The Feast at Hongmen

Jieyin City.

Wang Hao stood in the central military tent, with two clusters of light suspended before him.

One was the brilliant golden "National Fortune Force," derived from the faith of hundreds of millions of subjects in the Eastern Wastelands. This mass of supplicant power had originally been the size of a fist. Since he reversed the decline of Great Xia and revived the nation, after his breakthrough to Martial God, it had expanded to the size of a washbasin, containing national fortune force so dense it almost solidified.

The other was a dark blue "Qi Fortune Force," a blessing from the heavens and earth of the Eastern Wastelands. Within the dark blue glow, faint shadows of mountains and rivers could be seen—the silent blessing given to him by the vast landscapes of the Eastern Wastelands.

These were two types of power that could only be seen and mobilized after breaking through to the Martial God realm. National fortune enhances oneself, while qi fortune stabilizes the nation's foundation. Combined, they formed the true bedrock enabling an empire to stand unshakeable in a supernatural world.

Wang Hao closed his eyes and slowly absorbed both forces into his body. The national fortune force flowed into his dantian, forming a golden ring of light around the foundation of his Martial God path. With each rotation of the ring, the circulation speed of the true essence within his body increased by one degree. The qi fortune force seeped into his meridians, condensing into a dark blue membrane on the meridian walls, enhancing their flexibility by at least thirty percent.

"Still not enough," he muttered.

"System, check in. Jieyin City, with the qi fortune blessing of this ten-thousand-year ancient city, the Dao resonance concentration here should be considerable, right?"

【Check-in Location: Jieyin City】

【Dao Resonance Concentration: Mid-Martial God Stage】

【Check-in Reward: National Fortune Protection (Passive Ability)】

【Explanation: A protective technique that automatically forms when national fortune force reaches a certain concentration. When suffering a fatal attack, the national fortune automatically condenses into a shield, offsetting one instance of lethal damage. After offsetting, it needs to be re-accumulated. The accumulation time depends on the total amount of national fortune. Current national fortune total can offset one full-force strike from a peak Martial God stage.】

Wang Hao opened his eyes, a trace of surprise flashing in his pupils.

Offsetting a full-force strike from a peak Martial God? That was equivalent to gaining an extra life. Although it only worked once, in a life-and-death battle, one chance meant the opportunity for a comeback.

"System, you finally gave me something decent."

【This system has always been dutiful.】

"Cut the crap. I haven't forgotten about the Martial God Breakthrough Pill yet."

He stood for a while longer until both forces fully merged with his body, then spoke again: "Continue check-ins. All places in Jieyin City where Dao resonance concentration exceeds the standard line, check in at every single one. Since there's no limit on times, let's strip this ten-thousand-year ancient city clean to its bones."

Two hours later, Wang Hao looked with satisfaction at the twelve additional check-in rewards in his sleeve. Although most were consumables—three defensive talismans, two supreme healing pills, four single-use thunder beads, two sets of formation disks, one replacement dummy—facing an impending assassination attempt from the Dark City, each extra consumable provided one more trump card.

Then he walked out of the secret chamber and found Wang Wudi already waiting outside the door.

"Grand-grandfather, something’s up?"

Wang Wudi's expression was somewhat grave, holding a jade slip in his hand: "Great-grandson, the Shadow Guard sent another letter. This time, it's not a blood-letter; it's an invitation."

"An invitation?" Wang Hao took the jade slip and probed his divine sense into it.

The jade slip contained only one sentence, much more polite in tone than the last, but the content was even more blatantly naked:

"Three days hence, a banquet is set at Black Wind Valley. We invite the Emperor of Great Xia to attend alone. If you dare not come, in seven days, the elites of the Eight Guilds of Dark City will march on Jieyin City. When blades clash and blood spills, harming the innocent, do not say we did not warn you."

Wang Hao finished reading, tossed the jade slip to Wei Zhongxian, then flashed a brilliant smile at Wang Wudi.

"Grand-grandfather, since they've invited me to a meal, wouldn't it be impolite not to go?"

Wang Wudi's face darkened further: "This is clearly a feast of ambush! Black Wind Valley's terrain is treacherous—three sides surrounded by mountains, only one exit. If they lay a killing formation in the valley, entering alone would be like walking into a tiger's den!"

"Ambush feast?" Wang Hao laughed, his smile carrying a chilling killing intent that made spines crawl. "Grand-grandfather, in history, who came out worse in those feasts? The hosts, or the guests?"

"But—"

"Rest assured, Grand-grandfather." Wang Hao patted Wang Wudi's shoulder and pulled out the Yin-Yang Twin Life Talisman he had obtained from the system check-in. "Your great-grandson never fights unprepared battles. They want to set a feast, so I'll go. But in the end, who feasts on whom is still up for debate."

He stored the Yin-Yang Twin Life Talisman and took out a single-use Thunder Bead, weighing it in his hand.

The Thunder Bead was small, only the size of a dragon's eye, but sealed inside was the same ninth translucent heavenly thunder as on Heavenly Void Peak—the system had noted during check-in: "Contains remnants of heavenly tribulation might, equivalent to a full-force strike from a peak Martial God stage." He had four of these single-use Thunder Beads, and the Lightning Abyss Demon Suppression Tower's ninth floor also stored three purple thunder dragons of equal power.

"Wei Zhongxian, pass my secret orders."

"Your servant hears you."

"Secret order one: Have twenty Imperial Air-Stepping Realm elders and five thousand elite forbidden troops ambush behind Black Wind Ridge, thirty li outside Black Wind Valley, before dawn three days from now. Remember, thirty li—this distance won't be detected by Martial God senses but allows arrival at the battlefield within half an incense stick's time. Bring shielding formation disks. No one is to use a trace of true essence before reaching the designated location. Violators will be executed."

