Chapter 1089: The First Crown Princess
Chapter 1089: The First Crown Princess
Only now did the blood-red glow around Mei Gongzi's body fully dissipate. The veil on her face had already been burned away when she ignited her life essence to empower the Asura Sword, and her peerless beauty was now uncovered for everyone to see.
She bowed respectfully to the two Emperors in the sky, then directly flew back to her seat, not sparing a glance to Tang San.
Tang San felt bitter. According to his original plan, he was supposed to defeat Mei Gongzi and win the championship. Then, relying on the privilege of choosing first in the matchmaking tournament as the champion, he would directly choose Mei Gongzi. That way, even if she didn't know his true identity, she would have no choice, and no clues would be revealed to the Emperors. Once they returned, he could reveal himself to her, and everything would naturally be resolved.
But now Mei Gongzi had won. The right of first choice belonged to her, and that was troublesome. If she chose not to pick anyone, it might be allowed, but it would certainly draw disapproval from the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor and other Emperors who doubted her loyalty. This would inevitably cause problems down the line. The entire matchmaking tournament would have been for nothing. Moreover, she was the reason the tournament was even held, so the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor might very well demand she make a choice on the spot.
Even someone as astute as Tang San felt unsure of what to do. He had planned everything carefully, and the whole tournament had proceeded according to his strategy… only to be tripped up at the very end by his beloved wife.
Now, he had no choice but to fly back to his throne and think of contingencies.
The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor and the other Emperors had already left their pavilions. With a smiling face, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor announced, "The Battle for the Throne has officially concluded. I hereby declare that Mei Gongzi, Lord of Kali City, has won the final championship and earned the highest priority for support in ascending to Emperorhood from the Ancestral Court. Jin Miaolin of the Blue Gold Tree clan takes second priority, and Xu An'yu of the Radiant Dragon clan the third. Jiang Chenchou of the Scorching Sunflower clan, Lan Moqian of the Behemoth clan, and Ning Chen'en of the Golden Mammoth clan are designated as alternate candidates. Xu An'yu has reported to the Ancestral Court that he will enter temporary seclusion. As for the remaining Crown Princes and alternates, please ascend Council Mountain."
Xu An'yu had told Tang San that he would enter closed-door cultivation immediately, and it seemed that he was being very serious about it. The holy energy Tang San had granted to the Light Sprite was extremely important to him; if he managed to reproduce it, that would prove monumental for his path to becoming an Emperor. Thus, he had promptly reported his seclusion and given up the opportunity to choose a mate through the tournament.
Tang San glanced at Mei Gongzi, but she had already taken to the air, flying toward Council Mountain. He could only hurry to follow.
Jiang Chenchou, Ning Chen'en, and Lan Moqian also flew up from the spectator stands toward Council Mountain.
Although the three of them had not become Crown Princes, if Tang San, Mei Gongzi, or Xu An'yu failed to ascend or met with an accident in the future, they could step in as replacements. This was precisely why six contestants had been admitted to the final stage.
Flying to the mountainside of Council Mountain and standing before the gathered Emperors, looking down at the arena and Ancestral Court, they all felt a sense of overlooking the world.
All spectators had now risen to their feet.
The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor smiled and said, "Congratulations to all of you, and especially to the two new Crown Princes. I look forward to welcoming you into our ranks in the near future."
With the status they had and the power they had shown, even the Emperors present could no longer maintain the same aloofness before Tang San and Mei Gongzi. The talent they had displayed in this Battle for the Throne marked them as future legends. Everyone understood that once they ascended to Emperorhood, they would not be ordinary Emperors; those lower in ranking would naturally be surpassed.
The Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor stood somewhat at a distance, struggling to stop himself from crying. He had once believed that becoming an Emperor was the proudest achievement of his life, and also his greatest regret. He never imagined his own daughter would also attain such an exalted status and walk a smooth path to becoming an Emperor. And she was still so young! Surely, she would reach the pinnacle of Emperorhood and far surpass his achievements, and maybe even the achievements of his grand-uncle! At this moment, his heart was overwhelmed with emotion.
While the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor didn't dare show his feelings, the White Tiger Demon Emperor had no such restraints. He strode up, laughing heartily, and gave his granddaughter a big hug.
"My dear little girl, well done! As expected of my granddaughter! Congratulations on becoming the final champion. Your grandpa expects you to become the strongest Emperor in the world someday!"
The other Emperors smiled helplessly. It sure sounded like flowery words of encouragement from grandfather to granddaughter, but… After witnessing Mei Gongzi's terrifying burst of blood-red flames from the Asura Sword, who could say she couldn't reach that goal? The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor felt that this strike could even threaten his life! He had little combat power, so when facing an enemy, he relied on interfering with the opponent's fortune to evade attacks and cause their own power to backfire. But when the Asura Sword released its divine aura, he sensed a power that even his fortune manipulation couldn't touch. Thus, even now, his gaze toward Mei Gongzi had become noticeably more cordial.
"White Tiger, quit showing off," the Undying Demon Emperor grumbled, thinking, She's my granddaughter too! He was already thinking of giving the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor a good scolding afterward; if not for that fool abandoning his wife and child, this girl could have rightfully carried the phoenix banner instead of the peacock one. But either way, the phoenix race would soon have three Emperors; that was a matter of course. As the champion of the Battle for the Throne, Mei Gongzi's ascension was all but assured.
One by one, the Emperors stepped forward to congratulate her, and Mei Gongzi responded to each with polite courtesy.
The Sunborne Nymph Emperor walked over to Tang San, glared at him, and sent him a divine consciousness message. "You! What am I supposed to say to you? Are you ready to pick someone? Didn't Jiang Chenchou talk to you already?"
Tang San wore a bitter expression. Having lost the right of first choice, he was a bundle of nerves. The Sunborne Nymph Emperor was speaking to him now, but without the ability to choose Mei Gongzi, things were incredibly tricky.
"Sunborne, you're not allowed to show favoritism," a cold voice cut in. The Earthshade Nymph Emperor walked over, linked arms with the Sunborne Nymph Emperor, and promptly dragged him away.
Naturally, the other Emperors observed this interaction. More than one cast a smile in Tang San's direction.
Even though he had not won the championship, in the eyes of the Emperors, he was in fact much more important than Mei Gongzi.
The Blue Gold Tree clan was on the verge of becoming a neutral clan with an exalted status. Combined with the extraordinary talent Tang San had displayed—being the Ancestral Tree's direct descendant, inheriting the Crystal Demon Emperor's replication ability, commanding a powerful Scourge Dragon, and having grasped holy energy and a mysterious life-destruction combination—he was already demonstrating the makings of a future master of the Ancestral Court.
His control over the power of life was nearly on par with the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's control over fortune, and his personal combat prowess far exceeded the latter's. More importantly, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor was already past a thousand years of age, an unusually long lifespan for a Celestial Fox. Once he passed, who would be most suited to lead the Ancestral Court? Demons had held this position for many years, but nymphs had always yearned for it. If Tang San became powerful enough, all Nymph Emperors would surely support him in seizing that seat.
This was one of the key reasons the Sunborne Nymph Emperor had sent Jiang Chenchou to approach him. Whoever could marry into his family would enjoy tremendous benefits in the future, both for her personally and for her clan.
With both the Sunborne and Earthshade Nymph Emperors standing by his side, the other Emperors were unable to make any further moves. Still, the looks in their eyes toward Tang San were full of intense desire. After all, who wouldn't want a piece of such a hot commodity?