Son-in-law Heaven Emperor Xiao Yi

"How, how could this happen?"

Yang Kun sat on the ground with a butt drop, his face a mix of dejection and disbelief.

He had prepared for this moment for far too long!

And he had gone to extreme lengths.

He had even begged Xiao Tianjiao for this Silver-Winged Sword Dragon, all so he could stand out during the ancestral ceremony and thus defeat Yang Ling to capture the position of Crown Prince.

But now...

From the initial struggle for the first offering to the current literary tribute.

He had been at a disadvantage all along!

The reason for all this was the man standing on the altar before him, with one hand behind his back and the other holding the sacrificial scepter, looking down on him with a commanding presence; it was Xiao Yi. This youth who had never been taken seriously by him had now become the biggest obstacle on his path to the Crown Prince's position.

The ice-blue glow emanated from the Ice Phoenix's body, with three tufts of silver feathers between its brows, standing quietly beside Xiao Yi.

The towering Ice Phoenix emitted the aura of a seventh-rank Beast King, which made one unable to resist the urge to admire and worship.

Xiao Yi stood beside the Ice Phoenix, the corners of his mouth slightly raised as he looked toward Xiao Zhengde, whose face was equally pale, "Head of the Xiao Family, which do you think is more precious, a seventh-rank Beast King or that Silver-Winged Sword Dragon?"

Although the Silver-Winged Sword Dragon was enhanced by the renown of Xiao Tianjiao, none of the beasts of its rank could compare.

But...

This is a seventh-rank Beast King!

Since the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty, no one had ever been willing to use a seventh-rank Beast King as an offering. One must know that after participating in the sacrifice, these beasts would ultimately be taken away by the royal family.

Who would willingly hand over a combat force on par with the Nirvana Realm to the royal family for nothing?

"You..."

Xiao Zhengde's complexion turned from green to white as if he had just been viciously slapped dozens of times.

Previously, in the Combat Pavilion, after being humiliated by Xiao Yi, Xiao Zhengde had been waiting for this opportunity to avenge his embarrassment.

He had hoped to publicly crush this son, who he had never taken seriously, beneath his feet in front of everyone.

But now...

He had been humiliated by Xiao Yi once again.

And.

This time was different from the Combat Pavilion.

In the Combat Pavilion, not many saw what happened, but this time, he was openly humiliated. His peripheral vision swept over the crowd, noting that everyone looked at him with mockery and schadenfreude.

Those peculiar gazes gave him a feeling of being stabbed in the back.

"Xiao Zhengde truly misjudged, to think he treated such a genius like trash?"

"If I had a son like this, I would've worshiped him like an ancestor long ago..."

"I bet Xiao Zhengde is full of regret now!"

The jeering voices, mixed with those peculiar gazes, almost caused Xiao Zhengde to cough up a mouthful of blood in rage.

His face turned from green to white as he gnashed his teeth and said, "This is impossible... even the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect doesn't have a way for sixth-rank beasts to advance to the seventh rank. How could you possibly do it? You must have used some trickery..."

"Exactly, it must be a trick!" Yang Kun shouted as if clutching at a life-saving straw, his eyes shining with rage.

The Huihai Sword Master with his arms crossed, turned to face the expert from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, "Vice Sect Leader Shen, what's your view on this?"

The Ten Thousand Beasts Sect had also sent a Vice Sect Leader level expert, who happened to be Shen Mo's master, Shen Yan. Shen Yan had witnessed Xiao Yi transform the Ice Phoenix into a seventh-rank Beast King with his own eyes and was still in shock, not having recovered from the surprise.

Caught off guard by the Huihai Sword Master's question, Shen Yan was startled and subconsciously said, "It's simply not possible for humans to elevate a high-level sixth-rank Beast King to a seventh-rank Beast King..."

"Xiao Yi, did you hear that? Even Vice Sect Leader Shen thinks it's not something that can be done by human means, it must be some deception you're using to fool us…"

Yang Kun, as if he had latched on to a lifeline, stared intently at Xiao Yi, growling viciously, "How dare you, Xiao Yi, use trickery to deceive His Majesty and the ancestors of the Great Qian Dynasty, you should be punished with death. Guards…"

However.

Before he could finish speaking.

Shen Yan, trembling, stepped forward with hands raised in a respectful salute towards Xiao Yi, and asked anxiously, "Headmaster Xiao, my Ten Thousand Beasts Sect has spent a thousand years, and the efforts of more than a dozen generations, yet has never figured out how to turn all Beast Kings into Beast Kings. May I ask if Headmaster Xiao would be willing to visit our Ten Thousand Beasts Sect in the future to share some insights?"

Thwap!

The fierce look on Yang Kun's face abruptly ceased.

He stood as if frozen in place, utterly stupefied.

His face seemed to be slapped by a series of slaps, each making a crisp sound, burning his cheeks with stinging pain.

Gurgle!

