Bluffing to the Limit

Black Panther was led to a guest pavilion to rest. Meanwhile, in the rear courtyard, the others began their discussions. In truth, Black Panther did not rest at all. As a demon—and a descendant of an ancient demon at that—Li Hao felt that a dog obediently resting would completely break character. What kind of great demon would be so well-behaved? Thus, the moment the Second Steward left, Black Panther strutted straight back out in broad daylight. Without bothering to hide, it brazenly strolled forward and randomly locked onto a servant of the residence. "You weakling over there! Get over here and show this king around!" Its posture made it clear: if you dare disobey, you will be eaten! The young servant of the Duke's Residence was terrified out of his wits, neither daring to agree nor to refuse. Seeing Black Panther baring its fangs as if ready to devour him, the servant nearly wet himself... when the recently departed Second Steward suddenly rushed back! Li Hao felt even more certain that he was under constant surveillance. He had arrived far too quickly. Neither releasing any presence nor attacking anyone, yet the man instantly knew what had transpired the moment he turned his back. If no one was watching, Li Hao would cut his own head off. "Envoy, will you not rest for a moment? Mount Kui is not far, but it was still a long journey..." "Do you take this king for one of your frail humans?" Li Hao spoke again. "Besides... what sort of wretched place is this? So cramped, how could anyone rest here? The energy is utterly barren! Cut the nonsense and show this king around... You humans certainly know how to indulge yourselves; a mere duke has built such an immense estate..." The Second Steward's cheek twitched violently. This little demon showed no courtesy whatsoever. He was a Rising Light expert, after all, while this little demon was merely at Three Suns, yet it dared to act so arrogant. Of course, knowing the demon had a formidable background, he did not dare provoke it lightly. He could only humor it. "What does the envoy wish to see?" Li Hao pondered briefly before sending a mental pulse: "The treasury!" "What?" Li Hao snapped back impolitely, "The treasury! Let me see what the Duke's Residence has in store! Are you worthy of collaborating with Mount Kui? Do you have the qualifications to join hands with us? A treasury represents foundation. If you lack even the basics like divine energy stones, ancient divine weapons, and the Spring of Life, what kind of major faction do you call yourselves?" "..." The Second Steward was utterly dumbfounded. It was his first time encountering someone—some demon—so outrageously arrogant! Then again, he had never known many demons before. Were all demons like this? So direct and blunt? So completely uninhibited? If this fellow lacked a backing, he would have swatted it to death with a single palm right now! Just listen to that tone—it was beyond insufferable. Li Hao continued, "What? Afraid this king will rob you? Is the dignified Duke's Residence frightened of a mere Three Suns like myself? Besides... would this king even deign to take your scraps?" Li Hao's mental pulse dripped with sneering disdain. With a flick of a paw, he produced a large jar. The jar was tightly sealed, hiding its contents, but Li Hao casually tilted it... and poured out more than a dozen drops of the Spring of Life. "Serve this king well, and I might reward you with a few drops later to enjoy. This king has plenty of this stuff!" The Second Steward's face drained of color! Earlier, when Li Hao had brought out a single drop, his interest had been piqued, marveling at the demon's wealth. Yet now... it was no longer mere shock, but pure stupefaction and madness. For an instant, murderous intent surged within him, tempting him to slay this great demon on the spot and seize the treasure. Heavens! What had he just seen?! He had seen an enormous jar, and more than a dozen drops of the Spring of Life casually poured from it! Serving as a chief steward in the Duke's Residence, he was a knowledgeable man who knew the profound value of the Spring of Life. A single drop was equivalent to an extra life! ... At the same time. In the rear courtyard. The auras of several supers erupted in an instant. The Duke of Dingguo crushed a second chair into dust. Xu Xing, who had just arrived before them, stood with his mouth agape. "Your Grace!" The complexions of the surrounding experts shifted drastically. At that moment, murderous intent, greed, and madness flared concurrently. That was a massive jar! Immense! Casually pouring out over a dozen drops... just how much was inside that jar? Heavens! How many lives was that? Not only that, but even Xu Qing was wondering whether having so much of the Spring of Life could directly strengthen his five organs to the limit, allowing him to unseal his combat strength without needing to seal himself ever again. Yet in the very next instant, he barked, "Sit down!" Greed flared in his eyes before instantly hardening