Chapter 2083: Divine Enthronement Ceremony (Part 2)
Yun Che's words and actions left the present people either stunned, dumbfounded, bewildered, or secretly amused—a variety of expressions that could only be described as a spectacle.
And that person who stood above all others in the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom, Meng Cangji—his expression was even more spectacular than any of the Dream Lords had ever seen before.
But Meng Cangji was, after all, Meng Cangji. After being caught off guard by Yun Che's completely unexpected move, he quickly calmed down, and his voice regained its calm and weighty tone: "You are indeed the son of the Divine Venerable, exceptionally clever. What you just said does align with this old man's thoughts."
"Your cultivation level and Meng Jianxi are as far apart as heaven and earth, a fact known to all. That your cultivation is far inferior to that of a Weaving Dream practitioner at the same realm is an indisputable truth. Since you are so self-aware, you should understand that, at least for now, you are far from suitable to become a Divine Son alongside Meng Jianxi."
He paused briefly, his voice turning sharp: "As for arranging practitioners of the same realm to humiliate you... that is utter nonsense!"
"Meng Jianyuan, as the son of the Divine Venerable, you should pay more attention to your words, deeds, and character! Your demeanor is undisciplined, you show no respect for your elders, and you spout such reckless lies... someone like you—how are you fit to be the Weaving Dream Divine Son!"
Meng Cangji's words were well-reasoned and imposing, carrying the regret of an elder toward a junior... but in reality, those who knew him well understood that he was actually angry—angry at being so easily provoked by a junior he had just met for the first time.
"Reckless lies?"
In contrast to Meng Cangji, Yun Che's expression remained calm and indifferent throughout. He wore a look of feigned confusion that anyone could see through: "That's strange. To stop me from becoming the Weaving Dream Divine Son, you would have to question and attack my aptitude and cultivation. And to prove that doubt, to prove my unworthiness, you'd naturally have to arrange for a few practitioners of the same realm to suddenly jump out and challenge me, making me lose in disgrace, so I'd never dare to touch the name of Divine Son... Hmm? Such a simple, natural, and perfectly sequential backup plan—and you people didn't even arrange it?"
His eyes widened slightly, amplifying the confusion in his gaze. Then he turned his eyes to Meng Jianxi: "Divine Son Jianxi, are the people in your faction really so useless?"
No matter how hard Meng Cangji tried to steady his emotions, his long white beard still trembled slightly.
"Pfft..." Dian Jiuzhi let out a laugh, then suppressed it in the next instant, as if nothing had happened.
The word "faction" was extremely sensitive in any divine kingdom, and even beyond.
Meng Jianxi naturally had a faction bound to his fate, led by his maternal clan. This was an open secret throughout the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom.
But no one expected that this "Meng Jianyuan," who had just returned to the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom and hadn't even set foot firmly—let alone established a foothold—would dare to speak those two taboo words in front of everyone.
"..." Meng Kongchan's expression remained unchanged, and he said nothing. He simply watched the situation unfold quietly. After all, Hua Fuchen had worn a sly fox-like smile that day, clearly telling him to let Yun Che handle things on his own.
Strangely enough, even though Yun Che was facing Meng Cangji, Meng Xuanji, Meng Kongdu... an entire faction of Meng Jianxi, Meng Kongchan felt no worry in his heart.
Perhaps subconsciously, he felt that being able to snatch Hua Caili, who was engaged to Dian Jiuzhi, right under Hua Qingying's nose... was far more difficult than facing the Nine Great Dream Halls alone.
Amid the varied gazes of the entire hall, Meng Jianxi stood up. The smile had vanished from his face, and his brows were slightly furrowed: "Brother Yuan, your words are inappropriate. Our Weaving Dream is united at the root. Even if opinions sometimes differ, we are all devoted to the Weaving Dream. There has never been any talk of factions. Brother Yuan must never speak those two words again."
"The Chief Palace Master and the others oppose you becoming the Weaving Dream Divine Son only after countless years of careful consideration, all for the sake of the title 'Divine Son.' It is not for me, nor is it directed at you. As for the idea of deliberately arranging people to humiliate you—that is absolutely out of the question."
