# Chapter 2411: Engagement Banquet
Even though it was only the outer hall of the Fortune Divine Palace, it was densely covered with Dao Locks, so that no one except a powerful god could tear through space to arrive directly.
Because of this, when they sensed the spatial fluctuations, the guests gathered in the outer hall immediately detected it and quickly surrounded the area.
The spatial rift had already disappeared, leaving only a young, handsome man standing opposite Luo Sha. Although he appeared to be covered in injuries, he still emitted a heart-stopping aura fluctuation.
"Zhang Ruochen, it's actually Zhang Ruochen, doesn't that mean..."
"The one who returned alive is actually Zhang Ruochen." Some cultivator spoke with a trembling voice.
"Perhaps Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen only decided victory and defeat, not life and death."
"That's right, it must be that. If Yan Wushen had fallen, it would shake the entire Yama Clan. No, it would shake the entire Hell Realm, and the news would spread to all realms of the Heavenly Court."
"Yan Wushen just returned from breaking through in the Dark Star, triggering cosmic anomalies, increasing his lifespan against nature, and being blessed with great fortune—how could he possibly fall?"
...
Countless voices arose from the various halls.
But this was also the location where Bore and Yan Wushen were to be engaged. Why was only Zhang Ruochen seen, with no sign of Yan Wushen's return?
Those cultivators who refused to believe Yan Wushen could die at Zhang Ruochen's hands gradually lowered their voices, but their gazes toward Zhang Ruochen carried something indescribable.
Luo Sha lightly bit her red lips, gazing at Zhang Ruochen for a long time. Her eyes were misty, her expression caught between tears and laughter. "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back... This princess thought you had run away from the engagement, heh heh..."
She said "it's good that you're back" rather than "it's good that you came."
This meant she cared more about whether Zhang Ruochen could return alive than whether he could come at all.
Luo Shengtian, standing nearby, sensed no trace of Yan Wushen's aura and immediately understood the outcome of the battle. He had wanted to scold Zhang Ruochen a few words, but somehow, the anger in his heart was overtaken by curiosity, astonishment, doubt... and other emotions. Not a single harsh word came out.
Qingsheng Great Saint, who had returned early, along with Fortune Black Robe High Priest and the Four Seas Lord of the Heavenly Luo Divine Kingdom, stood in a corner of the banquet hall, gazing toward the entrance.
Qingsheng Great Saint was as warm as a spring breeze, his face full of smiles. "High Priest, Four Seas Lord, I told you Zhang Ruochen would definitely come. Now do you believe me? The disciples of the Blood Absolute Family never break their word."
Fortune Black Robe High Priest frowned slightly. "Unfortunately, tonight's engagement banquet... sigh, perhaps fate had already decided this. He cannot be blamed."
Qingsheng Great Saint and the Four Seas Lord naturally understood why Fortune Black Robe High Priest sighed.
Two engagement banquets. The one for Bore and Yan Wushen was equally grand, with many guests in attendance. Unfortunately, the one to be engaged had died, so naturally the engagement banquet could not continue.
What was supposed to be a joyous occasion had turned into a funeral.
Qingsheng Great Saint and the Four Seas Lord exchanged smiles. After all, Yan Wushen's fall did not harm the interests of their two families. Zhang Ruochen's return alive was a great joy.
On a festive day, one should smile more.
Not only them, but the entire outer hall of the Fortune Divine Palace saw mixed emotions—some rejoicing, others grieving. The cultivators of the Yama Clan and the Upper Three Clans who had come to attend the engagement banquet gathered in the North Garden. The atmosphere was heavy. Everyone looked at Bore with complex expressions, gently shaking their heads.
They all felt that Bore was too unfortunate. Although she had failed to become the Fate Divine Maiden, marrying an Eon-level Heavenly Proud One was still a good outcome.
But fate had toyed with her, causing such an incident on the day of her engagement.
"Zhang Ruochen goes too far."