into gravity. "All of you, sit down! What, have you all gone mad? Do you understand what so much of the Spring of Life signifies? It means a great demon of the ancient civilization has truly survived! It means the Imperial Palace truly exists! It means this little demon is backed by an overwhelmingly terrifying legendary existence, and its status is truly noble beyond measure—noble enough to drink the Spring of Life like water..." The more he spoke, the greater his lingering dread grew. Gritting his teeth, he snarled, "You go mad at the sight of treasure, but have you considered whether you'll live to enjoy it? Or do you think that after seizing the treasure, you can simply run away, while my Duke of Dingguo's Residence is rooted right here, and only the people of the Duke's Residence will die?" At those words, the experts' faces drained of color. Hastily suppressing their greed, they bowed one after another. "Your Grace, we were wrong!" "Humph!" The Duke of Dingguo snorted coldly. In truth, murderous intent had surged violently in his own heart moments ago, tempting him to disregard everything and go out to kill that weak little demon. Yet reason ultimately prevailed. At this moment, all doubt vanished. This was an ancient demon descendant of immense background and extraordinary status. Behind it stood perhaps more than one ancient demon, for the Spring of Life could not be condensed by ordinary demon beasts. How much was in that jar? It proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that a great demon of the demon plant variety had survived. The more he considered it, the more he grasped the sheer terror behind it. Frowning deeply, he soon relaxed slightly and let out an exhale. "This is a good thing! Mount Kui is close to us, which is why their lineage sought us out first. It seems they also intend to cooperate. The present is different from the ancient era, and just as that golden demon said, current ancient demons might not be able to easily emerge or adapt to the current world. That makes sense. "However, all of this is mere speculation. If the other party truly steps out, they are an existence none of us could hope to match." Pondering a moment, he looked toward his son. "Go. Show it around. Wherever it wants to go, take it there." Xu Xing was deeply shaken. "Father, it wants to go to the treasury..." "Take it!" Xu Qing said steadily, "To it, does our treasury truly count as one? It might just be looking out of curiosity or entertainment. For that single jar of the Spring of Life, I would gladly trade the entire Duke's Residence... I only fear it would refuse! You can test the waters and ask if it is willing to trade." Seizing it by force was the most foolish choice. He was no rogue cultivator, nor a lone straggler. He was the hegemon of the east, the Duke of Dingguo. Once he robbed this little demon, he could not run unless he abandoned his family estate. But he was unwilling to do that; abandoning the Xu family's two centuries of accumulation for the Spring of Life was impossible. Not only could they not rob it, but they also had to protect it well. With that thought, he looked at the men present once more and said in a low voice, "All of you are pillars of my estate. I do not wish to see anything that disappoints me... The Spring of Life is precious, but there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. If we forge a complete alliance with the Mount Kui lineage, I imagine we will not lack for it. Do not discard long-term benefits for short-term gain... If a mere little demon can possess so much, as long as we achieve cooperation, I imagine... trading for it will not come at too great a cost." The experts reflected on his words and agreed. Someone immediately flattered, "This is all thanks to Your Grace's flourishing fortune. Your renowned name moved the Mount Kui lineage, prompting them to dispatch an ancient demon descendant to discuss an alliance." Xu Qing smiled and said nothing. Inwardly, he was naturally pleased. Yet one troublesome matter remained. The Wind-Chasing Boots! Yes, the Wind-Chasing Boots. What the visitor currently demanded was the Wind-Chasing Boots, and that was his greatest headache. If it wanted anything else, anything at all, he would not hesitate for a second if it meant allying with Mount Kui and gaining the backing of an ancient great demon. Yet... the Wind-Chasing Boots... He felt torn. Remembering the one that had been stolen and the single boot remaining... he hesitated. These ancient beings all desired the Wind-Chasing Boots; it seemed they truly were extraordinary. Yet he could not use them. No matter how extraordinary they were, they could not be converted into combat strength or practical benefit. Thoughts churned, but he decided to wait a little longer. Looking at his son, he said, "Go first. Whatever demands it makes, satisfy them as best you can. If it brings up the Wind-Chasing Boots again... tell it that once I emerge from seclusion, I will present them for its perusal... but not right