Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 355: Entering the Ancestral Court

Caravans of the Aetherhorn Deers had visited the Ancestral Court countless times before, and after a quick inspection and verification, they were swiftly allowed to pass.

Tang San and his group went unnoticed.

Before setting out, Tang San had a deep conversation with the Aetherhorn Deer Demon King, who promised to introduce them to the city lord's office once they returned from the Ancestral Court. Tang San expressed his sincerity to the wealthy demon king, promising to seek out the array master and at least help them establish a relationship.

After some mutual probing, the Aetherhorn Deer Demon King told Tang San that their discreet handling of their previous victory was appropriate, causing no significant disturbances among human clans despite their substantial influence in Kali City. Although the Ancestral Court's envoy was dissatisfied, aside from summoning Tang San and his group to participate in a team battle at the Ancestral Court, they showed little other concern. Ultimately, the demons still did not regard humans highly.

This was undoubtedly good news for Tang San and his team; the less they were noticed, the greater their chances of success. The Aetherhorn Deer Demon King indicated that arrangements had been made for them. Specifically, once at the Ancestral Court, someone would instruct them on what to do. However, whether they could overcome the challenge would depend on their own abilities.

Letting things cool off was the best strategy. In other words, it was best if they lost a battle; their fame would drop, but losing did not necessarily mean death. This much could be arranged by paying the right amounts here and there. However, the Aetherhorn Deer Demon King reminded Tang San again that he hoped they would find the array master. He didn’t explicitly say anything, but it was abundantly clear what he meant: he could help the Shrek Squad overcome this difficulty, but he could just as well destroy them.

To this, Tang San readily agreed. At least for the time being, he still needed the support of the Aetherhorn Deer Demon King.

After passing the checkpoint, they saw steep cliffs rise on either side, towering a thousand feet high. Yet, the central thoroughfare was exceptionally wide, wide enough to accommodate twenty carriages like theirs to stop abreast.

If one looked closely, one might notice that the rock walls on both sides seemed to have been cleaved by some sharp instrument, not formed naturally. What immense power it must have taken to split such high mountains to create this passageway!

Upon entering this area, Tang San could faintly sense a potent divine consciousness swirling within the Ancestral Court. It even made him wonder if he had returned to the realm of the gods.

The interior of the Ancestral Court radiated a vibrant energy of heaven and earth. This energy was abundant, concentrated, and with various attributes that could benefit many different bloodlines.

This was also why the Ancestral Court stipulated that only nobles could enter. Those who were not nobles were not deemed worthy to absorb the rich spiritual energy within.

Bathed in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, Tang San could feel the bloodline imprints within him absorbing energy on their own, even without him using the Mysterious Heaven Technique.

Indeed, this spiritual energy was somewhat mixed and needed refining to reap its true benefits. But compared to Kali City, this place was far superior.

Tang San could feel that much of this spiritual energy emanated from the Ancestral Mountains. Peaks holding different Sacred Thrones released spiritual energy of various attributes, and that was what led to the mixed nature of the energy here.

Just then, a streak of bright light flashed across the sky. A figure soared directly over the Ancestral Mountains and into the heart of the Ancestral Court.

Tang San was looking out the window of the carriage, and he quickly focused his gaze on that figure.

Vaguely, he could make out a pristine white figure, its wings flapping in the air, its whole body radiating a holy brilliance. The powerful aura seemed as if it could tear the sky apart.

In an instant, it disappeared into the Ancestral Court.

Incredible! A Demon Emperor? Tang San was secretly stunned.

This white figure, he could vaguely discern, seemed to be a Crane Demon. Even if it was not a Demon Emperor in terms of cultivation, it was likely very close. The fact that it dared to fly over the Ancestral Court spoke volumes about the individual's stature.

By then, their caravan had traversed the long mountain road and finally arrived at the Ancestral Court.

The Ancestral Court was situated in a vast basin. Tall buildings and vegetation filled the basin, and in the very center, several majestic palaces stood proudly. Each palace was perched atop a mound, exuding a sense of loftiness.

There were as many as sixteen such palaces, large and small, each with its unique form but all impressively grand.

Undoubtedly, these palaces were the abodes of the pinnacle powers who truly controlled the vast Daemon Continent from within the Ancestral Court.

Merely looking at them, one could faintly feel the intangible aura of authority emanating from these palaces.

The palace closest to Tang San and his group was constructed of white stone, situated atop a mound about five hundred meters high. The entirely white palace radiated an intimidating dominance. In front of the palace stood a massive statue, not as large as the Thrones of the Ancestral Mountains but still impressively grand. The statue depicted a giant White Tiger with wings on its back, its massive body, tens of meters in size, exuding a fierce aura.

It seemed that this was the palace of the White Tiger Demon Emperor, the strongest of the Tiger Demon lineage and a venerable Demon Emperor.

On another mound close to the palace of the White Tiger Demon Emperor stood a palace entirely in magnificent gradient colors. The lower part of the building was green, blending seamlessly with the various vegetation on the mountain, while the upper part was fiery red. The transition from green to red made it look like a flame shooting up into the sky.

The overall shape of the palace resembled a giant mushroom, and Tang San guessed it belonged to a Nymph Emperor.

Tang San could only clearly see these two palaces from his vantage point. Through his spiritual power, he could sense that the palaces of the Demon Emperor and the Nymph Emperor were absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from the air, like vortexes devouring and absorbing. Yet, they also released spiritual energy, seemingly expelling what they did not need.

The rich yet mixed spiritual energy inside the Ancestral Court seemed to be directly related to their method of absorption and filtration.

"It's really..." Du Bai had already been staring agape. Not just him, but several members of the Shrek Squad were also holding their breaths, watching this grand scene unfold outside.

It was their first visit to the Ancestral Court, and before arriving, they had imagined many things about this renowned core of the continent. Yet, no matter what they had imagined, the reality still left them utterly astonished.

Their ten consecutive team battle victories in Kali City had built their confidence, and their increased cultivation had even added a bit of pride to their hearts.

However, once they arrived and felt the aura of the Ancestral Court, a sense of insignificance overwhelmed them. They finally understood why, despite their achievements, the demon clans still seemed to disdain them.

Here, they felt like mere grains of sand in the vast ocean, unable to muster even a thought of resistance.

Even Tang San felt a heavy burden on his heart at this moment.

He had insisted on coming to the Ancestral Court for a crucial reason: to understand this world and grasp just how powerful the demons and nymphs could be. After all, Kali City was just a remote corner, reportedly the weakest among the main cities, so what would the mightiest, the Ancestral Court, look like?