Chapter 834: Sowing Dissension

While standing on the summit of the altar, Han Li took a glance at his surroundings to find that the entire group was enshrouded within the giant shadows cast by the pair of statues, and they resembled a pair of deities looking down at the mortals below.

At this moment, he could clearly sense tremendous pressure from the two statues, and even with his cultivation base, he was struck by a sense of asphyxiation.

He took a glance at Shi Pokong and the others out of the corner of his eye to find that their complexions were slightly pale, clearly indicating that they were also feeling the pressure.

The three of them immediately extended respectful bows to the pair of statues, and their expressions instantly eased significantly thereafter.

Han Li decided to follow suit upon seeing this, extending a bow of his own, and to his surprise, the tremendous pressure from the statues slowly faded after this gesture of respect.

A hint of intrigue immediately welled up in Han Li's heart. Could it be that the Baleful Holy Emperor and the Infernal Holy Mother truly were deities that existed in the Devil Realm?

One of the priests rose to his feet, then bowed toward Shi Pokong's group as he said, "The holy mother and the holy father have seen your earnest gestures of respect, and they'll be sure to bless you with good fortune."

The priest was a middle-aged man with a head of messy yellow hair and dark and coarse skin that looked more fitting on an old farmer, but his eyes were particularly bright.

Han Li's brows furrowed ever so slightly at the sight of the man.

His aura suggested that he was only at the early-Golden Immortal Stage, but for some reason, Han Li felt an inexplicable sense of apprehension at the sight of the man.

"Thank you for your kind words, Priest Lian Zhen," Shi Pokong replied with a smile.

Han Li's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this.

For the sake of Weeping Soul, he had made an effort to learn about Night Sun City's Priestly Temple. The Priestly Temple was a very special place in the city, and all of the priests were directly overseen by the Devilish Monarch, but they didn't have to carry out any missions and were solely dedicated to serving the holy emperor and the holy mother.

The leader of the Priestly Temple was the grand priests, and there were also several head priests beneath him, one of whom was none other than Priest Lian Zhen.

Han Li turned his gaze away from Priest Lian Zhen to look at the other priests, and he was a little disappointed to discover that none of the priests possessed a cultivation base superior to Lian Zhen's.

Right at this moment, a boisterous voice rang out from down below.

"You're here quite early, Pokong."

A group of people stepped onto the altar, and they were led by a purple-robed man who appeared to be close to forty years of age. He was dressed in the same attire as Shi Pokong and Shi Chuankong, and there was a faint purple insignia on his glabella that was flashing with mysterious purple glow.

Han Li faltered slightly upon seeing this. This was the same person who had extended that invitation to him back in the Maha Area ten years ago, except his hair had been black back then, but it was silver now.

The two people standing beside him were also dressed in luxurious purple robes, and one of them was none other than the eighth prince, who was currently glowering at Han Li with clear animosity in his eyes.

The other purple-robed figure was a thin young man who appeared to be rather unwell, with a waxy complexion and a rather uneven aura, and the three of them were accompanied by several servants.

"Long time no see, Zhanfeng," Shi Pokong said with a smile as he cupped his fist in a salute toward the group.

It immediately became clear to Han Li upon hearing this that the purple-robed man was none other than the eldest prince, Shi Zhanfeng.

At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder what objective Shi Zhanfeng had for extending that invitation to him ten years ago, and he was also quite puzzled about the identity of the silver-haired woman who had intervened.

"This is how Zhanfeng has always been, we just have to be careful not to fall for his tricks," Shi Pokong said in an indifferent manner, then took a subtle glance at Xue Cheng.

An awkward look appeared on Xue Cheng's face, and he extended an apologetic salute toward Han Li as he said, "Please forgive me, Fellow Daoist Li. I let my emotions get the better of me just now."

"It's fine," Han Li replied in an aloof fashion.

Xue Cheng knew that his apology was too little, too late, and a remorseful look appeared on hsi face.

The group continued onward before quickly arriving in front of a black palace.

This palace was over a thousand feet tall, significantly taller than the other nearby palaces, and there was a thick black stone pillar standing at each of its four corners, all of which were etched with extremely lifelike reliefs of devilish deities.

Hanging outside the palace was a giant plaque that read "Holy Imperial Palace" in large purple characters, and the two purple-robed servants standing at the entrance of the palace hurriedly extended respectful bows toward Shi Pokong and Shi Chuankong at the sight of their approach.

"Is Father inside?" Shi Pokong asked.

"The Holy Monarch is indeed inside. Please wait here a moment while we inform him of your arrival," one of the servants said, then rushed into the palace.

Moments later, the servant re-emerged and declared, "The Holy Monarch would like to welcome the four of you into the palace."

Shi Pokong and Shi Chuankong took a collective deep breath, then smoothed down their robes before entering the palace, while Han Li and Xue Cheng followed along from some distance away.

The interior of the palace was enormous, but it was completely empty, making it appear even more spacious. There were all types of reliefs engraved onto the walls, depicting extremely lifelike humanoid and beastly creatures that looked as if they could spring to life at any moment.

The lighting in the palace was rather dim, giving all of the reliefs a rather sinister, shadowy appearance.

Shi Pokong and the others continued onward in silence, and only in the deepest part of the hall did the lighting become brighter. There was a raised platform there, atop which was a seat that was occupied by a purple-robed man.

The man appeared to be around forty to fifty years of age with a head of silver hair, and his facial features gave him the appearance of a refined scholar, but his aura was that of a domineering king.

Even though he was only seated in his chair, all those in his presence were still involuntarily struck by a sense of awe and veneration.

Han Li had seen the Devilish Monarch once while transmigrating through the Heaven Controlling Vial, but that was only an avatar, and he couldn't help but take a glance at the Devilish Monarch in his full glory.

The Devilish Monarch seemed to have detected his gaze, and their eyes met.

Han Li was instantly struck by a bone-chilling sensation, and he felt as if the Devilish Monarch could see through all of his secrets. He immediately channeled his immortal spiritual power and his spiritual sense to try and ward off the Devilish Monarch's gaze, but his efforts proved to be completely futile, and the cold sensation was only becoming more and more intense, making him feel as if he were about to pass out.

A peculiar look flashed through the Devilish Monarch's eyes at the sight of Han Li, but his expression then returned to normal as he looked away again.

Only then did the bone-chilling sensation in Han Li's body fade away, and he heaved an internal sigh of relief.

The Devilish Monarch's gaze only rested on him for a moment, but it felt like an eternity to Han Li, and in this moment, he felt even more exhausted than after an intense battle.

Shi Pokong and Shi Chuankong fell to their knees in front of the Devilish Monarch as they greeted in unison, "Welcome back Father!"