Chapter 167

Zhang Kun possessed a sharp and agile mind. Seeing that his grandfather and the esteemed guest opposite seemed to be well-acquainted, he instantly changed his tune.

Although he had organized this banquet, the incident regarding the seizure of the fellow named Chen's invitation card had very little to do with him directly. Had it not been for the sake of giving face to the other party's background, he probably wouldn't have bothered at all.

Zhang Yu nodded in satisfaction, highly approving of his grandson's situational awareness.

The man surnamed Chen, however, was extremely nervous. He hadn't expected the person backing this fellow to be an acquaintance of Zhang Yu. The Zhang family was a clan on par with the Primordial Qilin Ox lineage, far more powerful than his own household.

This made him somewhat regretful. He shouldn't have let his pride get the better of him, nor should he have asked his uncle to secure another invitation card just to come here and save face.

Upon hearing Zhang Kun's words, Zhou Tian narrowed his eyes slightly, though he remained silent.

A moment later, the Firebird spoke:

"Respected Zhang Yu, my master has come down, but there are restrictions in place here, so he cannot enter."

The invitation card had been issued by Zhang Yu, not the Towering Heaven Hotel, which was why the Holy Demon could bypass it. However, the elevator-like spatial verification within the hotel had been personally laid down by the Towering Heaven Corporation itself, and even the Holy Demon could not break through it.

"Kun'er, remove the restriction," Zhang Yu instructed.

Since Zhang Kun had booked this entire floor, the Towering Heaven Hotel naturally provided corresponding services. The verification in the elevator had been set up by the hotel at Zhang Kun's request, allowing only those holding invitation cards to press the button for this floor.

"Understood."

Zhang Kun nodded, produced a golden card, swiped it a few times as runes rippled through the air, and then put it away.

A moment later, the "elevator" opened, and a man stepped out. His body radiated a lustrous glow, his skin was fair, and his features could be described as peerless. The corners of his lips curved slightly upward, and his eyes shone brilliantly. Many of the women present were instantly entranced, their faces flushing red as they bit their lower lips, as if they had just encountered the love of their lives.

Zhou Tian secretly curled his lip, feeling a strong urge to rip off the mask on his face and show them what true handsomeness looked like. However, considering that the Holy Demon was, after all, his underling, he decided to spare him the embarrassment.

"Haha, Brother Holy Demon, why didn't you greet me when you arrived here?"

Zhang Yu laughed heartily as he stepped forward to welcome him, echoing the exact same gesture Zhang Kun had used earlier when greeting Niu Hong.

"Brother Yu is too polite. I am merely staying here for a day or two, how could I presume to disturb you?" the Holy Demon replied calmly, before turning his gaze toward Zhou Tian. "What kind of trouble did you stir up to alarm even Brother Yu?"

"Ah, just a minor misunderstanding among juniors. It has already been resolved, nothing of consequence," Zhang Yu chuckled, unwilling to dwell on the matter.

"Muxu, did you go around bullying people again? If that is the case, even with me here, you must apologize."

The Holy Demon spoke quite naturally; the Firebird had already secretly filled him in on many details, including Zhou Tian's alias.

"He is so cultured and refined..."

A saintess cried out in infatuation. Usually an aloof and unapproachable goddess, she was now completely captivated.

"It was nothing. I snatched someone's invitation card, and they came looking for trouble," Zhou Tian waved his hand and said casually. Although there was much more to the story—such as the fact that the other party had provoked him first—Zhou Tian felt that while he could explain, there was simply no need.

"Whose did you snatch?" the Holy Demon asked with a frown.

"His." Zhou Tian pointed at the man surnamed Chen, who was currently cowering to the side like a turtle hiding in its shell.

The Holy Demon turned around, his gaze piercing and sharp.

"I snatched yours. Got a problem with it?"

"So overbearing..."

It was the same saintess again, her face growing even rosier as she leaned against the wall, seemingly unable to control herself.

