Calm Lotus Monastery, the Bingchi, and Myriad Formation Kingdom; three supreme ancestors from these sects have appeared and astonished the crowd.
Only the two from Waterfront and G.o.dstep were missing.
They have rarely shown themselves in the past since they represented the highest echelon in Nine Secrets. Their appearance would mean something big was happening.
“Calm Lotus is here too.” A surprised spectator murmured.
It was one thing for the first two ancestors to come out, especially the one from the kingdom. After all, the emperor was killed just now. Moreover, they had no other choice either since they had an irreconcilable feud with the king.
It was understandable for the Bingchi as well. They were on the same side as the kingdom so they needed to work together.
This wasn’t the case for Calm Lotus. This particular sect had no big conflict with Li Qiye. Though Qin Jianyao didn’t carry out her marriage promise, she wasn’t the only one. Plus, it didn’t mean that there wasn’t a chance for them to rethink the marriage situation in the future.
They have never outright denied or refused the proposal, so it could be said that this sect had the least serious feud with the king.
But now, their ancestor had appeared as well, contrary to everyone’s expectation.
Jianyao herself was shocked since she had sent back reports about the king to the sect. She recommended to never oppose the king. In fact, it was fine to submit in order to stay alive.
She thought the ancestors would agree with her opinion. Who would have thought that their supreme ancestor would join up with his two peers?
She had no idea why they made this decision. What had bewildered them?
As someone who has always kept calm regardless of the situation, she found herself lost. This alliance ruined all of her plans.
“Clank! Clank!” Suddenly, the sound of a bell echoed across the system.
Everyone looked over towards the direction of the noise.
“It’s Skywrap Mountain, the bell in the imperial city.” People were surprised: “Who is ringing it? Is this an official decree?”
Many then turned towards Li Qiye after hearing this. Though he was chased away from his throne, most people still thought that the royal rule of Nine Secrets still belongs to Lucidity King’s branch.
The city was currently occupied by the various legions but they were just soldiers and didn’t represent the royal authority - not qualified to give orders to the world.
Who was ringing the bell right now? To have the courage to do so without permission from the king.
“It’s not an official decree.” An ancestor carefully listened to the bell and remembered: “This is the regal bell. It hasn’t been used for a long time.”
“What’s that?” The young ones have never heard of this bell.
“It’s the bell that represents authority.” The startled ancestor explained: “This bell has always been in War Saint Dynasty but kept by the Sacred Cabinet. They’re the only ones who can ring it for a declaration to the rest of the world.”
“Sacred Cabinet?” People have heard of this name before: “The one that got destroyed by Lucidity King?”
Though few rarely brought it up, many in Nine Secrets still knew about it.
Previously, the kings of War Saint Dynasty didn’t necessarily have total control over the system. They only served as spokesmen; the ones truly in charge were the ancestors from Sacred Cabinet.
The cabinet made decisions about great events and future plans. The kings normally only announced them to the world.
This lasted until the reign of Lucidity King. He decided to abolish the cabinet, resulting in a b.l.o.o.d.y war. After his victory, the members of the cabinet vanished without a trace. This inst.i.tution ceased to exist afterward.
“This bell hasn’t rung since the disappearance of the cabinet.” One ancestor said: “The late king’s words became the symbol of authority. Who would have thought that this sound would come back now after so long?”
“Is the cabinet trying to rise again?” An expert became interested.
Rumor has it that they have been eliminated by Lucidity King but the symbolic bell signaled their return.
“Is this a warning to the three supreme ancestors or do they have other plans?” Some glanced over at Li Qiye.
After all, the king represented the imperial rule while the cabinet was also from War Saint Dynasty. In theory, they should be on the same side as him.
“I’m not sure, there is some long-running animosity here.” A whisperer stated his mind.
The group agreed. After all, the cabinet has always been in charge of War Saint until Lucidity King. Meanwhile, the new king was also from Lucidity’s branch. Would they stand on his side?
Most felt that this was impossible. This particular feud couldn’t be dropped that easily.
“Rumble!” Back in the distant Skywrap Mountain, a great peak seemed to be opening with light as dazzling as the contents of a splendorous treasury.
Finally, a pavilion started floating to the sky, shrouded in divine radiance. It looked ancient and seemingly cast from bronze.
It poured down dao laws filled with chaos and true energy. This building resembled a stately palace with a majestic aura.
“That’s Sacred Cabinet.” Many recognized the place.
“Why is it showing up now?” Another asked, causing the crowd to exchange glances.
They didn’t show up during the siege at the imperial palace nor when the king was chased away from his throne. They didn’t show up when the rest of the great powers competed for authority.
Logically, if they wanted to compete, they should have shown up sooner and deliver a decisive blow. Choosing this particular moment seemed to be premeditated.
“Maybe they’re here for that Nine Immortals Rope.” One ancestor pondered carefully before coming up with this.
They felt that the cabinet wasn’t here for political reasons. Only that one rope was worthy of their appearance.
“Rumble!” The world quaked as the three ancestors and the cabinet started heading for Nine-linked Mountains.
They each occupied a different cardinal direction, seemingly wanting to surround Li Qiye.
One step from the ancestors took them ten million miles. They left behind footsteps in the sky that could never be erased.
As for the cabinet, it crushed s.p.a.ce and traveled through ten million miles with a peerless speed.
“They’re coming for the king.” Everyone could tell that they were trying to block all escape paths from the king, wanting to surround him.