"Peacock Emperor? Are you referring to one of the Nine Great Heroes of the Wilderness, the Peacock Emperor?"

Wang Wu finally showed some interest.

Back in the day, the Bear Demon Emperor had stolen from North, South, East, and West, and then made a group of like-minded friends... Among them was the Peacock Emperor. The three Demon Emperors of the Peacock Race were established by the Peacock Emperor.

To say more, the Left Demon Emperor is merely the great-grandson of the Peacock Emperor.

And that Kong Zhen is the direct grandson of the Peacock Emperor.

Earlier, there was a tax turmoil, and Kong Zhen was the most active participant. It was also lucky for him that his fiefdom was a full ten thousand miles away from Black Tortoise Royal City; otherwise, he would have been doomed by now.

"Summon them to see me!"

"Understood!"

Master Ya fluttered his small wings and ran off to pass the message. This guy, though not focused on cultivation, was quite adept at networking.

He might as well be renamed Eunuch Ya.

In no time, Kong Zhen, Ya Bufan, and Yan Feihen hurried over, kneeling obediently two hundred meters away, awaiting orders. They really had calmed down this time.

Yet Wang Wu could more or less guess what these guys were thinking. In part, they were genuinely frightened by the Crane Race's fate; on the other hand, it was almost certain that Wang Wu would sooner or later advance to First Grade, forming a new Demon Emperor. Whether replacing the Left Demon Emperor, the Right Demon Emperor, or becoming an Eastern or Southern Demon Emperor didn't matter. What mattered was, the position of Demon Emperor was stable.

So, what face was there to maintain at this point? They might as well come over and fawn respectfully.

But Wang Wu didn't care about any of this. He was already planning to have Xiong Shiliu hurry up and advance to First Grade and become the Demon Emperor on his behalf. Why would he care?

However, the secret realm left by the Peacock Emperor was indeed worth his attention.

"Explain what is going on. Isn't the secret realm left by the Peacock Emperor supposed to be under the control of the Left Demon Emperor? What does it have to do with you three?"

"Reporting to the Grand General, this secret realm was specifically created by the Peacock Emperor. It is extremely dangerous and immovable, but it's indeed an excellent place for refining Lifebound Demon Soldiers. In fact, the Left Demon Emperor only enters once every hundred years, while I, the guilty one, am a guard specifically meant to oversee the entrance to the secret realm."

"Today, seeing the Grand General struggling to find a suitable place to train, I dared to speak up. I am, however, deeply remorseful for my past mistakes and wish to atone for them. I humbly ask the Grand General to give me a chance."

That old man Kong Zhen spoke with sincerity.

And Wang Wu was indeed tempted, because his current refining method was like a small blast furnace for smelting steel with folk techniques, consuming a lot of Blood Qi, and there was a huge waste of Essence of Gold Qi. Without thinking of a method, he was worried that even if he exhausted all the Profound Iron, he wouldn't be able to refine a Celestial Fifth Grade Lifebound Demon Soldier.

Of course, he also considered whether this might be a trap or some sort of conspiracy.

But his Danger Perception didn't react, and besides, given his current power, it would be tough to face a First Grade head-on, but no problem with a Second Grade.

There were already many places he could go, both aboveground and underground.

"Good! If this succeeds, consider it a merit to your name!"

"Understood! Please rest assured, Grand General, the guilty ones are willing to guard the law for you!"

Kong Zhen exclaimed, excitedly.

Ah, no wonder.

Wang Wu nodded, "Where is this secret realm located?"

"Reporting to the Grand General, it's actually beneath the Royal City Tax Bureau in Black Tortoise Royal City."

"Very well, lead the way!"

Wang Wu was relieved; originally, he had planned to bring along his Companion Demon Vine. Now, though, given how close it was, there was no need to worry.

Following Kong Zhen's lead, they soon arrived at the Royal City Tax Bureau. It's hard to imagine that the secret realm was right underneath.

But considering that the tax bureau was the most important location, it was heavily guarded before, which made sense.

At this moment, Kong Zhen did not hesitate, first burning incense and bowing, then taking out a Jade Talisman, performing a spell, and as the booming sound rang out, eighteen square wells, each a hundred meters deep, were revealed in the plaza of the Royal City Tax Bureau. At the bottom of these wells was only one peculiar hole.

"Grand General, please wait a moment. Currently, only the first level of the mechanism is activated. There are two additional levels to follow, of which the final level requires the Royal Seal in your possession to trigger."

After explaining, Kong Zhen retrieved another peculiar box. When opened, it emitted a bone-chilling cold, filled with snow, containing a small snow-covered mountain.

"Grand General, the eighteen types of secret keys needed for the second mechanism must be placed in a stable Cold Vein before they can function properly. If they change, the keys will fail immediately."

"Of course, Grand General, there's no need to worry. Once you enter the secret realm, there's another exit inside. You won't be trapped inside unless you leave, then this place's mechanism won't activate..." At this point, Kong Zhen also carefully spoke, fearing Wang Wu might misunderstand.

The critical point is that Wang Wu, upon listening, indeed felt a bit concerned.

However, he said nothing, merely signaling Kong Zhen to continue.

Not until all eighteen wells had corresponding keys inserted did they finally hear a rumbling from underground, as if from ten thousand meters below. Simultaneously, an entrance emerged.

"Grand General, should we accompany you inside?"

"No need, remain here."

Wang Wu looked at Kong Zhen, Ya Bufan, and Yan Feihen, took confident steps downward, meanwhile, his Danger Perception indeed showed no change.

