Chapter 18: Feisi's Advice

Two Golden Core cultivators rode upon clouds, ascending towards the peak of the mountain.

Chi Dun, covered in dust and bearing minor injuries, stood upon his grey cloud, snorting coldly, "Fei Si! Had you not obstructed my pursuit of the demonic cultivator, I would have captured him already!"

His target of contention was an elderly man in yellow robes, with a goatee and sharp, intelligent eyes, named Fei Si.

Fei Si retorted with a cold snort, "You brute! Was I obstructing your pursuit of the demonic cultivator? I was preventing you from destroying the Fire Persimmon Forest!"

The two bickered all the way to the city lord's presence.

Layers of cloud and mist parted like a curtain, revealing the true form of the city lord.

The current city lord possessed a calm and collected countenance, long accustomed to their squabbles.

Fei Si and Chi Dun, one civil and the other martial, were the city lord's most capable aides, though they had always been at odds.

Chi Dun, after offering his respects, immediately lodged a complaint, accusing Fei Si of non-cooperation and hindering his pursuit. Now, the shadowy demonic cultivator had slipped into the Fire Persimmon Forest, forcing a temporary closure.

Fei Si immediately refuted, "Brute!"

"The Fire Persimmon Forest is of immense value, cultivated since the city's founding. It has taken over a dozen generations and hundreds of years of diligent effort to reach its current scale."

"Fire persimmons are inherently volatile. A battle within the Fire Persimmon Forest would inevitably trigger a chain reaction of explosions. The Fire Persimmon Immortal City's greatest industry would be reduced to ashes!"

"The immortal city derives over half of its annual income from the Fire Persimmon Forest. It can be said that the Fire Persimmon Forest sustains the city's operation."

"You only care about your mission, utterly short-sighted! If the Fire Persimmon Forest is destroyed, how will you have the city lord answer to the Southern Bean Dynasty?"

Originally, the Three Sects Immortals had concealed the Lava Immortal Palace deep within the Fire Persimmon Mountain. After suppressing the volcano, this place gradually transformed from a desolate land into a blessed one.

The Southern Bean Immortal Dynasty recognized this potential and, centuries ago, dispatched a Nascent Soul-level cultivator to reside in the volcano and construct an immortal city. After laying down the city's grand formation, it drew upon the earth's power and fire spiritual energy as nourishment to cultivate the Fire Persimmon Forest.

The Fire Persimmon Forest yielded tremendous profits, hence the name Fire Persimmon Immortal City.

The annual Fire Persimmon harvest also gave rise to a unique festival in the Fire Persimmon Immortal City – the Fire Persimmon Festival.

On the day of the festival, cultivators from all over the city would gather in the forest to participate in the Fire Persimmon harvest. The city would be filled with the joy of harvest and bustling with activity.

Chi Dun, with a stiff neck, glared angrily at Fei Si, about to speak.

The city lord interrupted, "Enough. You have interrogated the assembled cultivators. Have you found any clues?"

Chi Dun hastily bowed and presented the deposition record.

The city lord remained seated, allowing the deposition record to float gently before him. A swift gust of wind blew through, flipping the record from beginning to end.

As a Nascent Soul cultivator, his divine sense was astonishing. In just a few breaths, he had thoroughly absorbed the contents of the deposition record.

It was utterly worthless.

Chi Dun inquired, "City Lord, the demonic cultivator is currently hiding within the Fire Persimmon Forest. What should we do?"

The city lord gathered his divine sense and returned the deposition record to Chi Dun. He said calmly, "What do you think we should do?"

Chi Dun frowned, troubled, "The Fire Persimmon Forest is extremely important. This subordinate believes it would be best to report directly to the Southern Bean Immortal Dynasty and have them dispatch capable individuals to handle it."

"If nothing else, simply scattering a handful of Red Beans, with the Red Turban Warriors leading the charge, would greatly reduce casualties."

"Or, directly request the Divine Arrest Division to come and capture the demonic cultivator."

"Whether it's a Divine Arrest Division cultivator practicing the Mind Clarification Alarm Technique or the Source Tracing Method, they are far more adept at hunting down criminals than I am."

The city lord remained expressionless, glancing at Fei Si.

