Those who accompanied Duke Huai to the grand hall were all members of the Duke Huai Palace, and although there were only a hundred of them, counting just the Monarchs alone, there were already twenty. This extravagant display of power made even the mighty Guardian Families tremble with fear. In years past, the power demonstrated by the Duke Huai Palace was enough to shock anyone, but it was only in recent months that everyone realized the power they had shown before was merely the tip of the iceberg.
Moreover, in these recent months, even more influences and powerful individuals had joined the Duke Huai Palace, so no one could truly fathom how great their power was on this day.
Following Duke Huai's ascension to Emperor Huai, the Duke Huai Palace naturally became the "Emperor's Palace," and the aura of every member of the Duke Huai Palace underwent a massive change. Hui Ran and Hui Ye, considered the most talented youths of the Illusory Demon Realm, also followed along; their gazes were as arrogant as those of lone eagles who considered themselves above all others. Because their current status was a world apart from what it had been before. From this day forward, they would be royal princes of the Illusory Demon Realm! The entire Illusory Demon Realm would come under the subordination of their clan!
Duke Huai stood before the emperor's throne, and under the gazes of the assembled Guardian Families, Duke Palaces, and heroes of the realm, he slowly sat down. Although he had foreseen a hundred years ago that this day would eventually come, at this moment, as he finally ascended to the emperor's seat, he received the attention of all those gathered and witnessed the heroes of the realm groveling at his feet. He could decide the life and death of everyone present here, and beyond this grand hall, the fate of the entire Illusory Demon Realm was firmly within his grasp… So he couldn't help but breathe a little heavily as blood coursed through his entire body.
"The era of the Demon Emperor's clan has come to an end. From this day forward, this Illusory Demon Realm shall be ruled by my Duke Huai clan!!"
Beside him, four luxuriously dressed royal maids carried a set of golden robes and a golden crown, approaching unhurriedly and taking their places at his sides. The supreme master of ceremonies of the royal family walked slowly, his head held high, as he announced in a loud voice:
"The first Demon Emperor united all under the heavens and led the Illusory Demon Realm to ten thousand years of peace and prosperity. However, a calamity descended from the heavens; the former Demon Emperor passed away, and the Little Demon Emperor and Little Demon Empress also met with calamity. Thus, the Demon Emperor's line shall henceforth be consigned to the five elements, leaving no testament, with no successor to take up the mantle, causing great sorrow throughout the realm. If the heroes of the realm remain without a leader, chaos is certain to follow. But fortunately, Duke Huai has a heart for the people, demonstrating talent as high as the heavens and as vast as the earth, possessing the ability to push mountains and surpass oceans, pacifying chaos, calming the hearts of the people, making the panic that covered the heavens vanish into thin air, convincing the people, and turning all hearts toward him. He has the disposition of a ruler and is unmatched under the heavens. For him to be the new sovereign, the four seas bow in agreement!"
"All the dukes have worked together with a singularity of purpose and unity, supporting the new sovereign together; thanks to the support and protection of all the clans, he has received the mandate of the heavens; all the officials have put their heart and soul into supporting the new ruler, upholding the Illusory Demon Realm…"
*Boom…*
The timely and drawn-out beat of a drum sounded from outside the hall; the master of ceremonies abruptly ceased his speech, and as he stepped to one side, his voice rose several octaves, "The hour has arrived! For the coronation of our new sovereign!"
The hour had come for the coronation, which would be followed by a ceremony to honor the gods and the heavens. After this process, Duke Huai would officially become the new ruler of the Illusory Demon Realm.
Duke Huai rose in a stately manner and spread both arms, receiving the sights and sounds. The maids beside him removed the embroidered robes signifying his status as a duke, draping his shoulders with the pure golden royal robes embroidered with images of the sacred and divine Golden Crow, robes that symbolized the Illusory Demon Emperor. The time had come for the coronation, which would then be followed by a ceremony to honor the gods and the heavens. After this process, Duke Huai would officially become the new ruler of the Illusory Demon Realm.
All the people gathered in the Demon Imperial Hall left their seats and knelt. "We greet Emperor Huai! May Emperor Huai live as long as the heavens and the earth, shining as brightly as the sun and the moon!"
