manynovel Chapter 53, Yan Ruyu and the Holy Maiden of Yaochi [Please continue reading!]
Chapter 53, Yan Ruyu and the Holy Maiden of Yaochi [Please continue reading!]
The Queen Mother of the West recited the sacrificial text herself.
With each verse she recited, a layer of the array patterns on the sacrificial altar lit up.
The nine-tiered jade staircase glowed with light, rising from the bottom all the way to the foot of the Western Emperor statue.
"Now there is a pre-heavenly Dao embryo named Su Ye, with exceptional talent and unwavering will, who is destined for the Jade Pool..."
"...He was specially designated as a holy son!"
As the last sentence faded, the bell tolled again.
The Holy Maiden of Yaochi stepped forward, holding a token.
The token is entirely celestial green, cast from divine jade from the Nine Heavens. The front is engraved with the words "Jade Pool," and the back is marked with a celestial light.
She presented the token to Su Ye with both hands, bowed slightly, and said in a clear, spring-like voice, "Please accept the token, Holy Son."
Su Ye accepted it with both hands.
The token felt slightly cool to the touch.
The moment the celestial light touched his fingertips, it resonated with the divine power within him.
This mark is no ordinary object; it is a wisp of imperial might that split off from the Green Gold Pagoda, the Immortal Tear of the Imperial Weapon.
Those who possess this order can mobilize some of the outer sect's forces in Yaochi, and can even draw upon a trace of the Emperor's weapon for protection in times of crisis.
"Thank you, Holy Maiden," Su Ye said softly.
The Holy Maiden of Yaochi smiled slightly and returned to her original position.
At this moment, the Queen Mother of the West formed a mudra with her hands.
The void in front of her distorted slightly, and a pillar of light shot into the sky from the depths of the holy land.
Within the pillar of light, a verdant tower shadow slowly solidified—the Immortal Tear Green Gold Tower!
Imperial Weapon!
Although it was just a phantom, the moment the imperial might descended, everyone on the sacrificial altar held their breath for a split second.
The Purple Mansion Elder's expression changed drastically, and the smile on the Yao Guang Elder's face completely vanished.
An uproar erupted among the scattered cultivators on the outskirts.
A beam of immortal light emanated from the illusory image of the imperial weapon, enveloping Su Ye within it.
Imperial weapons are recognized.
This wasn't just for show; it was a genuine infusion of the aura of an imperial weapon.
This means that the deities of the Celestial Tears Green Gold Pagoda acknowledged the existence of this holy son.
Zixia's pupils contracted slightly.
Because she possessed an innate Dao embryo, she could sense the purity of the Great Dao Laws contained within that celestial light better than anyone else present.
The celestial light gradually faded.
The five Dao Palace deities within Su Ye's body activated simultaneously!
The perfect foundation of the Five Elements was stimulated by the aura of the Imperial Weapon, automatically triggering extraordinary phenomena in the heavens and earth.
Five-colored auspicious clouds appeared above the altar of Heaven. The five colors—red, blue, yellow, white, and black—were distinct and corresponded to the five elements.
The faint sounds of the Great Dao could be heard from the clouds, seemingly there and yet not there, as if someone were chanting scriptures in a very distant place.
Within the sacred land of Yaochi, spiritual energy surges and a hundred flowers bloom.
A hint of relief flashed in the eyes of the Queen Mother of the West.
She knew Su Ye had a solid foundation, but she didn't expect it to be so solid that it could trigger the Five Elements Phenomenon on its own under the aura of an Emperor Weapon.
With her keen eyesight, this was clearly the nascent form of the innate Dao embryo before its physical constitution was fully formed!
It is likely that when it advances to the Four Extremes, it will be able to unleash its endless brilliance.
Suppressing her inner turmoil, she declared loudly, "From this day forward, Su Ye is the Holy Son of Yaochi! All Yaochi disciples must show him utmost respect!"
Su Ye stepped forward.
He faced the statue of the Western Emperor, the crowd at Yaochi, and the various forces surrounding him below the stage.
"Disciple Su Ye, now that I have entered Yaochi, I shall carry on the legacy of the Western Emperor and live up to the trust placed in this sacred land!"
The disciples of Yaochi below the stage bowed in unison, saying, "Greetings, Holy Son!"
The sounds were uniform and echoed among the mountain peaks.
The elder of Zifu was the first to stand up and cup his hands in greeting: "Congratulations to Yaochi, congratulations to the Holy Son."
