Bull Dragon Island.
This island was truly unique.
Because it was an artificial island, it formed a perfect circle.
Around its perimeter stood an outer wall sculpted in the shape of an Eastern dragon, while at its center rose the colossal Bull Head Mountain.
The Niu family of Bull Dragon Island was considered a major power on the outer fringes of the Death Calamity Sea. The family patriarch was known as the Bull God; his true name was Niu Kaitian, and he possessed System-rank strength. His System Divine Artifact, the Sky-Opening Axe, could cleave a planet in two with ease.
Ten years ago, Niu Kaitian's son, Niu Gandang, had entered an arranged marriage with Youquan, the eldest young lady of the Ghost Dragon clan. The union had given the two families direct control over a tenth of all ports in the outer Death Calamity Sea, causing their power and influence to surge.
Now, the sparsely populated Niu family finally had a third generation. Niu Kaitian was naturally overjoyed, which led to this grand full-moon banquet.
At this moment, Bull Dragon Island teemed with Transcendents who had arrived from various islands to offer congratulations. Star Ranks walked the grounds, while Heaven Ranks were as common as stray dogs. The leaders of all kinds of factions gathered together, some chatting and gossiping, others quietly discussing collaborations.
The Sect Master of the Black Lotus Sect, Lu Junye, and the Peak Master of White Lotus Peak, Cai Du, were currently conversing with a Star-rank powerhouse who also hailed from a cultivation world. Both sides were talking in high spirits.
Suddenly, Lu Junye felt a jolt of apprehension in his heart. He glanced at Cai Du, and sure enough, Cai Du's expression had turned rather grim as well. The two exchanged a look, made an excuse to take their leave from the Star-rank powerhouse, and stepped into a secluded corner.
"Could our plan have been exposed?" Lu Junye asked via divine sense transmission.
Cai Du shook his head, looking pensive. "I fear something has happened to the sect. I lost connection with the Bronze-Bone Silver Corpse I left on White Lotus Peak."
He knew well the perils of biting off more than he could chew, so he had refined only two corpses in total. One was the Steel-Bone Gold Corpse—which was his current physical body. His true form was actually concealed inside it, allowing him to pilot the corpse flawlessly.
The other was the slightly inferior Bronze-Bone Silver Corpse, used primarily for communication. It worked much like a telephone, requiring him to actively activate it before use.
Whenever he went out, he would activate the Bronze-Bone Silver Corpse at regular intervals to ensure the safety of their base.
Yet just now, he could not establish contact with his Bronze-Bone Silver Corpse. Without even thinking, he knew that something must have happened to the Black Lotus Sect.
Upon hearing Cai Du's words, Lu Junye fell silent, torn in an internal struggle. In this instant, his heart yearned to fly straight home, yet he could not leave—because on Bull Dragon Island, he and Cai Du still had an enormous matter to attend to.
"Let's go. The banquet has begun. Let's handle this matter first, and as for the rest..." Cai Du said, sensing the sect master's hesitation.
Although Lu Junye was the Sect Master of the Black Lotus Sect, the gap in status between them was not nearly as wide as outsiders imagined, because the three peak masters were comparable in strength. Most of the time, the three interacted as equals. After all, they were fellow disciples who had grown up together since childhood, each inheriting one of Elder Evil Lotus's three supreme arts.
Reminded of tonight's operation, Lu Junye nodded and followed the crowd toward Bull God Hall.
Inside the hall, distinguished guests already filled the seats, and voices bustled with noise and excitement. Servants of the Niu family shuttled among the guests, pouring tea, refilling wine, and serving plates of refreshments and fruit. The dishes had even been categorized according to the dietary requirements of different races, ensuring no dietary taboos were violated.
From this alone, one could see how much importance Niu Kaitian attached to this celebration and to his grandson.
In fact, today was not only the full-moon banquet for the Niu family's third generation, but Niu Kaitian's grandson would also be named during this evening's feast. Barely a hundred days after birth, this third-generation child had already become famous across the Death Calamity Sea.
