Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 244: Choosing Sides

The Peacock Demon Emperor mentioned by the Golden Capricorn King was the one from seven hundred years ago, once hailed as the strongest existence in the history of the Peacock Demon clan.

“You have our support." A muffled voice sounded beside the Golden Capricorn King, unmistakably belonging to a man of short and stout stature with dark golden short hair—the Golden Porcupine King.

All three golden clans had now expressed their support.

The Peacock Great Demon King's gaze swept over the leaders of the other groups.

The Aetherhorn Deer demons and the three golden demon clans were pretty much tied to the Peacock Demon clan; if the Peacock Demons fell, they all faced the possibility of extinction, so they naturally offered their unwavering support. The other seven clans, however, were not so deeply rooted; they were not golden clans, and they had the golden clans in their lineages to rely on.

Among them, there were lion, tiger, leopard, and bear demons, strong races with a powerful figure at the forefront. Whoever ruled over Kali City would not affect them much.

"Support we shall!" declared a man of enormous build with a long nose, seated second to the left, his voice deep and resonant.

This was the Earth Elephant Demon King! The demon kings who spoke before were all beneath him when it came to combat power. The Earth Elephants were a mighty clan. Apart from the Golden Mammoths, they were pretty much at the top of the elephant demon lineages. The biggest problem with the Golden Mammoth clan was their scarcity; elephant demon clans supported them but did not live together.

With that, four of the eleven races had already pledged their support.

"We support you as well," declared a beautiful, petite woman seated at the far left, standing up and raising her hand.

This was the White Falcon Demon King, whose lineage was considered among the weaker ones, and her support surprised even the Peacock Great Demon King.

However, the voices of support ended there.

A mighty Wind Wolf, serving as the acting leader in the Wind Wolf King's stead, felt the gaze of the Peacock Demon King and said helplessly, "City Lord, as you know, our king was slain, leaving our clan in disarray. We must await the High Priest's return; I cannot decide for our clan in such grave matters."

The Peacock Great Demon King smiled slightly, "No matter, I won't insist. What about the others?"

The Titan Bear King snorted, "This matter doesn't concern our clan."

He had every reason to be pissed. His eldest son had been slain, leaving him seething with nowhere to vent his rage. In addition, the bear race was formidable, and they were unafraid of the Peacock Great Demon King.

The Peacock Great Demon King remained unfazed.

The Crimson Fox King said softly, "City Lord, our clan is frail."

The Flame Lion Demon King said gravely, "City Lord, I believe there's room for negotiation. We should seek mediation from the Ancestral Court. I will write to our great king, asking him to mediate at the Ancestral Court."

The Peacock Great Demon King nodded in appreciation. "Thank you, Flame Lion King."

With a wry smile, the Flash Leopard King said, "I, too, am willing to write to our Golden Leopard king to mediate on behalf of the City Lord."

The Peacock Great Demon King nodded. "Very well, thank you all for your contributions to Kali City. Let's conclude today's meeting here."

The Golden Capricorn King paused before asking, "City Lord, shouldn’t we discuss how to respond?"

The Peacock Great Demon King said, "This matter concerns only the Peacock lineage and the Crystal Phoenix lineage. I will handle it myself for the time being. I will inform you all if there is news."

The leaders stood up, and those few races that hadn’t explicitly offered support hurried away, unwilling to linger.

With a meaningful glance from the Peacock Great Demon King, the Aetherhorn Deer Demon King and the kings of the three great Golden Demon races remained behind.

"Brother Wang, this matter won't be easy to handle! Has he come in person?" the Aetherhorn Deer Demon King asked gravely.

The Peacock Great Demon King, Wang Qing, nodded. "As the proverb says, the visitor bears ill intent.[1] He is the one who orchestrated everything from the get-go. He knows well that we cannot overlook the essence blood of the Rainbow Deer Demon Emperor. This is an overt scheme against us, through which he can rightfully pressure us."

