Fei Si's face darkened.
The gaze of the Fire Persimmon City Lord also slightly narrowed.
Ever since the emergence of the Lava Immortal Palace, he had been fully engaged in sealing off the news, anticipating an eventual arrival of higher-ups from the dynasty.
But he never expected it to happen this quickly!
Fei Si's mind was filled with various chaotic thoughts. "Could it be that someone intentionally leaked the information?"
"The Zheng Family, Zhou Family, it's unlikely. They are more interested in gaining benefits from the Lava Immortal Palace."
"Could it be the Ning Family, seeing their progress fall behind, they might have brought in outsiders?"
Zhu Xuanji saw the two men remain silent and let out a light laugh. "Meng Kui, your Meng Family controls Purple Smoke City, Green Frost City, and Earthborn City. Do you still want to seize control of Fire Persimmon Immortal City?"
"To 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, why didn't the Royal Family open the Immortal Palace themselves?"
Fei Si was stunned.
City Lord Meng Kui was also slightly moved.
As a Divine Hunter and a royal emissary, Zhu Xuanji was unlikely to lie casually.
But if this were true, then all of Meng Kui's actions and plans to date might have been a complete joke!
Zhu Xuanji sighed. "The Lava Immortal Palace shouldn't have emerged at this time; there must be something fishy! That's why I was dispatched by the Royal Family and the Divine Hunter Office to investigate."
"This is the decree of the Immortal Dynasty."
Meng Kui could no longer sit still. He rose and bowed, receiving the decree with both hands.
After reading through it and confirming its authenticity, Meng Kui said, "What are your instructions, Emissary?"
Zhu Xuanji said, "I want to uncover the true reason for the emergence of the Immortal Palace. Let Chi Dun assist me in the investigation first."
"If I need your cooperation in the future, I will let you know."
Facing Meng Kui, who was at the Nascent Soul Stage, he showed no politeness.
Meng Kui immediately summoned Chi Dun and introduced him to Zhu Xuanji.
Moments later, seeing Chi Dun and Zhu Xuanji depart, Fei Si said worriedly, "My lord, I did not expect the Royal Family to send someone so quickly!"
"The Royal Family also seems to know the secrets of the Lava Immortal Palace."
The City Lord pondered, "In the past, the Three Ancestral Masters and the Emperor of the Southern Bean had a close relationship."
"It's not surprising that the Royal Family knows some secrets."
"I think Zhu Xuanji is here to investigate, without any intent to intervene in the struggle for the Lava Immortal Palace."
"Everything continues as usual."
Fei Si accepted the order respectfully, "Yes, my lord."
After he withdrew, the mist once again shrouded Meng Kui.
Finally, the expression on the Fire Persimmon City Lord's face no longer concealed his true feelings, turning quite gloomy.
Though the Meng Family was strong, it was still just a powerful clan in the Southern Bean Country.
Even with Meng Kui's strength, as a Nascent Soul cultivator residing over the mountain city, he was essentially just a regional guard.
Meng Kui looked around the surrounding fog, feeling somewhat oppressed for the first time.
The Clan Leaders of the Zhou Family and the Zheng Family met in secret.
"Brother Zhou, your family was recently attacked again. It made my family quite uneasy and on high alert for days!" the Zheng Clan Leader said intentionally.
The Zhou Clan Leader smiled slightly.
Previously, Zhou Zhu entered the Lava Immortal Palace, and Zhou Zeshen caused a blunder. Since the movement had already been noticed, the Zhou Family elders decided to roll with it, staging an enemy attack to deceive other families and buy themselves more time.
Now, looking back, though they gained some time, it was not very useful.
Because the checkpoints of the Lava Immortal Palace were just too difficult!
After analyzing the information brought back by Zhou Zhu and Zheng Jian, both the Zhou and the Zheng Families realized that only by working together could they hope to pass the trials.
