Chapter 821: The Election Ceremony

Han Li's expression remained calm, but his heart tightened.

Immediately after, a crystalline light flickered at his brow again, and a semi-transparent divine sense sword shot forth once more.

Before the divine sense sword reached him, the moment Zhao Gu True Man saw it, the light in his eyes had already scattered, a flicker of unwillingness and despair flashing through them as he murmured to himself, "How is this possible, how could this be..."

The next instant, the divine sense sword effortlessly pierced through the bone shield and plunged into Zhao Gu True Man's brow.

As the sword flew into his sea of consciousness, Han Li was surprised to find that Zhao Gu True Man's sea of consciousness was nearly depleted, and the miniature figure formed by his soul was dim and faint, like a candle flickering in the wind, on the verge of going out.

Clearly, he had already suffered some severe injury before, and his soul was extremely unstable.

This rather puzzled Han Li, after all, means capable of injuring a Da Luo stage cultivator's soul were far from ordinary.

Although the strike he had just delivered had wounded the opponent, it had also been a case of harming the enemy by a thousand and losing eight hundred of his own, leaving him unconscious for a good half day. But by his estimation, that single blow of his could not have caused such severe damage to the opponent's soul.

Thoughts raced through Han Li's mind, but his actions showed no hesitation.

With a low shout, the divine sense sword materialized again in the sea of consciousness and slashed down. Zhao Gu True Man's soul offered almost no resistance as it was torn apart and then dissipated.

Zhao Gu True Man's body then stiffened and stopped moving.

Shi Chuankong had just finished arranging the Silver Sky Twin Mirrors and hadn't yet figured out what had happened, but seeing an opportunity, he immediately urged the twin mirrors to shine on Zhao Gu True Man.

He crossed his hands in front of him, and the formation in the void flashed with silver light. The two round mirrors then swapped positions, driving a powerful spatial force to twist open.

However, Zhao Gu True Man's Da Luo body was extremely formidable, and his bones were as hard as metal and stone. Under the twisting spatial force, they only underwent some slight distortion and twisting without suffering substantial damage.

After several attempts, Shi Chuankong was unable to crush it.

Seeing this, Han Li raised his hand and beckoned. A delicate black bone ring slipped from Zhao Gu True Man's hand and flew into his own. A silver firebird shot out from his shoulder, plunged onto Zhao Gu True Man's body, and instantly engulfed it.

Seeing this, Shi Chuankong felt relieved.

He had witnessed the power of the Essence Flame Firebird before, but under normal circumstances, it could not directly threaten a Great Luo cultivator, nor could it even break through their protective aura.

The blazing silver flames burned fiercely, crackling and popping. Han Li stared fixedly at the fire, lost in thought.

"Brother Li, what's wrong?" Shi Chuankong asked, puzzled.

"Nothing. I was just wondering what that old man Zhao Gu meant by his earlier words," Han Li replied after a moment of silence.

"Why bother with all that? In any case, that fellow can no longer threaten us!" Shi Chuankong laughed heartily.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the silver flame bird returned, while Zhao Gu真人 had been reduced to ashes.

The bird's body rapidly shrank and landed in Han Li's palm. It gently spat out a colorful finger-bone relic from its mouth.

Han Li's brow twitched slightly, but he calmly put it away without changing expression.

"Let's go. We need to get to Yeyang City," Han Li said, glancing at Shi Chuankong.

"Alright."

Shi Chuankong acknowledged and flew up first, heading into the high sky.

Han Li put away the Essence Flame Firebird and followed closely, soaring into the sky.

Soon, Shi Chuankong stopped in front of an irregular object suspended high in the air.

"Why have you stopped?" Han Li asked.

"We've arrived," Shi Chuankong said.

"You mean... this is Yeyang City?" Han Li raised an eyebrow and asked.

"It's a long story... In short, this divine object is called the 'Key of the Void Realm,' and it is the gateway to Yeyang City and other spaces in the Holy Domain," Shi Chuankong said mysteriously.

"Other spaces... No wonder I found this object strange earlier—it seemed both near and far away. So it exists at the intersection of multiple overlapping spaces, maintaining many realms. No wonder you said that even a Dao Lord would not be able to shake it in the slightest." Han Li frowned at first, then suddenly understood.

"Let's go. We'll enter the city now."

As he spoke, a faint smile appeared on Shi Chuankong's face. He turned his palm over and took out a specially made black demonic token, pressing it against the black cross-section of the lowest branch.

The black demonic token, upon touching the black crystal-like cross-section, was immediately attracted like a magnet, then gradually melted into the cross-section.

Immediately afterward, a patch of black light shone, and a strong spatial fluctuation emanated from within.

Shi Chuankong glanced at Han Li, smiled slightly, and stepped into it first.

