211: The Kaiyue Empire, a powerful nation!

As Cold Moon's voice fell, Bai Lingxi understood her meaning perfectly.

Immediately, in her capacity as the general manager, she issued the highest-level summons to all eight halls of the Holy Demon Palace simultaneously.

The token transmitted the message, and demonic light shot into the sky.

Before long, at the original site of the Hehuan Sect—now the core plaza of the Holy Demon Palace—a dense crowd of people quickly gathered.

Led by the seven newly promoted Void Refining Hall Masters, including Soul Extinguisher, Blood Without End, and Nether Bone, the core Elders of each hall, True Disciples, and even some inner court elites—totaling nearly ten thousand people—stood in solemn formation on the plaza.

No one dared to be even slightly negligent.

Upon the high platform, Cold Moon stood proudly in a black dress, her cold gaze sweeping over the silent crowd below.

Su Yang and the other women stood quietly by her side, while Bai Lingxi held the sacred demon heart-calming seal, standing slightly forward and below Cold Moon with a solemn expression.

“I have summoned you all today for only one matter.”

“This Venerable will be leaving the Holy Demon Palace for a period of time with Venerable Su and the others to handle important business.”

As soon as these words were spoken, a very slight commotion broke out among the crowd below.

Cold Moon took in everyone's reactions and said coldly, “During this Venerable's absence, all integration affairs of the Holy Demon Palace will be fully coordinated and decided by the general manager, Bai Lingxi!”

Her gaze focused on the Seven Hall Masters, her tone growing heavier, each word like iron: “Bai Lingxi's words are my intent! Bai Lingxi's orders are my orders! Everyone in the eight halls, whether Hall Master, Elder, or Disciple, must unconditionally cooperate with general manager Bai Lingxi to fully advance the integration matters. There shall be no shirking, delaying, or obstructing!”

“If anyone defies this...”

Cold Moon's voice suddenly turned freezing cold, and at the same time, a vast and terrifyingly cold pressure erupted from her body without reservation!

Unlike the precise extraction used during previous punishments, and unlike Su Yang's imperial majesty that commanded all spirits, the pressure at this moment was pure suppression!

It was as if the entire firmament of the Demonic Path had lowered along with her will, pressing heavily upon the hearts of everyone present!

“Boom—!”

The ten thousand people below the stage, regardless of their cultivation base, all turned pale. Disciples with weaker cultivation even let out muffled groans, their figures swaying as they relied entirely on gritted teeth to hold themselves up.

Although the Seven Hall Masters had already reached the Void Refining stage, they still felt their Divine Souls tremble under this pressure. Their magic power flowed sluggishly, making them feel like prey pinned down by a fierce beast; they couldn't muster even a hint of resistance in their hearts.

“If there are those who defy, those who comply in public but oppose in private, those who secretly collude, or those who harbor treacherous thoughts—”

Cold Moon spoke one word at a time, her voice cold and devoid of any emotion: “No matter where this Venerable is, I will sense it! At that time, I will personally return to clear the house!”

“The consequences will be far beyond what you can bear! I will extract your Divine Souls and imprison them forever beneath the Nine Nether Demonic Fires, where you will suffer the pain of Soul Refining and bone erosion, never to be reincarnated for ten thousand lifetimes! Your Sect Legacies will also be reduced to ashes and completely wiped from existence!”

Accompanying this extremely cold declaration, the Void Realm behind Cold Moon subtly distorted, and images of countless wailing demonic Souls and Soul-burning demonic fires flashed for an instant.

Though it was only a fleeting glimpse of an illusion, it caused everyone who saw it to feel a bone-chilling cold; it was as if their Souls were being scorched by those invisible demonic fires!

The plaza was deathly silent, save for the sound of heavy breathing and uncontrollable trembling from fear.

“Now, tell this Venerable, do you—understand?”

Cold Moon slowly retracted part of her pressure, but her cold gaze still weighed down on everyone below.

“We respectfully obey the Holy Sovereign's decree!”

Soul Extinguisher was the first to shout hoarsely, kneeling on one knee with his head buried deep.

“The Blood Fiend Hall swears to follow general manager Bai Lingxi's commands unto death!”

“The Bone Demon Hall harbors no second thoughts!”

“...”

The Seven Hall Masters vied to express their stance, showing awe and submission.

What was the meaning of this gathering today? It was clearly the Holy Sovereign's way of publicly supporting Bai Lingxi!

They were not fools; how could they not understand!

The ten thousand people below the stage also echoed in unison, their voices shaking the sky, not daring to harbor any stray thoughts.

Cold Moon nodded slightly and looked at Bai Lingxi beside her, signaling with her eyes.

