Chapter 1099: Jin Miaolin's Declaration
Chapter 1099: Jin Miaolin's Declaration
Each word he spoke was full of meaning; each word signaled a transformation for the Blue Gold Tree clan. Each word announced changes that could reshape the entire Daemon Continent.
The members of the Blue Gold Tree clan listened in rapt attention, afraid to miss even a single word.
"Skytree City will not be handed over because of our neutrality. This is a promise the Ancestral Court made to our clan. From here on, I will confer with the elders to prepare for our clan's dispatches to the main cities. At the same time, the elders will also conduct a full census of our people.
"I hereby decree: Jin Miaosen, as a direct heir of the Ancestral Tree, will be named Deputy Lord of Skytree City as of today. While I am at the Ancestral Court, she will oversee all city affairs. Before long, she will ascend to become a Great Nymph King. All clansmen who remain in Skytree City must support her just as you support me."
Tang San truly felt grateful toward Jin Miaosen. If not for her, he never would've been inspired to devise such a clever strategy to win the Battle for the Throne.
He had once told Mei Gongzi that he would send Jin Miaosen to Kali City, but that had only been a temporary measure. Now that he was formally Mei Gongzi's fiancé, there was no longer any need to send Jin Miaosen there. Their clan's foundation in Skytree City still needed someone to safeguard it, and Jin Miaosen was the ideal candidate.
"Big Brother, I don't want to be apart from you," Jin Miaosen said, her eyes red.
Tang San smiled gently. "Silly girl. You're also a direct bloodline heir of the Ancestral Tree. You should shoulder your own responsibilities. I might be strong, but I cannot be everywhere at once. But with everyone's help, our clan can truly rise and never be bullied again. You're the best person to manage Skytree City."
Tears brimmed in Jin Miaosen's eyes, but she said nothing more. She had witnessed Tang San's miracles firsthand, and he was right: She, too, was a child of the Ancestral Tree. She had her part to play.
"Now, we will begin to record the detailed status of our clansmen—numbers, cultivation, age, everything. The more detailed, the better. This will allow the Council of Elders to make the best decisions as to whom to send where.
"Finally, I have some words for you that I genuinely hope you will remember. In the days to come, I hope all of you can be like a cluster of blazing flames when united, and each one of you like a star when apart. Everywhere you go, you must bring with you the light of life, the light of the Ancestral Tree. You must shine, and you must earn the true respect of those who welcome you among them, through your own efforts. Every one of you is a branch of the great tree that is our clan, and the fruits you bear must bring honor to it."
Tang San's speech stirred the entire city. Clansmen flooded the streets, singing and dancing, expressing the boundless joy in their hearts.
Moments later, Jin Miaosen and the elders were hard at work, beginning the census.
Skytree City was the clan's foundation. It had to be carefully defended. How many and who exactly would be sent to each city had to be discussed meticulously.
Fortunately, Tang San's authority was so great that not a single elder dared to act on their own. None went to him privately to request a specific city; they all waited for his approval.
With Tang San's return, envoys from cities both near and far began pouring into Skytree City. The city was livelier than ever before.
And then… came the matter of assignments.
The census results revealed that the Blue Gold Tree clan had nearly one million members, but most of these were actually lower-tier Golden Tree clanfolk. Those with true Blue Gold Tree blood numbered fewer than twenty thousand. Even so, as expected of a first-tier bloodline, they cultivated quickly, especially under the radiance of the Ancestral Tree. Besides the forty-some elders at the tenth order and above, there were over five hundred peak ninth-order Blue Gold Tree clansmen, an impressive figure even compared to other powerful races. The remaining Blue Gold Trees were mostly at the seventh or eight order. Those below that were primarily from the Golden Tree clan.
Ultimately, after deliberation, it was decided that Tang San would be accompanied by four Nymph Kings to handle daily affairs. Jin Miaosen, as deputy city lord, would remain to oversee Skytree City.
The Grand Elder would go to Solar City, the second elder to Celestial Fox City, and the third would accompany Xu An'yu to Crystal City; these were the three eleventh-order elders. Each one would also bring two peak ninth-order clansmen with them.
The other main cities would each receive one Nymph King and two ninth-order clansmen.
The majority of the ninth-order clansmen would remain in Skytree City to cultivate. After all, the Ancestral Tree offered the best environment for evolution. The exception was the Tower of Life at the future Blue Gold Palace; due to Tang San's presence, its effect would be nearly equal to being beside the Ancestral Tree. Fifty ninth-order clansmen would accompany Tang San there to handle daily affairs alongside the four elders.
In the end, about twenty elders would leave Skytree City, while twenty would remain.
Sun City, Celestial Fox City, and Crystal City were the most prominent capitals, so having the three highest-ranking elders go there was fair—and the other envoys couldn't object.
After remaining in Skytree City for a period, the delegations escorted the designated Blue Gold Tree elders back to their respective cities.
This day was a turning point for the entire Blue Gold Tree clan. From this moment on, the glow of the Life Towers would begin to shine across the Daemon Continent, and the influence of the Blue Gold Tree clan would grow exponentially.
Xu An'yu also took his leave, personally escorting the Third Elder and two ninth-order clansmen back to Crystal City.
Skytree City returned to quiet once more. Construction of the city's own Life Tower, designed personally by Tang San, began. It would rise beside the Ancestral Tree, but it would be built shorter than the tree to symbolize respect. It was meant to serve as the tree's guardian—not that the Ancestral Tree needed anyone to guard it.
While the Life Tower was under construction, Tang San surreptitiously set up a large teleportation array. Claiming to enter closed-door cultivation, he used the array to cross the continent… from the far west all the way to the far east.
Without anyone knowing, he arrived in Golden Valley.
There, Tang San found the real Jin Miaolin beneath the Golden Tree, bathed in the valley's rich life aura.
He sat cross-legged, meditating in silence. His complexion was rosy and clearly much improved from when he had first arrived. Though the damage to his sea of consciousness still had a long way to go until it could be called "fixed," his life essence was stable and no longer in danger.
Tang San asked the Lion-Tiger clan guards who had remained there. They told him he had spent nearly all his time in meditation, rarely even moving.
They also passed on another message: After Big Cat defeated the Golden Lion clan's bitter rival in the Battle for the Throne and avenged the late Golden Lion King, the lion race had decided to recognize the Lion-Tiger clan as royalty as well. All lion demons now regarded Big Cat as king, and he was now the first Lion-Tiger King.
The tiger race hadn't joined in, as they were still under the White Tiger Demon Emperor. But this had brought the Lion-Tiger clan and lion demons closer than ever.
After the tournament, Big Cat had entered secluded cultivation, seeking to elevate himself further and find a path to Emperorhood. Though there were already many Emperors in this era, many were quite old, and under such conditions, others still had a chance to rise.