Hongjun said, "Since I've attended your banquet and drunk your wine, I naturally can't come without a gift. Tell me what you need, and you may have it."
Hongjun spoke generously, and he certainly had the means to be generous.
"It's an honor for Donghua that you could attend my banquet, Teacher. How could I accept a gift? You do me too much honor."
Donghua kept his posture humble. Whether in his present life or his previous one, he had no right to act arrogantly in front of someone of Hongjun's stature.
Hongjun gave an almost imperceptible nod, then flicked his sleeve. Donghua immediately felt a lightness in his body.
The injury to his soul left by Taiyi's Immortal Slaying Flying Knife had vanished.
Donghua bowed again. "Thank you for your kindness, Teacher."
"Mm, this is a small matter. Consider this little gift a present for attending your banquet. And for the wine you served me, I'll give you another spirit treasure."
After speaking, Hongjun raised a hand. A flash of yellow light passed, and a seal-shaped spirit treasure suddenly appeared in Donghua's hand.
Donghua was about to thank his teacher, but when he looked up, he saw that Hongjun had already left.
"This disciple respectfully sees you off, Teacher."
The others bowed as well. "We respectfully see you off, Dao Ancestor."
After paying their respects, Donghua returned to the Emperor's Seat, his thoughts unsettled for a long while.
The toast he had made today was just an ordinary opening speech, the sort where a leader raised a glass and said a few words.
He had merely raised the first toast a little higher than usual. He never expected the Dao Ancestor to sense it and actually descend.
Donghua was not the only one who struggled to regain his composure. No one present could remain calm. What had been an unremarkable banquet had become extraordinary with the Dao Ancestor's arrival.
Donghua gathered his thoughts and said, "All right, my honored ministers, please take your seats."
"His venerable Dao Ancestor's presence at today's banquet is also a sign of his recognition of our Purple Mansion. We should feel honored. Why are you all still so quiet?"
Only then did everyone come to their senses and take their seats.
Grand Origin Immortal Lord looked excited and spoke at once. "The Emperor Lord hosted a banquet today, and the Dao Ancestor himself attended. The Emperor Lord is worthy of being the Head of Male Immortals, personally appointed by our teacher. We congratulate the Emperor Lord and celebrate his honor."
"We congratulate the Emperor Lord and celebrate his honor."
Donghua was delighted to hear this. The Dao Ancestor's arrival had brought him not only tangible benefits but an immeasurable boost to his reputation and prestige.
With all this to his advantage, as long as he did not try to dominate the world, he would naturally be much safer.
Donghua raised his wine cup. "To our Purple Mansion! Let us drink to the Purple Mansion."
Everyone raised their wine cups. "To our Purple Mansion! Let us drink to the Purple Mansion."
This time, they drank without a hitch.
The Dao Ancestor's arrival had undoubtedly brought the banquet to its climax.
Donghua raised a third cup.
"We should thank Shao Siming for preparing today's banquet. Let us raise this third cup to her."
After speaking, Donghua used his magic to make a place appear out of thin air to the lower left of his Emperor's Seat.
Seeing this, Shao Siming sat down without hesitation.
She raised her cup and drank alongside everyone else.
Donghua set down his wine cup. "Today, none of us are allowed to use our cultivation while drinking. Let us enjoy ourselves to the fullest."
The three toasts marked the end of Donghua's opening remarks as the leader.
The people in the hall began to drink together and build connections.
Everyone here today was a leading figure in the Purple Mansion. It was indeed a fine occasion to strengthen their relationships. Some of the high-ranking officials they rarely got to meet were all present, and everyone wanted to make a few useful connections.
After all, even the Primordial Wilderness had its share of human dealings.
Before long, the group dance Shao Siming had prepared began in the hall.
The immortal maidens danced gracefully, their movements beautiful.
Their arms rose as if their skirts were weightless; they turned at the waist, their figures enchanting. Their silk robes caught the breeze, and their light sashes swayed freely.
The banquet stretched into the late autumn night; their flying sleeves brushed the clouds and rain. They fluttered like emerald orchids, then rose like dragons in flight.
The beautiful dance brought the banquet to another climax.
Grand Origin Immortal Lord raised his cup and drank with Donghua. The two chatted about everything under the heavens, discussed the Dao, and reminisced about the days they had once studied together at Purple Heavens Palace.
"The Emperor Lord's preaching of the Dao this time will surely bring explosive growth to the Purple Mansion Faction. I must drink to the Emperor Lord."
