Venerable was still dissatisfied. He sat up and lazily looked toward Song Yao, who was still unconscious and mostly hidden by Jingyu. “Why is she not drinking?” he asked.
The expressions of the Nine Saints Hall members and Jingyu all shifted slightly.
The Ninth Elder was the first to stand. Bowing deeply toward the high throne, he adopted a much more respectful tone and lowered his posture. “She has a frail constitution and unfortunately fainted earlier. She has yet to wake up and is... is already on the verge of death. We beg the Immortal Venerable's understanding.”
He paused, then added, “Why don't I drink this cup of wine on her behalf?”
The Immortal Venerable merely glanced at him without a word.
That gaze fell upon him through the gold-patterned mask, carrying a crushing pressure. Already severely injured, the Ninth Elder let out a muffled groan and swayed, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
“We do not have such rules of drinking on behalf of others here.”
His tone was flat. His gaze fell back onto the figure covered by the shark-silk cloth, and he clenched his hand.
Before anyone could stop him, Song Yao flew into the air like a boneless puppet, instantly landing right in his grasp.
Jingyu and Ning Zhou slammed their hands on their tables and stood up almost simultaneously. Jingyu pointed his coral longbow directly at the high throne, roaring, “Let her go!”
Yet, the man above acted as if he had heard nothing. With a low chuckle, he casually pinched her chin and tilted her face up to examine it closely.
The warm light fell upon her pale cheeks. Her features were delicate, her lips extremely pale. Lying on the floor covered with cushions and cloud-gauze, she seemed to merge with her surroundings, looking like a wisp of mist that would disperse with a single breath.
“There were too many people earlier, so We did not look closely. We almost missed such a beautiful girl.”
With a touch of amusement, his finger brushed against her cold cheek. “But... is this one dead or alive?”
Probing slightly, he barely managed to catch a trace of breath. He raised an eyebrow. “She is alive, though from what We can see, she is not far from death.”
He looked down at the group of tense cultivators, his interest piqued.
“She is already half-dead, yet she makes you all this nervous. She looks quite young. Is she a newly recruited disciple of your Nine Saints Hall?”
Suppressing the surging blood in his chest, the Ninth Elder lowered his voice and said, “Since she is on the verge of death, Your Majesty might as well return her to us. That way, she won't ruin your birthday banquet or offend your eyes. What do you think?”
“I am a demon. Why would I fear being offended by a dead person?”
The Immortal Venerable sneered. He pulled Song Yao into his arms, letting her lean against his table, and pinched her face to force her forward, revealing her closed eyes.
“It seems she is quite important to you. How about this? Let us make a deal.”
Looking at the increasingly wary crowd, he said with a smile, “We wish to know the whereabouts of Song Yao. If any of you can tell Us where she is, We shall return this child to you. How about it?”
The Ninth Elder: “...”
The Twelfth Elder: “...”
It was a blessing in disguise.
This demon had not noticed anything amiss.
The threads in the Twelfth Elder's hands twisted, completing the final link of the array. After exchanging a look with the Ninth Elder, she slowly spoke, “We do not know Song Yao's whereabouts either. However, the soul lamp in our hall did indeed light up for an instant, and our secret technique did reveal the place where she last appeared.”
A light flashed in the Immortal Venerable's eyes. “Where is it?”
The Twelfth Elder pursed her lips and said, “This girl is... is my daughter. I must keep her by my side no matter what. I ask the Immortal Venerable to return her to me first, and then I shall tell you.”
The Immortal Venerable's tone rose slightly. “Your daughter?”
The Twelfth Elder nodded. “Yes.”
The Immortal Venerable chuckled softly, turning Song Yao's face to take a look. “She doesn't look much like you.”
The Twelfth Elder tightened the threads in her hand almost imperceptibly, maintaining her calm facade. “She is my own flesh and blood. How could she not look like me?”
“Very well.”
The Immortal Venerable did not press further. “We are not heartless either. We know that you humans value blood relations above all else. We can return her to you, but—”
He suddenly changed the subject, his gaze behind the mask sweeping over the crowd as he said sinisterly, “Is this array of yours meant to deal with Us?”
Though spoken lightly, his words exploded in the hall like a clap of thunder.
The Twelfth Elder froze, a bead of cold sweat rolling down her temple.
Without a single moment of hesitation, she barked, “Do it!”
Countless glowing white threads suddenly lit up in the hall.
Innumerable array patterns on the ground lit up simultaneously. The transparent threads shot toward the high throne like a torrential downpour, passing right by Song Yao to bind the man to his dragon throne layer upon layer.
Losing his grip, Song Yao went limp and fell back onto the carpet.
Jingyu and Ning Zhou leaped up almost at the same time, tapping their toes against the tables as they rushed toward the high platform.
But before they could even get close to the jade steps, the glass lanterns throughout the hall suddenly went out.
Thick yin energy and miasma surged from all directions like a tide, instantly swallowing all light.
The beautiful women who had been dancing gracefully and the musicians who had been playing with bowed heads all shed their splendid garments. Black mist churned beneath their skin as their bodies twisted and grew, transforming into various blue-faced, fanged demons.
“Yet another group of foolish cultivators who overestimate themselves~”
“Hehehe, ruining His Majesty's birthday banquet... you are really naughty~”
“More people are going to die~”
Sharp, eerie laughter echoed from all directions, making everyone's eardrums ache.
The demons in the front row lunged forward, claws bared. Unable to dodge in time, Jingyu and Ning Zhou took a direct hit to their chests. They were sent flying backward, crashing heavily against the pillars.
“Ignore them, switch arrays!”
The Ninth Elder bellowed, drawing the attention of the other cultivators back as he changed his sword formula.
The glowing white threads filling the air suddenly shifted direction, shooting out once more like sharp, long needles.
The demons in the hall shrieked in pain as the threads pinned them firmly to the walls and pillars, black blood trickling down the surfaces.
Rate on N.U.