now." "Understood, Father. I will go at once..." Xu Xing said no more and quickly withdrew. Once he left, Xu Qing looked at the remaining men, took a deep breath, and said, "Keep this Mount Kui ancient demon appeased for now. Everyone, stay sharp. At dawn, the great memorial sacrifice begins. Our primary concern is guarding against those other factions. If we can intimidate them, wonderful! If we cannot..." He looked toward the golden demon in the mirror display and pondered. Could he use this little demon? Though cooperation had not yet been finalized, borrowing the name of Mount Kui to intimidate the surrounding forces was not out of the question. ... At the guest pavilion. Li Hao was clamoring to see the treasury, leaving the Second Steward helpless until Xu Xing appeared, bringing immense relief to the steward. Xu Xing had no heart left to arrange the sacrifice. At this moment, his mind was filled entirely with that massive jar of the Spring of Life. Seeing Black Panther, he immediately plastered on a warm smile. "Where does the envoy wish to go?" "Your treasury! Yet this servant of yours actually dared to refuse..." "A misunderstanding, entirely a misunderstanding! The envoy is an ancient demon descendant of noble blood. What does a mere treasury amount to? Steward Ming does not understand these matters and caused the envoy to misunderstand." Xu Xing beamed. "I shall escort the envoy personally. It contains only trivial trinkets unworthy of your discerning eye, but if the envoy takes an interest, it is our honor." Hiding inside Black Panther's belly, Li Hao secretly gloated. As expected! It was somewhat risky, but to clever men and ambitious warlords, it was hardly a risk at all. If he had encountered someone like Southern Fist... Li Hao would never have dared to flaunt himself so brazenly, not even on pain of death. That would truly get him killed. Southern Fist would definitely beat Black Panther to death and seize the treasure without a second thought. As for how much trouble it caused later, what did Southern Fist care? If Mount Kui attacked the imperial family... Southern Fist might even pull up a chair to watch the show. Thus, different methods were needed for different people. Against the Duke of Dingguo, Li Hao's routine worked quite well. For people like Southern Fist, only fists would do! Gleeful within, Li Hao dropped all pretenses of politeness and continued acting like a reckless demon. "Of course! What good things could you people possibly have? If you have anything, it was dug up from the dirt. But you often fail to recognize true treasures; even when you dig them up, you don't necessarily know how to use or identify them... My greatest hobby is hunting for treasures. What you don't understand, this king understands! Hahaha, that will depend on my luck... If I take a liking to something, how about giving me a few pieces?" "A trivial matter." Xu Xing smiled and nodded. His father had told him to satisfy this ancient demon descendant as much as possible, so he naturally had no objections. Besides, the items in the treasury were secondary anyway. Would true treasures ever be stored in a regular treasury? Were storage rings mere decorations? The Xu family's true treasures were all inside his father's storage ring; even he, Xu Xing, had no right to touch them. Without further chatter, Xu Xing led Black Panther deep into the rear courtyard. Along the way, Black Panther looked around while Li Hao unreservedly released his mental energy to probe in all directions. Its arrogant demeanor made it look as though it owned the place. Xu Xing simply pretended not to see it. Let it probe all it wanted. From the looks of it, this ancient demon descendant did not seem to be gathering intelligence, but rather displaying the curiosity of entering the human world for the first time. In reality, both Li Hao and Black Panther were indeed very curious. While investigating, Li Hao sent a mental pulse: "By the way, what was your name again?" Xu Xing was speechless, but still answered, "Xu Xing." "Oh, Little Xing... quite a nice name!" Li Hao tossed out a casual compliment before adding, "Little Xing, this place of yours is no good..." *What is it now?* Xu Xing was exasperated. Li Hao spoke as if casually mentioning it: "Ever since this king arrived, I've felt uncomfortable, like something is staring at me. Has some expert set their sights on your family?" Xu Xing's heart jolted. *It sensed even that?!