Since they had an audience with Lord Wanghuo, High Mother Lisha and Cao Yun walked toward the royal palace. Contrary to the Oasis of Life, the royal place was not in the desert and yet there was less vegetation. The place was rather urban with many single-story buildings. There were vast courtyards but the vegetation wasn't too visible from the streets. Looking at the various buildings, it was obvious that this had been a smaller city once. Many buildings had been added fairly recently, they couldn't be more than a century old. Considering how old Accomplished Demons could live, this was the equivalent of five to ten years for mere mortals.
And indeed, this royal city had been built upon the site of a small town. Before Lord Wanghuo conquered the entire Desolate Sepulcher, he had been a little boy from this town. After becoming the absolute ruler of the entire continent, he decided to come back home. Unfortunately, his family was terribly poor and they had all died before he had even reached the Golden Blood Child realm. Maybe this had driven him to focus solely on his strength. Nowadays, no one could rival him at all.
With High Mother Lisha at his sides, Cao Yun's experience was extremely strange. Everyone was treating her as though she was a goddess on this land. In a sense, she was considered to be the representative in the mortal world of their gods, the Weaver of Souls. After getting visions from the Weaver of Souls and collecting his ashes, this felt very weird to Cao Yun. And he wasn't used to this kind of attention.
Even in the Wubei Sect, as the Young Sect Master, he had not felt like that. People were looking at High Mother Lisha as though she was not of flesh and blood. They didn't see her, they were seeing the god she represented.
When they finally reached the royal palace, the guards didn't even dare to ask any question of High Mother Lisha, and by extension of him either. Even if she had had no audience with Lord Wanghuo, they would have probably allowed her to enter. Although they were afraid of Lord Wanghuo's strength, they wouldn't have risked offending their god.
At last, Cao Yun entered the royal palace. His plans were about to bear fruits. Now, he simply needed for the king to give him a navigator and a boat so he could go back to his land. Soon he would finally be able to see his sister again, his friends, his homeland. Crossing the entire God's Land infested with the Empyrean Asura Theocracy wasn't a problem for him. With his stealth, he wasn't afraid of any demon on the Piaolu planet. However, he couldn't just swim through the Divine Blood Ocean. Even flying would be a problem.
Cao Yun had studied various maps but they were not too useful. The Divine Blood Ocean was simply too erratic. Only someone who intimately knew this ocean could safely cross. And even then, many navigators had died traveling from the Desolate Sepulcher to God's Land. If their trades with the continent were not so important to their economy, the Nalupu Kingdom would have stopped risking its boats and navigators a long time ago. Of course, Cao Yun could still try to travel on his own. But he didn't like the idea of getting killed by the weather or by some lurking demonic beast before he could put his hands on Emperor Weide. Such a death would simply be too tragic, it wouldn't even be funny.
Walking up the small stairs leading to the audience hall, Cao Yun examined the array formations set all over the place. If things went poorly, it was necessary to have a perfect understanding of the layout. The array formations themselves were very primitive and Cao Yun could get rid of them in an instant. In fact, he could easily turn them against those they were supposed to protect. But there were also blood runes and a few seals here and there. They were a bit more complex, especially the blood runes.
The seals weren't a problem, but he could feel a powerful bloodline in the blood runes. Without any doubt, Lord Wanghuo had used his own blood, the blood of an 8th-grade Accomplished Demon. Those blood runes would be a problem for sure. But hopefully, Cao Yun wouldn't have to resort to his last plans. For the time being, things were going relatively well. Even if Boss Gui's death had altered his projects, things were still moving forward in the right direction.
Before they entered the audience hall, High Mother Lisha and Cao Yun could hear soft moaning and small laughs. The two of them knew immediately what those many voices were about. High Mother Lisha's face turned red. It wasn't out of embarrassment, but out of anger.
"This pig...! He knew we were coming and yet...!"
