Chapter 662: What a Perfect Title

At the very top of the Tenshukaku, a banquet was currently being held.

It was not a grand, crowded, spectacular affair—this banquet was small, a private, intimate gathering.

Yet despite its modest scale, it was exquisitely refined, even extravagantly luxurious; the Tenshukaku had been preparing for this feast for years.

They had scoured the island for rare treasures, beautiful maidens, exquisite delicacies—all solely to honor today's distinguished guest.

But the servants did not know who this mysterious guest was, nor did they dare ask; they only knew it was the General's command.

The head of the Yamato Island royal family should have been called Emperor, but Yamato Island is merely a witch domain—too insignificant for the title "Emperor"—so it was downgraded to "General."

Now, within the sealed upper hall of the Tenshukaku, the banquet—more lavish than any witch could have imagined—finally began.

Countless precious jewels adorned the vast banquet hall; though abundant, they were not haphazardly piled—each item was placed with deliberate design, perfectly arranged, devoid of any vulgar ostentation.

Many beauties, plump or slender, each uniquely lovely, wore specially tailored garments designed to maximize their beauty, every face bearing a flawless smile—radiant, dazzling, so captivating that one could not look away.

Yet these women, who in ordinary times would draw legions of admirers, were now merely servants and decorations for this banquet.

Even disposable ones.

From the moment this banquet began, these beauties would never leave this hall again.

The beauties knew their fate, but long since reduced to banquet tools, they had been trained not even to dare fear— the more terrified they felt, the sweeter their smiles became.

Of course, the banquet featured countless delicacies—all rare ingredients found on Yamato Island had been gathered.

The finest ingredients demanded the finest presentation—could any vessel be more exquisite than these beautiful, fragrant maidens?

This was a banquet of utter extravagance, even profligacy.

The current General, Fujiwara no Ieyasu, sat quietly kneeling within the sealed banquet hall, awaiting the guest's arrival.

She did not wait long—soon, a black humanoid form appeared within the locked, sealed hall.

"Sss, you witches are truly the real freaks—I've played in hell and never been this wild."

The black magic receded, revealing a charismatic man with golden hair and emerald eyes; he unceremoniously seized two beauties beside him, their hearts frozen in terror like frogs pinned by a snake, motionless—he embraced them effortlessly, left and right.

As he greedily feasted on the rare delicacies from the maidens' bodies, he spoke thus.

"Lord Mamen, you flatter me."

Fujiwara no Ieyasu—or rather, Yin Xie—bowed her head humbly, smiling nervously.

She dared not even raise her eyes to look at the man before her, for she knew that a single glance would make her explode.

Mammon, the Demon God of Greed—one of the Seven Lords of Hell, the embodiment of the Original Sin of Avarice, the God among Demons—his very existence was the personification of greed itself; anyone who looked upon him would be consumed by desire.

Yin Xie herself was a woman steeped in greed—she was precisely the kind of prey Mammon loved most; if she so much as lifted her eyes to gaze upon this demon god, even his mere avatar—not his true form—would burn her soul with greed, turning her into his eternal hound.

Even now, as she knelt humbly with eyes fixed on the floor, merely being watched by the demon god's gaze was enough to stir greed within her—decades of unfulfilled resentment rose like poison fire, scorching her heart.

"Truly delicious."

The man, still embracing the two beauties, lifted his head from their chests, glanced at Yin Xie, and spoke.

No one knew whether he praised the delicacies—or the soul steeped in greed.

"Speak. Why did you summon me? Be brief. Operating under the Three Kings' noses isn't easy—you don't have much time."

The man glanced around at the beauties.

Instantly, the faces of the women, who had been smiling like lifeless dolls, grew sincere—no, it was no longer sincerity; it had become outright sycophancy.

As if possessed, they drifted to the demon god's side, willingly lowering themselves, pressing their bodies together to form a living sofa, while others crawled on the floor like dogs, serving as footstools.

Mammon plopped down onto this soft, fragrant, warm seat, casually resting her legs on a maiden's back, then reached out and summoned a katana from afar, idly playing with it in her hand.

Hearing the demon god's words, Yin Xie, kneeling on the floor, burst into ecstatic joy—but still dared not raise her head, only obediently voiced her plea.

"Lord Mammon, I seek the full protection of the Abyss."

"Oh?"

The man's interest stirred slightly; she looked down at Yin Xie, then shook her head.

"Your chips cannot buy such a wish."

Though the corrupted soul of a celestial is a fine collectible, clearly it does not equal the value of the Abyss's full protection.

What a greedy soul—even her wish is greedy. She doesn't want Mammon's protection—she wants the Abyss's.

"My chips are not my soul, which has little value left."

Yin Xie had prepared for this; she shook her head.

"Then is it this island? Witch souls are hard to seize—stealing from the Underworld's system is too risky. This deal would lose money. I won't do it."

Mammon shook her head again.

"No, my lord—I offer you something far more precious: the key to the witches' rise."

Yin Xie shook her head again.

"The key to the witches' rise?"

The Demon God of Greed was genuinely intrigued.

In just a few hundred thousand years, the witches had climbed from a weak world to the top of the Catastrophes—this miracle concealed a secret, one that all races in the Western Universe burned to uncover, desperate to replace them.

