The one who had just walked in was, of course, Yueyang.

Despite projecting only a Sky-rank Level 3 cultivation, no one in the room dared take him lightly. Lieyan, Bi Lv, and the veiled Luohua were all orienting around him as their center — even a blind person could see that the masked young man was anything but ordinary.

The crimson-haired, blood-eyed ferocious man remained seated in the main chair without moving.

He looked at Yueyang, let his gaze sweep briefly over Lieyan and Bi Lv, then let it fall for just a moment on Luohua.

Finally, he turned to Elder Yumu. “Yumu. This is the one who defeated you?”

Yumu nodded, answering without deflection: “Yes. And he beat me on speed — my greatest strength. In a contest with no artifacts, war beasts, or innate talents augmenting either side, I lost completely.”

The elderly strategist Nanpei studied Yueyang from top to bottom with careful attention, and noticed that on Yueyang’s left hand was a top-grade Saint-level Ring of Deception, while on his right was an Extreme Speed sub-divine-artifact ring. His eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. His smile, however, didn’t waver. He turned his gaze toward the Lion Heart King and fanned himself with deliberate calm. “No wonder the Lion Heart King carries such confidence. So this young friend of his is quite the extraordinary guest.”

The Lion Heart King laughed heartily. “The Lion Heart King has always enjoyed a lively crowd. Tonight I came simply to be part of the excitement. This young friend and I have crossed paths briefly before — and his standing is of a caliber that even I, despite having every desire to cultivate a friendship, find myself feeling profoundly inadequate.”

As his laughter echoed through the hall, a dozen or so more figures filed through the doors in succession.

The largest group was one nobody recognized.

At its head was a human male who crackled with arcs of electricity at every turn — striking, devastatingly cool in bearing, only Sky-rank Level 4 in rank, but the aura he radiated naturally exerted a pressure that matched the peak Sky-rank Level 5 Lieyan without any apparent effort. Even the Lion Heart King, himself an uninvited guest, couldn’t help looking twice.

The figures behind the crackling man numbered several, all around Sky-rank Level 3 — unknown to anyone in the room, yet all sharing the same cutting, restrained aura that gave the impression of depths carefully concealed.

Behind them came several enormous demon kings, all radiating evil energy and blazing with fierce power.

At the very back of this group were a few figures who seemed vaguely familiar. The elderly strategist Nanpei thought hard — and immediately got to his feet. “The Chou Squad — you’re Yue Su and Yonghui from the Chou Squad!”

Yonghui said nothing, adopting the expression of someone who hadn’t heard a thing.

Yue Su gave a rueful smile. “Mister Nanpei — we’re just here to add scenery and pass through. So, our apologies for the intrusion.”

Beside him, the Surrender Trio, along with Flying Locust and Flower Panther, were considerably more proactive — they spread out to take up positions behind the crackling electricity man, showing not one trace of intimidation in the face of Central Divine Temple powerhouses. In the old days, they would have wet themselves on the spot. But those days were long gone. Being captured and remolded had done wonders for their nerves if not their cultivation.

Beyond this unfamiliar and fairly numerous group, two other parties were recognizable.

The first was the Tairen Queen and her companions — only five of them in total, counting the Queen herself. Small in number, but the closest and most devoted friends of the Tairen royal couple — the kind who would face down the world together. Even standing before Central Divine Temple powerhouses, they met that gaze with undisguised defiance.

The second group was one that genuinely surprised Yumu.

It was Redemption City Lord Qianhu and Lima the cunning Minotaur — with the City Lord’s steward hunching in the shadows behind them, trembling from head to toe.

“You? Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” Elder Yumu fixed Qianhu with a cold stare.

“Ah — we are absolutely on the side of the Central Divine Temple. Hearing that certain parties intended to cause trouble at Stargazing Fortress and undermine the Temple’s authority — Qianhu may be weak, but his sense of justice couldn’t allow him to stand aside. So here we are, ready to serve however needed.” The shameless Redemption City Lord delivered this with every appearance of sincerity. Any person with functioning ears could tell it wasn’t a word of truth, and unless Yumu had developed an acute case of brain damage, he wasn’t going to believe a syllable of it.

