Chapter 846 The Grading Result of the Heaven Wasteland Domain
Having made adequate arrangements for Qin Hui and her son, Ye Qingyu and Yu Xiaoxing followed the divine guard and left the side hall via a paved path which led a kilometer or so to another smaller divine temple.
The security inside this temple was even stricter than that in the side halls.
The duo successively passed through two formations which were akin to danger surveillance installations and then three manual inspections before arriving in the deepest part of the divine temple while being led by a different human divine guard, who was wearing a white robe. Here, a small faint-silver portal formation was already in operation. Flickering a strange silver spatial formation beam, it conveyed a majesty as if it was a portal to paradise.
"The two of you, please."
The white-robed divine guard guided the duo to enter this formation.
The next moment, the formation was activated completely.
A silver splendor flickered.
The three of them vanished on the spot.
When his vision returned to normal, Ye Qingyu discovered that he was in a different divine temple, which, unlike the previous one, was filled with a rich and incredible spiritual qi. Its four walls were covered in intermittently-appearing formation beam patterns which he could not understand, while the place was pervaded by a pressure which caused one to tremble as if one was being gazed at by a crowd of deities.
In front of the trio was a well-lit path which led to an unknown destination.
At the end of the path was a white splendor which was rather dazzling. When a breeze blew from the direction of the path, a hubbub of what seemed to be arguing voices, or perhaps the roars of fiendgods, could be heard from the far end. It was all extremely strange.
"You two will have to wait here for a while." The guard pointed in the distance at the far end of the path. "This should be your first time coming to the congress divine temple, right? That over there is its core lobby. When someone arrives in a while, all you have to do is follow this path and enter."
Ye Qingyu nodded.
He was feeling a little nervous inside.
Beside him, Yu Xiaoxing lowered her head and breathed at a leisurely and drawn-out rhythm.
After thirty minutes or so.
Several figures appeared from the far end of the path and slowly walked toward the duo. One of them was angrily struggling while snarling and cursing, as if in a tremendous rage, yet was dragged along helplessly by two figures…
As they neared, Ye Qingyu discovered that the struggling figure was shackled by formation handcuffs and fetters, on which circulated a purple lightning beam which continually struck the body. Not a human, this expert's body was saturated with tremendous power which was at least of the Great Saint realm. Appearing rather old, the expert was cursing loudly in a language which Ye Qingyu had never heard before, but continued to be mercilessly dragged along by the two Demon Race divine guards…
"This is the leader of the Netherworld Race, You Jiuling, a Great Saint-realm expert. For going against the will of the Alliance of Domains' congress, launching the Netherworld Race into a battle against the Demon Race of the Great Wasteland Domain, and causing destruction upon the Great Wasteland Domain, he was arrested by the Alliance of Domains and faced trial today. It seems that he's very dissatisfied with the verdict, but this won't change his destiny. According to the Alliance's laws, he will be banished to the battlefield of the Sin Realm."
The white-robed divine guard explained things after seeing Ye Qingyu's curious eyes.
Upon hearing the whole thing, the latter was astounded.
A Great Saint-realm expert, and a race leader to boot, who destroyed entire realms at will could absolutely be considered a peerless villain. Ye Qingyu could imagine that the volition and arrogance of You Jiuling's former majesty were no different from those of an emperor. However, this was all reduced to ashes by the Alliance of Domains' crackdown. From merrily discussing his plans for hegemony one day to becoming a prisoner and being put on trial the next…
Is this the power of the Alliance of Domains?
Yu Xiaoxing held Ye Qingyu's hand a little forcefully.
Turning his head to look at this young woman, Ye Qingyu watched as she tried to calm down yet found it hard to hide her nerves, causing him to feel an abrupt pang in his heart.
Ever since he became acquainted with the Heaven Wasteland empress at Youyan Pass, he had never seen her show this kind of expression no matter the situation, be it when foreign races approached the Snow capital or when she was in danger within the chaotic windstorms. It was thus clear that the Alliance of Domains' authority and her worries regarding the final grading result had caused her to slip into great anxiety.
Despite being the Heaven Wasteland empress and being able to confront all crises with facility, she was nevertheless just a young girl who was not yet twenty after all.
She was bearing way too much weight on her youthful shoulders.
"You two may go in now." The white-robed divine guard pointed at a path ahead which was shrouded in light.
"Thank you."
After thanking the guard, Ye Qingyu inhaled a deep breath.
When he subsequently held Yu Xiaoxing's hand, neither person let go as they walked hand in hand onto the spotless white path, on which a silver misty splendor, emitted by jade-colored formations, engulfed the two young figures. Coming from the far end of the path, a kilometer ahead, was a dazzling light which made one nearly unable to open one's eyes.
