The White Tiger’s resolute attitude far exceeded Xu Yankuan’s predictions, but with matters having reached this point, he had no choice but to turn his gaze toward the dark crimson carriage.
"Honorable god..."
"Our stance from top to bottom in the Netherworld is unanimous; even if we inform Zhoujue Yin Heavenly Palace, the result would be the same.
The choice lies in your Great Xia’s hands, you just need to answer with agreement or refusal."
As the Vermilion Bird finished speaking, one of the supernatural beings dressed in armor stepped forward and spoke to Xu Yankuan:
"The two honored gods need to rest, so please, Minister of Ceremonies Xu, leave first."
Xu Yankuan’s expression turned ugly, but in the end, he could only grind his teeth and turn to fly in the direction of the Imperial City.
He was very aware that although subsequent actions had blocked external prying, the White Tiger’s initial conditions were enough to cause an uproar in the Imperial Court; he must meet Emperor Xia as soon as possible to make further responses.
Just as Xu Yankuan had thought, the Imperial Court was already in an uproar at this moment.
One after another, the exalted ministers and nobles were red-faced, loudly accusing:
"How dare these mere Netherworld supernatural beings interfere with Great Xia’s grand ceremony of humanity fate, this is a provocation against Great Xia!"
"If this matter is agreed upon, it would be a complete breakdown of propriety and order!"
"I beseech His Majesty to grant the Commander’s Seal, so that I may lead the Western Army to activate the Imperial Capital Great Array Formation and subdue those ghostly supernatural beings!"
The vast majority of the ministers and nobles were extremely angry at the arrogance displayed by the Netherworld; among them, the faction aligned with the Crown Prince was the most vehement.
Their interests were tightly bound with the Crown Prince; if the Crown Prince lost the opportunity to preside over the grand ceremony for humanity fate, it would greatly impact them as well.
Although the high-ranking officials and nobles of other princes’ factions were happy to see the Crown Prince embarrassed, since the White Tiger’s rebuke was against the face of the entire Great Xia’s Imperial Court, they could not show their pleasure openly, remaining silent on the sidelines without opposing or supporting.
Within the bustling Imperial Palace’s grand hall, no one could notice that Emperor Xia on the dragon throne was indifferent.
Having calmed down after the initial surge of anger, Emperor Xia was contemplating why the situation had progressed to this point.
It was supposed to have been a mission with the help of the Netherworld to eliminate Xia Yunqiu, but somehow, Xia Yunqiu had gained the support of the Netherworld, which baffled Emperor Xia.
"After the White Tiger and Vermilion Bird entered the Enlightenment Pavilion, their attitudes suddenly changed.
Could it be that something happened in the Enlightenment Pavilion that made the Netherworld hesitant to act against Xia Yunqiu, even attempting to appease her?"
No sooner had this thought arisen than Emperor Xia dismissed it.
"No, that’s not right! Backed by the Fengdu Emperor, the Netherworld wouldn’t kowtow to Xia Yunqiu, who has at most the Supreme Taoist behind her.
Not to mention the Fengdu Emperor, even the inscrutable Bull Head could suppress the Supreme Taoist. Xia Yunqiu does not have the merits or the capabilities to be treated with such a gesture."
"If it is not out of fear, then the most likely possibility is that the Netherworld has sensed Xia Yunqiu’s importance and wants to use her to compete for more interests?
Even that the Netherworld is intending to use Xia Yunqiu as a pawn to intervene in the internal affairs of Great Xia’s Imperial Court!"
To Emperor Xia, this seemed the most likely scenario that would be in the Netherworld’s interest.
And just then, a hurried figure entered the grand hall, speaking with an angry tone:
"Greetings to the Father Emperor!"
"This proposal from the Netherworld supernatural beings is surely with ill intent, intending to interfere with the internal affairs of our Great Xia, and it is even possible that Xia Yunqiu has already been bought by the Netherworld.
I believe that we absolutely cannot let the Netherworld supernatural beings succeed, and we must deal with this matter sternly to assert the dignity of Great Xia."
Emperor Xia’s murky gaze fell on the hurried Crown Prince, and his low voice subdued the discussion of the court officials.
"In your opinion, how should we handle this matter?"
The Crown Prince knelt on the ground, his voice respectful:
"I request the Father Emperor to command the destruction of the Enlightenment Pavilion and to have Xia Yunqiu thrown into the dungeon for interrogation, to deter the Netherworld supernatural beings!"
With the Crown Prince taking a stand, dozens of officials knelt on the ground in unison, saying:
"We implore His Majesty to order the destruction of the Enlightenment Pavilion, and have Xia Yunqiu thrown into the dungeon!"
The court officials were enraged, and between their words, Emperor Xia could feel the Imperial Dynasty’s fate beginning to lean.
Xia Yunqiu, having been bought by the Netherworld supernatural beings, had caused public outrage, resulting in a rare unity among most factions of the court.
