The calm and lofty voice came from Madam Mu.
As the Empress of the Demi-humans and the only remaining Saint, she possessed an unimaginable prestige in White Emperor City, but even she found it extremely difficult to make a demon a guest, and it was highly likely to provoke a fierce wave of opposition.
The demi-human personages in the hall had more strength than the ordinary people in front of the Imperial City, so they naturally had more ideas.
But the figure at the very center, like a mountain, remained quiet and unmoving, his eyes closed in silence. It was like he had not heard the criticism of the young man, nor had he heard Madam Mu's declaration that he was a guest from afar. As a result, the entire stone hall was much quieter than expected.
Silence often signified oppression, and the mood in the stone hall was very tense. The various clan leaders, ministers, and generals of the Council of Elders were either exchanging meaningful glances, silently staring at the ground at their feet, or narrowing their eyes as they waited for the young man in the bamboo hat to arrive.
… …
… …
The Demi-Human Palace was at the highest point of the Imperial City. In front of the palace was a large stone platform, and on the edge of the platform was a pear tree. Outside the pear tree was a long stone railing. Standing on the railing, one could look down on the streets of White Emperor City and the turbid waves of the Red River, and even the Celestial Trees in the mountains several hundred li away.
This was the famed observation platform of the Imperial City.
Those who had the right to stand here did not look at the scenery, but at the rivers and mountains, or the world.
The young man walked up to the observation platform and stood under the pear tree. He gazed at the massive stone Demi-Human Palace, but he had no intention of entering.
Many gusts of wind came from the stone hall, and amidst these gusts of wind were the faint sounds of breathing and unspoken thoughts.
After an unknown amount of time, a real voice finally rang out in the stone hall. The speaker was the Great Duke of the Demi-human Court. This important personage from the Deer tribe had always been inconspicuous, but for some reason, he had taken the initiative to ask a question.
"Why has Sir traveled such a long distance from Xuelao City?"
The young man replied, "Of course, I have come to participate in the Heavenly Selection ceremony."
The Carp tribe leader spoke, gloomy and cold, like a mountain spring in the depths of winter. "Could it be that you wish to marry Princess Luoluo?"
The young man indifferently replied, "Correct, I have always admired Your Highness the noble Princess, so I came to participate in the Heavenly Selection ceremony. Is there anything wrong with that? As far as I know, neither Tian Xuan's rules nor the Yao Scripture forbids this. "
The voice of the chief of the Carp race became even colder as he said, "Do you think a demon has this right?"
The young man calmly said, "The Wildfire of the Celestial Trees is fair. Yesterday, I passed the trial of the ancestral spirit, so I should have the right."
There was a moment of silence in the hall. The important figures of the Demon Race didn't know how to respond to this. Many people had seen the activity in the mountain with their own eyes, and afterwards, the High Priest had confirmed that the young man in the bamboo hat had passed the test of the ancestral spirits. According to the traditions of the Demi-human race, no matter where this young man in the bamboo hat came from, he should now be considered to have the blood of the Demi-human race, but …
The voice of the Carp race leader was still cold, though it was less frigid than before. "Even if you passed the baptism of the Wildfire of the Celestial Trees and the trial of the ancestral spirits, even obtained victory in the Heavenly Selection ceremony, you are still a demon. How can you marry Her Highness the Princess of my race?"
The Deer tribe Grand Elder spoke once more. "Correct, this sort of thing has never happened before. It's far too absurd."
"That's not right." The young man calmly said, "This sort of thing has happened many times in history."
These words suddenly caused the stone hall to fall into chaos. In the long years of history, many Demi-human Princesses had truly been married off to distant Xuelao City, especially two thousand years ago. However, this was not some beautiful tale, but a history of humiliation for the Demi-human race. Several tribe leaders and generals stood up and cursed outside the hall. Two of the fiercer ones even took out their sabers and axes, intending to hack the young man to death.
Suddenly, a voice rang out in the midst of this clamor.
That voice was extremely low and deep. It reverberated in the spacious stone hall with a buzzing sound.
The cursing and discussion vanished, and the two generals gripping their sabers and axes also stopped.
Because this voice came from the Chief Elder, the Xiang clan leader, the second most powerful member of the Demi-human race.
"You, just what do you want to do?"
The silence of the cursing and discussion and the halting of the two generals was a sign of respect for the Xiang clan leader.
But to the Shi clan leader, the Bear tribe leader, and the other important figures, their silence had a deeper meaning.
Last night, with the hints of the Daoist Church of the Western Wastes and the assistance of certain factions, they had already vaguely discovered something, or perhaps guessed at something.
The truth was still shrouded in the fog of the mountains, not completely revealed. However, the Xiang clan leader probably already knew the identity of the young man in the bamboo hat. This being the case, why did he still ask about the young man's true intentions? What did this mean?
Following this line of reasoning, the words of the Deer tribe Grand Elder and the Carp tribe leader also seemed to be problematic.
They seemed to be criticizing and making things difficult for the young demon from Xuelao City, but in reality, they were giving the young demon a chance to explain. Moreover, through this conversation, they had succeeded in dispelling the shock and anger brought about by this matter.
The Shi clan leader and the Bear tribe leader glanced at each other, seeing the shock and fear in each other's eyes.
… …
… …
The Xiang clan leader's voice came from the stone hall to the observation platform.
His voice was like an ancient bell, seemingly imbued with boundless might. Even though it was not truly manifested, it still stirred up a gust of wind.
It was clearly the middle of winter, but the pear tree on the observation platform was covered in flowers.
As the wind blew, the white flowers rustled down, landing on the bamboo hat and also on his shoulders.
The young man's lips perked up into a faint smile as he took a thin book from his sleeve.
With a light flick of his finger, the book flew into the air, slowly flying into the stone hall as if pulled by an invisible thread.
After an unknown amount of time, a cry of surprise suddenly rang out in the hall.
Then, cries of surprise rose and fell, and they never stopped. Words filled with disbelief were mixed among them.
"What is this?"
"Could this be a map of the snowy plains in the land of demons?"
"Just what do the demons want to do? What does this red thread mean? Do they want to cede this territory? "
"This must be a scheme, Black Robe's scheme!"
As time passed, the cries of alarm and argument gradually faded, and the hall became quiet.
One could only faintly hear the breathing of those demi-human personages, and their breathing was clearly rather hurried.
The hall became incomparably quiet, giving off an abnormally oppressive feeling.
Perhaps it was because of nervousness, shock, or excitement.
After some time, a trembling voice spoke, "You … can represent Xuelao City?"
The young man dusted off the white flower on his shoulder and replied, "Of course."
Another voice asked, "Xuelao City … how does it prove its sincerity?"
The young man calmly replied, "This lord has personally come. Is this not sincerity?"
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