Chapter 502 Han Ping Arrives at the Royal City
"Everyone can rest assured. My Uncle-Grandfather will handle this matter properly and remove all your worries."
Han Xiulin had been with these people long enough to easily read their thoughts.
The crowd each had their own concerns, but no one dared say too much. After all, the Han Family's ancestor was someone who could crush Tiger Lord with ease.
Han Ping said calmly, "You two siblings collect the soul crystals of those Jiang Ghosts, then return home. I will go to the Xu Kingdom's royal city and have a proper talk with that Lady Su. If anything happens, report to your Mandala Grandmother."
"Yes."
The two responded in unison.
Han Ping turned and vanished from the spot.
Han Xiuyuan and his sister began gathering the soul crystals. As for the others in the cave, some chose to flee, while others cautiously approached Han Xiulin to ask questions.
"Xiulin, what kind of existence is your family's ancestor? How can he not even fear Lady Su in the royal city?"
At those words, everyone looked at her with curiosity.
Han Xiulin shook her head. "I don't know either. Today was my first time meeting Uncle-Grandfather. I only know he joined an immortal sect decades ago. If you want to know about his status, you should ask my grandmother instead."
Hearing this, the people present shook their heads like rattles.
The Han Family's ancestor was already an extremely powerful existence. His Dao partner must be even more extraordinary.
Their reactions did not escape Mandala's eyes. She smiled. "Don't ask. Asking will only deepen your fear."
With that, everyone forced down their curiosity.
Meanwhile, in the royal city of Xu Kingdom—
The Divine Hall had already received a report from the Prefect of Hao Prefecture. At first, they did not take this small matter seriously.
The great demons stationed in each prefecture were terrifying True Fate existences. There was no one within Xu Kingdom capable of suppressing them.
Even the ancestors of nearby cultivation forces would suffer losses when facing those great demons.
Each great demon held the fate of its prefecture. Even at the True Fate Realm, they would not fall behind Heavenly Origin cultivators in strength.
Boom!
Suddenly, a loud explosion rang inside the Divine Hall as a divine statue shattered.
The entire hall trembled violently along with it.
The cultivators guarding the temple turned pale at the sound. "Quick, follow me! We need to see what happened!"
Moments later, all the guarding cultivators stood frozen in shock.
Tiger Lord, the demon assigned to guard Hao Prefecture, had fallen. He was a Half-Step Heavenly Origin great demon.
"This is bad."
The Grand Priest muttered.
The surrounding priests spoke anxiously:
"Grand Priest, what should we do now?"
"The fall of a prefecture guardian is a huge matter for our Xu Kingdom!"
"…"
"Hurry… hurry and come with me to the Ancestral Temple so we can report this to the Old Ancestor. You—inform the king immediately. If we delay, the entire Xu Kingdom may face destruction."
The Grand Priest did not know how Tiger Lord had died, but the speed of his fall was far too fast.
The Prefect of Hao Prefecture had just sent word, and Tiger Lord was already dead. This could only mean that the attacker's power surpassed Heavenly Origin.
A Divine Nurturing-level powerhouse had come. Destroying a small nation like Xu Kingdom would be effortless.
They could only hope the Old Ancestor went to the Ancient Nation of Southern Yin to request help.
A cup of tea's time later, the priests arrived outside the Ancestral Temple and said together, "We have come to pay respects to the Old Ancestor."
A young temple attendant stepped out from within, looking down at them coldly. "The Old Ancestor is in seclusion and will not see anyone. Moreover, you have not bathed or changed clothes. Go receive your punishment first."
The Grand Priest hurried to explain, "Lady Su, this concerns the national fate of our Xu Kingdom. That is why we rushed here. Please report to the Old Ancestor at once."
"Oh?"
Temple Attendant Su's expression grew colder, clearly dissatisfied with their behavior.
The Grand Priest could not afford to care about her displeasure and added, "The statue of Tiger Lord, the guardian of Hao Prefecture, self-destructed. It must have been a cultivator above Heavenly Origin, and the battle ended in an instant."
Temple Attendant Su's face grew frighteningly dark upon hearing this. "Is this true?"
The Grand Priest said, "How would I dare deceive Lady Su?"
Temple Attendant Su's expression shifted repeatedly. She could not report the matter to the Old Ancestor, because the one inside the Ancestral Temple right now was not the Old Ancestor at all, but a different demon. What was she supposed to do?
As she struggled, a solemn voice echoed from within the Ancestral Temple. "Let them in."
"Yes."
Temple Attendant Su complied and led the priests into the hall.
Inside the great hall of the Ancestral Temple stood a statue of a Fox Immortal—the Old Ancestor of Xu Kingdom, known as Lady Su by Tiger Lord.
"We pay respects to the Old Ancestor."
"No need for formalities."
The voice within the statue continued, "Explain what happened in Hao Prefecture in full detail."
"Yes."
The Grand Priest spoke without hiding anything, recounting everything he knew.
"An outsider cultivator… It seems someone harbors ill intentions toward Xu Kingdom. Go to the outskirts of the royal city and receive him. Bring him here to the Ancestral Temple."
The voice from the statue was steady and unhurried, entirely unmoved by the Grand Priest's fears.
The Grand Priest and the others were puzzled—why bring that cultivator into the Ancestral Temple?—but they did not dare question further.
Xu Kingdom was not large. Hao Prefecture bordered Central Prefecture, where the royal city was located. One hour later, Han Ping arrived above the royal city.
Before he even released his aura, he saw several figures flying toward him.
"May we ask if you are the senior who suppressed Tiger Lord?"
The Grand Priest forced himself to ask.
"That's right."
Han Ping smiled. "Earlier, I considered revealing a bit of my strength to lure you out. I didn't expect you to be waiting here already. Saves me some trouble. Where is that fox demon?"
"The Old Ancestor is already waiting in the Ancestral Temple. Please follow us."
The Grand Priest spoke while nervously observing Han Ping's expression.
Han Ping nodded. "Very well. Lead the way."
Hoo…
The priests quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he did not strike them down, or they would have been finished.
Only Temple Attendant Su wore a complicated expression. She thought, I wonder if this man can rescue the Old Ancestor from those demonic claws. If he fails, the Old Ancestor's life may not be spared.
In the blink of an eye, Han Ping and the group arrived outside the Ancestral Temple of Xu Kingdom…
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