In reality, this kind of excuse was a bit far-fetched.
But having it was much better than having nothing, and significantly so.
This layer of fig leaf was something everyone knew the nature of, but with it, the Meng Family's situation could be greatly improved, at least they would not become the target of public criticism, universally despised.
"Alright," Meng Hu was not without awareness of relief, but he just hoped Meng Kui would have some good ideas.
Meng Kui explained the situation to Meng Hu in detail, including his previous actions and the plans he had for the future.
Meng Hu felt puzzled, "Brother, if it were me, I would've taken direct action long ago. Yet you always stay on top of the mountain, rarely making a move. As a Nascent Soul Level cultivator, the heaven of Fire Persimmon Immortal City, if you took action frequently, you would have quelled the internal strife by now."
Meng Kui smiled slightly and shook his head slowly, "Not long after I emerged from the Immortal Palace, I used the Divine Strategy Incense and through Divine Skills, calculated an Omen Poem."
"According to the revelation of the Omen Poem, although I am at the Nascent Soul Level, the strongest in the entire city, taking frequent actions would have little effect on the ownership of the Lava Fairy Palace."
Meng Hu reached out, "Brother, what is this Omen Poem? Show it to your cousin so I can take a good look."
Meng Kui stroked his beard, "Just listen carefully."
Saying this, he began to recite aloud—
The Immortal Palace has a spirit, favoring the Meng door,
True and false, friend or foe, hard to discern.
Changes in wind and cloud are all illusory,
Immortal aptitude in hand, then it's true.
The fall of the Golden Core only causes alarm,
When the volcano stirs, yet no harm is done.
Great men chase after the moon reflected in water,
Younger generation contends to settle Qiankun.
Prosperity comes from all sides, advantages are revealed,
Wait for the foe to tire, then leap upwards.
Good and evil, gain and loss, all but thoughts,
The new master brings peace to fill the old voids.
After hearing this Omen Poem, Meng Hu suddenly understood Meng Kui's actions and behavior.
He was a bit dissatisfied, muttering, "Cousin, are you sure about your calculation? I remember it was clearly written in the secret strategies of the Heavenly Track Mansion—"
"Always relying on Qi Fortune, one will be confused by Qi Fortune."
"Listening to it, this Omen Poem is ambiguous in many places; it could be interpreted in any way."
"Only the last line is a bit interesting."
"The new master brings peace to fill the old voids... brings peace... I've seen the reports; isn't Zhu Xuanji known for being 'observant and bringing peace to the people'?"
"Does it mean, he will be the Palace Master of the Immortal Palace, so he's the enemy we need to focus on most?"
"But the first line of the Omen Poem says the Immortal Palace is inclined toward our family, I am completely confused now."
Meng Kui smiled slightly, "You don't need to understand it, just follow my orders. Now watch."
As he spoke, Meng Kui gestured with a finger.
A Magic Treasure Level Flying Stone, small and exquisite, virtually imperceptible, shot through the clouds and pierced the lava as swift as lightning, ultimately entering the Demon Ape King Court and causing an old ape, who was deep in slumber, to wake up injured.
The old ape looked at the hole pierced through the back of his hand, and in an instant, he was both shocked and enraged, bursting forth with a Nascent Soul Level aura, rushing out of the King Court toward the crater of the volcano.
When the old ape made a commotion, the two Nascent Soul Level Runaway Fire Snakes and Flames Stepping Lizards that were present also began to stir restlessly.
Roaring like thunderous explosions, a Nascent Soul Level Demon Ape brazenly made its entrance, hammering its fists directly against the spherical Light Shield.
At the same time, the Runaway Fire Snake and Flames Stepping Lizard appeared from two other places, joining forces to attack the Lava Fairy Palace!
Meng Kui cast Big Handprint again, roaming about the area.
With the addition of a Nascent Soul Level Demon Beast, the force he had previously displayed was clearly insufficient, falling far short.
The spherical Light Shield protecting the remnants of the Lava Fairy Palace was quickly battered with countless cracks by the fists of the Demon Ape.
Zhou Nongying, who had been eliminated, was actively healing his injuries in a room.
"The compassion of the three sect elders allowed them to transport me out in time, avoiding death. But with my departure, the Zhou Family has no hope of victory anymore."
Zhou Nongying was sighing when he heard the commotion of the Nascent Soul gearing for battle.
He stepped out of the house, raised his head to look, and was instantly filled with horror.
He just saw the Magma Demon Ape's punching shadows flying, shattering the Light Shield to pieces.
"It's over, Nascent Soul Level Demon Beasts are going to invade the city!" Zhou Nongying's face showed a look of utter despair.
In the next moment, a Magic Treasure Level Seal flew out, smashing down heavily, repelling the Magma Demon Ape.
Meng Kui's roar came through: "Don't even think about getting your hands on the Lava Fairy Palace, I, Meng Kui, am here! If you want to succeed, you'll have to step over my dead body."
His roar immediately steadied some peoples' hearts, but it wasn't enough.
The Nascent Soul Level Runaway Fire Snake opened its mouth, spewing forth a long river of flames. The river of fire spread, burning all mechanical buildings in its path.
The Flame Stepping Lizard lowered its head and rammed violently against the Lava Fairy Palace.
The Lava Fairy Palace tilted violently as a result, like a corner of an Ice Mountain being lifted. The raised part of the Lava Fairy Palace fell back heavily, stirring up towering waves of magma.
When the wave crashed down, a large area of the Immortal Palace's foundations collapsed instantly, and with it, the mechanical buildings drenched in blood also perished within the lava.
Following closely behind them, tens of thousands of Flame Demon Beasts from the now fully breached outer rings of the Lava Fairy Palace landed and surged toward the inner circle.
