Chapter 706: Water Monarch's Banquet (Part 2)

“GLUG GLUG GLUG! Hah, now that’s the stuff!” The dark-faced man chugged a pot of wine before letting out a hearty laugh. “Black Water Origin Black Sand! It’s fate that brought us together—both of our caves have ‘Black Water’ in the name! Seriously, little bro, you’re not going to have a bowl? This Coral Wine may be watered down—no, wait, it’s water with a splash of wine—but it’s still the best this stretch of sea has to offer. You can’t miss it! GLUG GLUG GLUG…”

‘A drunkard,’ Lü Zhong mentally labeled the man.

Seeing how much the man was enjoying himself, Lü Zhong couldn’t help but grow curious about the wine on his own table, so he poured himself a cup.

But the moment it touched his lips, it tasted like he was drinking dishwater.

There was only the faintest hint of wine flavor.

‘So it really is water with a splash of wine!’

Lü Zhong frowned, setting the cup back on the table. He couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Is the Water Race’s definition of fine wine completely different from the Human Race’s?’

“What? The wine’s not to your liking, little bro?” Hei Sha asked, a look of astonishment on his face.

The old Daoist beside them also looked over, his curiosity piqued.

Seeing their expressions, Lü Zhong guessed they hadn’t tasted much good wine. He reached into his robes and pulled out a flask of Spirit Wine.

It was some he had leftover.

It was brewed from Spirit Rice and Spirit Medicine, then specially distilled several times. Thanks to the extremely high concentration of Spiritual Qi, the alcohol content was nearly one hundred percent.

“I’m not used to that. I usually only drink this.”

“Oh!” Hei Sha’s eyes lit up. He could already smell the rich aroma of wine and couldn’t stop himself from drooling. He said eagerly, “Little bro—oh, no, Fellow Daoist Shui—could you pour a little drop, just let old Hei have a taste? Tsk, tsk, just from the smell I know it’s fine wine! Oh man, I can’t stand it, the craving is killing me!”

Lü Zhong pushed the wine flask over and said calmly, “Help yourself.”

Drawn by the aroma, the old Daoist looked over, his Adam’s apple bobbing. Gone was his previous air of sagely detachment. He couldn’t resist cupping his hands in a gesture to Lü Zhong before pouring himself a cup.

GULP. A cup of strong wine went down the hatch.

“Hsssss… hah…” Hei Sha’s dark face flushed red as he frantically sucked in air.

A moment ago, he’d felt a line of fire streak down his throat, immediately followed by an icy coolness.

Hei Sha had only ever had such a stimulating drinking experience at a banquet hosted by a Demon Saint. He had never forgotten it, and he hadn’t expected to experience it again today.

“Excellent wine! Excellent wine!”

The Turtle Daoist was completely enraptured, shaking his head as he savored the taste.

With that, he poured himself another cup and continued to sip it slowly, lost in bliss.

“Excellent wine! Excellent wine!”

Before long, the flask of Spirit Wine was empty.

Perhaps feeling indebted after accepting the wine, the Turtle Daoist’s attitude was no longer as distant as before. He took the initiative to speak. “Thank you for your hospitality. From the looks of it, Fellow Daoist, you seem to be completely unaware of the situation here. Allow this old Daoist to explain, lest you unwittingly invite unnecessary trouble upon yourself.”

“Please, go on, Fellow Daoist,” Lü Zhong said, cupping his hands.

“Fellow Daoist Shui, even though you are not from the Water Palace, you must understand that the ruler of this domain, Great Saint Jin Guang of the Coral Palace, has long held a grudge against the Water Palace’s Flood Dragon Race. Our host, the Golden Meng Water Monarch, is known for his humility and won’t deliberately target you for being a Water Flood Dragon. However, when the Great Saint’s Great Young Master arrives, you must absolutely keep your composure. Do not let him provoke you with a few words, or the situation will become impossible to clean up,” the Turtle Daoist explained slowly, his words clear and methodical.

‘There’s even history like that?’ Lü Zhong was a little frustrated.

‘It seems the scheming and plotting under the sea is every bit as intense as on land.’

At the same time, he thought, ‘So my previous judgment was correct. Beneath this vast Boundless Sea, there really are numerous Water Race factions. Not only the Water Palace, led by the Flood Dragon Race, but also this power called the Coral Palace. I just wonder what kind of race the Great Saint Jin Guang is from.’

Seeing that the old turtle had finally opened up and didn’t seem to care about his origins, Lü Zhong seized the opportunity. Playing the part of a naive Water Flood Dragon, ignorant of worldly affairs, he began to ask about the things he was curious about.

The payoff was significant!

From the Turtle Daoist’s mouth, he learned that the powers of the Boundless Sea were known as the “Three Paths and Six Palaces.” Each was backed by a Demon Saint, and they occupied millions of li of sea territory. Their subordinate Demon Cultivators were countless, and when you added the hordes of Sea Beasts at their command, their forces were truly endless.

‘My word, that’s three times the number of Divinity Transformation cultivators currently in Central Earth!’

