"Don't damage the city gate though, otherwise, the hundred thousand Golden Peng Army will chase you to the ends of the earth." Just as Zhu Bufan was thinking about knocking off a piece of the gate to take back with him, a voice tinged with a teasing tone rang out.

"Are you, Mr. Kou?" As he turned his head at first glance, Zhu Bufan saw the tall figure in a gray robe, but just as he finished speaking, Shan Ling immediately transformed into a beam of light and rushed straight at Mr. Kou, with such speed that Zhu Bufan and the others couldn't react in time.

"Hehe, long time no see."

Mr. Kou stretched out his right hand, and as Shan Ling, who was already upon him, seemed to be paused, unable to move, the look of shock spread across the Thunder Clan girl's face.

"Earth Flame Vortex!"

Blood Spirit Poison Fire suddenly sprouted from beneath the feet of the gray-robed Mr. Kou. The moment the swirling flames rose, Mr. Kou swiftly sidestepped two paces with a whoosh, evading the burning reach of the Blood Spirit Poison Fire, but this broke the prohibition on Shan Ling, allowing her to regain control of her body once immobilized.

"Stop, little girl of the Emperor Di Clan, I was just giving you a little warning. If you continue to be unappreciative, I will have to execute you right here and now. There's a limit to your nonsense at the gates of Golden Peng City!" A heavy oppressive force rolled out as Mr. Kou displayed the full dignity of an Earth Rank powerhouse. In an instant, everyone present was overwhelmed by this aura, unable to move.

"Liu Qian, Yue Lan, return to the Lanyue Pavilion. Ye Lu is waiting for you there. Once you've arranged everything, you can head back to the First Layer," Mr. Kou gave the Grand Steward Liu and Yue Lan a brief glance and said in an indisputable tone.

"Teacher Ye Lu?" Upon hearing the name Ye Lu, Yue Lan was startled, and Mr. Kou continued, "Ye Lu is already aware of your situation and knows that it's not your fault. However, the management style of Lanyue Pavilion's going to need some adjustments."

Seeing Mr. Kou still talk indifferently about the management of Lanyue Pavilion, Yue Lan knew that this Mr. Kou must hold a position equivalent to Ye Lu's, and within Golden Peng City, the ones granted such status must be confidants of the Demon King. Immediately, Yue Lan and Grand Steward Liu respectfully said, "Yes, sir."

"As for you guys, come with me. The Demon King has been waiting for you a long time. Originally, I thought you'd arrive sooner, but it's unexpected that you'd be delayed this long," having instructed Yue Lan and Grand Steward Liu, Mr. Kou then turned to Zhu Bufan and the others.

"What kind of joke is this? It's you! You're the reason our Electric Flash Tribe has ended up like this, I'm going to kill you!" Unable to hold back her anger upon hearing Mr. Kou's casual tone, Shan Ling broke free from the restraints of Huo Ling's water flow and once again lunged at Mr. Kou.

"To be honest, your arrival is giving me a bit of a headache. It would have been better if you had stayed quietly in your tribe. Don't even think about rebelling. Go to sleep nicely," as Shan Ling broke free from Huo Ling's watery grasp and lunged out, Mr. Kou had already moved beside her, pressing a hand gently on Shan Ling's head. Shan Ling immediately lost consciousness and collapsed on the spot.

"Don't get agitated." Seeing Shan Ling fall, Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling were about to make a move, but Mr. Kou raised his hand to stop them, saying, "I just made her faint for a while. You've seen it, we can't have a conversation with her like this. If I really intended to take her life, do you think she would still be alive?"

"Yue Lan, Liu Qian, take this Emperor Di Clan girl back to Lanyue Pavilion. When you return to the First Layer, take her with you so she can go back to the Second Layer on her own. Alright, Mr. Zhu Bufan, we've already wasted enough time, it's time to go meet with the Demon King, don't you think?"

Two horrifying beams shot from the bronze mask, clearly, Mr. Kou was getting impatient with the current farce, and Zhu Bufan and the others also understood that from the very first encounter, Mr. Kou had been very forbearing. If he had truly intended harm, it's likely the six of them wouldn't have lasted even a quarter of an hour. The gap between an Earth Rank Cultivator and a Human Rank Cultivator couldn't be bridged by Martial Arts, Divine Weapons, or other special equipment.

"Understood, we'll go with you. It so happens that we have questions for the ruler of the Fifth Layer, the Demon King." Seeing Shan Ling breathing steadily as she was handed over to Yue Lan, Zhu Bufan finally reined in his aura, as resistance now was utterly futile. Moreover, the primary purpose of their trip was to meet the Demon King, and since the other party had now proactively suggested it, wasn't it precisely what they needed?

"Fine, follow me then. Really, for such a minor matter, I've already dismissed the gate guards for more than a day. If I dismiss them any further, I feel it wouldn't be right, sigh, luckily you're still here, otherwise if you'd come even a day later, I would have let the guards return." Upon hearing Zhu Bufan's willingness to meet the Demon King, Mister Kou's tone reverted back to that casual, conversational feeling.

