Chapter 949: A Universal Selection
Lady Li walked in, looking at her as if she wanted to speak but hesitated.
Luoluo knew what she was thinking and said softly, "Mother's thoughts differ from mine... that would do no good for the Great Western Continent."
Lady Li said sadly, "Is Your Highness truly going to marry someone so far away?"
It had been over two thousand years since a princess of the demon race had been married off to Snow Old City.
Luoluo thought silently, if this could truly prevent war from breaking out, then perhaps it would be a good thing, and also good for Teacher, only...
That young demon lord probably wouldn't come to the Celestial Selection Ceremony, so what was all the commotion outside the palace about? Even if that young demon lord were to marry her, he wouldn't stay in White Emperor City waiting to inherit the throne, so... how would this story end?
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The envoy from the Great Western Continent had arrived, and the Celestial Selection Ceremony had begun. The celestial trees deep in the mist on both sides of the Red River emitted a low, rumbling hum.
Although rumor had it that the Empress had chosen the Second Prince of the Great Western Continent as Luoluo's husband, many young demon warriors still left the forests overnight, heading for White Emperor City. Most of them had already arrived in the city several days prior, fully prepared.
Since the Council of Elders had successfully ensured that this matter would proceed according to demon customs, anyone could be chosen. As long as one became a candidate, the rest would be left to the celestial trees and the desolate fire, to be decided by the ancestral spirits. Would the ancestral spirits of the tribes favor those outsiders from the Great Western Continent?
At dawn, the morning sun failed to tear through the thick fog shrouding both banks of the Red River. The sky was still dim, but White Emperor City had already awakened.
Rhythmic war drums sounded from all directions. Demons from different tribes bowed and paid homage to the faintly visible giant trees in the distance, then began to dance.
As the rituals continued, the figures of the nine giant trees gradually became clearer. Though they were dozens of miles away, one could feel the temperature there rising sharply, as if countless invisible flames were emerging from the earth, spreading through the trees' trunks into the world.
Accompanied by different war drums, tribal banners fluttered through the streets and alleys of White Emperor City. Young warriors from the vast demon domain, accompanied by their elders and companions, walked out of their tribal lodges. Their faces bore expressions of hope and tension as they made their way toward the highest palace.
The crowd gradually gathered, a dark, oppressive sea, yet there was no noise at all. The silence was unsettling. At the deepest point of this silent sea, a carriage drew much attention, for the banner it bore was not an ordinary tribal flag but a king's banner, snapping loudly in the morning wind.
Countless gazes fell upon that carriage. No matter how confident and proud the young demon warriors of various tribes were, when they saw that king's banner, they instinctively showed reverence, because it represented the most powerful noble clan in the southern demon domain, and because a man sat beneath that banner.
That man wore an indifferent expression, his black hair dancing in the wind. A fierce yellow light occasionally flashed in his eyes. The aura emanating from him was extremely powerful, even terrifying. He was the most talented warrior the demon race had seen in two hundred years. After Wang Po crossed the border and Xiao Zhang was put on the wanted list, his rank on the Carefree List had risen to third.
Xiao De was his given name, Shi was his surname. He represented the will of the southern demon forces. More importantly, his own will was also extremely strong, and the entire continent knew that for the past few years, his strongest resolve had been to marry Princess Luoluo and become the next White Emperor.
As expected by everyone, he, who had remained silent during the recent turmoil, had finally appeared.
With a warrior of this level participating in the Celestial Selection Ceremony, who could be his opponent?
The Second Prince of the Great Western Continent had long since awakened. After washing and dressing, he held a scroll and was reading. Hearing something, he paused for a moment, the corners of his mouth lifting in an enigmatic smile. He put down the scroll, took a bright yellow belt, fastened it, and walked out of the palace.
The thick fog did not disperse, seeming to merge with the yellow sand covering the ground.
The young demon lord was not sleeping indoors but lying on the yellow sand, hands behind his head, one leg crossed, eyes closed, looking exceptionally at ease.
If his identity were discovered, he would surely face the most terrifying siege, but he seemed completely unconcerned. The increasingly loud war drums had no effect on him either. After an unknown amount of time, he opened his eyes, stood up, brushed the yellow sand off his body, and walked to the back door.
He quietly gazed at the two stone statues, reached out to take a conical hat, put it on his head, and then left.
The two stone statues were also gone. Their original positions were empty, only the yellow sand gently stirred by the morning wind, eventually burying yesterday's golden blood.
Xuan Yuan Po woke up very early. To be more precise, he hadn't really slept at all last night.
Because of the couple in the house whom he couldn't understand, he had sat in the small courtyard the entire night.
But not sleeping had nothing to do with discomfort; it was because he was nervous about the upcoming event.
The sound of the war drums was so clear, urging him on his journey.
But before that, he still had some things to do.
This was a habit he had developed from following Chen Changsheng at the National Academy.
The more important the matter, the calmer one should be. Even if one couldn't achieve inner peace, at least one should take care of the most important thing first.
He pulled open the door and walked inside, asking through the paper door, "I'm going to buy breakfast. What do you two want to eat?"
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The nine colossal celestial trees loomed faintly in the mist, radiating invisible yet tangible waves of heat.
Though there was no hurricane from the Western Sea, the Red River began to churn with massive waves. The sound of breakers crashing against the shore was deafening, instilling fear in those who heard it.
No demon was afraid, however. They knew it was the commotion caused by the enormous beasts living in the Red River.
Those enormous beasts in the Red River were called Yu Jing. They possessed unimaginably massive bodies but were extremely gentle in nature, feeding on the endless red algae in the river and never harming any living creature. The demons regarded them as protectors. Today's huge waves in the Red River were the Yu Jing's celebration, sensing the changes in the desolate fire.
White Emperor City was also filled with a celebratory atmosphere. Although there was still some unease about the rumors and the tense situation of the past two days, the Celestial Selection Ceremony was, after all, a rare grand event for the demon race. The people cast aside those emotions and began to dance to the unceasing war drums.
Hundreds of stone walls used to divide the city blocks were crowded with demon citizens. It looked as if all the stone walls had been raised by a section overnight, though not very evenly. The people watched the young men walking toward the various arenas, waving their arms, shouting, and jumping. The new stone walls seemed to rise another few feet.
It truly felt like a universal celebration.