"Since he ruined Senior Sister Bore's engagement banquet, let's go ruin his engagement banquet too."
"Our Yama Clan's Heavenly Proud Son cannot die in vain!"
A group of cultivators, filled with righteous indignation, rushed toward the South Garden.
"Shua!"
Bore's figure appeared before them, emitting dazzling Fate radiance. She shouted lightly, "What are you doing? Do you want to cause trouble in the Fortune Divine Palace?"
A Great Saint from the Destiny Temple stepped forward, speaking angrily, "Senior Sister Bore, Zhang Ruochen's actions tonight have put you in the most embarrassing situation. This is unbearable!"
"That's right, we must turn things upside down!"
...
The noise grew louder, reaching the ears of Qingsheng Great Saint, the Four Seas Lord, and Fortune Black Robe High Priest.
The expressions of Qingsheng Great Saint and the Four Seas Lord both turned cold.
With the gods absent, they were the highest authority.
Someone actually wanted to cause trouble before them—did they think the Blood Absolute Family and the Heavenly Luo Divine Kingdom had no one?
Seeing the situation was unfavorable, Fortune Black Robe High Priest quickly said, "Since this is happening in the Fortune Divine Palace, let me handle it."
"I'll leave it to the High Priest," Qingsheng Great Saint snorted.
The Four Seas Lord said, "It's best if the High Priest handles it."
Fortune Black Robe High Priest descended to the North Garden and quickly suppressed the cultivators of the Yama Clan and the Upper Three Clans. The noise gradually subsided.
Zhang Ruochen and Luo Sha walked side by side, entering the center of the South Garden in the outer hall. They arrived beneath an Eon Ancient Tree, bathed in white rain of light. Cultivators continuously came forward to offer congratulations.
"Wanqi Blood Sea's Liu Kun, by order of Prison Gold Heavenly God, presents three carts of sacred medicine, one quasi-emperor-grade blood pill, and ten sacred dragon hides, congratulating Young Master Ruochen and Princess Luo Sha on their perfect match and eternal love."
Blood Qi stood nearby, transmitting a message to Zhang Ruochen: "Wanqi Blood Sea is one of the seven great blood seas of the Blood Heaven Tribe. Prison Gold Heavenly God is the master of Wanqi Blood Sea, renowned throughout the universe for hundreds of thousands of years. Liu Kun is Prison Gold Heavenly God's divine envoy."
A Blood Heaven Tribe was comparable to a strong realm ranked in the top hundred of the Heavenly Court, with numerous gods standing like a forest.
Prison Gold Heavenly God was considered a giant-level existence in the entire universe, able to sit on equal footing with Blood Absolute War God.
For such a great figure to send a divine envoy with gifts showed the weight of this marriage alliance between Zhang Ruochen and Princess Luo Sha.
Zhang Ruochen had seen Liu Kun before—he was one of the cultivators from the Blood Heaven Tribe who participated in the Heaven Hunting Battle. For him, who had just entered the Hundred Shackles Realm, to become Prison Gold Heavenly God's divine envoy showed the enormous impact of the Undying Blood Clan's first-place finish among the ten clans on these participating cultivators. It had almost changed their lives.
Liu Kun worshipped Zhang Ruochen to no end. Standing before Zhang Ruochen, he was extremely respectful, unable to put on any airs as a divine envoy. Instead, he was like a soldier looking at his commander.
"Cangqing Blood Sea's Canghu Emperor Lord, by order of Nanxu Heavenly God, presents one box of divine stones and ten Eon-level sacred medicines, congratulating Young Master Ruochen and Princess Luo Sha on their destined union, bound for three lifetimes."
Another cultivator who had participated in the Heaven Hunting Battle.
"Mosha Blood Sea..."
...
Blood Qi was a Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saint, thoroughly familiar with the famous figures of the major forces in the Hell Realm. Standing beside Zhang Ruochen, he introduced and explained each one.
