Fei Si Offers a Plan

The two Golden Core cultivators each rode their clouds, flying towards the high altitude of the mountain peak.

Chi Dun, covered in dust and with some minor injuries, coldly snorted from his gray cloud: "Fei Si! If you hadn't stopped me from pursuing the Demonic Cultivator, I would have already captured him!"

The object of his argument was an old man in yellow robes with a goatee and sharp eyes, named Fei Si.

Fei Si coldly snorted: "You brute. Was I stopping you from pursuing and capturing the Demonic Cultivator? I was stopping you from destroying the Fire Persimmon Forest!"

The two argued all the way to the City Lord's presence.

Heavy clouds and smoke parted like a curtain, revealing the City Lord's true form.

The current City Lord's face was as still as an ancient well, long accustomed to their arguments.

Fei Si and Chi Dun, one civil and one military, were the City Lord's most powerful arms, but they had always been at odds.

After bowing and paying respects, Chi Dun immediately lodged a complaint. He accused Fei Si of not cooperating and instead preventing him from continuing the pursuit, allowing the Black Shadow Demonic Cultivator to slip into the Fire Persimmon Forest, which could only be temporarily sealed off.

Fei Si immediately retorted: "Brute!"

"How immense is the value of the Fire Persimmon Forest? It has been cultivated since the city was built. After the hard work of over a dozen generations and hundreds of years of diligence, it has reached its current scale."

"Fire Persimmons are inherently explosive. Once a battle breaks out in the Fire Persimmon Forest, it will inevitably lead to a chain reaction of explosions. At that time, the largest industry of our Fire Persimmon Immortal City will be reduced to ashes!"

"More than half of the Immortal City's annual income comes from the Fire Persimmon Forest. It can be said that the Fire Persimmon Forest supports the operation of the Immortal City."

"You only care about your own mission, you are simply short-sighted. Once the Fire Persimmon Forest is destroyed, how will you explain it to the Southern Bean Dynasty, Lord City Lord?"

It turned out that after the three sect masters hid the Magma Immortal Palace deep within Fire Persimmon Mountain and suppressed the volcano, this place gradually transformed from a desolate land into a blessed land.

The Southern Bean Immortal Dynasty took notice of this place and, hundreds of years ago, dispatched a Nascent Soul level cultivator to reside in the volcano and build an Immortal City. After the Immortal City's grand formation was laid out, it absorbed the earth's energy and fire spiritual energy as nutrients to cultivate the Fire Persimmon Forest.

The Fire Persimmon Forest yielded immense profits, and the name Fire Persimmon Immortal City came from this.

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

On the day of the festival, all cultivators in the city would come to the forest to participate in picking Fire Persimmons. At that time, the city would be filled with the joy of harvest and be exceptionally lively.

Chi Dun stiffened his neck, glaring angrily at Fei Si, about to speak.

The City Lord spoke, interrupting: "Alright, you interrogated a group of cultivators, are there any clues?"

Chi Dun quickly bowed and presented the confession book.

The City Lord remained seated, allowing the confession book to slowly float before him. A swift gust of wind blew, flipping the confession book from beginning to end.

He was a Nascent Soul cultivator with astonishing divine sense. In just a few breaths, he had a complete overview of the confession book's contents.

There was no value.

Chi Dun asked for instructions: "Lord City Lord, that Demonic Cultivator is currently hiding in the Fire Persimmon Forest. What should we do?"

The City Lord's divine sense stirred, and he flew the confession book back to Chi Dun, his tone flat: "What do you think should be done?"

Chi Dun frowned in difficulty: "The Fire Persimmon Forest is extremely important. This subordinate believes it would be better to report it directly and let the Southern Bean Immortal Dynasty dispatch capable individuals to handle it."

"Putting aside everything else, just scattering a handful of red beans, with the Red Turban Warriors leading the charge, can greatly reduce casualties."

"Alternatively, we can directly invite people from the Divine Arrest Division to come and capture the Demonic Cultivator."

"Whether it's a Divine Arrest Division cultivator who cultivates the Heart-Clarifying Warning Art or the Root Tracing Method, they are all better at catching murderers than I am."

