Chapter 854: Still a Misunderstanding

Unlike the main hall of the Dragon Palace, where an old dragon explained Yin Zhaoxian's origins, outside the hall and in other directions, the arrival of the Dazhen envoy had already sparked widespread discussion.

As the warship remained inside, some speculated that it might have angered the Dragon Lord. Others even wondered if it had entered the Dragon Palace and been swallowed by a dragon.

Ji Yuan wandered alone at the bottom of the Tongtian River, finding it slightly different from what he had expected. Among the aquatic beings who had come for the banquet, even those seated at the riverside tables outside the Dragon Palace, few harbored any strong malicious intent. Instead, most seemed to have a lively, curious disposition, eager to witness the event.

Along the riverbed, large tables, conjured by earth-element magic, continuously appeared. More and more aquatic beings took their seats, and even those unable to assume human form had their own special places in various corners of the riverbed.

The aquatic beings moved about extensively, treating this grand event as an excellent opportunity to forge friendships and frequently visited one another. Ji Yuan inadvertently overheard their conversations. Some expressed a desire to broaden their knowledge, others sought to build connections, and some even ambitiously hoped to secure a position as a local water god upon Empress Ying's transformation into a dragon.

Ji Yuan did not move within the bubble enchantments of the banquet area but instead walked by treading water in the flowing river outside. There were actually quite a few aquatic beings moving about like him.

Inside the bubble enchantment, a man dressed as a Confucian scholar was chatting with several others nearby. Suddenly, someone pointed outside, drawing everyone's attention to Ji Yuan as he passed by.

"This person doesn't seem to be an aquatic being?"

"Hmm, he doesn't quite look like one. His posture while moving through water is very similar to how one would control wind, which isn't typical for an aquatic being. Could he be an immortal cultivator?"

Even if his true origins weren't immediately apparent, aquatic beings in water have certain habits that differ from other cultivators. They rarely move upright as if treading on clouds, like Ji Yuan; typically, their bodies are slightly tilted, or they simply swim.

Suddenly, the Confucian scholar-dressed man noticed the dark jade hairpin on Ji Yuan's head emitting ripples of light in the water. He rubbed his eyes and looked closer, just as Ji Yuan casually glanced in their direction, revealing a pair of pale eyes on his face. The man's heart skipped a beat.

After much thought, seeing that Ji Yuan was about to leave, the young man dressed as a Confucian scholar simply stepped out of the bubble water curtain and directly into Ji Yuan's path. Just as Ji Yuan moved to step aside, the man also shifted his position, pushed aside the water, moved closer, and proactively greeted Ji Yuan.

"I am Heize Sheng, cultivating on Baijiao Mountain in the South Sea. I observe that my friend here carries no water energy. May I ask in what waters you cultivate?"

For aquatic beings, especially those from the sea, "cultivating on a mountain" often refers to an underwater geographical feature. Ji Yuan saw that the man had stopped him, seemingly suspicious, so he spoke frankly.

"I am not an aquatic being, and I do not cultivate in any water domain."

The man nodded and again looked Ji Yuan up and down.

"Indeed, you are not one of our aquatic kind. Presumably, you possess a remarkable artifact that conceals your aura. Have you come to Tongtian River today also to congratulate Empress Ying on her dragon transformation?"

"Something like that, yes. May I ask why you stopped me?"

Ji Yuan looked at the man before him. The water-attribute energy around him was quite rich, and he exuded no malicious aura, making him seem not like someone intentionally seeking trouble.

The man then bowed his hands, showing no intention of troubling Ji Yuan. He conjured a cup of wine from seemingly nowhere and offered it to Ji Yuan.

"My apologies for the intrusion. I rarely get to chat with immortal cultivators. If you have no other companions, perhaps you would care to join us at this table? We are all proper aquatic cultivators and bear no ill will."

Ji Yuan took the wine cup and glanced to one side. Inside the bubble enchantment, several tables were set close together, about seventy percent occupied. Some people were also looking outside, clearly acquainted with the man.

"No need. Even though I don't particularly care where I eat, I've already been assigned a seat at the banquet, so I must go."

"Assigned a seat at the banquet? Inside the Dragon Palace?"

The man nodded, respectfully bowed his hands to Ji Yuan, and then stepped aside. It seemed the other party was an invited guest. "That's good, that's good..." he thought.

"Please forgive my presumption."

"No worries. The wine is good."

Ji Yuan drank the wine and casually returned the cup to the Confucian-robed man who had moved aside. The latter took the cup, watching Ji Yuan, whose long hair and robes drifted in the water, slowly walk away. He only withdrew his gaze when Ji Yuan's figure disappeared into the river currents at the bottom. He instinctively wiped his forehead before returning inside the bubble enchantment.

"Brother Zesheng, do you know that person who just passed by?" "Yes, Brother Zesheng, why did you suddenly go out to greet him and offer him wine?"

"Brother Zesheng, what's wrong?"

The others nearby noticed something was off with the Confucian-robed man; his complexion seemed poor, and he was indeed a bit dazed. Then he suddenly shivered.

"No, I need to find out more!"

With that, the Confucian-robed man immediately rushed out. Seeing this, several aquatic beings nearby realized something important had happened, and a few of them followed him.

"Lord Yaksha, Lord Yaksha!"

The Confucian-robed man searched for a while at the riverside banquet and finally found a river-patrolling Yaksha. Although the Yaksha's cultivation was considerably lower than his own, as the saying goes, "a fifth-rank official at a prime minister's gate," the status of a Tongtian River-patrolling Yaksha was by no means low.

