That would explain why you were able to join the Anicca Alliance even with your cultivation.
By the way, you said that this mask and token were passed down from your ancestor? "Han Li nodded slowly after hearing Bai Suyuan's explanation.
"The original owner of this mask was an ancestor of our Bai Family. He was the immortal who once served as an inner elder in the Fire Dragon Path.
The reason why our Bai Family was able to secretly manage the Bai You Nation was because of this ancestor.
As for the token, it naturally belonged to him, "Bai Suyuan explained.
"If that's the case, why didn't you go to the Fire Dragon Path to find this immortal ancestor and ask him to kill the Heavenly Demon?" Han Li raised his brows and asked.
"According to my grandfather, this ancestor suddenly disappeared thousands of years ago, and there has been no news of him ever since. Several Body Integration Stage elders went out to search for him, but they also disappeared … Since then, the power of our Bai Family has gradually declined … It is precisely because of this that my great-grandfather was in a hurry to transcend his tribulation to become a True Immortal, and in the end, the Heavenly Demon took advantage of it," Bai Suyuan said with a heavy sigh.
"I can't verify what you said for now. Wait until I see Bai Songshi with my own eyes and confirm that he has been possessed by the Heavenly Demon, then I'll decide whether or not to make a move," Han Li said after a moment of thought.
In reality, he didn't completely believe what the young woman said.
In Han Li's eyes, it was already quite remarkable for a late-Deity Transformation cultivator like her to be able to hide under the nose of a true immortal for so many years. As such, he was naturally feeling a little more wary of her.
"This … Alright.
The Bai You Nation's decennial Heaven Worship Ceremony will be held at the beginning of next month. At that time, the emperor will bring the civil and military officials to the Tai 'e Mountain in the territory to worship the heavens. As the head of the officials, Bai Songshi will naturally have to accompany them.
When the time comes, we'll have to stay far away from the mortal cities to minimize the impact. "Bai Suyuan hesitated for a moment before saying.
"Alright." Han Li nodded upon hearing this, and this matter was settled.
Bai Suyuan's eyes lit up, and she asked, "By the way, how should I address you?"
"Li Feiyu."
…
The Mount Tai Mountain Range situated in the eastern part of the Baiyou Kingdom had always been known for its majestic mountains and beautiful scenery. Amongst them, the Mount Tai Mountain Range was the tallest mountain in the entire kingdom, and it had always been revered as the 'Divine Mountain of the East'. It had an extremely high status in the hearts of the people of the Baiyou Kingdom. According to legend, a True Immortal that had attained the Dao had once ascended here.
The scholars of the Bai You Country had always been proud of being able to climb to the top of Tai 'e Peak and recite poems for it. To this day, there were still many cliff carvings left behind by great poets from ancient times to the present. Every year, many common people would come out of admiration to see the true face of the mountain.
However, just a month ago, the entire Tai 'e Peak was surrounded by a large number of armored soldiers, and it was completely sealed off. Regardless of whether they were nobles or commoners, no one was allowed to ascend the mountain.
No one in the Bai You Kingdom had any objections to this because they knew that the Emperor was going to pray to the heavens.
Although the Tai 'e Peak was sealed off, a few days before the ceremony, the Dongtai County at the foot of the mountain was already overcrowded with people from the nearby counties.
On the day of the official ceremony, before the sun had even risen, both sides of the official road leading to the Tai 'e Peak were already packed with people who had come to pay their respects to the Emperor.
When the auspicious hour arrived, the carriages of the Emperor and the civil and military officials directly left the temporary imperial residence in the county. Under the protection of the royal guards, they went straight to the Tai 'e Peak without stopping.
On the top of the Tai 'e Peak, there was a wide circular altar. A few incense burners had already been set up, and the ground was covered with a brocade red carpet. Many officials dressed in the uniforms of the Ministry of Rites stood around the altar. Each of them had a pious expression on their faces, and they were respectfully waiting with their hands clasped.
Among these people, there was an ordinary-looking middle-aged official. His hands were hanging in front of him, and his eyes were constantly moving as he observed the surroundings.
This person was none other than Han Li, who had changed his appearance and snuck in. Bai Suyuan, on the other hand, had concealed himself outside the altar.
After observing for a while, Han Li discovered that in addition to the dozen or so Nascent Soul and Foundation Establishment cultivators hidden among the patrolling soldiers, the Minister of Rites beside him was also a Deity Transformation cultivator.
Han Li knew that these people were most likely secretly planted by the Bai Clan.
After waiting for about four hours, the Emperor's carriage finally arrived at the top of the Tai 'e Peak.
The Emperor, who appeared to be in his twenties, got off the carriage with the help of a eunuch. However, he did not hurry to the altar, and instead stopped next to the carriage, as if waiting for something.
After a while, the carriages behind them also arrived one after another.
Once the carriage behind the Emperor's carriage stopped, the door opened, and a white-haired, purple-robed elder reached out a hand. With the help of two attendants, he shakily got off the carriage.
His face was extremely old, covered in wrinkles, his eyes turbid, and a few strands of silver hair drifted across his forehead. His figure was stooped, and he appeared to be on the verge of death.
