Chapter 719: Three For, One Against

The Emperors couldn’t believe their ears.

Brother, you can tell other people these sweet tales of fairness and justice, but who are you trying to trick here? You two are mortal enemies with a blood feud—she has a father's death to avenge! You’re right, she’s talented, and she will inevitably become an Emperor. But if she does that, then the more talented she is, the more dangerous it is for you! What the fuck makes you think she won’t seek revenge for her father?!

For a moment, the atmosphere in the Ancestral Court Council grew strange.

The bizarre atmosphere caused all the Emperors present to fall into a brief silence. But no one would criticize the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor—voting was a basic right of every Emperor, and no one could interfere with it.

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly. He understood that, as he had anticipated, there were still uncontrollable factors at play concerning this girl. The Demon Emperor who was least likely to support her had actually voted in favor of her. What were the odds?

However, in the Ancestral Court Council, even the presiding officer couldn't control everything and had to respect the opinions of the other Emperors.

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor nodded slightly. "One vote in favor. Now, Sword Saint Demon Emperor."

He turned his gaze to the second Demon Emperor, the Sword Saint Demon Emperor, whose Celestial Pillar had recently shown a noticeable surge in height.

The Sword Saint Demon Emperor's expression was cold and stern. From beginning to end, his attention had been focused on the battles—of course, this was to be expected of a battle fanatic like him.

His eyes narrowed slightly. He raised his right hand, and in a deep voice, he said, "I approve."

The remaining Emperors couldn't help but be a little stunned. The Undying Demon Emperor, who was standing not far from the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor, instinctively turned his head to look at him.

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's expression remained calm, as if he had anticipated this. "Your reason?"

"Judging from the previous three battles, her understanding of swordsmanship is profound, and she can integrate it well with her abilities. If I'm not mistaken, what she used to defeat Cao Yuwei was in fact a sword technique, and if she has a hidden divine artifact, that can only be a sword. I am only interested in the sword, and I approve of her sword. Therefore, I approve of her."

A simple and straightforward reason, yet it wasn’t quite enough to convince the rest.

Among the Emperors present, the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor and the Sword Saint Demon Emperor held relatively low positions. One important reason for this was that neither of them controlled a major city.

But it was precisely for this reason that these two should have been the most opposed to Mei Gongzi. Only if the position of city lord of Kali City was vacant would they have a chance to take it.

Thus, their approval carried a completely different significance.

It was different for the other Emperors; whether they supported or opposed Mei Gongzi, Kali City wouldn't fall into their hands. But if Mei Gongzi failed her assessment, the new lord of Kali City would almost certainly be chosen from among the Emperors with no city—namely, these two.

Yet, even under these circumstances... The Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor had lifelong enmity with the Peacock Demon clan, yet he had still chosen to support Mei Gongzi. The Sword Saint Demon Emperor was so poor that he had put his clan's sacred divine item for auction,

and yet he had still chosen to support Mei Gongzi.

The fact that two Emperors gave her a passing grade from the start completely changed the atmosphere in the Council Hall.

......

"Sword Saint, whether you decide to support us or not, we are grateful for your previous help. But in Little Mei's first battle during the assessment, you might want to pay close attention to her final move. If that move interests you, then I hope you'll support her assessment. Whether she ultimately succeeds or not, I can personally show you the characteristics of that sword afterward. I once told you that the sword is judgment. I'm sure you'll be interested in what a true sword of judgment looks like."

......

Not long ago, that young man came to the Sword Saint Palace. The young man whom the Sword Saint Demon Emperor thought was dead had returned to life and brought with him a great temptation. Especially after seeing with his own eyes how Mei Gongzi's final strike had almost obliterated Cao Yuwei's divine consciousness, making even Nirvana Rebirth difficult. How could he, whose sole passion and only path was the sword, suppress the excitement within him? The sword of judgment—was this the true sword of judgment? After its judgment, even the undying trait of a phoenix could be erased!

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The Sword Saint Demon Emperor understood clearly that the only reason Cao Yuwei had ultimately succeeded in his rebirth was due to the Undying Demon Emperor's protection and assistance, as well as Mei Gongzi's insufficient cultivation. Otherwise, that shred of sword intent would have completely annihilated him.

This was definitely a sword technique he had never seen before, and it was one of the things he most longed for in his heart. If his sword could achieve the same effect, it would undoubtedly cause his Celestial Pillar to soar. Such temptation—how could he possibly refuse? This was far more important than becoming the lord of a city; this was the true pursuit of every single Red-Crowned Crane in history!

Things wouldn't have reached this point if he had wanted to become a city lord. So, after personally witnessing that sword intent, he chose to support Mei Gongzi without hesitation.

"Alright, two votes in favor." The process had to continue, and the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor didn't dwell on the situation, instead turning his gaze to the third Demon Emperor.

The third in line, ranked seventh among the nine Demon Emperors, was the Golden Radiance Mammoth Demon Emperor—the one Mei Gongzi had seen when she had first arrived at the Council Hall.

A faint golden aura flickered around the Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor as his gaze fell on Mei Gongzi. Without much hesitation, he raised his hand and said in a deep voice, "I do not approve."

As soon as these words were spoken, many of the mid-ranking Emperors present seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Yes, this was normal—opposing her made sense. If everyone supported her, what the hell would that be?

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's expression remained unchanged as he calmly asked, "Your reason?"

"Her impure bloodline is my reason. I oppose someone with the blood of another race becoming a city lord. This could create unforeseen changes in the future. After she became the interim city lord, she gave freedom and status to the humans in Kali City. As a result, the human population in the nearby cities began to shift, migrating toward Kali City. Many nobles are too angry to speak out, all because of her position. Therefore, I do not support her becoming the city lord."

In fact, the nearest major city to Kali City was ruled by none other than this Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor, so he knew best what was going on. Moreover, his reasoning was entirely logical. A new Emperor would inevitably favor the clan and race whose blood they shared; this was almost inevitable, and Mei Gongzi had already shown that she would favor humans. In fact, the premature establishment of human settlements had already caused dissatisfaction within the Ancestral Court, so the Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor's displeasure was entirely understandable.

"Noted. Two votes in favor, one against," the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor said calmly.

His gaze then shifted to the sixth-ranking figure—none other than the Eternal Night Sovereign, the Tenebrous Demon Emperor, who had once hunted down Mei Gongzi, her father, and Asura!

He had been rather quiet today, from the start of the battles until now, almost fading into the background. As the Eternal Night Sovereign, his energy levels were never great during the day, and he naturally preferred to remain hidden in the shadows.

It wasn't until this moment that all the Emperors' gazes focused on him.

The Tenebrous Demon Emperor's gaze turned toward the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor. He raised his hand, and a hint of complexity suddenly flickered in his eyes.

"I approve!"