The Role

"I've heard so much about you?"

Looking at Duanmu Yufeng's attitude from Gu Jinlai, it feels both unexpected and reasonable.

Gu Jinlai coming to Haifeng City, I had already spoken with the people of Liyang Cave.

The Holy Dynasty is indeed powerful, with six peerless Void Immortals whose strength rivals that of True Immortals, and hundreds of ordinary Void Immortals and Saints.

But the Holy Dynasty is not invincible.

Firstly...

The Holy Dynasty was ultimately composed of six great grotto-heavens.

The six great grotto heavens were forced to unite because their living space was oppressed by Demonic Beasts, but in reality, the six forces could not truly be a united front.

Secondly...

The Six Great Grottoes have lost their indomitable courage.

Even though they knew that the main force of the Demonic Beasts had been transferred to the Immortal Kingdom battlefield, they still dared not risk breaking through the Demonic Beasts blockade. This shows how far the Holy Dynasty had fallen.

The current Holy Dynasty has almost completely degenerated into a tool for the Six Great Grotto-Heavens to profit.

Outwardly fierce but inwardly weak.

Bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

They exploited and oppressed their own people to the extreme.

When facing powerful opponents...

No!

Even if they are smaller than them, as long as their opponents can harm them, they can be incredibly magnanimous.

This is the essence of the holy dynasty that many people, including those who regarded the Zhouyi as sacred land back then.

Gu Jinlai understood this point, they went directly to Haifeng City and almost completely emptied the resources of the three cities.

Because he knew that doing so would not only demonstrate his strength and let the Holy Dynasty know that he was not to be trifled with, but also because everything he did was reasonable and justified, and he acted within the rules, without truly touching the core interests of the Holy Dynasty.

"It seems that Prince Duanmu has gained the support of the Holy Dynasty, or rather, he has gained access to the Six Great Grotto-Heavens?"

This Gu Jinlai.

"Certainly."

Upon hearing that Gu Jinlai was willing to speak, Duanmu Yufeng quickly smiled, "We have the utmost respect for everyone from Liyang Cave Heaven. In the battle of the Holy Domain, Liyang Cave Heaven persevered to the very last moment, fighting to the death without retreating. This spirit is like a lighthouse in the darkness, guiding us forward, and it is worthy of our deep study..."

"No need for further words. I wonder what the attitude of the Six Great Grotto-Heavens is towards our Liyang Grotto-Heavens' arrival?"

Speaking frankly, Gu Jinlai.

"We, the Holy Dynasty, are very pleased that Liyang Cave Heaven has accepted the Holy Dynasty system jointly launched by our six major cave heavens, abided by the rules, and merged into our system."

Duanmu Yufeng smiled and said, "In fact, when we reported the news of the Ancient Supreme, even our Ancestor Duanmu Chengyun was amazed when he heard about your feat of single-handedly wiping out a million Demonic Beasts. He sincerely said that in this environment where Demonic Beasts surround us, our Holy Dynasty needs talents like the Ancient Supreme."

"Is that so? Then how does Lord Duanmu Chengyun plan to settle our Liyang Cave Heaven?"

This Gu Jinlai.

"We intend to invite the Ancient Supreme Elder to serve as an elder of the Holy Dynasty, and we are willing to give the Wind and Rain City to the Ancient Supreme Elder as the place where the Li Yang Grotto Heaven will be based. From now on, our seven grotto heavens will work together to further expand and strengthen the Holy Dynasty and fight against Demonic Beasts. What do you think?"

Duanmu Yufeng said with a smile.

"Me, the lord of Wind and Rain City?"

Gu Jinlai looked at the prince with a half-smile and said, "Princess Duanmu Shan died in Fengyu City..."

"We never expected Zhao Hua to be so ruthless and depraved. This matter... is truly regrettable."

As Duanmu Yufeng spoke, he directly pinned the blame on Zhao Hua.

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Yao's expression darkened slightly.

However, when Duanmu Yufeng arrived at the scene and did not immediately attack Gu Jinlai, she had already guessed that this would be the outcome.

After all...

Making a move would be pointless.