The City Lord's face was expressionless as he glanced at Fei Si.

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

"If you call people from the Divine Arrest Division over, what's left for us to do?"

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

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

"In the future, when the Lord serves in a region again, how can the local cultivation families trust our Lord?"

"One must know that to govern a region, one must maintain good relations and close cooperation with the local major families. Only then can governance be smooth and orderly."

"Going back on one's word is the act of a petty person!"

Fei Si vehemently refuted, his emotions agitated.

There were some things he hadn't said yet—

The discovery of the Magma Immortal Palace was after the City Lord took office. According to regulations, the City Lord should have reported it promptly.

However, at that time, the Zhou Family and Zheng Family strongly persuaded him and bribed him with heavy sums. The City Lord himself also coveted the treasures of the Magma Immortal Palace, so he concealed the report.

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

The Ning Family discovering the Magma Immortal Palace was also within expectations; the three parties had long been mentally prepared to accept them.

But an accident suddenly occurred—the Magma Immortal Palace was blown out!

That damned Black Shadow Demonic Cultivator, with his own power, caused the excellent situation to take a sharp turn for the worse, becoming unrecognizable.

The Magma Immortal Palace was almost completely revealed, and it was only barely suppressed by the City Lord personally taking action. However, the selection criteria for the Magma Immortal Palace were still lowered to the Qi Refining Stage, and the sound of the Dharma Transmission Bell spread widely.

Although the City Lord issued multiple orders to promptly control the cultivators present and fully conceal it, the news had already leaked significantly. As time passed, the Southern Bean Dynasty royal family would inevitably find out.

If the City Lord had obtained treasures from the Magma Immortal Palace, that would be fine.

But now, he hadn't gained any benefits at all!

The losses for the Immortal Dynasty were already inevitable. In this situation, how could the City Lord be willing to stop? Of course, he had to bite the bullet and fully explore the Immortal Palace; this was most in line with his interests.

Chi Dun couldn't argue with Fei Si, so he simply spread his hands, indicating that the task was too difficult and he was at a loss.

Fei Si sneered, "You are just a brute, how can you come up with a solution? I have to do it!"

The City Lord looked at Fei Si and said lightly, "Fei Si, what method do you have? Feel free to speak."

Fei Si had already prepared his thoughts and smiled, "Lord, your subordinate believes that the best method is to suppress it with stillness!"

"That Black Shadow Demonic Cultivator's goal is very clear: the Magma Immortal Palace!"

"Before, he wanted to enter the Immortal Palace and was stopped by Zheng Shuang Gou. This time, why did he appear near the dungeon?"

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

The great formation in Fire Persimmon Immortal City has five major formation pillars, located in the Zhou Family, Zheng Family, Ning Family, the dungeon, and the city guard barracks respectively. Destroying these formation pillars can endanger the great formation of the entire Fire Persimmon Immortal City.

"But that's just the surface objective!" Fei Si declared, his eyes gleaming with confidence.

"He's likely deliberately exposing himself to lure Chi Dun into pursuit, so he can draw out the City Lord to capture him."

"Finally, this Demonic Cultivator hiding in the Fire Persimmon Forest, seemingly fleeing in panic, is actually quite suspicious."

"Fire Persimmons are prone to self-detonation, and the Fire Persimmon Forest is protected by multiple formations. Why would he choose to hide here?"

"Currently, the multiple formations in the Fire Persimmon Forest have been activated simultaneously, temporarily sealing off the Black Shadow Demonic Cultivator. He seems like a bird in a cage, a turtle in a jar, but I'm more inclined to believe he's trying to attract our attention."

"Your subordinate has a bold guess. This Black Shadow Demonic Cultivator is just a surface bait; in reality, there are others lurking in the shadows."

"Once we are drawn in and concentrate our forces for the encirclement, the volcano area will inevitably be empty, revealing a weakness."

"The enemy situation is unclear, and our knowledge is very limited. We have no idea how many enemies are hidden in the dark."

"Furthermore, it's not impossible that those three great families are inside agents for the Demonic Cultivators, or even the masterminds behind it all!"

Chi Dun listened, his mouth slightly agape, his eyes vacant.