Chapter 1160: Ups and Downs
"Cang Shitian, you…" Zhou Tian Shen Di's face flushed with anger. He wanted to rebuke him harshly, but when he opened his mouth, he found himself completely unable to refute him.
Because every word Cang Shitian spoke was a mockery, yet… they were also undeniably the unvarnished truth.
"What about me?" Faced with the clearly enraged Zhou Tian Shen Di, Shitian Shen Di raised an eyebrow instead: "Is there a single word I, the king, said that was wrong?"
"The preliminary battlefield of this Profound God Convention permits any means, only recognizing the final result—isn't that a rule personally set by the Zhou Tian Pearl?"
"And the one who regarded Yun Che, a youth who abided by this rule, as having committed a 'grave offense'—wasn't that your Zhou Tian Realm!?"
"The one who determined that this youth ranked within the top thousand—wasn't that the Zhou Tian Pearl!?"
"The one who teleported this youth here—wasn't that the Zhou Tian Pearl!?"
"And the one who forcibly denied this result, even calling it a 'disgrace to the Profound Dao'—wasn't that your Zhou Tian Realm!?"
Shitian Shen Di spread his arms: "If I, the king, have said a single word incorrectly, I beg Zhou Tian Shen Di to not hesitate in correcting me."
As Shitian Shen Di's voice fell, the Feng Shen Platform suddenly became deathly silent. Then, an extremely awkward scene unfolded… Zhou Tian Shen Di glared at Cang Shitian, but remained utterly silent for a long time.
He was obviously… unable to refute him!
Because every word Shitian Shen Di had spoken was an obvious fact.
The preliminary selection of the Profound God Convention was conducted within the Zhou Tian Pearl, with rules formulated and enforced by the Zhou Tian Pearl itself, all the way to the final result. The Zhou Tian Voice had read out the rule that no means were restricted. The only reason Yun Che was teleported here was that he had received the recognition of the Zhou Tian Pearl.
However, Yun Che's profound strength was merely at the first level of the Divine Tribulation Realm. He could not possibly have passed the two rounds of preliminaries through strength alone. His cheating was an ironclad fact, and it was indeed a contempt for the Profound God Convention and an injustice to other profound practitioners.
But if one rigidly applied the rules set by the Zhou Tian Pearl, Yun Che hadn't actually violated them. Yun Che himself had just used this as a defense… but not only was it ignored, it was even regarded as a "greater offense" for mentioning the Zhou Tian Pearl.
Yun Che was merely a nobody from the lower realms who had been proven to have cheated. Who would be foolish enough to directly confront the Zhou Tian Realm using this reason to defend a universally despised "petty person"?
And Mu Bingyun, who risked her life to protect Yun Che, also dared not utter the three words "Zhou Tian Pearl."
But now, these words came from the mouth of Shitian Shen Di, and every sentence was inseparably tied to the Zhou Tian Pearl, directly silencing Zhou Tian Shen Di.
Yun Che: "…"
"Hehehe," Zhou Tian Shen Di could not utter a single word, and Shitian Shen Di squinted and laughed: "Since Zhou Tian Shen Di has no instruction to offer, that means you admit that what I, the king, said is not wrong, right? Tsk tsk, your Zhou Tian Realm itself doesn't even take the Zhou Tian Pearl seriously. I only said 'it's nothing special.' When it comes to insulting and defiling the Zhou Tian Pearl, I am far inferior to you."
"Besides, the rules set by the Zhou Tian Pearl are excellent. A real battlefield should indeed use any means necessary, with the victor reigning supreme. This kid named Yun Che, with his meager profound strength, managed to force a late-stage Divine Spirit Realm Realm King's son to submit obediently. That kind of ability is far stronger than mere profound strength. Entering your Eastern Divine Region's 'Heaven-Chosen Sons' list is perfectly reasonable. If the evaluation must be based on profound dao cultivation level, then just rank them by profound strength level one-two-three-four and be done with it. Why even hold a Profound God Convention!"
"Cang Shitian…" Zhou Tian Shen Di restrained himself with great effort: "Matters of my Eastern Divine Region are not for someone from your Southern Divine Region to meddle in."