* This little demon truly was an ancient demon descendant; its senses were terrifyingly sharp. Many powerful Rising Light experts noticed nothing upon entering the Duke's Residence. Feeling somewhat awkward, Xu Xing did not elaborate. It was difficult to explain. If he spoke the truth, this little demon might fly into a rage, feeling that the Duke's Residence had offended it. Li Hao had merely been testing the waters. Seeing Xu Xing remain silent, he understood immediately. After some probing, he deduced that whatever was monitoring him was likely no ordinary item, but a divine armament or treasure. Otherwise, it would not be so well concealed. This Duke of Dingguo certainly possessed plenty of treasures. He truly lived up to a lineage spanning two centuries... In this era, a two-hundred-year inheritance was substantial, qualifying them as a great family, even a venerable clan. No wonder Xu Feng had been so arrogant back then, confident that Li Hao would not dare kill him. After several turns, the man and dog arrived before a massive pavilion. "This is our Xu family's treasury..." Xu Xing made the introduction. Li Hao probed once more; the security around the treasury was decent, with two Three Suns experts stationed in secret. Three Suns was hardly weak; under normal circumstances, anyone infiltrating this far meant the Duke's Residence had already been breached. Stationing Three Suns or Rising Light made little practical difference at that stage. "This treasury is forged entirely from the strongest refined steel. Ordinary supernaturals cannot breach it easily..." Xu Xing said a few more words, walked to the pavilion doors, and retrieved a key from his storage ring. The doors were secured with a large golden lock. "Normally, the treasury is never opened. Within the residence, only my father and I possess the authority to open it..." Li Hao said dismissively, "Scrap metal. A single paw strike would shatter it." Xu Xing chuckled. "Forcing it open would naturally not be difficult. But this is the Duke's Residence. While it may not compare to the Imperial Palace of Mount Kui, in the human world, it remains an extremely fortified place. Forgive our humble display, Envoy." With a click, the large lock opened, and Xu Xing pushed the doors wide. Black Panther's nose twitched as if catching a scent, almost drooling. Li Hao hastily surged his spirit intent, jabbing Black Panther to stop embarrassing them. Xu Xing paid it little mind and led Black Panther inside, explaining, "The treasury has three floors in total. To the envoy, they might not seem like much. The first floor stores divine energy stones and mysterious energy. There are one hundred storage rings here, all packed with divine energy stones and mysterious energy..." Indeed, inside stood only rows of shelves. Instead of displaying loose divine energy stones, they held neat rows of storage rings. Li Hao's eyes turned green! Storage rings could not be stacked within one another, so each ring took up space. An ordinary person could never carry so many rings. A hundred rings... could they all be full? Just how many divine energy stones was that?! It was simply unimaginable! Li Hao feigned indifference and asked, "Does your Xu family also possess an energy mine?" Xu Xing stared in surprise. An energy mine? After a long pause, he gave a bitter smile. "Does the envoy mean the energy mineral veins recorded in ancient texts? We have nothing of the sort... How could our Xu family possess such a thing? These were merely gathered and accumulated from various ruins." "Oh!" Li Hao added, "Previously, I saw some humans using scrap and trash. Is everything here of the same sort?" "I am not entirely certain what the envoy considers scrap, but you are welcome to inspect them yourself." Li Hao did not hesitate. Controlling Black Panther, he grabbed a storage ring with a paw, swept it with spirit intent, and casually tossed it back onto the shelf as if he couldn't care less. His attitude made it seem worse than trash. In reality, he was gasping for air inside! The storage ring was packed densely with divine energy stones. A rough estimate showed at least ten thousand! Heavens, what kind of concept was that? Could this place be holding a million divine energy stones?! Impossible! Back in Silver Moon, when Li Hao had asked for thirty thousand stones, he had felt like an insatiable bandit driving Silver Moon to bankruptcy. Yet here, a hundred storage rings sat in the treasury. If each held at least ten thousand, wouldn't that make a million? "All low-grade trash!" Despite the shock pounding in his heart, Li Hao sent out a dismissive mental pulse: "Are the other rings filled with this kind of junk too?" Xu Xing smiled sheepishly. Anyone else stepping into the Xu family treasury would be numb with awe! Yet here he was, being looked down upon. No, looked down upon by a demon. Worse, he had no grounds to refute it, and could only reply, "They are all like this. We do possess higher-purity divine energy stones... but they are with my father. Only these are stored here, and the high-purity ones are few in number... barely enough to sustain our own cultivation." "Oh!" Li Hao acted completely uninterested, glancing around. The first floor was spacious; aside from the rows of shelves holding storage rings, other items were stored here as well. Controlling Black Panther, he walked toward another section, swept his gaze over it, and scoffed again. "Are you ragpickers? You even keep junk like this?" Beyond the shelves sat rows of chests, each containing a suit of armor. There were quite a few! Seeing his collection