Standing before the light column, everyone was bidding farewell to the people of the Rain Master Tribe, having recovered through a day's cultivation, everyone's mental state had reached its best Realm.

In contrast to the others' demeanor, Zhu Bufan appeared silent and reticent, furrowing his brows and not uttering a word on his way to the Earth Gate, only quietly contemplating the mystifying words the Grand Priest of the Rain Master Tribe had spoken to him yesterday.

"The thousand-year-old spiral of destiny pauses when you leave but will soon start moving again, the twisted wheel of time will also rotate once more, and from then on, your fate will become unpredictable, darkness will accompany you on your path ahead."

The Grand Priest's gaze, as if piercing through the curtains before her, seemed to land directly upon Zhu Bufan, whose sharp gaze, although not physically upon him, still unsettled him.

"Grand Priest, what do you mean? What thousand-year-old spiral of destiny? What wheel of time? I do not understand any of this," after calming his mind, Zhu Bufan asked the Grand Priest.

"When the time comes, you will know everything. For now, you are not yet able to come into contact with their existence, and I, too, cannot see your future after you leave the Demon Tower; what I can see is only endless carnage." After those burning gaze-like words, the Grand Priest's voice suddenly turned somewhat weak.

"Then—" Before Zhu Bufan could finish, Yu Shiwang turned out from behind the curtains and gestured for him to stop talking.

"The Grand Priest is tired, I'll take you back, there's nothing more to be said." Coming before Zhu Bufan, Yu Shiwang led him away from the Grand Priest's divination room, and although baffled by the conversation, Zhu Bufan felt compelled to follow Yu Shiwang since no further explanations were forthcoming.

"Miss Yu Shiwang, what did the Grand Priest's words truly mean?" On the way back to the quiet room, Zhu Bufan couldn't help but ask Yu Shiwang.

"That was the Grand Priest divining your future. As for the meaning, you must comprehend it yourself because the future is inherently unpredictable; even when seen, it is merely fleeting fragments. So, the exact meaning, even the Grand Priest herself may not articulate clearly."

"You mean, even the Grand Priest herself partially understands?" Zhu Bufan asked, listening to Yu Shiwang's words.

"Of course not!" Hearing Zhu Bufan's doubt about the Grand Priest's words, Yu Shiwang's attitude immediately shifted, clearly, the Grand Priest holds a revered position in Yu Shiwang's heart that does not tolerate doubts.

"The Grand Priest's divination is completely different from others, as to why this time the Grand Priest told you your future in such a manner, I do not know; perhaps there are some considerations, but please do not doubt the Grand Priest's abilities!"

"I understand, I was not doubting the Grand Priest's abilities, so there's no need for you to be angry," seeing Yu Shiwang's angry expression, Zhu Bufan quickly responded.

"Mr. Zhu Bufan... Mr. Zhu Bufan." Just as Zhu Bufan was recalling yesterday's conversation, Yu Shiwang's voice brought him back from his reflections, hearing Yu Shiwang calling him, Zhu Bufan suddenly became a bit flustered, saying: "What is it? Miss Yu Shiwang."

"Mr. Zhu Bufan, I am here to convey the Grand Priest's final words to you, the Grand Priest said, 'Do not let prophecies constrain you, when it's time to understand, you will understand everything, actively seeking answers will only lead you further away.' I am here today to pass this message to you."

"Thank you, Miss Yu Shiwang, I now understand what I should do." After hearing Yu Shiwang's words, a clarity dawned upon Zhu Bufan's mind; indeed, if he doesn't understand now, continuing to ponder wouldn't yield any results, so why should he let these words trouble him?

After bidding farewell to the people of the Rain Master Tribe, Zhu Bufan and his companions stepped into the soaring light column, white light obstructed their vision, and when the light dissipated, Zhu Bufan and the others found themselves atop a fiery red land.

"Back at last! It's the Scorching Layer, we've finally made it!" Gazing at the red rocks and boundlessness of the land around them, Yue Lan and the Grand Steward couldn't help but shout excitedly.

"As long as we pass through the return gate on the Fifth Layer, we can finally go back to the First Layer of the tower." After experiencing the Second, Third, and Fourth Layers, Yue Lan was immensely nostalgic about her time on the First Layer; hence upon reaching the Fifth Layer, she was continuously ecstatic.

"Although we know you are keen to go back, can you tell us what place this is? Also, according to what you've said, shouldn't this layer be where the Demon King resides? Can you take us to where the Demon King is?"