"Oh!" Shitian Shen Di let out a long sigh: "I, the king, originally thought that with your magnanimity and broad-mindedness as Zhou Tian Shen Di, after my reminder, you would recognize your mistake and correct it, at least proving that you were just momentarily brain-frozen and hadn't really treated the Zhou Tian Pearl like a piece of trash. But instead, you bring out the 'Eastern Divine Region' to scare me, the king. Well, I am truly frightened."
Shitian Shen Di narrowed his eyes and sighed faintly: "Zhou Tian Shen Di, I have always respected you. Don't make me… look down on you from now on."
More than half of the guardians, elders, and arbiters of the Zhou Tian Realm had already stood up, their faces ashen. The Zhou Tian God Realm held supreme prestige in the Eastern Divine Region and was an unparalleled existence throughout the entire God Realm. But they had never been as angry and as stifled as they were now.
The Zhou Tian Realm feared no one, naturally not even Cang Shitian—regardless of his methods, they would never fear him.
But the problem was… Cang Shitian was mocking them with the Zhou Tian Pearl! And every word was true!
To refute his words was to refute the Zhou Tian Pearl… How could they refute it!?
On the Feng Shen Platform, the powerful figures of the Eastern Divine Region all wore expressions of shock, their gazes toward Shitian Shen Di having changed drastically… Shitian Shen Di, ranked second among the four God Emperors of the Southern Divine Region, held a status equivalent to Zhou Tian Shen Di of the Eastern Divine Region. Legend had it that he was an extremely formidable figure.
Today, they had truly witnessed and experienced the might of this Shitian Shen Di.
"Hehe, you two, please stop arguing."
A faint laugh, like a divine sound from the heavenly palace, instantly dispersed the suffocating atmosphere. Long Huang turned around, facing the two: "How about the two God Emperors listen to a word from Long?"
Zhou Tian Shen Di, who had been furious but unable to vent, immediately saw a glimmer of light and nodded: "Please, Long Huang, enlighten us."
With Long Huang's experience and wisdom, how could he not see that Shitian Shen Di's action was absolutely not to "fight for justice" for Yun Che, but purely to seize an excellent handle that had suddenly appeared, using it to make the Zhou Tian Realm—or rather, the Eastern Divine Region—look bad.
It had to be said, Cang Shitian's move was indeed vicious. If the Zhou Tian Realm did not change its verdict on Yun Che, it would be confirming its contempt for the Zhou Tian Pearl, defying the rules and results personally set by the Zhou Tian Pearl, and desecrating its own supreme sacred artifact and highest faith.
But if they canceled the sanctions against Yun Che and acknowledged his identity as a "Heaven-Chosen Son," then what the Zhou Tian Realm had said and done earlier would certainly be slapping their own face—though that wasn't the key point. If handled well, it could actually demonstrate the Zhou Tian Realm's breadth of mind.
However, a profound practitioner at only the first level of the Divine Tribulation Realm actually breaking into the top thousand of the grand Eastern Divine Region's Profound God Convention, and ultimately being sent into the Zhou Tian Divine Realm where every slot was precious to the extreme…
This would be an enormous laughingstock if it got out.
Thus, no matter which choice the Zhou Tian Realm made, it would be extremely uncomfortable.
His gaze swept over Shitian Shen Di's face, and Long Huang smiled: "Yun Che used abnormal means to obtain a ranking completely inconsistent with his strength. That does indeed violate the dignity of the Profound Dao and deserves contempt. However, what Shitian Shen Di said is also correct. Though it violates the dignity of the Profound Dao, it does not violate the rules of the Profound God Convention."
"Therefore, in Long's opinion, Yun Che should be looked down upon, but he should not be punished. Instead, he should remain in the Profound God Convention until its conclusion. As to whether he will ultimately enter the Zhou Tian Divine Realm," Long Huang smiled faintly, "that will naturally be decided jointly by Zhou Tian Shen Di and the Zhou Tian Pearl. At that time, we can consult the will of the Zhou Tian Pearl anew."
Zhou Tian Shen Di thought for a moment, and his heart suddenly became clear. His anger vanished completely. He bowed in admiration: "Long Huang's words are most reasonable. The punishment for Yun Che just now was indeed highly inappropriate. Then, we shall act according to Long Huang's words."
The people of the Zhou Tian Realm also brightened, their hearts greatly relieved.
Long Huang's words seemed to agree with Shitian Shen Di, acknowledging Yun Che's ranking and that he should not be punished, but in reality, they contained great subtlety—the intention was to let Yun Che stay in the Profound God Convention and continue with the subsequent matches. But with his strength, he would definitely be eliminated in the third round of preliminaries, and the final God-Sealing Battle would certainly have nothing to do with him.