Yang Kun swallowed hard, his disbelief clear as he looked at Shen Yan, "Vice Sect Leader Shen, you… you said it wasn't possible for humans, didn't you?"

Shen Yan looked back at him, matter-of-factly stating, "Of course, it isn't something that humans can do; it's a miracle, l a miracle that only a divine being like Headmaster Xiao could create!"

Yang Kun's face twitched: "…"

Huihai Sword Master: "…"

Xiao Zhengde: "…"

Several people looked at each other, wishing they could dig a hole and bury themselves inside.

Damn it!

Turns out they were actually praising Xiao Yi!

And to think they had used just half of the sentence to ridicule Xiao Yi.

For a moment,

they felt as if their faces had been swollen from a forceful slap!

At the same time, a sense of defeat and helplessness also eroded their spirits.

If it weren't for Shen Yan's words, they could have insisted that Xiao Yi used a blinding spell, or that he used some special elixir to momentarily boost the Ice Phoenix to the rank of a seventh-stage Beast King.

But now even the Vice Sect Leader of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect had confirmed that Xiao Yi truly elevated the Ice Phoenix to the rank of a seventh-stage Beast King.

This was a firmly established fact.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a miracle.

Any attempt to use this as a pretext to attack Xiao Yi had become futile.

The three of them exchanged looks, filled with resentment and indignation, yet powerless to do anything about it. Yang Kun clenched his teeth, only to suddenly hear Jin Feiyan's voice: "Senior brother, did someone just say that if our master could make the Ice Phoenix a seventh-stage Beast King, they'd twist their head off to serve as a night pot for our master?"

Ye Heng called out loudly, "It seems there was such a matter, but it's unclear if that person's words were trustworthy!"

All eyes fell on Yang Kun.

"God damn..."

Yang Kun's face turned green, and he tried to look nonchalant.

Jin Feiyan, seeing Yang Kun lose face, put on a brilliant smile and deliberately asked, "Your Highness Yang Kun, do you remember who said those words just now?"

Yang Kun's mouth twitched: "..."

While he was in a state of extreme embarrassment, Emperor Qian let out a light cough and said indifferently, "Time is getting on. Let's invite the ancestral spirits, so the ancestors can select the winner of this literary tribute!"

Xiao Yi looked impassively at Emperor Qian.

So this old fellow protects his own like this!

But I won't let you get your way!

Xiao Yi said indifferently, "Yang Kun, since you dared to make a bet during the ancestral tribute ceremony, you must follow through to the end. We can forgo using a severed head as a night pot, but kneeling and kowtowing cannot be exempted. Kneel down!"

"Xiao Yi!"

Emperor Qian snorted coldly, staring daggers at Xiao Yi.

Xiao Yi said indifferently, "As the chief officiant, my word is divine command during the ceremony. If Your Majesty feels I'm unsuitable to be the chief officiant, feel free to replace me now!"

Hisss!

Everyone couldn't help but gasp in shock.

Xiao Yi dared to confront Emperor Qian head-on, displaying such a forceful stance that it was hard not to take notice.

Emperor Qian's eyes narrowed as he conveyed a dangerous glint, but to replace the chief officiant on the spot would go against the ancestral teachings, which was clearly impossible, so he could only close his eyes and remain silent.

Xiao Yi sneered as he looked towards Yang Kun: "Kneel down, kowtow!"

"Kneel down, kowtow!"

"Kneel down!"

"Kowtow..."

Disciples of the Xiaoshanhe Institute, such as Ye Heng, Jin Feiyan, and Ruan Yunyi, began to chant in unison.

Their cries were thunderous.

Yang Kun's face turned alternately pale and flushed. He truly did not wish to kneel, but seeing that Emperor Qian had closed his eyes, apparently unwilling to intervene any further, clenched his teeth. Pretending not to hear, he saw Xiao Yi say indifferently, "What now? Are you continuing to stall? If you delay the auspicious time for the tribute, can you bear the responsibility?"

"You..."

Yang Kun's face was as black as coal, on the verge of spewing a mouthful of old blood. Struggling for a moment, he could only close his eyes and with a thump knelt to the ground, giving three loud kowtows towards Xiao Yi and growled fiercely, "Happy now?"

"A teachable lad indeed!"

Xiao Yi responded lightly, no longer paying attention to Yang Kun's murderous gaze, and slowly raised the ceremonial staff in his hand, announcing loudly, "I invite the heroic spirits of heaven to select the best offering!"

Boom!

The ceremonial staff in his hand suddenly burst with a burst of golden light, forming a golden orb in the air, then shot out, beams of golden light heading towards the pillars at the four corners of the altar.

The golden light entered the pillars, mysterious runes wriggling and consolidating on them.

Finally, nine beams of light shot straight into the sky.

Above the altar, they formed a huge golden orb, like two golden suns straddling the firmament.

Whish!

A beam of light fell from within the golden orb and hit the center of the altar.

All eyes were fixed on the altar, and where this beam of light finally fell would be the best offering of the literary tribute…