"What? The fifty City Lords had just left, and he immediately went to the Sun Family? That’s too bold. And then what?"
"What do you mean, ’then what’?"
"Was he caught?"
"No. The fifty City Lords locked down the city right away, but there was already no trace of Ye Xuan. He appeared and then hid again. It seems he only showed up to dispel the rumors—he was telling us all that he isn’t dead!"
"That’s so badass! He’s risking his life to pass on an unimaginable energy to us. As expected of the man I idolize!"
The weak Cultivators of the world grew to revere Ye Xuan even more. So what if he was being hunted by fifty City Lords? The moment they left, Ye Xuan dared to cause trouble at the Sun Family again. Wasn’t this act a blatant slap in their faces? It was truly too thrilling, too blood-pumping.
At this moment, inside the Sun Family’s discussion hall, the fifty City Lords were holding another meeting.
"It’s been three days, and there isn’t a single shred of news! I feel like my old face is stinging from the slap!"
"Indeed, this Ye Xuan is far too cunning. Just where in the world is he hiding? Someone said he went west, but we searched the west long ago and found absolutely nothing. Once again, he has vanished into thin air."
The atmosphere in the discussion hall was far from pleasant. The Ye Xuan incident had given them a massive headache.
At this moment, the City Lord of Hurricane City spoke up, "If we can’t find him, so be it. He won’t be able to hide for much longer."
"Oh? What makes you say that?"
"The Main City has already sent people over. Calculating the days, they should arrive in Hero City tomorrow."
"Oh? Have capable people and Abnormal Warriors been dispatched?"
Before the Hurricane City Lord could answer, the voice of the Sun Family’s current Patriarch, Sun Hu, rang out from outside the door.
"My Lords, they’ve arrived! The experts have arrived!"
Sun Hu’s expression was respectful. In truth, according to his status, he should have been on equal footing with these Sub-City Lords, because he was also a City Lord! However, he knew better than anyone that he, as a City Lord, was far too weak. Any single one of these men could kill him with a wave of their hand. He only possessed a cultivation base at the first level of the Earth Spirit Realm. His title of City Lord existed in name only! Thus, he didn’t even have the qualifications to participate in this meeting.
As soon as Sun Hu’s words fell, the fifty City Lords all stood up and walked out of the discussion hall.
The Hurricane City Lord looked down at Sun Hu and asked, "Where are they?"
"In the main courtyard."
"Hurry, take me to meet these experts!"
The fifty City Lords quickly headed to the main courtyard. In the main hall sat several old men. These elders wore plain, simple clothes. Some even wore tattered rags, looking like beggars. It was hard to say if this was some new trend.
"Hm? Lord Beigong!"
Suddenly, the fifty Sub-City Lords dropped to one knee in unison. They were kneeling to a middle-aged man sitting in the seat of honor. The man looked to be in his fifties, but his actual age was already two or three hundred years old. Embroidered on his chest was a Fierce Beast. This Fierce Beast was covered in backward-facing spikes that looked like sharp swords. Its eyes were blood-red, and long fangs jutted from its mouth. This was the Fierce Beast, the Blood-Eyed Sword-Toothed Beast. This middle-aged man was one of the City Lords of the eight Main Cities, Beigong Fengxian.
"Lord Beigong, why have you come in person?"
Beigong Fengxian waved his hand, his voice thick and resonant. "I came to escort a few Honored Guest Elders. You may rise; dispense with the formalities."
"Escort Honored Guest Elders..."
The fifty City Lords were utterly astonished. A Main City Lord possessed such a noble and exalted status! In this entire world, who was worthy of him personally escorting them from thousands of miles away? Being escorted to the gates of the City Lord’s Mansion was already a sign of supreme status. Yet, City Lord Beigong had actually escorted these people all the way to Hero City in person!
When they looked at these old men again, their eyes no longer held any of their previous disdain or contempt. Even though one of the old men was picking his toes, they felt as if this toe-picking elder was radiating a divine light.