The Emperor saw the elder slowly walk over, and a smile appeared on his face. Accompanied by the attendant, he slowly made his way to the altar, the other officials quickly following.
Han Li mingled in the crowd, an almost imperceptible blue light flashing in the depths of his eyes. As he swept his gaze over the elder, he was basically certain that this was the Grand Preceptor, Bai Songshi.
Although this person appeared to be an elderly man who couldn't move easily and had concealed his aura very well, he naturally couldn't hide from Chen Changsheng's Spiritual Sense. On the surface, this person truly was a Grand Ascension cultivator.
Other than deliberately suppressing his cultivation and concealing his aura, Chen Changsheng didn't notice anything else out of place.
The emperor and Bai Songshi slowly walked up the steps to the altar step by step, while the rest of the officials stopped at the bottom of the altar.
As the decrepit elder passed by Han Li and the other officials from the Bureau of Rites, his steps paused for a moment. Out of the corner of his eye, he inadvertently glanced in a certain direction. A sharp light flashed through his turbid eyes, but it was only for a moment before he returned to normal and walked to the center of the altar.
Under the direction of a high-ranking official from the Bureau of Rites, the ceremony continued. Han Li remained silent as he began to mentally weigh the pros and cons.
"Fellow Li, I'm afraid that devil has already discovered me. Why haven't you made a move? Don't tell me you've really been fooled by this devil's camouflage technique?" At this time, Bai Suyuan's voice suddenly sounded in his mind.
"Fellow Daoist Magic Light, could you help me take a look …" Han Li lowered his head to look at his own shadow and asked telepathically.
After a moment of silence, his shadow didn't change at all, but Magic Light's voice rang out in his mind. "Friend Han, this person's concealing aura is not weak, but according to my observation, he is indeed from the Heavenly Demon Clan."
Hearing this, Han Li's eyes slightly narrowed and the corners of his mouth slightly curled up, revealing a trace of a smile.
At this moment, the Emperor had already been arranged by the officials of the Bureau of Rites to offer three animals and three sticks of incense. Then, he retreated to the carriage on the side.
"… My Emperor is virtuous and looks up to the Holy God. He is the successor of the heavens … His heart for the heavens and the earth, his life for the people, and his peace for all ages … The glory of his achievements will never die … I only inherit the order of the heavens and use the sacrificial rites …"
As the head of the hundreds of officials, Bai Songshi began to face the officials and recited the sacrificial rites on behalf of the Emperor. His voice was hoarse, and he seemed to be exhausted, shouting at the top of his lungs.
Seeing this, Han Li suddenly stepped out from the crowd.
The officials of the Bureau of Rites beside him were shocked and hurriedly wanted to stop him, but they only saw a blur in front of them and he had already disappeared.
In the next moment, he had already appeared at the center of the altar.
With a wave of his sleeve, a green whirlwind immediately surged out from it like a green dragon. It rolled up everyone including the Emperor and brought them straight down the mountain.
The bodies of the cultivators hidden among the mortals lit up. They wanted to escape, but they were completely powerless. They could only follow the crowd and fly to the foot of Mount Tai 'e.
"Are you the reinforcement that girl invited?" Bai Songshi stopped reciting the sacrificial rites and turned to look at Han Li.
His originally turbid eyes suddenly became extremely clear, and his stooped figure immediately straightened up. He combed the messy hair in front of his forehead with both hands, and the aura of decay on his entire body was swept away. Instead, it was replaced by a rather strong aura of someone in power.
Han Li coldly chuckled and didn't reply. His body blurred and he abruptly arrived before him, sending a punch straight toward his head.
Seeing the sudden burst of aura, the corners of the old man's eyes twitched slightly, and his figure flashed, retreating dozens of feet.
Han Li's fist missed and smashed on the ground of the altar.
With a loud bang, the entire altar collapsed and turned into a pile of dust.
Dozens of flowing lights flashed and landed around Han Li, all of them staring angrily at Han Li.
A green-robed old man pointed at Han Li and cursed, "Where did you come from? How dare you attack our patriarch!"
Han Li did not retaliate after throwing that punch. He merely stared at Bai Songshi with an unblinking gaze and did not even look at the people around him.
These were all cultivators of the Bai Family, and the most powerful among them was only at the Soul Formation Final Stage, so he was naturally not going to argue with them.
Right at this moment, another slender figure flew over from the distance and landed on the shattered altar. This was a beautiful and delicate woman wearing a pink lotus dress; it was none other than Bai Suyuan.
"Second Uncle, Eldest Uncle … Stop!
This Senior Li is someone I invited back to kill the Heavenly Demon. Don't be bewitched by that demon and lose your lives for nothing, "Bai Suyuan yelled.
"Shut up! Not only did you kill your own grandfather, you even dare to slander the Clan Leader! You really don't know what's good for you! I'm going to clean up the Clan Leader for you today!"
The green-robed old man that Bai Suyuan referred to as Second Uncle flared up with rage, and light flashed from his body as he charged toward Bai Suyuan.