Bai Lingxi took a step forward and said loudly, “We will keep the Holy Sovereign's teachings engraved in our hearts! I, Lingxi, will fulfill my duties to the utmost, working with the Hall Masters to jointly advance the integration and stabilize the Foundation of the Holy Demon Palace! I hope you all do not fail the Holy Sovereign's expectations!”

The deterrence was complete. Cold Moon said no more and turned to nod slightly to Su Yang.

Su Yang understood and looked at Crimson Phoenix, Wen Yunyao, Lin Bingqing, An Ran, Gu Yue, Luo Luo, and the others who were already prepared. The women glanced at Bai Lingxi and then composed themselves.

Bai Lingxi took a deep breath. At this point, there was nothing to hesitate about. She performed hand seals, and a complex teleportation formation emerged beneath everyone's feet.

Buzz—!

The giant pattern lit up with a dazzling silver light, and space fluctuated violently.

“Su Yang, sisters, I'll be waiting for your safe return!”

Bai Lingxi said softly.

Su Yang smiled slightly: “Don't worry.”

“We'll finish up early and come back soon. Then we can Cultivate together again,”

Wen Yunyao said with a smile.

Bai Lingxi said, “Alright! If I finish things here early, I'll go find you sooner!”

After a round of goodbyes, the teleportation began.

“Respectfully seeing off the Holy Sovereign! Respectfully seeing off Venerable Su!”

The ten thousand people below the stage shouted in unison, their voices vibrating through the clouds.

Su Yang and his group's figures disappeared from before everyone's eyes.

On the plaza, the ten thousand people remained in a posture of respectful send-off; no one dared to move, and no one dared to speak. The Holy Sovereign's final warning before her departure and that heaven-shaking pressure were deeply etched into the depths of everyone's Divine Soul.

After a long time, Bai Lingxi slowly turned around to face the crowd.

Her beautiful face no longer held any hint of gentleness. Facing her former Demonic Path colleagues, she now had to command them with the calmness and authority of a general manager.

“Though the Holy Sovereign has temporarily departed, the decree remains. The great task of integration brooks no delay.”

“Hall Masters of each hall, follow me into the Heavenly Secret Hall to detail the three-month advancement plan. Everyone else, return to your positions and strictly fulfill your duties.”

“We respectfully obey the general manager's orders!”

This time, the response was uniform, without the slightest hesitation.

Soul Extinguisher and the others followed Bai Lingxi away, not daring to be negligent... passing through the Two Principles Formation.

Su Yang and his group arrived directly at the Sunset Mountain Range on the border of the Kaiyue Empire.

The exit of the formation was in a massive mountain cave. Walking out of the cave where the teleportation array was located, everyone felt a natural aura that was completely different from the Demonic Path regions, and even from the area where the Profound Heaven Dao Sect was located.

The Spiritual Qi permeating the air was not exceptionally dense.

It wasn't quite at the level required for a Sect's location.

However, with every breath, one could feel a unique heaviness and sharpness from the air.

It was a strange feeling; as the air entered the lungs, it gave off a strong, vigorous sense of vitality.

Everyone looked around. The rolling mountain range had rigid lines, the rocks were exposed, and the vegetation mostly consisted of low, hardy shrubs and coniferous trees. On the distant plains, the outlines of tall cities were vaguely visible, along with broad roads that crisscrossed and were as straight as if they had been carved.

“What rugged scenery.”

Wen Yunyao blinked, curiously observing her surroundings. She tilted her face up to meet the blowing wind and remarked casually, “I feel like the wind here has more strength than elsewhere.”

“It's not just the wind.”

Crimson Phoenix narrowed her eyes slightly, sensing the subtle forces flowing between heaven and earth. “The living beings of this land generally have an astonishingly vigorous blood and Qi. Even those farmers working in the fields in the distance have a blood and Qi Foundation comparable to a Body Cultivator at the Early Stage of Qi Refining.”

Lin Bingqing and An Ran exchanged a look and nodded.

Coming from the Righteous Path, their perception of human blood and Qi was equally keen. Just as Crimson Phoenix said, the Bloodline of those farmers in the distance indeed far exceeded that of ordinary people.

They were not cultivators, nor did they have the aura of cultivators, but their bones, muscles, and flesh were indeed very powerful.

Luo Luo joked, “It feels very solid, very strong.”

Su Yang nodded but said nothing.

He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them with a smile on his face: “If I'm not mistaken, these people should be influenced by the Magic Treasure transformed from the abyssal legguards. But don't worry about that for now; I've already sensed the location of the abyssal legguards. Let's go.”