His expression was serious, his words simple and precise. In just a few sentences, it was a rebuke from a Divine Son to an ordinary Imperial Son, from an elder brother to a younger clan brother—a rebuke laced with a hint of disappointment that was easily noticeable.
The last sentence seemed like a consolation, but upon reflection, it could also be interpreted as contempt... as if to say, "Do you even deserve the Chief Palace Master and the others to target you specifically?"
Facing Meng Jianxi, Yun Che still wore a smiling face: "Oh, really? Then..."
He raised his arm and suddenly pointed backward. A few threads of profound aura tinged with firelight shot straight toward several young profound practitioners sitting behind the seats: "Then what about these people?"
Everyone's gaze immediately fell on those indicated by the red profound light... In an instant, the six Dream Lords of Meng Jianxi's faction felt a violent stir in their hearts. Meanwhile, Meng Jianze, who had been quietly watching all along, changed color drastically and nearly lost control of himself.
Because the nine people pointed out by the profound light were all personally arranged by him to challenge Yun Che at the appropriate moment.
Not one more, not one less... and not a single one wrong!
The impact on their hearts and minds at that moment was as if they had seen a ghost.
Appreciating Meng Jianxi's still-calm expression, Yun Che said slowly: "These nine people are very strange. Just now, the Divine Venerable, the Chief Palace Master, and all the Dream Lords were speaking with great fervor, and everyone listened attentively. But these nine people—their gazes kept brushing against me, each time with evasion and timidity, yet they kept sweeping over me again and again."
"Even more miraculous is that the cultivation of these nine people just happens to be the same as mine—Third-rank Divine Lord."
These nine profound practitioners all came from affiliated forces of the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom. They were already harboring their own thoughts, anxious and fearful. Now suddenly pointed out by Yun Che and stared at by the crowd, their bodies tensed up, faces either red or pale, extremely uneasy.
"Meng Jianyuan!"
No longer calling him "Brother Yuan," Meng Jianxi seemed genuinely angered. His face was filled with undisguised disappointment: "You have just escaped calamity and returned to the Weaving Dream. I have tried to accommodate you at every step and tolerated you in every way. But your words and actions today are utterly excessive! Now, to force a false accusation, you don't hesitate to drag a few innocent profound practitioners into the muddy waters you've created!"
His voice added a note of grief and indignation to the disappointment: "Perhaps, in those hundred years outside, you had to learn some dirty survival rules. But this is the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom, where souls should be untainted and actions upright. How can such base behavior be tolerated!"
"If you act like this, not only will it not help you become Divine Son, but it will instead... instead..."
He let out a long sigh, as if forcibly suppressing his anger. His voice softened a bit: "Brother Yuan, don't do this. At the very least, don't let down Father God's boundless affection and tolerance for you."
Meng Jianxi's words immediately pulled everyone's thoughts toward the survival rules outside the divine kingdom... The terror of the Abyss was known to all, and the survival rules derived from it were extremely cruel. Having been alone outside for a hundred years, one could imagine what survival rules he had maintained, and it was not surprising that he would naturally use such dirty and despicable means.
Meng Jianxi felt his words were beautifully spoken. At the very least, they should make Yun Che's face look somewhat ugly. But to his disappointment—even shock—Yun Che's smile did not diminish in the slightest; instead, the curve of his lips added a few more piercingly contemptuous angles.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
"Well said, very well said." Yun Che applauded in praise. "Divine Son Jianxi, make sure you remember your own words just now."
As Meng Jianxi was speaking, Meng Jianze had already secretly completed a sound transmission. At that moment, he suddenly stood up with a "whoosh" and said loudly: "Your Highness the Divine Son, the entire Weaving Dream knows you have a broad heart and excellent cultivation. But Meng Jianyuan has already gone this far—why waste your cultivation on him?"
