High Martial Arts: Martial Soul Great Sage Equal to Heaven, crushing all races.

The interior of the Xuan Bird warship is much more spacious than it appears from the outside.

In the antique-style tea room, Xiao Po-xiao personally poured Feng Mo a cup of tea filled with purple spiritual energy.

"'Purple Qi Comes from the East' is brewed with Ling tea leaves, a specialty of the western mountains of the capital, and has the effect of calming the mind and focusing the spirit."

Xiao Po-xiao put down the teapot, his expression turning serious.

"Feng Mo, the capital is different from Shanghai. This is the heart of Great Xia, where the waters run deep and unfathomable."

He said in a deep voice, "Here, strength is just the foundation, but rules and human relationships are like an invisible net, enveloping everyone. The four holy lands, nine sects, and eighteen noble families all have their headquarters or branches here, and the hidden interests are intertwined and complex, so that pulling one hair can affect the whole body."

Xiao Po-xiao tapped his finger lightly on the table, and a simple map constructed from martial soul power appeared.

"The four holy lands are Ziwei, Fentian, Wanjian, and Xuanbing. Among them, the headquarters of Ziwei Holy Land is located in the north of the capital city, and its foundation is the most unfathomable."

"Of the nine major sects, four have their headquarters in the capital: Qingyun Sect, Fenglei Sect, Danxia Sect, and Tianfu Sect. Each of them is a behemoth."

"As for the eighteen prominent families scattered throughout the Great Xia... only two are in the capital. One is my Xiao family, and the other..." Xiao Po-xiao's eyes sharpened, "is the Gu family."

"The Gu family has a thousand-year history, with its members spread throughout key departments of the General Headquarters and the military. They have been intermarried with the Xia family of Shanghai for generations, forming a mutually supportive relationship. Gu Chongli, whom you killed, was a direct descendant of the Gu family in this generation."

Feng Mo picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and felt a burst of spiritual energy between his lips and teeth.

He ignored the complicated power structure, simply raising his eyes to interrupt Xiao Po-xiao's long-winded speech.

"How many seventh-rank members does the Gu family have in the General Headquarters?"

Xiao Po-xiao was taken aback, seemingly not expecting him to ask so directly.

He pondered for a moment: "On the surface, there are three people. The patriarch, Gu Changfeng, is at the peak of the seventh rank. The two powerful elders are both at the mid-seventh rank. As for what else is hidden in secret, no one knows. But what is certain is that the reclusive ancestor of the Gu family is an eighth-rank expert, on par with my father."

Feng Mo tapped his fingers lightly on the table and asked again, "Can your Xiao family suppress this?"

This question brought a wry smile to Xiao Po-xiao, a seventh-tier powerhouse.

He shook his head: "It can only be said that it's a stalemate. My father has already withstood enormous pressure from all sides by pushing through your appointment despite opposition. You've offended many powerful forces since the martial arts exam, and they won't let this go easily."

"I understand." Feng Mo put down his teacup and calmly gave his conclusion.

"Therefore, the Gu family is the enemy, and your Xiao family is the ally."

"You can't say that," Xiao Po-xiao corrected seriously. "The Xiao family helped you because you slew the Demon Emperor and quelled the rebellion, which is meritorious to the country and beneficial to the human race. We are looking at the greater good, not personal relationships. If one day you bring disaster to Great Xia, my Xiao family will be the first to stand up and kill you."

Upon hearing this, Feng Mo laughed instead.

The smile was faint, yet it carried a hint of approval.

"Very good," he said, "It saves me the trouble of guessing."

As they spoke, the warship shuddered slightly and began to slow down and descend.

However, the magnificent main landing pad that the Demon Slayer Commander had envisioned did not appear. Instead, the warship landed in a corner on a secondary landing pad marked "C-7".

The gangway was lowered.

There was no welcoming party, no high-ranking officials from headquarters.

Only a sixth-level martial artist dressed in a gray steward's uniform, accompanied by a few servants, stood lazily below.