He, who had once looked upon Zhang Ruochen with great displeasure, now admired him to the utmost.
"Falling Star Divine Temple's Fang Mofeng, Mo Cuo, and Yan Hanyu, by order of the Hall Master, come to pay respects."
Falling Star Divine Temple ranked low among the various divine temples of the Shura Clan, only eighteenth, but it was still a regional overlord.
In the Hell Realm, whether gods or Saint Realm cultivators, they mainly associated with cultivators of their own clan. Just like in the Kunlun Realm, there were humans, dragons, cat clans... but the deepest relationships were still mostly within one's own clan.
For the Hall Master of Falling Star Divine Temple, one of the twenty-four divine temples of the Shura Clan, to personally send disciples to attend the engagement banquet of Zhang Ruochen and Princess Luo Sha was undoubtedly a signal of alliance and closeness. Its significance was extraordinary.
At this engagement banquet, almost all major forces of the Undying Blood Clan and the Rakshasa Clan had sent representatives, accounting for more than seventy percent of all cultivators. Additionally, various forces of varying sizes from the Ghost Clan, Stone Clan, Corpse Clan, Bone Clan, and Shura Clan came to offer congratulations. Falling Star Divine Temple was the most typical representative, ranking among the top forces of the Shura Clan.
The Yama Clan's Xue Zhi Ancient God also sent a divine envoy with gifts.
Only the Underworld Clan and the Death Clan had not a single cultivator in attendance. Even if they came, they gathered in the North Garden, attending the engagement banquet of Yan Wushen and Bore.
Blood Chen, Blood Ningxiao, and the other members of the Blood Absolute Family received the generous gifts from all sides, sighing with emotion in their hearts.
This was just an engagement banquet, and the major forces had already sent so many gifts. When the formal wedding day arrived, wouldn't it be even more extraordinary?
This was the marriage bestowed by a God Venerable?
This was the influence of an alliance between two major forces?
Many of Luo Sha's close friends had come, including divine kingdom princesses, daughters of gods, and Heavenly Proud Daughters of the top forces in the Hell Realm. Each was stunning, incomparable to ordinary beauties.
After parting from them, Luo Sha quietly came to Zhang Ruochen's side and transmitted a message in a low voice: "This is just an engagement banquet. You should rest first. I'll handle them."
Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head. "As long as I don't fight anyone, my injuries won't worsen."
Luo Sha wanted to persuade him further, but saw over a dozen graceful and moving figures approaching, accompanied by waves of fragrant wind and pleasant laughter. They were the group of close friends she had grown up with.
Feng Qingli was a disciple of Heavenly Sound Divine Mother, with spiritual power at the peak of the sixty-sixth level. Although she was a Rakshasa woman, she carried not a trace of seductiveness. She was pure and dignified, holy and refined.
She examined Zhang Ruochen with a scrutinizing gaze for a moment, then said, "Is Yan Wushen dead?"
"Mm."
Zhang Ruochen was also examining Feng Qingli. Like other Rakshasa women, she was extremely tall. Even wearing multiple layers of sacred garments, one could still see her astonishing curves.
Although Zhang Ruochen only glanced casually, it provoked Feng Qingli's displeasure. She said, "You haven't been in the Hell Realm long, but there are already many rumors about you."
She paused, then added, "Most of them are bad rumors. After the engagement, treat my junior sister well. If you dare to betray her, you will die very horribly."
As if deliberately trying to intimidate Zhang Ruochen, her spiritual power erupted invisibly as she spoke.
Before Zhang Ruochen's eyes, various terrifying scenes appeared—images of his corpse being dissected, images of Yu Huang, Lian Xi, and other women having their souls scattered... These scenes, as if they had really happened, invaded Zhang Ruochen's heart.
It had to be said, Feng Qingli's spiritual power was extremely terrifying, far surpassing Wujiang and Qidie.
