Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

Each of the six people on the high platform represented one of the most powerful forces in the Eastern Domain. These Six Great Forces controlled the entire Eastern Domain; you could say they were its rulers.

Celestial Eagle Valley, Flawless Palace, Death Row Shelter, Spiritual Light Pavilion, Wuji Sect, and Taiqing Academy. These six forces had all existed for over ten thousand years, and their foundations were terrifyingly deep.

The experts within each of these great forces were powerful enough to suppress any other sect or nation in the Eastern Domain.

The Six Great Forces had existed in the Eastern Domain for over ten thousand years, and for all that time, a delicate balance had been maintained among them. None could overpower the others, so they coexisted peacefully.

However, over the last century, this delicate balance had gradually been broken. The reason was simple: there were only five Demon Fiends among the Six Great Forces. This meant that one of the forces had no Demon Fiend among its younger generation of disciples.

While a single Demon Fiend might not seem capable of influencing the grand scheme of things, the hidden implications were extremely dangerous.

Think about it: a Demon Fiend represented the strongest of a force’s younger generation. And because none of the Six Great Forces could overpower the others, elders rarely intervened in the conflicts of the young.

If an elder were to step in, it would be seen as a senior bullying a junior, which at worst could trigger an all-out war between two of the great forces.

Since the elders couldn’t act, the juniors had to resolve matters themselves. But without a Demon Fiend, it was nearly impossible to compete with your peers. You could only suffer in silence.

Coincidentally, the one force among the Six Great Forces without a Demon Fiend was none other than Flawless Palace—the origin of the Flawless Flesh Body.

As the most ancient force in the Eastern Domain—bar none—Flawless Palace had once, at its peak, become the sole ruler of the entire domain.

However, as time went on, this—coupled with the extreme difficulty of cultivating the Flawless Flesh Body—led to Flawless Palace’s gradual decline. Now, it had become the weakest of the Six Great Forces.

This was entirely because Flawless Palace had no one in its younger generation who could contend with the Five Great Demon Fiends, which led the other Five Great Forces to start eyeing it covetously.

If the younger generation had no one to rival the Five Great Demon Fiends, then in the future, Flawless Palace would have no powerhouse capable of contending with the other Five Great Forces. This was why those forces were beginning to harbor malicious intentions toward Flawless Palace.

In this world, there are no absolute friendships, nor absolute enmities—only interests.

The chance to absorb Flawless Palace was something every other force coveted. Having existed for untold millennia, its heritage and wealth were an incredibly vast Treasure Vault. Who could remain unmoved by such a prize?

The six powerhouses arrived on the high platform. As the host, Tang Chenming of Celestial Eagle Valley took a step forward, placing him just ahead of the other five. His authoritative gaze swept across the disciples in the square below.

As he released his aura, an immense pressure descended upon the crowd like a great mountain. The square, which had been bustling with noise just a moment before, instantly fell deathly silent.

This was the oppressive might of a Celestial Spirit Realm expert, countless times more powerful than one from the Primordial Ocean Realm. Soon, Tang Chenming’s voice rang out across the silent square.

Even though the area was vast, Tang Chenming’s voice reached every person’s ears as clearly as if he were standing right beside them.

"The Southeast Domain’s Green Talent List is the most prestigious event in the entire domain. Those who have made it to the second round are, without a doubt, the most exceptional geniuses in the Southeast Domain. In past years, the second round of the Green Talent List has always been held as a tournament of one-on-one matches. However, this year, the rules have been changed slightly..."

As Tang Chenming continued to speak, he revealed that the second round of this year’s Green Talent List would be drastically different from previous years, which were always decided through a tournament of one-on-one matches.

This year, however, it had been changed to a battle royale. All thirty young geniuses who had entered the second round would fight at once. The longer you lasted, the higher your rank would be. The last person left with the strength to fight would be crowned number one on the Green Talent List.

The battleground would be the central area of this very square, an area of over ten thousand square meters—more than enough space for thirty geniuses to fight simultaneously.

Hearing Tang Chenming’s announcement of the new rules, Lin Yun’s brow furrowed. ’I don’t even have to think to know the Royal Family is behind this,’ he thought. ’With rules like these, doesn’t it just mean people can team up to eliminate others?’

He glanced over at the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, Ziyi, Chen Ming, and Jin Ruhua. As he expected, all five were looking at him with cold sneers. ’Of course,’ he thought. ’Those five will definitely team up to try and kill me.’

The Crown Prince sneered inwardly. ’Lin Yun, I refuse to believe you can fight one against five. The Thunder God Hall inheritance doesn’t matter anymore. All that matters is killing you.’

’I still underestimated the Royal Family’s influence,’ Lin Yun thought. ’I can’t believe they were actually able to change the rules of the Green Talent List. But do I have a way out? No. At this point, even if the odds are nine to one against me, I have to risk my life and grasp that single sliver of hope for survival.’

Lin Yun’s gaze turned cold as he looked up at Tang Chenming on the platform. Even though Tang Chenming was a Celestial Spirit Realm expert, a being who could crush him with a single finger, Lin Yun felt a genuine hatred burning in his heart.

Lin Yun stared at Tang Chenming with an icy gaze, and Tang Chenming looked back at him with indifference. In Tang Chenming’s eyes, even if Lin Yun’s talent was comparable to a Demon Fiend’s, he had yet to mature. He was still just an ant.

’I only need a single finger to kill him,’ he thought.

After the new rules were explained, the participants began to prepare. The second round of the Green Talent List was set to begin in a quarter of an hour.

At that moment, Tang Chenming and the other five experts from the great forces exchanged a glance before naturally taking their seats in the six chairs on the high platform.

Looking at the experts from the other Five Great Forces, Tang Chenming smiled. "Everyone, today I have a favor to ask."

Hearing this, the other five remained silent, their expressions calm and unreadable. They wouldn’t care about his request unless there was something in it for them.

Knowing what was on their minds, Tang Chenming came prepared. Five beams of light flashed from his Space Ring and shot into the Space Rings on each of the five experts’ hands.

"Everyone, that was just a small token of my appreciation. I’m not one to beat around the bush, so I’ll be direct. There is a young man in this Green Talent List named Lin Yun. I have a personal grudge against him. The boy’s talent is comparable to that of a Demon Fiend. That being said, I hope you will all do me a small favor. I must eliminate him."

Tang Chenming’s words were blunt. He was telling them that this boy had the potential to become a Demon Fiend, but he was going to kill him today, and they were not to interfere.

After hearing him out, four of the experts showed no reaction. Their own sects had Demon Fiends, and it clearly wasn’t worth offending Tang Chenming over a potential Demon Fiend who had yet to mature. The only exception was the expert from Flawless Palace.

The expert from Flawless Palace was the only one who showed any change. Among the Six Great Forces, only Flawless Palace lacked a Demon Fiend. If Lin Yun truly had the makings of one, Flawless Palace was in desperate need of him.