All heavens, let's begin with the Divine Elephant's Prison-Suppressing Power!

Chapter 161 The Number One on the Ranking: 'Little Meng of the Secret Realm'!
Having summoned all the demons back, Yang An took a step and returned from the Nine Netherworlds to the Holy King's Palace.

The Emperor's Sword, which suppressed the Demon Saint Spear, flew towards him, emitting a low hum.

It seemed to harbor a slight hostility towards the Demon Emperor's Claw on his palm.

"To me, there is no difference between good and evil." Yang An comforted the Human Emperor Sword. The Demon Emperor Claw is the most corrupt, so take that with a grain of salt. The number of people killed there is nothing in the eyes of the Holy King.

You only killed a few people? Have you eaten yet?

"There are actually demons in the capital city. How dare they!"

Grasping the Human Emperor Sword, Yang An scanned it with his divine sense, his gaze shifting slightly as he sensed the infiltration of a group of demons, which piqued his interest.

“Miss, you’re taking too much risk. Even if you have the secret treasure left by the Demon Emperor’s Palace, you could be discovered if you’re not careful once you’re at the Holy King’s feet. That man’s killing intent is too strong; Lord Tai Li and the others all died at his hands…”

A luxurious carriage slowly drove along the main road of the capital.

Yang An swept through the Great Jin Dynasty. In just two months, the capital city underwent earth-shattering changes. Various wooden oxen and flowing horses, as well as high-tech products packaged as Lu Ban's secret techniques, flowed into the world. The streets were widened several times over, and the faces of the bustling people were filled with smiles.

"We had no choice but to come. The Demon Saint Spear was suppressed by the Human Emperor Sword, and our demon race lost four demon kings in succession. If we lose the Demon Saint Spear, there will be no place for our demon race to survive in the real world."

Inside the magnificent carriage, thick carpets were laid out and the furnishings were luxurious. A man and a woman sat there. The woman wore a fiery red dress, her beauty was unparalleled, her lips were slightly pouting, exuding a natural allure, and her eyes were clear and bright, yet captivating.

The man looked old, but had the air of a great scholar. Dressed as a servant, he looked ashamed and said, "It is we who are useless and have troubled you, Miss."

"Tai Li Demon King, alas..."

Now that things have come to this, there's not much to say. The old demon servant, Wenbo, is both heartbroken and helpless.

Who could have imagined that in a single day, the Realm of Truth would change so drastically? The demon race, the Great Plains, and the nine evil paths, united as one, were all slaughtered by the Holy King alone, and even the Demon Saint Spear was suppressed.

The young girl is none other than the successor of the Demon Saint, the mythical Queen Mother of the West, and the young master of the Qingqiu Fox Clan, and she has come for this reason.

Her red dress was fiery red, but her eyes were filled with confusion. Clearly, she herself did not know how to snatch the Demon Saint Spear back from the hands of an invincible figure of the world.

But as the successor of the Demon Saint Spear and the current Holy Maiden of the Demon Clan, she had no choice but to come, no matter the cost, to retrieve the Demon Saint Spear!
A resolute glint flashed in Qingqiu's eyes.

Along with the carriage came a group of scattered demons.

The entire Divine Capital Formation remained completely unaware of the infiltration of these demon race members.

Besides their incredibly advanced transformation skills, the most important reason is that there has been an overwhelming influx of outsiders into the capital recently.

The world has heard that the Holy King Empire will soon be established, and His Majesty the Holy King will unify the world, bringing all directions under his rule and uniting the divided human race.

All the forces in the real world rushed over, offering their own congratulatory gifts, or at the very least, making an appearance to become familiar with each other.

One can imagine how many people were coming and going.

"interesting."

Yang An chuckled; he was also curious to know how this little fox had managed to retrieve the Demon Saint Spear from his hands.

"when!!"

