Chapter 1147: After the Wedding |
With the conclusion of the two Crown Princes' wedding, the Ancestral Court returned to its usual calm. The ceremony had served as a public declaration to the entire continent that these two future Emperors would be the Ancestral Court's pillars in the years to come—of course, assuming they successfully passed their tribulations to become Emperors.
On the second day after the wedding, Tang San and Mei Gongzi reported to the Ancestral Court that they would continue working on the Tower of Life to provide the Court with even greater life energy. Once construction was complete, they would enter seclusion to prepare for their ascension.
Naturally, the Ancestral Court gave its full approval, promising resources without reservation.
Tang San and Mei Gongzi began their seclusion in the Blue Gold Palace.
It wasn't until the seventh day after their wedding that the Ancestral Court began receiving strange reports from across the continent: Humans living in various regions had mysteriously vanished without a trace.
Millions of humans, gone overnight.
The scale of it was staggering, and most importantly, there were absolutely no clues as to what had happened.
The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor was furious, and immediately dispatched investigation teams to uncover what had occurred. But it was already too late. The humans had vanished as if into the void. Their former settlements had been reduced to ashes by great fires that conveniently erased all traces.
After a month of searching, the Ancestral Court still had no answers. Even an investigation in the direction of Kali City found nothing; the city appeared the exact same as it had always been, the population had not increased at all, and the human settlement next to it was still nothing more than a massive hole in the ground.
On the Celestial Fox Sacred Mountain, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor stood at the peak, gazing into the distance. From here, the Blue Gold Sacred Mountain was only barely visible because Council Mountain lay in-between, but his eyes seemed to be steeped in its shadow.
For reasons he couldn't entirely explain, stemming from his mastery of fortune, he had always regarded humanity with deep suspicion. The other Emperors more or less ignored them, but he never had.
Though he lacked proof, he was certain the disappearance of so many humans had to be connected to Mei Gongzi in one way or another.
He had thought she'd abandoned her protection of humans long ago, focusing instead on the Battle for the Throne, the matchmaking tournament, and her marriage to Jin Miaolin. These were all signs she was integrating into the demon world.
Yet now, at such a crucial moment, she had delivered him a stunning blow.
Millions of humans, spirited away just like that. Was it done through teleportation? Impossible. He was absolutely certain that the Peacock Demon clan did not have such large-scale teleportation capabilities. Forget about Great Demon Kings; not even the Peacock Demon Emperor of old, using her entire power, could perform five percent of such a feat. And assuming they'd teleported away, where exactly were they?
For days, he had scoured the continent, scanning every bit of land for shifts in fortune, but there was no sign of them. It was as though they had been erased from existence.
There were still many humans on the Daemon Continent, but from his estimations, close to three quarters of the population were gone. That was a tremendous number of people.
If it had been in the past, he would have summoned Mei Gongzi for questioning, perhaps even used some rather heavy-handed means to force the truth out of her. But that was now impossible. She was a Crown Prince, under protection, and in seclusion with Jin Miaolin.
Since their wedding, Jin Miaolin had continued building the Tower of Life, each floor giving a massive boost to the life energy radiating from it. The Ancestral Court had become an absolute holy land; every race was clamoring for entry. Entry passes were practically impossible to obtain at this point.
Even the Emperors felt the benefits; the tower's life energy nourished them palpably. Who could resist such an enhancement to life itself?
At the last Council session, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor proposed bringing Mei Gongzi out of seclusion to question her about the disappearances. Yet, to his surprise, the motion was met with fierce opposition. The Solstice Empire opposed it outright, and even the Demon Emperors objected.
All the Emperors agreed that the two Crown Princes should not be disturbed while preparing for ascension. They looked forward to Jin Miaolin's success, which would bring the Ancestral Court an unprecedented renewal of life energy.
The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor was taken aback to see that the young Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor, freshly-minted Lord of Crystal Phoenix City, was the most vocal opponent. He argued strongly that Mei Gongzi, as a nymph's wife and two-thirds demon herself, had no ties to humans. He had the support of the Undying Demon Emperor and, with the White Tiger Demon Emperor being Mei Gongzi's grandfather, the three stood united. The Sword Saint Demon Emperor, who was usually neutral, also sided with them.
On the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's side were only the Sky-Splitting Demon Emperor and the Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor.
The nymph side was even more united; with Sunborne at the helm, all six Nymph Emperors voiced their opposition.
Thus, the proposal was rejected outright—an unprecedented situation for the Ancestral Court's leader.
With nothing left to be done, all he could do was wait for their tribulations. For the first time, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor felt that, in spite of his imperial title, what he controlled was merely fortune, not destiny.
A faint wrinkle formed at the corner of his eye, but his gaze was brighter than ever.
Destiny would, in the end, remain in his hands.
***
In the Blue Gold Palace, Tang San and Mei Gongzi's seclusion was proceeding according to plan.
The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's reaction had been fully anticipated by Tang San. All his careful efforts, even his courtesy toward the Sunborne Nymph Emperor, had been for this.
As a former God King, Tang San had his pride, and he would have never flattered a bunch of Emperors for his own sake. But if this could ensure the safety of humanity, it was worth it.
Through Jin Miaolin's identity, he had bypassed every barrier. Mei Gongzi's status as Peacock Demon clan leader and Kali City lord weighed less than her human blood in the eyes of many, but as Jin Miaolin's wife, she had the greatest protection.
Tang San's goal in entering seclusion now was to ensure the migration passed safely, leaving the Ancestral Court with no recourse. As for after he and Mei Gongzi became Emperors… that was simple. Such matters would no longer be issues at all.
Mei Gongzi devoted herself entirely to cultivation, bathing in the lesser immortal energy to strengthen herself. Tang San continued working on the Tower of Life and let her be at peace; her priority was nurturing the Asura Sword and raising her cultivation.
Time pressed hard upon them. When the moment Tang San had calculated arrived, they would have to attempt their tribulations.
Floor by floor, the Tower of Life rose. The higher it went, the smaller the surface of the floors, making construction easier. At the same time, the life energy it emitted grew ever more concentrated.