“I am Zhao Xuelong, greetings!” This person bowed the moment he came over.

As the saying went, one couldn’t strike a smiling person even if enraged, what more when they did not have any grudges against him.

Ling Han smiled. “What is it?”

“The four of you must want to use the Transfer Formation here, and return to the Celestial Realm, right?” Zhao Xuelong smiled slightly. His gaze was mainly focused on Bewitching Maiden Rou because he discovered that only Bewitching Maiden Rou’s body was enshrouded with peculiar light. The other three were only Pseudo-Celestial Kings, so she naturally was the leader of this group.

He paused slightly. “At present, massive changes have taken place in this place that used to be ruins. Do you see those multiple complete towers? They are covered with restrictions and possess boundless might. Even a Celestial King would frown at this power.”

His words took a turn as he pointed to a purple vine in the distance, and said, “And there are also these plants that have suddenly appeared. They, too, are extremely frightening. Once, a Celestial King had once been ensnared by them, and he was forced to dismember himself before he could finally escape.

“Furthermore, a great fortune has also appeared here, causing everyone to be keen and restless. Should whoever charges in completely by himself, the only possibility would be that he would be crushed into nothing by the various forces.”

Zhao Xuelong broke into a smile. “Thus, my suggestion to all of you is to cooperate with my master, and we will charge together into the heart of the ruins, each taking what we need.”

So this was a negotiator.

Ling Han laughed. “Why do I feel that with our well-trained and powerful army, we can completely counter soldiers with arms, and water with an earth weir¹?”

Zhao Xuelong’s expression darkened involuntarily. He had not thought that Ling Han would actually be so shameless. He gave a dry cough, and continued, “Sir, my words have already been said very plainly. Merely those towers and plants that have suddenly appeared are already very troublesome, what more when there are also countless Celestial Kings contending.

“You have to know the people who are calling the shots here now at present are all Third Heaven Celestial Kings!”

He had deliberately paused here, expressing a hidden meaning. ‘Did you hear that? They are all Third Heaven Celestial Kings, and how powerful and domineering are they? You are a mere Pseudo-Celestial King, what qualifies you to contend with them?’

Ling Han was also of a mind to tease him. “It’s fine. We are only passing by. I’m sure that there will be no Celestial King that would make things difficult for us.”

“Milord! Milord!” Only now did Zhao Xuelong realize that he had been mistaken. This man was the leader that made the decisions in this group. He hurriedly switched to a more respectful attitude. “To be honest, in these ruins presently, those plants would release a strange luster, which would greatly weaken one’s own battle prowess.

“However, inside those complete towers, one would be able to resist the restraints placed on one’s battle prowess from the plants’ light.

“Thus, to enter into these ruins, you would have to occupy one tower after another, and advance slowly onwards with that as your base camp.

“My master has already occupied 17 towers, and is approaching the end of the first area. We can be considered the number one camp.

“Lord and Ladies, please consider it seriously.”

Only now did Zhao Xuelong reveal some crucial information, bringing Ling Han and the others a slight surprise. As it turned out, something like that was happening in these ruins?

“Please join my master’s camp, and let us win the future together.” Zhao Xuelong took another low bow.

Ling Han looked towards the three women, and said, “Let’s check out the situation first.”

The three women naturally would not object, and nodded.

Zhao Xuelong was overjoyed, and hurriedly made an inviting gesture. “Lord and Ladies, this way, please.”

He led the way ahead, guiding the four of them into the ruins.

The moment they entered, Ling Han and the others immediately sensed a strange power assault them. When they lowered their heads, they were all enshrouded in a layer of purple light. It glowed like precious jade, and appeared very beautiful, but it was like a layer of restraints had been wrapped around them, greatly affecting their battle prowess.

And with every second that passed, this layer of purple light became slightly thicker, which also caused the pressure they felt to gradually increase. They could probably unleash only 10% of their battle prowess by now as the greater part of their power was focused on resisting this purple light.

Zhao Xuelong saw this, and said, “Everyone, now do you believe that I speak the truth?”

“What are you so proud about?” Hu Niu humphed, and shot over a kick.

Peng, Zhao Xuelong instantly stumbled onto the ground, his face landing solidly on dirt.

He hurriedly scrambled to his feet, his eyes glaring angrily at Hu Niu, but when he recalled how the aura that Hu Niu emanated was far superior to himself, his anger instantly disappeared without a trace.

In the end, who asked him to speak cheekily?

He obediently led the way in front of them, and not long after, a complete tower appeared ahead of them. There were people standing guard in the surroundings, and when they saw that it was Zhao Xuelong, they relaxed slightly.

“Old Zhao, you’ve worked hard this time, managing to recruit four people, three Pseudo-Celestial Kings and a Lady Celestial King,” someone called out towards Zhao Xuelong.

Zhao Xuelong smiled fakely, offering a slight twitch of his lips as a response.

Ling Han examined the tower carefully, and saw that there was a layer of light enshrouding all around the tower, but it was not the purple light. Instead, it was a gentle white luminance, making it seem as if it was standing alone independent from this world.

They entered, and the people inside would naturally not stop them. Once they had entered, the purple light on them immediately dispersed rapidly. It really only took one or two breaths’ time, and they had already recovered their full battle prowess.

Ling Han and the others all nodded. No wonder the Celestial Kings were having trouble with every step, advancing only through occupying one tower after another along the way towards the central area. That was because they would not be able to hold on much longer by the time they reached this place if they did not do so.

“Please follow me. Lord Yang should already have gotten the news, and is prepared to meet the four of you,” Zhao Xuelong said.

This was a seven storey tower. They were presently on the first floor, and with Zhao Xuelong leading the way, they soon arrived at the seventh floor.

The moment they exited the stairs, they saw a man was seated upright and mighty, facing them. When he saw the four of them ascend, he did not stand, and merely nodded as he introduced himself. “I am Yang Gang.”

His eyes were only focused on Bewitching Maiden Rou, as if Ling Han and the others did not exist at all.

This was understandable. That was because only Bewitching Maiden Rou was enshrouded in a peculiar light, but there was nothing unusual about Ling Han and the others.

…After becoming a Celestial King, with the entwining of the Dao of Heaven and Earth, a streak of strange light would manifest. This was the most obvious sign of a Celestial King.

Hence, Yang Gang could tell with a single look that Ling Han, the Empress, and Hu Niu were only Pseudo-Celestial Kings—even if the aura they exuded was very strong, and was practically at the Celestial King Tier.

Bewitching Maiden Rou immediately showed a hint of displeasure. Pointing at Ling Han, she declared, “This is my husband, and these two are my close sisters.”

Yang Gang was slightly surprised. With Bewitching Maiden Rou’s circumstances, she was completely capable of seeking a Third Heaven or even stronger Celestial King as her partner. Why would she lower herself to become the wife of a Pseudo-Celestial King?

He thought for a moment, and realization dawned on him suddenly.

Those that had walked here but had yet to break through to the Celestial King Tier were basically aiming for that rumored perfect Celestial Seed, and those that would have gotten wind of it definitely came from powerful backgrounds.

Hence, it was logical that a Celestial King would be willing to throw herself at him.

Yang Gang felt jealous. Why was it that he did not have a Celestial-King-Tier partner?

He felt internally displeased, and it showed through his expression as well. “This is the first line of defense to enter the ruins. It decides whether our supplies would be able to be delivered in time, and is extremely important. Thus, please stand guard here with me. By then, when the path to the central zone is unblocked, the four of you may leave easily.”