Vol 6 Chapter 50: Lord of the Tianyuan Realm
When Lin Jing left, he didn't exchange words with anyone. The Spirit King remained standing in place, recalling the shock of what had just happened, breathing heavily even though as a stone being, it didn't actually need to breathe.
The other Dao-seekers also dispersed at this time, each with their own thoughts, knowing that the heavens of the Dayuan Realm were about to change.
"Too powerful..." The Demon Emperor had watched the entire scene unfold, utterly speechless. Although she had anticipated that Lin Jing could defeat the Spirit King, she never expected it to be so effortless.
Remembering how she had previously said she could form a contract with Lin Jing and lend him her strength, the Demon Emperor wanted to find a corner to roll around in embarrassment. Because now it seemed her power couldn't provide much substantial help to Lin Jing.
"So what? He's still a powerhouse who grew up under my protection, hmph!"
The Demon Emperor quickly adjusted her mindset, then remembered that Lin Jing currently held the title of Holy Son of the Demon Court... Although this was the highest title beneath the Demon Emperor herself, it truly insulted Lin Jing's status.
The Demon Emperor chuckled darkly and immediately sent messages to various factions, announcing that the Demon Court intended to nominate Lin Jing as the Realm Lord of Tianyuan Realm. Who supported this? Who opposed?
Realm Lord.
This meant a cultivator who ruled over an entire realm.In ancient times, the Palace Master of Tianyuan Realm's Immortal Palace could be considered the Realm Lord of Tianyuan Realm.
However, after the Immortal Palace's destruction, the power structure of Tianyuan Continent underwent massive changes. Even the Tianyuan Ancient Kingdom could only be called the strongest faction in Tianyuan Realm, not a force that could command the entire realm. These were two different concepts, with the latter being far more formidable.
Naturally, the position of Realm Lord had disappeared.
Now the Demon Emperor was nominating Lin Jing as Tianyuan Realm Lord, clearly wanting him to wield supreme authority over Dayuan and command all cultivators and factions.
"Realm Lord..." The spirit creatures naturally had no opinion about this proposal, as they were originally members of the Heaven-Earth Sect. With Lin Jing as sect master, they already had to follow his commands, so this Realm Lord title didn't affect them.
As for the other factions, they naturally had no objections either. In this cultivation world, might made right. Besides, most factions believed Lin Jing wouldn't possibly abandon a treasure like the Origin Realm. Even if Lin Jing had emerged, they were convinced he must have left sufficient contingency plans and cultivated successors who could monopolize the Origin Realm's resources before choosing to return.
A cultivator both immensely powerful and capable of bringing rare resources to Tianyuan Realm—nobody would oppose him becoming Realm Lord.
Except... the Tianyuan Ancient Kingdom.
"Realm Lord..." The Second Ancient Emperor gritted his teeth. Was this mother tiger truly determined to destroy the Ancient Kingdom?!
As everyone knew, the Dayuan Ancient Kingdom founded its state on the Dao of Fortune. Only when the Ancient Emperor was the supreme ruler of a territory could he mobilize the infinite land's national fortune power.
Around the Ancient Kingdom, rival factions could appear, forces more powerful than themselves could emerge. But above the Ancient Kingdom, there absolutely could not exist someone who could command both the Ancient Kingdom and its Emperor.
If Lin Jing became Realm Lord, then above the Tianyuan Ancient Kingdom would appear a higher-level ruler, and the power of the Gu clan's True Dragon Secret Arts would drastically diminish!!!
"Imperial Father."
Shortly after learning the news, Gu Xinghe and Gu Youran arrived one after another. Within the Gu royal family, three Dao-seekers now gathered.
Besides them, the Second Ancient Emperor's disciple Wang Xiao had also reached Dao-seeking, but he didn't appear at this critical moment.
"What are your thoughts?"
"The Demon Court's move should be deliberately targeting our Ancient Kingdom..." Gu Xinghe sighed as he stated the brutally harsh truth. Given the Ancient Kingdom's current strength, it didn't seem worthy of the Demon Emperor's specific targeting.
