185: Dragon King's Birthday Banquet

From here on, we enter a new plotline. My specific story for this segment is the entanglement between the Qianjiang Dragon King and the Heavenly Demon Cult. The Qianjiang Dragon King plans to refine all his dragon sons and grandsons to extract dragon blood essence, striving to step into the Fifth Order in one go to extend his lifespan. The goal of the Heavenly Demon Cult is to pollute and erode the Qianjiang Dragon King, refining him into a descending Incarnation of the Heavenly Demon Evil Dragon.

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Not long after Turtle Three Thousand left with the adjusted instructions, Gao De was focused on contemplating the subtle points of the fusion between the Purple Heaven Dragon Transformation Art and the Rainbow Neon Haze when a peculiar fluctuation came from the warning Restriction on the outer layer of the spirit cave.

This fluctuation was not an attack or a probe; it was more like a formal "knocking" that carried the mark of ancient aquatic etiquette.

Gao De opened his dragon eyes, a hint of doubt flashing through them.

The Qianjiao Cliff had fully entered the "Hibernating Dragon" state, with the outer concealment and protection Formations fully active. Ordinary Cultivators or demon kings would find it extremely difficult to discover any clues, let alone find the entrance to the spirit cave so precisely and "knock" with specific etiquette.

With a thought, he did not directly open the Restriction but instead projected his Divine Sense to look outside.

On the dark waterway outside the Qianjiao Cliff's Formation, a stalwart aquatic demon general clad in ancient green scale armor with short horns on his head floated quietly. His aura had reached the Third Order Mid-Stage, and the water element around him was pure and heavy, carrying a distinct aura of an outsider.

The demon general held a box that was neither metal nor jade, deep blue all over, and surrounded by natural water-wave cloud patterns. The box itself emitted a soft but non-negligible pressure, with several large characters written on it in ancient Dragon Seal Script. Although it had not been opened, a noble, ancient aura, like a vast flowing river, rushed toward him.

The demon general had a solemn expression and bowed slightly toward the Restriction, conveying in a loud and rhythmic voice: "By the decree of the Qianjiang Dragon Lord, I specifically invite the newly ascended Flood Dragon King of the Eight Hundred Li Dongting Lake—Your Excellency Purple Lightning—to the Dragon Palace thirty years from now to celebrate the Dragon Lord's Great Longevity Feast. The invitation is here; I respectfully request the Flood Dragon King to accept it."

After saying this, he held the invitation forward with both hands, his posture respectful yet firm.

Gao De felt a chill in his heart.

The Qianjiang Dragon King!

This was the Fourth Order Peak flood dragon whose existence he had known of even before his Dragon Transformation, one of the nominal co-rulers of the aquatic tribes in the Yunmeng Great Marsh and even several surrounding states!

Gao De truly had not expected that he would be invited to his ten-thousand-year birthday banquet.

"I am honored by the Dragon Lord's favor. In thirty years, I will certainly attend the banquet as scheduled to congratulate the Dragon Lord on his birthday," Gao De's low voice echoed from within the Formation.

The green-armored demon general seemed to have anticipated this. Seeing the invitation accepted, he spoke again: "My mission is complete; we await the Flood Dragon King's presence. Farewell." After saying this, his figure turned into a beam of green water-light, merged into the waterway, and vanished, coming abruptly and leaving decisively.

A dragon claw reached out, bringing the heavy box before Gao De.

"Thirty years... there is still plenty of time." Gao De quickly calmed down and analyzed the pros and cons.

He definitely had to go.

The Dragon King had personally sent an invitation and invited all dragon-descendants and aquatic demon kings near the Yunmeng Great Marsh. A banquet of such scale was definitely not just for eating and celebrating a birthday.

This was an occasion to display strength and status, to redefine the order of the aquatic tribes, and it could also involve major interest distribution, information exchange, or even some kind of Alliance or test.

Not going would be equivalent to alienating himself from the top circles of the aquatic tribes and might even be seen as disrespect, making a powerful enemy for no reason. In the current situation where the Heavenly Dao Alliance was pressing in, it would be truly unwise.

Moreover, even that White Flood Dragon, who lived not far from his territory and was rumored to exist but with whom he had no deep acquaintance, had received an invitation... This showed that the Dragon King was truly "casting a wide net" this time, wanting to bring all aquatic forces within the region that had reached a certain level and possessed True Dragon bloodline potential into his sight, or rather, into his subsequent layout.

In a flash of thought, Gao De had made his decision.

Opening the box, the invitation felt cool and strange to the touch.

Gao De injected a trace of Demonic Power, and the invitation automatically unfolded. Suddenly, a miniature phantom of a vast flowing river appeared, in which scenes of a towering Dragon Palace and thousands of aquatic tribes paying homage flickered, looking majestic and grand.

The script was not common runes but True Dragon Seal and Phoenix Script, yet Gao De's Bloodline naturally sensed it and instantly understood the meaning: it was nothing more than words of sincere invitation, noting the time and location, and vaguely mentioning "discussing the prosperity of the aquatic tribes." The signature was "Qianjiang Dragon Lord Ao Hong," accompanied by a dragon-patterned seal containing his unique aura.

The invitation itself was also a treasure, made of at least Third Order materials, enough to be refined into a Magic Treasure. Not only could it serve as a token, but the Dragon King aura it emitted also had a deterrent effect on lower-order aquatic tribes.

