Chapter 727: Summoning Tang San

She could clearly tell that behind her passing score, an invisible hand was manipulating and strategizing. Even someone as powerful as the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor had lost this time.

Tang San, no, Big Brother, you're truly incredible. But will I be able to pass the final assessment?

The expression on the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's face was no longer calm but rather clouded. Although the Crystal Demon Emperor had only appeared briefly before leaving, that brief moment had clearly shaken his authority, causing even the Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor and Sky-Splitting Demon Emperor, who had previously voted against, to show signs of change.

The Crystal Demon Emperor was the leader of the Ancestral Court just in name; the

de facto

leader was the Celestial Fox Demon Empeor. What was

not

just in name, however, was her title as the absolute strongest. No one could ignore the Crystal Demon Emperor's opinion. Her reputation had been earned through sheer power—most of the Emperors in the hall had been utterly crushed by her at some point. They had truly been beaten into submission.

Of course, younger Emperors like the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor weren't included in this; they simply didn’t command enough respect to be personally trounced by the Crystal Demon Emperor.

"Mei Gongzi, you have passed the second trial. Next is the third. You will undergo the Ancestral Court's baptism. After this baptism, you will officially become the lord of Kali City."

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's voice seemed calm, but it was noticeably different from how it had been at the start.

The Ancestral Court's third assessment was different from the first two. To be precise, the first two assessments were more about testing the city lord candidate, while the third was more about bestowing benefits upon them. The baptism of the Ancestral Court's will could only begin after receiving the approval of the Emperors. During this process, the lord's body and divine consciousness would be cleansed, infused with the Ancestral Court's aura and power, unlocking greater potential. It was a benefit granted by the combined power of the Celestial Pillars.

In a way, after passing the first two stages, the evaluation was basically complete. The final stage was more about receiving the benefits and going through the formalities, after which the position of city lord would be publicly conferred, and that was that.

However, after hearing the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's words, Mei Gongzi's expression became serious. She clearly remembered Tang San's expression when he spoke to her about the third stage.

For other city lord candidates, this was just a formality; in fact, it was a

gift

rather than a test. But for Mei Gongzi, it was far from that. This stage was actually the most dangerous one for her, because the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor was in complete control.

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Only this Master of Destiny could mobilize the will of the Ancestral Court—or rather, what might be called the will of the ancestors. Not even the Crystal Demon Emperor could interfere with this.

Even though it was under the watchful eyes of many Emperors, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor was the Master of Destiny. Whatever he intended to do would likely be imperceptible to others, since they couldn’t see the flow of fortune. That was why Tang San had warned Mei Gongzi that she had to be extremely careful at this stage and not let herself get swept into it, no matter what. It was the most dangerous of all, and... it was also the time for him to take action.

Thus, when Mei Gongzi heard the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor announce that the third trial was about to begin, she instinctively tensed up, readying herself.

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's gaze swept over the other Emperors, and with a wave of his hand, all the Celestial Pillars within the Council Hall began to shine.

Each Celestial Pillar had different colors, glowed with different hues, and emitted different auras.

The Celestial Pillars with Emperors seated atop them shone more brightly, but even those without Emperors still emitted a faint aura. These were the auras left behind by the Emperors of past generations. This so-called will of the Ancestral Court was the collective will of all the Emperors, a manifestation of their contributions to the Ancestral Court.

At this moment, under the guidance of the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor, the energy within the Council Hall began to surge violently, growing increasingly dense.

The White Tiger Demon Emperor and the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor focused their attention on the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor. They understood that right now, everything was under his control, and if he had any tricks up his sleeve, it would be difficult to detect. Therefore, they remained vigilant, ready to act without hesitation if the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor did anything suspicious.

Even so, they relaxed somewhat. The appearance and approval of the Crystal Demon Emperor had practically sealed Mei Gongzi's position as the lord of Kali City. After all, in the Ancestral Court, there was no one who would dare defy the will of the Crystal Demon Emperor.

A faint smile appeared on the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's face; he seemed to have fully regained his composure. The energy rising within the Council Hall began to swirl.

Colorful bands of light began to appear around Mei Gongzi. These were the energies of the Ancestral Court's will, a mixture of various forces. As these energies passed through her body, a portion naturally began to merge into her, allowing her to absorb it.

The previous battles and clashes had taken a significant toll on Mei Gongzi, but as the baptism of the Ancestral Court's will began, she was surprised to feel her previous exhaustion rapidly fading away. Even her divine consciousness seemed to be quickly improving and rejuvenating through the process. This made her feel better than she ever had before.

Is this strengthening me?

Mei Gongzi couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled.

Could it be that the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor has truly given up on suppressing me and is genuinely allowing me to become the lord of Kali City?

This thought flashed through her mind, but in the next instant, she became alert. Without any hesitation, she closed her eyes.

Her consciousness immediately dove into her sea of consciousness, where she used her divine consciousness to tap into the sword intent of the Asura Sword. It was like plucking the string of a zither, producing a crisp sound that only she could hear.

The moment the buzzing sound echoed, Mei Gongzi's entire body trembled, and her divine consciousness was instantly shaken, causing the colorful bands of light around her to momentarily slow down.

In that instant, Mei Gongzi suddenly noticed something unusual.

Even as the sword intent of the Asura Sword rippled through her sea of consciousness, the energy from the colorful bands of light continued to merge with her divine consciousness. That's right, the process was ongoing. The same was true for her bloodline power—it was also absorbing that energy. In other words, even if she didn't actively absorb it, the will of the Ancestral Court passing through her would still continue to merge into her body, becoming part of her power.

Mei Gongzi's pupils contracted. She was starting to understand what the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor was trying to do.

***

The Hell Garden.

Tang San sat cross-legged in silence on a large azure flower that was emitting a black-and-white halo. The flower swayed gently but did not tilt to either side, as if Tang San’s weight was completely negligible. Right in front of this large flower was that pure white world, the heaven within hell.

Tang San had been meditating here for a long time, silently waiting for the critical moment to arrive.

Suddenly, his divine consciousness quaked violently, and he instantly opened his eyes.

An intense buzzing echoed in his mind, and Tang San's gaze immediately became focused and stern. He knew that his time to act had come. From here on, he couldn't afford a single mistake—any slip-up would mean death for him and Mei Gongzi.