disparaged once more, Xu Xing could only explain, "These cannot truly be called scrap. The envoy may not be aware, but these are suits of armor from a force known as the Sky-Breaking Army... discovered in a ruin. We simply haven't found a way to reactivate them... Like the Battle Heaven Armor from Battle Heaven City and the black armor of the Black Armor Army that have appeared today, these were armors of formidable military branches in the ancient civilization..." Li Hao's heart stirred, yet he retorted verbally, "This king naturally knows that! But back in the day, these were nothing more than scrap metal. The Imperial Palace has mountains of them, and of far higher grade! These were worn by mere grunts—if they aren't scrap metal, what are they?" Xu Xing's interest was piqued. "Envoy, does the Imperial Palace also possess armies?" "Nonsense!" Li Hao said contemptuously, "The Imperial Palace belongs to the Sovereign Emperor! Naturally, there is an imperial guard! Handpicked from myriad mighty armies. As for that Battle Heaven Armor you mentioned, I once heard the ancestor speak of it. Battle Heaven City was not weak, but back then, it was merely an ancient city casually named and bestowed by a Sovereign Emperor. It could not possibly compare to the Imperial Palace itself, nor could the Battle Heaven Army compare to the Imperial Army of the palace..." Xu Xing felt his horizons broadening! So that was how it was! At this moment, not only him, but even Xu Qing listening in secret felt enlightened. So Battle Heaven City had merely been an ancient city named by a Sovereign Emperor in the ancient civilization. Yet even so, it was already this terrifying; rumor had it that the golden warriors within still wielded astonishing strength today. Just then, Xu Xing's transmission jade vibrated. He glanced at it, his eyes flickering. "Does the envoy know much about Battle Heaven City?" "Battle Heaven City?" Li Hao pondered before answering, "Not much. I only know that back then, Battle Heaven City had a massive human population—reputedly tens of millions of people, with a Battle Heaven Army a million strong..." "Then does the envoy know about the warriors clad in golden armor...?" "Oh, you mean those division commander-level officers?" Xu Xing was overjoyed. This envoy truly knew everything! Having an ancient heritage was formidable indeed; nothing escaped its knowledge. A secret that countless people had failed to unravel about Battle Heaven City was casually revealed by this demon. As if recalling something, Li Hao sent a mental pulse: "A division commander commanded ten thousand men, was it? I don't remember clearly; it was something I heard long ago. Battle Heaven City had perhaps a hundred or two division commanders. Above them were army commanders, corps commanders, and the like. A division commander... was just a minor officer!" Xu Xing drew a sharp breath! How could that be? "Envoy, rumors say the city lord of Battle Heaven City was merely a golden warrior..." "Bullshit!" Li Hao started cursing. "How could that be?! They must be blind! Besides, what city lord wears armor? I remember the ancestor mentioning that the city lord of Battle Heaven City seemed to be... a collateral descendant of a Sovereign Emperor, was it? Surnamed Wang? An old fellow, extremely powerful..." Xu Xing grew increasingly astonished. So the information circulating outside was entirely false! Battle Heaven City was nowhere near that simple. He wanted to ask more, but Li Hao snapped impatiently, "Why bring all that up? Who remembers so much? Aside from this trash, do you have any real treasures here?" Xu Xing felt helpless. Was all of this really just trash? A mountain of divine energy stones, boundless mysterious energy, and over a thousand ancient civilization battle suits—any single piece taken outside would be considered a treasure if only it could be used. Then again, the envoy possessed an extraordinary background and had seen far greater things. He quickly said, "The second floor holds some treasures that might interest the envoy. They are all Origin God Armaments... though their grade is not exceptionally high." *Some!* Li Hao was clicking his tongue inwardly. What did he mean by *some*? Without lingering, he headed straight for the second floor. The layout here was different, lined with individual display cabinets in dazzling array. There were many cabinets, though several were empty. Yet quite a few held items; at a glance, at least twenty to thirty cabinets contained treasures. Some emitted faint ripples of energy, showing their extraordinary nature. A fiery-red saber, an earthy-yellow greatsword, a frost-chilled bow... Xu Xing glanced cautiously at Black Panther, fearing it would clamor about trash again, and hastily introduced, "These are all Origin God Armaments..." "I know!" Li Hao said rudely, "Also trash! And very unfriendly toward demonkind! These so-called Origin God Armaments were forged from the corpses of demons. They were abolished long ago! During the Neo-Martial era, they were