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Chapter 1020: Chapter 1020: The Grand Banquet at Chongtian Hall

"Welcome the Sacred King from seclusion! May the Sacred King live forever!" The ministers echoed his words, all joining in to celebrate Ying\'s emergence.

After the cheers, everyone fell silent, waiting in anticipation.

From the darkness of the grand hall, the sound of footsteps gradually grew louder.

Ying slowly stepped out, his figure emerging into the light at the entrance of Chongtian Hall. A single ray of sunlight fell upon him, causing him to pause for a moment.

He looked up at the sky with a serene expression.

Ying was dressed in a black dragon imperial robe, with a black jade flat-topped crown on his head. His expression was calm, imbued with an aura of profound mystery. It was clear that his cultivation and realm had further advanced during this period of seclusion.

After gazing at the sky for a moment, Ying slowly turned his eyes to survey the surroundings.

He first looked at the ministers of Great Qin. As his gaze swept over them, all of Great Qin\'s ministers knelt on one knee.

Li Si, Lü Buwei, Wang Jian, and the other ministers bowed deeply in reverence.

"Long live the Sacred King!" the ministers shouted in unison.

Ying said nothing, continuing to look around, his gaze now falling on the thousands of honored guests of Great Qin.

"The Sacred King of Great Qin, may your blessings be eternal, and your life as long as the heavens!" the thousands of guests intoned solemnly.

"The Sacred King of Great Qin, may your blessings be eternal, and your life as long as the heavens!" From within Xianyang Sacred City, the voices of all the gathered guests rose in unison, echoing their well-wishes.

Ying nodded in acknowledgment.

Finally, Ying\'s gaze turned to Zhong Shan and the other three most honored guests.

The four of them smiled back at Ying, and Ying nodded to them as well.

Then, Ying turned his attention to an elderly eunuch dressed in black robes.

"Zhao Gao, begin," Ying ordered calmly.

"Let the feast begin!" Zhao Gao announced loudly.

Immediately, the call to begin the feast spread throughout Xianyang Sacred City. Music started playing from all directions, and the city erupted into a lively and festive atmosphere.

Outside Chongtian Hall, guards swiftly set up numerous banquet tables. For ordinary people, this would have been a tedious task, but for the people of the Sacred Court, it was done with ease. With a wave of a hand, countless tables were perfectly arranged.

The honored guests who had received invitations to the banquet were all gathered at Chongtian Hall Plaza, where they could see Ying up close. The closer their seats were to Ying, the higher the level of their invitation.

Naturally, Zhong Shan and his companions were seated closest to Ying.

The grand banquet took place right at Chongtian Hall Plaza, with Ying\'s Nine Dragon Throne placed at the entrance of Chongtian Hall.

Zhong Shan, Tathagata Buddha, Bodhi Patriarch, and Lan were seated at tables on either side of Ying\'s throne.

Bodhi Patriarch sat at the first table on the left, Tathagata Buddha at the second table on the left, Lan at the first table on the right, and Zhong Shan at the second table on the right.

Those who had accompanied Zhong Shan were seated at secondary tables directly behind him.

Ying glanced around, then raised a cup of wine. All the guests focused on Ying, and seeing him lift his cup, they fell silent.

Ying spoke solemnly, "Today is my grand birthday. First, I toast Great Qin! And second, I thank all the honored guests!"

With that, Ying drank his cup of celebratory wine.

"The Sacred King of Great Qin, may you live forever!" the other guests raised their cups and echoed Ying\'s toast.

Ying nodded in acknowledgment, then shifted his focus from the remaining guests to the group that included Zhong Shan. This group was unique—Tathagata Buddha, Bodhi Patriarch, and Lan each had their own table, but Zhong Shan\'s table had two people seated at it: Zhong Shan and Hao Meili.

Noticing this, Ying\'s expression changed slightly. He knew Zhong Shan well enough to understand that he wouldn\'t have a woman sitting beside him in such a formal setting without a good reason—it was against protocol. Moreover, Ying recognized this woman.

"Is this the princess of the Heavenly Court?" Ying asked, though his gaze was fixed on Zhong Shan.