"Dismiss the guards, why? Whether we come or not has nothing to do with whether you have guards at the city gate or not, right?" The words of Mister Kou surprised Zhu Bufan and the others. In fact, if one were to set aside the unpleasant encounter on the second level, Zhu Bufan didn't have any hostile intent towards Mister Kou. Strictly speaking, the two were not really enemies at that time. It was only because Zhu Bufan had heard that Mister Kou instigated internal strife within the Thunder Clan on the second level that he developed a dislike for him.

"Hahahaha, why dismiss the guards? It's simple. If there really were guards here, you would have had a hundred percent chance of fighting them today, and the outcome would certainly have been your miserable defeat on the spot. Now do you understand?" Mister Kou said with a laugh to everyone around him.

Just as Zhu Bufan's expression changed after listening to Mister Kou, Mister Kou continued: "Don't doubt it, Golden Peng City is not a place one can enter casually. If the guards were to be here, you would be barred from entering, and it's likely you would even be captured by force. Therefore, to be cautious, I dismissed the guards and waited for you to come. Looking back now, it seems that I made the right choice."

"Actually, instead of all this trouble, why not just wait for us outside the city and give us the entry credentials when you see us? Why bother with all these complications?" After listening to Mister Kou's 'foresight', Zhu Bufan suddenly proposed to him.

"..."

"..."

"Alright, let's go. The Demon King has been waiting for you for a long time now. Liu Qian, you return to Lanyue Pavilion now, and Zhu Bufan, follow me to meet His Excellency the Demon King." Ignoring the looks in their eyes, Mister Kou turned to lead the way. Seeing Mister Kou's behavior, everyone thought to themselves, 'turns out this guy only thinks in complicated ways.'

Upon entering the city, Yue Lan and the Grand Steward took Shan Ling with them and left. With Yue Lan watching Shan Ling, Zhu Bufan felt relieved. Although he said he didn't consider Shan Ling a companion, the fact was Shan Ling came from the second level all alone; it wouldn't feel right to ignore her completely. Zhu Bufan's generosity wasn't that narrow. Now that Yue Lan was taking care of her, it allowed Zhu Bufan to let go of a worry.

Following Mister Kou onward, Zhu Bufan noticed on their journey that although Golden Peng City was vast, it seemed to not have many residents. The large city was eerily silent, making everyone feel quite oppressed.

"In Golden Peng City, it's mainly the top cultivators from the Fifth Layer who live here, and those who move in are constantly engaged in fierce cultivation whenever they have the time. If their strength falls, they have to yield their right to reside within the city and allow the next candidates to take their places," Mister Kou explained to everyone behind him who seemed to find the silence in the city peculiar.

"So you mean to say, the people who enter Golden Peng City have to be selectively qualified to live here? And those who do not meet the criteria will be driven out of Golden Peng City; is that what you mean?" Huo Ling suddenly asked after hearing Mister Kou's explanation, her indifferent tone laced with a barely detectable disdain.

"That's right. To settle in Golden Peng City, one must achieve a certain level of cultivation, and there are also strict divisions regarding living areas. The closer you are to the Imperial City at the center, the higher the requirements. And if you want to move in, it's very simple: just defeat the current residents, by any means necessary. Victory is all that matters."

"And Golden Peng City regularly tests the strength of its residents. If they fall below the standard, they are immediately expelled from the city. The Golden Peng Army within the city are the elite among the residents, and the competition is even more ruthless. The slightest slip could result in being replaced by those below you. This is how Golden Peng City operates."

"Do you not find this excessive?" Listening to Mister Kou, the disdain in Huo Ling's tone became increasingly difficult to suppress. She fundamentally detested such practices.

"Excessive? The rule of survival of the fittest applies everywhere, doesn't it? Golden Peng City's strength is so formidable because of this reason. Here, as long as one is a strong individual, regardless of race or even if it's a Demon Beast, they are eligible to enter. It doesn't matter whether it's the native Zhu Rong race or humans who came with their strength, or even enlightened Demon Beasts — it's all the same. Isn't that good? Do you think it's only right if the Human Clan dominates?" Although Mister Kou's face couldn't be seen, his thick sarcasm was clearly heard. Facing Mister Kou's deliberate mockery, Huo Ling's expression turned cold.

"Little lady, I'd advise you not to make trouble. It's better to simply follow me. If it wasn't for the Demon King wanting to see you, you wouldn't even have the right to speak. Understand?" Suddenly, Mister Kou, who had been moving forward decisively, stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Huo Ling with a cold gaze that only a completely emotionless person could show.

"For the rest of the way, walk slowly. Don't use any movement techniques carelessly, or if you die, it won't be my responsibility," Mister Kou warned after giving Huo Ling a glance, then turned his head to lead the way. He was the first to walk into the courtyard gate of a huge building, "Welcome to the Demon King's Golden Peng Palace."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.