Everyone else fell silent.

The man surnamed Chen was utterly shocked and nearly vomited blood. What happened to demanding an apology? This was utterly shameless! Yet, he only dared to curse inwardly, while outwardly stammering, "N-no, not at all."

"Brother Holy Demon..." Zhang Yu stepped right up to the Holy Demon. "The Chen family is one of the shareholders of the Towering Heaven Corporation."

"Brother Yu, you and I both know the ins and outs of this matter. Since Muxu is my man, naturally I cannot allow him to be bullied."

The Holy Demon frowned, locking eyes with Zhang Yu without yielding an inch.

Zhou Tian inwardly rolled his eyes. People needed to take responsibility for their words—who the hell was his man?

"Let me handle this. I am well-acquainted with the head of the Chen family, and I will definitely give you a satisfactory resolution. After all, the Chen family is a shareholder of the Towering Heaven Corporation; if you take action yourself, the corporation certainly won't sit idly by."

Zhang Yu was also finding this a massive headache, and after a moment of thought, he came up with this solution.

The man surnamed Chen collapsed to the floor, his face drained of color. He was already out of favor within the Chen family; if Zhang Yu were to say even a word or two to the family head, he would undoubtedly be finished, with no telling where he might be exiled.

The Holy Demon turned back to look at Zhou Tian and asked, "Well?"

Zhou Tian nodded and said, "Acceptable."

He hadn't expected the Holy Demon to give him so much face, nor did he wish to pursue Zhang Kun's earlier attitude any further. Besides, he hadn't suffered any losses in this whole affair.

Zhang Yu cast a casual glance at Zhou Tian, surprised by how high his status seemed to be in the Holy Demon's eyes, though he still couldn't recall anything special about him.

With this matter brought to a close, Zhang Yu invited the Holy Demon to the VIP lounge. Originally, Zhang Yu had intended to open up a separate, private area just for him, but the Holy Demon declined, preferring to catch up right here.

Zhang Kun also acted as if nothing had happened, wearing a bright smile as he warmly chatted with Zhou Tian. Zhou Tian didn't put on any cold airs either, conversing idly with him.

"Greetings, two seniors."

As they passed Niu Hong, the young man bowed respectfully and offered his greetings.

"The Qilin Ox lineage? Ah, not bad. A few days ago, I was drinking heavily with one of your clan's elders and heard your name mentioned. Come along with us."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly; his friendships were broad, and he had dealings with the Qilin Ox clan as well.

"Is your Grand Elder still alive?" the Holy Demon asked abruptly.

"What do you mean by that, Senior?"

Niu Hong frowned slightly, his voice neither servile nor overbearing. Although his cultivation was not yet at the peak, his clan feared no one, and the Holy Demon's question carried a hint of provocation.

"Don't misunderstand. He and your Grand Elder are old friends. They had a bout not long ago, and your Grand Elder suffered a crushing defeat and returned home in a sorry state. That's why he asked," Zhang Yu explained.

Niu Hong was slightly startled before realization dawned on him. A few days ago, the Grand Elder had indeed returned in a hurried rush, with half of his grand horn broken off—a detail he remembered vividly.

With a bitter smile, he said, "Thanks to Senior's grace, the Grand Elder is still alive and well."

The Holy Demon smiled faintly. "That old fellow is certainly tough."

With a flick of his hand, he pulled a blackened object from the void. It turned out to be half of a massive horn, its surface shimmering with a circulating substance and emitting an inexplicable radiance, which he handed to Niu Hong.

"This is your Grand Elder's horn. I'm giving it to you now; it contains a good deal of Dao laws, which should suit you quite well."

Niu Hong felt helpless, unsure whether he should accept it or not.

"Take it since it's given to you. Don't bother returning it to your Grand Elder—though knowing him, he probably wouldn't have the face to ask for it back anyway."

The Holy Demon forcefully shoved it into Niu Hong's hands.