He flicked his hand, but the Demon Saint Spear remained unmoved, emitting a sound like metal, without any divine power. However, Yang An knew perfectly well that this was only temporary, and the Divine Weapon of the Other Shore would not submit so easily.

However, he now possesses a Demon Emperor Claw.

The Demon Emperor's Claw was placed on the Demon Saint Spear, which became even more dim.

Reassured, Yang An left and his figure flashed out of the main hall.

The ministers in the capital have been busy these past few days, dealing with all sorts of affairs that have left them overwhelmed. Fortunately, a group of officials from the Northern Zhou have arrived to help with the matters.

Among them were members of the Cao family. They changed identities very quickly; the Cao family of the capital was a thing of the past, and now came the Cao family of the capital under the rule of the Holy King.

"Fine! Fine! You shameless old scoundrel!" The aristocratic families in the capital were furious; their house had been robbed.

"That's not how it works. My Cao family's Cao E has been recognized by His Majesty the Holy King and will soon enter the palace. We're all one family, so why distinguish between Southern Jin and Northern Zhou?" The head of the Cao family grinned from ear to ear, knowing that his gamble was worthwhile.

Nowadays, who in the world dares to underestimate the Cao family? There is only envy towards them.

"I, Ruan Yushu, have also met His Majesty the Holy King once," Old Master Ruan said, unconvinced, though he didn't know where Ruan Yushu was referring to as having met him once.

But even if we lose, we won't lose face!

"That's right, that's right!" The ministers of the capital city all stood tall and proud.

His Majesty the Holy King founded the kingdom in the capital, not in the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Therefore, there is no need to elaborate on who is superior or inferior.

"What's all the noise about?" Yang An appeared, his voice authoritative. "Instead of addressing the needs of the people, what are you arguing about here?"

"Your Majesty, what you say is absolutely right." The ministers were startled and quickly knelt down to pay their respects.

"Focus on your work and don't overthink things." Yang An casually handed over some government approvals. With the intelligence of the Nine Dragon Jade Seal combined with the Human Emperor Sword to govern all living beings, most of these matters did not require his approval. However, the Holy King Empire was still under construction, and some important matters could not be separated from him.

There will be some trouble after he leaves in the future.

Yang An plans to establish the Holy King Cabinet, recruiting Gao Lan, Cui Qinghe, Qi Zhengyan, and others as members. He intends to govern by doing nothing and let the people get used to it first.

"Your Majesty, what you are talking about..." the Cao family head asked cautiously, still somewhat nervous despite Yang An's promise.

"Set an auspicious day and summon him to the palace," Yang An said calmly.

"Yes!" The head of the Cao family beamed with joy.

"Your Majesty, please consider carefully how Cao E's status should be determined upon entering the palace."

"The people of the Great Jin will probably find it hard to accept." Many ministers discussed among themselves, most of whom were from powerful families in the Great Jin. If Cao were to become empress, wouldn't they be doomed?

"And the major martial arts sects of the world."

"Your Majesty is invincible, suppressing all factions and commanding their allegiance. However, with the invasion of the grasslands, the sneak attacks of the demon race, and the chaos caused by evil spirits, the people are in a state of panic. I'm afraid you need to appease them."

The ministers cautiously mentioned that, strictly speaking, the chaos caused by the Great Grasslands, the Demon Clan, and the Nine Paths of Evil had not actually resulted in a large number of deaths.

Those major martial arts sects suffered heavy casualties, most of which were caused by Yang An personally taking action.

He killed the righteous, killed the demons, and killed the evil ones. The whole world was cleansed by Yang An, which is why we have the world we see today.

"You discuss a plan and submit it to me later." Yang An waved his hand, not caring at all. This is how it is to build a unified empire. All forces must be balanced. That's the rule of the game. You can't just kill them all.

He has already killed enough people. The remaining ones, though they may not have done anything particularly meritorious, have at least put in a lot of effort. It is only reasonable to grant them a small wish.