In other words, it would have absolutely no impact on the subsequent Profound God Convention.
However, what was acknowledged was only his qualification for the "Profound God Convention." As for the final and most important qualification for the "Zhou Tian Divine Realm," the phrase "that will naturally be decided jointly by Zhou Tian Shen Di and the Zhou Tian Pearl. At that time, we can consult the will of the Zhou Tian Pearl anew"—how ingenious that was.
Truly worthy of Long Huang. With just a few words, he easily resolved the Zhou Tian Realm's predicament.
"As expected of Lord Long Huang, what he says is truly convincing." Shitian Shen Di gave a light laugh, then slouched back into his seat and said no more.
"Quhui!" Zhou Tian Shen Di said solemnly: "Although Yun Che's methods were despicable, he still did not violate the rules of the Zhou Tian battlefield. A reprimand is sufficient. There is no need for severe punishment, nor is there any need to revoke his qualification for the Profound God Convention. The same goes for Wu Guike."
"Yes." Quhui Zunzhe accepted the order and scolded coldly: "Yun Che, Wu Guike, withdraw!"
"Thank you… Quhui Zunzhe for your leniency." Wu Guike quickly retreated, his face full of fear, but inwardly he was already completely at ease.
"…" Yun Che stood still for a moment, took a deep look at Quhui Zunzhe, and also retreated into the crowd. However, as he retreated, the nearby "Heaven-Chosen Sons" immediately moved away, their faces all filled with deep contempt.
Not to mention Yun Che's despicable methods, his background and cultivation level alone made him unworthy to stand among them.
The turn of events had also far exceeded Yun Che's expectations. His gaze and spiritual sense had been constantly searching for Mo Li's presence, but he had found nothing at all. This forced him to think of the worst outcome.
Mo Li… had not come to the Zhou Tian Realm.
Such a result had been hinted at by Mu Bingyun many times… The Profound God Convention was the only chance to possibly see the Tiansha Xingshen. But it was only a possibility. Whether she would participate in the Profound God Convention depended entirely on luck, or fate.
Mo Li… did she not come…
All my efforts all along… have they all become nothing but an illusion now…
"Quhui, let the matter just now be dropped. There is no need to mention it again before the conclusion of the Profound God Convention." Zhou Tian Shen Di said: "Now that all the heroes are gathered here, we should focus on the Profound God Convention."
He turned his body and looked at the Zhou Tian Tower, which pierced through the clouds thirty thousand li into the sky: "Begin the third round of preliminaries."
Quhui Zunzhe nodded slightly, and the anger on his face slowly subsided. After a moment, only a stern dignity as hard as iron remained, and his gaze no longer looked at Yun Che.
"Having consecutively passed two rounds of preliminaries and become honored as 'Heaven-Chosen Sons,' you have already proven your strength… and your methods. But the real Profound God Convention only begins now!"
"Although you are all young, I believe you have also heard that the highlight of every Profound God Convention is the 'God-Sealing Battle.' That is a battle truly belonging to the young powerhouses, a battle symbolizing the strongest profound strength and highest honor of the younger generation of our Eastern Divine Region."
"Only thirty-two people are qualified to participate in the 'God-Sealing Battle'!"
As Quhui Zunzhe's stern and cold words fell, everyone's attention was gradually drawn back to the Profound God Convention. Especially those "Heaven-Chosen Sons," who were already burning with enthusiasm.
"The upcoming third round of preliminaries will determine who is qualified to participate in the 'God-Sealing Battle'! That is to say… of your thousand people, only thirty-two can emerge victorious! The other nine hundred or more will bid farewell to the Profound God Convention here and now!"
"Gulp"… Many young profound practitioners tensed up all over, their throats bobbing.
The following battles were undoubtedly real-life fierce battles… because every one of the "Heaven-Chosen Sons" around them was an extremely terrifying opponent… except for Yun Che.
To break into the top thirty-two from a thousand "Heaven-Chosen Sons"… the difficulty could be imagined.
"The battlefield for the third preliminary round," Quhui Zunzhe turned sideways, raised his head, and looked up at the Zhou Tian Tower connecting the earth and the sky, "is this Zhou Tian Divine Tower!"