He turned and bowed deeply to Meng Kongchan: "Father God! You have witnessed Meng Jianyuan's words and actions today with your own eyes. He has lost all decorum in public, has no upbringing, is discourteous in words and deeds, and shows no respect for his elders. Not only that, but he dares to falsely accuse His Highness the Divine Son and all the Dream Lords right in front of you, Father God. And his methods are so lowly... If someone like this were to become the Weaving Dream Divine Son, I, your son, would feel utterly ashamed—not to mention outsiders."
Yun Che glanced sideways and suddenly revealed an expression of sudden realization: "Oh! Meng Jianze, the rumored number one lackey under Meng Jianxi. I've heard of you; now I've seen you."
How to anger the son of a Divine Venerable with a single sentence...
In everyone's view, Meng Jianze's fair-skinned face flushed red at an alarming speed, then turned purple at an even more alarming speed.
Meng Jianze knew he shouldn't lose his composure, but the blood rushing to his head still made him roar out: "Meng Jianyuan, you... how dare you..."
At that moment, a surge of profound aura stirred. A figure suddenly leaped into the arena and directly knelt before Meng Kongchan on both knees: "I am the thirty-seventh prince of Anmeng Kingdom, An Zhiming. I take the liberty of requesting to challenge the Imperial Son Jianyuan."
The sudden figure made everyone turn their eyes. The one who called himself An Zhiming was exactly one of the nine people Yun Che had pointed out with his profound aura.
His voice was hoarse, his body trembling visibly. He kept his head deeply bowed, not daring to lift it... yet he openly challenged the soon-to-be-appointed Divine Son in such a setting.
Meng Kongchan glanced sideways: "Why?"
"To answer the Divine Venerable," An Zhiming said with his head lowered, "I am merely a prince of a small kingdom's imperial family. A small figure still has dignity. Just now, I was falsely accused by the Imperial Son Jianyuan for no reason. Though my heart is full of grief and indignation, my words carry little weight, so I dare not speak out... But the Imperial Son Jianze has shown great kindness to my royal family. Yet he was so viciously insulted by the Imperial Son Jianyuan. I can tolerate being falsely accused for no reason, but I cannot tolerate seeing my benefactor so insulted!"
"Since the Imperial Son Jianyuan claims that I am deliberately arranged, very well..." He turned his eyes toward Yun Che, "I will comply with the Imperial Son Jianyuan's wishes and, as a fellow Third-rank Divine Lord, challenge him!"
By this point, An Zhiming had no way back. His voice even carried a considerable momentum: "As the Imperial Son Jianyuan himself said, I am merely a person from a small affiliated kingdom. I believe the Imperial Son Jianyuan will surely be able to defeat me easily."
"But if, by some chance, I should win... In our eyes, the Weaving Dream Divine Son is like a divine being from the heavenly gate. If even someone like me cannot be defeated... even if I am but a humble outsider, I cannot accept such a person becoming the Weaving Dream Divine Son."
Meng Kongchan listened quietly until he finished, then smiled faintly and said meaningfully: "Knowing yourself to be an outsider of a small kingdom, yet you dare to speak so boldly before me. Hmph, though the person is humble, the courage is as vast as the sky."
An Zhiming knelt on the ground, not daring to move... But Meng Jianxi's heart shrank violently.
Meng Kongchan, without waiting for An Zhiming's reaction, instead asked Yun Che: "Yuan'er, what do you think?"
Yun Che nodded slightly, stepped forward twice, and sent a stream of profound aura toward An Zhiming: "An Zhiming, right? Get up."
An Zhiming, dazed, was involuntarily lifted by the profound aura. When he raised his head, he was facing Yun Che's gaze directly.
"Hmm... Your clothes and accessories are quite luxurious. Your profound aura is pure. You must enjoy high-level resources daily. I imagine you wouldn't risk such great danger for wealth and status."
Yun Che's eyes roamed freely over An Zhiming as he spoke leisurely.
"Your eyes are clear. After all, you were born into royalty, living a smooth life. You haven't done anything evil, so you wouldn't have left any fatal leverage behind."
