With Shi Pokong and Shi Chuankong prostrating themselves, Blood Drop Marquis hurriedly followed suit, kneeling and loudly praising.

Han Li's eyes flickered slightly; he only bowed slightly in the direction of the main seat, but did not kneel.

Shi Chuankong, kneeling on the ground, was shocked to see this scene involving Qing Ling.

The Demon Lord placed great emphasis on etiquette, and not kneeling upon meeting him was a serious crime.

He was greatly regretful, having forgotten to mention this matter to Han Li beforehand.

Before he could react, a cold, stern reprimand came from the side:

"Bold rogue, how dare you not kneel before the Holy Emperor!"

On the left side of the hall, rows of seats were arranged, and two people were already seated there.

Han Li was slightly shaken. Since entering the hall, his mind had been completely drawn to the Demon Lord, and he hadn't paid any attention to the surroundings.

The first row of seats, thirteen in total, were all dark gold, distinctly different from the vermilion seats behind them.

At this moment, a woman was seated in the fifth seat of the first row. She was a beautiful young woman wearing a purple palace dress and a purple-gold phoenix crown, with picturesque features and unparalleled beauty, truly a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms.

Next to the palace-dressed woman, in the sixth seat, sat a chubby young man in a purple robe with a round face and short stature, looking like a roly-poly toy. He was the one who had issued the cold rebuke.

Behind the two, on either side, stood tall Demon clansmen in blue armor, seemingly guards like Han Li and Blood Drop Marquis.

Han Li ignored the round-faced youth and looked at the palace-dressed woman, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

This palace-dressed woman was the same woman in white who had previously prevented him from contacting the First Prince.

The palace-dressed woman's clear eyes also looked over, without any resentment, and instead gave Han Li a charming smile.

Her beauty was already extraordinary, and her smile was like a hundred flowers blooming, captivating even Han Li for a moment before he quickly recovered and looked away.

"Li is not a person of the Holy Realm. I came to Night Sun City this time only to protect the Thirteenth Prince. Although I deeply admire the Holy Emperor, to me, he is merely a senior expert, and naturally there is no need for me to kneel," Han Li said after a moment's thought.

Although he was unwilling to kneel, he did not want to offend the Demon Lord, as he was counting on him for the Tear Soul matter.

"Impudence! How dare you argue!" The round-faced youth's expression darkened.

"Forget it, Mingzhen, these are just trivial matters, don't argue about them here," the Demon Lord said calmly.

"Yes, Father," the round-faced youth said, surprised. He immediately agreed and glared at Han Li before saying anything further.

Shi Chuankong, kneeling on the ground, was also stunned, his eyes showing surprise. Shi Pokong's expression seemed to remain largely unchanged, but his eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.

"You are Li Feiyu? Since you are not a person of my Holy Realm, you are exempt from the kneeling ceremony. Pokong, Chuankong, you may both rise," the Demon Lord said with a calm expression, without joy or sorrow.

"Thank you, Father," Shi Pokong, Shi Chuankong, and Blood Drop Marquis said, rising to their feet.

Han Li also bowed slightly again, expressing his gratitude.

"Chuankong, you have been away from the Holy Realm for quite some time. How was your trip to the True Immortal Realm?" The Demon Lord looked at Shi Chuankong, a smile on his face, and asked.

"Reporting to Father, your son saw many exotic customs in the True Immortal Realm and gained much." Shi Chuankong said quickly.

"Your cultivation has improved considerably. It seems that your trip was indeed worthwhile. Cultivators like us should broaden our horizons and experience hardships in order to progress," the Demon Lord praised, his last sentence directed at everyone in the hall.

"Father is right," Shi Chuankong agreed wholeheartedly. The palace-dressed woman and the round-faced youth also nodded in agreement.

"Father, while improving cultivation is important, we, as members of the royal family, bear the burden of the livelihood of billions of subjects in the Holy Realm, and we cannot only focus on our own cultivation. In recent years, the Heavenly Court's garrison near our Holy Realm has been frequently mobilized, seemingly preparing for a major move. Your son begs Father to thoroughly investigate to prevent the Heavenly Court from invading again," Shi Pokong said, cupping his fist.

"I know, I will arrange this matter myself," the Demon Lord said noncommittally.

At that moment, an attendant walked quickly into the hall from outside, knelt on the ground with a thud, and said, "Reporting to the Holy Emperor, the First Prince, the Eighth Prince, and the Tenth Prince request an audience."

"Let them all in," the Demon Lord said, then waved his hand at Shi Pokong and the others.

Seeing this, the others stepped aside.

Shi Pokong sat down in the third seat, Blood Drop Marquis guarding behind him, while Shi Chuankong went to the seat at the very end, with Han Li naturally following behind him.

"Fellow Daoist Li, Father's personality is eccentric and changeable. Although I don't know why he pardoned your rudeness just now, it is truly fortunate. You must not have any further conflicts with him, otherwise, not to mention saving Tear Soul, your personal safety cannot be guaranteed," Shi Chuankong's low voice sounded in Han Li's mind.

Han Li was silent for a moment, then nodded silently.

How could he not know that what he had done just now was inappropriate, but there were things he could do and things he could not. Kneeling and bowing to others was something he could never do.

Shi Chuankong's expression relaxed slightly when he saw Han Li nod.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, who are those two?" Han Li glanced at the palace-dressed woman and the round-faced youth and asked through voice transmission.

