Chapter 613: Chapter 555: Tit for Tat_2

Although Shu Ci held a very high status within the Demon World, second only to the Demon Lord, over the years, the Demon Lord had been sealed beneath the Bronze Gate, and even Young Master Mi Lu had not hesitated to spend a large chunk of his own resources to support her.

There were also rumors in the Royal City that during the years when the Demon Lord was absent, in order to deter the Immortal Sect and the righteous, Young Master Mi Lu even had intentions of temporarily entrusting Shu Ci with the duties of the Demon Lord.

However, now that the Demon Lord had returned, Yihe was the one enjoying a surge of popularity. With these two great powers gathered together, it was unknown what kind of sparks they might create.

They could see very clearly that when Shu Ci arrived, she did not pay her respects to the Demon Lord, but directly took her seat.

Those with the courage sneakily stole a glance at the Demon Lord’s expression, only to see the lord was lowering his head to pick at the cat’s whiskers, whiskers that indeed had been touched by Sir Si He.

Young Master Mi Lu’s seat was not far from Shu Ci, and rumors of these two privately siding together had long been an unspoken acknowledgment. Mi Lu was indeed a bold character, unabashedly raising his cup of wine to Shu Ci, “Lady Shu Ci is late, you must drink three cups as a self-imposed penalty.”

Shu Ci’s empty and indifferent eyes slightly shifted, her delicate features were stunning, yet her demeanor was exceedingly strange—an otherworldly charm in the eyes of ordinary women.

When it came to her, a slight turn of her eye resembled nothing more than a delicate puppet doll, her eyeballs stiffly rotating, neither lively nor charming, but rather overwhelmingly chilling.

She did not say much but filled three cups for herself and drank them all down.

Although it was done perfunctorily, she ultimately did not ignore Young Master Mi Lu as if he was no one.

But you must realize, not just anyone could make Shu Ci drink three penalty cups.

Young Master Mi Lu’s face lit up with honor, quite pleased with himself, drinking the wine in his own cup in one gulp, wanting to continue the conversation with her.

But Shu Ci withdrew her gaze, her expression indifferent as she turned to Ning Feiyan, “You certainly have good fortune.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Ning Feiyan’s eyes, then she smiled, “It’s quite ordinary, Lady Shouhe overpraises.”

“Unfortunately, you won’t live to see the day after the Monarch’s Return Banquet ends.” Her voice was deep and somber, like a pool of black, stagnant water.

At the banquet, many showed strange and curious expressions. Ning Feiyan’s severe injury as part of the Dragon Clan was well known to the outside world, and today’s Monarch’s Return Banquet, also called the River Cleaning Banquet, saw the third River God remaining mysterious and absent, while the sixth had yet to emerge. Naturally, she became the prime target for those looking to take advantage.

Indeed, many among the Demon Generals present were eyeing Ning Feiyan. The Demon Clan always believed in survival of the fittest, but Ning Feiyan had a well-known glorious reputation and connections everywhere. Both male and female Demon Generals held her in high regard, and most Demon Clan members thought to defeat and subjugate her, rather than kill her.

Very few genuinely wanted her dead. Shu Ci’s words could not help but dishearten people.

Yet Ning Feiyan was not annoyed, still smiling with good temper, “Life and death, fortune and misfortune, they all go hand in hand. The future is still unknown.”

At this moment, the sound of the Ancient Bell resonated from East Heaven.

Everyone had arrived, all the Demon Clan factions joined the Monarch’s Banquet, and today’s grand ceremonial banquet officially began.

The Demon World, vast and boundless.

The Royal City served as the dwelling of the Monarch of the Demon World. And although the Demon World and the Mortal World had some similarities in the order of their realms, this was where numerous powers were united under the Demon World’s governance, with the Demon Lord at the helm, and countless strong affiliated Demon Clan powers in every direction.

The Monarch’s Return Banquet was not to start with the River Cleaning ritual. Many matters of national importance needed to be resolved above the grand banquet.

“Five days ago, Your Majesty went south, annihilated the Nine Snake Clan, summoned the nine nethers’ thunder, and destroyed the land of a myriad territories in an instant. The barren earth could not support life, desolation spread, and not only was the Nine Snake Clan no longer, but the smaller neighboring countries also suffered from the disaster. It’s said that a Monarch’s wrath can annihilate all regions, and Your Majesty’s every action affects the very foundation of our realm. Having just returned to the Demon World, you’ve carried out such an act of slaughter, leaving me, your servant, perplexed. I hope Your Majesty can bestow mercy and dispel my doubts.”

The speaker was an old man with a goat beard who came from the Qingyang Tribe. His territory bordered that of the Nine Snake Clan, and they had maintained good secret relations over the years with unknown deals carried out beneath the surface. The destruction of the Nine Snake Clan was akin to the Qingyang Tribe losing an arm.

Baili An knew that the matters written on those papers were secret, and this old man may not have known about the Dragon Clan’s rebellion, and the Nine Snake Clan’s submission to them, making them no different from rebels in the Demon Lord’s eyes.

Or perhaps, the old man knew all along and now pretended otherwise. With the Demon Lord’s recent return, there would undoubtedly be many forces opposed to her within the Demon World. Now they were merely taking this opportunity to make trouble for her.

As expected, Young Master Mi Lu, who was toying with a wine cup, sneered and took up the topic, “When you were young, Your Majesty, you assumed the position of Demon Lord. At the time of my father’s silent demise, there were many doubts about your capabilities. Out of necessity due to the critical situation, he reluctantly passed the title to you on his deathbed. After all, it’s known by the world that you come from a broken Demon heritage, and he remained worried about you. He went to great lengths to leave behind a lingering consciousness attached to his feather, so every major decision you made had to be approved by my father’s feathered consciousness. What now? Did you simply forget the rules after playing around at the Bronze Gate, daring to slaughter your own people so recklessly?”

With each respectful ‘Your Majesty’ he uttered, the contempt and sarcasm in his words could not be disguised at all.