A woman in red clothes giggled, waving her sleeve like a gauze curtain, dispersing Feng Qingli's spiritual power. "Qingli, Young Master Ruochen has just returned from a life-and-death battle with serious injuries, yet you are so harsh. If you don't feel sorry for him, my little Shaoshao probably will, right?"
"That's right, your spiritual power is so strong. Even if Young Master Ruochen weren't injured, he probably couldn't withstand it at the Hundred Shackles Realm. And now that he's injured, if he makes a fool of himself, it will be Sister Sha's face that's lost." A voice as soft as honey, penetrating to the bone, sang with laughter.
Luo Sha secretly glanced at Zhang Ruochen. Seeing that he was not angry, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She knew very well which of these close friends were true friends and which were false. There were quite a few bitches among them.
Luo Sha smiled, half-angry, half-amused. "Zhang Ruochen killed a Great Saint slave of the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm in the Heaven Hunting Battlefield. You'd better not provoke him, or he might teach you a lesson. I won't help mediate."
Represented by the woman with the honey-like voice, several of her close friends revealed mocking smiles.
Chi Emperor was indeed a Great Saint of the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm, but his spiritual power was sealed, his hands were bound by divine chains, and he was seriously injured. When Zhang Ruochen killed him, his combat power was probably not even as good as a peak Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint.
The woman with the honey-like voice was the Qi Princess of one of the Rakshasa Clan's seven great divine kingdoms, "Yuegu Divine Kingdom." Her cultivation had reached the peak of the Thousand Questions Realm, and she had little reverence for this so-called Eon-level genius, Zhang Ruochen.
Even if Chi Emperor were at his peak, she was confident she could kill him.
Luo Sha's group of close friends all had extraordinary identities and stunning beauty. Some had extremely high cultivation levels. Unfortunately, Zhang Ruochen had no good feelings toward them. After Luo Sha introduced them one by one, Zhang Ruochen found an excuse and decisively left.
Qi Princess wore a luxurious sacred garment made from the petals of a hundred kinds of sacred flowers. She was stunningly beautiful, like a flower fairy. She walked to Luo Sha's side, took her arm, and said in a coquettish voice, "Sister Sha, this older sister thinks this Eon-level genius isn't all that impressive. Marrying him is a bit of a loss for you."
Beside her, a high-status divine daughter said sarcastically, "I didn't expect that with Sister Sha's talent and talent, she couldn't escape the fate of a political marriage. After being attacked by Qingli's spiritual power, he didn't even dare to say a word. It must be because of the human blood in his body that makes him so weak."
"After all, Zhang Ruochen's cultivation is still low. Going against a Great Saint with peak sixty-sixth-level spiritual power would only hurt him. If it were me, I would choose to hide too. Hehe."
"I heard Zhang Ruochen's ranking on the Divine Reserve List is very low. He might not be able to become a god. Sister Sha is truly pitiful."
Luo Sha kept smiling, constantly controlling her emotions, not wanting to ruin the festive atmosphere of the engagement banquet. But the more they spoke, the more excessive they became, and the anger in her heart could no longer be contained.
Just then, exclamations arose from the banquet.
"Really? Impossible, right? His body contains a great world?"
"How could it be false? Many important figures entered the Void Space to watch the battle. The news has already spread!"
"At just the Hundred Shackles Realm, his combat power can suppress a Great Saint of the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm. Unheard of, too terrifying. I'm afraid only the two of them have such ability."
"It is said that the strongest combat power they unleashed was more than just the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm."
...
As the cultivators discussed, their gazes turned toward Zhang Ruochen, their eyes filled with even more awe.
Qi Princess, Feng Qingli, and the other close friends learned through transmission what they were discussing—the specifics of the life-and-death duel between Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen. After roughly understanding, they were all shocked.
Looking at Zhang Ruochen again, they dared not show the slightest contempt.
This Eon-level genius was even more formidable than they had imagined. It seemed they could not treat him as just a Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saint.