It was simply that with the Demon Emperor's current prestige and power, every move she made could affect this former hegemon of Tianyuan Continent.
"Ah..." The Second Ancient Emperor suddenly seemed to age considerably, understanding this reality. He looked at Gu Xinghe and Gu Youran and slowly said, "Soon, Demon Emperor Tianchou will descend upon Tianyuan. For Dayuan to survive this crisis, our greatest reliance is Brother Jing. He carries Tianyuan's future. The Demon Emperor nominating him as Tianyuan Realm Lord is perfectly justified. But the Ancient Kingdom's future..."
"Imperial Father." Gu Xinghe stepped forward. "The times have changed. Having witnessed the geniuses of all realms, having seen the brilliance of the heavens, I believe our Ancient Kingdom can no longer cling to past glory. Although this will cause our national fortune to greatly diminish, it's also an opportunity for the Ancient Kingdom's rebirth."
"The First Ancient Emperor left one teaching: the Gu clan must not all practice the True Dragon Secret Arts. At least one must cultivate other techniques. Didn't our ancestor precisely fear this day would come..."
"I understand." The Second Ancient Emperor nodded. "In that case, for the position of Third Ancient Emperor, Xinghe, I will pass it to Youran. Do you have any objections?"
Gu Xinghe shook his head. "Your son has no objections. With younger sister becoming Third Ancient Emperor to manage the court affairs, I can focus wholeheartedly on secluded cultivation, refining the 《True Dragon Secret Arts》, and finding a new path for our Gu clan."
If Lin Jing became Tianyuan Realm Lord, then the True Dragon Secret Arts' effectiveness would significantly decrease. Gu Xinghe, who cultivated the True Dragon Secret Arts, might suffer serious impairment to his strength, naturally making him unsuitable for the Third Ancient Emperor position. Switching cultivation techniques would take unknown time to restore his power.
The position of Third Ancient Emperor was clearly more suitable for Gu Youran. From now on, the Ancient Kingdom's Emperor would no longer consider cultivation of True Dragon Secret Arts as the most appropriate.
"Me? Become Ancient Emperor?" Gu Youran looked completely bewildered, clearly not expecting her father and brother to decide such an important matter so casually in just a few words.
She completely... hadn't made any psychological preparation for this!!
Just as they were about to tell Gu Youran not to panic, since the Ancient Kingdom had many Dao-seekers who could fully assist her—
The next moment, a voice actually came from outside the great hall. In the vast imperial palace, three Dao-seekers had detected no one's approach. All three changed expressions.
"Since she hasn't prepared to become Ancient Emperor, then this position of Third Ancient Emperor shall be mine."
"How dare you!" The Second Ancient Emperor erupted in fury. The newcomer was also a woman, wearing golden robes, with extraordinary bearing, like a goddess descending to earth, arriving in this great hall.
"Yu Xun'er?!" Gu Xinghe and Gu Youran naturally recognized her. She was among the first group of geniuses who entered the Origin Realm for the spirit creature immigration plan. However, whether after entering the Origin Realm or returning to Tianyuan, this Yu Xun'er had remained mysteriously elusive with zero intelligence about her.
"You're not worthy." Gu Xinghe raged. The Ancient Kingdom's imperial throne could be given to his sister, but this person—where did she pop out from, also coveting this position?
"Hehe... Of course she's worthy. After all, her body flows with the same bloodline as you." When they saw the long-missing First Ancient Emperor suddenly appear, the Second Ancient Emperor's expression changed, his gaze incredulous, instantly understanding.
"So that's how it is! No wonder she gave me a strange feeling before. So this woman is the successor you cultivated to reclaim the imperial throne??!"
"Imperial Father!" The Second Ancient Emperor looked seriously at the First's projection.
"Finally waited for this day." Yu Xun'er's expression remained calm. "The 《True Dragon Secret Arts》 has always been regarded as the Ancient Kingdom's orthodox technique. Although I have royal blood, my cultivation method is the 《Beast Taming Art》. Even if I obtained the imperial throne, it would cause numerous complications. But now, if Lin Jing becomes Realm Lord, then let me ask—what technique counts as 'orthodox'?"