"I have come here today to invite you to my Rising Dragon Banquet on February 2nd next year."
After Xuan Tinglongjun, who had suffered a major setback in front of Feng Bingwen and another Daoist sword cultivator, explained his purpose, he immediately disintegrated his avatar after Feng Bingwen agreed. The thunderclouds that were about to form above Wolong Lake then dissipated.
Meanwhile, outside Donghua Continent, in the endless ocean, a true dragon, hundreds of feet long, lay among the deep-sea mountains. Its majestic head rested between two mountains, and its whiskers moved with the surging undercurrents of the seabed.
Suddenly, the purple dragon's body trembled, its eyelids rolled up, and two beams of purple light shot out, making it look as if two purple suns had appeared in this dark seabed.
The seemingly peaceful auspicious purple light surged, and the calm sea abyss surged as the true dragon opened its eyes. Turtles, soft-shelled turtles, and alligators shrank their necks, while fish, shrimp, and crabs hid their heads.
"My son, what has happened? Why are you in such a panic?"
At this moment, a tall and robust being with a dragon's head and a human body appeared before the purple dragon, who was lying among the underwater mountains. As he asked his question, the turbulent sea abyss immediately returned to calm.
"Father!"
The Xuan Ting Dragon Lord Xi Muqing, who was undergoing a transformation, gazed at the being before him, which was not even as large as a wisp of dragon whiskers, and lowered his head slightly, speaking with respect.
Even though he had transformed into a true dragon, in his eyes his father was still unfathomable, just as he had felt when he hatched.
What are you afraid of?
The old dragon king, who had ruled over a sea area for thousands of years, asked, as he could sense the fear in his most accomplished son just now, as if he had suddenly come into contact with something extremely frightening.
"I just dispatched a Dharma body to invite Mr. Feng, who saved me from the calamity. He has undergone tremendous changes in the past few months, and my Dharma body couldn't resist trying to find the root of these changes, and then..."
Startled awake, Xi Muqing remained silent for a moment before uttering words that made even the old Dragon King extremely solemn.
"I don't remember what happened."
"Are you talking about Feng Bingwen, the one who used a broken weapon to shield you from that hairy beast?"
"yes."
"You don't remember anything?"
"I had some recollection at first, but it faded more and more, and now I can't remember anything at all."
Xuan Tinglongjun's tone contained a trace of suppressed fear and unease. Even though his dragon body's power was increasing day by day, it could not bring him a sense of security.
To be able to erase his memories without him even noticing means that his dragon soul could be severely damaged or even destroyed—if his dragon soul hadn't also undergone a transformation, he wouldn't even have realized that a part of his memories was missing.
"Is that so?"
The old Dragon King was extremely concerned about his most outstanding son, but after listening to his son's account, he fell silent for a long time.
He searched through his long and complicated memories, but none of them matched his son's description. To erase the memory of a true dragon—what terrifying level of spiritual attainment would that require? He knew he couldn't do it.
"Father, what should I do?"
Xi Muqing asked the elder, who had never encountered anything so outrageous in nearly a thousand years. He had only been able to peek from afar, yet his memory had been erased without his noticing at the time. Only afterward did he realize that he had lost a period of his memory.
"Pretend nothing happened. If you hadn't been so suspicious of Mr. Feng, you wouldn't have suffered this misfortune."
Even the Dragon King, who had attained enlightenment long ago, could only make the decision to remain unchanged in the face of all changes.
After all, he had only heard of the child who helped his offspring achieve enlightenment and avert disasters, but had never actually seen him.
"I was too spoiled."
The Dragon Lord reflected on his mistakes, admitted his errors, successfully transcended his tribulation, and transformed into a true dragon. This allowed him to release the emotions he had suppressed for hundreds of years, and he couldn't help but become somewhat unrestrained.
"This is not necessarily a bad thing for you. It will also put an end to your arrogance and save me the trouble of finding some excuses to teach you a lesson."
The old Dragon King remained calm and composed, even considering it a good thing. This composure restored Xi Muqing's demeanor befitting a water deity.
“Father is right. Even though I have become a true dragon, I should still be careful with my words and actions and not be arrogant or rude!”
Having been reprimanded without even knowing who the other person was, Xi Muqing was extremely relaxed at the moment.
"That's right. Don't be fooled by the fact that I have been a Dragon King for thousands of years. It's because I enjoy making friends and dislike fighting with others."
Seeing that his son had calmed down, the old Dragon King was quite satisfied, but he still wanted to take the opportunity to say a few more words.
"In this world, there are many powerful figures whom even a father must show respect to: the nine sword immortals and seven great Dao masters of the Daoist sects, the five great wrathful kings and four great bodhisattvas of Buddhism, the six great demon lords and three great demon kings of the demonic path, and the four demon emperors and eight great demon saints of the demon race..."
