Chapter 845: A Tournament for Marriage?

Tang San froze for a moment, and then cold sweat began to drip down his back.

What smell? It must be from when Ling’er grabbed my arm earlier!

Even though he had teleported away immediately, some of her scent must have lingered. He hadn’t expected Mei Gongzi's sense of smell to be so sharp.

As expected of a tiger, I suppose?

But as a former God King, Tang San's mental fortitude was impeccable. He feigned confusion for a moment before giving a helpless smile. "I went to a magical place, filled with fire energy. Could it be you’re sensing the change in my aura? Don’t worry, after I cultivate there for a while, I’ll bring back some good things that will greatly help your Immortal Flame Phoenix bloodline."

"Is it the scent of the fire element? It does seem like it, and it's very pure..." Mei Gongzi murmured.

Tang San quickly changed the subject, asking, "What happened? Why did you call me back?"

Mei Gongzi turned around and replied, "The Ancestral Court has sent envoys twice, urging me to marry. My father and I have been discussing it, but we don’t know how to handle it."

At this point, Xiao He stepped forward and explained the Ancestral Court's demands and his own assessment to Tang San.

Tang San listened carefully, and his brow gradually furrowed.

Just as Xiao He had said, the Ancestral Court's open strategy could not be directly shut down. It was a reasonable request given the circumstances, and even having the support of a few Demon Emperors wouldn’t suffice if they wanted to decline.

"That’s why I had Little Mei call you back. We need to discuss the best way to handle this. If Little Mei refuses to resolve the bloodline issue through marriage, not only will she lose the Ancestral Court’s support to become an Emperor, but she may also face impeachment from her position as city lord. Direct opposition won’t work, and even the Emperors who support Little Mei can’t help much with this. Previously, Little Mei told Jin Anguo that she already has a lover. The Ancestral Court likely saw this either as an excuse or assumed the lover is human, which they would never approve of. They don’t care what you do in your free time, but having a human as your main partner is unacceptable. That’s why they’re pressing again. I think the best solution is a fake marriage, to find someone from the clan for a pretend wedding to buy more time. It might mean some sacrifice for Little Mei, but after she becomes an Emperor, everything can be cleared up."

A fake marriage was indeed the most practical solution, and it wouldn't be difficult to arrange within the Peacock Demon clan.

Mei Gongzi frowned and looked at Tang San.

"No," Tang San said without hesitation. His gaze softened as he looked at Mei Gongzi. "I don’t want her to suffer any grievance, especially now that we have enough strength. Let’s tell the Ancestral Court that we accept their request. In three months, outside Kali City, by the shores of the Endless Blue Sea, we’ll hold a combat tournament. Anyone, from any clan, up to the eleventh order, may participate. The final victor will have the right to propose marriage."

Xiao He was shocked. "And let me guess, that final victor will be you?"

Tang San nodded slightly. "That's right."

Mei Gongzi shook her head. "That's too risky."

Tang San looked at her, his eyes filled with determination. "For you, I’m willing to take any risk. Besides, the Ancestral Court needs to understand that Kali City isn’t so easy to bully. If we don’t make a stand now, the harassment will just go on and on until you’re forced to give in to all their demands. But don’t worry, I won’t participate as a human. I’ll enter as Kali City's ally, the King of the Endless Blue Sea, and the heir of the Sea God."

Xiao He, deep in thought, said, "Speaking of making a stand, the three-month deadline is what the Ancestral Court came up with, and it doesn’t work to our advantage. So why not find an excuse to delay the time? Wouldn't that be better?"

Tang San's eyes lit up. "If we can delay things, that would be ideal. The more time we have, the better prepared we’ll be."

Even as the Sea God in the Endless Blue Sea, Tang San could only protect himself right now if he faced multiple Emperors. But if given enough time to raise his cultivation and especially to absorb the power of faith to enhance his divine consciousness, things would be very different.

With the continuous enhancement of his divine consciousness, Tang San could already feel the Sea God’s Trident and the Asura Sword speeding toward Falan Planet. The arrival of these two supreme artifacts was essential for him to regain his God King power. What he needed most right now was time.

With the ability to absorb the power of faith after becoming a god, Tang San's cultivation was increasing day by day. Becoming an Emperor was just a matter of time, and as long as he was strong enough, he could do whatever he wanted. Strength was the foundation of everything.

Mei Gongzi looked at Xiao He and asked, "Father, what excuse should we use?"

Xiao He narrowed his eyes. "There’s no better excuse than you needing time to advance your cultivation. Say you’ve had an insight and need to go into seclusion for a while. Aren’t the Ancestral Court envoys still here? We’ll make a big show of it, so they sense that you’ve truly had a breakthrough. That way, your retreat will be perfectly justified. We’ll agree to their terms on the surface but use your seclusion as a reason to delay for as long as possible."

Tang San couldn’t help but laugh.

It’s true what they say: if you don’t have elders at home, buy some! This is the perfect excuse, and it can definitely buy us some time.

And with enough time, Tang San could make even more thorough preparations. Anyone who dared to fight him for Mei Gongzi? They’d be crushed.

Mei Gongzi thought for a moment. "Should I use the Celestial Plume? Wouldn’t causing a massive space ripple be the most effective? Let me think of a way."

Tang San smiled faintly. "No need to think about it; I have a good idea about how to handle it. Let’s head back to the city lord's mansion. You two just watch—I’ll make sure they’re properly shocked."

Mei Gongzi's eyes brightened. With him around, it seemed like no problem was insurmountable. This was why she’d always felt a deep sense of security with Tang San.

The three of them teleported to the mansion. Tang San requested a quiet room, leaving only Mei Gongzi by his side.

Mei Gongzi shut the door, then produced a spatial barrier to seal off the entire room, ensuring that nothing inside could be sensed from outside.

"Spit it out. What are you planning that’s going to be so shocking?"

Tang San smiled faintly and said, "This is something I’ve planned for a while. I’ve been studying the Celestial Plume for a while, and I discovered a lot of things about it. It’s indeed a wondrous artifact; it truly allows you to see the future, and with quite good clarity at that. But this foresight is also a curse. The future is the result of the workings of heaven, and he who attempts to unveil these workings of heaven shall suffer heavenly retribution. So, is there a method to avoid this backlash while still being able to use this artifact to its full potential? I thought about it for a long time, and I have reached a conclusion: There is no such method.

"The act of peering into the secrets of heaven is quite literally heaven-defying, and the backlash is so severe that even the old me couldn’t escape its consequences. That’s why I’ve decided to use the Celestial Plume as a foundation to create a new artifact. This new artifact will not be able to display the future so clearly; it’ll be a lot blurrier. That way, the backlash will be greatly reduced, but it will still serve its purpose. And since it will be something I created, I’ll be able to influence it to some extent. For example, I have knowledge of such secrets of heaven from my past life, and I can use that knowledge through the new artifact to influence other people who try to peer into the heavens. Basically... anyone who tries to look into fate will see exactly what I want them to see."