Chapter 142: Disrupting the Royal Selection Assembly

On the bed, Cheng Feng and Gui Lingyuan sat facing each other, holding hands, remaining completely motionless in this posture.

Where their intertwined fingers met, a pale blue light blossomed. It took an entire night of the purification ritual to completely purify the bloodline power within Cheng Feng's body.

In this manner, the process continued until the early hours of the next morning.

Gui Lingyuan opened her eyes and softly said, "It is done."

Cheng Feng opened his eyes, which had been closed the entire time, and noticed a faint steam rising from his body. It seemed the bloodline power had completely melted and integrated into his own being.

Indeed, it had succeeded.

This vampire power, which once belonged to Elena, had finally transformed into his own strength.

At last, the lingering ailment that had troubled Cheng Feng for so long was finally resolved.

Releasing Cheng Feng's hands, Gui Lingyuan wiped away non-existent sweat from her forehead. Having tossed and turned on the bed all night without sleep, she inevitably felt somewhat fatigued.

Tilting her head slightly, she asked, "The purification is complete. How do you feel now?"

Cheng Feng clenched his fists loosely in front of him and could instantly feel his body surging with immense power, a strength that had surpassed humanity.

He felt as though he didn't even need to use his supernatural abilities; a single punch alone could collapse a tall building without leaving a scratch on him.

Cheng Feng couldn't help but wonder to what extent his combat power would elevate now if he entered the "Spiritual Power Liberation" combat mode.

This reminded him of the Black Yaksha extermination battle when he was intercepted by He Moli, at which point his strength was simply no match for that woman.

Yet, upon activating the bloodline power within him, his combat power had soared dramatically, easily crushing He Moli, an elite-tier demon hunter.

From this, one could see how formidable the power brought by the bloodline was. Unfortunately, this vampire bloodline power had both advantages and disadvantages.

The drawback was that once activated, one would lose their sanity and fall into a berserk state, and every use would make him increasingly resemble a monster.

Now... that problem was finally resolved!

With Gui Lingyuan's help throughout the entire night, Cheng Feng had thoroughly assimilated the bloodline power.

Along with the enhancement of his physical fitness, the levels of all his supernatural abilities would correspondingly increase, elevating his combat power beyond the elite tier without a doubt.

Pulling back his thoughts, Cheng Feng nodded slightly. "Thank you, Your Royal Highness. I have fully recovered."

Gui Lingyuan smiled faintly. "That is good."

Although she had been busy all night without sleep, Cheng Feng possessed a vampire constitution, so a single night presented no major issue, and his mental state remained at peak condition.

As for Gui Lingyuan, being a royal demon, a mere sleepless night would likewise have no adverse effect on her.

Sitting in a chair, Xue Ju yawned and rubbed her sleepy eyes, evidently just waking up.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Outside, accompanied by a series of explosive sounds, fireworks burst across the sky, echoing through almost the entire inner city.

Having just woken up in her chair, Xue Ju heard the commotion outside and instantly leaped to her feet with a worried expression. "The Royal Election Assembly has begun!"

Cheng Feng frowned slightly, casting a glance out the window, his gaze shifting.

Indeed, in the direction of the main city, colorful celebratory salutes were blooming in the sky, as if a grand festival were taking place.

Since the assembly had begun, it meant the contest for the throne of Scarlet Moon City was officially underway.

He needed to rush over as quickly as possible. If Gui Lingyuan failed to arrive on time, it would be treated as an abstention and deemed a voluntary withdrawal from the competition for the throne.

This was precisely why Gui Shura had confined her to the courtyard in the first place; since Gui Lingyuan was a princess with neither power nor influence, he had cared very little about such consequences.

Yet, even if Gui Lingyuan arrived on time, the outcome of defeat would likely remain unchanged.

The victory of this Royal Election Assembly largely depended on which faction—Gui Shura's or Gui Lingyuan's—held greater popularity and more supporters. The one with the higher vote count would claim victory.

Across the entire Scarlet Moon City, very few demons supported Gui Lingyuan; the majority preferred a warmonger like Gui Shura as their king.

Therefore, judged purely by the number of votes, Gui Lingyuan was destined to lose.

However, Gui Lingyuan now held the City Lord's Token in her hand, meaning no matter how perilous the present situation might be, it could be readily resolved.

Gui Lingyuan walked straight out of the courtyard with Cheng Feng, leaving Xue Ju behind.

Xue Ju's strength was simply too weak. Once Cheng Feng and Gui Lingyuan arrived at the scene of the Royal Election Assembly, even with the City Lord's Token in hand, things were very likely to erupt into open warfare.

