413: Chapter 413 Victory Celebration Banquet

"Can I only reach the Twelfth Rank?"

The Humanoid Demonic Dragon looked down at its body and sighed, "This Demon Emperor's body is still too weak—it cannot carry more of my power."

It moved its limbs to adapt to this new body.

It felt pretty good!

"But the Twelfth Rank should be sufficient for a scout."

"Enter this world first, find the array eye that has fused with the world's will, and see the specific situation—"

The Humanoid Demonic Dragon turned into a dark shadow and sped toward the light screen.

As it crossed the light screen, it didn't trigger any alarms and entered the human world silently.

No one noticed!

---

Meanwhile...

At this time, Chen Yi had already returned to the Demon Abyss Cult headquarters.

Greeting him was a grand banquet.

Dozens of long tables were arranged in a circle, filled with all kinds of delicacies—from rare demonic beast meat to uncommon Spiritual Fruits, and expensive wines; everything was there!

Waiters in uniform shuttled through the crowd with trays, providing service to the high-ranking members at any time.

Almost all the high-ranking members of the Demon Abyss Cult were present.

There were Shadow Brake, Bone Erosion, and Red Snake whom Chen Yi knew, several Demon Emperors he had seen before, and some unfamiliar faces!

They stood or sat, talking in low voices, the atmosphere warm yet solemn.

When Chen Yi walked into the banquet hall, everyone's eyes focused on him.

Those gazes were complex—curiosity, admiration, jealousy, and also caution.

But Chen Yi's expression was calm as he walked composedly toward the main table.

Hua Liuli was already seated.

Today she wore a magnificent purple gown, her long black hair meticulously styled and pulled back into an elegant bun, revealing her slender neck.

There was a faint smile on her face, with a bit less majesty and a bit more approachability than usual.

Seeing Chen Yi approach, Hua Liuli's smile became even more pronounced.

"Chen Yi, you've arrived~~"

She pointed to the seat beside her, "Sit!"

This position was the second seat at the main table, second only to Hua Liuli's main seat.

This arrangement drew envious looks from many people present.

Yuri Demon Empress Ai Ke stood not far away, a hint of complexity flashing in her purple vertical pupils;

Red Snake was expressionless, but her fingers tightened slightly;

Shadow Brake and Bone Erosion exchanged a look, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes—

Chen Yi did not decline and sat down naturally.

"Thank you, Queen."

"You deserve it!"

Hua Liuli raised her wine glass, "Come, come, everyone, let us first toast Chen Yi! To celebrate his success in eliminating the hidden danger of the Black Ghost Market and performing a great service for the organization!"

Everyone raised their glasses one after another: "A toast to Chen Yi!"

"Thank you, everyone!"

Chen Yi also raised his glass in return and then drained it in one go.

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere gradually became lively.

At this time, a middle-aged man sitting a bit further away stood up.

He looked to be about fifty years old, with a majestic face, wearing a deep blue robe, and exuding the aura of the Tenth Rank.

Chen Yi remembered him; his name seemed to be Liu Wangyue?

"Queen, Brother Chen Yi!"

Liu Wangyue spoke up and asked, "There is one thing I don't understand! Although the Black Ghost Market had some issues, it has provided our organization with hundreds of years of funding and connections after all. Why clear it so suddenly? Isn't this loss... too great?"

This question was actually a doubt in the hearts of many people present.

Although they didn't dare to question Hua Liuli's decision, they truly didn't understand.

No matter how problematic the Black Ghost Market was, it was the organization's property; why destroy it themselves?

Hua Liuli seemed to have expected this question long ago.

She put down her glass, her gaze swept across the room, and her voice was calm and clear: "That's a good question!"

"The Black Ghost Market did indeed provide us with many resources, that cannot be denied!"

"But have you all ever considered that the existence of the Black Ghost Market was actually a huge hidden danger for us?"

"The operating model of the Black Ghost Market destined it to establish connections with countless Beast Tamer families!"

"Normally, these connections are our advantage, allowing us to obtain a large amount of intelligence and resources!"

"But at critical moments, this network could also become our weakness—once a link goes wrong, the entire network could be traced back, exposing more of our secrets."

"More importantly, over the years, the Black Ghost Market has gradually spun out of control! Although Chen Nian was the person in charge, his power was too great, and his ambition was also too great!"

"He had already begun to cultivate his own forces, establish an independent intelligence network, and even try to develop new projects that didn't require technical support from headquarters—"

"This means that the Black Ghost Market was no longer a simple branch organization, but an independent force that could threaten the security of the headquarters!"

These words made everyone present fall into deep thought.

Indeed, they had heard some rumors before.

Chen Nian had become increasingly arbitrary over the years, not reporting many things to the headquarters.

A large part of the Black Ghost Market's profits had also not been handed over—

"Therefore!"

Hua Liuli concluded, "Eliminating the Black Ghost Market is not because it has no value, but because it has already become a tumor!"

"Although it can still provide nutrients, it will endanger life sooner or later! Rather than waiting until it's completely out of control, it's better to excise it early!"

"Furthermore, Chen Yi's action this time has also allowed us to see clearly which families are closely related to the Black Ghost Market! This information is equally valuable for our future plans!"

After listening, everyone nodded one after another, showing expressions of realization.

"So that's how it is... The Queen is far-sighted!"

"Indeed, the Black Ghost Market has indeed become more and more disobedient over the years."

"That fellow Chen Nian, I felt he had problems before—"

"Brother Chen Yi has performed a great service this time! Not only did he eliminate the hidden danger, but he also helped us figure out the situation of those families!"

---

The atmosphere became lively again.

Everyone raised their glasses again, this time sincerely celebrating Chen Yi's completion of such a feat, and also congratulating the Queen for gaining such a genius.

Hua Liuli also rarely showed a happy expression, even taking the initiative to clink glasses with Chen Yi, saying with a light smile: "Chen Yi, you did very well this time. I indeed did not misjudge you!"

"The Queen overpraises me!"

Chen Yi said modestly, "I only did what I should have done. Without the Queen's trust and support, I would not have succeeded."

His attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, expressing gratitude without excessive flattery.

This performance further drew Hua Liuli's admiration.

Just then, a slight commotion came from the entrance of the banquet hall.

Everyone turned to look, and then they all showed surprised expressions.

Emilia walked in.

This silver-haired, blood-eyed Vampire Progenitor wore a magnificent black evening gown today, looking exceptionally beautiful!

Her appearance changed the entire atmosphere of the banquet hall.