On the floating island of the City Lord's Mansion in Unmatched City!
"Wu Hen, prepare a feast!" Zhong Shan ordered.
"No need. Just bring what I ca for quickly. I have another place to go to right after this," the Western Poison Emperor interrupted imdiately.
"Very well. Wait outside for a mont while I discuss sothing with our guest. Just bring so tea," Zhong Shan replied.
"Yes!" Shui Wuhen responded promptly.
The Western Poison Emperor gave Zhong Shan a curious look, a strange smile playing on his lips. Wanting to speak with him alone? This young man certainly had guts.
The two of them moved to a small pavilion and sat down across from each other. The others waited outside, and a maid soon arrived, serving tea to both Zhong Shan and the Western Poison Emperor.
"What is it that you want, Senior?" Zhong Shan asked directly.
"Heh, you're more straightforward than I am, kid. Fine, I'll be quick. I've co to take the 'Immortal Monunt' of Unmatched City," the Western Poison Emperor stated.
"The Immortal Monunt?" Zhong Shan frowned.
"What? Unwilling to part with it?" the Western Poison Emperor's face darkened.
"There's been a misunderstanding, Senior. I've simply never heard of this Immortal Monunt. Allow so ti to investigate and see what I can find," Zhong Shan replied.
"Hmm!" The Western Poison Emperor nodded.
Turning his head, Zhong Shan called out to the people outside the pavilion, "Do any of you know what the Immortal Monunt is?"
The gathered officials looked puzzled, but Ah Da's eyes suddenly brightened as if he was about to speak, only to be cut off by Zhong Shan's look.
"Wu Hen, you grew up in Unmatched City and know it better than anyone. Tell , what is this Immortal Monunt?" Zhong Shan imdiately turned to Shui Wuhen.
Ah Da's lips moved as if he wanted to say sothing, but Zhong Shan's stern glance silenced him, leaving him confused but obedient.
"I'm not sure, my lord. I'll need to check the records of Unmatched City to see if there's any ntion of such a monunt," Shui Wuhen replied.
"Then hurry and gather a team to bring the records here and start searching through them," Zhong Shan ordered.
"Yes!" Shui Wuhen responded imdiately and quickly gathered a team of officials. They brought tables and chairs and started poring over a mountain of docunts.
Turning back to the Western Poison Emperor, Zhong Shan apologized, "I'm sorry, Senior. I've only been in charge of Unmatched City for a few months."
Seeing Zhong Shan's diligence, the Western Poison Emperor's irritation seed to ease.
Ah Da appeared to know sothing, but Zhong Shan had his reasons for not letting him speak. Perhaps he wanted to engage the Western Poison Emperor in a conversation?
"May I ask, Senior, how did you co to know that the Immortal Monunt is in Unmatched City?" Zhong Shan asked with a frown.
In a good mood, the Western Poison Emperor replied, "Soone inford ."
"Senior, with your formidable strength and reputation as the world's foremost poison master, this Immortal Monunt must be so kind of powerful artifact?" Zhong Shan asked cautiously.
"An artifact? Haha, if it were so kind of powerful artifact, it wouldn't be left in Unmatched City, would it? Don't worry, it won't cost you anything, and besides, there's more than one Immortal Monunt in the world," the Western Poison Emperor replied, giving Zhong Shan a peculiar look.
"Oh?" Zhong Shan nodded thoughtfully.
"Kid, don't get any funny ideas," the Western Poison Emperor warned, looking at Zhong Shan with a sly smile.
"No Hidden Motives? What Could I Possibly Want?" Zhong Shan Laughed
"No hidden motives? What could I possibly want?" Zhong Shan chuckled.
"You know exactly what you want," the Western Poison Emperor said with a wicked smile.
"Alright, I'll be straightforward. Senior, would you be interested in holding an honorary position in my army?" Zhong Shan asked directly. When dealing with a cunning old fox like the Western Poison Emperor, it was best to be upfront.
"An honorary position? I'm used to my freedom, and besides, I have other matters to attend to," the Western Poison Emperor shook his head.
"I'm not asking you to do anything. You just need to leave your na on our records. Co and go as you please. If you ever need sothing, my army can help you find it or get it done," Zhong Shan explained.
"So, you're saying I only need to lend a hand when your army is in a dire situation?" the Western Poison Emperor inquired.
"That would be ideal, of course. But it's entirely up to you, Senior. You're not obligated to help if you don't want to," Zhong Shan smiled.
"Entirely up to ? No obligations at all?" The Western Poison Emperor raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, you wouldn't have to do anything if you don't want to," Zhong Shan confird.
"Hah, kid, there have been no fewer than a hundred people trying to recruit in the past. Each one of them was a prominent figure in their own right. Who do you think you are? What makes you think you can help ?" The Western Poison Emperor laughed.
"Senior, are you not impressed by my soldiers?" Zhong Shan asked with a smile.
"Impressed? If I wanted, I could have an entire empire's army at my beck and call. What advantage do you have?" The Western Poison Emperor shook his head dismissively.
"I understand that you don't want to be tied down. Otherwise, there would surely be so great power capable of satisfying you," Zhong Shan said calmly.
"Exactly! I hate being controlled by anyone," the Western Poison Emperor stated.
"Hehe, Senior, you misunderstand. I wouldn't dare try to control you. My army wouldn't even be a challenge for you," Zhong Shan replied.
"Hmm?" The Western Poison Emperor looked at Zhong Shan curiously.
"All I want is to use your na to deter the petty villains who might try to harm my troops. Even though my army is weak, it's still an imperial force with vast resources and intelligence. If you hold an honorary position in my army, I can't promise to find every Immortal Monunt for you, but I can at least provide you with leads on where they might be," Zhong Shan smiled.