If they had been in the Oasis of Life where the Sisters of the Abyss were absolute, she would have lost it. Most likely, she would have admonished Lord Wanghuo in front of everyone else, completely disregarding his authority and the etiquette. But the thing is, Lord Wanghuo wouldn't have done such a thing in the Oasis of Life. It seemed obvious that he was actively trying to piss off High Mother Lisha. From what Cao Yun understood of him, he was bored out of his mind. Thus, he was trying to take some pleasure out of upsetting the High Mother of the Sisters of the Abyss after being forced to play by the rules during her induction ceremony.
Within the royal palace, no demon could use their spiritual senses. In fact, even using one's physical senses too much was seen as a violation of etiquette. Even if there was no real way to prevent one from doing so, most demon adhered to it strictly. Discretion was paramount. And a single small indiscretion could cost one's head.
Obviously, when they finally reached the top of the small stairs, they were able to see what Lord Wanghuo was doing.
On a large golden throne with red cushions, there was a fat man with his chest completely exposed. His feet were also bare. And he was completely slumped on his golden throne. His head was shaved but there was a very long mustache falling on both side of his grinning mouth. Even from the entrance of the audience hall, High Mother Lisha could smell a thick odor of alcohol still stuck to his facial hair. In his eyes, Cao Yun could see an extinct fire as though there used to be a great will in them at some point, but it had been snuffed out. On his bar chest, besides his hair, there were many scars. His muscles were still visible in his arms and chest. But his stomach was extremely plump.
And all around this fat man, a dozen beautiful women with little clothing were massaging his muscles. Most were using their hands, but some were a bit more imaginative with their body. Such a glorious hall was being used in such a lewd manner. Of course, this made High Mother Lisha furious. And although he was feigning he had not noticed, Lord Wanghuo was extremely pleased with the redness in High Mother Lisha's face.
The protocol demanded that the visitors wait for Lord Wanghuo's command in total silence. A servant ran past them and knelt in the middle of the audience hall.
"High Mother Lisha, High Mother of the exalted Monastery of Bliss and Repose, representing the will of the Progenitor, the Weaver of Souls.
"Lord Mo Yun, esteemed guest of High Mother Lisha, owner and founder of the Blazing Swallow from Duma City."
Despite his small stature, the servant's voice was loud enough that it echoed throughout the audience hall a few times. Cao Yun had hesitated on whether he should use his real name. After all, there were still chances that it could somehow reach the Empyrean Asura Theocracy and then the Hongchen Kingdom. The odds were small, but he didn't want to take any risk at all. Although Cao Yun was honestly tired of hiding his identity, the mere fact that a few people around him knew who he really was would be enough for now.
For several minutes, Lord Wanghuo seemed much more interested in the charming women around him than in his guests. As he had been bound by protocol, so was High Mother Lisha now. But she would find a way to make him pay. The worst thing was that it would probably amuse him as well.
Cao Yun and High Mother Lisha could clearly tell that he was completely indifferent to those women. His senses were focused on the two of them, especially High Mother Lisha. He was simply trying to irritate them. Apparently he was taking a lot of pleasure just seeing how far he could push her temper. But in the end, he got bored of even that. Then, his senses went on Cao Yun.
Although spiritual senses were forbidden in the royal palace, it didn't apply to the king himself. As such, his spiritual senses coalesced around Cao Yun. However, the young man was not afraid at all. Despite his strength, Lord Wanghuo wasn't adept at manipulating his soul. Consequently, he was unable to penetrate Cao Yun's Wei Qi. For several more minutes, Lord Wanghuo tried to pierce through Cao Yun's body to explore his cultivation and his bloodline. The more Cao Yun resisted him, the happier and the more excited Lord Wanghuo was.
At some point, Lord Wanghuo completely forgot about the young women around them. He even stopped grinning like an idiot. The tension between the two men was incredible. Lord Wanghuo ended up using more and more of his spiritual senses. Along with them, he let out some of his killing intent. Suddenly, he got brought back to reality. One of the women who was using her entire body to massage him fainted.