only used in the early days. Later on, new-style divine armaments were used instead. These Origin God Armaments... are an obsolete batch, provided back then to rogue cultivators or rear-guard personnel." Xu Xing felt his horizons expanding yet again! So that was the truth! "Then when the envoy mentioned earlier that the Wind-Chasing Boots contain a demon origin..." He could not help but ask. By that logic, weren't the Wind-Chasing Boots also trash? Li Hao paused, then snapped, "What do you know?! If the Wind-Chasing Boots are the divine armament of the Eight Great Families, that makes them entirely different! Even if they are an Origin God Armament, the demon body used was from an overwhelmingly mighty demon, not something these pieces of garbage can compare to!" Fair enough. Xu Xing looked around at the treasury he had once taken immense pride in, suddenly feeling a wave of sorrow. So the treasures of their family—treasures that made other experts drool with envy—were nothing but trash in the eyes of others! After all, this place held a million divine energy stones and dozens of Origin God Armaments! The Xu family's most crucial treasures were with Xu Qing. Yet this floor was the core and foundation of the entire Xu family, the very bedrock that allowed them to rise, dominate the east, and perhaps even contest for the dynasty... Yet in this demon's mouth, it was all trash. Li Hao, meanwhile, could not care less about Xu Xing's feelings. Hiding inside Black Panther's belly, he was practically drooling. Heavens, they were so rich! Although he had acquired many Origin God Armaments himself—even giving over a dozen to the little tree at once—seeing dozens laid out together still made him salivate. Right now, all he wanted was to rob the place blind! Yet after a moment's thought, he held back. No! A little impatience spoils great plans. He had not laid eyes on the Wind-Chasing Boots yet. "The second floor is full of this junk. Don't tell me the third floor is all trash too?" Li Hao acted profoundly dissatisfied! "Your Duke of Dingguo's Residence holds immense renown throughout the east, hailed as the eastern hegemon. And this... this trash is all you have? If so, I will have to reassess your strength! Experts are one factor, but wealth is another. Without sufficient wealth, having experts is useless... you'll run out of steam!" Xu Xing felt thoroughly humiliated. Yet he could not say anything. Was he supposed to argue that these were treasures outside experts would crack each other's skulls open for? Saying that to an ancient demon descendant was meaningless. What this creature had seen far surpassed anything he had witnessed. He had originally felt confident about the third floor. Now, his confidence was wavering, and he said vaguely, "The treasures on the third floor are superior to those here. The envoy may ascend to see..." He dared not boast beforehand, terrified of being slapped in the face. He was unaccustomed to being humiliated; usually, he was the one slapping others. Yet today, he had been repeatedly humiliated by a mongrel dog. Worse, he could not lose his temper, and had to admit that the other party's standards were simply too high. What else could he say? The man and dog ascended to the third floor. Here, there were even fewer items. The layout changed again; the spacious floor held several crystal-like domes radiating faint energy, clearly protecting the treasures within. "The third floor contains six treasures in total... all rare and precious gems!" Xu Xing braced himself to make the introduction: "Among them are three Origin God Armaments, all Earth-tier, unlike the Black and Yellow tiers below. The other three items are also precious treasures. One is..." Before he could finish, Li Hao spoke up: "Huh? A Heavenly Gold Lotus? And a complete one at that! Where did you get this? This was a treasure from the Forbidden Sea during the Neo-Martial era. Of course, it has little effect on experts, but it works well on the weak... Your family actually possesses one? Not bad!" Xu Xing froze. *Damn, you recognize even this?!* Truly knowledgeable! He hastily replied, "This was also obtained from a ruin. However... it has a slight drawback. When we discovered them, there was more than one. It is immensely beneficial for strengthening a martial master's spirit intent. But after the spirit intent swells, if the physical body cannot endure it, it collapses easily. We discovered quite a few back then, and many members of our Xu family consumed them, leading to numerous deaths... Their bodies simply collapsed. In the end, only this single bloom remained, originally reserved for my nephew after his breakthrough... Alas, my poor nephew died at the hands of a villain." Li Hao cursed inwardly! *Damn it all!