Chapter 701: The Ancestral Court Council's Celestial Pillars

Raising her head to look at the massive stone gate, Mei Gongzi saw many carvings on it. The left side of the gate was adorned with various animal forms—demons, more specifically. A glance was enough to reveal that these were all carvings of first-tier demon clans. In other words, only clans that had produced an Emperor were qualified to have their likeness carved here.

On the right side of the gate were naturally carvings of the nymph clans. The most central one depicted the sun and moon in radiant opposition, representing the Sunborne Nymph Emperor and the Earthshade Nymph Emperor.

The two massive stone gates exuded a faint but palpable oppressive force, causing Mei Gongzi to feel a divine consciousness pressure as overwhelming as a mountain pressing down on her.

Mei Gongzi closed her eyes, and immediately, within her divine consciousness, it seemed as though countless powerful beings were whispering. These whispers subtly tugged at her divine consciousness, causing it to fluctuate.

Guided by her divine consciousness, Mei Gongzi activated the Celestial Plume within her sea of consciousness. Instantly, her entire aura became elusive and ethereal. Her divine consciousness, under the influence of the Celestial Plume's aura, became unpredictable. Despite the immense pressure of divine consciousness, she felt as though she were an intangible entity, unaffected by the weight descending upon her.

The Celestial Plume granted her an extraordinary perception, allowing her to silently navigate through the pressure of those divine consciousnesses.

At that moment, a deep and powerful voice echoed.

"Very good. As expected of the Ancestral Court Elite Competition champion."

In the next instant, the massive stone gate before Mei Gongzi slowly began to open, revealing a wide passageway.

The light beyond the gate was extremely bright. The first thing Mei Gongzi saw was a massive golden pillar of light deep within, seemingly descending from the heavens. This sight reminded her of the scene within Golden Valley.

Under Tang San's illusion array, sunlight only fell directly above the Golden Tree in Golden Valley, presenting a golden brilliance. But what she saw now was a true golden pillar of light, connecting heaven and earth, towering who knew how many meters tall and illuminating the entire interior of the Council Mountain.

On either side, giant pillars stood, each carved with the likeness of a different creature. Each pillar seemed almost alive, exuding a distinct aura.

These pillars varied in height, but even the shortest was over a hundred meters tall, and each emitted a different aura. The pillars formed two rows that led to the center of the hall, with the tallest being the massive golden pillar of light in the middle.

Even with Mei Gongzi's cultivation, she couldn't clearly perceive the nature of the energy within the golden pillar of light; all she could sense was its vastness.

Mei Gongzi walked slowly into the Council Hall, her heartbeat quickening slightly. She knew that this was the highest authority on the entire Daemon Continent, where the Emperors of the demons and nymphs held their discussions. This place even determined the fate of the entire Daemon Continent—in fact, the fate of the entire Falan Planet.

The stone gate behind her slowly closed with a deep rumble, but Mei Gongzi didn't turn around. She could feel that this place was different from the outside world, as if it were a separate plane. Upon entering this world, she felt her bloodline power and divine consciousness overflow, naturally elevated to their peak state.

It seemed that the energy of this place caused one to transcend their normal limitations and reach absolute peak power. The nature of this place was something Mei Gongzi couldn't fully comprehend yet, but she could sense that it was a place of wonder. Although she couldn't articulate whether it was good or bad, the good seemed to outweigh the bad.

It wasn't just a simple matter of being favored by fortune; there was also a subtle sense of division. It seemed that many different forces were gathered here—some complementary, others in opposition.

Then, she remembered the complex energy fluctuations within the Ancestral Court, the mixed state of different elemental attributes. Was that related to the situation here?

Mei Gongzi continued walking forward, and each time she passed between two pillars, she felt something different. The taller the pillar, the more pronounced the sense of pressure; the shorter ones were easier to bear.

She suddenly realized that if each of these pillars represented an Emperor, then the taller the pillar, the stronger the Emperor it represented.

Tang San had once told her that though all Demon Emperors and Nymph Emperors were technically at the same cultivation level, there were differences in cultivation strength. The power of Emperors varied quite significantly.

Looking at these pillars, it was clear that Tang San's words were true. The shortest pillars seemed to be just over a hundred meters tall, while the tallest reached a height of nearly five hundred meters. A fivefold difference in height surely indicated a vast disparity in strength.

The deep, resonant voice that had spoken earlier sounded again, drawing Mei Gongzi's attention. "The Celestial Pillars were constructed one after another, starting from the Ancestor Pillar. In other words, the farther you go back into the past, the closer you get to the Ancestor Pillar."

In front of the massive golden pillar of light at the innermost part of the Council Hall, a towering figure had appeared at some point.

This figure stood over ten meters tall, enormous and imposing, exuding a sense of unparalleled solidity. It did not even seem to be a living being, but rather a majestic mountain.

The Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor!

Although it was her first time seeing him, Mei Gongzi immediately recognized him.

This irreplicable solid presence, combined with his physical characteristics, made him impossible to confuse with someone else. He was the strongest in defense among all demons, the leader of the Golden Mammoth clan, and the only Demon Emperor with a golden bloodline.

The Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor's gaze was very calm, and he was not hiding his admiration for Mei Gongzi in the slightest.

A young girl, not even twenty years of age and maybe twenty

generations

his junior—yet from the moment she began her climb, the abilities she displayed had already earned his deep admiration.

"To be able to utilize Star Shift to this degree means that when it comes to comprehension of space, you've already surpassed your father. It is no coincidence that you won the Elite Competition," the Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor said with a smile.

Mei Gongzi slightly bowed and saluted him, "Greetings, Your Majesty Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor."

The Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor smiled and said, "You should have already understood that each of these pillars represents an Emperor, an ancestor of the demons or nymphs. These Celestial Pillars are imbued with their essence and bear the divine consciousness fluctuations of every Emperor that has ever appeared among these races. One of the most important tasks of the Ancestral Court Council is to protect these Celestial Pillars, for they are the true core of the demon and nymph clans. Because of these pillars, the clans they represent possess the most powerful bloodline. And behind me is the Ancestor Pillar, representing the ancestral power accumulated over countless years by the demons and nymphs. For that reason, we also call it the Pillar of Ten Thousand Ancestors.

"The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor once said that each time a new Celestial Pillar is added here, the fortune of the entire Daemon Continent becomes more concentrated, and the foundation of the demons and nymphs deepens, giving our races better growth opportunities. If it weren't for..."

He paused, then chuckled, "Never mind. There are some things you'll only learn after you've successfully completed your evaluation and officially become the lord of Kali City. According to ancestral rules, you may now seek enlightenment before your Ancestor Pillar. You have three days. The day you have to report to the Council is three days from now. Cherish these three days, as they are crucial to your success. Your evaluation will take place here, and all the Demon Emperors of our Empyrean Dominion will be present. If you can gain recognition from your ancestors during these three days, your chances of success will increase significantly. Do you understand what I mean?"