"Invitation to the Dark Banquet."
I stared wide-eyed at the black invitation swaying in Fiona Fox's hand. A power radiated from it—one I knew all too well and deeply despised.
"Looks like you recognize it, huh? Heh."
I was utterly confused. I remembered how Lu Lingming and the others once sought the Vermilion Bird King's flames. They succeeded, but the Immortality Society was never qualified to attend the Dark Banquet.
I used to believe darkness was evil, but now I don't think so anymore.
"Only those born of darkness are qualified to attend. None of the thirteen members of the Immortality Society qualify, but there is a way for us to obtain an invitation."
The mention of 'a way' brought up all my hatred for the Immortality Society. Xu Fu's pretentious and sinister face flashed before my eyes.
"I don't want to waste words with you. What method will let me enter the Four Saints Realm?"
"Oh, Ethan Zhang, you really don't know what's good for you. Xu Fu sent the three of us here to tell you the method personally."
I clenched my fists, glaring at them through gritted teeth.
"Why didn't he come in person?"
Roy Lee suddenly stood up. His previously emotionless gaze turned razor-sharp. I could sense it too—the area around the food court was already surrounded.
"Looks like Redmond has a special interest in you!"
With a bang, the door was pushed open. Redmond strode in, followed by Shen Yanjun. I looked at him in surprise. Vivian Maple and Noah Grimm entered and stood in two corners.
"Ethan, why didn't you invite this old man if you have such good wine?"
A stream of black energy rose by the window—it was a death curse. I stared in shock as a green glow flashed by. A white dress fluttered: Isabelle Frost was already seated beside me. Then I saw the painting behind Dominic Bixby move. It had been a portrait of a celebrity, but now it gradually transformed into an old man's face. The Ghost Painting Book Immortal laughed in the painting.
"Sorry, Qingyuan, I didn't feel safe letting you come alone."
Lan Yin walked in slowly. Redmond sat down next to me, putting both feet up on the table just like Fiona Fox. Outside, a commotion could be heard. I looked at Redmond in confusion—he was actually clearing the place out.
"I've reserved this place for tonight."
Fiona Fox clapped her hands and laughed heartily.
With a bang, Red-Hair burst out laughing. The dishes on the table whirled into the air, and black Fire of Malice ignited.
"I want to see just how 'unfriendly' you can get."
Just as the conflict was about to erupt, Uncle Zhuang behind me was gearing up for a fight. With a ding, a streak of red light flashed by, like a ribbon threading through the air, fixing the flying dishes and food in midair before they gently returned to the table.
"Red-Hair, did you ask Zhang Qingyuan's opinion about today's events? This isn't the time for fooling around."
Yi Xuehan spoke up. Luo Yi glanced at her, and his swelling body returned to normal as he sat down. Feng Feng smiled at Yi Xuehan and nodded in gratitude.
I suppressed the flames inside me. I could almost see Xu Fu's sinister, mocking smile—his clean, handsome, seemingly harmless face, and those sincere eyes hiding his deceit. It all felt orchestrated; once again, I was on the defensive.
Right now, I felt like a drowning man in a river, with my enemy on the shore tossing me a single straw to save myself. I had no choice but to grasp it.
"So, you understand now? Zhang Qingyuan, you have no choice."
I let out a quiet sigh and watched Feng Feng turn the invitation in her hands. To my surprise, her invitation had only five pages. On the last page, I saw an array similar to the one on mine. She laid it out before me.
"This array lets you pay a certain price to achieve a transformation between Yin and Yang. Pretty amazing, isn't it?"
"Suit yourself. If you miss this chance, you won't get another one like it."
Feng Feng paused at the door, turning her face to reveal a smile.
"If you try anything, we won't be so polite."
Luo Yi and Dong Bixing raised their fists, ready for battle.
Red-Hair waved his hand, and Zifeng turned into a green flash, darting out in an instant. I sensed the lurking Sheqing Ghosts flying off into the distance, and Feng Feng nodded.
"We mind our own business. We're only here on someone else's behalf. Naturally, we don't want any trouble with you. After all, before the Dark Banquet begins, no one wants a major incident, right?"
The three Immortals' Society members left. I looked at Red-Hair's helpless expression, then summoned my own invitation and flipped through it. Red-Hair glanced over as I kept turning the pages.
"Why does mine have ninety-nine pages, while that woman's only has five?"
Red-Hair shook his head.
"Ours has only one page, with nothing but the invitation itself."
I stared at Red-Hair in astonishment.
"Yin Choujian's is the same."
Relying on memory, I found the same array on page fifty-seven of my invitation. A crowd gathered around, but none of us could read the text. With a thought, Ling She was suddenly seated beside me—he could read every word.
"What needs to be done?"
Ling She shot me a cold look.
"Maybe you don't want to hear the method."
I stared at Ling She, hoping he'd tell me how to activate the array and achieve the transformation between Yin and Yang.
"You need ninety-nine people born in a Yin year and Yin month, and it must be on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month. You must take their fresh blood, nails, bones, and hearts. That's the primary condition."
I swallowed hard and stared blankly at Ling She, clutching my fists in rage as I glared at the words on the invitation. Red-Hair burst out laughing beside me.
"If you need help, just let me know. You don't have to do it yourself—I'll order my men to take care of it. It's only ninety-nine people, right?"
Red-Hair had already left with his men, but I was still lost in thought. Ling She took up pen and paper, starting to copy down the method and the array.
Zhang Jizheng, glowing with white light, floated out of his pendant and studied the array carefully.
"Is there a way?"
"It looks simple, but it's actually complicated. Whoever created this array is truly remarkable. As for arrays, orthodox Daoist heirs haven't studied much beyond ghost-suppressing arrays and sealing, divination, and prayer. This kind of array is practically sorcery—the ones who know it best are the Maoshan Sect."
Immediately, I thought of Taomuzi, one of the Nine Daoist Sons. He's now the current head of the orthodox Maoshan Sect.
"Does anyone know where Taomuzi lives?"
I asked, but the room fell silent. Everyone shook their heads.
"No one knows, I guess. He really is unremarkable."
I recalled Taomuzi's appearance—his clothes were shabbier than the other eight, his whole look ragged and downcast. At the Jiulong Conference, he didn't speak much, just watched quietly. He'd asked me a few things, but nothing important. His personality is hard to pin down.
"Since he's from the Maoshan Sect, we should ask someone who knows Maoshan magic."
I stood up, and immediately had someone in mind—the first person I met from the world of magic, the useless Daoist Mao Wang, who was thrown down the building by Yin Choujian.