* His Heavenly Gold Lotuses! There had been more than one, a whole bunch, yet these bastards of the Xu family had squandered them all! From the sound of it, they had treated them like candy, causing their mental energy to swell excessively while their bodies were too frail, blowing themselves apart. Served them right! It made sense; this thing was extraordinarily potent, offering immense benefits even to the current Li Hao, let alone ordinary martial masters. Overconsuming it without strong five organs—if you didn't blow yourself up, who would? Aside from the three Origin God Armaments, Li Hao only recognized the Heavenly Gold Lotus among the three oddities. He did not recognize the other two. One appeared to be a weapon fragment, yet it carried an ethereal, profound aura, likely a shard from a shattered, mighty weapon. The other looked like a token, but the surface was blurred, the inscription illegible. It was unclear whether it was a command token or just a plain stone block. As for the three divine armaments, they were indeed a cut above those below. They felt slightly more formidable than the wind chime he had obtained previously. The Xu family was truly an immense power, living up to its name as a hegemon that had dominated the east for two centuries. Crucially, this was merely a portion of their wealth; the truly precious items were likely in Xu Qing's possession. Even so... this place housed the bulk of the Xu family's accumulated riches. Li Hao was ravenous with greed. Yet he could not show it now, continuing to feign disdain. "Forget it, nothing good. This Heavenly Gold Lotus is decent, but of little use to demons. Keep it for yourselves! A wasted trip!" Xu Xing sighed helplessly. *Your standards are just too high.* He had originally hoped to trade some treasures for a bit of the Spring of Life, but now he couldn't even bring himself to ask. Who could have thought the Xu family treasury would see a day when it was treated like garbage? Controlling Black Panther, Li Hao headed straight downstairs, sending a mental pulse as he walked: "This junk isn't worth looking at. When can I see the Wind-Chasing Boots?" "That... the envoy will need to wait a short while. The Wind-Chasing Boots are with my father. Once he emerges from seclusion, I will report to him immediately..." "Be efficient! Humans are always so dawdling!" "Certainly, certainly!" Xu Xing acted as obedient as a grandchild, yet found nothing amiss with it. As he walked, he glanced at his transmission jade again and asked cautiously, "Envoy, if the Wind-Chasing Boots are not what Mount Kui requires, what of our cooperation...?" Li Hao said bluntly, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it!" Xu Xing grew anxious, desperately hoping the boots were indeed what the other party needed. He probed further: "Envoy, if I may be so bold as to ask... this Dragon God of Mount Kui... what is its relation to the Imperial Palace?" "Lord Dragon God is a guardian of the Imperial Palace's outer perimeter. The existences within the palace cannot easily emerge, so they casually offered some guidance. Lord Dragon God possesses decent talent and cultivated to this level, so naturally, its relationship with the Imperial Palace is quite close now." Xu Xing understood. *So that's it—a glorified gatekeeper.* No wonder mentioning the golden demon only drew praises of noble status without further elaboration. With that in mind, Xu Xing asked, "Envoy, if the Wind-Chasing Boots are what the Dragon God requires, is the envoy's earlier promise—that five Rising Light great demons would be placed at the disposal of our Duke's Residence—true?" Li Hao's heart stirred. *He took the bait!* It seemed old Xu Qing was feeding questions from behind the scenes. Li Hao inflated his boasts once more, his mental pulse brimming with arrogance: "A mere five Rising Light demons! If the Dragon God succeeds in its advancement, securing the safety of the Imperial Palace's perimeter, what do five Rising Light demons amount to? The countless demons of Mount Kui—take as many as you wish! What we need are true powerhouses, beings beyond Rising Light! Rising Light is mere child's play... If the Dragon God fails to break through soon, once those in the palace... ahem, I cannot tell you. Regardless, if the Dragon God delays too long and fails to advance, we won't even need it anymore!" Xu Xing was terrified, catching the implication—were those ancient demons about to emerge from the Imperial Palace? Panic seized him. Mount Kui was not far from the east. Wouldn't that mean... grave danger! "Are the lords within the Imperial Palace... about to emerge?" he asked carefully. "None of your business!" Li Hao declared proudly, "Even if they emerge, they won't bother with you. I can see through your petty thoughts in an instant! When we emerge, our destination is the land of Silver Moon! Our goal is not this place, not even this world, but the depths of the celestial firmament! It is beyond your comprehension. We shall follow in the footsteps of the ancient Human King, following the Sovereign Emperor to depart from this realm... Your vision is far too narrow, limited to a mere continent. In ancient times, the core of the Heavenly Star Dynasty—what you call the Central Region—was nothing more than a tiny Heavenly Star Island! Even the imperial family today has merely occupied the ruins of the ancient Heavenly Star Town, gaining a bit of capital from it..." Xu Xing felt his worldview shattering! *What did all of that mean?!