Chapter Eighteen

At this moment, within the City Lord’s Mansion.

Five divine power avatars sat in a grand hall. They were the leaders of the five great families.

“Mo Limeng has already left Luo He’s cave mansion.” Commander Mo Lixiao sat there, his purple curved horns like a crown, his face somewhat aged, his gaze calm. “Luo He was just assassinated, and he suspects we sent the assassins. He also refused the position of ‘Deputy Commander of the Huyang Legion.’”

“We sent Mo Limeng to explain; that was already showing Luo He respect,” the Huyang City Lord said, slightly frowning. “Appointing him as Deputy Commander of the Huyang Legion is the highest position we can offer. Higher positions, like City Lord and Commander, are directly appointed by the Royal Capital.”

The position they offered was considered the third highest in Huyang City. As for higher positions, the five great families did not have the authority to appoint them privately.

This was their greatest sincerity.

“We offered him a chance to reconcile, but he refused,” the white-haired figure said, shaking his head gently.

“We made a concession, yet he refused,” the figure clad in blood-red scales said with a cold gaze. “Among our five great families, there are two royal families and three chaos families. We suppressed dissenting voices within our families and took a step back, but he still wouldn’t accept our goodwill.”

As the leader of the Wu clan, a branch of the royal ‘Wu family’ in Huyang City, Wu Qulou was naturally arrogant. Their willingness to take a step back was purely because Luo Feng’s strength was sufficient.

The leaders of the five great families were well aware that, regardless of one’s background, an opponent’s strength must be respected.

“We conceded, but this Luo He isn’t willing to budge,” said the leader of the Meiwu clan, whose body was covered in growing branches and leaves, exuding a strong life aura. He continued leisurely, “We can recognize the bigger picture, but the many Eternal True Gods within our five great families can’t swallow this insult.”

Everyone present understood this point.

As leaders of their respective family branches in Huyang City, they were considered quite exceptional. However, the vast number of their clan members were quite ordinary, and centuries of indulgence had long accustomed them to their superior status, making Lord Luo He’s provocation even more intolerable.

The leaders of the five great families also had to consider the sentiments within their clans.

“We gave him a chance, and he didn’t take it! Then let’s pay the price and eliminate him,” the figure in blood-red scales said calmly. “Even if we can’t kill him, we must make him hide forever, never daring to show himself, just like Blood Cloud.”

Blood Cloud, the leader of the Eater Kingdom’s forces, had always been in hiding. If he were to reveal himself, he would immediately be attacked by the five great families.

Within Huyang City, the five great families held a strategic advantage, so Blood Cloud could only remain in hiding.

“Brother Wu, I told you long ago to invite an expert from outside and eliminate him,” the Meiwu clan leader said with a smile. “The Yuguang Kingdom is vast, and experts are numerous. There are those stronger than Blood Cloud and stronger than Lord Luo He.”

“I don’t agree with this,” Commander Mo Lixiao said indifferently.

“Mo Li, can you tolerate this?” the figure in blood-red scales scoffed. “You may tolerate it, but my Wu clan cannot.”

The Wu clan was a Divine King family; their arrogance was naturally extraordinary.

“Blood Cloud is the leader of the Eater Kingdom’s forces and our sworn enemy. But Lord Luo He is essentially a reclusive Eternal True God; there’s no need to force him into opposition against us,” Commander Mo Lixiao said calmly. “Even if we invite an expert from outside, you know very well that it’s easy to defeat but difficult to kill! If Lord Luo He escapes an assassination attempt, he will only hate us more deeply. Having such a formidable enemy constantly lurking in the shadows… that’s not a good thing.”

“We don’t even care about the Eater Kingdom; are we really afraid of one Luo He?” the figure in blood-red scales scoffed coldly. “City Lord Qumeng, what do you think?”

“We took a step back, but he ignored us. For the internal stability of the five great families, I believe we can act,” the Huyang City Lord said.

Commander Mo Lixiao gently shook his head.

The white-haired figure also said, “I think we should reconsider.”

“If the two of us agree, then this matter can be decided,” the figure in blood-red scales said.

“Both the City Lord and Brother Wu agree, and I agree as well,” the Meiwu clan leader said with a smile. “There’s no need to argue about this any further.”

The Huyang City Lord was from the royal ‘Qumeng clan’.

