Deep within the cluster of palaces was a particularly lavish palace, within which a man that resembled a mountain of flesh was laying lazily on a golden reclining chair.

The man had a pair of long and narrow eyes coupled with a flat nose and an enormous mouth, presenting a hideous sight to behold. His skin was dark golden in color and riddled with barely visible golden patterns.

Two golden-robed maidservants were knelt down beside him, massaging his body.

Both of the women had serpentine lower bodies, and they were wearing golden gloves on their slender hands.

These golden gloves were immortal treasures, and they released bursts of golden light to help the two women massage the giant man's body.

Both of the women were sweating profusely, indicating that they were massaging with all their might.

"That's good, that's the spot... Go a bit harder..." the massive man murmured in a blissful manner with his eyes half-closed, and the two women immediately redoubled their efforts upon hearing this.

Right at this moment, the man suddenly raised an eyebrow as he got up into a seated position, and the two women immediately stopped what they were doing upon seeing this.

"You two can go for now," the man instructed with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Despite his enormous frame, his voice was very sharp and high-pitched, presenting a rather comical contrast, but the two women didn't dare to display any amusement as they backed away with their heads lowered.

The man swept a hand through the air, releasing a purple plate that hovered in mid-air in front of him.

The plate released a burst of radiant purple light, which formed a purple array, and a purple-robed middle-aged man appeared within the array.

The man appeared to be around thirty-seven to thirty-eight years of age, and he had a set of handsome and refined facial features.

There was a faint purple mark on his glabella that was imprinted deep into his skin, and it seemed to be an ancient rune that was giving off a faint purple glow.

"Well, well, well, to what do I owe this honor, Your Highness? Isn't this a very busy time for you? How do you have the time to be contacting a lowly nobody like me?" the giant man asked.

"You're far too modest, Fellow Daoist Golden Rhinoceros. I've always admired you for your power, but I didn't want to disturb you as I heard that you were recovering from the injuries that you sustained from your recent battle against that black weasel. I'm very glad to see that you appear to have made a full recovery," the purple-robed man replied with a warm smile.

The giant man was none other than the Golden Rhinoceros King, and a cold look instantly appeared on his face upon hearing this.

"Have you come here just to mock me, Your Highness?"

"Please don't misunderstand, Fellow Daoist Golden Rhinoceros. The only reason why you lost that battle is because you're yet to attain your Devilish Vajra Physique. I just so happen to have come into possession of a few Golden Origin Dao Fruits recently, and I'm sure they'll be able to help you in that department," the purple-robed man replied.

The Golden Rhinoceros King immediately sprang to his feet with a fervent look in his eyes upon hearing this, and he hurriedly asked, "Is that true?"

The purple-robed man merely smiled and offered no response.

The Golden Rhinoceros King took a moment to compose himself, then said, "If you have something to ask of me, then please go ahead, Your Highness."

"I do indeed have something to ask of you, Fellow Daoist Golden Rhinoceros, and if you can complete my request, then the Golden Origin Dao Fruits will be yours," the purple-robed man said as a hint of killing intent flashed through his eyes.

"Go ahead, Your Highness," the Golden Rhinoceros King prompted.

"I want you to take someone out of the picture for me, permanently," the purple-robed man replied.

The Golden Rhinoceros King didn't seem surprised at all to hear this, and he asked, "Who is it?"

Instead of giving a reply, the purple-robed swept a sleeve through the air to release a streak of purple light, which transformed into a screen of purple light that depicted two figures, namely Shi Chuankong and Han Li.

The Golden Rhinoceros King's gaze immediately settled on Shi Chuankong as a hint of recognition flashed through his eyes, while Han Li was ignored entirely.

"That man is the thirteenth prince, Shi Chuankong. Right now, these two are in the Ten Hazards Mountain Range, and by my estimates, they should be in your territory. If you can bring me his head and the silver lute in his possession, then I'll give you two Golden Origin Dao Fruits," the purple-robed man said.

A hint of greed flashed through the Golden Rhinoceros King's eyes upon hearing this, but that was then replaced with a conflicted expression.

"I'll admit that this is a very tempting offer, but I've heard that Shi Chuankong is a very beloved son of the Holy Monarch. The wrath of the Holy Monarch is not something that I can bear, so I'm afraid you'll have to turn to someone else, Your Highness," the Golden Rhinoceros King said with a shake of his head.

"Right now, Father is currently in seclusion, and prior to going into seclusion, he instructed my brothers and I to settle the matter of deciding an heir on our own. Do you understand what I'm saying, Fellow Daoist Golden Rhinoceros?" the purple-robed man asked.

"In that case, I can consider it, but Shi Chuankong is affiliated with some very formidable powers, so killing him will make me a lot of enemies," the Golden Rhinoceros King mused.

