Chapter 181 – The Curtains Rise
Ten days later.
There was an enormous square within the Imperial Palace of the Grand Qin Empire. The square was around 10km long and around 4km wide. This enormous square could accommodate an army of 100,000! However, at this moment, this square still seemed to be slightly crowded because it was densely filled with the Profounders who were partic.i.p.ating in the Ascension Rankings.
Besides the partic.i.p.ants, there were rows of Imperial Guards that wore golden armor and held silver spears at the borders of the square. There were at least over 100,000 Imperial Guards in the surroundings. Of course, this wasn’t the main point, the main point was that all these 100,000 Imperial Guards were experts at the First Heaven Realm!
This colossus of the southern territory had revealed its might to the world again!
A dense expanse of people stood outside the Imperial Palace as well. However, these people weren’t here to partic.i.p.ate in the Ascension Rankings. A portion of them were the relatives and loves ones of the partic.i.p.ating Profounders while even more were from clans that had come to select sons-in-law for their clans!
What did a clan need in order to strengthen itself and avoid falling into decline? It naturally needed talented individuals! Only when talented individuals appeared ceaselessly within a clan would that clan be able to strength incessantly. Every single year, numerous geniuses would appear during the Ascension Rankings, and besides the disciples of the six great powers, most of these geniuses were independent cultivators!
These independent cultivators possessed natural talent and strength, but most didn’t possess any cultivation resources. They didn’t, but the clans did. So, during the Ascension Rankings every single year, there would be many independent cultivators that joined these clans and became the sons-in-law of these clans. Of course, the precondition was that these independent cultivators could survive the Grand Myriad Mountains!
Being able to survive was proof of a person’s potential and strength, and only in this way were these independent cultivators able to obtain the acknowledgment of the clans.
The compet.i.tion during the Ascension Rankings was brutal. Of course, it was only brutal during the first round. During the second round, so long as both sides didn’t have enmity or other irreconcilable conflicts between them, then they would show restraint during the second round. Of course, if the Sword Sect encountered the Ghost Sect, then there would be no restraint because it would be a battle that only ended with the death of the other partic.i.p.ant.
So, to these independent cultivators, it was fine so long as they were able to survive the Grand Myriad Mountains!
Within the Imperial Palace, the partic.i.p.ating disciples of the six great powers and the Imperial Academy stood at the front. Yang Ye swept them with his gaze, and he noticed that the number of partic.i.p.ating disciples from the six great powers was actually a little small. There were only 3 from the Origin School, Flower Palace, and Snow Palace respectively. Besides these three sects, the Ghost Sect had even fewer partic.i.p.ants, a mere 2. On the other hand, the Brightmoon Sect was slightly better because it had 6, and the Sword Sect had the most, 10!
“In the opinion of the six great powers, the compet.i.tion to ascend the Ascension Rankings depended most on quality than quant.i.ty! Of course, this isn’t the main reason. Just think about it, if the Origin School dispatched 10 or even more geniuses, then what would the outcome be?” As if she knew what puzzled Yang Ye, Murong Yao suddenly spoke from his side.
Yang Ye pondered briefly before he came to an understanding. He immediately smiled and said, “If the Origin School dispatched too many geniuses, then it would be targeted. The other powers would join forces to target the Origin School. No matter how formidable the disciples of the Origin School are, they would still be doomed when facing the joint forces of all the other powers.”
When he spoke up to here, Yang Ye asked. “Then why has out Sword Sect dispatched 10 disciples? Isn’t it afraid of being targeted?” As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Ye felt slightly regretful because he seemed to have understood the reason….
Murong Yao glanced indifferently at Yang Ye before she said, “Do you think the other powers would fear our Sword Sect?”
Yang Ye smiled and said, “Right, with your natural talent, it’s entirely possible for you to join the Origin School, Snow Palace, or Flower Palace. Why did you choose the Sword Sect? I’m just curious and have no other intentions!”
Murong Yao said, “No matter what, it’s best to choose the sect that’s most suitable for myself. I like the sword, so it’s naturally best for me to join the Sword Sect. Moreover, my natural talent would be considered as top-rate in both the inner court and outer court of the Sword Sect, so the Sword Sect would naturally foster me with all its strength and take care of both my family and me. But if I went to the Origin School and the other two palaces, do you think those three extraordinary powers would foster me as the Sword Sect would?”
Yang Ye was stunned. He’d never imagined that this proud woman would actually think in this way. However, she was right. Her natural talent was top-rate in the Sword Sect, but it could probably only be considered as first-rate in the Origin School. After all, the Origin School had that extraordinarily monstrous genius that was said to be invincible beneath the King Realm.
