Weapon seller in the world of magic

The time was around noon and the sun is at its peak position.

At the top of a cliff, 20 kilometers away from Mt. Jizu, the volcano that just erupted to give birth to the lava pillar, which is also known as the womb of the fire seed, a few tents were seen.

For now, Wan Kun (Eastern General), Zhao Chou (Zhao clan's lord/Patriarch), Yuan Meili, and their subordinates were staying there while waiting for the Emperor.

While the soldiers continued to observe the moments of the targets through their respective telescopes, a portal opened nearby, throwing everyone on full alert.

Thankfully, it isn't an ambush from enemies or something. Shang Fu and his aides walked out of the portal.

Surprisingly, along with two old men, Si Lung of Heavens Sect and Du Tianmu of Five lakes Sect, there's another old man. This person is truly an important figure and even the Emperor treated him with great respect. It is Song Tai, who is known to be the strongest being in the Phoenix Empire if one doesn't take the hidden Supreme beings into consideration.

Upon walking out of the portal, Emperor Shang spoke to the expert, "Lord Song, please…"

Together with Second Prince and Supreme Commander, the six of them walked into one of the tents.

As they took the seats, Eastern General Wan Kun cupped his fists and greeted them.

Shang Fu nodded in return and then asked, "General Wan, I don't see the barrier. What's going on?"

Just as the general was about to explain the situation, Zhao Chou took the opportunity to show the Emperor that he is working hard and answered in Wan Kun's place, "Your Majesty, there were three primary forces we need to be wary of.

The first is the Church of Doom, the second is the group of legendary realm experts sent by the Tang dynasty, and the third is the Ironpalm sect of the Leon Empire.

These three forces aren't letting anyone near that lava pillar. People who got within the 5-kilometer radius of the pillar were getting killed without mercy. So far, we have lost 12 of our men.

As for the barrier, we don't know who destroyed it but must be an expert from one of those forces. Thankfully, they also sealed all the trapped toxic gases that escaped after the destruction of the barrier. So, we'll be fine."

"What about the displacement of civilians?" Emperor Shang continued to ask questions.

Zhao Chou answered once again, "Our clan members are trying their best to locate every single civilian from 50-kilometer surroundings. Yuan clan is also cooperating with us. If not for Lady Yuan's timely act, it would have been tough for us."

He wants to take the entire credit but since Yuan Meili is already there, he pitched her name instead of giving the credit to the Yuan clan in general. Another reason he gave credit to her despite Yuan Meili being a female and having no power is that he doesn't like the arrogant Yuan Menzi.

The Emperor looked at the young woman and nodded with a smile, "It's good to see that your clan is letting you manage such affairs. Whatever family you will be married into, it will only bring fortune to your future husband."

"Thank you for the praise, Your Majesty." Yuan Meili grabbed her long skirt and slightly bowed with a smile as a part of etiquette while glancing at the second prince. Trying to be modest, she then said, "However, I don't deserve it. I just did what I had to do in an emergency situation.

Your Majesty, our clan set up the safety camps, 70 kilometers away to the south. While we are currently taking care of their accommodation, food, and clothing, there are more than 50,000 people overall.

Usually, it wouldn't be a problem for a few weeks but our clan leader has earlier spent quite a significant portion of our funds to return the favor Lu Zhen did to him, a while ago, in clearing the Baltrow dungeon. So, we might still need financial assistance from the Imperial Palace."

Upon hearing her words, the second prince thought that she was taking the credit of the clan for herself and demeaning her cousin at the same time. He wasn't acquainted with Yuan Menzi, but as a straightforward person, he doesn't like people who scheme around for selfish reasons. Adding on top of this, he hates marriages of convenience.

He doesn't like her in the first place, and now, his impression of her only had fallen further.

On the other hand, Emperor Shang was impressed by her modesty and glanced at his son, wondering whether she is a good match for Shang Wen.

Meanwhile, far away in the sky, the mysterious group was calmly floating above the clouds and looking down at the group to keep an eye on everyone's movements within a 50-kilometer radius.

The leader of the group, who was keeping an eye on the experts sent by the Church of Doom, suddenly shifted his attention by sensing another strong power in the southeast.

He then spoke to the rest, "A Supreme Realm cultivator is here. Based on the location, the guy is on the side of the Empire."

"Obviously, it is Song Tai," commented one of the hooded guys.

Another hooded fellow then said, "He just broke through recently. Anyone of us can defeat him in a one-on-one battle. He isn't a threat. The Church of Doom is the one we should be concerned about the most."

"Yes, that's right." The leader of the party nodded in agreement, "If their leader joins the fight, it will take at least three of us to kill him. And if that hidden Demigod makes an appearance, then, we will be done for good."

"Recently, there's another name that is being heard everywhere in this Empire." The fifth hooded guy voiced his opinion, changing the topic. "This guy Lu Zhen had a mysterious manufacturer, who sells powerful weapons through him. I heard the rumors that he possessed special weapons called firearms. These things can be operated by a civilian through which an army of 7-circle can be destroyed with ease."

"Really? That's something to pay attention to." "It can also be just a rumor" "No, I heard that he made tens of millions of gold coins in yesterday's auction. So, it must be true" "Should we pay him a visit to check the authenticity of the rumors?" "If it is true, then, those weapons might be useful in our kingdom too." "I wonder whether he will come here then"

As his subordinates were suddenly going off track, the leader commented out loud, "Anyone with less than the power of a Supreme realm Spirit Warrior is not worthy of our attention. Now, put your utmost focus on the surroundings. It is going to take a while for the lava pillar to transform but we cannot let any other humans from the outside world come in our way. As soon as we spot them, we need to act swiftly. So, don't lose the focus for the next three days."

The time slowly passed. As the sun's position slowly moved to the west, more and more cultivators from different sects started arriving at the location. Meanwhile, the lava was getting hotter.