Chapter 56: All Parties

Fei Si’s expression darkened. The Lord of Fireshire City narrowed his eyes ever so slightly as well.

Ever since the emergence of the Lava Immortal Palace, he had done everything in his power to suppress the news, fully expecting that it would eventually attract the attention of the dynasty’s upper echelons. Yet he hadn’t anticipated their arrival would be so swift!

A jumble of suspicions flashed through Fei Si’s mind. Was someone deliberately leaking information? The Zhengs and Zhous seemed unlikely; they were more interested in profiting from the Lava Immortal Palace themselves. Could it be the Nings, seeing their progress lagging hopelessly behind, who had decided to draw in outsiders?

Zhu Xuanji, seeing the two men silent, let out a soft chuckle. “Meng Kui, your Meng clan already holds Purple Smoke City, Frost Azure City, and Earthborn City. Do you now also covet mastery over Fireshire Immortal City?”

“To speak plainly: five hundred years ago, the royal family already knew that the Lava Immortal Palace was buried within this mountain. Do you know why they never opened it themselves?”

Fei Si was startled. Even Meng Kui, the city lord, showed a flicker of emotion.

Zhu Xuanji was not only a Divine Constable but also a royal envoy; he would not make baseless claims. If this was true, then all of Meng Kui’s efforts and schemes up to now might be nothing but a joke!

Zhu Xuanji sighed. “The Lava Immortal Palace was never meant to emerge at this time. There must be some hidden agenda behind this! That is why the royal family and the Constabulary have sent me here to investigate.”

“This is the official decree of the Immortal Court.”

Meng Kui could no longer remain seated. He stood, bowed, and accepted the decree with both hands. After reading it through and confirming its authenticity, he asked, “What are your orders, envoy?”

“I must uncover the true reason for the palace’s emergence,” Zhu Xuanji replied. “For now, have Chi Dun assist me with my investigation and visits.”

“If I require your cooperation in the future, I will make it known.”

He showed no deference whatsoever, even to Meng Kui, a cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage.

Meng Kui promptly summoned Chi Dun and introduced him to Zhu Xuanji.

A short while later, as he watched the two men leave, Fei Si spoke anxiously, “My lord, the royal family’s response was far swifter than we anticipated!”

“It seems they also know of the secrets within the Lava Immortal Palace.”

The city lord mused, “Long ago, the three Sects’ Patriarchs and the Southern Bean’s Retired Emperor shared a close relationship. It is not surprising that the royal family learned certain secrets.”

“I believe Zhu Xuanji is here solely to investigate, with no intent of meddling in the struggle for the Lava Immortal Palace.”

“We proceed as before.”

Fei Si bowed respectfully. “Yes, my lord.”

Once he had withdrawn, the mists once again shrouded Meng Kui from view.

The countenance of the Lord of Fireshire City was now wholly unmasked, dark and brooding.

As powerful as the Meng clan was, they were no more than a major family within the Southern Bean Kingdom. Meng Kui himself, though formidable—a Nascent Soul cultivator and the region’s guardian—was, in essence, no more than a city’s warden.

For the first time, as Meng Kui surveyed the heavy, enveloping mists, he felt an oppressive weight pressing down.

Meanwhile, the Patriarchs of the Zhou and Zheng clans were meeting in secret.

“Brother Zhou, your family’s recent attack unsettled us all—we’ve been on alert for days!” the Zheng Patriarch remarked deliberately.

The Zhou Patriarch smiled faintly. After Zhou Zhu’s foray into the Lava Immortal Palace and Zhou Zesheng’s blunder, the Zhou elders, realizing their actions had drawn attention, decided to turn the situation to their advantage. They staged a ruse of being attacked, hoping to deceive the other families and buy themselves more time.

In the end, though they had gained a little time, it proved to be of little use—the challenges within the Lava Immortal Palace were simply too difficult!

After analyzing the intelligence brought back by Zhou Zhu and Zheng Jian, both families concluded that only by working together could they hope to succeed.

They even reached out to the city lord’s estate for an alliance, but Meng Chong rebuffed them.

That rejection had set both families on edge—it meant the city lord’s estate, and Meng Chong in particular, was confident enough to tackle the palace’s trials alone.

Such talent was truly extraordinary.

With this realization, the two families resolved to join forces against the city lord’s faction; otherwise, they had no hope of prevailing.

The Zhou Patriarch sighed, “The Mengs are a great clan in our kingdom, controlling three immortal cities outright. We cannot compare, managing just one city each.”

“As for the inheritance of the Lava Immortal Palace, that is another matter. But if Meng Chong becomes the master of Fireshire Immortal City, and the palace is suppressed by the city, the Meng clan will have every reason to embed even more of their influence here.”

“And when that happens, what will become of our two families?”

“I have been deeply troubled by this thought as of late.”

His words instantly struck a chord with the Zheng Patriarch. “Only through unity do we have a chance of victory.”

The Zhou Patriarch continued, “I believe we should draw the Ning family into our alliance. Against the city lord’s estate, the three of us together stand a much better chance.”

After some thought, the Zheng Patriarch nodded gravely. “Very well, let’s bring in the Nings!”

“Families are the iron foundation; city lords come and go.”

“Fireshire Immortal City is already crowded with three families—we cannot allow the Mengs to establish themselves here!”

In his own courtyard, the Ning Patriarch paced anxiously, unable to calm his nerves.

A servant arrived with good news, and he clapped his hands in delight. “It is done!”

The Ning Patriarch was well aware that his family had fallen behind. He had proactively bribed the Zhou Patriarch to forge an alliance.

The messenger sent by the Zhou family brought not only good tidings but also valuable intelligence.

The Ning Patriarch was astonished. “So the trials for Qi-refining cultivators have changed so drastically! Quickly, find out what level Ning Xiaohui has reached!”

The servant soon returned. “She has reached the second tier.”

“And the others?”

“Some have attained the first tier; most have only just finished dispersing their old cultivation.”

“Too slow, far too slow!” The Ning Patriarch was so anxious he nearly stamped his foot, immediately ordering greater rewards to encourage those retraining themselves to practice day and night.

He worried, “Our Ning clan is an outsider here, having migrated from afar. This opportunity of the Lava Immortal Palace must be seized, and we must strengthen our ties with the other two families.”

“The city lord may eventually step down, but the Zhou and Zheng families will remain.”

“We have always been the lowest among the three families; we can only grow stronger step by step.”

Monkeyhead Gang.

The current leader, Yuan Er, summoned all the elders.

His expression was grave, his tone heavy. “You’ve all seen the mechanical fire-bursting monkeys. Their threat is enormous!”

“Therefore, for this Fireshire Festival, even with the threat of demonic cultivators to our lives, we must go all out and prove our worth to the city’s high command!”

“Otherwise, this vital business of harvesting fire persimmons will be stolen by those pretenders.”

The elders, well aware of the dire situation, immediately voiced their support for Yuan Er’s decision.

Seeing their consensus, Yuan Er allowed a hint of satisfaction to show. “We cannot lose our core business. Only by holding on can our Monkeyhead Gang continue to develop.”

“If we can get through this ordeal, our gang may one day become the fifth great power in Fireshire Immortal City!”

Just then, a gang member burst in, pale and frantic. “Boss, elders, terrible news!”

“Our monkeys have been poisoned—many are dead!”

The gang’s leadership shot to their feet, shocked and furious.

“Who dares make trouble for us?”

“They must pay with their lives!”