His words were polite, but his eyes betrayed a complex mix of emotions.
Elder Yaoguang immediately stood up, his tone enthusiastic, and said with a smile, "With this extraordinary talent, Yaochi will surely flourish greatly in the future!"
What he was thinking about was how to report back to the Holy Lord Yaoguang after he returned.
The Emperor's weapon personally manifested and witnessed the extraordinary phenomena of the Five Elements in the innate Dao embryo, which cannot be explained by "having a little talent".
Jiang Yifei stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and nodded slightly.
Jiang Caixuan also stood up, but her gaze towards Su Ye was filled with more curiosity.
Ji Haoyue stared at Su Ye, the smile on her lips deepening even further than before.
The Golden-Winged Roc King sneered from his seat among the demons: "Pretending."
The Peacock King glanced back at him indifferently, and only then did he reluctantly shut his mouth.
Yan Ruyu sat quietly amidst the noisy crowd.
The faint trace of imperial blood within her body twitched slightly when the imperial weapon manifested.
She knew that it was the faint resonance emanating from the Demon Emperor's Sacred Heart within Su Ye's body.
"Your Highness?"
Qin Yao noticed her unusual behavior and called out softly.
"It's nothing," Yan Ruyu said softly, then looked away.
After the coronation ceremony, a banquet was held in the Fairy Banquet Hall at Yaochi.
The table was filled with spiritual fruits and celestial wine.
Disciples of Yaochi, dressed in white, moved about the hall, serving wine to the guests.
A musician played the zither behind a gauze curtain, the music clear and ethereal. Several female disciples danced a fairy dance in the center of the hall, their robes fluttering, like startled swans.
The elders from various families exchanged pleasantries at the main table, talking about nothing more than trivial formalities.
The young disciples sat at the lower level, each sizing up the geniuses from other families.
Not long after the banquet began, Elder Xianyi of the Yaoguang Holy Land stood up with a wine cup in his hand.
"I have long heard of the Holy Son's unparalleled talent, and seeing him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved."
With a broad smile, he raised his glass and walked to Su Ye's desk.
"If I may be so bold as to ask, since both the Holy Son and the Holy Daughter of the Purple Mansion are innate Dao embryos, I wonder which one is stronger?"
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Zixia was drinking tea with her head down when she heard this and paused.
Su Ye picked up his cup and stood up, his voice calm: "Although the Dao embryos are the same, the Daos are different."
"The Holy Maiden of the Purple Mansion is renowned throughout the Eastern Wilderness, and I, Su, admire her greatly."
"The path of spiritual cultivation is long; why rush to achieve victory or defeat in the short term?"
Elder Yaoguang was about to continue the conversation, since he had come to sow discord and whether Su Ye yielded or acted tough, he would have something to say.
But before he could open his mouth, a cold female voice rang out from behind Su Ye.
"Is Elder Yaoguang here today to offer congratulations, or to stir up trouble?"
Yao Jin's eyes immediately turned cold.
The overwhelming pressure from the powerful being on the second level of Sendai swept over, and Elder Yaoguang's smile instantly froze on his face.
The Queen Mother of the West raised her wine cup at the opportune moment and said with a smile, "Today is a joyous day; let us discuss the Way, not contend."
"Gentlemen, you have come from afar, please enjoy yourselves."
One word silenced all the undercurrents.
Elder Yaoguang awkwardly retreated to his seat, but the smile on his face could no longer be maintained.
The Yao Guang disciples behind him lowered their heads and dared not utter another sound.
Halfway through the banquet, Jiang Yifei came over with a cup of spirit wine.
"We hope Your Majesty will forgive any past misunderstandings. The Jiang family is willing to stand united with Yaochi!"
Su Ye picked up her wine glass and gently touched his glass to hers, neither agreeing nor refusing.
Jiang Yifei stopped there and got up to leave.
Ji Haoyue watched Jiang Yifei's scene and chuckled to herself.
This member of the Jiang family quickly dropped his airs.
He had intended to go up and say a few words to the newly crowned Holy Son, but unexpectedly, someone stood up before him.
A figure in cyan rose from the demon race's seats and walked straight towards the main seat.
Yan Ruyu stopped in front of Su Ye's desk.
With a hint of something enigmatic in her voice, she said, "It's been a long time since we've seen our Holy Son..."
"How have you been lately?"
