The two women left, and the other female employees quickly stood up and followed them out.

The work atmosphere at Above the White Clouds was particularly good. Despite being all women, there was no workplace scheming or infighting. Instead, everyone worked wholeheartedly for the company's development, making them like one big family. It was fine to tease each other on a normal day, but they would not stand for one of their own being bullied by an outsider!

Bringing up the rear, Xu Lai sighed. Looks like I'll have to pass on some romance advice to Taotie later. What a headache.

---

---

「Outside the door.」

Demon King Mu Cheng stood before the villa, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the building. The view from this position is excellent, and it's right by the sea. I'm very satisfied. I'll just keep it as a private villa for the future.

At that moment, the door was pushed open, and a large group of people streamed out. There were only two men; the rest were all women. The women were a vision, chattering like a flock of songbirds. Many were still in their swimsuits, and the sight made Mu Cheng secretly gulp.

Just look at them. Those tall, long legs, that fair little belly, those slender arms… How delicious would they be with a bit of salt and pepper?

"Tell me, how do you want to die?" Taotie's voice was cold. With his words, the temperature of the courtyard dropped instantly, causing many of the women to shiver and run back to the warmth of the hot springs.

"His voice is terrifying…"

"Will he be abusive toward Xiao Liu in the future?" a few of the married employees wondered aloud, their expressions full of concern.

Demon King Mu Cheng's expression shifted. He had almost dropped to his knees in fear at the man's question. His instincts screamed at him to run—as far away as possible—or he would die without a burial place.

"You… are Xu Lai?" Mu Cheng forced down his terror, speaking one word at a time. "You are indeed very strong!"

"How did you offend him?" Ruan Tang asked Xu Lai, confused.

"I'm not sure either." Xu Lai frowned slightly. He had far too many enemies to know which power this little jellyfish represented.

Are they from the Immortal Domain? Or from Earth?

In truth, Xu Lai simply couldn't be bothered to find out. A casual deduction would have given him the answer. After all, a Divine Dragon soaring Above the Nine Heavens pays no mind to which ants are behind the other ants that want to kill it.

"You're Xu Lai?" Hearing the exchange between Ruan Tang and Xu Lai, Mu Cheng's gaze swept over to him, staring intently.

It's hard to believe. How could such an ordinary-looking person have killed the Eight-Headed Demon King and the Thunder Beast Demon King?

Mu Cheng pointed a finger at Xu Lai and announced arrogantly, "Frankly, I didn't want to blow this out of proportion. Someone just wants you dead. If you kill yourself… I will spare the lives of those around you."

Ruan Tang was right beside Xu Lai, and Liu Wan was beside Ruan Tang.

That simple gesture made Liu Wan's heart tremble. Who wants to kill the boss? And from the sound of it, he won't even spare us women!

She stealthily pulled out her phone, intending to call the police, but Taotie's voice cut in. "No need to call. Stay inside the room. There might be some bloodshed soon."

Liu Wan froze. Is he concerned about me?

Taotie didn't want the ensuing violence to spoil the dinner party for the Lady's company, so he said in a deep voice, "Everyone go back."

"Assault is a crime. We should call the police," Liu Wan said cautiously.

"I don't assault people," Taotie replied. He usually only killed. When he fought, he left no survivors.

With that promise, Liu Wan returned to the house with Ruan Tang and the other women. She hesitated, "What about the movie…"

"Go back!" Taotie waved his hand impatiently.

Due to his accent, however, his curt "Go back!" sounded to Liu Wan's ears like "I'll go."

She blushed and shyly replied, "Okay."

It seems it's just as Xu Lai said. He wasn't targeting me before; it was just a coincidence of words.

"The roasted whole sheep is ready. You all eat first; we'll be right back," Xu Lai said, squeezing Ruan Tang's small, worried hand. He chuckled, "Don't worry."

"Deal with it quickly," Ruan Tang said, then led the employees back into Haitang Court.

Once everyone was gone, Xu Lai patted Taotie's shoulder again. "Not bad, kid. Make sure you dress sharp for the movie tomorrow."

Taotie was stunned. But I never said I would go...

But since The Supreme Emperor himself had said it, he couldn't very well refuse. He scratched his head and mumbled, "Mhm."

"Don't worry, you won't be going." Mu Cheng's lips peeled back into a grin, revealing a set of particularly strange teeth. "You're all going to die today," he sneered. "You will become my next meal."

As his words fell, Mu Cheng tilted his head back and howled at the sky. "Come forth, my children! Attack!"

Even if Xu Lai's Boundary is high, facing nearly ten thousand Sea Demons will surely cost him some Spiritual Energy, won't it? That would be the perfect opportunity for me to attack! If possible, I should avoid using the Crystal Ball Ji Wuming gave me. Once the fierce beast inside is released, even I might not be able to escape.

His howl spread through the air, but three full minutes passed in utter silence.

Frustrated by the lack of response, Mu Cheng roared in anger, "That bunch of worthless trash! Too scared of death to even show themselves!"

"Are you talking about them?" Taotie waved his hand impatiently, and a massive pile of seafood suddenly appeared on the ground.

There were writhing deep-sea lobsters, basin-sized oysters and sea urchins, three-meter-long deep-sea fish… The sheer variety was enough to stir one's appetite.

"What!?" Mu Cheng's pupils constricted. Sheer terror made his scalp crawl.

When did he make a move? I didn't sense the slightest fluctuation of Spiritual Power, yet all my subordinates have been wiped out!

In that brief moment of shock, Taotie flashed in front of him, his hand clamping around his neck and lifting him clean off the ground.

With a placid smile, Taotie asked, "Tell me, who sent you?"

"You…" Mu Cheng's heart hammered in his chest. The brute's strength was so overwhelming that the mere thought of resistance was impossible.

Could he also be a being capable of crushing those in the Demon King Realm? Impossible. How could the Human Race be so powerful! Even a peak Divine Gate Realm expert couldn't exert this much pressure on me!

Mu Cheng's face turned crimson, his mind going blank under Taotie's iron grip. If this continued for a few more seconds, he might become the first Demon King in history to die of asphyxiation.

"Answer me!" Taotie commanded coldly. "You damaged the Haitang flowers that the Lady likes and provoked The Supreme Emperor. Do you realize this is high treason, a crime punishable by annihilation across the Nine Realms!"

"Ease up a little, you're killing him," Xu Lai said. He was, after all, just a little jellyfish.

Although Taotie was holding back, the jellyfish's fragile body couldn't withstand the terrifying grip, and he was already on the verge of death.

BANG!

Taotie flung Mu Cheng to the ground.

Under the moonlight, his figure seemed as tall and insurmountable as a mountain. The women of Above the White Clouds, peeking through the living room window, had a revelation.

At that moment, they suddenly started to understand Liu Wan's taste... A man this masculine… to see him handle the provocative hooligan with just one hand. It made them feel incredibly safe!

"Alright, I approve of this marriage," one of them chattered, which made Liu Wan blush.

"It's not even a sure thing yet! Stop teasing me, sisters."

"There's nothing more to see." Standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows, Ruan Tang finally breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that Xu Lai and Taotie were unharmed. She casually placed her phone on the table and smiled.

"Come on, let's go to the backyard for the roasted whole sheep. No need to wait for them."

"Yiyi, time to eat! Stop playing your game!"

"..."

The backyard buzzed with lively chatter, a stark contrast to the miserable scene unfolding out front.

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