“City Lord Qianhu shows admirable courage and sharp instincts. But are you certain this is the will of a divine being? Aren’t you at all afraid that someone might be fabricating a divine mandate?” Nanpei asked, his smile pleasant.

“Mister Nanpei, divine will is beyond Qianhu’s fathoming — how could I possibly presume to guess at it? And even if someone gave me ten times the courage, I still wouldn’t dare!” City Lord Qianhu bowed and smiled apologetically, every inch the picture of a thoroughly frightened man. But that performance quietly piqued the Lion Heart King’s interest. He gave an inward nod of appreciation — a man who could bend and flex, thick-faced enough to endure anything, and yet still carrying enough nerve to pull a stunt like this. There was something to this fellow.

Most importantly — the man had guts.

To gamble this boldly in the face of Central Divine Temple pressure took something.

Even the Lion Heart King himself had spent considerable time thinking through every angle before deciding to come tonight. For a City Lord specifically appointed by the Central Divine Temple to guard the Divine Punishment Platform to show up here — even with reasonable strength, the courage required was not small.

“Welcome, all our distinguished guests. The Lion Heart King needs no introduction. City Lord Qianhu commands his own region with authority. Her Majesty the Queen’s reputation for virtue is the pride of all Tairen Continent. Regrettably, several of our other guests are less familiar to us — would you care to introduce yourselves?” The elderly strategist Nanpei fanned himself with unhurried assurance, his smile unchanged, and offered a bow toward Yueyang’s group — precisely as a gracious host welcoming honored visitors.

“Tianzhu.” Tianzhu, as always, saw no reason to waste more words.

“I am Long Xuan. For a person of wisdom and experience comparable to Mister Nanpei, I have always held the deepest admiration. If the opportunity presents itself, I would greatly welcome your guidance.” The Dragon Emperor returned the bow with composed, steady dignity.

As for the Underworld Emperor and Demon King Barut — they couldn’t be bothered with pleasantries. Whatever words they said now, the fighting was coming anyway. Besides, the real main character tonight wasn’t any of them — it was Yueyang. They were here for support.

Nanpei looked at Tianzhu, then at the Dragon Emperor, his brow creasing faintly. He couldn’t place where they came from.

Even with his exceptional memory, it would never occur to him that Yueyang and Tianzhu had come from the Sky-Reaching Tower.

However much he speculated, it would be guesswork.

But Nanpei recovered quickly and turned a slight smile toward Bi Lv and Lieyan. “You are the young Lady of the Jade Domain. I knew your parents. I must say — you look remarkably like your mother.” His words made Bi Lv’s teeth clench. She had already pieced together enough of the picture — even if Nanpei hadn’t personally killed her parents, his scheming had destroyed them. Without his backing, how would the false Jade Domain Lord Pang Pei ever have dared move against her father? She swallowed her fury and said nothing. Nanpei behaved as though he couldn’t see the rage in her eyes, nodded with friendly warmth, then turned to Lieyan. “Captain Lieyan — Nanpei has long heard of the captain’s name and righteous spirit. A pleasure at last. From the look of your presence, it seems another breakthrough has been achieved — how commendable.”

Lieyan’s response was simple. “Hmph.”

Her blazing nature couldn’t manage the smiling counterstrike Yueyang had perfected. She simply expressed her contempt outright, making her feelings crystal clear — no middle ground, no diplomacy.

Nanpei appeared not to notice, maintaining his expression with perfect composure, and turned to Yueyang with a slight bow. “Though the veiled beauty’s standing is clearly exalted, Nanpei’s eyes still function reasonably well. It’s evident that the one truly in charge here is you, sir. Allow me to pay my respects. Might I have the honor of your distinguished name?”