As times progress gradually and spiral upwards, many ideas will naturally change, and then it will become clear that doing things this way is not very meaningful.

Yang An would not tolerate evil deeds simply because of their kinship. When the knife was at his head, those ridiculous thoughts that nothing had happened and that it was just a change of emperor would vanish.

"Yes!" The ministers exchanged glances, then breathed a sigh of relief and bowed. If Cao Shi were the only one favored, they would be extremely anxious; now it was best that everyone received her favor.

Yang An nodded and drifted away.

Within the capital city, heroes from all directions gather, and naturally, battles are inevitable.

The top figures on the Heavenly Ranking are elusive and rarely seen, while those on the Earthly Ranking are either regional overlords or renowned heroes. The truly fierce competition is on the Human Ranking, where young people place great importance on reputation and pride.

"Very well! In the past, the ranking system of the Great Jin Dynasty was either biased or blind."

"Now that His Majesty the Holy King has unified the world, the three rankings of Heaven, Earth, and Man have been re-ranked. The value of the Man ranking has been greatly enhanced. The outstanding generation from the Southern Jin and Northern Zhou, the Western Regions and Southern Wilderness, the grasslands and the East Sea can now be ranked according to their true strength."

“The Northern Zhou is no longer what it used to be; it used to have only one person in the top ten, but now it has three.”

"He Jiu, the 'Invisible Sword' who currently holds the top spot on the Human Ranking, has remained unchanged for three years. I wonder when he will change!"

Many people are discussing it with great interest.

"It's a pity that Miss Jiang from the Sword Washing Pavilion and Miss Cao E, the Earth Immortal of Wuwang, both reached the Outer Realm in one step. They didn't even get to fight the most powerful people on the Human Ranking. I wonder if He Jiu also reached the Outer Realm in one step when he broke through."

"If not, it would be somewhat lacking."

A young swordsman offered his comment, and everyone agreed with what he said.

"It's common to see people at the top of the list, but only a handful of people have risen to the top in one step throughout history. In this era, there are actually two, one from the south and one from the north, shining brightly together. And both of them are women. This is unprecedented in history." The tea drinker exclaimed in amazement.

"I've heard it's related to His Majesty the Holy King," someone said mysteriously, immediately piquing the interest of the crowd, who asked questions one after another.

"It's really bustling with activity." Meng Qi shook his head, then smiled. "Reaching the top in one step is not enough, but we can compete for the number one spot on the Human Ranking."

He immediately headed towards the address of the East Sea Sword Manor in the capital.

Heroes from all over the world gathered in the capital, and He Jiu, the Invisible Sword, was no exception. Now that he had mastered the Dao, his life spring was flowing, and he had built a divine bridge. He was only one step away from becoming a master of the 'Other Shore', and he was already very confident.

As for why cultivation is so fast, it is naturally due to the effect of the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

In the past few days, he received another mission, which lasted for a relatively long time, allowing him to successfully enter the secret realm technique. He also found a copy of the Tao Te Ching in the world. Comparing the two, his cultivation progressed rapidly.

"It's time to let these bumpkins in the real world witness the power of my secret realm technique." Meng Qi couldn't wait any longer. Dressed in white robes and holding a sword, he was ready to duel with He Jiu.

In his memory, this scene was just like the duel between Ye Gucheng, the Lord of Baiyun City, and Ximen Chuixue at the Forbidden City.

This is exactly the art style he wanted!
Meng Qi almost burst into tears; he had finally gotten what he had been waiting for.

Yang An glanced over and noticed something unusual about Meng Qi.

"As expected, it's not a true secret realm technique. Without the secret realm seed, it's difficult to even begin." Yang An understood. Not everyone has such heaven-defying talent as him. His simulation of the Divine Elephant True Qi is even stronger than the original.

The Taoist scriptures he imparted to Meng Qi were, of course, absolutely genuine, without the slightest alteration.

Whether Meng Qi has mastered the basics is unknown, but he has cultivated so quickly.