Su Ye coughed lightly and said, "Your Highness is joking."
"I, Su, became the Holy Son of Yaochi by accident due to certain reasons."
"An accident?" Yan Ruyu's lips curved slightly, it was unclear whether she believed it or not.
Su Ye seemed to have thought of something and asked, "Your Highness, after I left, did any arrogant cultivators from the Four Extremes Sect come looking for you?"
As he said this, Su Ye glanced at Ji Haoyue in the distance.
Yan Ruyu was puzzled: "What Four Extremes Cultivator?"
Seeing her puzzled expression, Su Ye knew that the world would be missing a famous scene of "the Four Great Emperors trying to seize the Azure Emperor's weapon".
Although Yan Ruyu possessed the Azure Emperor Weapon, her cultivation at the Four Extremes level was insufficient to unleash even a fraction of its power.
After Su Ye left, Yan Ruyu finally decided to seek the protection of the Peacock King, a powerful demon clan figure, who was better suited to her relationship and reputation.
As a result, the glorious moment when the brother-in-law achieved divine body perfection, wanted to test his sword against the world, and attempted to "borrow" the Azure Emperor's weapon was naturally lost.
At this moment, the voice of the Holy Maiden of Yaochi came from the side.
"Is this His Highness Yan Ruyu, a descendant of the Azure Emperor?"
She had stood up at some point, and her eyes behind the veil held a smile.
"I have long heard of Your Highness's unparalleled elegance, and seeing you today, I can confirm that your reputation is well-deserved."
Yan Ruyu glanced at her, nodded slightly, and said, "You flatter me, Holy Maiden."
"The Holy Son of Yaochi..."
She looked at Su Ye, her tone carrying a hint of something unreadable: "I hope the Holy Maiden will take good care of me!"
The Holy Maiden of Yaochi smiled gently, her eyes crinkling slightly. "Princess, rest assured, the Holy Son is a member of Yaochi; we will naturally take care of him!"
Between those two sentences, a subtle, inexplicable feeling suddenly filled the air.
Just as Su Ye and Yan Ruyu were talking, someone couldn't sit still anymore.
Standing behind the demon race's seats, the Golden-Winged Roc King clenched his fists ever since he saw Yan Ruyu stand up.
He had never seen Yan Ruyu speak to a man in such a tone, let alone with that faint smile.
What angered him even more was that the princess, who usually treated him coldly, looked at this human cultivator with an unusual tenderness in her eyes.
What makes a human at the fifth level of the Dao Palace realm so special?!
He strode forward.
"The Holy Son of Yaochi!"
The sound startled everyone, drawing their attention to him.
The musician stopped playing, the dancer stopped dancing, and even the elders who were exchanging pleasantries at the main table put down their wine glasses.
The Golden-Winged Roc King stared intently at Su Ye and said, "I've heard that the Holy Son of Yaochi possesses unparalleled combat prowess. Now that I've met him, I must ask for his guidance!"
Qin Yao stood up, her eyebrows furrowed: "Little Peng King! How dare you be so insolent at the Yaochi Banquet!"
"presumptuous?"
The Golden-Winged Roc King glared at her and scolded, "Qin Yao, don't think that just because you're His Highness's personal maid I won't dare to touch you."
"I simply wish to spar with the Holy Son of Yaochi today, what's wrong with that?"
"You, a mere cultivator at the second level of the Fourth Realm, dare to challenge someone from a Dao Palace? You have no shame!"
Qin Yao's voice was clear and crisp, and although she didn't use a single dirty word, every word she spoke was piercing to the heart.
Many of the Yaochi disciples present already showed signs of displeasure.
Although the Golden-Winged Roc King was the grandson of the old Roc King and came with the Peacock King, such a clamor against a newly promoted holy son in the Yaochi arena would lead people to believe that Yaochi had no one left to rely on.
The Golden-Winged Roc King was embarrassed when the difference in their cultivation levels was exposed to his face. If it weren't for Princess Yan Ruyu's sake, he would have already slapped her.
The Golden-Winged Roc King, who considered himself a descendant of the Heavenly Roc, couldn't stand being teased by a mere maid. Enraged, he retorted, "Then I'll seal my cultivation level and suppress it to the Dao Palace!"
Qin Yao sneered, "Self-proclaimed?"
At this moment, Su Ye's cold voice came, interrupting the argument between the two.
"The Dao Palace and the Four Extremes are no different to me..."
The entire hall fell silent!