"The Jade Emperor could not come personally, so he sent me to Qin to wish Great Qin eternal longevity," Hao Meili responded confidently.

Zhong Shan nodded in agreement beside her.

"Haotian? Indeed, he is unable to attend. However, since he sent you, you are also a distinguished guest of Great Qin. Set another table!" Ying ordered.

"Yes!" Zhao Gao immediately responded.

"There\'s no need. I\'ll sit beside Zhong Shan—this arrangement suits me just fine," Hao Meili quickly interjected.

Ying considered her for a moment before nodding. After all, these were minor details, and the offer to set another table had been made out of respect for the Jade Emperor.

At that moment, Lan spoke up from the side. "Your personal path, the Black Dragon coiling around the pillar... Ying, you\'ve reached that stage, haven\'t you?"

Zhong Shan knew that Lan was referring to the Black Dragon entwined with the celestial pathway from earlier, but what exactly was this "personal path"?

Zhong Shan didn\'t fully understand, but he remained attentive, listening closely without interrupting.

Tathagata and Bodhi Patriarch also turned their attention to Ying.

"The Heavenly Court is not so easily forged. Otherwise, over these tens of thousands of years, there would be more than just Haotian\'s Heavenly Court," Ying responded with a faint smile.

The Heavenly Court?

Zhong Shan\'s ears perked up. Was Ying planning to establish another Heavenly Court—Great Qin\'s Heavenly Court? Could it be that creating a Heavenly Court required a unique personal path?

Lan nodded in agreement.

Ying then turned his gaze toward Bodhi Patriarch.

"Mr. Guiguzi\'s calculations—let\'s hope they weren\'t mistaken," Ying said seriously.

Bodhi Patriarch nodded, replying, "Whether right or wrong, I will remember Guiguzi\'s efforts. Guiguzi greatly expended his energy for this. I regret that he suffered such a loss, but once his prediction comes to pass, I will compensate him for it."

Ying nodded again, giving Bodhi Patriarch a meaningful look.

Though the others couldn\'t decipher the exact details of their conversation, it was clear that whatever they were discussing was of great importance.

Zhong Shan didn\'t ask any questions, but he mentally noted the exchange. Guiguzi\'s calculations? He possesses the innate Eight Trigrams Diagram, and with Fuxi\'s divination technique, even so, it caused a great loss of energy? What exactly did he calculate?

After addressing Bodhi Patriarch, Ying turned his attention to Tathagata.

"Lord Buddha, what stance does the Great Leiyin Temple take?" Ying asked.

"We are aligned with you," Tathagata replied calmly.

"Is that your decision?" Ying pressed, staring intently at Tathagata.

"It is my decision, and it is also the will of Amitabha," Tathagata answered firmly.

"Good!" Ying exclaimed, clearly pleased.

Tathagata nodded in acknowledgment.

Finally, Ying turned his gaze to Zhong Shan.

"Saint King Zhong Shan, I am honored by your presence at this grand banquet. According to Mr. Guiguzi\'s calculations, the greatest outcome of the battle in the Nuwa Realm was not won by me or Mr. Guiguzi, but by you, Zhong Shan. I have never underestimated you, and I raise my glass to you in respect," Ying said, lifting his filled cup of wine in a toast.

This was the first toast Ying made individually.

Almost everyone turned their gaze towards Zhong Shan. Most of the thousands of honored guests did not know who Zhong Shan was, and seeing Ying\'s respect for him, they couldn\'t help but be surprised. Who is this person? Could he be more highly regarded by Ying than even Tathagata Buddha or Bodhi Patriarch? Why else would Ying toast Zhong Shan first before anyone else?

Tathagata Buddha and Bodhi Patriarch also found themselves curious about Zhong Shan, while Sun Shen, who was seated at the secondary table behind Bodhi Patriarch, wore a grim expression.

Although Sun Shen hadn\'t had much direct interaction with Zhong Shan, he carried memories from the Small Thousand World—memories of being outdone by Zhong Shan at every turn. From the time when Zhong Shan was a mere unknown, to becoming Marquis Gu Xuan, then the Supreme of the Monkey Clan, and finally the current Sun Qitian, it seemed that Sun Shen had never managed to gain the upper hand against Zhong Shan. This left a bitter taste in Sun Shen\'s mouth, and a growing resentment towards Zhong Shan.