"Secret order two: Have Xiao Chen, Ye Guyun, Lu Chenzhou, Wanyan Gu and others—five men in total—depart tonight, secretly infiltrating the outer perimeter of Black Wind Valley. Su Lie will be responsible for scouting the valley's formation structure. Before I enter the valley, he must find all formation eye locations. The other four will lie in ambush on Eagle Wary Bluff at both sides of the valley mouth. They must not make a move until they receive my signal."

"Secret order three: Place the seven hundred thousand strong army into immediate second-level combat readiness. Temporarily hand command to Grand-grandfather Wang Wudi. Set up three defensive lines along the official road outside Jieyin City's southern gate. If the Dark City people really dare to come, let them taste the power of Eastern Wasteland Imperial Army's arrow formations and runic firearms."

"As for everyone else, carry on with the auction as normal. Not a word of this must leak. I want the Dark City people to believe I never prepared at all."

Wei Zhongxian rapidly recorded on the jade slip, his face as expressionless as ever, but the slight tremor of his fingers betrayed his inner turmoil.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen big scenes—he had personally witnessed eight Martial Gods and Demon Gods besieging His Majesty on Heavenly Void Peak—but that had been reactive. This was active, the first time His Majesty, as a Martial God, would voluntarily step into a trap. Moreover, he knew it was a trap and still jumped in, and before jumping, he set an even larger trap around it.

This style of fighting wasn't just devious—it was devious to the bone.

"Your Majesty, the secret orders are recorded."

"Send them out." Wang Hao stood up and walked to the map. "Then prepare a reply to deliver to the Shadow Guard."

"What should the reply say?"

Wang Hao smiled, revealing eight gleaming teeth: "Write—'Will attend punctually in three days. Have the wine and food ready. My appetite is enormous.'"

Three days later, at dusk.

Blackwind Valley lay eight thousand li south of the Reception City, a necessary passage on the road to the Dark City. The valley mouth was narrow, barely wide enough for three riders to pass side by side. On either side, the Eagle Sorrow Cliffs rose piercingly into the clouds, their walls bare of any vegetation, exposing only blackish-brown rock. From a distance, they resembled two half-closed giant gates. The valley interior was wide, shaped like a gourd—a narrow entrance with a swollen belly, the broadest point spanning a full ten li.

This terrain had a specific military designation: “Dead Ground.” Once inside the valley, the only escape route was that single opening less than ten zhang wide. If the mouth were sealed, those within would have no means of flight, as if their wings were clipped.

The slanting rays of the setting sun filtered through the gaps in the Eagle Sorrow Cliffs, casting a diagonal light into the valley, staining the black stone floor a dark crimson.

Faintly visible on the ground were three overlapping layers of formation patterns: the first layer, a dark cyan, was a sealing formation, specifically designed to lock down space and prevent the target from teleporting to escape; the second layer, a murky green, was a poison formation, its patterns flowing with the venom of the Abyssal Tears; the third layer, pitch black, was a killing formation. The Eight Alliance Guilds each contributed a lethal strike, and these eight strikes were linked together by a formation grandmaster, their combined power sufficient to shred a Martial God.

Three layers of formations, interlocking and progressive—even if the target resisted the corrosion of the poison formation, they would be ground to pieces in the killing formation. Even if they broke through the killing formation, the sealing formation would trap them firmly within the valley, awaiting the next round of attacks.

This was the assassination way of the Shadow Guards: leave the target no chance to turn the tables.

Within the valley, fifty Shadow Guards were already fully in position, scattered across the valley floor. Some hid behind rocks, some lurked in the shadows of the cliffs, and some had even buried themselves underground, leaving only a thin breathing tube exposed to the surface. All of their auras were suppressed to the minimum using special secret techniques, so much so that even the divine sense scan of a mid-stage Martial God would struggle to detect their presence.

At the center of the valley sat a stone table, laden with rare delicacies and fine foods: dragon liver and phoenix marrow, ten-thousand-year-old lingzhi, and nine-colored immortal fruits—each one a treasure rarely seen in the outside world.

Beside the table sat a man, dressed in a black robe, his hood covering most of his face, revealing only an aged chin and a pair of hands. He toyed with a jade cup, which held a dark green liquid. A layer of fine bubbles floated on the wine’s surface, giving off a strange, sweet fragrance.

He was the Grand Commander of the Shadow Guards, code-named “Shadow.” His true name was unknown to anyone. All that was known was that his status in the Eight Alliance Guilds of the Dark City was second only to the eight guild masters. He was the one specifically tasked with “handling troubles.” Over three hundred years, he had personally struck seventeen times, never once failing. Three of those targets had been Martial Gods.

“Grand Commander,” a Shadow Guard emerged from the shadows, kneeling on one knee, “The lookouts outside the valley report that the Eastern Desolate Emperor has arrived at the valley mouth. He is alone, unaccompanied by any guards. The new Emperor’s Sword hangs at his waist. He is not riding a horse—he comes on foot.”

“Alone?” Shadow’s fingers paused slightly, and the wine in the jade cup rippled in a subtle ring. “Are you certain?”

“Confirmed. The lookouts followed him for thirty li. There were no ambushes along the way. The Eastern Desolate army remains stationed outside the Reception City with no signs of mobilization. Wang Wudi is also in the city—he made a public appearance this morning, inspecting preparations for the auction.”

Shadow was silent for a moment. This was too smooth—so smooth that it unsettled him. Wang Hao’s cunning and scheming, displayed on Tianxu Peak, had been witnessed by the entire realm. Would such a man simply stride into death alone?

“No anomalies within ten li of the valley?”

“None. Not even a single bird. I dispatched three waves of lookouts for repeated searches. Every inch of ground was turned over. No formations. No ambushes. No trace of any unusual aura.”