Fei Si immediately understood and exclaimed again, "Brute!"

"If you summon the Divine Arrest Division, what will be left for us to do?"

"Our side has already secretly negotiated with the two major families. Now, suddenly reporting upwards, how will we face the Zhou and Zheng families?"

"Once this matter is done, it will break all the rules!"

"In the future, when your lordship is an official elsewhere, how will the local cultivation families trust your lordship again?"

"Know that to govern a region, one must maintain good relations and close cooperation with the local powerful families. Only then can governance be smooth and harmonious."

"Breaking promises is the behavior of petty men!"

Fei Si refuted vehemently, his emotions agitated.

There was more he hadn't said—

The discovery of the Lava Immortal Palace occurred after the city lord took office. According to regulations, the city lord should have reported it in a timely manner.

However, at the time, the Zhou and Zheng families vehemently persuaded him with heavy bribes. The city lord himself coveted the treasures of the Lava Immortal Palace, so he concealed the report.

Originally, the three parties developed it secretly, and everything was peaceful.

The Ning family's discovery of the Lava Immortal Palace was also anticipated, and the three parties were mentally prepared to accept them.

But an accident suddenly occurred – the Lava Immortal Palace was blown open!

That damned shadowy demonic cultivator, with his own strength, caused the great situation to take a sharp turn for the worse, becoming unrecognizable.

The Lava Immortal Palace almost completely emerged, and only the city lord personally intervened to barely suppress it. However, the selection criteria for the Lava Immortal Palace were lowered to the Qi Refining stage, and the bells of transmission spread far and wide.

Although the city lord issued multiple orders, timely controlled the cultivators present, and made every effort to cover it up, the news had already leaked significantly. As time passed, the Southern Bean Royalty would inevitably learn about it.

If the city lord had obtained treasures from the Lava Immortal Palace, that would be one thing.

But now, he had not gained any benefits!

The Immortal Dynasty's loss was inevitable. Under such circumstances, how could the city lord willingly give up? Of course, he would grit his teeth and explore the immortal palace with all his might. This was most in line with his interests.

Chi Dun could not argue with Fei Si, so he simply spread his hands, indicating that the task was too difficult and he was helpless.

Fei Si sneered, "How could you, a mere brute, come up with a solution? Leave it to me!"

The city lord looked at Fei Si and said calmly, "Fei Si, if you have any ideas, speak them."

Fei Si had long prepared his answer. He smiled and said, "My lord, I believe the best approach is to pacify with stillness!"

"The demonic cultivator's goal is very clear: the Lava Immortal Palace!"

"Previously, he wanted to enter the immortal palace but was stopped by Zheng Shuanggou. This time, why did he appear near the dungeon?"

"On the surface, he wanted to destroy the array pillars under the dungeon."

The grand formation in Fire Persimmon Immortal City had five major array pillars, located in the Zhou family, Zheng family, Ning family, the dungeon, and the city guard barracks. Destroying these array pillars would endanger the entire Fire Persimmon Immortal City formation.

"But that's just the apparent purpose!" Fei Si judged, his eyes gleaming with confidence.

"He may be deliberately exposing himself, luring Chi Dun to chase him, in order to attract the city lord to appear and capture him."

"Finally, the demonic cultivator hid in the Fire Persimmon Forest, seemingly fleeing without a destination, but in reality, it's quite suspicious."

"Fire persimmons are prone to self-detonation, and multiple formations are arranged in the Fire Persimmon Forest. Why did he choose this place to hide?"

"Currently, multiple formations in the Fire Persimmon Forest are activated together, temporarily sealing off the shadowy demonic cultivator. He appears to be a caged bird, a turtle in a jar, but I am more inclined to believe he is attracting our attention."

"I have a bold hypothesis. This shadowy demonic cultivator is just the bait on the surface, while in reality, there are others lurking in the shadows."

"Once we are attracted by him and concentrate our forces to encircle and suppress him, the volcano will inevitably be empty and exposed."

"The enemy's situation is unclear, and our knowledge is very limited. We don't even know how many enemies are lurking in the dark."

"Even the three major families cannot be ruled out as demonic cultivator spies or even masterminds!"

Chi Dun listened with his mouth slightly open, his eyes vacant.