The Emperor passed away, and the entire realm mourned.
The people of Da Jing all wore mourning attire, abstained from feasts, and ceased all forms of entertainment. One hundred days later, the funeral of Jing Chang Wang concluded, and he was interred in the imperial mausoleum.
Crown Prince Jing Qianan ascended the throne.
Given the preceding calamity of demons, the new dynasty was named "An," and the ruler was styled "King Jing An."
Another hundred days passed. By order of King Jing An, Li Qi was enfeoffed as the Grand Preceptor of the era. Throughout Da Jing, monuments and statues were erected in Li Qi's honor, and he was revered by all.
In reality, Jing Qianan privately wished to establish a new residence for the Grand Preceptor and invite Li Qi to reside there permanently.
However, Li Qi sternly refused this proposal, stating he did not wish to be constrained. The title of Grand Preceptor itself was something Jing Qianan had forcibly bestowed upon him.
The realm, at this juncture, seemed to have settled into complete peace.
Yet, today, a new anomaly arose.
The demons, whose whereabouts had seemingly been concealed, launched an attack on the capital city, catching everyone completely by surprise.
In an instant, a significant portion of the residents living on the outskirts of the capital perished.
Leading the charge were over a dozen demons at the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment stage.
These demons attacked with utter fearlessness.
Fortunately, the capital city was well-staffed with experts from the Demon Slaying Division. Led by the highest-ranking official at the time, Director Zuo Shang, a defensive line was immediately established against the demons.
Furthermore, Li Qi was also in the capital that day. With the demons already at their doorstep, it was fitting for him to intervene.
Li Qi descended from the sky, and with just a few blows, numerous demons met their demise at his hands.
Strangely, the moment Li Qi appeared, all the demons abandoned their previous targets and converged on him.
Had this been any other cultivator, they would have been instantly crushed into a bloody pulp.
However, this horde of demons was facing Li Qi.
In Li Qi's presence, sheer numbers were useless. It did not take him much time.
Including the dozen or so leading demons at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment, and countless others of lesser strength, a majority were instantly killed by Li Qi.
Holding the head of the last demon at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment, Li Qi could not help but curl his lips.
"You demons, hiding yourselves away. I wouldn't bother finding you. Why must you come seeking death?"
Li Qi intended to crush the demon's head with force. However, before he could act, the demon's eyes widened with terror.
"Bang."
Its entire body exploded, and a dense black mist enveloped an area of a hundred miles around the capital.
Within this dense black mist, a terrifying illusory figure gradually materialized.
Just its appearance filled the Demon Slaying Division cultivators beside Li Qi with an unprecedented sense of dread. The weaker ones were even trembling uncontrollably.
Then, from within the black mist, a cold, killing voice echoed:
"Insignificant ant, it was you who killed my son!"
"Who the hell do you think you are!"
Li Qi sneered at the black shadow in the sky.
"I am the patriarch of the Heavenly Centipede clan. Ant, did you kill my youngest son?"
Upon hearing the name "Heavenly Centipede clan," Li Qi finally remembered. When he killed the Demon Master Pudu.
The Demon Master Pudu, before his death, had mentioned that he was the youngest son of the patriarch of the Heavenly Centipede clan.
This was the classic scenario of "the child is beaten, and the parent appears"?
"Yes, it was me. Old man, what are you going to do about it!"
With that, Li Qi threw a punch directly at the illusory black mist in the sky.
"Bang!"
The illusory black mist shattered under Li Qi's punch and would have completely dispersed within a few more breaths.
"You! Ant."
The illusory figure roared again in anger, and its voice, filled with killing intent, resonated once more.
"Hmph. In this 'Juedi Tiantong,' you were able to kill my young son. With your talent, you will eventually leave this 'circle.' When that time comes, I will be waiting for you outside the circle."
"What a load of crap, what circle and outside the circle! Get lost!"
Li Qi threw another punch, and the black mist illusory figure completely dissipated, along with the oppressive, terrifying aura.
Suddenly, Li Qi's gaze shifted to Zuo Shang beside him.
While conversing with the black mist illusory figure in the sky, he had noticed that when the figure uttered the terms "inside the circle" and "outside the circle," Zuo Shang's expression had turned very strange.
"Zuo Shang, do you know anything about that strange fellow's 'inside the circle' and 'outside the circle'?"
Li Qi immediately asked.
Upon hearing this, Zuo Shang's expression grew even more somber.
He nodded slightly.
"Fellow Daoist, I do know a little about the 'outside the circle' that terrifying existence mentioned. But I'm not entirely clear. However, you can go to the imperial palace and meet His Majesty. His Majesty knows more than I do."
Hearing Zuo Shang's cryptic reply, Li Qi, filled with confusion, also felt a spark of curiosity.
He immediately entered the imperial palace to find Jing Qianan.
When Li Qi asked Jing Qianan about the "inside the circle" and "outside the circle," and Jing Qianan learned of the mysterious black mist figure's words regarding the demon attack on the capital that day, Jing Qianan's face immediately turned extremely grim.