Fei Si’s expression darkened.
The Fire Persimmon City Lord’s gaze also grew serious.
Ever since the Lava Immortal Palace emerged, he had done his utmost to keep the news under wraps, predicting that it would eventually attract the higher-ups of the dynasty.
But he hadn’t expected them to arrive so quickly!
Fei Si’s mind was abuzz with conflicting thoughts: "Could someone have intentionally leaked the information?"
"The Zheng and Zhou families are unlikely culprits, as they’re eager to reap the benefits from the Lava Immortal Palace."
"Could it be the Ning family, seeking outside help as they lag behind in progress?"
Seeing their silence, Zhu Xuanji chuckled softly, "Meng Kui, your Meng family already controls Purple Smoke City, Blue Frost City, and Earth Mound City. Do you still aspire to take over Fire Persimmon Immortal City?"
"Let me be frank. Five hundred years ago, the royal family was already aware that the Lava Immortal Palace lay buried within this mountain."
"Do you think the royal family refrained from opening the Immortal Palace without reason?"
Fei Si was stunned.
Meng Kui, the City Lord, showed a slight reaction as well.
As both a divine constable and an envoy of the royal family, Zhu Xuanji wouldn’t be spouting lies.
But if this were true, then everything Meng Kui had worked for—all his plans—might just be a joke!
Zhu Xuanji sighed, "The Lava Immortal Palace was never supposed to surface at this time; there must be something unusual at play!"
"That’s why the royal family and the Divine Constable Division sent me here to investigate."
"This is the decree of the Immortal Dynasty."
Unable to sit still, Meng Kui rose, bent over, and respectfully received the decree with both hands.
After reading through it to confirm its validity, Meng Kui asked, "What does the envoy command?"
Zhu Xuanji said, "I need to uncover the true reason for the Immortal Palace’s emergence. First, have Chi Dun assist me with my investigation and visits."
"When the time comes, I’ll inform you if I need further cooperation."
Facing Meng Kui, who was at the nascent soul stage, Zhu Xuanji spoke without a hint of deference.
Meng Kui immediately summoned Chi Dun and introduced him to Zhu Xuanji.
Moments later, as he watched Chi and Zhu’s figures fade into the distance, Fei Si spoke worriedly, "My lord, I didn’t expect the royal family to send someone so quickly!"
"It seems the royal family also knows some of the secrets of the Lava Immortal Palace."
The City Lord mused, "Years ago, the Sage of the Three Sects and the former supreme ruler of the Southern Bean Kingdom had a close relationship. Their ties ran deep."
"It’s no surprise the royal family knows some secrets."
"From what I gather, Zhu Xuanji is here strictly for investigation, not to interfere in the struggle over the Lava Immortal Palace."
"Let’s continue as planned."
Fei Si respectfully complied, "Yes, my lord."
After Fei Si departed, clouds once again veiled Meng Kui, the Fire Persimmon City Lord.
His face, previously hidden, now revealed a deep gloom.
Though the Meng family was powerful, it was still only a regional clan within the Southern Bean Kingdom.
As strong as Meng Kui was, as a nascent soul cultivator holding down the city, he was, in essence, merely a city guardian.
Meng Kui looked around, feeling, for the first time, the dense surrounding clouds weighing upon him.
In a hidden meeting, the Zhou and Zheng family patriarchs conferred.
"Brother Zhou, your family recently suffered another attack, putting my clan on edge and keeping us on alert for days!" the Zheng patriarch remarked pointedly.
The Zhou patriarch smiled slightly.
After Zhou Zhu’s entry and Zhou Zeshen’s minor mishap in the Lava Immortal Palace, the Zhou family elders decided to turn the disturbance to their advantage, staging a mock enemy attack to deceive the other families and buy more time for themselves.
So far, they had managed to gain some time, but it had not yielded much benefit.
Because the challenges within the Lava Immortal Palace were simply too difficult!