"Hehe, rest assured, we definitely need to visit Golden Peng City because the return gate is located within it, and the master of Golden Peng City is the Demon King so no matter what, you will end up there... However,"

At this point, the Grand Steward's expression became serious, "our cooperation only extends to entering Golden Peng City. After that, our obligations end. Although the miss and I do not plan to pursue further as we have benefited greatly on the way here, facilitating an introduction to the Demon King is absolutely impossible. Once in Golden Peng City, we owe each other nothing; I hope you understand this since, strictly speaking, we are all under the Demon King's command."

"We naturally understand," Zhu Bufan, Wang Hui, and Huo Ling nodded upon hearing the Grand Steward's words. As for Shan Ling of the Thunder Clan, she had been quiet until Zhu Bufan finished speaking when she then said, "As for me, I am looking for Mr. Kou. Yue Lan, although you didn't explicitly say so, I already guessed that this Mr. Kou must be one of the Demon King's people, so I will seek him out."

The temporarily formed team had expressed their intentions on this layer. Although they had known that the group would inevitably disband someday, when the moment actually arrived, Zhu Bufan still felt somewhat stifled.

"Of course, now is not the time to talk about this. Let's head to Golden Peng City first. By the way, Grand Steward, what exactly is this place?" Noticing the slightly strange atmosphere among them, Wang Hui stepped forward, clapped his hands, and asked the Grand Steward.

"This should be the Red Lotus Wilderness of the Fifth Layer Tower; these Red Lotus Rocks are the most common types of rocks on this layer. As for Golden Peng City, it is actually quite easy to find because it's built right beneath the Heavenly Pillar of the Fifth Layer. You just have to head towards the Heavenly Pillar to reach it."

Pausing for a moment, the Grand Steward continued, "However, the Red Lotus Wilderness is one of the more dangerous areas on this layer, often frequented by Fire Element Demon Beasts, usually those that live in groups. So if you encounter them, it's best not to engage and to retreat quickly; otherwise, it might not be long before you find yourselves battling dozens or even hundreds of Demon Beasts."

Hearing that they might have to fight dozens or hundreds of Demon Beasts simultaneously, everyone felt a chill. Facing a single or a few Demon Beasts might not be too overwhelming, but facing such large numbers wasn't a joking matter. Even the weakest First Rank Demon Beasts, when gathered in large numbers, represent a formidable force, and judging by the Grand Steward's expression, the Demon Beasts here were likely not just of the First Rank.

Shortly after, everyone found the direction of the Heavenly Pillar and hurriedly sped towards it, leaving trails of afterimages in the void as they fully exerted their movement techniques.

After nearly three hours of travel, the group finally saw the silhouette of a city on the horizon. Upon spotting the shadow ahead, everyone quickened their pace towards it, and after nearly two more hours, they arrived outside Golden Peng City. Aside from Yue Lan and the Grand Steward, the others were deeply stunned by the sight of the city.

The towering city walls, more than half again as tall as those of Heiyan City or Rain Master City of the Rain Master Tribe, seemed not just for defense against invasions but to assert dominance and awe.

At each corner of the city wall stood a huge Golden Peng sculpture, the golden color gleaming brilliantly, each sculpture appearing lifelike as if ready to spread their wings and fly, showcasing the exquisite craftsmanship.

On the massive city gates too were carvings of Demon Beasts. Upon closer inspection, Zhu Bufan discovered that the two enormous gates, each over three meters tall, were actually forged from the extremely rare Red Fire Copper, a material of the same grade as Black Light Mysterious Iron, used here to create city gates. Such extravagance was astounding, akin to forging one's front doors from pure gold, indescribably lavish.

"Red Fire Copper gates..." Gently touching the gates, whose color resembled blazing fire, Zhu Bufan could faintly feel an unusual heat emanating from them, which was a distinctive feature of Red Fire Copper. At that moment, he even pondered whether it might not be a bad idea to carve a piece off and smuggle it away, knowing that the allure of material ores to an Artifact Refiner was always irresistible.

"You shouldn't damage the city gates, though. Otherwise, the one hundred thousand-strong Golden Peng Army would pursue you to the ends of the earth," just then, a voice tinged with amusement reached them. The group, whose full attention had been captivated by the gates, quickly turned to look and saw a tall, grey-robed figure standing at the city gate entrance, watching Zhu Bufan reach for the gate.

"Are you... Mr. Kou?" Spotting the man in the grey robe, Zhu Bufan exclaimed in surprise, and Shan Ling's eyes instantly flared with a sharp gleam.

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