Upon seeing Xiao Po-xiao, the steward bowed respectfully and said, "Inspector Xiao, you must be tired from your journey. I have come on Elder Gu's orders to escort you and... General Feng to the inn for rest."

He deliberately emphasized the words "General Feng" in his words, and when his eyes swept over Feng Mo, they were filled with undisguised contempt and scrutiny.

He spoke only to Xiao Po-xiao from beginning to end, completely ignoring Feng Mo.

Feng Mo didn't react at all. This is nothing.

The group was led to an extremely remote inn, with a plaque that read "Tingzhuxuan" hanging on the gate.

This place is far from the core area of ​​the headquarters, with thin spiritual energy and a cold environment.

A blatant show of force.

After the steward took his leave with a fake smile, Feng Mo stood in the courtyard, activated his Fiery Eyes of Truth, and scanned his surroundings.

In his field of vision, at least seven or eight powerful divine thoughts from different directions were recklessly scanning his body.

Some of them carried an undisguised chilling killing intent and malice.

A cold smile slowly curved the corners of Feng Mo's lips.

Night was falling.

Xiao Po-xiao personally came to Tingzhu Pavilion.

His face looked rather grim, and he held a gold-embossed list in his hand.

"Feng Mo, this is the guest list and seating chart for tomorrow's victory celebration banquet."

He handed over the list, apologetically saying, "The Ministry of Rites is in charge of arranging the seats for the Chief Commander, and the Minister of Rites is always a member of the Gu family... I tried my best, but..."

Feng Mo took the list and glanced at it casually.

The names of representatives from various major powers, holy lands, sects, and prominent families in the capital city were densely packed together.

On the most prominent spot on the main table, three words were clearly written: Gu Chongyi.

Xiao Poxiao said in a low voice, "Gu Chongyi, Gu Chongli's cousin, is a late-stage seventh-order expert and the strongest fighting force of the Gu family outside. He is even more domineering and ruthless than Gu Chongli."

Feng Mo's gaze continued downwards.

After scrolling through rows of unfamiliar names, I finally found my own name at the very end, in a corner near the entrance of the main hall.

That position is usually reserved for some unimportant entourage members.

Feng Mo casually tossed the list onto the stone table, treating it like a piece of waste paper.

He closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and began to rest.

"You can see the show more clearly from the corner."

Looking at his calm, almost indifferent profile, Xiao Po-xiao felt a chill run down her spine.

This is not normal.

This is very abnormal.

A terrifying storm was brewing within this young man, a storm that even made him shudder.

……

The next day, at the Demon Slayer Headquarters, in the central hall.

The celebration banquet hall was magnificent and resplendent, with luminous pearls embedded in the dome, shining as brightly as day.

Representatives from various factions in the capital gathered here.

Everyone was dressed in fine clothes, their auras profound and imposing, and even the weakest among them were at the fifth-order Dharma Aspect Realm.

There were also several auras of seventh-tier experts, subtle yet powerful.

When Feng Mo appeared, the clamor in the entire hall paused for a moment.

He was still dressed in a simple black casual outfit, his hands in his pockets, looking out of place among the group of elegantly dressed dignitaries.

All eyes instantly focused on him.

Whispers spread through the crowd.

"Is he Feng Mo? The one who killed the seventh-tier demon emperor? He looks... so young."

"Hmph, so what if he's young? He killed the Gu family and still dares to come to the capital. He's really courting death."

"I heard he comes from humble beginnings, from a barren place like Jian'an. He probably doesn't even know the rules of the capital."

"Shh, keep your voice down. Don't offend this kid if you don't know his background yet."

Feng Mo ignored these discussions.

He didn't even look at Gu Chongyi, who was staring at him with icy eyes at the main table.

He walked straight through the crowd to the seat that had been assigned to him in the corner.

Amidst countless scrutinizing, contemptuous, curious, and pitying gazes, he calmly sat down, picked up the jade pot on the table, and poured himself a cup of spiritual tea.

The entire process was smooth and effortless, without the slightest hesitation or unease.