< Chapter 56: Various Parties >
Fei Si’s face darkened.
The City Lord of Huoshi City also narrowed his eyes slightly.
Since the emergence of the Lava Immortal Palace, he had been working tirelessly to keep the news under wraps, fully expecting it to attract the attention of the higher-ups in the dynasty.
But he hadn’t expected them to come so quickly!
Fei Si’s mind was awash with all sorts of distracting thoughts: “Could someone have intentionally leaked the information?”
“The Zheng Family and the Zhou Family are unlikely; they would prefer to reap benefits from the Lava Immortal Palace themselves.”
“Could it be the Ning Family, feeling left behind in progress, decided to bring in outsiders?”
Zhu Xuanji, seeing the two men silent, chuckled lightly: “Meng Kui, your Meng Family controls Ziyan City, Qingshuang City, and Tutai City. Do you now wish to take control of Huoshi Immortal City as well?”
“Let me tell you the truth. Five hundred years ago, the royal family already knew that the Lava Immortal Palace was buried within this mountain. Do you think the royal family has not opened the Immortal Palace for a reason?”
Fei Si was stunned.
Even the City Lord, Meng Kui, showed a trace of emotion.
As both a Divine Constable and a messenger of the royal family, Zhu Xuanji was unlikely to speak falsely.
But if this were true, all of Meng Kui’s actions and plans up to this point might have been nothing more than a joke!
Zhu Xuanji sighed: “The Lava Immortal Palace was not supposed to emerge at this time; there must be something fishy going on! That’s why I was sent here by the royal family and the Divine Constable Bureau to investigate.”
“This is the imperial edict.”
Meng Kui could no longer remain seated. He stood up, bent down, and accepted the edict with both hands.
After reading it and confirming its authenticity, Meng Kui asked, “What orders does the emissary have?”
Zhu Xuanji said, “I want to find out the true reason for the Immortal Palace’s emergence. Let Chi Dun cooperate with me for the investigation and visits first.”
“Whatever cooperation is required from you in the future, you will be informed.”
Facing the Nascent Soul stage Meng Kui, he spoke without courtesy.
Meng Kui immediately summoned Chi Dun and introduced him to Zhu Xuanji.
Moments later, Fei Si watched the backs of Chi and Zhu as they departed, worry evident in his voice. “My lord, I didn’t expect the royal family to dispatch someone so quickly!”
“It seems the royal family is also aware of the secrets of the Lava Immortal Palace.”
The city lord pondered, “In the past, the Three Sects’ elders and the former emperor of Southern Dou had a relationship, their ties were quite close.”
“It’s not surprising that the royal family knows some secrets.”
“I believe Zhu Xuanji has come this time to investigate and has no intention of intervening in the contest for the Lava Immortal Palace.”
“Everything proceeds as usual.”
Fei Si respectfully complied, “Yes.”
After he retreated, the clouds and mist once again obscured Meng Kui.
The city lord of Huoshi City’s face finally revealed his true emotions, turning extremely grim.
Though the Meng family was strong, they were merely a prominent family in Southern Dou Country.
Despite Meng Kui’s strength and his position as a Nascent Soul cultivator overseeing the mountain city, he was essentially just a city guardian.
Meng Kui looked around and, for the first time, felt the heavy clouds and mist around him were somewhat oppressive.
The patriarchs of the Zhou and Zheng families met in secret.
“Brother Zhou, not long ago, your family was attacked again, which made our family quite tense, on guard for many days!” The Zheng family patriarch said deliberately.
The Zhou family patriarch smiled slightly.
Before, when Zhou Zhu entered and exited the Lava Immortal Palace, Zhou Zhendeep had caused quite a blunder. Since there had already been a disturbance, the elders of the Zhou family discussed the matter and decided to turn the situation to their advantage. They staged a false enemy attack to deceive the other families and buy themselves more time.
Now, it seemed that although they had gained some time, it was of little use.
This was because the challenges of the Lava Immortal Palace were too difficult!
