Han Li naturally harbored doubts about everything that had transpired after encountering the Black Ferret King, but he did not voice them.

Initially, he had thought his breakthrough was the reason he had attracted the attention of these demonic beast kings, leading to the chase. However, he now realized that things were not so simple; Shi Chuan Kong seemed to be the real target.

The Black Ferret King, one of the Ten Calamities, being so polite to Shi Chuan Kong must have something to do with his identity. However, Shi Chuan Kong seemed unwilling to explain, so he didn't press the issue.

Regardless, being in the Ten Calamities Mountain Range, his best option was to rely on Shi Chuan Kong. He would make plans after leaving this place.

Three days later, Han Li and Shi Chuan Kong used the secret trade route established between Black Ferret City and Xiongjucheng, setting off for Xiongjucheng.

Several months later.

In the southern region of the Demon Domain, a long, steep mountain range stood like a natural barrier between the Ten Calamities Mountain Range and the Fengguang Plains. In a slightly lower mountain depression in the center stood a massive city wall several hundred feet high.

The wall was built from black giant stones, engraved with complex runes. A faint mist enveloped it, making it appear hazy and gray. Above the wall, a huge plaque could vaguely be seen, inscribed with the three characters "Xiongjucheng".

Below the plaque was a large arched gate, flanked by two smaller side gates.

The main gate and the left side gate were closed, while only the right side gate was open, with a team of demonic soldiers in black armor guarding both the inner and outer sides.

Few pedestrians were seen near the gate, giving it a desolate appearance. On a road outside the city, which became increasingly barren the further it stretched from the city, two figures walked side by side, slowly approaching.

One was a burly man with dark skin and rough features, a single black horn growing from his brow. He wore a green leather armor. The other was not as tall, and his features were similar to those of humans, except for a few golden scales on both sides of his cheeks, indicating some demonic ancestry.

"Brother Shi, why didn't we enter the city with the trade caravan arranged by the Black Ferret King, and instead separated halfway before entering Xiongjucheng?" asked the man with the golden scales on his face.

"Brother Li, you may not know this, but although Xiongjucheng has business dealings with the Black Ferret King, they are ultimately secret, off-the-record transactions. My special status makes it even more inappropriate for me to get involved," the tall man explained.

These two were none other than Han Li and Shi Chuan Kong, who had been traveling back from the Ten Calamities Mountain Range.

As they spoke, they arrived at the city gate and were stopped by the guards.

"Hand over your warrant," said the leader of the demonic soldiers, who resembled a wolf demon, extending his hand to the two.

Shi Chuan Kong grinned and, with a flick of his wrist, produced two palm-sized black jade tokens and handed them over.

The demonic soldier took them, examined them carefully for a moment, then looked at Han Li and Shi Chuan Kong and asked, "These are warrants issued by the You Shan Earl's Mansion. It's so far from Xiongjucheng, how did you end up entering the city here?"

"We're just running errands for the superiors. No matter how far, we have to do it, right?" Shi Chuan Kong said with a smile.

"The warrants are fine, go ahead," the demonic soldier said, returning the two black jade tokens.

"Thank you," Shi Chuan Kong quickly said, leading Han Li towards the gate.

Walking through the arched gate, Shi Chuan Kong handed a jade token to Han Li, saying, "We'll need this often in the coming days, so keep one with you."

"What's the deal with the You Shan Earl's Mansion on this warrant?" Han Li asked, taking the jade token.

"The Sacred Domain is different from your Immortal World. Although various forces are divided, it is generally ruled by my father. Under him are various kings, dukes, earls, and barons, who govern different regional forces. The You Shan Earl is one of them," Shi Chuan Kong explained.

"Then you, as the son of the Demon Lord, should be at the king level, right?" Han Li nodded and asked.

"Within the Sacred Domain, bloodlines are important, but strength is ultimately respected. To obtain a king-level title, one's cultivation must be at least Great Luo level, and one must have a certain amount of merit or support from behind. I currently have no fiefdom, so I have no title, but I can access most of the resources of the Guang Yuan House," Shi Chuan Kong said with a wry smile.

"I see," Han Li nodded, saying.

The thickness of the city wall far exceeded Han Li's expectations; the gate below was a hundred feet long.

The two slowly walked out of the gate, and the sky suddenly brightened, giving a sense of openness.

However, as Han Li stepped out of the city gate, he couldn't help but frown slightly, feeling somewhat unaccustomed.

The demonic energy within Xiongjucheng was several times denser than outside the city.

Although Han Li had noticed that the further north they went, the denser the demonic energy became, the drastic change in demonic energy across just a city wall still caught him off guard.

"Xiongjucheng was blessed by formation masters from the Sacred Domain when it was built, allowing it to retain demonic energy. Even if you leave the city and head north, it may not be denser than it is here," Shi Chuan Kong said with a smile, noticing Han Li's expression.