The figure in blood-red scales, Wu Qulou, was the leader of the royal ‘Wu clan’. The branches of these two royal families in Huyang City subtly outranked the three chaos families, and they would tolerate no provocation.

“Then I will proceed with preparations for this matter,” the Meiwu clan leader said. At the same time, he purchased all available intelligence on Lord Luo He from the Yanfeng Guild, knowing that to act, they naturally needed to thoroughly understand their opponent’s background.

Intelligence changes over time, so they needed to acquire the latest information.

“When trouble comes, they’ll just hide behind us,” Mo Lixiao said, feeling quite helpless. With the two royal families deciding on this course of action, and the Meiwu family’s support, he and the Jiang clan were simply unable to stop it.

“That’s a bit strange!” the Meiwu clan leader said, feeling somewhat puzzled.

The other four leaders looked at him.

“I tried to purchase the latest intelligence on Lord Luo He from the Yanfeng Guild, and his information costs a full 5,000 Cosmic Sands,” the Meiwu clan leader said, a serious expression on his face, looking at his four companions. “Just one piece of information, and it’s sold for so much?”

“When he acted against Qian Yuchong and Meiwu Qi, I purchased his intelligence, and it only cost 100 Cosmic Sands then,” the white-haired figure beside him exclaimed in surprise. “Not even a night has passed, and his intelligence price has soared this much?”

“All my intelligence only costs 500 Cosmic Sands,” Commander Mo Lixiao said, unable to believe it. “All of Blood Cloud’s intelligence is also 500 Cosmic Sands. But this Lord Luo He… demands 5,000 Cosmic Sands?”

They knew very well that the Yanfeng Guild’s pricing had a system, a complete framework established by the Yanfeng Ancient Kingdom, and they never set prices arbitrarily.

“Go ahead and buy it; see what’s going on,” the Huyang City Lord instructed.

They didn’t care about 5,000 Cosmic Sands.

What they cared about was… that a single piece of intelligence was priced so high, making the leaders of the five great families somewhat nervous.

“Alright,” the Meiwu clan leader said, immediately purchasing the intelligence.

The Meiwu clan leader spoke in disbelief, saying, “The intelligence provided by the Yanfeng Guild states that a powerful Eternal True God named ‘Shadow Cang’ died tonight within Lord Luo He’s cave mansion.”

The Yanfeng Guild would not sell information about transactions between clients and itself.

However, through karma, the Yanfeng Guild had its own means to confirm Shadow Cang’s death.

Any client holding a Karmic Communication Token, upon death, could be instantly confirmed and located by the Yanfeng Guild.

Even without a Karmic Communication Token, making location impossible, as long as there was an interaction or karmic connection, the Yanfeng Guild could determine whether that karma existed. Existence meant life; disappearance meant death.

“Shadow Cang died within Lord Luo He’s cave mansion?” Everyone present’s expression changed.

“Shadow Cang’s strength is beyond doubt. He possesses more than one mechanical-type secret treasure and has personally comprehended several Chaos Realm techniques. His escape ability is even more formidable,” Mo Lixiao said. “He once killed the child of a Chaos Master in the Eater Kingdom, infuriating the Chaos Master, who dispatched elite teams to hunt him down. I heard he survived several assassination attempts and ultimately managed to escape into our Yuguang Kingdom.”

After all, given the conflict between the Yuguang Kingdom and the Eater Kingdom, the Chaos Master’s elite teams wouldn’t dare openly pursue someone continuously within the Yuguang Kingdom’s borders.

That particular Chaos Master had over three hundred children and held a mindset of tempering, screening, and eliminating them. The death of one child didn’t warrant an overly strong pursuit force, which was one reason Shadow Cang managed to escape.

However, if it were a Chaos Master with only a few children, and their child was killed, the Chaos Master would likely pursue them personally, perhaps even inviting friends for assistance—then there would truly be no escape.

Even so, Shadow Cang’s survival had greatly boosted his reputation.

“He survived being hunted by elite teams dispatched by a Chaos Master, yet he died within Lord Luo He’s cave mansion?” The leaders of the five great families were all shocked.

Luo Feng sat leisurely in the pavilion atop the mountain, drinking wine. Life was not merely about cultivation.

After the fierce battle, Luo Feng only wished to relax and reflect.

“Hmm?” Luo Feng looked out the cave mansion’s entrance in confusion. “Mo Limeng hasn’t been gone long; why is he back already?”