After thoroughly analyzing the intelligence brought back by Zhou Zhu and Zheng Jian, the Zhou and Zheng families realized that only by working together could they possibly overcome the challenges.
Therefore, they even approached the City Lord’s Mansion to seek cooperation, but Meng Chong refused.
Upon this refusal, both families became unsettled.
What did this imply?
It implied that Meng Chong of the City Lord’s Mansion did not need any cooperation and could succeed on his own!
No wonder he was considered exceptionally gifted.
After the high-ranking members of the two families expressed such sentiments, they immediately decided to join forces against the City Lord’s Mansion.
Otherwise, they had no hope of victory.
The head of the Zhou family sighed, “The Meng family is a powerful clan in our country, completely controlling three immortal cities.”
“Our two families cannot compare to the Meng family; we only occupy one city.”
“As for the inheritance of the Lava Immortal Palace, let’s not even mention it. Once Meng Chong becomes the Lord of Huoshi Immortal City, and the Lava Immortal Palace suppresses Huoshi, the Meng family will have the most valid reason to insert even more forces.”
“At that time, how will our two families position themselves?”
“Recently, every time I think of this, I become deeply worried.”
These words immediately resonated with the head of the Zheng family: “Only by uniting can we have a chance at victory.”
The head of the Zhou family continued, “In my opinion, we should also bring the Ning family into the fold. Compared to the City Lord’s Mansion, the three of us together would stand a much better chance.”
The head of the Zheng family pondered for a moment and then nodded decisively, “Alright, let’s bring in the Ning family!”
“A family is steadfast, but city lords come and go.”
“Huoshi Immortal City is already crowded with three families; we cannot let the Meng family interfere and take over!”
The head of the Ning family paced anxiously in his courtyard.
When a servant came to report good news, he finally clapped his hands and smiled, “It is done!”
Feeling that his family was falling behind, the head of the Ning family had proactively bribed the head of the Zhou family to form an alliance.
The messenger sent by the head of the Zhou family brought not only good news but also valuable intelligence.
The head of the Ning family was shocked, “So the method for testing Foundation Establishment stage cultivators has changed so drastically! Quickly, find out how many layers of cultivation Ning Xiaohui has achieved!”
The servant quickly reported back, “She has reached the second layer.”
“What about the others?”
The servant replied, “A few have reached the first layer, but most have just finished dispersing their energy.”
“Too slow, too slow!” The head of the Ning family was so anxious he almost stomped his foot, hastily ordering an increase in rewards to encourage the cultivators to train day and night.
The head of the Ning family felt deeply worried, “Our Ning family migrated here from elsewhere; we are outsiders.”
“Now, this opportunity with the Lava Immortal Palace must be seized. Forming a cooperation with the other two families will help us strengthen our relationships,” said the head of the Ning family.
“The City Lord will eventually step down, but the Zhou and Zheng families will remain.”
“Our Ning family has always been in the last position among the three families. We must advance step by step to have a chance to grow.”
Monkey Head Gang.
The current leader, Yuan Er, summoned all the elders.
With a serious expression and a heavy tone, he said, “Everyone has seen the Mechanical Explosive Monkey.”
“It poses a tremendous threat!”
“Therefore, during this Huoshi Festival, even with the threat to our lives from the demon cultivators, we must go all out to demonstrate our value to the upper echelons of Huoshi Immortal City!”
“Otherwise, this business of harvesting Huoshi will be taken over by these fake monkeys.”
The elders, understanding the urgency of the situation, immediately agreed and supported Yuan Er’s decision.
Seeing that a consensus had been reached, Yuan Er showed a slight smile, “We cannot lose our main business. Holding onto it is the only way for our Monkey Head Gang to continue developing.”
“Once we overcome this hurdle, the Monkey Head Gang could potentially become the fifth power in Huoshi Immortal City in the future.”
Before he finished speaking, a gang member suddenly rushed in, looking panicked, “Leader, elders, something terrible has happened.”
“Our monkeys have been poisoned, and many have died!”
The upper echelons of the gang stood up in unison, a mix of shock and anger on their faces.
“Who is making trouble for us?”
“They must be killed!”