At this moment, what lay before Ye Luo’s eyes was a somewhat bustling construction site.

However, this construction site had a unique charm to it.

...

"You guys over there! Haven’t eaten? Increase your spiritual power output, faster!"

In the distance, a monitoring officer shouted while standing to the left of a group of workers.

All of them were channeling spiritual power between their hands, the surging energy gathering together to rapidly mold the dirt in front of them into shape!

Once shaped, others stepped forward, using their spiritual power to further solidify the structures.

Afterward, large machinery would lift the reinforced slabs of dirt and stone, stacking them like building blocks to complete the construction!

The only thing left was for the Array Masters to lay formations to strengthen the building. Once the exterior was complete, others quickly got to work furnishing the interior!

To these people, building a house was hardly an ordeal.

A single spirit-stone slab that was dozens of meters long easily weighed at least tens of thousands of pounds. If it were on Earth, wouldn’t it take several cranes to work in tandem to lift it?

Not to mention, it would likely need to be disassembled and reassembled!

But here in the Martial Realm, two individuals working together could complete it with ease!

It could be said that constructing a hundred-story building using this block-stacking method wouldn’t take long at all.

From the moment the Emperor of Great Tang ordered the Royal Mansion for Ye Luo to be built to now, how many days had even passed?

Yet already, the structure had taken shape!

The efficiency was nothing short of terrifying in Ye Luo’s eyes!

Perhaps the most time-consuming part would be the array layout!

However, Ye Luo harbored another curiosity—within the Royal Mansion, there was an unusual area guarded by over a hundred soldiers. Aside from a select few individuals, no one was allowed near it!

Intrigued, Ye Luo strode directly toward the site.

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

"At ease. What’s in here? Why is the place so heavily guarded?"

Ye Luo addressed the commanding colonel directly.

The colonel, not daring to conceal anything, respectfully replied, "Your Highness, we don’t know either. We only know that this is where a transmission array is being constructed, but as for where it will teleport to, we have no idea!"

Even they didn’t know?

It seemed the secrecy was well maintained.

Ye Luo furrowed his brows slightly.

After all, this Royal Mansion was nominally being built for him. Did it make sense that he wouldn’t know where his own hidden transmission array led to?

"Send someone to summon the overseer from the Ministry of Works to meet me!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

A Yulin Guard responded and quickly fetched the overseer. Of course, on the way, the overseer had already been informed of Ye Luo’s purpose in summoning him.

Thus, upon arrival, the overseer immediately said to Ye Luo, "Your Highness, may I have a word with you in private?"

Ye Luo was momentarily stunned, not expecting this matter to require such confidentiality.

Nonetheless, Ye Luo followed the overseer to the side.

With a casual wave of his hand, the overseer set up a soundproofing formation before addressing Ye Luo.

"Your Highness, I am a Border Guard and also a member of the Overseer Bureau of the Ministry of Works. The construction of your Royal Mansion is under our jurisdiction. In fact, even the regular workers here were carefully selected from the Border Guard! We are well aware of Your Highness’s responsibilities, which is why your Royal Mansion must remain impenetrable to outsiders. The location Your Highness just inquired about is actually a specially crafted Central Transfer Array for you."

Central Transfer Array?

Ye Luo was slightly taken aback. Just hearing the name, he seemed to get an inkling, but still, he wanted clarification.

"What exactly is this Central Transfer Array you’re talking about?"

"Your Highness, because of your unique status and the tremendous mission you bear, the Empire has allocated vast resources to secretly construct another palace for you elsewhere. This place is simply a front, meant for public display!"

"The Central Transfer Array, while appearing like a mere transmission array on the surface, holds deeper complexities. In truth, this array not only connects to your other palace but can simultaneously link to over a dozen other classified locations that are not open to the public!"

Ye Luo finally understood. Put simply, it was still a transmission array, albeit an enhanced one.

However, what Ye Luo found intriguing was another point mentioned by the overseer—they had even built him an additional palace?

It seemed that, despite being treated as a pawn by the Border Guard, Ye Luo was still a pawn they valued highly!

Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense to implement a dual-palace strategy, with one in the open and the other in the dark, to ensure Ye Luo’s safety.

Nodding his acknowledgment, Ye Luo, after comprehending the purpose behind the Central Transfer Array, dismissed the overseer with a wave of his hand.

Judging by the progress, the Royal Mansion would still take some time to complete. For now, Ye Luo decided to take a casual look around before preparing to return to the Royal Academy with Yun Liancheng.

However, it wasn’t long after they left the new Royal Mansion that a group of black-clad figures suddenly charged toward Ye Luo without warning!

At this time, Ye Luo was accompanied only by Yun Liancheng and about a dozen guards, while the attackers numbered in the hundreds!

The most critical factor was the location where Ye Luo was ambushed!

This was near the bustling district close to the Imperial Palace!

Yet, when these black-clad figures emerged, there was not the slightest sound.

The smell of blood.

Suddenly, Ye Luo caught a faint scent of blood. Though it was not strong, clearly masked, Ye Luo detected it unmistakably!

With a sharp motion, Ye Luo activated his Clairvoyant Eye, scanning his surroundings!

What he saw shocked him to the core!

A sea of blood!

A mountain of corpses!

The area around them had turned into an ocean of blood!

At least several thousand innocents had been slaughtered unjustly!

Simply because Ye Luo had to pass through here? Solely to intercept Ye Luo?

These people were exceptionally ruthless!

No—perhaps they were not even human!

The Demon Clan!

It must be the Demon Clan!

At this moment, Ye Luo was convinced. Because he had thwarted the Demon Clan’s schemes, he had become their sworn enemy. As the primary investigator into the Demon Clan’s replacements among the Human Race, he had undoubtedly become a prime target for the Demon Clan.

However, Ye Luo hadn’t anticipated their response to come so quickly, further confirming that there were likely Demon Clan infiltrators within the Imperial Court of the Great Tang Empire—or officials under their control!

Otherwise, they couldn’t have mobilized such forces against Ye Luo so swiftly.

Of course, this wasn’t the time to ponder such matters. Ye Luo’s immediate priority was determining how to contend with the impending battle.

These black-clad figures exuded an eerie aura, and Ye Luo couldn’t even discern their cultivation levels.