379: Chapter 379 Invited Parties, Different Attitudes

The night wind curled with mountain mist as it climbed the Main Peak. Chen Wuwang stood at the edge of the viewing platform, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the hilt of the dagger at his waist, making soft sounds.

He did not turn back, only staring at the semi-transparent light screen floating before him—

It was the feedback interface of the spiritual energy communication array, densely covered with dozens of light dots, each representing the delivery path of an invitation.

"The thirty-seventh, Chuanyun Sect Liuye Village, signed for."

"The thirty-eighth, Chiji Ridge Wang Clan, confirmed receipt after a delay of three quarters of an hour."

"The thirty-ninth, West Desert Sand Clan Scorpion Tail Cave..."

The messenger's voice paused, "The other party tore open the envelope, but they haven't left; they are likely in a secret discussion."

The corners of Chen Wuwang's mouth twitched, but he did not smile.

"Keep watching." His voice was low, yet it sounded like a blade scraping against an iron plate. "Report all responses in real-time. I want to know when they open the letters, who receives them, and what is said."

"Yes!" The messenger lowered his head and retreated.

He looked up at the silhouette of the distant mountains, where lights were sparse and the stars were cold and lonely.

The Nascent Soul celebration was three days away; the small clans of the Eastern Wasteland Alliance were either bowing their heads in submission or harboring ulterior motives.

He knew that this banquet was not a celebratory feast, but a touchstone.

Inside the Council Hall of Liuye Village, the fire brazier crackled loudly.

Village Chief Liu Laosan held the gold-stamped invitation in both hands, his hands trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind.

The several Elders behind him crowded together, their necks stretched out longer than bamboo poles.

"It really is the Chen Family's clan seal! Gold thread trim, flowing talisman patterns, it cannot be fake!"

A white-bearded Elder leaned in to look again and again, then suddenly looked up, "Chief, are we really going?"

"Not go?" Liu Laosan slammed the table. "Are you going to use your head to block their mecha cannons? The three Golden Cores sent by Leiyin Pavilion to scout last month were blasted into slag, men and swords alike! Do you believe that if I say one wrong word, the Chen Family will park the 'eye of wuwang' at our village gate tomorrow?"

It suddenly went quiet below.

"But... but we haven't exactly been kind to the Chen Family in past years." Another short, stout Elder rubbed his hands together. "Last year, we even robbed that Medicinal Field of theirs on the south slope..."

"That was then!" Liu Laosan glared. "Now they have three Nascent Soul Cultivators! And they've built iron lumps that can fly, fight, and shoot lightning! You tell me, what are we going to fight with? Hoes or spatulas?"

"Then... then what do we do?"

"What do we do?" Liu Laosan took a deep breath and turned to shout, "Someone! Bring out that box of star meteor ore from the bottom of the warehouse! Grind and polish it; it must be made into a gift box by tonight! Select twenty strong young men to accompany me up the mountain! The gift must be heavy, our faces must be low, and our words must be soft! From now on, Liuye Village and the Chen Family are grasshoppers on the same rope!"

Everyone responded in unison and began to bustle about. A young child tripped while running over the threshold, but instead of scolding him, Liu Laosan laughed, "Get up! The harder you fall, the more steadily you will kneel in the future! Understand?"

Chiji Ridge, Wang Clan Ancestral Hall.

Clan Chief Wang Zhentian paced back and forth in front of the invitation for three full circles with his hands behind his back. Yellow paper and black ink, signed with the three large characters "Chen Wuwang," with a bright red clan seal stamped beside it.

"An ant from the past, acting like a Head of the Chen Family today?" He sneered, his fingers pinching the corner of the invitation, almost tearing it. "Three hundred years ago, my Wang Clan produced a Soul Transformation Old Ancestor, while your Chen Family was still digging for minerals and tilling soil! And now, a single invitation is enough to make me bow my head?"

His son nearby advised in a low voice, "Father, it wouldn't look good not to go. After all... they just won a battle, and their momentum is high."

