Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 243: The Meeting of the Clans in Kali City

The Peacock Great Demon King sat in the main seat, his noble aura accentuated by a pale golden robe. Even though he was merely sitting there, not even frowning, he exuded a majestic presence that commanded respect.

The leaders of the twelve major clans arrived one after another. As they entered the hall and saw the Peacock Great Demon King waiting there, they all looked surprised, but they maintained their silence.

When all twelve clan leaders had taken their seats, the hall fell so quiet one could hear a pin drop, and the atmosphere grew noticeably tense.

The Peacock Great Demon King's eyes seemed to reflect deep thought until a man with crystal-clear milky white antlers sitting to his immediate left whispered something, bringing the Great Demon King's focus back.

"My fellow leaders," the Peacock Great Demon King said in a measured tone.

The leaders of the various clans straightened up, their attention fixed on him.

The Peacock Great Demon King continued, "Since I assumed the role of lord over Kali City more than seventy years ago, I have not allowed myself a single day of neglect. Yet, I have never managed to ascend to the emperor level, failing my ancestors.

"However, I have always believed in diligent governance. Though Kali City may lie in a quiet corner, it has remained peaceful and tranquil. Since our clan has been without an emperor, we have been stationed here, and now, three hundred years have passed, spanning three generations of demon kings. As you all know, even without an emperor, with our god-level cultivation, living beyond five hundred years should not pose any problem. So why is it that no demon king in my clan has lived past one hundred?”

As he spoke, he stood up, and a chilling aura of menace spread from him.

"All your clans are under the protection of Kali City, as well as under the protection of my Peacock clan. Lately, petty thieves have coveted our city, with both overt and covert attacks directed at Kali City, creating a climate of fear and suspicion. They aim to plunder our wealth and seize the very lands we live on."

"A month ago, I received a message from the Ancestral Court about Ice Dragon Great Demon King, the one that brought the essence blood of the Rainbow Deer Demon Emperor to place it in the auction. After the auction, the Ice Dragon vanished without a trace, not returning to the Ancestral Court. I was ordered to thoroughly investigate this matter and provide a report within a month.

"The Ice Dragon Demon King is not only an eleventh-order powerhouse but also has a top-rate bloodline, not first-tier but certainly at the pinnacle of the second tier. Where could I possibly find him if he decided to disappear? As the month's deadline arrived, I could only report the facts as they were. However, the Ancestral Court deemed our efforts insufficient and sent an envoy to investigate further. The envoy will soon arrive, and I have called you all here today to inform you of this matter and to decide together how we should respond to their visit."

Hearing the Peacock Great Demon King's words, the clan leaders present couldn't help but exchange glances. Some remained composed, while others showed surprise. Yet, from the tone of the Peacock Great Demon King, they could naturally discern that the arriving envoy bore ill intentions!

From the second seat on the right, a tall and muscular man with slightly spiraled horns atop his head said in a deep voice, "May I ask, my lord, who leads this envoy?"

The Peacock Great Demon King looked at him meaningfully and said, "Capricorn King, this envoy is none other than the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of all clan leaders shifted.

The Capricorn clan leader was even more shocked, "How could it be him? He has become an emperor; why is he serving as an envoy?"

With an unchanged expression, the Peacock Great Demon King replied, "This only shows how seriously the Ancestral Court takes this matter."

The entire room fell silent, especially the older leaders of various clans, whose expressions were extremely solemn at this moment. Most knew the "deep relationship" between the Peacock Demon clan and Crystal Phoenix clan.

The Aetherhorn Deer Demon King, seated at the first place on the left, frowned and said, "My lord, I fear this crowned one comes with ill intentions. We must be cautious in our response."

The Peacock Great Demon King replied calmly, "Of course, I know he comes with ill intentions. It would be weird if he came here to help me. Does any of you have a good plan?"

The leaders of the clans couldn't help but fall silent.

The Phoenix Crystal, after all, is a Demon Emperor!

