Infinite Slaughter System: I Kill, Therefore I Ascend!-Chapter 155: The Banquet
The Asura Blood Hall was quite bustling today, more than any other day that preceded it. Usually, it was already quite active, being the third most active among the Six Paths Halls after the True Human Hall and the Divine Deva Hall, because the former were crafters and businessmen while the latter was the administrator of the entire sect.
The Asura Blood Hall and its disciples were the sanctioned killers of the entire sect, so they frequently had to go out to get fresh blood and materials, and also to do killing tasks to rack up merits, so you could always see activity on the Hall grounds, large as it was.
However, today was different because the entirety of the main courtyard, which normally hosted fights and spars between disciples of the hall, had been neatly arranged into a rather large and opulent banquet scene with endless splendor.
The banquet scene was also quite heavily populated, mostly by male disciples of the Asura Blood Hall as, at the hall level, it was mostly rare and seen as improper for disciples of the other paths to come here. After all, they had everything they needed in their own halls, so unless it was something urgent or important that affected all halls together, they were sparse.
Yet despite that, there were still a few disciples from some of the other halls, especially the Wild Beast Hall, who represented nearly five percent of the total attendance for this event.
The banquet itself had long been underway for a while, and many parties were drinking happily at the various tables with cushioned mats spread around the courtyard, chatting among themselves happily while their eyes inevitably darted to the target of their actions.
In the center of the banquet, at a slightly upraised table that was on a stage, sat Bai Ruyi all alone, a pot of wine before her as she looked both listless and helpless, like a woman who had lost her will to live. She still wore her loose blue hanfu, but whether it was intentional or not, the hem had slid down on either side, revealing a patch of snow-white skin that captivated onlookers.
Coupled with her cat-like sitting posture, those down below felt that if they found the right angle, they would be able to peek and witness the fruit of the orchard. Those who had self-control were only craning their necks slightly at best, while those fellows who were completely mired in her charm were practically kneeling on the floor, looking like those creeps in high school who tried to peek under a girl’s skirt by looking under the desk.
Yet despite this, no matter what angle they took or what eye technique they secretly used, they found that they were always inches off the mark, as if a slight adjustment was all they needed, but that slight adjustment always escaped them.
Many were completely enraptured by this as they grew crazier and crazier, burning their lifespans and cultivation just to break through that final line and witness what they sought, but they were driven even crazier when it was still denied them.
It always felt like they had made progress but still had just an inch to go to reach success, and that kind of malevolent manipulation was one of the most insidious types in the world.
As for Bai Ruyi, she poured herself a cup of rose wine which she personally purchased from the Holy City a while back, able to help her refine her body cultivation and patch up some of the flaws she left from haphazardly cultivating back then.
As such, when she downed the cup, her body flushed slightly, making her seem more enchanting and alluring to the crowd, especially when she gently shuffled her legs, then squeezed them, as if aroused in some way. Meanwhile, it was just Bai Ruyi reacting to the wine working on her system and channeling the excess into maintaining her attractive disposition.
As the Saintess of what was essentially a Yang Sucking Demoness Sect, her skills in seduction were probably only matched by the Sect Mistress and the Ancestress. Even righteous disciples who guarded their hearts and cultivated their Dao Hearts were unlikely to withstand her onslaught, much less these demonic disciples who didn’t have firm wills and had flawed mentalities.
Personally, she didn’t even do much of the organizing of this. However, Bai Ruyi had been left alone and with her nature, she was feeling incredibly insecure and afraid, because of the simple fact that she could not understand nor control Li Ling.
Li Ling was as much an enigma to her now as when he first met her. His actions seemed to align with someone who was careless, reckless, and impulsive, but then at times he would become cunning and adaptable to the situation, throwing her off.
Unlike Li Ling, who could scan people and see their intentions, Bai Ruyi had no such power, so her cultivated ability to read people thanks to her training and skill in the Joyous Union Sutra was what she had relied on to get this far. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
But against Li Ling, it was like trying to read an encrypted file, leaving her utterly dizzy and confused. As such, she took the resources he gave her and used them to make connections that granted her resources indeed, but it was these connections she favored.
Coupled with her identity as Saintess of the Boundless Joy Sect and her well-crafted sob story about how she was captured by Li Ling, who intended to defile her upon his return, she managed to sway countless hearts into her faction.
But who knew her actions would snowball into these fellows feeling agitated and wanting to ’liberate’ her from the clutches of the ’evil’ Li Ling? According to demon sect rules, she was his property, registered and filed by Tang Huo when Li Ling became a Path Walker, which was why she could even strut up and down in the hall in the first place.
Meddling with the property of another disciple was a no-no, which was why Li Ling’s harebrained scheme to let Luo Roumei attract rapacious fellows at the Black Heaven Sect outpost failed. The consequences of doing such a thing, even if the other party was weaker than you in terms of status or cultivation, were not worth it.
Yet, so many had heeded the call, willing to provoke the unknown and disregarded Li Ling. All they knew about him was his reckless nature and his Blood Child status from the mouth of Tang Huo, all of which was revealed to them by Bai Ruyi.
None of Li Ling’s current achievements had made it back yet, otherwise Bai Ruyi would not have dared to come and sit here even if she had ten thousand more guts. As it was, her main source of confidence finally entered the scene, coming from above on a large flying mount that resembled a pterodactyl that had feathers and was quite speedy, arriving before them within seconds.
When he landed in the center of the square, right before Bai Ruyi’s podium, his cold eyes lit up and his demeanor became softer. He stepped down from the mount, floating downwards gracefully as his pristine white and gold robes fluttered in the wind.
"Ruyi, are you doing well? Is everything going well for you?" he asked gently, seeming more like a caring husband coming home to see his troubled wife.
Despite this, Bai Ruyi cleverly and deftly avoided any handsy or touchy movements from the fellow, not even allowing him to grip the hem of her attire. Internally, she felt disdain, but she couldn’t deny the fellow’s use as a backer, for he was at the Nascent Soul level, which meant he was a precious core disciple!
Such a person could always suppress things in these mere halls, his presence here being an anomaly of some sort!
Seeing Bai Ruyi avoid him made the fellow’s eyes darken slightly, but he glanced up at the banner overhead the podium which stated its name and motto, then reinvigorated himself. He then assumed that Bai Ruyi must still be scared about the consequences of that cretin husband of hers finding out.
Hmph, a mere Path Lord at best—did he dare to compete with him, a Core Disciple of the middle layer, for a woman? If it weren’t for his confidence in success today, this fellow would have directly abducted Bai Ruyi and had his way with her long ago.
Bai Ruyi felt the danger, so kept this fellow at arm’s length, but not far enough away to dash his hopes, keeping him around for situations like this.
At this time, the banquet was in full swing, but the noise occurring within was quickly suppressed by the noise from outside. There was cursing, screaming, and the sound of clashing weapons that made those within simmer down into a cold hush, until the entrance of the banquet was kicked open by someone who strode in arrogantly.
With shining blue eyes filled with malevolent and barely concealed anger, Li Ling walked into the banquet grounds, his eyes immediately locking onto the smiling Bai Ruyi.