Yang Ye was about to speak when he suddenly seemed to have noticed something. He turned around abruptly and gazed towards the depths of the Imperial Palace. He saw two black dots approaching slowly from there.
Yang Ye pupils had constricted upon catching sight of these two black dots. Because with his eyesight, he was naturally able to discern what they were. They were people….
If it was just two people, then he would naturally not be shocked. The reason he was shocked was that he noticed these two people were actually striding over through the air!
Being able to stride through the air represented that they were already Exalt Realm experts because only Exalt Realm experts could accomplish this….
It wasn’t just Yang Ye. Numerous Profounders on the square had noticed these two figures, causing the originally slightly clamorous square to immediately quiet down as all of them looked successively towards the sky.
In next to no time, the two of them arrived above the square under the shocked gazes of everyone. The person on the left appeared to be around 40 years of age. He was a luxurious robe, had a handsome appearance, and held a green jade ruler, causing him to seem like a scholar. The person on the right wore white armor, held a broadsword that was white like bone, and he had a cold expression and a gaze that was sharp like a blade, causing others to not dare look him straight in the eye.
“It’s actually Li Si and Bai Qi!” Murong Yao’s expression became solemn as she spoke.
“The Grand Qin Empire’s Prime Minister and the Supreme Commander of the Three Armies?” Yang Ye was surprised, and then he suddenly looked at Li Si who stood on the left and seemed like a scholar. Yang Ye said, “Could that jade ruler in his hand be the Ruler of Righteousness?”
Murong Yao nodded and said, “The Ruler of Righteousness. Ranked at the 4th position on the Dao Artifact Rankings. It contains the energy of righteousness from the heavens and the earth. If he’s at the Imperial Capital, then with the boost from the Karmic Luck of the Empire, even a Monarch Realm expert would have to fear Li Si who holds the Ruler of Righteousness. While he’s at the Imperial Capital, there are probably only a few existences at the Exalt Realm within the southern territory who could be a match for him.
“There’s a ranking for Dao Artifacts?” Yang Ye spoke with bewilderment. Because he’d never heard of such a ranking.
Murong Yao nodded and said, “Every single Dao Artifact can be said to be a precious treasure of the heavens and the earth. Because practically every single one of them possesses inconceivable ability. In the southern territory, there is a Dao Artifact Rankings, and it records the names of all those Dao Artifacts that possess inconceivable might. For example, the Ruler of Righteousness can converge the energy of righteousness in the heavens and the earth. The energy of righteousness is unlike profound energy, and its might is merely inferior to gold element and fire element profound energy!”
Yang Ye was very curious as he asked. “What’s at the 1st position on the Dao Artifact Rankings?”
Murong Yao shook her head and said, “I don’t know. I merely know that the 2nd on the Dao Artifact Rankings is the Mountain and River Seal in the possession of the Grand Qin Empire’s Founding Emperor. The front of the Mountain and River Seal is branded with the landscape of the southern territory while its back is branded with the sun, moon, and stars. As for its might, I’m not aware of it as well. However, I presume that it should be easy for its possessor to destroy a city that can accommodate a million people!”
“Destroy a city that can accommodate a million people….” Yang Ye’s eyelids twitched. Such might….
“I presume you’ve heard about that person on the right as well. He’s Bai Qi, a G.o.d of slaughter that once killed hundreds of thousands of people. His Slaughter Intent has probably arrived at an extremely terrifying realm!” Murong Yao spoke in a low voice.
“Hundreds of thousands of people….” Yang Ye was shocked in his heart, and he said, “He killed them by himself?”
Murong Yao nodded and said, “How could he be called a G.o.d of slaughter if he didn’t? See that broadsword in his hand? It’s made of bones, and there are countless vengeful spirits within it. Fortunately, he didn’t join the Ghost Sect all those years ago, otherwise, countless members of my Sword Sect would have perished at his hands. I should say that besides the Sect Master and that Daoist Zui of legend, not a single member of the Sword Sect is a match for him!”
Yang Ye was just about to say something. However, right at this moment, the Imperial Guards at the borders of the square had suddenly got down on one knee in unison, and then they spoke simultaneously. “Greetings Prime Minister! Greetings Supreme Commander!”
The voices of over 100,000 people resounded in an orderly manner as if they were a single voice, and under the boost of their profound energy, their voices shot directly into the sky. Such an imposing aura caused all the partic.i.p.ating geniuses to be visibly moved.