Devouring demons, I attain immortality.

After discussing it, Lin An, Su Yichen, and Zhu Ling'er decided to use the banquet as an opportunity to get close to Zi Li and test her true strength, under Liu Mingxuan's arrangement.

At the same time, Lin An also realized that the actions of the extraterrestrial demons might not be limited to Jinzhou City, and that their conspiracy might have infiltrated deeper levels.

Take the entire Great Qian Dynasty, for example.

As night fell, the Liu residence was brightly lit, and the banquet was ready.

As the young master of the Liu family, Liu Mingxuan personally arranged this banquet and invited Zi Li and the younger generation of several other major families in Jinzhou City.

The only exception was the Wang family, who were not invited.

Since Lin An killed Wang Tianhao, the heir of the Wang family, and then gave Wang Zhenshan a hard time at the Liu residence, the Wang family seems to have disappeared without a trace.

He didn't even attend the cultivators' gathering.

On the surface, this was an ordinary gathering of scions of prominent families in Jinzhou City.

But in reality, Lin An and his group had already laid a trap, preparing to extract information about the extraterrestrial demons from Zi Li.

If Lin An's guess is correct, Zi Li has become a puppet of the extraterrestrial demons, so he should be able to open a door through her.

Zi Li arrived as promised, dressed in a long purple dress, the demonic mark between her brows appearing particularly eerie under the light.

Her gaze remained cold, as if she were indifferent to everything around her.

Lin An observed her from a distance, secretly on guard.

He knew that this Zi Li was no longer an ordinary cultivator, but a puppet of extraterrestrial demons.

After the banquet began, Liu Mingxuan, as the host, took the lead in raising his glass and giving a speech.

He smiled broadly and spoke politely, showing no sign of doubt towards Zi Li.

Zi Li sat quietly to the side, occasionally raising her glass for a sip, her gaze always wandering away from the crowd, occasionally focusing on Lin An.

After a few rounds of drinks, Lin An and Su Yichen exchanged a glance and decided to take action.

Lin An, holding a wine glass, slowly walked to Zi Li's side and said with a smile, "Miss Zi Li, I have long admired your name. Meeting you today, I can see that your reputation is well-deserved."

Zi Li glanced at Lin An and said calmly, "Young Master Lin, you flatter me."

Lin An was delighted to see her respond and continued, "Miss Zili, your cultivation at such a young age is truly admirable. May I ask how you usually cultivate?"

Zi Li's eyes flickered slightly, then she regained her composure: "The path of cultivation is nothing more than diligent study and hard work, there's nothing special about it."

Lin An noticed a slight fluctuation in her tone, which made him even more certain that she was not completely controlled by the evil spirit.

He said casually, "Speaking of which, things seem to be a bit unsettled in Jinzhou City lately. I wonder if Miss Zili has heard about it?"

Zi Li frowned slightly, then said coldly, "What do you mean by that, Young Master Lin? Jinzhou City has always been peaceful; how can you say it's not peaceful?"

Lin An smiled and tentatively said, "Perhaps I'm overthinking it. However, there have been some strange rumors circulating in the city recently, saying that extraterrestrial demons have infiltrated Jinzhou City, and some aristocratic scions have even been controlled by the demons."

Zi Li's expression changed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure.

She said coldly, "Young Master Lin, it's best to refrain from such nonsense. The extraterrestrial demons have already been suppressed by the Great Qian Demon Suppression Division; how could they possibly appear in Jinzhou City?"

Seeing her hasty reaction, Lin An became even more certain of his guess.

He said, feigning nonchalance, "Miss Zili is right; perhaps I'm overthinking it. However, one should always be cautious, so we should still be extra careful."

Zi Li did not respond further, but merely gave Lin An a cold look before turning and leaving the banquet hall.

Lin An returned to Su Yichen and Zhu Ling'er's side and whispered, "Zi Li's reaction is very strange. She seems to be very sensitive to the matter of the extraterrestrial demons. I suspect that she is not completely controlled by the demons, and may still have a trace of self-awareness."

Su Yichen nodded and said, "In that case, we can try to awaken her self-awareness; perhaps we can get more useful information from her."

Zhu Ling'er said with some worry, "But Zi Li is so strong, how can we get close to her? What if she discovers us, wouldn't that be alerting her?"

Lin An glanced at Zhu Ling'er. This female disciple of the Qingyun Sect seemed completely unaware of who was the strongest here.

