Every cultivator attending the Commensal Feast knew they were in the Celestial River Dragon Mansion, located within the Xiyue River.
This place was once the Dragon Palace of the Flood Dragon Demon of the Xiyue River.
What they didn't know, however, was that their current location was not the Celestial River Dragon Mansion, but an isolated island called Golden Egg Jade Island.
The island was named Golden Egg Jade because it didn't exist in the physical world, but rather resided parasitically within a Magical Treasure.
The Magical Treasure was called the Golden Egg Jade Pearl, and thus the island borrowed its name.
And this Magical Treasure was, of course, in the hands of the Mother Divination True Master.
For most cultivators, the Commensal Feast was truly only a temptation for those with low Cultivation Levels. In reality, the resources on offer were beneath the notice of those on par with the Mother Divination True Master.
Thus, the Commensal Feast had become a gathering for the younger generation, an opportunity for those who had just begun their journey as Cultivators.
This was why, for so many years, no one had discovered that the Commensal Feast was actually held on an isolated island rather than at the bottom of the Xiyue River.
But this time, the Commensal Feast was an exception, for the Mother Divination True Master had specially invited a very important figure.
To secure this great figure's assistance, the Mother Divination True Master had spared no effort, searching far and wide for over a decade before finally finding and slaying a Flood Dragon Demon.
The lesser portions of the Flood Dragon Demon's physical body were distributed among the many cultivators attending the Commensal Feast, while the core parts were naturally reserved for the great figure the Mother Divination True Master so eagerly awaited.
At that moment, deep within a grotto in the heart of Golden Egg Jade Island.
The grotto was dark and claustrophobic, like an abyss.
Countless Glue Insect Children guarded and patrolled the periphery, and security was ironclad.
At the center of this guarded area was a stone cavern. The cavern walls, though covered in moss and dust, were adorned with faded, incomplete carvings of flowers and Buddhist figures.
The place was utterly devoid of light, yet filled with an overwhelming sense of peace—solemn and bizarre.
Wisps of smoke occasionally drifted from the cave, carrying the faint scent of sandalwood before quickly vanishing into the darkness.
Behind a small, exquisite Incense Burner, the wall was covered in countless fist-sized Meat Eggs and fleshy buds. These biological masses, enough to make one's Scalp crawl, were seemingly fused together, forming a wide skirt of flesh.
Looking up, one could see the upper body of a woman, nearly five feet tall, emerging from the skirt of flesh.
Her torso was that of a normal, gracefully poised human, complete with fine clothes, bright eyes, and pearly teeth.
But her lower half was enough to send a chill down the spine of any observer—a truly shocking sight.
"It has been decades, Elder. I trust you have been well. I, Mother Divination, have been eagerly awaiting your arrival."
The woman, who called herself Mother Divination, was the master of Golden Egg Jade Island—the renowned Mother Divination True Master.
Her red lips parted in a faint smile. As she spoke, the skirt of Meat Eggs beneath her shifted, rolling two pure, jade-white eggs forward. The eggs cracked open, and a golden liquid flowed into a pair of cups. She then pushed one of them toward her guest.
"I wonder if Elder Life Crane still remembers the rich aroma of my Yolk Tea?"
Opposite her sat a slightly hunched, cross-legged figure.
The contents of the cup emitted a faint golden luminescence. In its soft glow, the figure slowly leaned forward. A wizened hand reached out to take the cup, and the light illuminated his face.
He had a perfectly ordinary human body, dressed in coarse, gray-white robes, but atop his neck sat two bizarre and utterly different heads.
One was the ordinary head of an old man with a wizened face, white hair, and white eyebrows, so frail he looked to be on the verge of death from old age.
The other, while the size of a human head, was not human at all. It had a long, sharp beak, a patch of red on its crown, and downy, grayish-black feathers. Its eyes were filled with a sinister venom. It was the head of a crane.
"Heh heh heh, you venomous old crone. You invited me here for one reason and one reason only: to help you with that Ancient Collection under the Xiyue River. Don't think calling me 'Elder' will earn you any goodwill from me."
"…"
The massive He Tou opened its beak, brazenly mocking the Mother Divination True Master. Its shrill voice dripped with murderous intent and cruelty, showing her no respect whatsoever.
The Mother Divination True Master stiffened. Though she had prepared herself, she couldn't stop her breath from quickening at the taunt. Even the mass of eggs and flesh beneath her pulsed faintly.
But she had been the one to invite Elder Life Crane. For the sake of what lay within the Ancient Collection, she had no choice but to endure his abuse.
His Cultivation Level alone, having reached the terrifying realm of a Half-Step Zombie God at the peak of Corpse Transformation, meant he was far from someone she would dare to disrespect.
Anyone who knew of Elder Life Crane knew the old fellow was a single body with two heads—one man and one He. There was no hierarchy between them; they were two parts of a whole, acting as one.
He Tou had always been venom-tongued, sparing no one—often not even the other head.
She had been mocked and insulted when she first met Elder Life Crane decades ago, and it was no different now.
In response, the Mother Divination True Master could only offer a faint smile, doing her best to suppress her emotions and pretend she hadn't heard a thing.
Their mutual acquaintances among the cultivators had always acknowledged the human head as Elder Life Crane and simply pretended He Tou didn't exist.
"Shut up! Cease this nonsense!"
The other head on Elder Life Crane's shoulders—the old man's—immediately reprimanded it. Though the voice was aged, its level tone was filled with authority.
Despite this, He Tou just let out a cold laugh and continued its merciless taunts.
"Oho, getting protective, are we, old man? You're not actually thinking of making a move on this old crone, are you? You can really stomach a creature covered in tumors like her? If you do, you'd better twist my head to the side. I have no desire to be as desperate as you."
"…"
Hearing He Tou's words, it wasn't just the Mother Divination True Master this time—a vein bulged on Elder Life Crane's human head as well.
The cavern was suddenly plunged into a strange, silent atmosphere.
After a long moment of silence, the voice of a Glue Insect Child suddenly rang out from beyond the entrance.
"True Master, the roster of cultivators for the feast has been compiled. Please, review it."
The voice shattered the eerie silence. The Mother Divination True Master took a deep breath and permitted the Child to enter.
Soon, a Glue Insect Child approached, holding a pile of Jade Scrolls. It prostrated itself before the Mother Divination True Master and respectfully presented them.
After the Glue Insect Child withdrew, the Mother Divination True Master waved her hand, causing the numerous Jade Scrolls to float before her as she examined them one by one.
She reviewed the roster of cultivators attending the Commensal Feast every year. It was all tied to arrangements she had made over a decade ago using the Flood Dragon Demon's physical body.
She had waited more than ten years for this day. Today was the day of harvest, the culmination of a cycle.
After today, she would harvest a new batch of Furnace Cauldrons, and Golden Egg Jade Island would have some new Children.
Elder Life Crane's human head quietly sipped the Yolk Tea. He Tou stretched out its neck, snatched the cup meant for the Mother Divination True Master, and drained it in one gulp. Finding no more amusement in provoking her, it fell silent, retracted its neck, and closed its eyes to rest.
Soon, the Mother Divination True Master had reviewed most of the Jade Scrolls. But as she read on, her gaze suddenly froze. She looked up at Elder Life Crane.
An almost imperceptible flicker of disgust crossed her eyes as she glanced at He Tou. The Mother Divination True Master quickly shifted her gaze to Elder Life Crane's human head, her expression a mixture of confusion and amusement.
"Since when did Elder Life Crane take on a new Direct Disciple named Yang An?
Why send him to the Commensal Feast without giving me a heads-up? I could have arranged for him to be given special care."