The court officials represented the fate of the human Imperial Dynasty, which even Emperor Xia could not fully control. Once the court officials stirred the fate of the human Imperial Dynasty, they could potentially influence the Fire of Humanity for a short time.
Using the influence of the Dynasty’s fate to act against Xia Yunqiu again would minimize the turmoil brought by suppressing the Fire of Humanity.
Emperor Xia looked down at the Crown Prince with a glint of appreciation in his eyes, just as he was about to give an order.
But at that moment, a figure dressed in vermillion robes burst into the Imperial Palace Great Hall, shouting loudly:
"Your Majesty, you must not lay a hand on Xia Yunqiu!"
All furrowed their brows and turned towards the voice, only to see that the person who had entered the hall was none other than Minister of Ceremonies Xu Yankuan, who had left earlier to greet the Netherworld Demon God.
"Minister of Ceremonies Xu, what do you mean by this?"
"Could it be that you have also been bought by the Netherworld Demon God?"
"To plead for Xia Yunqiu, are you still a subject of Great Xia?"
Xu Yankuan had no time to respond to the ministers’ accusations as he addressed Emperor Xia:
"I report to Your Majesty, the Netherworld Demon God is adamant about the change of the host, it does not seem to be mere casual talk, please reconsider thrice."
As he spoke, Xu Yankuan recounted in full the communications between the White Tiger, the Vermilion Bird, and himself before the court.
Finally, a flicker of emotion crossed the indifferent face of Emperor Xia. Before Emperor Xia could speak, the court burst into a tumult of objections.
"Absurd, truly absurd!"
"A mere Netherworld Demon God dares to threaten Great Xia with the matter of forming an alliance."
"Re-establishing all City Gods would be of great benefit to the Netherworld, and I truly do not believe they would be willing to give up on the alliance for the sake of one Xia Yunqiu."
"What do they take the Imperial Capital for, to come and go as they please?"
A series of high-ranking officials in the court were now red-faced with sincerity. If there was any performance in these magnates’ attitudes before, at this moment, their true feelings were showing through.
The arrogance of the Netherworld Demon God was fully demonstrated in this condition, leaving no room for negotiation with Great Xia.
Generals gripped their swords at their waists, itching to send troops into the residence of the Netherworld Demon God to suppress all supernatural beings.
Even the normally affable Prime Minister Wen’s face had sunk into a thorough gloom.
All eyes turned to Emperor Xia, seated high upon the throne, awaiting his command.
With just a word from Emperor Xia to mobilize the Fire of Humanity and the Imperial Capital Great Array Formation for suppression, not even a hundred Spirit Transmutation era Netherworld Demon Gods could resist.
Under the watchful eyes of the court, Emperor Xia finally spoke, his commanding voice devoid of any emotion.
"The alliance between Great Xia and the Netherworld is a millennium-old strategy, allowing Great Xia to safely pass through the Age of Spirit Energy Tide and endure until the next era of Spirit Energy Exhaustion.
Netherworld supernatural beings may be arrogant, but Great Xia still needs them to confront the many grotto heavens and blessed lands outside the Imperial Capital."
As soon as he began speaking, the court officials realized Emperor Xia’s decision.
Nobody had expected such a result from this absurd dispute.
In the face of the Netherworld supernatural beings’ threats, Emperor Xia actually chose to give in, completely disregarding the interests of Great Xia.
In the grand hall, the prostrate Crown Prince was utterly stunned; Emperor Xia’s concession had made him, the future heir to the throne, a mere sacrificial object in the alliance ritual.
A deathly silence fell over the court, leaving only the words of Emperor Xia echoing through the Imperial Palace Great Hall.
"Confer upon Enlightenment Pavilion Master Xia Yunqiu the title of Heaven Traversing Princess, to preside over the alliance between Great Xia and the Netherworld, in charge of the grand rites of humanity!"
The moment the words were uttered, the Fire of Humanity’s brilliance flared up, converging towards Xia Yunqiu from the direction of the Enlightenment Pavilion, covering the skies above the Imperial Capital.
At the same time, the title of Heaven Traversing Princess became invisible shackles, binding Xia Yunqiu from a position outside the Great Xia court right onto the court itself.
To Emperor Xia, although Xia Yunqiu had gained great influence with the request of the Netherworld supernatural beings, perhaps using the grand rites of humanity and the title of princess to suppress her was not a bad opportunity to control and eliminate any threat she posed.
However, Emperor Xia was unaware that within the Xue family’s Manor, a pair of eyes sparkling like the stars were observing every detail quietly.
In those dazzling eyes, one could clearly see more than just the Fire of Humanity—other streams of information were visible.
In front of the stone table, Shen Yuan casually fiddled with a black chess piece, taking in the disappointed looks of the civil and military officials.
"You would rather let Xia Yunqiu rise in power and allow the entire civil and military court to lose faith and loyalty, than give up the alliance with the Netherworld.
The more radical the choice, the more it reveals your own weakness."
"It looks like the Secret Realm Square-Inch’s time to appear has arrived."

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