Kang Hui smiled faintly, “Let us first give you a tour of my Seagod City; perhaps your perspective will shift after seeing it.”

As Kang Hui spoke and led the way, the Dragon Girl quickly translated his meaning to Xia Huren and me. I said, “Follow him, and look for an opportunity to verify the authenticity of the detonator in his hand. Kang Hui is becoming increasingly cunning; we can’t be sure he isn’t deceiving us.”

After a brief hesitation, Kang Hui turned back to the Dragon Girl, “If you don’t want Longshan City to vanish from Earth immediately, you’d best comply. Otherwise, if I get irritated and press this button, your Brother Long Xi will also turn to a pile of white bones.”

The Dragon Girl was greatly alarmed, “You! You planted a nuclear bomb in Longshan City too?”

Kang Hui said lightly, “It was a simple matter. I can tell you the bomb is buried beneath Longshan City. Go ahead and dig if you have the ability.”

Kang Hui then ignored us and walked straight ahead. We had no choice but to follow and see what trickery he was up to. After all, the initiative was currently in his hands. Six cities in Taihao had already been destroyed. If this continued, humanity was truly facing extinction. Even if I knew I wouldn't perish from the nuclear blast, I would perish from the great flood, but I could not stand idly by while Kang Hui was this arrogant.

Xia Huren quietly said to me, “I can’t judge his reaction speed, and the detonator is clutched in his hand. I fear a single mistake could lead him to detonate it first.”

I whispered back, “We’ll look for an opportunity later. Let’s assess the situation here first.”

Although the buildings in this outer ring were magnificent, there were no people besides the guards on duty. A closer look revealed that nothing here looked like it was only a few hundred years old; on the contrary, it seemed to be at least several thousand years old. Could Kang Hui truly possess the ability to raise a sunken continent from the seabed?

Under Kang Hui’s guidance, we passed through layers of defense to reach the final ring of buildings. Here, we could clearly see people moving back and forth within the cluster of buildings at the center, their faces visible. Most of them were women, all exquisitely beautiful, adorned in splendid, vibrant gowns. I never expected the rebels to live such a luxurious life.

Though the beauties over there were lovely, I wasn't interested, so I tried to look away. Suddenly, a dark shadow flickered in my peripheral vision, startling me. I hastily cast my gaze back, only to see that familiar dark silhouette had vanished amidst the dazzling floral shadows.

The Dragon Girl noticed my sudden change in expression and quickly asked, “What is it, Dragon Envoy? Is something wrong?”

I whispered low, “I saw him.”

“Who?” the Dragon Girl looked confused.

“The Man in Black. He was just standing in front of the largest temple at the very core.”

The Dragon Girl knew about my quest to find the Man in Black. She asked, “Are you sure you weren't mistaken? Should I ask Kang Hui who he is?”

“No, that would startle the snake,” I waved my hand. “We all saw his photo before coming. Though it was just a fleeting glance, it was definitely him. We truly are adversaries. Kang Hui is right here in front of us. If he were Kang Hui, there would be no need for him to wear black clothes and cover his face. Who could he be?”

The Dragon Girl was also baffled. We stopped in the main hall of the final ring of temples. It seemed Kang Hui didn't intend to lead us into the inner city, so the thought of discovering the true face of the Man in Black had to be postponed for now. The originally empty hall quickly filled with groups of young women dressed in light gauze and thin silks as soon as we entered. What was exaggerated was that every single one of them was bare-chested, and the thin gauze was exceptionally transparent. Having so many beautiful young women moving around before one’s eyes—an ordinary person would likely find such an erotic scene unbearable.

But who among those present was ordinary? Even Bai had probably seen it all before, sitting upright and unmoving. Soon, tables laden with delicious wine and tempting dishes were placed before our seats. Based on my experiences recently, this was the most lavish spread of food I had seen in perhaps six thousand years.

Kang Hui raised his wine glass, “You have traveled a long way. Even if you must die, you should at least have a full meal. Lunch will be simple, but if you have the chance to wait until evening, I assure you there will be an even grander banquet. Let’s talk business after we eat.” The Dragon Girl ignored the spread before her. “Kang Hui! What exactly are you plotting! We don’t have time to eat with you. What do you want!”

Kang Hui chuckled, “I wish to have a talk with your Dragon Envoy, the so-called Zhu Rong Clan member.”

The Dragon Girl translated for me. I stood up and took two steps forward. Kang Hui waved his hand, “I don’t like facing people head-on. Sit back down.”

It seemed Kang Hui’s guard was extremely high; attempting a sneak attack on him would indeed be difficult. Seeing me sit down, Kang Hui asked, “I will ask you one more time: Who exactly are the four of you? Why have you repeatedly sabotaged my grand plans? Since you have the ability to do these things, I hope you have the courage to explain. I do not wish to be your enemy for the moment. I can overlook the matter of you killing my million-strong army, provided you agree to stop aiding Long Xi. Then we can be friends, and you will have a place in Seagod City.”

I replied, “I’m not afraid to tell you, I am a descendant of the Dragon, the blood of the Dragon flows in my body. Even without any reason, I must help Long Xi. Since you are all ancient humans who have returned from the distant ‘Water’ star, I hope you can cease the conflict. Even dividing the world into two halves and co-ruling would suffice. Why must you stir up such trouble over a mere empty title? Humanity is on the verge of extinction. If you continue fighting, what you truly destroy will be yourselves, not just your opponents!”

Kang Hui showed no emotion towards my lecture and instead continued to press, “You claim to be a descendant of the Dragon family? Hmph. Besides those two siblings, no other members of the Dragon family have survived in this world. Looking at your age, you appear older than the Dragon Girl—how can you claim to be a descendant? Are you a branch of the ancient Dragon family? Yet, you do not speak our language. Who are you!”

I shouted, “I am who I am! I am standing right in front of you! It is you who keeps changing bodies. I remember killing you no less than twice—how many false bodies do you have left! And for whom are you working? Why do you dare not show your true face!”

Kang Hui became furious after hearing the translation, “I am worrying about the future of humanity! I am striving to make humanity adapt better to this Earth! I have no false bodies; every one of me is the real me! I tolerated you killing me twice. If you agree to leave Long Xi, we can be friends from now on; otherwise, don’t blame me for being impolite!”

I took out my laser sword and declared, “Fine! Then let us settle this with true combat!”

But Kang Hui burst into laughter, “Fighting to the death? Do you think I’m a fool? You’d best sit down and finish this meal. Otherwise, if I get angry and accidentally destroy those last eight remaining cities, there will be no one left for you to rule over.”

The Dragon Girl pulled me back, “Dragon Envoy, let’s not quarrel with him for now. Our treasures and people are in his hands. Let’s see what tricks he’s playing.”

I replied, “Right, we should eat, or we won’t have the strength if a fight breaks out later. But I fear this is a Hongmen Banquet; if the food and wine are poisoned, it would be disastrous.”

“This…” The Dragon Girl was at a loss. Given Kang Hui’s increasingly cunning mind, who could guarantee against that?

Kang Hui seemed to sense our apprehension. He whispered a few words to the group of women who were equivalent to living art. Those beautiful women smiled and stepped forward, exchanging the wine and food of our party with Kang Hui’s. Then Kang Hui raised his cup, “Cheers!”

It seemed that if we refused to drink or eat now, we would be thinking the worst of a gentleman’s intentions. So, I decided to test it first. If there was any adverse reaction, it would serve as a warning to everyone else. Thus, I raised my cup and drank all the wine before me.