Those privileged to be present in the Demon Imperial Hall were, without a doubt, members of the highest echelons of society in the Illusory Demon Realm. Seeing them bow their heads and swear their loyalty was akin to having the entire Illusory Demon Realm at his feet. Duke Huai, who had awaited this day for a hundred years, faintly raised his head, intoxicated by the moment, reveling in his current status as emperor! As his gaze swept calmly, he saw the only place that was discordant with the rest of the grand hall… In the entire Demon Imperial Hall, only two groups of people did not kneel. One was the Yun Family, and the other was the Mu Family.
"How dare you, Mu Feiyan and Yun Qinghong!" The furious rebuke of the master of ceremonies rang out this time toward both patriarchs of the families. "The new emperor is about to be crowned; what are you waiting for?! Kneel!"
Although this master of ceremonies also belonged to the Illusory Demon Royal Family, under normal circumstances, even if given a hundred times more courage, he still wouldn't dare raise his voice against Yun Qinghong or Mu Feiyan. But today, the circumstances were entirely different from before… The Yun Family and Mu Family had always been in complicated situations with the Duke Huai Palace, and in the months following the burial of the Little Demon Empress, the Yun Family and Mu Family had "slandered" Duke Huai by claiming he had killed the Little Demon Empress. And today, even a fool would understand that after Duke Huai's ascension, he would definitely no longer tolerate the two families. Moreover, given Duke Huai's current power, how could the Yun Family and Mu Family hope to be his enemies? So this master of ceremonies shouted with one hundred percent confidence. In fact, he was extremely afraid that he had shouted too softly and failed to satisfy Duke Huai with his weak aura.
The atmosphere froze rapidly as all eyes immediately turned to the seats of the Yun Family and Mu Family. The Under Heaven Family, Su Family, and Yan Family grew anxious, secretly gasping in their hearts.
"Why should I kneel?!" Yun Qinghong leaped from his seat, his voice like a thunderclap exploding in everyone's ears, causing great fear. And how could an inferior master of ceremonies withstand Yun Qinghong's aura as it erupted from him? His entire body trembled, and he involuntarily took a step back. His lips quivered uncontrollably, but not a single word came from his mouth.
"Yun Qinghong!" Helian Kuang roared loudly, pointing at Yun Qinghong, his expression filled with fury, while his pupils brimmed with mockery and cold laughter. "The new emperor is about to be crowned, yet you perform such actions that clearly despise our new emperor… Does this mean you intend to rebel?!"
"Rebel?" Yun Qinghong gave a laugh. "To think that you still have the face to say such things in this Demon Imperial Hall, before all the heroes of the realm! Rebel… Just who is truly rebelling?!"
"Of course, it's you who's rebelling!" Jiufang Kui roared as he stood and pointed accusingly at Yun Qinghong. After the burial of the Little Demon Empress and Duke Huai's ascension, the world would belong to Emperor Huai from now on. So now was naturally the time to kick a man when he was down while simultaneously expressing loyalty to Emperor Huai. "Yun Qinghong, as the Patriarch of the Yun Family of the Guardian Families, your sacred duty is to protect the Illusory Demon Emperor! But on the day the new emperor is about to ascend the throne, in this grand hall, you actually…"
"Shut up!" Before Jiufang Kui could finish speaking, he was furiously interrupted by Yun Qinghong. "I, Yun Qinghong, am not someone a shameless traitor like you can reprimand! My Yun Family followed the first Demon Emperor from the beginning and unified the Illusory Demon Realm alongside him. If the first Demon Emperor didn't exist, there would be no Yun Family that prospered for ten thousand years! My Yun Family, from start to finish, treated protecting the Demon Emperor's clan as our duty, and we also treated it as our glory! And during these ten thousand years, we never showed the slightest moment of disloyalty! Hmph… what does this Duke Huai amount to?! What qualifications does he have to demand the loyal protection of my Yun Family?! You are all fellow Guardian Families, yet you've elevated this bandit who murdered the Little Demon Empress to the highest seat of power… You've simply made all your blessed ancestors and forebears in the afterlife utterly ashamed!!"
"Yun Qinghong! How dare you!!" Duke Zhong leaped from his seat, his face twisted in grief and indignation, his entire body trembling. "After the Little Demon Empress met with calamity, you continuously slandered our new emperor by claiming he murdered the Little Demon Empress! But the Little Demon Empress clearly met misfortune in the Golden Crow Lightning Flame Valley; all her most loyal maids said she went there as she always did to check on the place and was caught in a spatial turbulence that appeared and was thrown into the Golden Crow's lands. The new emperor was clearly in the Demon Imperial City. That was a fact witnessed by countless people! Your slander contradicts itself and is laughable to the extreme!"
