Evidently, he knew something of the inside story.

"Advent Day?"

Hearing Giant Mouth's words, the guests in the main reception hall exchanged blank looks. The vast majority had never even heard the term.

But the Elder of 'Honesty' grimaced, his expression darkening.

Evidently, he knew something of the inside story.

Seeing his reaction, panic immediately rippled through the crowd.

'Honesty' couldn't lie. If he was reacting like this, didn't that mean the claim that Old Sin City only had ten years left was true?!

Yan Jing glanced at Chen Nian beside him. To his surprise, Chen Nian remained silent. Instead, Old Master Liu spoke up.

"The sky changing in ten years... it seems the rumors are true."

Old Master Liu muttered.

"Old Master, what do you mean by that?"

Yan Jing asked slowly.

Old Master Liu let out a long sigh.

"Where we come from, it's called the Day of Changing Heavens, but it should mean the same thing."

"According to the legends, a massive upheaval will occur in ten years."

"Changing the Azure Heaven, changing the Azure Heaven, changing the New Heaven—this means the structure of the Inner World will shift three times. And these three shifts are actually three opportunities for people to... step into the highest realm and touch the threshold of a Weird God."

"It is a legend passed down since ancient times."

Beside them, Chen Nian finally seemed to snap out of his daze and spoke up.

"Let's use the terminology of the Eerie Capital's Domain. Advent Day is divided into Heaven Revelation, Earth Revelation, and Divine Revelation."

"Among them, Divine Revelation refers to the revelation of the myriad gods."

"Earth Revelation refers to the Domain Revelation."

"And Heaven Revelation refers to the revelation of transforming the heavens."

"Rumor has it that once Advent Day arrives, the Domain War will break out. Various organizations that have crowned themselves as gods will emerge, and the strongest powerhouses of this generation will all reveal themselves."

"They will have only one goal."

"To reach the Summit."

Hearing this, Old Master Liu narrowed his eyes and muttered, "It sounds like something to yearn for. In truth, I had those same ambitions when I was young, but I eventually realized that such things are far, far out of our reach."

"Weird Gods, Lords of the Domain, Heaven Revelation... they have little to do with us. Regardless of whether the legends are true, if that day really comes, even ranking in the top thousand for any of them would be considered a major victory in this treacherous, chaotic world."

Old Master Liu and Chen Nian had kept their voices low, but the others around the round table still caught fragments of their conversation.

For a moment, expressions varied across the group.

Cheng Xin and Shan Shan were in a state of obvious panic.

Tiger kept glancing at Old Master Liu, his fearful eyes tinged with a pleading look.

An Ze and Lu Miao remained silent. They had known all along that this banquet would bring massive changes, but they never expected those changes to be this terrifying.

Rose, One-Eye, and Mantou were all afraid as well, though the three of them didn't seem to entirely grasp the sheer weight behind Old Master Liu's words.

"Don't dwell on it."

Yan Jing looked at Mantou and the other two, speaking in a steady tone.

"Those things are too far removed from us. Just focus on what's right in front of you."

Yan Jing's voice seemed to carry a soothing effect. Though the group still looked frightened, they visibly relaxed, their nerves no longer wound so tightly.

In reality, Yan Jing was merely siphoning away the Fear Power the three of them were generating.

At that moment, Giant Mouth spoke again from the stage.

"Once Advent Day descends, our Domain will either be reduced to nothingness in a raging storm of Weird Energy, swallowed by the expansion of the Unstable Domain, or directly shattered and annexed by other Domains!"

"Ten years! We all had great lives ahead of us, but now we only have ten years left!"

"Honored guests, my friends! Are you willing to become abandoned pawns? Are you willing to just die in despair, discarded like trash?!"

Giant Mouth's words struck a chord, stirring the hearts of many in the audience.

They stared at him, their eyes flickering with emotion.

Giant Mouth continued.

"I know none of you are willing! That is why, a decade or two ago, several of our Domains began plotting together. We had only one goal in mind, and that was... returning home!"

"We must return to the Eerie Capital! We must go back to that stable land! Even with the great era upon us, we have to fight for that final sliver of hope!"

Giant Mouth's voice gradually escalated into a roar. Down in the audience, people began to echo his sentiments. Passionate and riled up, they joined in this grand vision for the future.

"What do we have to do?"

Someone who still retained a shred of calm called out.

"First, we must find the path that allows the Domain to return."

Giant Mouth said slowly, "As far as we know, there are exactly three methods."

"The first is to break through the Fourth Tier."

As soon as the words fell, a trace of despair washed over the faces in the crowd.

Breaking through the Fourth Tier meant shattering the upper limits of Old Sin City's Domain. Giant Mouth and the others hadn't been able to achieve it after so many years; it was nothing short of a pipe dream.

"The second method is to find someone whose Pathway corresponds to a Domain in the outside world. Because Old Sin City lacks a Domain matching their Pathway, their Pathway remains fragmented. If their Pathway can be fully restored and perfected, it will trigger a resonance with that corresponding Domain on the outside."

"That resonance will manifest the path we need."

"The final method is to find someone with the potential for dual Pathways. And the way to do that is to have two exceptionally gifted individuals from completely different Pathways reproduce."

"Which brings us to the purpose of today's banquet."

As he spoke, Giant Mouth swept his two tentacle-like arms toward the Dandelion Manor's side of the hall.

"Miss Yu Xiran! Currently the most outstanding entity of the 'Life' Pathway in Dandelion Manor. She has displayed unparalleled talent within the 'Life' Pathway and is widely regarded as the candidate for the manor's next master."

"Even more praiseworthy is the reproductive power she has demonstrated, which finally makes our plan truly feasible!"

As Giant Mouth finished speaking, Yu Xiran, whose long hair cascaded all the way down to her waist, stood up from her seat and offered a slight bow to the crowd.

Next, he waved a massive hand again, this time pointing toward the Sleepland section.

"Mr. Meng Qianqiu! The eldest son of Mr. Meng Yisheng, the current head of Sleepland. The talent he has shown in the 'Sloth' Pathway is even stronger than Mr. Meng Yisheng's own! Moreover, his physical condition has been evaluated and found exceptionally suited for reproduction!"

This time, over on the Sleepland side, several people worked together to prop up a man whose eyes were squeezed shut and who had drool pooling at the corner of his mouth. He looked to be in his twenties, but there was an obvious disconnect between his face and the clothes he wore. It was blatantly clear that his family had dressed him; his collar was even folded inward awkwardly because of how he tilted his head to sleep.

After his family patted him awake, he stared blankly across the room at Yu Xiran and let out a couple of dopey, simple-minded chuckles.

"Xi... Xiran..."

Having muttered that, he immediately closed his eyes and fell right back asleep.

Giant Mouth extended his arms wide and declared, "Let us offer a round of applause for this perfect couple! For the sake of Old Sin City's future, they have willingly sacrificed themselves! It is truly moving!"

Before his words even fell, thunderous applause had already filled the great hall.

Chen Nian tilted his head and whispered softly to Yan Jing and Old Master Liu.

"He conveniently left out the part where whoever finds that path becomes the Lord of the Domain."

Yan Jing nodded.

"That's exactly why this is a conference."

"The reason Dandelion Manor and Sleepland made such massive moves before the banquet even started is because the potential profits are enormous enough to justify taking such a huge risk."