Yueyang returned the bow with practiced theatricality — the whole gesture carrying the air of a very accomplished young fox. “Mister Nanpei is far too courteous. As for my name — it’s hardly worth mentioning to outsiders. If you don’t mind, please simply call me Third Young Master.”

“Ah, so this is the renowned Third Young Master!” Nanpei had never heard the name in his life, but produced exactly the expression of someone hearing a long-familiar reputation confirmed.

“May I ask what brings the Third Young Master to us this evening?” Yumu, despite sharing the title of Enforcement Elder with Nanpei, was constitutionally incapable of matching him in artifice. In some ways he was not unlike Lieyan — someone who said what they meant.

“Nothing major. Just passing by, thought we’d come in and say hello, strengthen the relationship a bit — and while we’re here, borrow something.” Yueyang delivered this entirely in the manner of a casual guest dropping in on friends.

“What is it the Third Young Master wishes to borrow?” Fortress Commander Tiejian asked, his expression grave.

He had the distinct sense that whatever this person asked for was going to be something significant.

Possibly the Stargazing Fortress itself.

Or something that couldn’t possibly be lent — or something that would bring damage to the Central Divine Temple’s reputation.

There was also the possibility they were here for the Tairen King — if the Tairen King were rescued, the secret beneath the Divine Punishment Platform would remain buried, wouldn’t it?

Yueyang didn’t answer immediately. He walked forward with an easy smile, stopping three meters in front of Yumu, then folded his hands in a polite gesture: “Oh, we wouldn’t dare borrow anything truly valuable. This is really just an excuse to come and build a little rapport with the Central Divine Temple. Who in the Heavenly Realm doesn’t want good relations with you? We’re no different, naturally. As for what we want to borrow — it’s quite simple. We’d just like to borrow Lord Tiangui’s head for a moment. We’ll return it promptly.”

Borrow Tiangui’s head for a moment?

Qianhu had known from the start that tonight wasn’t going to end well — but hearing those words, his legs threatened to give way beneath him.

The friends standing beside the Tairen Queen nearly walked face-first into the nearest wall. Just who was this person? The sheer audacity — how did anyone even say something like that?

The crimson-haired, blood-eyed ferocious man had remained silent throughout. Only when Yueyang said borrow the head for a moment did he finally let out a great roaring laugh. “Good. Now that is something with some spirit to it! I love it. Not like those idiots before who wanted to kill me but had no backbone, just resorted to assassination attempts — frankly I was getting bored. Kid, if you have the ability, that head is yours to take whenever you’re ready.”

“Lord Tiangui is truly generous!” Yueyang gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up, then turned and waved his hand back at his companions. “What are you all waiting for? Lord Tiangui has given his permission — why are you still holding back?”

“We’re just making sure there’s no ambush!” Only Luohua could get away with openly joking with Yueyang on a battlefield.

“There’s definitely no ambush — but if you don’t move soon, Tiangui’s reinforcements will arrive. If I’m not mistaken, someone slipped out about half an hour ago to send a message.” The moment Yueyang said this, Tianzhu and the others erupted in fury. If you already knew reinforcements were coming, why were you in here chatting? Lieyan was half a second away from punching him flat — but Yueyang had his justification ready. He grinned and explained: “I was worried about an ambush, wasn’t I? Now we’ve confirmed it — Lord Tiangui is a straightforward man, no ambush, everything out in the open. So now everyone can start.”

Lieyan was thoroughly unsatisfied. She shoved Yueyang aside, took up her fighting stance, and demanded: “You spotted someone leaving to send a message earlier. Why didn’t you kill the little wretch right then?”

Yueyang, naturally, had a perfectly good reason: “If everyone had nothing to worry about, obviously there’d be no pressure — and without pressure, you can’t give everything you’ve got…”

He paused, and delivered the finishing line with complete sincerity:

“I’m doing this for your own good.”

The words had barely left his mouth.

Unanimous contempt descended from every person in the room.

Even the most shameless man present — City Lord Qianhu — felt a momentary pang of inadequacy.