High-level martial arts: Long spear with black flames to suppress demons.

Lu Qingyan paused slightly, not responding immediately, as if afraid she had misheard.

Du Yue looked at her and added, "I am willing to inherit the position of Demon Emperor, but you have to give me some time. You need to explain things to me clearly before asking me to do them."

"it is good."

Lu Qingyan knelt down on one knee in front of her again, this time with a hint of barely suppressed excitement in his voice.

"We remember everything you said."

Du Yue quickly put down her cup and reached out to pull her: "Didn't I tell you not to kneel all the time?"

Lu Qingyan raised her head, a slight smile in her eyes, and stood up as she was being led by the hand.

Du Yue looked out the window and added softly, "Also, I need to talk to him about this myself."

"Okay, I'll wait for you to tell him yourself."

The hall quieted down, and a faint light still lingered on the paulownia tree on the wooden screen, flowing slowly along its branches.

Shen Chang'an stood by the lake for a while, his gaze shifting from the water to his surroundings. The array here was quite different from the common layouts found in the human world; many patterns were hidden among the trees, bricks, and waterways, interconnected yet without any obvious sound of operation.

After Du Yue entered the bedchamber, the leaves of several nearby paulownia trees seemed to brighten a little more. The change was so subtle that he might not have noticed it if he hadn't been paying close attention.

Lu Qingyan's earlier statement that the palace would slowly come to life seems to be true.

More than ten minutes later, the palace doors reopened, and Du Yue walked beside Lu Qingyan, seemingly without any dissatisfaction.

Shen Chang'an asked, "How is it?"

"It's fine, just a bit big."

Lu Qingyan smiled and said, "Once you get used to it, it won't seem so big anymore. Inspector Shen and Inspector Murong's courtyards are also arranged nearby, just a few steps away. I'll take you there to have a look."

The three walked along the lakeside corridor and, just outside Qiwu Palace, they saw Murong Yan talking with Jin Yao and Qing Ge in front of the courtyard gate. Cang Gu and the others had already left, leaving only the two Phoenix Clan leaders waiting there.

"Have you decided?"

Murong Yan looked at Du Yue.

Du Yue nodded, then asked, "Which side do you live on?"

Murong Yan pointed to the courtyard behind him: "It's right here. You don't need to go far to find us."

The two small courtyards are separated by a flower wall, and the gates of both courtyards face the direction of Qiwu Palace. Compared with Du Yue's bedroom, this place is much smaller, but it has all the necessary buildings, quiet rooms and courtyards, making it convenient for daily life.

Lu Qingyan gave a brief instruction to the servants, and then said to the group, "You all rest for a while. There will be a welcome banquet later. There aren't many demons coming, so don't be shy."

She had other matters to attend to, so she didn't linger. She left the arrangements to Jin Yao and Qing Ge and departed on her own.

As dusk fell, lights began to illuminate various parts of the royal court.

Pale golden light stretched into the distance along the palace walls and corridors, reflecting the eaves and shadows of trees in the waterways. Occasionally, patrol teams would sweep across from above, quickly disappearing behind another palace complex.

Lu Qingyan did not return to his own bedroom, but instead went to a side hall behind the main council hall.

The place is unremarkable on the outside, but there are several layers of isolation formations outside the hall. When she approached, the formations silently separated, and when she entered, they closed again, completely separating the inner and outer auras.

At this time, the representatives of the eight royal families had all arrived in the hall.

Peng Lie sat on the left, his dark gold wings folded behind him. Tu Shan Feiyue leaned back in her chair, her fox tail loosely spread out, looking casual, but her gaze fell on Lu Qingyan the moment she entered.

Yuan Chongyue occupied a wide chair by himself, arms crossed. Cang Wulan took his seat on behalf of the Cangchi Clan. Shi Lie, the patriarch of the Golden Lion Clan, Xuan Ce, the patriarch of the Xuanjia Ancient Turtle Clan, and Lei Hong, the patriarch of the Leijiao Wild Ox Clan, were also present.

Cang Gu sat in front. As the previous acting demon emperor, although he no longer directly handled clan affairs, he was still an indispensable figure in many important matters.

Lu Qingyan sat down in the main seat and waited for the palace doors to close before looking at the crowd.

"I have some good news to share with everyone: His Highness has agreed to inherit the throne of the Demon Emperor."

The side hall immediately fell silent.

Peng Lie sat up straight first: "You agreed?"

Seeing Lu Qingyan nod, he couldn't help but show a happy expression. Yuan Chongyue lowered his arms from his chest and smiled. Tu Shan Feiyue's fox tail, which had been swaying gently, also stopped.

They naturally hoped that Du Yue would succeed to the throne. Back in the Demon City, she was very reluctant to even come to the Demon Realm. No one expected that things would take a turn for the better as soon as she moved into Qiwu Palace.

Cang Gu didn't rush to express his opinion, but only asked, "Has Your Highness thought this through?"

"Yes, she triggered the memory imprints left by the demon emperors of the past in her bedchamber and saw some scenes from the past. After that, she asked me a few questions before she agreed."

Xuan Ce spoke up, "What did Your Highness ask?"

"After ascending to the throne, will I be able to return to the human world? Will I be able to go out with Shen Chang'an and the others?"

Lu Qingyan's expression softened as she said this: "She was also worried that she didn't understand the rules of the royal court and wouldn't be able to be a good demon emperor."

Yuan Chongyue chuckled: "So that's what you're afraid of? These are minor issues."

Lu Qingyan looked at the demons and said, "What we consider a minor issue may not be so reassuring for her. I have already agreed to some things, but I hope you all remember that Her Highness can gradually familiarize herself with the demon realm. If she doesn't understand something, we must explain it to her first. We cannot rely on a rule to make decisions for her."

Cang Gu nodded: "That's only right. The fact that she's willing to take this position is already a great thing."

The others followed suit, and Peng Lie, his face still beaming with joy, began to consider the arrangements: "Should we begin preparing for the succession ceremony?"

Lu Qingyan said, "We can organize the procedures first. There's no rush to set a specific date, and we shouldn't spread the news for now. His Highness wants to tell Shen Chang'an in person, so let's wait a bit."

She paused briefly, then her tone became serious.

"Also, before she ascends the throne, we must first get her health back on track. Her Highness is in good spirits and can walk normally, but her vital essence is still depleted. We cannot assume she has recovered just because she looks fine on the outside."

The crowd's expressions gradually calmed down.

Jin Yao and Qing Ge had previously sent back messages, but they still found it difficult to accurately determine how much essence Du Yue had consumed in the Dead Zone. The phoenix possesses immense vitality, and many injuries may not be immediately apparent; therefore, they could not allow her to rashly access the complete Demon Emperor's inheritance.

Xuan Ce stroked his cane and slowly spoke: "Restoring one's original nature is naturally the top priority. However, since Your Highness has agreed to ascend the throne, the matter of the Phoenix Decree must also be discussed in advance. We cannot wait until the ceremony begins to find that some arrangements are not feasible."

Lu Qingyan nodded, raised his hand, and unleashed a projection of spiritual light in the center of the side hall, revealing the projections of two treasures before the demons.

A golden-red robe and a golden Dharma wheel appeared one after the other. Phoenix feathers overlapped on the robe, and the patterns extended all the way to the hem. A circle of feathers surrounded the Dharma wheel, and the bright sunlight could be faintly seen in the center.

The Nine Heavens Phoenix Robe and the Great Sun Phoenix Wheel.

Together, they form the Phoenix Clan's innate supreme treasure—the Phoenix Decree.