It would be a lie to say Lü Zhong wasn’t shocked. But a question also arose in his mind: if the Water Race was so powerful, why hadn’t they invaded Central Earth?

The Turtle Daoist then unintentionally revealed information that answered this very question.

It turned out they looked down on the land as a poor backwater.

According to the old turtle, even the sea territory of the Water Palace, occupied by the Flood Dragon Race, was considered a barren region of the Boundless Sea, unable to compare with the truly prosperous and wealthy areas of the ocean. In the truly rich parts of the Boundless Sea, like the core territories of the Three Paths, they had even built cities.

After being peppered with so many questions from Lü Zhong, the Turtle Daoist grew puzzled.

‘This Little Flood Dragon’s power is impressive, but his life experience is a complete blank slate. He doesn’t know the first thing about anything I ask.’

‘Did he really just crawl out of some deep-sea trench?’

“Fellow Daoist, tell this old turtle the truth. Where exactly is that Black Water Cave of yours?”

Lü Zhong didn’t hide it; he told the truth.

Bihai. It was in the sea region under the Water Palace’s jurisdiction.

To be precise, it was the backwater of a backwater.

“No wonder!” The Turtle Daoist finally understood.

He couldn’t help but pity Lü Zhong. ‘What a poor Little Flood Dragon. He must have relied solely on his extraordinary innate talent to reach his current level.’

“It seems you heard a rumor somewhere, which is why you came to this Water Monarch’s banquet? Well, Fellow Daoist Shui, it looks like your luck has finally taken a turn for the better. Listen to this old turtle: the reason the Water Monarch is holding this banquet isn’t just to celebrate his three-thousandth birthday. It’s because a treasure has emerged to the northwest…”

Lü Zhong listened intently, a growing sense of surprise in his heart.

‘From that description, it sounds like a Spirit Treasure is emerging.’

‘And an Innate Spiritual Treasure, no less!’

The Turtle Daoist then shared more information. Combined with the various phenomena he described, Lü Zhong’s suspicions were all but confirmed.

The reason the Water Monarch was holding a banquet was because the treasure was difficult to retrieve.

Spirit Treasures are always born in miraculous regions, and this time was no exception.

That was why, after several failed attempts, the Water Monarch decided to host a banquet for the realm’s heroes, hoping to find helping hands to retrieve the treasure. The fact that this matter had not yet alerted a Demon Saint probably meant the Water Race lacked the ancient records to recognize the signs of an Innate Spiritual Treasure’s birth.

‘This could be an opportunity,’ Lü Zhong thought.

‘An Innate Spiritual Treasure is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, something you can only stumble upon by chance!’

‘Even if there’s just a chance, I have to go take a look.’

‘Otherwise, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.’

Just as he was contemplating how to handle these new complications, a voice spoke up beside him. It was Hei Sha, the drunkard. He had finally put down his wine cup and was holding out a Jade Tablet.

“Here. A map of the Boundless Sea. Consider it payment for the wine.”

The Turtle Daoist beside them saw this, his sagely demeanor vanishing as his tone turned a little sour. “Fellow Daoist Shui, you really are lucky! A map from the Barbarian Whale Race is considered top-tier in the Boundless Sea. While it can’t compare to what the Three Paths and Six Palaces have, it’s still incredibly precious and rare.”

Lü Zhong took it and was surprised by what he saw.

‘Mirage Dragon Dao, Emperor Whale Dao, Profound Turtle Dao… Water Palace, Coral Palace, Sand Palace, Pure Water Palace, Eight Directions Palace, Jade Mushroom Palace… There are even detailed descriptions. So these are the six races…’

Just as the Turtle Daoist had said, this map was indeed exceptionally valuable.

“Oh, and don’t let anyone else see it, or the Clan Leader will have my hide. GLUG GLUG GLUG…” After speaking, Hei Sha began chugging the Coral Wine a serving maid had just presented, downing pot after pot without pause.

‘What a decent fellow,’ Lü Zhong thought. He was just considering whether he should gift the man a whole vat of his Spirit Wine in return.

Suddenly, a commotion arose at the entrance to the hall.

“The Great Young Master arrives!”

Following the shrill announcement, a glittering golden figure strode into the hall.

Lü Zhong looked over calmly, seeing a golden-haired monkey enter. He was also at the Mid-stage Transformation. Just as the Turtle Daoist had said, the true form of the Great Saint Jin Guang’s clan was, in fact, the Golden Water Ape.

The Golden Water Ape was a unique species, said to be born with the ability to control water.

In other words, they possessed the Water Manipulation Divine Technique.

Thinking of this, Lü Zhong understood the likely source of the enmity between the Flood Dragon Race and the Golden Water Ape clan. If his guess was correct, it stemmed from the fact that a Demon Beast could achieve a breakthrough if it consumed the Demon Pill of another who possessed the same Divine Technique.

‘And what Demon Cultivator could possibly resist such a shortcut?’

Thus, the Flood Dragon Race—especially Water Flood Dragons—and the Golden Water Apes were natural enemies, destined to prey on one another.