Admittedly, Zi Li was able to defeat Su Yichen, a prodigy of the Qingyun Sect who was at the late stage of Core Formation, with her strength at the mid-stage of Core Formation. But who is Lin An?

At the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, he was one of the most terrifying figures in the entire Jinzhou City.

In addition, Lin An's own strength is not limited to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

With the Xuan Tian Seal, the Nine Revolutions Demon-Slaying Blade, and the Devouring System, Lin An can easily crush opponents of higher levels, as long as he doesn't encounter Nascent Soul cultivators or old monsters.

"Don't worry, I'll deal with her later. What you need to do is strengthen the defenses of the Liu residence. I have a feeling that the Liu residence is acting strangely today..."

Lin An sensed that countless eyes were watching the Liu residence.

"Don't worry, Brother Lin, I have already told my father about the secret of the Zi family's collusion with the extraterrestrial demons. He has informed the Great Qian Demon Suppression Division of this situation, and now a Demon Suppression Team consisting of thirty peak Core Formation cultivators and ten early Golden Core cultivators is gathering outside the city..." Liu Mingxuan said in a low voice.

"With Xuanfengzi, who is at the Nascent Soul stage, Jinzhou City is safe!"

Lin An felt a little more at ease after hearing Liu Mingxuan's words.

The involvement of the Great Qian Demon Suppression Division indicates that the matter has attracted the attention of the authorities.

Although the Demon Suppression Group may not be able to completely suppress the Zi Family and the extraterrestrial demons, it can at least buy them some time.

They await support from the Qingyun Sect and other major sects of the Great Qian Dynasty.

"Brother Liu, when will the Demon Suppression Corps be able to enter the city?" Lin An asked in a low voice.

Liu Mingxuan pondered for a moment before replying, "The earliest we can do this is by tomorrow noon. The Demon Suppression Team needs to operate covertly and avoid alerting them. If the Zi family is indeed colluding with the extraterrestrial demons, they have likely planted spies within the city. If the Demon Suppression Team enters the city ahead of schedule, the Zi family might launch their attack prematurely to seize the Jinzhou treasure—the Heavenly Evolution Pearl!"

Lin An nodded, silently calculating in his mind. Time was of the essence; they had to stabilize the situation before the Demon Suppression Corps entered the city, and especially prevent Zi Li from discovering their plan.

Just as Lin An decided to take action against Zi Li, a commotion arose outside the Liu residence.

Lin An frowned; he sensed a powerful aura slowly approaching.

"Cancan, Liu Mingxuan, let me guess, is this trap you've set up for my daughter?" The man's voice was icy cold, exuding an irresistible chill.

The chill caused everyone present to activate their own spiritual energy shields.

Even the two Golden Core experts who resided at the Liu residence activated their own spiritual energy shields.

"Who dares to trespass into the Liu residence?"

The two Golden Core Realm experts, whom Liu Mingxuan called his second and third uncles, reacted and their figures flashed to the entrance of the Liu residence.

Lin An and the others watched Zi Li, who sat silently in her seat, with wary eyes.

At this moment, Zi Li was emanating wisps of bone-chilling black energy.

"Clan Chief Zi, this is the Liu residence, not a place for you to cause trouble..."

Uncle Liu the Second and Uncle Liu the Third stood in front of the Liu residence, followed by more than twenty guards from the Liu residence.

Before them stood a man clad in black armor.

If Lin An were present, he would definitely recognize this person as Zi Yan, the head of the Zi family in Jinzhou City.

He is also the most likely super strong person to have already entered the Nascent Soul Realm.

At this moment, Zi Yan was followed by three black-robed men who were calm and composed, showing no imposing presence.

Unlike the grand scene when Wang Zhenshan came to cause trouble, Zi Yan only had these three people behind her.

"What are you saying? I came here to find my daughter, not to cause trouble." Zi Yan's voice was cold and devoid of any emotion.

"Mingxuan, you should have finished eating by now. Bring out the young lady of the Zi family, lest the Zi clan leader be displeased!" Uncle Liu said in a strong voice.

Inside the banquet hall, Liu Mingxuan stared at Zi Li with a grim expression.

At this moment, Zi Li remained silent, and the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.

Liu Mingxuan's expression grew increasingly solemn. He sensed that the black energy around Zi Li was gradually increasing, as if an invisible force was awakening within her.