As she had been so close to him, she was the most affected. But all the women were having a bad time to be honest. Although they were trying their best and even if the attack wasn't directed at them, they were still feeling as though they were on a battlefield facing Lord Wanghuo. There was nothing pleasant about that.
Before she could fall to the ground, Lord Wanghuo caught the young woman in his arm.
"Oh?! It seems we've gone a bit overboard today... Ha ha ha! Oh?!"
After his obvious fake laugh, Lord Wanghuo feigned to see High Mother Lisha for the very first time.
"High Mother?! How embarrassing that you've seen me in such a state... My travel to and from your prestigious Monastery of Bliss and Repose left me exhausted. Thankfully, those charming creatures proposed to appease my fatigue. But, you've also had a very long journey toward my royal palace. High Mother Lisha, would you like some company to help massage this exhaustion out of his body?"
Lord Wanghuo clapped and a few half-naked men entered the royal palace.
"Would you prefer some men, some women, or both of them? I'm sure they would be elated to help relieve your stress in any way you would see fit."
Cao Yun could distinctly hear High Mother Lisha's breathing. In fact, everyone could hear the anger and irritation in her breath. Honestly, the men and women were all a bit uncomfortable. After all, they were probably all believers in the Weaver of Souls. Seeing the High Mother of the Sisters of the Abyss being played in such an obscene way wasn't pleasant for anyone, except Lord Wanghuo.
But this time, the fat king was much more interested in Cao Yun so he cut his teasing short.
"Oh? Maybe High Mother Lisha has already everything she needs by her side...? Thank you, my sweet darlings. You can rest. I'm sorry if I've exhausted you."
Sending a surge of Qi in her, the woman who had fainted woke up full of vigor. Lord Wanghuo kissed her gently and let her go. All the men and women left the audience hall as quickly as they had come in.
High Mother Lisha didn't even note the innuendo behind Lord Wanghuo's words. Clearly, his teasing had worked very well. High Mother Lisha could imagine why High Mother Qin Xue always hated meeting Lord Wanghuo outside of the Oasis of Life. From now on, she would do just as her predecessor had done. This pig was unworthy of her time!
Still half-naked, Lord Wanghuo stood up from his throne. Standing up, he was even taller than Ren Chao or Yun Ping. He was around ten chi* for sure, even taller than Cao Yun's first spear. Now that he stood up, his stomach fell. Although his muscles were clearly visible through his fat, his physique struck Cao Yun's mind. Some monks were sometimes a bit plump or even fat, but it was oftentimes a choice. In fact, the statues of Buddha were often shown like that to give off the vibes of a peaceful and joyful man, not a powerful warrior or an incredible cultivator who could wipe out an entire planet with a thought. However, Lord Wanghuo's physique had clearly been caused by neglect. He simply didn't care and he stopped training his body while he abused food and wine.
A normal human being would have probably died with all the food, wine and fooling around Lord Wanghuo was doing. But he was a cultivator so it didn't affect him much in the end. However, it did have an impact on his physique. Despite that, Cao Yun could still sense a powerful aura all around Lord Wanghuo. There was no doubt that this man could definitely crush him. And he was walking toward Cao Yun as though he had found his next prey. At the moment, Cao Yun was much more alluring than all the finest women in the world, or the tastiest food, or the most refined wine.
"You're the famous Mo Yun? I heard a few stories about you. But none does you justice. I thought that this day would be boring, but it might just get excited in the end..."
In Lord Wanghuo's eyes, there was a tiny fire. Cao Yun's presence had intrigued him. But after testing him with his spiritual senses, Cao Yun was now the only thing on his mind.
Before Cao Yun or High Mother Lisha could react, Lord Wanghuo punched Cao Yun right in the face.
* 10 chi = 10 ft = 3.33 m