The Golden Deer Demon King snorted, "If he dares to come, let him leave in defeat."

Wang Qing sighed. "The lack of an Emperor in our clan is our greatest issue. However, we must protect Kali City at any cost. It's the foundation of my clan, as well as yours. I will be relying on you more than ever once this is over."

The four great Demon Kings nodded in agreement, and the Golden Porcupine Demon King said in a deep voice, "City Lord, do you need us to join forces..."

The Peacock Great Demon King waved his hand. "No need. This is something I must face myself. After all, this is Kali City, not his domain. However, we must unite later and work together to protect Kali City."

The Flash Leopard King and the Titan Bear King walked side by side at the front, with the other Demon Kings behind them. Given the deep-seated animosity between the Wind Wolf clan and the Flash Leopard clan, the acting Wind Wolf King kept his distance. They were not easily reconciled despite the current tense situation.

The Flame Lion Demon King had already left, as he was always proud and unwilling to walk with the other Demon Kings.

The Flash Leopard King whispered beside the Titan Bear King, "Bear King, do you think the Peacock Demon clan can withstand this?"

The Titan Bear King glanced at him. "Withstand it how exactly?"

The Flash Leopard King said, "But... seeing those golden clans and the Aetherhorn Deers so confident in him, I'm a bit uneasy!"

The Titan Bear King scoffed. "Do you think taking his side gives you a foundation? Don't forget what he's facing. No matter what, there's a fundamental difference in strength. Even though you haven't stepped into the god level, you should understand that the higher the order, the greater the gap between each. Demon Emperors are what they are because they're in a league of their own. If you don't want to die, stay away."

"I'm afraid that if he does withstand it, there will be repercussions. Our Flash Leopard clan is not strong enough! Even our king’s clan isn't close to us." The Flash Leopard lineage was not in any way important among leopard clans, or else they wouldn't have settled in the remote Kali City.

The Titan Bear King glanced at him, seemingly unwilling to engage in further conversation.

As they left the City Lord’s Mansion, the Titan Bear King said indifferently, "Take care of yourself."

With that, he boarded his chariot, pulled by several war bears, and left.

Watching his departing figure, a shadow passed through the Flash Leopard King's eyes. "Pah, what a character. He thinks he’s all that just because he has someone important in his clan?" he grunted before boarding his chariot.

The Flash Leopard King's chariot was pulled by four leopard demons, all of the sixth order, with four eighth-order Flash Leopard demons guarding it on the sides.

Since the assassination of the Wind Wolf King, he had become particularly cautious. There had been several conflicts between them. The Wind Wolf clan always suspected the leopards were behind it, but although the Flash Leopard King was quite pleased with the Wind Wolf King's death, he knew it had nothing to do with him!

Although Kali City appeared peaceful on the surface, the atmosphere was tense due to both internal conflicts and pressure from the Ancestral Court.

The most frustrating thing for the Flash Leopard King was that he was obviously not a descendant of the Peacock Great Demon King, and neither was he important in any other way, as he was lacking a powerful background. In this regard, the Flash Leopards were even inferior to the Wind Wolves.

Faced with this sudden complication, his indecisive nature made him afraid to take sides easily. What if he chose wrongly? That could mean death.

But then, if the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor wins, what then? Would he hold the Flash Leopard lineage in high regard? No, either way, I have to prepare for the worst. I can't stay in the city any longer during these times. While Kali City has more resources, it’s going to be hard to access them now. It's better to stay away from trouble.

Thinking this, he made up his mind. Before the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor arrives, it would be wise to pack up and leave Kali City to avoid imminent trouble.

1. This is half of a Chinese proverb: 来者不善，善者不来. It literally means “those who come aren’t well-intentioned, those who are well-intentioned aren’t coming,” meaning that foreigners (or, at any rate, those not in your close circle) are probably your enemies. Similar to “beware of Greeks bearing gifts.” ☜

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