These are all renowned and powerful beings in the world today, but there are also some ancient beings whose titles can only be found in the ancient books of the Dragon Clan. They still exist in the world, sleeping in the secret realms of the caves.
You may have come into contact with one of them this time, not a famous and powerful being, but an ancient being whose existence has been forgotten over time.
The last few words were naturally spoken by the old Dragon King to scare his own son: ancient does not equal powerful, but powerful is always ancient.
His son may have inadvertently come into contact with an ancient being, but that being might not be very powerful, merely possessing some special abilities, so there's no need to worry too much. If we're truly comparing antiquity, who should the dragon race fear?
"Father, I might incur his wrath."
Xi Muqing was indeed frightened by her father's words.
His true form is still undergoing transformation. He only invited his benefactor to a banquet, but he ran into an unknown powerful being. It is truly a case of dragons beyond dragons and heavens beyond heavens.
"Don't think too much. You may think you're pretty good, transforming into a true dragon in less than a thousand years, but in the eyes of those real old guys, you're just a fledgling dragon. Don't take yourself too seriously. They erased your memories, which means they don't care anymore."
The old Dragon King realized that his scare tactics seemed to have gone too far, or perhaps his recent experience had genuinely made him feel the danger, leaving him still uneasy.
That's good.
Upon hearing this, Xuan Tinglongjun breathed a sigh of relief, but he quickly remembered something else.
“Father, my Dharma body has invited Mr. Feng to the Rising Dragon Banquet, and he has already accepted.”
"You've agreed? That's good. I'll take a look then and see just who this Mr. Feng is who helped my son overcome his tribulation."
Upon hearing this, the old Dragon King nodded without changing his expression. With his experience, no matter how ancient a being was, he could always recognize its origins once it stood before him.
"There's one more thing. How should we arrange Mr. Feng's seating?"
Genting Suijun then brought up another very important matter.
If he were just an ordinary water lord who had no background and only achieved true dragon status through his own efforts, he would be lucky to invite more than ten immortals and saints to the Dragon Ascension Banquet.
However, since his ability to transform into a dragon was at least half due to his father's efforts, the dragon-ascension banquet could only be organized by his father.
Because his father had a wide circle of friends, including many powerful sects and clans such as immortals, Buddhas, demons, and monsters, now that he had successfully transformed into a dragon and walked on water, his father would surely invite many of his friends to a grand banquet.
According to the original plan, all the powerful beings who had attained enlightenment, such as immortals, Buddhas, demons, and saints, were to enter the main hall of the Dragon Palace. As for Feng Bingwen, who had shielded him from the calamity, he had considered arranging for him to enter the main hall and sit with the immortals and Buddhas. However, since he had not yet figured out the details, he had only arranged for him to sit at the end of the main hall.
Don't underestimate the last seat; it's a highly coveted spot. Even the last seat is surrounded by immortals and saints. For an ordinary cultivator, sitting in it, even just casually chatting with them and receiving some rewards, would be an incredible opportunity.
"Seating arrangements? That's a troublesome matter."
Upon hearing this, the old Dragon King's tone became more serious.
The essence of this banquet in the Dragon Palace is not much different from that of a banquet in the mortal world. It is a way to celebrate a happy or important event, invite many relatives and friends, strengthen relationships, and enhance friendship.
However, when the Dragon Palace holds a banquet, the rules and regulations are numerous and complex. Strength and background are both essential; lacking either one, you won't even receive an invitation.
Even if you receive an invitation, your own strength, future potential, and the power behind you all determine where you can sit at the banquet.
The seating arrangement in the main hall of the Dragon Palace is of utmost importance. It is an extremely troublesome matter. If it is arranged well, there will be no problems. However, if it is arranged poorly, it may cause dissatisfaction and resentment among some powerful beings, which may turn into future disasters.
Some powerful beings can transform into beggars, dressed in rags and covered in filth, and remain unperturbed by the scorn and contempt of mortals. However, if they attend a banquet of immortals and saints and are seated in a bad position, they might hold a grudge against the host.
“Father, this Mr. Feng’s seat cannot be placed too low.”
Xuan Tinglongjun's tone was very cautious. Sometimes it is difficult to do someone a favor, but it is incredibly easy to offend someone.
"That's just how it is."
Although he had never met Feng Bingwen in person, judging from his son's performance, the old Dragon King naturally dared not slack off. The child-like Feng Bingwen must be the reincarnation of a powerful being, and he also had an extremely terrifying protector behind him.
Just as the two true dragons at the bottom of the sea were discussing the seating arrangement for the Ascension Dragon Banquet, an old sword cultivator from Qingshan County, nestled between mountains and water, who had traveled a long way and had not achieved his intended goal but had enjoyed himself immensely, bowed to Feng Bingwen to say goodbye.
“Young Master Feng, I shall take my leave now. I will certainly come to visit you again when I have more free time in the future.”
"Take care, sir."
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