Even the veteran Catastrophes of the Abyss were curious—if such a thing truly existed, it would justify the full mobilization of the Abyss.

"What is it?"

The previously lazy demon god sat upright, pressing for an answer.

"First, my lord, grant me the Abyss's protection."

Yin Xie did not answer directly, but bargained.

Instantly, the weight of the demon god's gaze intensified; the poison fire of her greed burned hotter, searing her soul with agony—any lapse might turn her into a puppet of desire.

Yet she held firm.

Among the Seven Lords of the Abyss, Mammon was the most reckless gambler—Yin Xie staked everything on this demon god's willingness to gamble for the witches' secret.

"Hehe, a soul with deep gambling instincts—interesting. Very well, I'll play along."

The man paused, chin in hand, then patted the head of one of the already desire-enslaved witches.

In an instant, Yin Xie beheld the unspeakable source of all evil—the Abyss.

Simultaneously, she felt liberation—the Abyss's power now shielded her; henceforth, she would be spared the torment of desire and sin.

Yin Xie rejoiced—she knew her wish had been granted.

"With the Abyss's protection, the demonic nature of the Hundred Ghosts will no longer be a burden. Now, if I devour them, the Demon-Buddha body will be complete."

The fallen immortal's eyes burned with madness.

She was the creator of Yamato Island, the ancestral source of all Yamato witches—all witches were her descendants, and now, it was time for them to repay their ancestor.

"Very well. Now tell me the secret of the witches' rise."

As Yin Xie reveled in triumph, the man's voice echoed beside her—she snapped back to awareness.

"The Saint's fortune. The witches murdered a born Saint and seized the Saint's boundless fortune."

She calmed her heart, then revealed the secret.

It was a secret she learned when she first accompanied Tai Bai Xianjun to the Western Universe—spoken by the immortal himself.

"It was the Saint's sacrifice that forged the witches' present glory."

Across from her, Mammon—who had been casually amused—nearly toppled off her maiden sofa.

Wait, what? A Saint?

The Demon God of Greed was momentarily stunned.

As one of the Seven Lords of the Abyss, she knew perfectly well what a Saint was—a being of omniscience and omnipotence, the ultimate goal of all in the Western Universe.

But how did a Saint from the Eastern Universe end up here? And how did the Eastern Saints allow such a priceless treasure to wander alone in the West?

This woman must be lying.

Mammon narrowed her eyes, glancing dangerously at Yin Xie.

But the demon god's power confirmed: this greedy witch was not lying.

Ohhh… now this was interesting.

The Demon God of Greed stroked her chin, suddenly finding the situation far more intriguing.

"Hahaha, fascinating! Extremely fascinating! Yes, your chips are sufficient—even this secret alone justifies the Abyss's protection."

The man laughed joyfully, nodding approvingly at Yin Xie.

But just as she was about to ask where the Saint was, a thunderous dragon roar echoed from outside.

"Whoa. Golden legend."

The man turned toward the window, seeing a colossal dragon-serpent coiling around the entire Yamato Island, its shadow fused with a tiny witch.

No introduction was needed—Mammon instantly recognized her: the born Saint, the very subject of their conversation.

But…

"Does this Saint have a collecting fetish?"

The demon god's gaze pierced through the tiny witch's body, seeing her essence, and internally groaned.

In her eyes, the Saint's golden, sunlike soul bore several labels—two stood out especially.

One was a black angelic wing mark; the other, a horned demon mark.

No demon would fail to recognize these two—each represented Lucifer, the Demon God of Pride, and Asmodeus, the current Demon King.

Most importantly, one was Mammon's former boss, the other, her current one.

Damn, the bosses really keep the good stuff to themselves—hiding it this well.

The Demon God of Greed trembled with rage.

Of course, she was pretending.

"Hehehe, if it's this fun, I've got to get involved too."

The man smirked, then reached into his body and pulled out a gold coin, which he tossed away.

The gold coin flew straight to the little demon girl, then silently melted into her body, becoming a new mark upon her soul.

After finishing this, the smiling man turned his head and regarded Yin Xie Na Qi, still kneeling and too afraid to look at him, with keen interest.

Ah, even the Demon God of Greed sometimes admired human greed—after all, she, the Demon God of Greed, always restrained her own desires; she only indulged in small greed, never great greed.

Is it not obvious which is more worthwhile: one full meal or constant half-meals?

The greatest greed stems from restraint.

Unfortunately, very few in this world understand this truth.

But it's fine—after all, if there were truly too many clever people, what fun would there be for us demon gods to watch?

Oh, it's time. The Demon King's afternoon tea has arrived; her most loyal butler must return to work.

The demon god, who had skipped her duties, checked the time, then patted the irredeemably fallen immortal on the shoulder with encouragement.

"Mm, go ahead and deliver it—no, go ahead and do it. The Abyss will always protect you."

After uttering these words, her form vanished as silently as it had appeared, and with her disappeared all the treasures and beauties of the banquet hall.

Only after the terrifying demon god had left did Yin Xie Na Qi raise his head, revealing a maniacal look of certain victory.

...... The demon god rejoiced......