Given their immense power Gu Jinlai, even if the patriarch of the Duanmu family were to personally intervene, they might not be able to kill them.

Yes!

Just as a peak-level Void Immortal can defeat a top-tier Void Immortal, it is difficult to easily kill them.

Gu Jinlai, no one has been able to defeat their ancestor, but escaping is not a problem.

After all, the supreme illusory immortal, who is known as a great Divine Ability being, has theoretically reached the pinnacle of the illusory immortal realm.

The highest level of immortality relies entirely on the advantage of divine weapons.

In fact, if we set aside external objects and Divine Ability, there is no difference in essence or realm between peerless illusory immortals, great Divine Ability beings, national-protecting illusory immortals, and peak illusory immortals.

Having superior combat power does not necessarily increase one's chances of breaking through to True Immortal.

Those peerless immortals who obtained divine weapons and recognized their masters might even have their true immortal path directly ruined.

"It seems that the Holy Dynasty has already investigated and found out."

Gu Jinlai smiled slightly, "Regarding the matter of the Demon Cult..."

"It's a misunderstanding! This is also a misunderstanding! The Holy Lord has now figured out the cause and effect of the matter and knows that Elder Gu is a meritorious person who has slain Demonic Beasts. Not only has he removed you from the list of demon cultists, but he also intends to bestow upon Elder Gu the Demon Extermination Medal, which is the highest honor medal of the Demon Slaying Hall!"

As Duanmu Yufeng spoke, he actually took out a medal.

This medal...

He truly is a medal of honor.

It has no value other than immense honor.

Since the establishment of the Holy Dynasty, only three medals have been issued.

At this moment, another illusory immortal beside Duanmu Yufeng, Si Xuanyuan, also said, "I, Si Xinghui of Taihao Cave Heaven, was misled and deceived, and mistakenly believed the slander of villains. That's why I, Wuyan, and Lei Xuanyu went to appeal to the Ancient Supreme. Although he is not the culprit, I will take him to Taihao Cave Heaven and suppress him on the Thunder Platform to be whipped by heavenly lightning for three years as punishment!"

As he spoke, he grabbed Si Xinghui and pulled him over.

Gu Jinlai at Si Xuanyuan.

Si Xinghui was already a peak Saint, and with the help of divine weapons and Divine Ability, he had the combat strength of a seventh-level Saint.

He is currently being whipped by heavenly lightning, which is said to be a punishment, but if he can really endure it for three years, it will be of great help to him in his future tribulation and becoming a Void Immortal General.

However, Gu Jinlai, there has never been any intention to truly break ties with the Six Great Grotto-Heavens.

He doesn't have that kind of strength yet.

The best outcome is for both sides to take a step back and achieve a balance.

He nodded and said, "Now that the matter has been investigated, things will be easier. However, the first places we people from Liyang Cave Heaven visited in the Holy Dynasty were Liuhuo City and Zilei City. And the ones who framed me as a member of the Demon Cult were Wu Yan, the city lord of Liuhuo City, and Lei Xuanyu, the city lord of Zilei City. I will take charge of punishing these two people and these two cities on behalf of the Holy Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, both Wu Yan and Lei Xuanyu's expressions changed drastically.

She looked pleadingly at Duanmu Yufeng.

Duanmu Yufeng shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, Non-Self don't agree to your request, but Liuhuo City and Zilei City are the most important links in our Holy Dynasty's defense system. It's one thing if one city is out of the defense ring, but if two or three cities are out of the ring, it will have a major impact on the Holy Dynasty's defense system."

He looked at Gu Jinlai with a solemn expression. "The Ancient Supreme should understand the importance of this defense system to our Holy Dynasty."

Then he added, "Or perhaps, Wind and Rain City can avoid breaking free from the ring?"

Gu Jinlai, it has been known that Duanmu Yufeng's so-called "breaking the ring" actually refers to the projection of the power of the cave heaven.

The fact that several cities have broken away from the Holy Dynasty's defense system will inevitably prevent the power of the grotto-heavens from being projected to the border.

Without the amplification of the power of the cave heaven, even the most peerless immortals would find it difficult to fight against demon gods.

