The Banquet Begins, the Witch Clan Comes Calling

Heavenly Court.

A hundred flowers bloomed, immortal qi coiled through the air, majestic and resplendent.

Within Lingxiao Palace,

Dijun and Taiyi sat upon the highest seats, clad in crimson and yellow imperial robes. Their sovereign pressure was incomparably dense; merely sitting there gave others a heavy sense of oppression.

At that moment, Dijun wore a smile as warm as spring breeze, appearing amiable and utterly without airs.

Under a guard's guidance, Lu Chen entered the great hall while holding a pure white cat without a single stray color in his arms.

"Since my master is in seclusion, he has sent this poor Daoist to attend in his stead. This is the gift."

Lu Chen spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly. A longsword appeared from his sleeve, its treasure light gleaming brilliantly and its appearance quite impressive.

Of course, appearance was all this sword had going for it. It was merely a low-grade innate spiritual treasure.

"Someone, grant him a seat!"

Dijun casually accepted the longsword, and the smile on his face deepened further.

To him, let alone a low-grade innate spiritual treasure, even a mid-grade innate spiritual treasure was nothing much.

Yet this sword held a different meaning. It had been given by Tongtian.

The gift might be light, but the sentiment was weighty. This showed that Tongtian thought highly of him, highly of the Demon Race.

Look at the other Sages: Laozi had presented Golden Cores he had refined himself.

Yuanshi... wore a proud expression, as though his very presence was already a favor bestowed upon them.

As for a congratulatory gift, naturally there was none.

As for those two from the Western Sect... though they had brought gifts, it was only a ten-year spiritual fruit. Worse still, they had brought their entire entourage, swaggering in with over a dozen disciples whose cultivation was only at the Heavenly Immortal and True Immortal realms, then began wolfing down food and drink the moment they took their seats.

Eating would have been one thing, but they even pulled out bags, stuffing them as they ate while muttering, "Our West is impoverished..."

Nuwa, meanwhile, had not come. She had once forcefully made Fuxi leave the Demon Race, and her current relationship with the Demon Race was somewhat delicate.

By comparison, the difference was as clear as day.

"No wonder Tongtian could attain Primordial Unity. His bearing says it all."

Yuanshi and Laozi had long known Lu Chen would come, so they were not particularly surprised. Zhunti and Jieyin, however, darkened at the sight of Lu Chen.

They had not forgotten the humiliation of that day, and Lu Chen had been the source of it.

Their gazes quickly returned to normal. Smiles even appeared on their faces as they amiably beckoned to Lu Chen.

"Martial nephew Lu Chen, would you like to sit with us?"

Lu Chen fell silent as he looked at Zhunti beckoning to him. It had to be said, there was a reason the two of them could make the Western Sect flourish in the future until it stood alone at the top, even surpassing the Heavenly Court.

That patience alone was something Yuanshi would never learn in his lifetime.

Of course, Lu Chen would certainly not truly go sit with them. Those two old foxes were smiling tigers, and their methods were dark as night.

"Daoist Lu Chen, there is still an empty seat here."

Hearing this, Lu Chen looked over to see Hong Yun, dressed in a scarlet robe, waving at him with great enthusiasm.

Lu Chen gave Zhunti a faint smile. "Thank you for your kind offer, Martial Uncle, but I have not seen Daoist Hong Yun for a long time and have missed him greatly."

With that, Lu Chen sat beside Hong Yun, Bai Geng still in his arms.

Zhunti nodded at those words, the smile remaining on his face, though no one knew what he was thinking within.

"Daoist Lu Chen, is this a pet you have taken in? It is actually from the White Tiger Clan. The White Tiger Clan is exceedingly rare nowadays. Daoist, your fortune is truly good."

"Yes."

"Zhen Yuanzi, what do you think about us finding tiger-kind creatures as mounts too?"

As he spoke, Hong Yun reached out and stroked Bai Geng, then looked toward Zhen Yuanzi.

"Not only can they serve as transportation, you can also hold and pet them in your arms. Their fur feels wonderful too."