* ... Simultaneously. Xu Qing's expression shifted drastically as he muttered, "Heavenly Star Island, Heavenly Star Town... So that was it! Silver Moon... So the ancient civilization never set its sights on this land... The dynasty is truly nothing more than an island... Incredible..." Yet connecting it to certain intelligence in his own possession, he believed it completely. His eyes held only awe and boundless desire! With Li Hao framing it this way, Xu Qing became certain of one thing: Mount Kui had no interest in his Duke's Residence. Even if they seized the east, the other party wouldn't care. Yet he cared deeply. In that case, the foundation for cooperation was solid. The other party's search for an alliance was likely temporary, as those beings truly could not emerge easily just yet... And this was precisely the Duke's Residence's opportunity. Once missed, such an opportunity might never come again. "The Wind-Chasing Boots..." He gritted his teeth. One was already lost; he might as well treat the second as lost too! Besides, the other party might genuinely return it. From the little demon's words, if the Serpent King failed to break through soon, it would be abandoned. Once abandoned... wanting the Wind-Chasing Boots would be meaningless anyway. Right now, he needed to help the Serpent King break through. Only then could the Serpent King secure its footing and remain grateful to the Xu family for aiding its ascension. With the Serpent King serving as a bridge, they could finalize an alliance with the Imperial Palace of Mount Kui. Having thought it through, Xu Qing knew what had to be done. At this moment, he fully believed Black Panther's identity. There was no helping it; the other party simply knew too much. In two centuries of excavating ruins, the Xu family had not uncovered half as much. And that partial understanding made him believe Li Hao's words without a shred of doubt. If Xu Qing had known nothing at all, Li Hao's words would have been playing a lute to a cow. The danger lay in knowing a little, but not everything. Under such circumstances, Li Hao's claims were devastatingly persuasive, each sentence shaking him to his core. ... At this moment, Xu Xing seemed to receive an instruction and said, "Envoy, at dawn, the Xu family's great memorial sacrifice begins. Representatives from other eastern provinces will attend. Would the envoy be interested in observing the ceremony?" "Boring!" Li Hao played hard to get, prompting Xu Xing to hurriedly add, "Father might emerge from seclusion then! If he does, he will bring the Wind-Chasing Boots out with him!" Li Hao replied instantly, "Very well, this king shall go watch the spectacle!" Xu Xing was overjoyed, but immediately cursed internally! For no other reason than his father's message: after dawn, do not offer the Wind-Chasing Boots... rather, do not offer the boot in his possession! His father would come to preside over the ceremony personally! *Damn it all!* How could Xu Xing fail to understand the implication? It was a fake! The Wind-Chasing Boot the old man had given him was a counterfeit meant to dupe outsiders! But now that the demon envoy had arrived, if he offered a fake and the envoy realized it wasn't what it needed, turning hostile and leaving, disaster would strike. Clearly, his father intended to appear personally and offer the real one... What a hypocritical bastard. He had spoken so righteously about the Xu family fearing no thieves, yet had still handed him a fake. The more Xu Xing thought about it, the angrier he grew! Looking at Black Panther now, petty schemes stirred in his heart. Previously, he had regarded his father as an insurmountable mountain, but now he seemed unimpressive. If he could forge ties with this ancient demon descendant and secure the backing of the Imperial Palace, would his father dare withhold the succession from him? No... perhaps... he could aim even higher. Would a mere dukedom satisfy him? And the key to all of this was the golden dog before him. At this thought, Xu Xing became far humbler and even more enthusiastic, beaming so broadly that Li Hao felt a chill run down his spine. *What is he smiling like that for?* *Did I blow my cover? Did they figure something out?* Unease gnawed at him, but having come this far, Li Hao could only bite the bullet and keep up the act. Strutting with arrogant steps, Li Hao left the treasury. At this moment, his ambitions had expanded slightly. The Wind-Chasing Boots... were not enough. Before leaving, if he didn't empty this entire treasury, he would never be content. He needed to figure out a way to sweep it clean in one go! And ideally, stir up a massive mess for the Duke's Residence while he was at it! Otherwise, once these fellows had free time on their hands, they would surely hunt him to the ends of the earth.