At that time, neither Cheng Feng nor Gui Lingyuan would have extra energy to protect Xue Ju, so the cannon fodder was best left at home.

As the two stepped out of the courtyard gates, they were immediately intercepted by the guards stationed outside.

The demon guards were soldiers sent by Gui Shura to keep watch, and naturally, they would not let Gui Lingyuan leave, not even if she was a princess.

What surprised the guards was that Gui Lingyuan was accompanied by an unfamiliar human.

They had been guarding the post twenty-four hours a day, and without explicit orders, no demons were allowed to enter or leave. When had a human managed to sneak into the courtyard?

Cheng Feng made a move to eliminate these guards.

However, Gui Lingyuan had no intention of wasting words with them. She drew out the City Lord's Token and said in a deep voice, "Step aside."

Upon seeing the token symbolizing the City Lord, the demon guards dared not object and immediately cleared the path.

They were merely lowly guards, and certainly dared not defy the majesty of the City Lord.

Without lingering, Cheng Feng and Gui Lingyuan immediately headed in the direction of the main city.

...

The Main City.

Red Moon Palace.

Outside the palace at this moment, an increasing number of demons had gathered. Today was the grand ceremony of the Royal Election Assembly, and demon officials of rank and power were all permitted to cast their votes for the two royals.

Yet every demon in their heart understood that this was merely a ritual for Gui Shura to formally ascend to the throne, bearing no resemblance to a genuine competition for kingship.

Gui Shura sat leisurely upon the main seat, waiting for the commencement of the Royal Election Assembly with an expression of absolute certainty.

Regardless of the outcome today, it believed it would undoubtedly seize the throne.

Watching the movement of the clouds in the sky, Gui Shura knew the time had arrived and couldn't help chuckling softly. "The assembly is about to begin."

The Three Great Generals of Scarlet Moon City, boasting the highest combat power, were also in attendance.

The Great Generals White Tiger and Black Tortoise belonged to Gui Shura's faction and thus were already well aware of today's outcome.

As for the third general, the Vermilion Bird, she was a supporter of the princess's faction, completely unaware of recent events.

Gazing around with growing suspicion and feeling increasingly uneasy, the Vermilion Bird muttered in bewilderment, "Tell me, today is the day the assembly begins. At this hour, why hasn't Her Royal Highness the Princess shown her face yet?"

White Tiger calmly reminded her, "Her Royal Highness is gravely ill; I'm afraid she won't be able to attend the assembly."

...

"Brother Shen!"

"Hmm!"

Shen Changqing walked along the street, nodding and greeting acquaintances he encountered along the way.

Yet regardless of who they were, no one wore any excess expression on their faces, as if they were indifferent to everything.

To this, Shen Changqing was already accustomed.

Because this was the Demon Suppression Division, an institution dedicated to maintaining stability in the Great Qin Empire. Its primary duty was to slay demons and evil entities, alongside a few other auxiliary responsibilities.

One might say that everyone in the Demon Suppression Division had blood on their hands.

When a person grows accustomed to witnessing life and death, they naturally grow indifferent to many things.

When he first arrived in this world, Shen Changqing had felt somewhat out of place, but over time, he had grown used to it.

The Demon Suppression Division was vast.

Those who remained within its walls were formidable experts or individuals with the potential to become experts.

Shen Changqing belonged to the latter.

The Demon Suppression Division was broadly divided into two ranks: Suppression Envoys and Demon Exorcists.

Anyone entering the Demon Suppression Division started from the lowest rank of Demon Exorcist, then gradually promoted upward, with the ultimate hope of becoming a Suppression Envoy.

His predecessor in this body had been a trainee Demon Exorcist within the division, the lowest tier among exorcists.

Possessing the memories of his predecessor, he was intimately familiar with the environment of the Demon Suppression Division.

Before long, Shen Changqing stopped in front of a pavilion.

Unlike other areas of the Demon Suppression Division filled with a heavy, murderous aura, this pavilion stood out like a crane among chickens, radiating a unique tranquility amidst the bloody backdrop of the division.

The doors of the pavilion stood open, and people occasionally walked in and out.

Hesitating for just a moment, Shen Changqing stepped inside.

Upon entering, the atmosphere abruptly shifted.

A blend of ink fragrance mixed with a faint scent of blood rushed over him, causing his brow to twitch instinctively before smoothing out again.

The scent of blood clinging to everyone in the Demon Suppression Division was something that could almost never be washed away completely.