The Zhou and Zheng families, after fully analyzing the intelligence gathered by Zhou Zhu and Zheng Jian, concluded that only by cooperating could they hope to pass the trials.
They even approached the City Lord’s Mansion, seeking joint cooperation, only to be rebuffed by Meng Chong.
After being rejected, the two families grew restless.
What did this imply?
It implied that Meng Chong, of the City Lord’s Mansion, didn’t need help and could likely pass the trials on his own!
Such supreme talent truly lived up to its reputation.
After a sigh of admiration, the two families’ leadership resolved to unite against the City Lord’s Mansion.
Otherwise, they had no chance of victory.
The Zhou patriarch lamented, "The Meng family is a powerful clan within our nation, controlling three immortal cities outright."
"Our two families cannot compare to the Meng family; we only hold one city each."
"Never mind the inheritance of the Lava Immortal Palace. If Meng Chong becomes the lord of Fire Persimmon Immortal City, and the palace also ends up guarding Fire Persimmon, the Meng family will have ample reason to station even more power here."
"At that point, how will our two families survive?"
"Recently, this thought has weighed heavily on my mind."
His words resonated deeply with the Zheng patriarch. "Only by uniting can we stand a chance."
The Zhou patriarch added, "In my view, we should bring the Ning family into our alliance. Against the City Lord’s Mansion, our three families combined have a better chance."
The Zheng patriarch thought for a moment before nodding firmly, "Very well, let’s include the Ning family!"
"Clans endure; city lords come and go."
"Fire Persimmon Immortal City is already crowded with three families. We cannot allow the Meng family to intrude further!"
Meanwhile, the Ning patriarch paced anxiously in his courtyard.
A servant arrived with good news, bringing a smile to his face as he clapped his hands, "It’s done!"
Feeling disadvantaged, the Ning patriarch had proactively offered a bribe to the Zhou patriarch to secure an alliance.
The Zhou patriarch’s envoy not only brought favorable news but also valuable intelligence.
The Ning patriarch was shocked, "So the assessment methods for qi refining cultivators have undergone such drastic changes! Quickly, check Ning Xiaohui’s current cultivation level!"
The servant soon returned, "She’s at the second layer."
"And the others?"
The servant replied, "A few have reached the first layer, but most are just finishing their foundation restructuring."
"Too slow, far too slow!" The Ning patriarch nearly stamped his foot in frustration, immediately increasing the reward amounts to encourage the reforming cultivators to practice day and night.
The Ning patriarch was filled with anxiety, "Our Ning family, as an outsider clan that relocated here, must seize the opportunity presented by the Lava Immortal Palace to strengthen our ties with the other two families."
"The City Lord will eventually step down, but the Zhou and Zheng families will remain."
"We Ning, always sitting humbly at the lowest seat among the three, must proceed step by step to have any chance at growth."
The Monkey Head gang.
Yuan Er, the current gang leader, had gathered all the elders.
His expression was grave as he spoke in a solemn tone, "You’ve all seen the mechanical fire explosive monkeys."
"Their threat is enormous!"
"So, during this Fire Persimmon Festival, even with the Shadow Demon Cultivators endangering lives, we must go all out to demonstrate our value to the upper echelons of Fire Persimmon Immortal City!"
"Otherwise, our business of harvesting fire persimmons will be taken over by these imitation monkeys."
Understanding the urgency, the elders immediately echoed their support for Yuan Er’s decision.
Seeing the consensus, Yuan Er allowed a slight smile, "We can’t let go of this core business. Only by holding it can the Monkey Head gang continue to thrive."
"Once we pass this hurdle, the Monkey Head gang might one day grow strong enough to become the fifth force in Fire Persimmon Immortal City."
Before he could finish speaking, a gang member suddenly burst in, looking panicked, "Gang Leader, Elders, something terrible has happened."
"Our monkeys have been poisoned; many have died!"
The gang’s leadership stood up in unison, their faces a mixture of shock and anger.
"Who would dare oppose us?"
"Such villains deserve death!"