Continuing down about ten thousand meters, he eventually encountered a narrow stone chamber, less than ten square meters.

In the center of the stone chamber, there was only a seal platform, perfectly corresponding to the Royal Seal of the Royal City.

So far, it can be said that everything was still normal and made sense. Wang Wu could not think of any reason for Kong Zhen and the other two to conspire against him.

Ah, just to avoid taxes, to kill an upcoming First-Grade future Demon Emperor, even giving up the merit of following the dragon?

What grudge, what hatred, could killing Wang Wu earn you a certificate from the Human Race?

Those guys wouldn't be that stupid!

Therefore, Wang Wu was still very certain.

After pausing for a moment, he took out the Royal Seal and placed it down on the seal platform. At that moment, a series of arrays were activated, evolving into a mini teleportation array!

Goodness, interesting, isn't it?

Setting up a teleportation array here, that Peacock Emperor sure knows how to make a mystery!

But then again, the Southern Wilderness Demon Race has quite the technological accumulation in teleportation arrays—like the grand teleportation array in Black Tortoise Royal City that was dismantled and reinstalled in Dragon and Snake City earlier.

But Wang Wu hadn't seen a similar grand teleportation array in the West Wilderness.

After a brief hesitation, he stepped into the mini teleportation array, because he knew that this kind of mini teleportation array had a maximum teleportation distance of only a thousand miles.

It wasn't too big of a problem.

A flash of white light passed, and Wang Wu disappeared from the spot.

At the same time, he appeared in a huge, eerie cavern.

The reason it was called eerie is because this place looked a little like a Profound Iron Ore.

All around, it was piled with thick blocks of Profound Iron.

Truly wealthy.

But one had to say, this was indeed a good method!

Because the scattered Essence of Gold Qi would re-settle in the Profound Iron, rather than being truly wasted.

Furthermore, once the Essence of Gold Qi is triggered in this place, it might resonate with the Essence of Gold Qi...

Just thinking about that scene made Wang Wu's scalp tingle with excitement.

At this moment, he looked around, but goodness, where was the exit?

Even the suspicious teleportation array beneath his feet rapidly dimmed, what was going on?

"Youngsters are truly formidable!"

An elderly voice suddenly echoed.

In that instant, Wang Wu almost immediately activated the Ruyi Demon Pill, transforming his body to the size of a grain of rice.

"Oh? Interesting, could you be a descendant of Xiong Pi? I smell a peculiar scent!"

The voice continued, though no figure could be seen.

"No need to panic, and no need to hide. This old one's physical body is already destroyed, only the Demon Soul remains hidden in this Profound Iron Secret Realm. As it stands, if you are indeed a descendant of Xiong Pi, you must address this old one as senior."

Hearing this, Wang Wu couldn't help but ask, "Senior, are you perhaps the Peacock Emperor, one of the Nine Great Heroes of the Wilderness?"

"Hehe, all that Great Emperor and Nine Heroes talk? Nonsense! But indeed, this old one is the Peacock you know of. Hmm, you carry Xiong Pi's Soul Jade. Back then, it was this old one who crafted it for him. Come out, Old Bear... Oh? This Soul Jade was even marked by Old Tree Spirit, containing a total of twelve demon souls, what a pity, what a pity!"

"What a pity?"

"A pity for Xiong Pi's demon soul. In theory, this Soul Jade can only contain one demon soul, but the old fellow couldn't bear for his descendants' souls to dissipate, so he accepted the demon souls of his wives, concubines, and descendants into it. This is a mess, with their demon soul memories intermingled, and further pressured by the information provided by Old Tree Spirit, they all turned into Soul Insects."

"What is a Soul Insect?" Wang Wu asked in surprise.

"Just like Bookworms dwell in books, Soul Insects reside in the Soul Jade. If properly cultivated, these Soul Insects can transform into Great Illusion King Insects. This method is used by the Ancient Tree Race specifically to record history and information. Anyone unfamiliar encountering a Great Illusion King Insect would be overwhelmed and dazed by the endless influx of information, lost in illusions, even to the point of becoming a skeleton without realization."

"Those who witness it find it terrifying and tell ten people, who tell another ten, and the story changes over time. But in reality, the Great Illusion King Insect is extremely terrifying. You must be careful; if you die, your demon soul will be absorbed into the Soul Jade as well, and you too will become a Soul Insect, eventually transforming into a Great Illusion King Insect."

"Of course, if you don't die, the Soul Insects within can provide you with relevant information based on your needs, even offering good advice. Quite mystical and miraculous. I suspect you understand what I'm saying."

Hearing this, Wang Wu finally understood why, after he killed the larva of a Great Illusion King Insect, consuming its essence allowed his demon soul to be repaired and grow.

At this moment, the Peacock's demon soul continued, "Since you have managed to reach this place, it indicates the Peacock Race already trusts you. Are you here to refine your Lifebound Demon Soldiers?"

"Reporting to Senior, indeed, that is the case."

"Oh, then you must be careful. In this place, there are altogether 18,964 blocks of Profound Iron, each filled with Essence of Gold Qi; once triggered, it will fully activate."

"Think of my great-grandson, a First-Grade Great Demon, even he would be seriously injured each time he comes. Looking at your strength, it's not even Second Grade, tsk tsk tsk, were you tricked here by my useless descendants? If so, you're quite unlucky!"

"Without exhausting the Essence of Gold Qi, the teleportation array won't activate. You had better be prepared to stay here and chat with me."

"So boring!"

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