"The new emperor has been extremely magnanimous; he chose not to engage in a dispute with you and even wanted to cover up how the shameless slander of your Yun Family took root in the Demon Imperial City! Yet you, Yun Qinghong, fail to recognize this great kindness shown to you and remain stubborn and obstinate, not knowing what's good for you! And during this sacred and solemn Divine Imperial Ascension Ceremony, not only did you hurl abuses at the new emperor, you actually dared to spit such laughable and unbelievable accusations in front of all those present! This is not only the great crime of rebelling against the sovereign, but it's also clear that you're despising the rest of us!"
As Duke Zhong continued speaking, he became so furious that his face turned deathly pale. He clasped his fists toward Duke Huai and said, "Emperor Huai, you have been extremely lenient toward the Yun Family, but without reciprocation, as there are still those who would take advantage of your kindness! As your subordinate, this humble duke cannot bear to witness this any longer! Emperor Huai, please give the orders so we may apprehend this conspirator!"
Instead, Duke Huai slowly raised his hand and shook his head. He gave a short sigh and displayed a rather helpless look on his face: "Patriarch Yun, you have many prejudices and misunderstandings against this emperor, and this emperor is well aware of it. You also slandered this emperor with the crime of murdering the Little Demon Empress, and that is the greatest joke in the world by itself. I don't mind. But today is the day of this emperor's ascension, and normally, I should be granting a general amnesty for all under heaven, not being so easily angered. I, of course, did not want to argue with you. But after this emperor finishes honoring the heavens and the gods and is officially declared emperor, if you dare say such offensive things again… Even if you are the Patriarch of the Yun Family, covered in achievements and glories and the son of Demon King Yun Canghai, this emperor will definitely not let you off lightly!!"
Yun Qinghong refused to kneel, hurled insults at the new emperor, and even "slandered" him as the person who murdered the Little Demon Empress… Each offense was enough to have a person executed. Yet Duke Huai dealt with it with extreme magnanimity and generosity. This, of course, was not because he was truly magnanimous, nor was it because he didn't want to kill Yun Qinghong and the entire Yun Family. But the Yun Family had just restored their reputation three months ago, due to the patriarch recovering from his injuries, and they had also won the hearts of the people at that event. Not only that, but the Yun Family's reputation was now flourishing in the Illusory Demon Realm. He had just ascended to the throne, so before he had fully stabilized his power, it would be extremely unwise to take any overt actions against the Yun Family, even if the Yun Family took the initiative to be offensive.
Moreover, his current actions would prominently showcase his magnanimous conduct while also "exposing" the Yun Family as shameless and disloyal rebels.
But how could Yun Qinghong fall for it? He gave a long laugh and suddenly leaped into the air, landing in the middle of the grand hall. A purple light flickered in his hand, and a seven-foot-long sword appeared in his grip as he pointed it directly at Duke Huai. "We don't need to wait until that day. The purpose for which I, Yun Qinghong, came here today is to baptize this Demon Imperial Hall in blood!"
Yun Qinghong's actions drained the color from everyone's faces, as the entire Demon Imperial Hall immediately descended into a state of panic. With Duke Huai among them, no one even dreamed that the ever-calm, supremely wise, and insightful Yun Qinghong would actually do such a thing. Helian Kuang and his lackeys roared in unison, "Yun Qinghong! You… What are you planning to do?!!"
"Patriarch Yun, don't be impulsive!!" Su Xiangnan and Yan Zijing shouted in agitation. Su Xiangnan quickly sent a profound energy sound transmission to Yun Qinghong, advising him persistently, "Patriarch Yun! Sheathe your sword! Even if the Little Demon Empress and your son were truly harmed by Duke Huai… you must preserve your life to witness the day of your revenge! This kind of reckless action… is not something you, Yun Qinghong, should do!!"
Yun Qinghong ignored Su Xiangnan's sound transmission and showed no reaction. Beside him, Mu Yurou had already risen to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him, as a chilling aura surged around her entire body. The coldness in her gaze was even more piercing and chilling, her voice filled with the deepest and most resentful hatred she had ever experienced in her life, "Duke Huai! It was you who murdered my son… Even if my husband and I lose our lives today, we will still take your blood in retribution!!"
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