The Redbud King also owned a key to the Hongmeng Tower.
“If we include yours, then there’s ten keys that’ve appeared. When the last one materializes, the Hongmeng Tower that hovers in the center of the realm will appear before us,” the Redbud King mused. “There was once someone in the realm who claimed five keys for himself. All of the Hongmeng kings hunted him down for that, forcing him to take shelter in the chaos and never return home.
“Of course, that person is so much stronger than me. In the final, conclusive battle, more than a hundred kings died trying to bring him down.
“He is simply too incredibly strong,” sighed the Redbud King.
“One person with five keys… the Purple King?” Lu Yun blinked and asked hesitantly.
“Yes, the Purple King,” she nodded. “Though there are many kings like him in the Hongmeng, there are very few with the same ravening nature as him.
“He gives off the feeling of… utter despair. Complete and irredeemable despair. He seems to be swallowed up in it every time he fights…”
The little fox trembled and pity flashed through her eyes.
“What is it?” the Redbud King asked reflexively when she noticed the change.
“My poor child… motherless at such a young age!” The little fox looked ready to burst into tears.
The Redbud King: ……
“Ahem!” She recovered and coughed dryly. “If the tenth key has appeared, that means the eleventh is not too far off. But, the two of you must reach kinghood before then, or the key will be useless to you.
“Given your strength, you won’t become a titled king through cultivation level before the next key appears. Therefore, you can do so through the supplemental dao.”
“Supplemental dao? Kinghood through cultivation level?” Lu Yun nodded gently. “I wonder if Little Yu has a key as well.”
He was completely unable to communicate with Qing Yu and thus had no idea what her current situation was. The Kaleidoscopic Region was only on the outskirts of the Endless Reaches, and the land within the reaches even more brutal.
……
Tiger Butcher City was the strongest city on the Kaleidoscopic border and its king currently looking intently at the Purecloud King. He enunciated each word carefully, “Do you mean that? That the tenth key to the Hongmeng Tower has materialized?”
“Yes, and it’s with that Immortal King.” The Purecloud King nodded.
“Hmph,” the Tiger Butcher King snorted. “Immortal King? He’s got some nerve. But he just killed the Ancient Beast King—are you actually looking to use my hand for revenge?”
The Tiger Butcher King was a rugged man rough around the edges. He wasn’t the sort to sweat the details, but a cunning light constantly twinkled in his blood-red eyes. He wasn’t the type to easily fall into a trap or be used by others.
“But if you’re willing to be my dao partner… then I’d kill the Immortal King for you even without considering the key. Revenge for the Ancient Beast King would be a given,” he added before Purecloud responded.
“…you would’ve gone to the City of Immortals even if I hadn’t come, wouldn’t you have?” Purecloud remained silent for a long moment before sighing and inclining her head.
“Hahahaha!!” The Tiger Butcher King roared with laughter and pushed Purecloud to the ground.
A cold smirk played at the edges of the Purecloud King’s lips. She hadn’t told him about the Redbud King.
……
A curious atmosphere reigned within the City of Immortals, and the beings passing through its gates did so with varying degrees of panic. Though their new city lord, the Immortal King, was experienced enough to govern with skill, the city’s denizens had discovered some interesting details.
For example, the Immortal King was weaker than the late Ancient Beast King—much weaker.
His way of governing was also weaker than even a young Ancient Beast King newly ascended to the position. The city wasn’t just suffering a subtle decline in strength, but a large and obvious one.
Despite that, the Immortal King spent his days in an orderly fashion, carrying out whatever duties he had. Anyone who fled the city was stripped of their citizenship and their residences confiscated.
“Your Majesty, the Tiger Butcher King is coming,” reported a shaking Shi Yan. He was the head butler of the City of Immortals. Though he was only in the superior realm, he’d served no less than ten city lords in his lifetime and experienced a dozen changes in government.
Apart from Shi Yan, the city also boasted of a contingent of defenders. They remained with the city no matter who its lord was and diligently fulfilled their obligations. However, none of them were confidantes of previous city lords. Their position was also a negligible one and they were more on the level of ordinary citizens. Their only difference was a fancy government title.
After the demise of the Ancient Beast King, his subordinates scattered for greener pastures or left with the Purecloud King. Taking full advantage of the opportunity, the Meteorite King filled the empty positions with Shi Yan and his cohorts.
A rather pale Shi Yan stood in front of his new city lord. It wouldn’t have mattered to him if this was another routine change in ruler; they were long used to the occurrence anyway.
But their soon-to-arrive visitor was a king with a city of his own! A great battle was sure to ensue and when the two cities were combined, people like Shi Yan would be the first to be expunged.
“The Tiger Butcher King?” Meteorite raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, the strongest king of the southern belt of the Kaleidoscopic Region and a mighty third step king!” Shi Yan quickly responded.
“A third step king…” Meteorite nodded. “I know now, you are dismissed. Go back to whatever it is you were doing.”
“Huh?” Shi Yan looked blankly. “But the Tiger Butcher King is coming.”
“And?” snorted the Meteorite King. “So he’s coming. Will he not come just because all of you are running around like headless chickens?”
“Um…” Shi Yan wanted to cry. If he and his men weren’t part of the city’s core essence, he would’ve deserted a long time ago.
“You are dismissed.” The Meteorite King waved a hand.
“…understood.” Shi Yan was so pale that he looked like he’d seen a ghost, but there was nothing he could do about anything.
……
“Greetings to master and the Redbud King!” The Meteorite King bowed respectfully to Lu Yun, the little fox, and the Redbud King seated across from each other in the rear garden of the city lord residence in the City of Immortals.
“The Tiger Butcher King is coming,” he repeated what he’d learned earlier.
“The Tiger Butcher King?” Redbud raised an eyebrow. “No matter, he’s just a third step king. I’ll kill him before I leave.”
“A third step king?” Lu Yun rubbed his forehead and smiled ruefully. “There’s different levels to kings as well?”
“Naturally.” Redbud nodded. “To us, becoming a titled king is only the true start to being able to overlook the Hongmeng.
“There are nine steps to king classification. First step kings such as the Meteorite King can be seen everywhere in the Hongmeng. The Ancient Beast King that you guys killed and the Purecloud King that ran away are second step.”
“How about you and Lu Qing?” the little fox quickly asked.
“I’m a sixth step,” Redbud answered proudly, then paused, “Who’s Lu Qing?”
“Ahem, what level is the Purple King?” Lu Yun asked.
“The Pure King? He’s also sixth step, but the strength he displays is far beyond it.”
The Tiger Butcher King is a truly unfortunate title… This tower has the naming capabilities of a xianxia author lol.