"The mighty Golden Rhinoceros King is afraid of making enemies?" the purple-robed man chuckled.

"There's no need to try and goad me, Your Highness. If you want my help in this matter, then I want two Golden Origin Dao Fruits as a deposit, and once I get the job done, you need to give me two more Golden Origin Dao Fruits," the Golden Rhinoceros King said.

The purple-robed man's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of displeasure crept into his voice as he asked, "Do you not think you're asking for too much, Fellow Daoist Golden Rhinoceros?"

"Asking for too much? I think not! Golden Origin Dao Fruits are indeed very precious, but they're nothing compared with what you're trying to accomplish! According to my knowledge, even though you're the eldest prince, Shi Chuankong has always been a major threat to your claim to the throne, so getting rid of him for the price of just four Golden Origin Dao Fruits is an absolute bargain for you!" the Golden Rhinoceros King countered with a sly grin.

"At the very most, I'll only give you three fruits, and they'll only be given to you after the job is done," the purple-robed man negotiated.

"That won't do. I want one fruit as a deposit. I won't do anything unless I receive a deposit," the Golden Rhinoceros King replied in a firm manner.

"Alright, but if you're unable to do what I ask, not only will you have to return the Golden Origin Dao Fruit, you'll have to do so with interest. By the way, that man who's accompanying Shi Chuankong should already be at the early-High Zenith Stage," the purple-robed man said.

The Golden Rhinoceros King immediately burst into laughter as if he had just been told a hilarious joke, and he chortled, "Isn't Shi Chuankong only a Golden Immortal? Even with an early-High Zenith cultivator by his side, there's no way they'll be a match for me!"

"In that case, I look forward to hearing from you, Fellow Daoist Golden Rhinoceros," the purple-robed man said before vanishing from the spot.

However, the purple array remained in his place, and not only did it not fade away, it grew even brighter as countless silver runes surged out of it to form a separate silver array.

Immediately thereafter, a fist-sized golden fruit appeared at the center of the array amid a flash of silver light.

The fruit was riddled with small golden spots that were giving off a golden gleam, and it was giving off formidable metal-attribute law power fluctuations.

The Golden Rhinoceros King's eyes immediately lit up as he picked up the golden fruit before conducting a close examination, following which he carefully stowed the fruit away into a jade box.

After applying several talismans to the box, he stowed it away, then called out, "Get Tie Yu to come and see me."

A golden-robed servant immediately appeared outside the palace, then gave an affirmative response before flying away into the distance.

Shortly thereafter, a streak of green light shot forth from afar, then landed outside the hall before fading to reveal a short green-robed man.

The man's skin was entirely green in color, and he stood at only five feet tall with a childlike face. However, his body was extremely muscular and well-developed, presenting a jarring contrast.

A hint of fear flashed through the eyes of the guards outside the palace at the sight of the short man, and they immediately extended respectful salutes.

"Master Tie Yu!"

Tie Yu paid no heed to the guards as he strode into the palace, then knelt down onto the ground before kowtowing as he said, "Tie Yu pays his respects to the Golden Rhinoceros King."

"No need for formalities, Tie Yu. I've already told you that Tong Yu, Yin Yu, and you do not need to observe such formalities in my presence," the Golden Rhinoceros King said in a warm voice as he stood up and personally helped Tie Yu to his feet.

"You are the king, while we are your subordinates, so it's only right that such formalities be observed," Tie Yu countered in a respectful manner.

"Fine, do as you please then," the Golden Rhinoceros King sighed.

"May I ask why I have been summoned here?" Tie Yu asked.

"Take some people to scour our territory for this man, and bring back his head and all of his possessions," the Golden Rhinoceros King instructed as he flicked a finger through the air to conjure up a screen of light that depicted both Shi Chuankong and Han Li, and he pointed a finger straight at the former.

"There are outsiders in our territory?" Tie Yu asked in a cold voice.

"That's right. I know how much you detest outsiders, but make sure that you bring this man's head back to me completely unharmed," the Golden Rhinoceros King instructed.

"I'll be sure to do so," Tie Yu replied as a hint of killing intent flashed through his eyes.

"Your target is at the pinnacle of the Golden Immortal Stage, while the man accompanying him is at the early-High Zenith Stage. Make sure to hunt them down as soon as possible, and I give you permission to take anyone you want with you," the Golden Rhinoceros King continued, but refrained from revealing Shi Chuankong's identity to Tie Yu.

"Rest assured, my king, I'll bring his head back to you within a month," Tie Yu replied in a proud manner.

"Alright, you can go now," the Golden Rhinoceros King said, and Tie Yu promptly departed, flying out of the palace as a streak of green light.