"Monkey, what are you doing here?" Questioned Zaarae as she looked at two silhouettes coming from the same direction Sun Wukong flew from.

"Nothing special, my dear Empress! I was invited as an honorary adviser for the current king."

"Oh?"

Zaarae nodded her head then looked at the two men who appeared right behind the mythical being. One was wearing a full set of brown armor and was holding a greatsword in his hand, his piercing eyes sizing her up and the rest. The other one was wearing a robe and an unusually long black and pointy hat.

"Venerable one, did something happen?"

The man in thick armor politely asked the monkey king, his gaze never leaving Zaarae, who was the only one he couldn't see through.

"I came to greet the Empress." He glanced at the two men and snorted.

"Behave respectfully before her!"

"T-the Empress?"

The two were surprised by the monkey's sudden shift in attitude. He was usually arrogant and never bowed to anyone but he's behaving like an obedient puppy, making them question the reality of the current event.

"We have business with the master of the Fallen God Clan, lead us to him."

It was actually Arthur who talked, his eyes assessing the two men then the mythical being, who couldn't be appraised, as expected.

"Sect master? Who are yo-"

The armor-wearing army commander, named Tuili, was interrupted by Sun Wukong, who also didn't like how Arthur spoke so casually in Zaarae's presence. He raised his aura and was about to do something only to be smacked by Zaarae again, she coldly glared at him and warned.

"This man is my husband! His words are higher than mine."

She seriously declared, confusing the oblivious men from the kingdom but astonishing the monkey king, who's face twisted in surprise and hidden anger. He loved Zaarae since the day he met her but he has always been rejected and now, she appears in front of him with a man she claims is her husband!

In the end, he managed to hold himself and bowed his head, not daring to act recklessly. His golden pupils were inspecting Arthur but the parasite didn't seem that special or strong, at least not enough to stand toe to toe with Zaarae.

"Kass Boler, you know him, right? He sent me here to deliver a Zen Treasure and I am to deliver it only to his grandson. Lead the way."

Arthur briefly explained the reason behind his visit, however, Tuili didn't outright believe him, though he didn't rudely retort either. He turned to Sun Wukong for help only to see him nodding his head, signaling for him to comply.

Although he still felt skeptical, both the commander and the mage led Arthur and his group directly toward a massive royal castle made of golden sand situated at the center of the capital city, which looked like a real maze filled with millions of people.

Under two minutes of moderate flight, they reached the majestic sandcastle, where they were welcomed by no less than a hundred well-trained soldiers. They were royal guards and even one of them was able to fight against a cultivator at the God Realm, they were the pride of the kingdom and its strongest strength, excluding the protectors.

As they saw the commander return safely, the soldiers relaxed but didn't disperse as strangers appeared. Tuili waved his hand, dismissing them, before guiding Arthur, Zaarae, Fariya, the mythical beings, and Shen Shen inside the castle. As for Esco and Vyncent, they remained aboard the silver spirit boat.

"Woah!"

Shen Shen was fascinated by the place, which was decorated using the finest and most expensive material. It has to be said that this castle was a unique piece of art, unlike anything Arthur had ever seen. Even Isadore's castle back in Green-Leaf paled in comparison to this structure made of golden sand. The ground was made of countless white cubic plates, exquisite and engraved with different things, sometimes a mountain or even a lion's head.

Soon, they reached a tightly protected room, which was where the current king was hiding. Sun Wukong's sudden departure alarmed everyone, including the king, who chose to hide until the danger is gone.

Arthur and the rest patiently waited as Tuili entered the small room and brought the king, who controlled his shaking body and tried to look domineering as he faced the strangers.

"This king greets the honorable guests."

His gaze shifted across everyone, stopping on Fariya for five full seconds, his lustful gaze unable to be hidden. A wide smile was plastered on his young face, he was only twenty years old but he was purposely appointed as a king because his father, the current sect master of the Fallen God Clan, was no longer interested in running the kingdom and he also wanted his son to learn how to rule a nation and prosper it.

As Arthur didn't speak, neither the succubus nor Shen Shen opened their mouths. The Parasite looked at Tuili and said,

"I said I wanted to meet the clan master, not a king."

"Honorable guest, my father is absorbing the stars and is unable to come out. If the matter is urgent, you can still talk to me."

From the way Tuili treated the guests and when he saw the monkey king stand by the side without interfering, King Craus didn't behave angrily or rudely but deep inside, he didn't like how these people barged in his castle, uninvited and demanding to meet his esteemed father.

"No, I don't need you."

Arthur shook his head and retorted.

"If that's the case, why don't you stay at this king's humble castle until my father finishes. I'll prepare a banquet to welcome your arrival."

The Parasite turned around and headed outside of the castle, leaving those words behind,

"Just notify me when he's out. Don't expect me to wait for long."

To begin with, he wasn't in a hurry and he was interested in exploring this ancient city. As long as the sect master doesn't take long, he doesn't mind waiting. Shen Shen and Fariya followed Arthur but Zaarae remained, though Arthur didn't ask her to follow him, figuring that she has some business to attend to.

…

"My king, should I send people to monitor them?"

Tuili knelt before Craus and asked but the latter shook his head and coldly replied,

"No, didn't you see the two youths? They were mythical beings!"

Craus was young but more knowledgeable than the commander. As they had Sun Wukong 'advising' him, he was naturally aware of the other mythical beings and how they look in their humanoid forms.

"If possible then go notify my father."

"Yes, my king."

Tuili left shortly after, leaving only the very quiet mage with a pointy hat with the king.

"Anything I should take note of?"

The mage caressed the short golden wand on his waist and calmly answered,

"The man and succubus are stronger than me but weaker than the venerable one. I couldn't gauge the woman's strength but from the way the venerable one acted, she should be of an even higher than he is."

"Higher than him? The only ones who are above mythical beings are…"

"Yes, the Twelve and the dragons. I speculate that she's the Parasite Empress, Zaarae. I once read that the venerable one is infatuated with her and has been courting her for a long time, which explains his previous behavior and his obedience."

"I see."

King Craus felt conflicted and unable to come up with a good decision. After spending a few minutes pondering, he turned around and left, heading toward the sacred grounds of the Fallen God Clan to pray.

*****

"Speak, why are you here?"

Zaarae was sitting in front of Sun Wukong, who respectfully stood before her, his eyes wandering across her body.

"Empress, the kingdom hired me as an adviser but it's only a cover. Recently, there has been a thief roaming the kingdom and stealing all kinds of priceless treasures. The king is worried that the thief will infiltrate the castle and enter the treasury."

Hearing this, Zaarae frowned. "A thief? Really?"

"Yes, Empress. He's not a normal thief."

"I can tell that he's not an ordinary thief but I didn't sense anything unusual inside the city, he's not here, at least. So, you were goofing around instead of catching him?"

Embarrassed, the monkey king scratched the back of his head and replied.

"Empress, a-actually, I've met with him but was unable to do anything. He's deceptive and is as fast as that flamingo!"

"Interesting. To think there is an existence that can even escape from you. Was he human?"

"I don't know. He looked like a human but it could have been a fake appearance. He's basically looted all the treasuries of the kingdom's large cities so his next target should be the royal treasury."

The woman snickered and said, "Heh, even if he's good, it would take a remarkable skill to enter the royal treasury."