"In that case, there's only one possibility." Yun Che half-squinted his eyes. "Tell me, which of your beloved friends or family has been taken hostage? Or... is the fate of the entire royal family being used as leverage?"
An Zhiming's body clearly swayed, and his pupils contracted for a moment. He forcibly steadied his emotions and said: "What leverage? I don't understand the Imperial Son Jianyuan's nonsense..."
"Hahahaha!" Yun Che burst into loud laughter as if he had just heard a joke. "You don't understand, or you 'dare not understand'?"
His gaze suddenly sharpened. His voice, carrying profound force, soared into the sky: "Although I have been missing for a hundred years and have lost my past, the Dreamless Divine Venerable's favor for me remains as strong as ever. Even knowing he would face opposition and pressure, he still intends to appoint me as Divine Son. This alone is proof."
"So today, even those who least want me to become Divine Son—the faction of Meng Jianxi—have only sent figures at the level of Dream Lords. Because if someone below that level, unless they are a complete fool, who would dare to touch the scales of the Dreamless Divine Venerable?"
Once again sharply pointed out, Meng Jianxi's brow sank, but he had no chance to interject.
"And you," Yun Che turned his gaze back to An Zhiming, "a mere prince of a small affiliated kingdom dares to speak such words before the Dreamless Divine Venerable, aimed at the one He is about to appoint as Divine Son. Tsk, this is not just bold as the sky. I imagine that, as a prince of a kingdom, you should know that for the Divine Venerable to annihilate your royal family, to annihilate your entire kingdom, is nothing more than a flick of the fingers."
An Zhiming clenched his hands, trembling violently.
"But you still did it. That can only mean you were coerced by a threat you couldn't refuse." Yun Che's lips curled slightly, unhurried. "Force you, as a profound practitioner from an affiliated kingdom, to challenge me, the soon-to-be-appointed Divine Son."
"If I accept and am defeated... losing to an affiliated kingdom profound practitioner of the same realm would leave a huge shameful mark on me. I'm afraid even the Dreamless Divine Venerable would be too ashamed to appoint me as Divine Son. If I don't accept, that means I don't even have the courage to face a challenge from a same-realm affiliated kingdom practitioner. How could I be worthy of being the Weaving Dream Divine Son? Tsk tsk!"
Yun Che spread his hands and shook his head: "Such lowly tactics—even a sow could see through them at a glance. As for who is behind it, even a donkey leading the way could bellow it out."
"As for your list of reasons, even a sow would shake its head at them. Oh... I suppose after being exposed, you had to come up with a different excuse. It's impressive that you could think of such a reason in such a rush."
He swept his gaze across the hall, facing a sea of stunned faces, and said in an especially puzzled tone: "Surely there isn't anyone here who can't see this?"
No one responded. Everyone's expressions were different.
The person who least wanted Meng Jianyuan to become another Weaving Dream Divine Son—everyone knew in their hearts. The Chief Palace Master, Meng Xuanji, and others all belonged to Meng Jianxi's faction—everyone knew that too.
After Yun Che's entire speech, who still couldn't see clearly?
The methods of Meng Jianxi's faction were indeed simple and effective. Because in their eyes, this "Meng Jianyuan" had only been back in the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom for seven days. His cultivation was merely at the Divine Lord realm, and he had no foundation or support within the kingdom. He wasn't even worth their careful scheming. This method was already quite the "honor" they gave him.
Various struggles and scheming played out frequently in any divine kingdom or any force. But no one expected that this "Meng Jianyuan," who seemed to have fallen from the sky, would directly tear everything open in public.
He tore open not only the lowly tactics he spoke of, but also the faces of those high-ranking figures in the Weaving Dream Divine Kingdom.
Without any scruples, leaving no face, and leaving no room for retreat!
Bang!
"Meng Jianyuan!"
Meng Jianxi stomped the ground and stood up. At this point, whether he wanted to or not, he had to be angry.
He glared and said: "Your words imply that this Divine Son is behind this!?"
"No, no, no," Yun Che quickly denied. "No implication. Meng Jianxi, I mean you."