Yang An checked the mission world he had experienced: 'Sanqing Temple Demon Subduing', 1,000 merit points, exceeding the target, the reward is doubled.

Okay, okay, they're not even going to act anymore.

"Sanqing Temple, Tao Te Ching." Yang An raised an eyebrow; who would believe there wasn't something fishy about that?

He followed Meng Qi and appeared in the crowd, watching with great interest as Meng Qi challenged He Jiu.

"Invisible Sword He Jiu, please!" He Jiu was tall and not particularly handsome. He was dressed in gray and looked ordinary, but he had a free and unrestrained spirit.

"Su Meng, a nobody, please!"

Meng Qi also took a serious look, dressed in white with a sword at his side, exuding elegance, and had a specific role model to emulate.

In just a few days, he had already made a name for himself in the capital, but the title was too inelegant for him to accept.

"Isn't that Su Ziyuan, the Flying Swordsman? The day before yesterday, the fifth-ranked person on the Human Ranking was defeated by him without even touching him." A passerby said with a strange look in his eyes.

Meng Qi was speechless. This title was even more outrageous than the "Shaolin outcast" and "Vajra Warrior" he had encountered before. His white clothes were as pure as snow, and his swordsmanship, which seemed to descend from the sky, should have been called "Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens."

That's why he's reluctant to mention it.

"It's no use talking more, fight!"

Meng Qi broke through the defenses and brandished his long sword. Every move was powerful and heavy, with divine light shooting into the sky. The sword light was like ten thousand surging waves, wild and domineering.

"boom!"

The void trembled, as if a giant millstone was pressing down on the sky. He Jiu's expression changed. Even someone as powerful as him and with superb swordsmanship was like a duckweed in a raging sea, swaying in the divine light and unable to stabilize himself in Meng Qi's attack.

"Junior Brother Su, you are indeed amazing!"

He Jiu exclaimed in admiration, as the invisible sword sliced ​​through Meng Qi's clothes, yet a metallic sound rang out, "This body's external martial arts skills are unparalleled in the world."

"However, in my humble opinion, my junior brother's skills are more suited to swordsmanship."

Yang An almost couldn't suppress his laughter; he knew it.

"The first world is different from many other worlds. It contains countless projections and evolutions of other worlds. Meng Qi's previous life on Earth contained the content of Covering the Sky, so it is not surprising that it evolved into a secret realm technique. However, its core is far different from a true secret realm technique."

The Three Pure Ones went to great lengths to guide Meng Qi onto the right path, starting with the Daoist scriptures and using the Tao Te Ching as bait.

In a short period of time, Meng Qi broke through several realms, from the Sea of ​​Bitterness to the Spring of Life, and then entered the Divine Bridge. His strength was no less than that of a cultivator in the Secret Realm. However, whether he could maintain it at a higher level was a question.

I only hope that he can attain enlightenment. The contents of the Taoist scriptures come from the world of Shrouding the Heavens. If Meng Qi can understand even a little bit of it and go from false to true, it will be of great use even if he becomes a legend or a being of destiny.

Yang An shook his head and turned to leave.

As for the outcome of this match?

No further explanation is needed.

"I will remember Senior Brother He's kindness!"

"Please be careful, Senior Brother." Meng Qi's voice was deep and clear, each word distinct. Divine light pierced the sky and suddenly erupted. A set of sword techniques descended from the sky, like a cascading Milky Way, dazzling and destructive, engulfing the area.

Such grandeur and magnificence changed the gaze of the onlookers.

"This flying swordsman is quite skilled."

"No, he is already number one on the Human Ranking, having defeated He Jiu. Such teasing remarks are best left unsaid. He should be venerated as a celestial being descended from heaven!"

The powerful offensive even affected the ground, forcing the onlookers to retreat. As the silver light dissipated, only Meng Qi remained standing, his expression calm. "Senior brother, you flatter me!"

(End of this chapter)