Fame was sometimes a burden, but sometimes a protective talisman.
As long as Niu Kaitian did not fall, who would dare touch his grandson?
While the many powerhouses drank and laughed, a burly, silver-haired giant stepped out from the inner palace holding a small ball of flesh, flanked by two late-stage Star-rank powerhouses.
This hulking figure, standing over four meters tall, was Niu Kaitian. Upon his massive head rested a pair of enormous bull horns. His black, horizontally slitted pupils caused anyone who met his gaze to feel a twinge of dread, breaking out in cold sweat all over.
In truth, Niu Kaitian was neither a bull demon nor an ox spirit; he was the disaster god, the Fei beast, recorded in the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*.
The *Classic of Mountains and Seas* recorded: *It resembles an ox with a white head, a single eye, and a snake's tail. Its name is Fei. Where it treads, waters dry up and grasses perish; wherever it is seen, great plagues fall upon the world.*
Simply put, Niu Kaitian's true form possessed the head of an ox with a single eye and a serpentine lower half. Wherever he went, calamity followed—a veritable harbinger of doom.
Of course, Niu Kaitian had already cultivated to the System Rank, so he had long mastered the powers endowed by his bloodline, controlling them at will. Even in his humanoid form, he possessed two normal eyes rather than one.
Furthermore, the lower half of his true form was no longer a serpent's body, but a dragon's. This was the origin of the "Dragon" in Bull Dragon Island. The present Niu Kaitian was no longer merely the disaster beast "Fei," but a Bull Dragon.
"Hahahaha! Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend my grandson's full-moon banquet! Take a look, everyone—this little rascal is my grandson. Isn't he adorable?"
Seated in the master seat of the banquet, Niu Kaitian swept his gaze across the hall. The entire hall immediately fell silent. He spoke with a hearty laugh, holding out the little tyke in the palm of his hand to show him off to the crowd.
The little tyke was indeed adorable, plump and chubby all over, with two tiny bull horns budding from his head and a third eye set in his forehead. An innate third eye typically signified extraordinary destiny; clearly, this little fellow's bloodline had surpassed even those of his father and grandfather.
A Bull Ghost Dragon.
Some knowledgeable figures present recognized the child's bloodline at once.
Behind the child grew a dragon tail, bull horns rested atop his head, and his eyes were purple with black sclerae—those black whites of the eyes were the signature trait of the Ghost Dragon clan.
"Hiss... What kind of heaven-defying luck is this, to combine the top bloodlines of both clans in one body? It's easy to foresee that as long as this little guy grows up, his future will be boundless. He might even surpass Niu Kaitian," a man dressed as a scholar remarked with a sharp intake of breath, whispering to Lu Junye at the neighboring table.
Lu Junye gave a subtle nod in agreement.
This little rascal's luck was indeed tremendous—yet for that very reason, his luck was not so great after all.
After tonight, the Niu and You families would be wiped from the Death Calamity Sea forever. After all, they had monopolized far too much, stirring up discontent among too many factions.
The banquet proceeded, moving into the gift-giving phase.
Many guests presented their congratulatory gifts one by one. The gifts were of considerable value; guests presenting particularly heavy gifts walked up to Niu Kaitian to display what they had brought.
"Bull God, this is a gift from our Zhou family of Eternal Calamity Island for your esteemed grandson. It is named the Divine Strength Bracelet, a Star-rank piece of equipment. Once worn, it gradually enhances the wearer's physical strength. Over time, that strength will grow immense, all the way to the limit of the Star Rank."
A woman in red stepped forward, producing a box. Inside lay a golden bracelet. She introduced it with a smile.
Many in the audience gasped upon hearing this. A Star-rank piece of equipment, not a Star Divine Artifact! Even in the Death Calamity Sea, such items were exceedingly rare.
Both Lu Junye and Cai Du stared hungrily at the box in the woman's hands. They had fought tooth and nail, braving several heavenly tribulations to attain their current strength, yet someone could simply wear a bracelet and gradually achieve the same.
How profoundly unfair the heavens were.
Chapter 391