"High?" Wang Zhentian turned his head abruptly. "A bunch of craftsmen who rely on iron shells to show off, do they deserve to be called strong? A true Cultivator relies on the Dao Heart, on the Realm, on the resonance of heaven and earth! Not on squeezing into an iron can and pressing buttons!"

"But... that sword strike from Chen Xiaodao split the clouds for ten miles." The son added in a low voice.

Wang Zhentian choked, his face turning livid.

After a long while, he flicked his sleeves and turned around, "Go, tell the second son to prepare for departure. Bring the lowest grade of gifts—two jars of coarse brew and three pieces of scrap iron ore. Just say that the clan is busy with affairs and the Clan Chief cannot attend in person."

"Then... should we bring more people for protection?"

"Protection from what?" He snorted coldly. "We are going as guests, not to start a war. But I tell you—" He lowered his voice, "Tell the second son to keep his eyes open, watch how their mecha operate, how their Formations are deployed, and how the guards change shifts. Report everything to me, word for word, when he returns."

"Yes."

Wang Zhentian looked at the pitch-black mountain path outside the door and murmured, "Chen Wuwang... do you think that by inviting me to dinner, I will truly acknowledge you as the Head of the Chen Family? In this game, who is the fish and who is the hook has yet to be decided."

Scorpion Tail Cave, deep in the underground cavern, where cold winds blew.

The invitation was slammed hard onto the stone table, shattering into several pieces. The leader, Xie Qilang, stood up, his eyes glowing green like a beast stalking its prey.

"The Chen Family is holding a celebration?" He grinned, revealing stark white teeth. "Perfect. They are feasting guests, their defenses will be lax; it is the perfect time to probe their true strength."

A confidant beside him bowed and asked, "Are we really going? I heard they recently changed their patrol passwords; not even a bird can fly in."

"Of course we are going." Xie Qilang sneered. "Not only are we going, we are bringing a 'gift'."

He waved his hand, and a masked woman stepped forward quietly. She held a dark red clay pot in her hands, its opening sealed with a Blood Talisman.

"This is the newly refined 'Bone-Eroding Gu'; it is colorless and odorless. Mixed into food and wine, it takes effect in half an hour. Those affected will have their bones and tendons rot away, and their Divine Sense will dissipate." Xie Qilang gently stroked the pot. "Disguise yourself as a merchant caravan attendant and blend into the banquet. You don't need to kill anyone, just—" He drew his fingertip across his throat, "leave a flaw behind."

The woman nodded and retreated.

Another subordinate asked, "What if we get caught?"

"Caught?" Xie Qilang laughed. "That would be even better. A chaotic scene is enough to let the other small clans see the Chen Family's true colors: glorious on the surface, fragile within. When that happens, who would still be willing to truly submit?"

He walked to the cave entrance and looked up at the sky, where the crescent moon hung like a hook.

"Chen Wuwang, you raised your banner too quickly, forgetting that the higher the wind blows, the easier the pole is to snap."

The Chen Family Main Peak, viewing platform.

On the light screen, names lit up one after another.

"Liuye Village, confirmed to attend the banquet with gifts."

"Chiji Ridge, sent the second son as a representative, carrying basic congratulatory gifts."

"Scorpion Tail Cave..." The messenger hesitated for a moment, "Replied 'Honored to be invited, will certainly attend in person,' but did not specify the number of people or the route."

Chen Wuwang stared at the last name, remaining motionless for a long time.

The night wind lifted his silver-white hair, and his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye flashed with a faint blue light, reflecting the several flashing red dots on the map—all of which were dangerous paths leading to the Chen Family's main city, and also the easiest places to set an ambush.

He slowly raised his hand, his knuckles tapping on the dagger hilt, the rhythm growing faster and faster.

"They are coming." He said in a low voice, "They have all come."

Not friends, nor enemies.

It is probing, it is watching, it is waiting to see if his, Chen Wuwang's, banner can withstand this first gust of wind.

In the distance, the last light lit up on the mountainside, like an eye opening in the dark night.