After a brief look, Han Li also stepped inside.

The black light then faded, the two figures disappeared, and the strange polyhedron returned to its original state.

Han Li felt a dizzying sensation as spatial forces tugged at him from all around, similar to riding a teleportation array but much stronger.

However, this feeling did not last long. Soon his body felt light, and he found himself in a bright space.

A blazing sun hung in the sky, casting brilliant light. Below, the ground was covered with low hills and lush green grass. The sky was high and the land vast, involuntarily lifting one's spirits.

Moreover, the demonic qi here was exceptionally dense, almost several times that of the outside world, and clusters of purple-black clouds floated in midair, evidently condensed from demonic qi.

In contrast, the spiritual qi of heaven and earth was much thinner.

"Brother Shi, is this the space where Night Sun City is located?" Han Li looked around, seemingly in awe.

"Indeed! This place is called the Night Sun Realm, an interface space personally created by my father the Emperor. We have finally returned." Shi Chuankong took a deep breath before speaking.

As he spoke, he waved his hand and summoned the Black Spirit Shuttle, which lifted them both and flew forward.

"An interface space created personally!" Han Li was astonished upon hearing this.

If it were merely creating a small-scale secret realm, it would not be too difficult; with his current abilities, he could also do it, though it would require a great deal of time and materials. But that would only be creating a relatively stable, rigid space.

This space before him, however, was different. It was no different from the demonic domain outside, containing the sun, moon, and stars, and the profound artistic conception of the operation of heaven and earth—it was simply incomparable.

He inwardly marveled at the extraordinary means of the Demon Lord, which were far beyond what he could currently imagine or match.

Yet, boundless fighting spirit and longing also surged within his heart. As long as he continued to cultivate diligently, he might one day reach that level.

"It's still about half a month's journey from here to Yeyang City. We've delayed too long on the road already; we need to pick up the pace." Shi Chuankong frowned slightly, as if he felt the Crow God Shuttle was too slow.

He flicked his sleeve, and with a soft "bang," a purple talisman shot out. With a flash of light, it burst into countless purple runes that engulfed the Crow God Shuttle, then quickly adhered to it.

The front end of the Crow God Shuttle curved, transforming into a curved bird's head. A purple light flashed in the middle, and with a "puff," two broad purple wings over ten zhang long condensed.

The Crow God Shuttle hummed, its speed suddenly increasing by nearly half, turning into a long purple-black rainbow that shot forward like lightning.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, since your elder brothers and sisters know our destination is Yeyang City, the road ahead may not be safe. We should be more cautious." Han Li observed this and cautioned.

"Haha, rest assured, Fellow Daoist Li. If we were outside, we would naturally need to be careful. But here in Yeyang Domain, this million-mile radius is under the surveillance of my father's Unhindered Dharma Eye. Those people would never dare to act recklessly here. We are completely safe now." Shi Chuankong laughed heartily.

Hearing this, Han Li was inwardly amazed at the Demon Lord's divine ability, but also felt somewhat uneasy.

He was not accustomed to acting under constant surveillance.

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Li. My father's surveillance of Yeyang Domain is only for stability; he does not investigate every detail." Shi Chuankong seemed to read Han Li's concern and added.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, there are some things I haven't asked you along the way. Now that we are nearing Yeyang City, please enlighten me." Han Li nodded and asked again.

"Speak freely." Shi Chuankong showed no surprise, as if he had expected Han Li to ask.

"Are you rushing to Yeyang City to participate in some important matter? You went through great hardship to bring the Luozha Pipa back to Yeyang City, and your siblings wanted to seize it—also for this matter, right?" Han Li's eyes flickered as he asked.

"I originally planned to explain this to you upon reaching Yeyang City, but since you ask now, I will tell you. You are right. My return to Yeyang City is indeed for an important matter, one that concerns billions of lives in the Holy Domain. I must deliver the Luozha Pipa safely no matter what." Shi Chuankong was silent for a moment, then said solemnly.

"Oh? What matter?" Han Li asked with some surprise.

"The election of the next Holy Lord." Shi Chuankong smiled slightly.

"Election of the next Holy Lord? Is your father stepping down?" Han Li was startled, somewhat surprised.

For cultivators at the True Immortal realm and above, lifespan is essentially infinite. Only in cases of accidents or calamities like the Five Declines of Heaven and Man would a transfer of power occur. Could something have happened to the Demon Lord?

"My father has ruled the Holy Domain for many years; such a problem shouldn't exist. But many years ago, he suddenly announced the selection of the next Holy Lord. No one knows the exact reason." Shi Chuankong frowned, clearly puzzled by the Holy Lord's decision.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, are you returning to Yeyang City now to seize the position of Holy Lord?" Han Li's heart stirred, and he asked further.