The man in black spoke cautiously.

Xia Le nodded, narrowing his eyes at the palace ahead. Then, without further hesitation, he strode toward it.

Inside the magnificent palace, the Five Elders occupied various positions, some standing, others sitting on sofas.

Suddenly.

The palace doors swung open, and a tall figure strode inside.

"He's here!"

The Five Elders' eyes narrowed as they all turned toward the newcomer.

Standing three meters thirty tall, with a powerful physique, he inspired the same instinctive dread as a tiger or leopard at first glance.

His strength was almost visible to the naked eye.

A faint smile rested on his handsome face. Even after entering this place and seeing the five of them, his expression remained unchanged.

"Nefertari Xia Le!"

The bald elder in a dark green suit, sporting a drooping mustache, called out in a deep voice.

Xia Le approached the five and looked down at them. Suddenly, he said mildly, "Shouldn't the five of you introduce yourselves?"

"Hmm?"

The sword-bearing elder glanced at him, and a chilling presence instantly swept through the entire palace.

The servants around them trembled, their faces turning pale.

"Everyone else, leave!"

The elder in the black suit spoke flatly.

As though granted a pardon, the servants hurried out of the palace and shut the doors tightly behind them.

At that instant, the atmosphere between Xia Le and the Five Elders abruptly changed.

Suffocating, imposing, solemn, heavy, stagnant—as though mountains had descended upon the air, squeezing out every last trace of oxygen.

"You should be able to guess who we are."

The elder in the dark blue suit, with long, straight white hair and a beard, spoke.

"Being able to guess and showing your guest proper courtesy are two different things!"

Xia Le raised his eyebrows slightly and swept