"Anything is fine."

Zhen Yuanzi nodded at Hong Yun with eyes full of "indulgence."

"These really are the famously devoted best friends of the Primordial World."

Watching Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun's intimate interaction, Lu Chen sighed inwardly.

"Stand beside us later. Do not wander around carelessly."

Zhen Yuanzi looked at Lu Chen, a trace of seriousness appearing on his face.

"Mhm."

Lu Chen nodded, casually picked up a precious fruit, and stuffed it into Bai Geng's mouth.

Seeing that Lu Chen was so familiar with both Hong Yun and Zhen Yuanzi,

A trace of surprise flashed through their eyes.

Hong Yun was kindhearted and generous, an old good fellow, but Zhen Yuanzi was not.

The fact that they called Lu Chen "Daoist" meant that Lu Chen had caught their eye in some respect, enough for them to regard him as a peer.

This piqued their curiosity. After making calculations with their fingers, Laozi and Yuanshi exchanged a glance, shock flashing through their eyes!

Sages rarely developed emotions because of worldly matters.

But that depended on what sort of matter it was.

They had calculated that Hong Yun had actually given the Primordial Chaos Purple Qi to Lu Chen!!!

"Eldest Brother..."

Yuanshi transmitted his voice to Laozi.

"The Primordial Chaos Purple Qi is not on Lu Chen."

"Then where did that strand of Primordial Chaos Purple Qi go?"

The two suppressed the doubts in their hearts.

Beautiful palace maidens danced in the hall. Every one of them possessed an exceptional figure and innate charm; they were all women of the Fox Clan.

Though these women were all breathtakingly beautiful, and any one of them, if placed in Lu Chen's past life, would have been pursued and adored by countless people—so-called campus belles would pale utterly before them—

Perhaps because he had seen too many fairy maidens, Lu Chen merely watched them with an indifferent expression, unable to stir the slightest interest.

They were like pink skeletons in his eyes.

From time to time, Lu Chen fed Bai Geng, then tucked several spiritual fruits into his sleeve.

How could one watch a lively fight without snacks?

"Dijun, you invited the great powers of the Primordial World to this banquet, yet you alone left out our Witch Clan. Where do you put the face of our Witch Clan!!"

A rough, resounding voice spread throughout the entire Heavenly Court.

"Those barbarians are here. Big Brother, hold the fort. I'll go stop them."

The instant Taiyi heard the voice, he rose to his feet and headed outside the hall.

"Let us go together. You cannot stop them alone."

Dijun shook his head and rose from his high seat.

"Mhm."

Taiyi nodded.

"The banquet shall continue. My second brother and I will handle a few matters."

With that, Dijun and Taiyi transformed into two streaks of rainbow light and flew out of the hall.

Lu Chen rose at the same time.

"Daoist Lu Chen, where are you going?"

Hong Yun asked in puzzlement.

"Of course I am going to watch the excitement. Such a spectacle is not often seen."

"Watch the excitement? Good, good! Let us go together. Zhen Yuanzi, come on."

"Mhm... very well."

Zhen Yuanzi looked at Lu Chen and Hong Yun, who were already about to leave the great hall, helplessness appearing in his eyes as he rose and followed them.

He calculated inwardly that if they only watched from outside, then with his Earth Book, he should be able to keep all three of them safe.

Other than Lu Chen and the other two leaving, the remaining great powers continued sitting in their places, eating and watching the fox maidens, without the slightest intention of moving their backsides.

They felt nothing over the Witch Clan coming to attack. Besides, even while sitting here, they could release their divine sense and learn what was happening outside.

Lu Chen could do the same, but what one sensed through divine sense could never compare to the shocking thrill of seeing it with one's own eyes.

He was not someone who liked to join the crowd and watch a show, but he truly wanted to see the war between the Witches and Demons. He wanted to personally witness the terrifying might of the Twelve Heavenly Capitals Formation and the Zhou Tian Star-Dust Formation, which was still in its infancy.

And to see whether Hongjun would intervene...