Zhong Shan had quickly deduced from the Western Poison Emperor's haste to leave and refusal to attend a banquet that he was likely in search of another Immortal Monunt. There were many such monunts in the world, and he probably didn't know the exact location of all of them. Even if he did, tis had changed, and they might not be in the sa places anymore. Thus, Zhong Shan sought to entice him with the prospect of new information and support.
The Western Poison Emperor hesitated, contemplating Zhong Shan's offer.
"Commander, we found it!" Shui Wuhen announced.
"Oh? Where is it?" Zhong Shan imdiately stood up, and the Western Poison Emperor, excited, did the sa.
Shui Wuhen glanced at the Western Poison Emperor, then at the City Lord's Mansion. "There used to be an Immortal Monunt in Unmatched City, but it was later used as the foundation stone for the main hall of the City Lord's Mansion."
"Dismantle it and retrieve the monunt!" Zhong Shan ordered without hesitation.
"Uh, yes!" Shui Wuhen responded imdiately.
The Western Poison Emperor frowned slightly.
When they reached the main hall, the cultivators quickly began to dismantle the building. With a few powerful strikes and so applied magic, the luxurious hall was soon reduced to rubble. It didn't take long to unearth the Immortal Monunt ntioned by Shui Wuhen.
The Immortal Monunt was grey and stood a hundred ters tall, resembling a massive tombstone. It had an ancient and grand appearance, with a large character, "Feng," inscribed on one side. The other side was as smooth as a mirror.
It didn't look particularly special, and that was precisely what made it extraordinary. It was so ordinary that it beca strange because spiritual senses couldn't detect its presence at all, an eerie and unusual phenonon.
"Senior, Is This It?" Zhong Shan Asked With a Smile
The Western Poison Emperor reached out to touch the monunt, sighing in satisfaction, "Yes, it's exactly like the one that girl has. Haha, I've found the first one!"
With a flick of his hand, he didn't bother to ask Zhong Shan for permission and simply stowed the monunt away.
The onlookers were visibly upset, but Zhong Shan remained calm and unperturbed.
"The Immortal Monunt of Unmatched City has been found. If you're interested, Senior, I can dispatch people to swiftly locate the whereabouts of the other monunts and inform you," Zhong Shan offered.
The Western Poison Emperor looked at Zhong Shan with a peculiar expression.
"Kid, don't you want to know what this monunt is for? You're just letting take it?" the Western Poison Emperor asked, slightly puzzled.
"What difference would it make? I promised to give it to you, so I won't go back on my word," Zhong Shan replied with a smile.
Zhong Shan spoke the truth. If it were an ordinary artifact, he wouldn't care much. If it were a powerful one, even if he didn't give it to the Western Poison Emperor, it would likely end up in the hands of the Grand Sovereign. Instead of getting nothing, it was better to let it be put to good use.
The Western Poison Emperor stared at Zhong Shan for a mont before saying, "Very well. Although I'm known as a ruthless poison master, I do have a clear sense of honor and enmity. Besides, you seem to get along with . I'll allow you to use my na to scare off the petty troublemakers."
"Thank you very much, Senior," Zhong Shan said excitedly. Things had gone quite smoothly.
"No need to thank . It's because of you that I found this monunt so easily. I still need to find nine more, so I won't stay any longer," the Western Poison Emperor replied.
"Senior, I will imdiately send people to the Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty to gather information on the other Immortal Monunts. How should I notify you when I find sothing?" Zhong Shan asked.
The Western Poison Emperor still found the whole situation sowhat surreal. Everything was going too smoothly. However, for the sake of the Immortal Monunts, he said, "I'll co find you in a year!"
"Alright!" Zhong Shan nodded in satisfaction.
The Western Poison Emperor nodded as well, then flew away in an instant.
As he flew off, Zhong Shan let out a long sigh of relief.
"Commander, why did you help him so much?" Shui Wuhen asked with a frown.
"At the very least, we don't have to worry about the Western Poison Emperor becoming our enemy. He's powerful enough to poison an entire city. Even if we can't make him our friend, we definitely don't want him as an adversary," Zhong Shan explained.
"Yes!" Shui Wuhen imdiately replied.
"Rebuild the main hall and bring all the records about the Immortal Monunts," Zhong Shan instructed.
"Yes!" Shui Wuhen answered.
Zhong Shan's reasons for helping the Western Poison Emperor were far more complex. Through him, Zhong Shan's gaze extended to sothing much larger: the Dragon Clan!
He rembered the day he saw that young girl being pursued by the Western Poison Emperor. She rode a dragon, surrounded by a protective entourage of dragons. It was only a brief encounter, but it had left a lasting impression on Zhong Shan.
Was the girl the one the Western Poison Emperor referred to?
"To take sothing, you must first give sothing!" Zhong Shan had long understood the deeper aning of this phrase, which is why he had made those concessions.
By evening, the main hall was reconstructed!
Zhong Shan sat inside, looking through the records on the Immortal Monunts. After finishing, he took a deep breath, frowning slightly.
"Sir, you called for ?" Ah Da walked in from outside the hall.
"Yes, Ah Da, co and sit!" Zhong Shan said in a friendly manner.
"What can I do for you, sir? Is it about the Immortal Monunts?" Ah Da asked after sitting down.
"Yes. Earlier, you seed like you wanted to say sothing. Do you know anything about the Immortal Monunts?" Zhong Shan asked, looking at Ah Da.
"Yes, it's quite coincidental. Because of the princess, I happen to know a bit about the Immortal Monunts. I wanted to say sothing earlier, but I saw you stop , so I didn't speak up. Actually, there are seventy-two Immortal Monunts in total across the world," Ah Da said after so thought.
"Seventy-two in total? Seventy-two Immortal Monunts?" Zhong Shan frowned at Ah Da.
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