Chapter 191: Eastern Yuan Holy Monarch and Lingyin Fairy Envoy

The opportunity was rare, so naturally, Miss Vilyric and her companions blended into the crowd early to enjoy the festivities.

She had expected the lawless individuals who had been active recently, like the Seven-Day Demon Lord and the Demon-Suppressing Sect, to take this chance to stir up trouble and disrupt the tournament.

However, in reality, nothing happened at all.

The large-scale cleanup initiated by the four nations had not completely uprooted them, but it was said to have destroyed and eradicated many related evil sects and organizations worldwide, even greatly impacting the brash and rampant Demon-Suppressing Sect, which hadn’t been active for a long time.

On the surface, the Ancient Spirit Realm seemed peaceful and harmonious, but the contradictions between both sides had actually intensified to an extreme where one side’s survival meant the other’s eradication.

With such a perfect opportunity at hand, either those guys had genuinely been scared into submission and lost their ability to stir chaos, or… they were concocting some greater conspiracy, waiting for a chance to seize victory in one fell swoop.

To be honest, Miss Vilyric leaned towards the latter.

Moreover, as she deepened her understanding of the Ancient Spirit Realm, she could probably guess where these forces, lacking hard power compared to the ruling class, hoped to turn the tides.

Guess we’ll just wait and see.

Following the parade, Miss Vilyric and others, amidst cheers and noise, gradually arrived at the main venue for the previously established Four Saints Selection Tournament.

It was a half-open, massive building covering nearly one million square meters, which was said to be divided into hundreds of small areas and a large central zone. Each area was interconnected yet could operate independently, resembling something like an ancient coliseum.

The competitions in the next phase would mainly take place here, but the official proceedings and filtering methods had not been directly announced.

To ensure absolute fairness and justice, the format of each Four Saints Selection Tournament would change. This was top-secret information discussed between the fairy island envoys and the high-ranking officials of each nation, and no unrelated individuals could know anything until each phase officially commenced.

“Oh… starting with a hundred-person team battle, huh? That really is a convenient method to filter out the weak, but what if a strong one gets grouped with others and gets targeted to be eliminated? That would be quite unlucky, wouldn’t it?”

In the central audience seating area, amid distant ceremonial troops passing by, a certain black-haired girl was quietly discussing the unreleased preliminary match system with her companions.

The information wasn’t leaked; Miss Vilyric wasn’t idle enough to seek out this irrelevant intel, but for Miss Hen, who had a grasp on the “Heavenly Secret,” this level of “top-secret” was hardly anything of the sort.

Sure enough, after a moment of contemplation, the silver-haired girl quickly replied within the soundproof barrier.

“You can participate in the revival match, but you need to pay an additional registration fee, which is about ten times the initial fee.”

“Wow, doesn’t the Holy Alliance always think of milking money? Are they really that short on cash…”

Just as Miss Vilyric was persistently critiquing the match system, a cannon suddenly fired from the main stage, followed by a loud announcement from the announcer using props.

“Everyone, stand at attention! His Majesty the Holy Monarch has arrived!!!!”

The booming sound shook the air, and the already occupied audience erupted into chaos as people hurriedly stood up, bowing their heads as low as possible in the narrow aisle where they couldn’t kneel, paying respect to the supreme ruler approaching from afar.

“Your Majesty, we salute you!!!”

The soldiers knelt and thousands paid their respects, as a roaring cheer filled the air. The man called the Eastern Yuan Holy Monarch raised his hand slightly, and without the use of props, his gentle voice spread far and wide.

“At ease. Today’s tournament, let’s keep the ceremony simple.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!!!”

In such a situation, Miss Vilyric couldn’t stand out, so she casually lifted the soundproof barrier and, along with her companions, got up and pretended to nod a few times, while actually quietly observing the appearance of the Eastern Yuan Holy Monarch higher up.

It was quite far, but she could barely make out the details.

He was dressed in magnificent azure and gold robes, exuding an imposing aura, looking to be around thirty, his hair styled atop his head with a crown, and the front of his robe embroidered with a white tiger-like beast howling at the sky, which should be the guardian spirit of Dongyuanzhi Kingdom, Bai Ze.

Miss Vilyric had encountered some documents on this Eastern Yuan Holy Monarch before; his name was Shangguan Qiuming, a very capable Holy Monarch and one of the longest-serving rulers in the Ancient Spirit Realm, reigning for over a hundred eighty years.

His presence could be said to be the absolute core of Dongyuanzhi Kingdom, uniting what should have been a somewhat scattered kingdom into a tightly-knit entity through his unique political system.

This was not achieved through gentle policies; in fact, to date, at least half of the management sects in various regions had undergone significant reform under him, even leading to several small internal uprisings, all of which were ruthlessly suppressed by the Eastern Yuan Guard and replaced with compliant new managers.

Thus, Shangguan Qiuming was also referred to as the “Iron-Blooded Holy Monarch,” sharply contrasting with the benevolence practiced by previous Eastern Saints. Of course, after nearly two hundred years of time’s wash, this had become the prevailing culture in Dongyuanzhi Kingdom.

With a sufficiently stable ruling class, when it came to overall national strength, Dongyuanzhi Kingdom was now the strongest among the four nations, with a powerful military and ambitions galore. Many secretly speculated that, without the overwhelming presence of Lingyin Fairy Island to suppress them, the Ancient Spirit Realm would likely have erupted into internal wars long ago.

All of this was inextricably linked to the existence of the current Eastern Saint, Shangguan Qiuming.

“I guess the timing is just not right…”

Watching the lofty figure standing proud on the high platform, Miss Vilyric silently offered an unheard evaluation.

The Priestess had seen many high-ranking figures, so she could tell at a glance that this person was capable and ambitious, even possessing extraordinary strength. If given a suitable stage to showcase his abilities, he would inevitably become a formidable leader, expanding territories.

But sadly, the current Ancient Spirit Realm appeared calm on the surface while having internal and external troubles, not to mention the looming presence of Lingyin Fairy Island, forcing Shangguan Qiuming to suppress his grand ambitions.

As the Eastern Yuan Holy Monarch made his entrance, high-ranking officials from Qiguo, such as the head of the Wuyuan Sect, followed him onto the stage. Among them was naturally Mo Ziqing, the head of the Mo Sect, with whom Miss Vilyric had occasionally interacted.

A dozen or so people elegantly took their seats around the Eastern Yuan Holy Monarch, but the ceremony did not continue immediately; it seemed they were waiting for something.

Hmm? If that’s the case…

A fleeting thought crossed Miss Vilyric’s mind as she suddenly looked up at the clear, azure sky.

“Heavens! Look above, everyone!!!”

A surprised voice rang out from somewhere, instantly creating a massive uproar, as the once orderly audience erupted into chaos again.

In the open sky above this grand venue, stunning rays of light began to cascade down like feathers.

The radiance was ethereal and splendid, seeming almost transcendent, and amidst its glow, a girl draped in a magnificent robe stepped lightly through the air, floating like an otherworldly being.

Her face was obscured by a plain white cloth, her skin as smooth as jade, her figure delicate and graceful. The flowing skirt and long black hair danced without wind, and atop her head were a pair of triangular ears, unhidden by any adornments, marking her extraordinary noble status.

—The Lingyin Clan, Lingyin Fairy Envoy.

   

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