"That is Fifth Sister Shi Jingyan and Sixth Brother Shi Mingzhen," Shi Chuankong replied through voice transmission.

"Are they related to the First Prince?" Han Li asked again, his eyebrows twitching.

"Fifth Sister has profound cultivation and great ambitions. She is one of the most outstanding among us and can be compared to Big Brother and Third Brother. She also controls considerable power, and Sixth Brother and Twelfth Brother are her supporters," Shi Chuankong said in a low voice.

Han Li was secretly surprised to hear this. At the same time, he recalled how this woman had prevented him from talking with the First Prince and wondered if there was some conspiracy involved.

At that moment, accompanied by footsteps, the First Prince and the others walked in.

"Greetings, Father! Congratulations on Father's improved cultivation! May you achieve the position of Dao Ancestor, eternal freedom, and everlasting youth!" The First Prince and the others bowed and said in unison.

"Good, good, rise," the Demon Lord said, a hint of a smile on his face, seemingly pleased with the First Prince's flattery.

The First Prince and the others stood up as instructed and went to sit in the first seat, while the Eighth Prince and the Tenth Prince also sat in their respective positions.

After taking his seat, the First Prince looked around the hall, first nodding slightly to the Third Prince Shi Pokong and the Fifth Princess Shi Jingyan, and finally turning his gaze to smile at Han Li.

Han Li pretended not to notice. The First Prince seemed unconcerned and looked away.

In the following time, people kept coming to congratulate the Demon Lord on his emergence from seclusion.

Those who came all held titles and managed the affairs of Night Sun City and even the various regions of the Demon Domain.

This celebration was somewhat like a secular imperial court.

Shi Chuankong kept introducing the identities of these people to Han Li, giving Han Li a general impression of the people of the Demon Domain.

Soon, the seats in the hall were almost full.

However, only Shi Pokong and the other seven were in the first row, and no other princes or princesses came.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, isn't it said that the Holy Emperor's emergence from seclusion is a major event for the entire Holy Realm? Why aren't the other princes and princesses coming?" Han Li asked through voice transmission, looking at the seats that were almost half empty.

"Seventh Brother is currently stationed in Black Duck City, closely monitoring the movements of the Heavenly Court and cannot spare the time. Twelfth Brother likes to travel and is not in Night Sun City year-round, and even Father can't do anything about it. As for Second Sister, Fourth Sister, Ninth Sister, and Eleventh Sister, they have all joined a Dao Ancestor of our Holy Realm for cultivation, and I haven't seen them for many years. They certainly won't come this time," Shi Chuankong explained.

"I see," Han Li said.

After a while, no one else appeared from outside.

"Now that everyone is here, let's begin. During my seclusion, what important events have occurred in the Holy Realm? Report them in order," the Demon Lord said, tapping on the table in front of him.

The First Prince Shi Zhanfeng rose first upon hearing this.

"Reporting to Father, during your seclusion, your son inspected the Ink River, Yongliang, Cold Cloud, and Lonely Star domains. These are the briefs I have written for your perusal," Shi Zhanfeng took out a jade book.

A gray shadow flew out from behind the Demon Lord, appeared in front of the First Prince in a flash, took the jade book, and then appeared next to the Demon Lord in a flicker, presenting it respectfully.

Han Li's expression changed slightly. He knew that it was only now that he could see the true form of the gray shadow, which was a gray-clothed figure.

This person's face was covered with a layer of black mist, making it impossible to see his features. His body floated around, not like a flesh-and-blood body, but like a shade.

"That person is called Shadow. He is Father's personal guard. No one knows his identity or origin, nor has anyone seen his appearance, but his strength is extremely high," Shi Chuankong said through voice transmission, seeing Han Li's gaze.

"Very good. You have done a great service by clearing the bandits in these four domains," the Demon Lord said, nodding as he quickly flipped through the jade book.

"It is not hard for your son to share Father's worries. On the contrary, Father, you have worked hard in seclusion for cultivation. Your son accidentally obtained a 'Primal Void Grass' a few years ago and offers it to Father, hoping it will be of some help to you," Shi Zhanfeng moved his wrist, took out a white wooden box, and opened the lid. Inside was a small grass several inches long.

The grass was silvery-white all over, with nine leaves, each with a different shape. Each leaf was covered with clusters of silver Dao patterns, exuding an extremely strong spatial law fluctuation.

The Shadow flashed, took the wooden box, and placed it in front of the Demon Lord.

The Demon Lord's eyes lit up slightly. He carefully examined the Primal Void Grass in the wooden box twice, nodded, and put it away.

"My son's filial piety is commendable. Reward him with three Azure Sky Exquisite Pills, ten sets of Primordial Saint Armor, and ten Dragon Elephant Prison Suppressing Swords," the Demon Lord said with a smile on his face, speaking to the Shadow.

The Shadow flashed and disappeared. The next moment, he reappeared immediately, holding a white jade tray with three palm-sized, crystal-clear crystals on it. Each crystal sealed an azure pill, ten white armors, and ten golden long swords.

A faint medicinal fragrance emanated from the three azure pills. When Han Li smelled this fragrance, the thirty-six Mysterious Apertures opened in his body immediately squirmed, as if wanting to swallow the three pills in one gulp.