"Lord Beigong, are these seniors from the Celestial Secret Pavilion?" one City Lord asked.
In their understanding, in the entire Moyue Kingdom, no one other than the Celestial Secret Pavilion could command such courtesy from a Main City Lord.
Before City Lord Beigong could speak, the old man picking his toes actually stopped what he was doing. He brought his hand to his nose, gave it a sniff, and said dismissively, "What the hell is the Celestial Secret Pavilion! From today onward, with the Celestial Calculation Mansion around, the Celestial Secret Pavilion can only play second fiddle."
"Celestial Calculation Mansion? Never heard of it."
The fifty City Lords exchanged blank looks. They had never even heard the name "Celestial Calculation Mansion." Who had founded a sect that dared to challenge the Celestial Secret Pavilion? They had even given it such an arrogant name, directly calling it the Celestial Calculation Mansion.
Beigong Fengxian explained indifferently, "The Celestial Calculation Mansion was personally established by the royal family."
"The royal family..."
The fifty City Lords gasped. The weight of the words "royal family" was simply too immense. Under the heavens, all land belonged to the King. Among the mortal coil, all lives were his subjects. After their shock passed, they all snapped their mouths shut.
Though the Main City Lord’s words were brief, they contained a massive amount of information. In the Moyue Kingdom, sects large and small were all under the royal family’s jurisdiction. Even the most powerful sects wouldn’t dare oppose the Crown. If the royal family told them to head east, they wouldn’t dare go west. However, since the establishment of the Moyue Kingdom, the Celestial Secret Pavilion had always sat a head higher than the royal family. Even when the royal family needed the Celestial Secret Pavilion to handle matters, they had to be polite and offer vast amounts of resources.
But was the royal family truly willing to let things remain this way forever? They didn’t know when the royal family had established the Celestial Calculation Mansion, but deploying its members at this specific time—wasn’t that sending a clear message?
"These seniors possess abilities no weaker than the Elders of the Celestial Secret Pavilion. With them taking action, they will definitely be able to calculate Ye Xuan’s whereabouts. Seniors, if you require anything, just command them as you see fit. I’ll be taking my leave now. When the time comes, they can escort you back."
Beigong Fengxian spoke again. After he finished, he walked out into the courtyard. Before long, a giant fish flew over from the horizon.
A flying fish!
This was an Exotic Beast from overseas, the Flying Sky Fish. The Flying Sky Fish was a Level Seven Beast, possessing strength equivalent to a powerhouse in the Celestial Spirit Realm. A single sneeze from it could blow everyone present away.
Beigong Fengxian mounted the fish and flew into the sky. This fish had no wings, yet its flying speed was surprisingly not much slower than a Flying Beast.
After Beigong Fengxian left, the fifty Sub-City Lords finally stood up straight. Standing alongside a Main City Lord put them under suffocating pressure. A single glance, a single minute emotional fluctuation from a Main City Lord was enough to leave them quaking with fear.
"Seniors, if you need us to do anything, just give the word."
The toe-picking old man said flatly, "There is indeed something we need you to do. Have someone build an altar in the center of the city as soon as possible. I’ll give you the blueprints, and you just need to find people to follow them."
"Senior, if I may be so bold as to ask, must it be built in the city center? Wouldn’t the City Lord’s Mansion do?"
The City Lords were still somewhat worried. With such a huge commotion, how would they step down gracefully if they failed to divine Ye Xuan’s whereabouts?
The toe-picking old man gave a cold chuckle and said, "If it isn’t built in the city center, how will the world know who we are? How will they know how capable we are?"
Hearing this, the eyes of the fifty City Lords lit up.
"It seems you seniors have victory firmly in your grasp!"
"Of course. When my Celestial Calculation Mansion makes a move, it’s as if the heavens themselves are calculating. Even if that brat hides deep underground, we can still deduce his exact location."