Seeing several transformed aquatic beings rushing over, the patrolling Yaksha couldn't help but frown.

"Do you gentlemen have some matter?"

The other aquatic beings all looked at the Confucian-robed man, as they had no idea what was happening. The latter composed himself and quickly spoke.

"Lord Yaksha, may I ask if you have any information about the guests invited by the Dragon Palace?"

"Well... I only know some general information; I'm not clear on the specifics of who was invited."

The Yaksha looked at the newcomers with some surprise. Why would this person be asking about that?

"Uh, was an immortal cultivator invited? His name should be..."

The man hesitated, then changed his approach.

"He wears a dark jade spiritual hairpin in his hair, a loose-sleeved white robe, and his eyes are..."

The Yaksha smiled and interrupted him directly.

"You mean Mr. Ji, don't you?"

"Yes, yes, yes... It's Mr. Ji, it's Mr. Ji! Lord Yaksha recognizes him?"

The Confucian-robed man rattled off "yes, yes, yes" very quickly. The Yaksha found it amusing but answered truthfully.

"Mr. Ji is a highly accomplished immortal, a close confidant of the Dragon Lord. I heard they've been friends for several hundred years. Empress Ying's transformation into a dragon went so smoothly, and Mr. Ji was of great help. How could he not be invited to the Dragon Transformation banquet? Are you inquiring about Mr. Ji because of something specific?"

The Confucian-robed man let out a long breath, and his complexion instantly brightened.

"So that's it, so that's it. That's good, that's good... Uh, no, nothing at all! It was presumptuous of me; I apologize for disturbing you, Lord Yaksha. Farewell!"

"Alright, if anything comes up, just let me or my colleagues know."

"Yes, yes!"

The Confucian-robed man nodded to the friends he had only recently made and returned to his original table. The aquatic beings at his table were all perplexed and couldn't hold back their curiosity once they had returned to their seats with him.

"Brother Zesheng, what was that all about?"

"Yes, your face looked quite ill when you saw that person walking on the water."

"Exactly, and you even went to ask the river-patrolling Yaksha? People who come to the Dragon Transformation banquet either come to offer congratulations or are invited guests. Is there any need to be so startled?"

"There are some things you don't know," he said, grimacing at the aquatic beings around him. "It's a case of ignorance being bliss... I was quite terrified just now!"

"Terrified?" "By whom? That Mr. Ji?"

"Do you have a grudge with him?"

"Nonsense! How could I have any grudge with Mr. Ji? I've never had one in my life, and I never will!"

The Confucian-robed man was slightly agitated.

"Then please enlighten us, Brother Zesheng!" another urged. "Indeed, though we are not old acquaintances, meeting at this Dragon Transformation banquet makes us feel like old friends at first sight!"

"Yes, Brother Zesheng, please share a little! From what the Yaksha said, this Mr. Ji is definitely a highly accomplished immortal!"

The Confucian-robed man then looked towards the Dragon Palace, thought for a moment, and then explained.

"If you've heard of the Ten Thousand Demons Banquet," he began, "then seeing Mr. Ji at this Dragon Transformation banquet would likely have the same effect on you as it did on me..."

"Ten Thousand Demons Banquet?" "What Ten Thousand Demons Banquet?"

"We aquatic beings gathering here to offer congratulations could also be considered a Ten Thousand Demons Banquet..."

"Bah, bah, bah! This is a Dragon Transformation banquet, Empress Ying's Dragon Transformation banquet, not some Ten Thousand Demons Banquet!"

The Confucian-robed man said this with considerable apprehension, then quickly continued.

"It seems you truly don't know," he said, "but this matter will spread throughout the world sooner or later. You have no idea how formidable this Mr. Ji is..."

"From what Brother Zesheng says, if he's a close friend of the Dragon Lord, his cultivation must be extraordinary."

The Confucian-robed man shook his head.

"You don't understand. Let me explain in detail," he insisted. "The Ten Thousand Demons Banquet I'm referring to was a massive gathering of demons held not long ago in the Black Dream Spiritual Continent!"

The complexions of most of the surrounding aquatic beings subtly changed.

"Black Barrens?" "Brother Zesheng, did you attend that Ten Thousand Demons Banquet?"

Most of the aquatic beings present were cultivators of orthodox paths, many even regional water gods. Even if they didn't rely on mortal prayers, many had temples and naturally held some aversion to the Black Barrens.

"Of course not!" he exclaimed. "I heard about it afterwards, through rumors! Besides, those who went there, how could they possibly have survived? Out of curiosity, I once visited the site of that Ten Thousand Demons Banquet—it was a vast stretch of mountains turned to scorched earth. Who knows how many vicious demons and fiends perished in that battle..."

The more the Confucian-robed man spoke, the more the complexions of the surrounding aquatic beings changed from curiosity to astonishment, and then to horror. "Someone could actually summon the Heavenly Tribulation of Ten Thousand Demons with a single lightning spell?" they wondered. In comparison, while the immortal cultivators of Tianyu Continent slaying demons was a significant event, it was not as shocking.

"So when I saw Mr. Ji just now, I was truly quite scared..."

"Indeed... It's good you clarified!" "But this Mr. Ji is so impressive; it would be great if we could pay him a visit!"

"Yes, if only we could get guidance from an immortal..."

"Sigh, you can go if you want, but I wouldn't dare!"