26: City Lord's Mansion

Although the butler was a Mortal and had an excellent attitude, Sun Yang did not dare to be arrogant in front of him. He said politely, "Coming here to perform a mission is our duty; how could we dare to trouble the City Lord to personally receive us? These are our identity tokens. We would appreciate it if the butler could simply find us a place to stay."

The butler waved his hand and said with a smile, "Providing convenience for the Disciples of the Xuan Yun Residence is also our duty. Please wait here with peace of mind. The City Lord specifically instructed that we must properly host the young talents coming from Inside the Mansion."

"Then it would be impolite to refuse." Sun Yang cupped his fists in salute, then led everyone to sit in the hall, enjoying the service of the maids while appreciating a song and dance performance.

After a long while, heavy footsteps came from the corridor outside the hall. The Dancers stopped their movements and stood on both sides of the hall with lowered eyes.

The butler hurried forward and said respectfully, "I respectfully welcome the City Lord's arrival."

Sun Yang also quickly signaled for everyone to stand and welcome him. Hong Yu stood up, wiped his hands, and looked toward the door.

A tall, middle-aged man, surrounded by a group of attendants, walked quickly into the hall.

The man was dignified, appearing to be about forty years old, with a tall and sturdy build. His eyes, in particular, were exceptionally sharp, as if they could see through a person's heart.

Sun Yang and the others hurried forward to pay their respects. "It has been a long time. Your grace is as impressive as ever, City Lord, and your cultivation has progressed even further. It is truly worth celebrating."

"I am already old, while you all are young and vibrant, with limitless futures." City Lord Wang spoke in a relaxed tone and said quite politely, "What mission have you all come for this time?"

The two sides exchanged pleasantries for a few moments; it seemed Sun Yang and the others were quite familiar with City Lord Wang. Seeing that Sun Yang had no intention of introducing him, Hong Yu did not take the initiative to introduce himself either. He simply waited for everyone to be seated and then focused on eating the Spiritual Fruits at his seat.

These were all good things; if he didn't take this opportunity to eat more, who knew when he would have them again?

Sun Yang said respectfully, "Our mission this time is primarily to eliminate the level seven Qi Refinement tiger demon on Red Stone Ridge."

"That tiger demon." City Lord Wang rubbed the thumb ring on his hand and said in a relaxed tone, "A level seven Qi Refinement cultivation is nothing for you to fear, but there might be some trouble right now."

"Trouble?" Sun Yang was startled, then said, "I hope the City Lord can provide some guidance."

City Lord Wang said slowly, "Recently, a Foundation Establishment Stage Cloud-Patterned Snake has taken up residence on Red Stone Ridge to lay eggs. The reason that tiger demon is killing people everywhere is also under its instructions, to provide it with the energy needed for egg-laying."

"Cloud-Patterned Snake?" Sun Yang's expression changed upon hearing this, and he spoke stiffly.

"Correct." City Lord Wang sighed and continued, "If it weren't for the fact that the tiger demon was backed by the Cloud-Patterned Snake, why would I allow it to harm the people of my Wolong City?"

"Unfortunately, my Foundation was damaged during a duel with someone before, resulting in no hope of advancement, and my cultivation is still continuously declining. Therefore, I am currently no match for that Cloud-Patterned Snake. I can only rely on the strength of the city to reduce the range of the people's activities, which has brought a modicum of peace to the region."

Sun Yang's brow furrowed, and he said gloomily, "Does this mean the mission can only be abandoned like this?"

There was quite a bit of unwillingness in his voice. One must know that they had taken two missions, and the bulk of the rewards came from this demon-slaying task. If they couldn't complete it, wouldn't it be a wasted trip? They might not even earn back the travel expenses given when leaving the residence.

Seeing this, City Lord Wang lightly stroked his long beard and said slowly, "It's not entirely without a way."

Hearing this, Sun Yang's eyes lit up, and he hurried to say, "Please instruct us, City Lord."

"That Cloud-Patterned Snake has already laid its eggs and is currently resting in its cave. You only need to bypass that area and directly kill the tiger demon. Although the Cloud-Patterned Snake has sensitive perception, that is only relative to Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Your cultivation is only at Qi Refinement; if you are careful, you won't attract its attention. To take a step back, even if you do happen to provoke it, just return quickly to Wolong City. With the City Protection Array, I will naturally protect you."

While speaking, City Lord Wang waved for the butler and continued, "Butler, go and get a map. You only need to pay attention to the marked locations on the map and stay away. That demon tiger is not within the range of the Cloud-Patterned Snake's cave either. It will be hard work for you to avenge the citizens of my Wolong City who died a wrongful death."

The butler left to follow the order and soon returned with a map. After Sun Yang took it, he solemnly cupped his fists and said, "Subduing demons and eliminating monsters is what we Cultivators should do. Please rest assured, City Lord, we will definitely complete the mission."

City Lord Wang nodded and stroked his beard. After saying a few more polite words to everyone, he excused himself and left the hall first, leaving the butler to continue hosting them.

As it grew late, the butler led everyone to their respective rooms to rest and then took his leave.

Everyone was staying in a three-story building with carved beams and painted rafters, and the various furnishings were extremely luxurious.

After Sun Yang assigned the rooms, he sent everyone to rest.

Hong Yu slowly walked to the third-floor bedroom, opened the door, and sat cross-legged on the bed. Feeling the warm and soft bedding, he gradually felt very sleepy and fell asleep.

He didn't know how long he had been sleeping when a sudden burst of cold energy swept over his body, startling Hong Yu awake from his dream.

Hong Yu quickly sat up, brushed his hand over his Storage Pouch, and the seven absolutes sword appeared in his hand. Drawing the sword from its scabbard made him feel a bit more at ease.

He looked around vigilantly but found nothing unusual. The surroundings were just as they had been before he went to sleep, but that cold energy grew more intense. Hong Yu felt goosebumps all over his body.

Strange, it was too strange. Hong Yu's heart raced for some reason, and he slowly moved his steps with a furrowed brow.

Suddenly, Hong Yu realized what was so strange.

This small building was located within the gardens of the City Lord's Mansion. After nightfall, the sounds of insects and cicadas should be incessant, but now it was too quiet—so quiet that Hong Yu could hear his own breathing and heartbeat.

His heart beat faster and faster. Hong Yu steeled himself, kicked off the ground with force, and slammed himself into the window while shouting for help, "Senior Brother Sun, there's an enemy attack! Help!"

As the window shattered, Hong Yu fell from the third floor to the ground. He performed a roll to break his fall and then took a defensive stance.

To his surprise, his shout did not provoke any response. The previously lush garden now appeared desolate and ruined.

Hong Yu gripped the seven absolutes sword in his hand and ran quickly toward the main hall of the City Lord's Mansion. The eerie scene before him truly exceeded his understanding.

However, before he could run more than a few steps, four ghastly Pale Figures suddenly appeared in the air, rushing toward him rapidly.