Within the demon races, only those of the twelfth order could be called Demon Emperors, followed by the eleventh-order Great Demon Kings and then the tenth-order Demon Kings. This was a presence beyond the divine.

In the world of demons, the number of those at the level of Demon Emperor was exceedingly rare. Given the depth of the Peacock Demon clan, if the Peacock lineage had a Demon Emperor, they would not simply be stationed here.

At the grand auction, Mei Gongzi had stated, Our clan has no emperor, and a new emperor would have no city.

Although not all Demon Emperors had cities to guard, the way this was judged also depended on the aspirations of the Demon Emperors. The important point here was that in principle, only a Demon Emperor had the right to rule a city.

The Peacock Demon clan had been without an Emperor for three generations, and this newly ascended Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor did not have a city under his control. He was precisely the one Mei Gongzi was referring to at the time. Not to mention, the Crystal Phoenix clan and the Peacock Demon clan had a conflict going very far back into the past.

The Peacock Demon Clan had been in a tough spot since long before the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor broke through to the level of Demon Emperor. As expected, it didn't take long for the pressure to come. This was also why there were rumors about the Peacock Great Demon King considering a successor.

A Demon Emperor and a Demon King were on completely different levels. The Crystal Phoenix Clan had also been without a Demon Emperor for several generations, fundamentally due to the conflict between it and the Peacock Demon clan. Clashes between the generations had become customary, with casualties on both sides. This was also why three consecutive Peacock Great Demon Kings had not lived past a hundred.

The Peacock Demon clan and the Crystal Phoenix clan engaged in a summit showdown every ten years, and there were three years left until the next one. In the last confrontation, the supreme clan leaders of both the Peacock Demon and Crystal Phoenix clans had been gravely injured and eventually died. The current Peacock Great Demon King was the strongest in his clan. Thus, even if the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor didn’t come right now, he would still have to face this showdown in three years. The Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor was an emperor, after all, so the outcome of their fight was predictable.

Knowing this, the clan leaders had never expected that the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor would be unable to wait even these three years. He was seizing the opportunity to come forth, undoubtedly with hostile intentions!

Taking a deep breath, the Aetherhorn Deer Demon King slowly stood up. "The Peacock Demon clan has blessed my Aetherhorn lineage for generations. As long as the Peacock Demon clan exists, so do we. If they perish, we perish. Should the city lord have any commands, I swear to follow them unto death!"

Hearing these words, all clan leaders were shocked. It was unthinkable for the Aetherhorn Deer Demon King to make such a direct statement, especially when Kali City was about to face the arrival of a Demon Emperor.

The Peacock Great Demon King looked deeply at him and nodded slowly, "Brother Yingjie, you are too kind."

The words of the Aetherhorn Deer Demon King immediately put the leaders of the other clans present in a somewhat awkward position.

To the right, the first to stand was the Golden Deer Demon King, who also stood up and said indifferently, "Our Golden Deer Demon lineage will brave any danger and hesitate at nothing!"

The deer demons were not among the strongest of the demon races, but they were renowned for their wisdom, second only to the fox clans. There had even been a Rainbow Deer Demon Emperor once, marking the peak of the deer demons. However, since the fall of the Rainbow Deer Demon Emperor, the deer demons had fallen to a lower status. With the support of the Peacock Demon clan, they had another chance—they were able to leverage their intelligence to make significant advancements in commerce. Thus, the two major deer demon clans had always been the strongest supporters of the Peacock Demon clan.

Even if they were set on protecting their own interests, they were well aware that without the protection of the Peacock Demon clan, their wealth would immediately be coveted by all the powerful clans. Thus, now that they followed the Peacock Demon clan, they could not stray anymore.

"Without the Peacock Demon Emperor saving us in our times of need, our clan would have ceased to exist long ago. We share both glory and loss. My clan supports this," declared the Golden Capricorn Demon King, also rising from his seat.