The Command Platform, Five Elements Turrets, and armies of Mechanical Artifacts all operated at full capacity to block as many Flame Demon Beasts as possible.
Fortunately, a large number of Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment Cultivators had been transferred from Fire Persimmon Immortal City beforehand.
These individuals filled the lines of defense, forming numerous small Arrays. These Arrays, like fortresses, held back the assault of the Flame Demon Beasts.
A brutal battle of attack and defense thus erupted directly!
Zhu Zhen's heart pounded with fear and as he fought for his life, he noticed the ruins of the Golden Furnace.
Zhu Xuanji had previously entrusted him with a task, and at this moment, the difficulty suddenly decreased, giving him a huge chance to successfully complete it.
The Lava Fairy Palace shook violently, but within the Secret Pavilion of Transition, all was still calm.
Ning Zhuo used a Spirit Stone, surrounded by a mechanical fighting squad, stormed through several secret chambers.
Boom.
After he opened a door, he encountered the second cultivator he had seen.
It was Zheng Danlian!
Zheng Danlian was dodging a giant wooden mallet. He wanted to approach the central area, shut down the mechanical traps, and thus retrieve the Elixir Pills deep within the traps.
Upon seeing Ning Zhuo, Zheng Danlian's face lit up with joy, "Ning Zhuo! Your timing is perfect..."
Boom.
Ning Zhuo promptly closed the door again.
Zheng Danlian's words were stuck in his throat, his complexion immediately darkened.
"Under this great turn of events, the probability of encountering other cultivators has drastically increased."
"I'd best take advantage of this opportunity to meet up with Boss Sun!"
The option of Zheng Danlian was not the best, nor did he necessarily have to traverse the current secret chamber room. He had many paths to choose from.
Thus, Ning Zhuo decisively withdrew and chose another door to enter.
Before long.
Three cultivators entered this Secret Pavilion of Transition.
It was Shuzhong Jun, Song Fuli, and the trio from the Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core True Inheritor.
The Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core maintained a tracking spell, and after a round of reconnaissance, immediately furrowed his brow, "Why are there two paths? He opened one door, then backed out and left through another."
Song Fuli also frowned, "Could it be that he sensed our tracking, so he deliberately orchestrated a maze?"
The Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core True Inheritor snorted coldly, "Simple! We just open both doors and take a look, won't we?"
As a result, Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core and Song Fuli opened the doors respectively.
They successfully discovered the traces of Ning Zhuo's departure, and...
Zheng Danlian, who was still navigating through the mechanical traps!
Of course, at the same time they opened the doors, Zheng Danlian also noticed them.
"Forget Ning Zhuo for now, let's take him down first!" Shuzhong Jun made a decisive decision and charged into the secret chamber.
The Purple Dawn Pavilion true inheritor was somewhat unwilling, but also knew this was the best choice, snorted coldly, and followed closely behind.
Song Fuli was the third to enter.
Zheng Danlian glared.
One Shuzhong Jun had already been quite a concern for him. Now, there were two more, the true inheritor from the Purple Dawn Pavilion and Song Fuli. If battle ensued, what chance did he have to win?
Zheng Danlian immediately thought of retreating.
However, the awkward part was that he was in the midst of mechanical traps, unable to move freely, with no way to withdraw in time.
By the time he reached the perimeter of the mechanical traps, Shuzhong Jun and the others had already surrounded him.
"If I'm to be eliminated, I'll make sure to take someone with me!" Zheng Danlian shouted threateningly.
Shuzhong Jun smiled slightly, "I don't believe it. Attack!"
A three-against-one battle ensued.
Zheng Danlian immediately fell into a disadvantage.
Being forced into a corner, he had to abandon his plan of retreat completely, continually backing into the depth of the mechanical traps.
He had been navigating here for quite a while and was close to successfully shutting down the traps.
In contrast, Shuzhong Jun and the others had just arrived and were unfamiliar with the place.
Relying on a slight advantage of the terrain, Zheng Danlian managed to stabilize his position temporarily.
But, obviously, his situation was still precarious.
...
Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu ran side by side.
Every now and then, Yang Chanyu turned to look at Sun Lingtong, "Such a serious and determined look on your face is quite rare."
Sun Lingtong rolled her eyes at her, "We've worked hard to this point, just one step away. Please give it your all, once we seize the Immortal Palace, you will be rewarded."
Yang Chanyu expressed her curiosity, "I'm quite curious, even if we gain the Immortal Palace, how will we face Meng Kui and the City Protecting Great Array's blockade, let alone the surrounding surge of Demon Beasts?"
"We have a plan!" Sun Lingtong did not want to elaborate.
If she could replace Yang Chanyu with Ning Zhuo, she would not hesitate at all.
"Under this great transition, it has allowed Yang Chanyu and me to meet up successfully."
"But if Little Zhuo is still alone, that would be quite dangerous."
"Alas, if there was a chance during the second round of the palace test to return the Golden Blood Battle Ape·Victory to him, I would have been a bit more reassured now."
"Someone's here!"
Sun Lingtong pushed open a door and spotted a figure sitting cross-legged and practicing breathing.
After her initial disappointment, her eyes brightened.
Yang Chanyu followed through the threshold, and she also showed an interested look, "Oh? It's actually Meng Chong."
Meng Chong had defeated Zhou Nongying but had paid a heavy price himself.
Fortunately, he had previously obtained Elixir Pills for healing. After taking them, his injuries were mostly healed, albeit his complexion remained pale.
What made him uncomfortable was that he, unlike Ning Zhuo, hadn't acquired any Spirit Crystals. This meant he could only accelerate the recovery of his Five Elements Mana through breathing exercises.