Gao De put away the invitation, his expression solemn.

This sudden invitation disrupted his original pace of focusing on "deep diving" to oppose the Heavenly Sword Branch Alliance, introducing a higher-level and larger variable.

"Turtle Three Thousand." He immediately used a voice transmission to recall the old turtle who had just left.

Turtle Three Thousand returned in a hurry. After hearing about the Dragon King's invitation, he also showed a look of surprise and then fell into deep thought.

"Master, this banquet must be attended, and its blessings or curses are hard to predict," Turtle Three Thousand said slowly, stroking his beard. "The Dragon King's birthday banquet, where many flood dragons and other powerful aquatic demon kings gather, is a huge Opportunity in itself. One can hear many secrets and make friends with or observe various forces.

But there are also huge risks. Dragons are naturally proud. When many flood dragons gather, there will inevitably be comparisons, disputes, and even secret rivalries.

Our Qianjiao Cliff is newly established. Although Master is a Lightning Flood Dragon and belongs to the same lineage as the Qianjiang Dragon King with a noble Bloodline, your current Foundation is still shallow, and your cultivation might not be prominent among the attendees. You need to be cautious in word and deed to avoid becoming a target for everyone."

"More importantly," Turtle Three Thousand's tone grew even heavier, "this trip will inevitably require leaving the Yunmeng Marsh and going deep into the Qianjiang Dragon Palace. During that time, the Qianjiao Cliff will be empty. Although there is the 'Hibernating Dragon' Formation, if the Heavenly Sword Branch Alliance or that fellow Lan Tao sees an Opportunity..."

"That is also my greatest concern." Purple Lightning flickered in Gao De's dragon eyes. "In thirty years, the Heavenly Sword Branch Alliance's Foundation in the Yunmeng Marsh will surely be even firmer, and their investigations will be deeper. If I leave, even if not for long, it is a risk."

"Perhaps... we can beat them at their own game." A glint flashed in Turtle Three Thousand's eyes. "Master attending the banquet is responding to the Dragon King's call, which is perfectly justified.

We can use this as an excuse to release some rumors in advance—for example, that the Flood Dragon King, to celebrate the Dragon King's great birthday, will go into long-term seclusion to refine a congratulatory gift or travel to some dangerous land to find rare treasures, and thus the Qianjiao Cliff will be completely closed to all visitors.

In this way, our 'hibernation' will have an excellent and reasonable external explanation. Even if some slight spiritual energy fluctuations are captured by the outside world during this period, we can claim it is from refining the gift or breaking through in seclusion."

Gao De nodded slightly: "This plan is very good. We will use the Dragon King's birthday banquet as a pretext to achieve our goals.

Even... we can take this Opportunity to temporarily transfer some core materials or legacies to strongholds within the Yunmeng Great Marsh, gradually reducing the importance of the Qianjiao Cliff."

His thoughts became increasingly clear: "Thirty years is enough for us to make many preparations. First, my cultivation needs to go a step further, reaching at least the Third Order Peak, so as not to be too weak at the Dragon Palace banquet.

Second, we also need to carefully prepare a congratulatory gift. I will leave this to you to plan; you can use the chamber of commerce network, as long as it does not exceed one million Spirit Stones.

Third, upgrade the 'Hibernating Dragon' plan for the Qianjiao Cliff. As you just said, use 'preparing the gift and long-term seclusion' as a cover to perform deeper concealment and internal transfers.

Fourth, strengthen the cultivation of Rainbow; its ability might play an unexpected role in a complex environment like the Dragon Palace."

"As for the Heavenly Dao Alliance and Lan Tao..." Gao De smiled coldly.

"In thirty years, if they are still searching everywhere in the Yunmeng Marsh while everything at my Qianjiao Cliff is as usual, it might make them even more suspicious, but at least on the surface, we have a perfect reason not to appear in any conflicts.

If they want to use the Dragon King's birthday banquet to make a move and stretch their hands into the internal affairs of the aquatic tribes, it probably won't be that easy. The Dragon King's invitation, in a sense, is also a temporary 'talisman'."

Turtle Three Thousand nodded repeatedly: "Master's considerations are thorough. I will go and adjust the plan immediately. Thirty years of time is neither long nor short; it is exactly the key period for us to solidify our Foundation and prepare for the future great changes. The Dragon King's birthday banquet is a risk, but it is also the Opportunity for our Qianjiao Cliff to truly step onto the stage of broader waters!"

Gao De coiled up again, his gaze far-reaching.

The chessboard that was originally only focused on the confrontation between the Yunmeng Marsh and the Heavenly Dao Alliance was suddenly pulled into a larger chess game centered on the Qianjiang Dragon King, radiating across hundreds of thousands of li of waters.

He looked at Rainbow, who was looking around curiously beside him, and at the bird's nest where the haze was flowing.

In thirty years, he would no longer be just the "Purple Lightning Flood Dragon King" hibernating in a corner of the Yunmeng Marsh, but would represent his own power as he stepped into the Qianjiang Dragon Palace where heroes of the aquatic tribes from all directions gathered.

"Rainbow, grow well." Gao De whispered with his Divine Thought, "In thirty years, I might take you along to see what kind of grandeur the 'Dragon King' of this world truly possesses."}],