Thus, they even proactively approached the City Lord's Mansion, seeking cooperation, only to be rejected by Meng Chong.
Upon being rejected, neither family could remain at ease.
What did this imply?
It implied that the City Lord's Mansion, led by Meng Chong, did not need cooperation and could succeed on its own!
Such superior talent indeed.
After reflecting on this, the higher-ups of the two clans immediately decided to join forces against the City Lord's Mansion.
Otherwise, they had no hope of winning.
The Zhou Clan Leader sighed, "The Meng Family is a great clan of our country, controlling three entire cities."
"Our two families, in comparison, reside in just one city each."
"The inheritance of the Lava Immortal Palace aside, once Meng Chong becomes the master of Fire Persimmon Immortal City, and the Lava Immortal Palace suppresses Fire Persimmon, the Meng Family will have the most valid reason to insert more of their power here."
"At that time, what will become of our two families?"
"Recently, I have been deeply worried every time I think of this."
These words immediately resonated with the Zheng Clan Leader, "Only by uniting can we stand a chance to win."
The Zhou Clan Leader continued, "In my opinion, we should also bring in the Ning Family. Compared to the City Lord's Mansion, our three families united stand a better chance."
The Zheng Clan Leader pondered for a moment and nodded firmly, "Very well, bring in the Ning Family!"
"Steel cannot be forged into a family, but the City Lord changes continuously."
"Fire Persimmon Immortal City already feels crowded with three families. We can't let the Meng Family intrude further!"
The Ning Clan Leader paced around his courtyard, feeling agitated.
When an attendant brought good news, he finally clapped his hands and smiled, "It's done!"
The Ning Clan Leader, feeling his family was falling behind, proactively bribed the Zhou Clan Leader to form an alliance.
The envoy sent by the Zhou Clan Leader brought not only good news but also valuable information.
The Ning Clan Leader was shocked, "It turns out the trial method for Qi Refinement cultivators has such drastic changes! Quickly, find out, what is Ning Xiaohui's cultivation level now?"
The attendant soon reported back, "She has reached the second level."
"And the others?"
The attendant replied, "A few have reached the first level; most just completed their dispersal and resumed cultivation."
"Too slow, way too slow!" The Ning Clan Leader was so anxious that he almost stomped his feet. He quickly ordered an increase in rewards, urging those who had changed their cultivation methods to practice day and night.
The Ning Clan Leader felt deeply worried, "Our Ning Family migrated from elsewhere, so we are outsiders."
"This opportunity with the Lava Immortal Palace needs to be seized to reach mutual cooperation with the other two families and strengthen our relations."
"While the City Lord may step down, the Zhou and Zheng Families will remain."
"Our Ning Family has always been the lowest among the three families. Only by taking one step at a time can we have a chance to grow stronger."
Monkey Head Gang.
The current leader, Yuan Er, gathered all the elders.
His expression was severe, and his tone heavy, "You have all seen the threat posed by the Explosive Flame Monkey mechanism."
"It is a significant threat!"
"So, during this Fire Persimmon Festival, even with the demon cultivator threat to our lives, we must do our utmost to show the higher-ups of Fire Persimmon Immortal City our value!"
"Otherwise, this business of harvesting Fire Persimmons will be snatched away by these fake monkeys."
The elders understood the critical situation immediately and echoed their agreement with Yuan Er's decision.
Seeing the consensus, Yuan Er allowed a slight smile to show, "We cannot let go of this pillar of our business. Holding onto it is the only way our Monkey Head Gang can continue to develop."
"If we get through this hurdle, the Monkey Head Gang might one day grow strong enough to become the fifth power in Fire Persimmon Immortal City."
Before he could finish his sentence, a member of the gang suddenly rushed in, looking panicked, "Leader, elders, something terrible has happened."
"Our monkeys have been poisoned; many have died!"
The senior members stood up in unison, filled with anger and shock.
"Who would dare cross us?"
"They deserve to die!"