They drank to all sorts of excuses, each with their own agenda.
"Looking at the Primordial Wilderness today, the Emperor Lord is among the very best. The Three Pure Ones only want to attain Sainthood. Even if they succeed in the future, they still won't be fit to rule the world."
"Zhen Yuanzi has the air of an elder. Though he is only a Heavenly Immortal, he independently founded the Path of Earthly Immortals. It is still incomplete, but already allows one to cultivate to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm. He is revered by the spirits of mountains, rivers, plants, and trees as the Ancestor of Earth Immortals. Though he has thousands of disciples, he has not established a faction. He is no cause for concern."
"Minghe, master of the Blood Sea, devotes himself to the Dao of slaughter. His cultivation is profound, and he could rule a region, but his Dao is destined to keep him from becoming ruler of the world."
"Jieyin and Zhunti of the Western Region are indeed men of great resolve and tremendous supernatural powers. But the Western Region was ravaged by the Immortal-Demon War, so it has no potential to become the center of the world. Besides, our teacher has already said that the two of them have the makings of Saints."
"Azure Emperor Fuxi has the makings of a Heavenly Emperor, but he is now entangled in the Demon Race and cannot easily extricate himself. The fortune of the Heavenly Court is not so easy to enjoy."
"The Twelve Demon Gods are arrogant and conceited, looking down on countless Great Powers. Even among themselves, they have deep-seated conflicts. They have united under the Demon Race's pressure for now, but sooner or later, trouble will break out. They are no cause for concern."
"As for the Heavenly Court today, it is merely thriving on the surface, like a raging fire cooking oil. Empress Nuwa now focuses solely on comprehending the path to Sainthood, seeking to attain Hunyuan Dao through Slaying the Corpse and become a Saint.
"And as Di Jun grows ever more overbearing in his dealings with the Myriad Races of the Primordial World, wiping out entire races at the drop of a hat, Xi Emperor Fuxi has become estranged from him. Their paths are different.
"Though Demon Master Kunpeng is loyal to the Demon Race Heavenly Court, he is not favored by Taiyi."
"From this, it is clear that the Heavenly Court and the Twelve Demon Gods are merely forerunners. In the end, they will meet the same fate as the Three Clans."
At this point, Grand Origin Immortal Lord paused and gazed at Donghua, his eyes burning with fervor.
"Only the Emperor Lord—only you—can become ruler of the world. In cultivation, reputation, and legitimacy alike, you are the undisputed choice for Heavenly Emperor."
Donghua stared at Grand Origin Immortal Lord in astonishment. For the first time, he had witnessed the great wisdom of the people of the Primordial Wilderness.
If he did not have the memories of his previous life, he would never have been able to see the larger trend of the Primordial Wilderness so clearly.
Grand Origin Immortal Lord's words had shocked not only Donghua, but everyone in the hall.
They knew that Grand Origin Immortal Lord had always urged the Emperor Lord to contend for supremacy over the Primordial Wilderness, but they had always treated it as a joke.
How could the Heavenly Court and the Twelve Demon Gods, with their current strength, be compared to the Purple Mansion? Neither its high-end nor its low-end combat strength came close to matching theirs.
Yet after hearing Grand Origin Immortal Lord's words, even their guarded hearts were stirred. This was especially true of those who had fled here after their races were wiped out.
Their blood began to heat. Did they not want revenge? They had wanted it day and night. But their enemies were so powerful that they had not even dared to entertain the thought.
Now that there was hope, how could they not want revenge?
Looking at the people who had been swayed, Donghua also understood how the original East King Gong had been destroyed by the Heavenly Court.
The Heavenly Court and the Twelve Demon Gods were now at a sensitive juncture, and yet East King Gong had stepped forward.
There was no need to say more: they would kill him to make an example of him and intimidate every faction in the Primordial Wilderness.
East King Gong had both the strength and the standing to make the perfect target.
Grand Origin Immortal Lord's analysis was spot on, but he had overlooked the Purple Mansion's high-end combat strength. At present, the Purple Mansion had only one Quasi-Saint—Donghua—while the Demon Race Heavenly Court had five, and as it grew stronger, more would break through to the Quasi-Saint realm.
The Twelve Demon Gods of the Demon God Race were all Quasi-Saints. Donghua was confident he could beat one or even two in a one-on-one fight, but he certainly could not beat all twelve.
So the analysis was right, but putting it into practice was impossible.
Before you continue