This is practically the bottom line for the Holy Dynasty, or rather, the Six Great Grotto-Heavens.

Gu Jinlai said, "Liu Feihua, one of the ten True Disciples of Liyang Cave Heaven, died in Liuhuo City. Don't you think Liuhuo City should give Liyang Cave Heaven an explanation for this?"

Duanmu Yufeng frowned, and after a long while said, "We are also very sorry for the tragedy of your sect's True Disciple. We can hand over the culprit, Wu Yan, to Elder Gu for punishment..."

"Not enough!"

Gu Jinlai shook his head and looked at Duanmu Yufeng: "Our Liyang Cave Heaven has only two True Disciples who escaped! Two! Only two left! But the one with the most potential to shoulder the heavy responsibility of revitalizing Liyang Cave Heaven died in Liuhuo City! There is no successor... How can our Liyang Cave Heaven talk about inheritance?"

These words...

Duanmu Yufeng understood.

Those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who wear shoes.

He suddenly felt a headache coming on.

After a long pause, he finally said, "Flowing Fire City! At most, we'll add another Flowing Fire City! But as for Purple Thunder City, we absolutely cannot give up on it!"

After saying that, he waved his hand and said, "Otherwise, I will have to ask our ancestor and the ancient patriarch to speak with him personally."

"Fire City".

Looking at Duanmu Yufeng from Gu Jinlai, it is estimated that this is indeed the limit.

He nodded immediately.

"Then, the appointment from the Grand Elder will be issued soon. At that time, someone will discuss the details with the Grand Elder. We will take our leave now."

Duanmu Yufeng said something.

A wise person does not stand under a dangerous wall.

Although he possessed top-tier combat power as a Void Immortal, he still felt immense pressure standing before Gu Jinlai, and his confidence was clearly insufficient.

Now that things were settled, he immediately took Duanmu Yao and left.

Si Xuanyuan cupped his hands in greeting and quickly left with Si Xinghui, leaving behind only the two city lords, Wu Yan and Lei Xuanyu, whose faces were pale.

"We're just leaving like this?"

Duanmu Yao looked dazed.

They seem somewhat unable to accept this consequence.

She looked at Duanmu Yufeng: "The ancestors really..."

I know what you're trying to say.

Duanmu Yufeng said, "If two or three of our six great grotto heavens were to take action, killing Gu Jinlai would indeed not be a problem. However, firstly, Gu Jinlai comes from Liyang Grotto Heaven, and who knows if he still has any powerful trump cards. If any changes occur and damage is caused, even the slightest damage would be very unworthy. Secondly... Gu Jinlai has other uses, such as... testing Demonic Beasts."

"Testing the Demonic Beasts?"

Duanmu Yao quickly realized something. "Him?"

"Over the years, the Demonic Beasts have been increasing their blockade against our Holy Dynasty. We have no choice but to do something to break the deadlock. We also know that plundering outsiders is like killing the fish in a dry pond, a slow suicide. But we had no other choice before. Now that a possibility has arisen, we must seek change."

Duanmu Yufeng said, "Although those people from the Immortal Kingdom said that the main force of the Demonic Beasts has been mobilized to the Immortal Kingdom's battlefield, should we believe everything they say? What if the Immortal Kingdom wants to use us to stage a 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao' scenario?"

"Didn't we send people to investigate...?"

Duanmu Yao said.

"Although we sent people to investigate, the Demonic Beasts have hidden this information very well, and we cannot be truly certain."

Duanmu Yufeng sneered as he spoke, "Coincidentally, Gu Jinlai appeared at this time. That Dragon Cry Demon Emperor used the name of Star Mark Demon God to coerce Gu Jinlai, but it backfired. The Dragon Cry Demon Emperor died at Gu Jinlai's hands. What do you think, will it make a move next?"

"The Star-Scarred Demon God is now in a difficult position and will most likely make a move."

Duanmu Yao said.

"Once it makes its move, whatever the outcome of its battle with Gu Jinlai, it will be beneficial to us! In that case, why bother about short-term gains or losses?"

Duanmu Yufeng smiled slightly.