Step after step.
Step after step.
The duo gradually neared the dazzling light at the end of the path.
Without the slightest of pauses, they walked out of the path and passed through the light.
Then…
The light suddenly became soft.
A breeze blew.
They opened their mouths to inhale air which could not be any fresher or more natural, and which carried a mild fragrance of soil and grass.
Ye Qingyu realized that they had arrived on a luxuriant stretch of grassland.
This was the time of the day when the sun, hanging at an angle overhead, was at its most radiant and beautiful, yet it was not exactly blazing. A few white clouds, as sluggish as a dog taking an afternoon nap, drifted in the azure heavens. Ye Qingyu had never been more amazed by the scene in the sky.
The duo was currently on a dangerously steep cliff, the top of which took up a surface area of nearly one hundred thousand square meters and was covered in extremely beautiful vegetation in jade and emerald shades of green. A faint spatial power appeared and disappeared intermittently in the air all around the cliff.
Everything was not quite the same as he had imagined.
Beside him, Yu Xiaoxing was also a little absent-minded.
However, they both quickly understood that this was only an illusory formation and not a real scene, and that this place was definitely the legendary so-called core meeting hall of the congress divine temple. Most likely, countless member experts from various domains were currently sitting on seats all around the illusory formation, attentively looking down at and observing the duo who simply could not see them back.
Just then, a voice was heard.
"The Empress of the Heaven Wasteland and Ye Qingyu, please step on to the Saint Hearing Platform."
This broad and great voice seemed to ring out throughout the world and resound in the heavens.
The Saint Hearing Platform?
Ye Qingyu looked around him and saw that in the centermost of the grassland was a greenstone pavilion with the words "Saint Hearing Platform" on its base. He had not noticed this initially because of the jade-green ground around it.
The duo proceeded forward and slowly stepped onto the Saint Hearing Platform.
The next moment, two greenstone jade slips suddenly floated down from the sky and suspended in front of the duo, flickering a faint fluorescence.
"The two of you, please check if there are any omissions or errors in the information on the slips."
The same voice resounded throughout the world with shades of majesty.
After exchanging glances, the duo each took a jade slip and injected a little yuan qi into it. Upon exploring it with their divine senses, they immediately knew what information was contained within.
It took only several dozen breaths' worth of time for Ye Qingyu to gain a clear idea of things.
These slips recorded all of the information and reports written about the Heaven Wasteland Domain by the special envoys who were previously dispatched there by the Alliance of Domains. The local customs and practices, resource geography, mountains and rivers, history and literature, and distribution of races and forces were all described in extraordinary detail from the perspectives of the envoys, whose evaluations were as sound and objective as possible.
The duo spent a full thirty minutes reviewing all of the information in the slips.
During this process, the duo seemed to be alone in an isolated and noiseless environment where around them were drifting clouds, cool breezes, and swaying trees. The earlier voice had not been heard again, affording the duo much patience.
After they were done reading, the duo exchanged glances and nodded.
"The records in the greenstone jade slips are indeed completely consistent with the real conditions of the Heaven Wasteland Domain" Yu Xiaoxing provided a definitive reply in a clear voice.
She was telling the truth.
It had to be acknowledged that the special envoys dispatched by the Alliance of Domains were extremely perceptive, such that their insights and judgments were absolutely spot-on. The information recorded in the slips were detailed, true, unexaggerated, and unfaultable.
"Very well."
The voice rang out once again, surging throughout the world.
The slips turned into flowing light and vanished as soon the voice was heard.
Imagining that the domain grading would be a lengthy process, the duo waited for the next set of inquiries. Moreover, the Heaven Wasteland Domain's circumstances were a little special, for it did not fully complete every test on the Road of Chaos. Prior to coming here, out of fear that something unexpected would arise, the duo had gathered all of the aides of the Heaven Wasteland diplomatic corps in anticipation and rehearsal of various possible conditions…
But…
"The Heaven Wasteland Domain shall be deemed to have passed the grading."
The dignified voice airily offered this statement when it rang out once more.
The duo froze.
Their first response was not one of excitement.
Instead, they found it hard to believe.
Is passing the domain grading really this easy?
Nothing else had been asked or said. Neither of them had been asked to give a speech or make a convincing pitch of any sort. The final preparations collectively done by the Heaven Wasteland diplomatic corps were not of any use.
The best possible result came so suddenly that neither person responded for a while.
Just then, the voice was heard for a fourth time.