It was still Mo Limeng’s flying vessel.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Three figures flew down. Beside Mo Limeng was a similar-looking, thinner elderly man, and a three-eyed man with a purple-gold scaled tail.

“Why are Mo Lixiao and the City Lord here?” Luo Feng was surprised.

The Legion Commander and the City Lord were the two highest-ranking officials in Huyang City.

“Qingyan, open the door,” Luo Feng instructed from a distance.

“Yes, Master.” Mo Yuqingyan immediately went to open the main entrance. At a glance, he saw the three figures outside and couldn’t help but be startled: “Commander Mo Lixiao and the Huyang City Lord?”

As the only gatekeeper currently in the cave mansion, Mo Yuqingyan had long received intelligence from his master and had some understanding of all the Eternal True Gods in Huyang City. This way, when visitors arrived, he could at least recognize them.

“My master bids you enter,” Mo Yuqingyan said, suppressing his nervousness. As a mere True God, when had he ever come into contact with a Commander or a City Lord?

“He didn’t greet us personally, only sent a servant to open the door. It’s clear he’s still displeased,” the Huyang City Lord transmitted to his companions.

“If I had his strength, I’d be even more displeased!” Mo Lixiao transmitted back.

The City Lord and the Commander flew together towards the pavilion atop the high mountain, while Mo Limeng followed behind.

Inside the pavilion.

Luo Feng sat there drinking wine, with several wine pots already placed beside him, indicating he had drunk quite a bit.

“For the City Lord and Commander to come together, you truly honor me,” Luo Feng said, looking at them with a faint smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Please, have a seat.”

From start to finish, Luo Feng remained seated, never rising.

Thinking of how they had indulged Meiwu Qi in the massacre of hundreds of millions of people, Luo Feng simply couldn’t be bothered to rise.

“Lord Luo He,” the Huyang City Lord said with a sigh. “The matter with Meiwu Qi was indeed our mistake. As City Lord, I cannot fully restrain the Eternal True Gods within my family. Your actions this time, Lord Luo He, are a good thing; they can truly instill fear in them.”

“The five great families truly owe Lord Luo He thanks,” Mo Lixiao also said. “Regarding this matter, we will inform the five great families that the Lord’s actions were justified, and that if similar incidents occur in the future, they can continue to be killed. We believe this will better deter the Eternal True Gods of the five great families.”

Luo Feng was very surprised.

The five great families had yielded?

“This is our apology gift from the five great families,” the Huyang City Lord said, stepping forward to offer a jade bottle. “It contains some auxiliary cultivation materials, and we hope it can resolve the animosity between the Lord and our five great families.”

Luo Feng’s divine power swept over it, and he was somewhat surprised.

Inside the jade bottle was a pool of light white liquid, resembling a small lake. This was the renowned ‘Blood of the Blazing Beast’ from within the Yuguang Kingdom. Consuming it was said to feel like merging with chaos, making it exceptionally effective for comprehending Chaos Law.

Luo Feng estimated that this single bottle was worth approximately a million Cosmic Sands.

“Lord Luo He, we are serious. If any Eternal True God from the five great families in Huyang City causes trouble again, the Lord should handle them according to Yuguang Kingdom law. We will only support the Lord,” Commander Mo Lixiao said.

“You two have me a bit confused,” Luo Feng said. “More than one person told me before that the five great families would not give up.”

Mo Limeng, standing nearby, felt a bit awkward.

He had indeed said that he understood the five great families well, and that they would not give up.

“Ultimately, this world values strength,” Commander Mo Lixiao said. “Now, a complete piece of intelligence on Lord Luo He costs a full 5,000 Cosmic Sands at the Yanfeng Guild. Our five great families naturally have to respect your strength.”

The moment they learned of his strength, the leaders of the five great families understood one thing.

Within Huyang City, the City Lord’s Mansion and the Eater Kingdom’s forces represented two extremes, locked in fierce contention. In the past, there was one truly transcendent power in Huyang City that neither the City Lord’s Mansion nor the Eater Kingdom’s forces dared to infringe upon: the Yanfeng Guild!

And now, within Huyang City, transcending the two extremes, besides the Yanfeng Guild, there was also Lord Luo He!

Special thanks to the new Alliance Masters: Mo Ran Hui Shou Na Ren Zai Deng Huo Lan Shan Chu and Pai Huai Lu Ren 02.