"Compared to Xiongjucheng, the Ten Calamities Mountain Range is indeed a desolate area with thin demonic energy," Han Li nodded, saying.

"Brother Li, are you adjusting to the change in demonic energy? If you're really uncomfortable, I have a Qi-Locking Pill here that can help you lock the demonic energy absorbed into your body," Shi Chuan Kong asked.

"It's fine, it's not too bad at this level, I don't feel much discomfort," Han Li shook his head, saying.

"That's right, Brother Li is already a Taiyi Realm cultivator, so this level of demonic energy won't have much of an impact even if you don't resist it," Shi Chuan Kong said with a smile.

Inside the city gate was an open square, with a straight stone-paved avenue leading to the city center. The buildings on both sides were spaced apart, becoming taller and grander towards the center.

The architectural style of Xiongjucheng was quite unique. The houses were mostly built from black giant stones, with rounded and pointed roofs as the main style. The common Immortal World gabled roofs were rare. The walls and eaves were decorated with beautifully patterned sculptures.

The most common were strangely shaped alien beast sculptures, and there were also many eerie women with wings on their backs. All in all, the sights greatly amazed Han Li.

In the blocks near the city gate, the shops were sparse, mostly small commercial firms with low doors. The pedestrians passing by were also uninterested, looking somewhat desolate. However, the further into the city they went, the more pedestrians there were, and the livelier it became.

"Are we going directly to the city lord's mansion to use the teleportation array?" Han Li asked.

"Not in a hurry. There's a branch of the Guang Yuan House in Xiongjucheng. Let's go there first," Shi Chuan Kong said with a smile.

Han Li nodded upon hearing this and said nothing more.

Soon, the two arrived at a beast pen in the city, paid to hire a beast-drawn carriage, and, driven by the coachman, headed north along the city's main avenue.

Passing through the city, Han Li saw a tall building occupying a large area, hidden in a green garden.

"That should be the city lord's mansion, right?" Han Li asked.

"That's right, that's the city lord's mansion. The current city lord is Marquis Tianyue," Shi Chuan Kong said, glancing at it.

"Marquis Tianyue?" Han Li said with some confusion.

"The lord of an ordinary city is at most a count-level, such as Count Fenyong or Count Qinglin. Xiongjucheng is different from other places. It is responsible for guarding the southern wilderness and preventing the invasion of the Ten Calamities Mountain Range, so a marquis is stationed here. In fact, a large area of territory north of Xiongjucheng is also under his jurisdiction," Shi Chuan Kong explained.

"I see," Han Li nodded slightly, muttering to himself.

The beast carriage bypassed the city lord's mansion and went north, turning into a very imposing street.

On both sides of the street, imposing buildings with high-hanging plaques lined up, all shops selling magical treasures and elixirs.

Upon entering this street, the crowd immediately became denser, and the speed of the beast carriage had to be slowed down, carrying the two slowly.

The coachman originally wanted to introduce the situation of the shops on the street to the two, and by the way, recommend them to visit the shops that promised him a share of the profits. However, after a few words of conversation, he found that the seemingly rough and dark man was not at all unfamiliar with Xiongjucheng, so he wisely shut his mouth.

Shi Chuan Kong told Han Li a lot about the backgrounds of the shops they saw along the way, detailed and well-organized.

"Brother Shi, how are you so familiar with Xiongjucheng?" Han Li asked with a glint in his eyes.

Shi Chuan Kong did not directly answer, but transmitted his voice back: "I started getting involved in the business of Guang Yuan House from Xiongjucheng, so I know so much about the situation in the Ten Calamities Mountain Range."

"It seems that this is Brother Shi's base camp," Han Li nodded in realization.

"You could say that," Shi Chuan Kong grinned.

As the two were talking, a seven-story building appeared across the street, also in a pointed style, decorated with exquisite and beautiful sculptures and various complex patterns. A vertical plaque hung on it, with the three characters "Guang Yuan House" written on it.

As the beast carriage approached, Han Li thought he was about to reach his destination, but Shi Chuan Kong only glanced at the gate of Guang Yuan House, then looked forward and directed the coachman to drive the beast carriage forward.

"Why didn't you enter through the gate of Guang Yuan House?" Han Li frowned slightly, transmitting his voice.

"This..." Shi Chuan Kong hesitated.

"Brother Shi, although I promised to return to Yeyang City with you, it's not the only path I can take. If you intend to hide something from me, I'm afraid I can no longer travel with you. We might as well part ways here," Han Li transmitted his voice.

"Brother Li, don't worry, let me settle down first, and then I'll explain the reasons to you in detail, okay?" Shi Chuan Kong sighed and transmitted his voice back.

Han Li did not speak, but after thinking for a moment, he silently nodded.