As for Lan, he too was intrigued by Zhong Shan. Lan knew Ying\'s nature well. Even Saints found it hard to outmaneuver Ying, especially when it came to competition for treasures. Lan had heard that during the battle in the Nuwa Realm, Ying had seized the Innate Eight Trigrams Diagram from three Saints. Yet, despite such a significant gain, Ying still considered Zhong Shan\'s acquisition even greater. This man is truly remarkable, Lan thought.

"Just luck," Zhong Shan said as he raised his cup.

Zhong Shan did not deny Ying\'s words because there was no point in doing so. Although it appeared on the surface that Zhong Shan hadn\'t gained much, only Zhong Shan knew the true extent of his acquisitions—far greater than the Innate Eight Trigrams Diagram. For example, there was the Fox Realm, the Wind Tomb Territory, and several other hidden treasures.

The two drank their cups of wine together.

After toasting Zhong Shan individually, Ying proceeded to toast Lan, Bodhi Patriarch, and Tathagata Buddha in turn.

After making the round of toasts, Ying turned to Zhao Gao and instructed, "Bring it here."

"Yes!" Zhao Gao replied.

Ying looked at the gathered guests and solemnly said, "I am grateful to each of you for coming to Great Qin. Of course, I can\'t let you leave empty-handed. Next, I will reveal something to add to the celebration."

At that moment, Zhao Gao, along with several guards, began to bring in a massive object, about ten zhang (approximately 100 feet) tall, covered with a black cloth, making it impossible to see what was inside.

The object was cylindrical, with a diameter also around ten zhang.

"Boom!"

The cylindrical object was set down in the center of the plaza, and with a wave of his hand, Zhao Gao ordered the guards to remove the black cloth, revealing a giant golden cylinder underneath. The cylinder gleamed as if made of pure gold, radiating a dazzling light that was almost blinding in its brilliance.

Most people had no idea what this object was, their eyes filled with curiosity.

Lan, Bodhi Patriarch, and Tathagata Buddha, however, became visibly more serious.

"Ying, you\'ve truly outdone yourself," Lan remarked suddenly.

"A grand birthday like this only happens once in a lifetime," Ying replied with a smile and a shake of his head.

Zhong Shan didn\'t understand what he was looking at, but he could sense the immense energy emanating from the golden cylinder. Even the Eight Extremes Heavenly Tail within his Niwan Palace instinctively reacted with excitement.

As Zhong Shan studied the object, he heard Mr. Corpse\'s voice in his ear.

"Sacred King, this is a Fate Seal, a device that uses fate as a barrier to seal ancient spiritual treasures," Mr. Corpse explained.

"Fate?"

Indeed, the golden hue of the cylinder felt similar to the energy of fate Zhong Shan had encountered before, though he had only ever seen it in spherical forms like small suns. This cylindrical form had caught him off guard.

"Some ancient spiritual items are as fleeting as the bloom of a flower, appearing only briefly and then disappearing, unable to be preserved. The Fate Seal was developed to store such ancient spiritual treasures, preventing them from vanishing. Any treasure sealed within fate is an extraordinary, one-of-a-kind existence," Mr. Corpse continued.

It was clear that Mr. Corpse had a deep understanding of ancient knowledge.

"Unseal it!" Ying commanded solemnly.

"Yes!" Zhao Gao responded.

At this moment, nearly everyone\'s attention was fixed on the central object, eager to see what lay inside.

Zhao Gao approached the cylinder, a golden light flashing in his hand as he reached out and touched the cylindrical object.

"Boom!"

The cylinder, which seemed so solid, suddenly shattered with a thunderous explosion. Brilliant golden light shot out in all directions, enveloping every guest in its radiance.

"Ah!"

Some people cried out in fear, expecting harm, but instead, they felt an incredible sense of comfort. The energy of fate entered their bodies, purifying them. How could such a thing cause harm? This outburst of fate was Ying\'s first gift to the guests—a blessing that left them all in awe.

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