Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Silence was observed across the land, as everyone was stunned to witness the occurrence. No one had ever imagined the title of Great Elder of the Budur Ancient Clan could just change hands right before their eyes.
The clan members of the Xuan and Mo lineages looked at each other as chills went down their spines. They knew for a fact that Qing Yanjing had become the Great Elder, so the two lineages could not be as insubordinate as before. However, the elders of the Xuan and Mo lineages were suppressed under Gemstone Mountain. Hence, they could not make any comments, and obviously, they had no right to comment, either.
Even though it was unbelievable, the rest of the lineages seemed to be quite accepting of such a change. They had been unhappy about the Xuan and Mo lineages calling the shots all this time. Since Qing Yanjing was fit to be a Great Elder, and she could keep the Xuan and Mo lineages under control, they considered it to be a good thing.
Countless members from the Qing lineage were already cheering. Once Qing Yanjing became the Great Elder, she would have to break away from the lineage she belonged to ensure fairness. However, to the Qing lineage, this was still a piece of good news. At least they would not be worried about the Xuan and Mo lineages putting them down anymore.
“This is really interesting.” Yao Chen and Lin Diao were stupefied by what they saw, but subsequently, they chuckled softly. No one would have conceived of such a situation. Initially, they thought Qing Yanjing would be at a disadvantage when the Ancestor Pagoda was out, but eventually, she became the new appointed Great Elder of the Budur Ancient Clan. They knew that the incident had finally come to an end. Given Qing Yanjing’s strength, she was capable of suppressing any other objections from the clan.
“Hmph. Useless old man.” Maha You knit his eyebrows tightly. He let out an angry rebuke to himself. Initially, he had been hoping for a fierce battle between Budur Xuan and Qing Yanjing. In the end, the incident had turned anticlimactic. Budur Xuan had not put up a fight for his position. Instead, he had simply accepted the outcome as it was.
Mu Chen was equally shocked by such a change. He had a complicated look on his face. His primary purpose had been to take his mother away from the Budur Ancient Clan, but little did he know that his mother had suddenly become the Great Elder of the clan.
“How did this happen?” Mu Chen scratched his head. He gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
Just as the entire land had been plunged into shock, Qing Yanjing’s cold expression eased up slightly when Budur Xuan handed over the Great Elder position. If Budur Xuan had decided to ignore the rules, she would have had to use the Ancestor Pagoda to round him up today. By doing so, it would have brought about an uproar in the Budur Ancient Clan. Furthermore, the clan might lose a Divine Grade who had reached the pinnacle of his combat capacity. To such an ancient clan, the Divine Heavenly Sovereigns were the pillars. Losing anyone would cause major damage to the clan. This was also the reason why she had been confined for years, and Budur Xuan and the rest of the elders had not pushed her too hard.
“You’re not a muddle-head.” Even though her expression eased up, Qing Yanjing’s voice remained cold. She was furious the moment she thought of how Budur Xuan had connived with his men to seize Mu Chen. While she was talking, she waved her hand, and the entire world of the spiritual array began to vibrate. Eventually, it dissipated and transformed into millions of spiritual seals. The seals swept back into Qing Yanjing’s sleeves.
“The rules are made in this way. Otherwise, I would not have given up today,” Budur Xuan replied with a stern tonality. His pale face looked obstinate. He glanced at the dilapidated land, and he did not feel good about it. Budur Xuan flung his sleeves and said, “Since you are now the Great Elder, you will wrap up everything here. Whatever happens next will have nothing to do with me.” He swept his gaze towards Mu Chen. At that moment, Mu Chen seemed to sense the complicated look in Budur Xuan’s eyes. “I hope your son will not waste those Nine Divine Pulses of his.”
Qing Yanjing immediately snorted when she heard this. “You don’t have to worry about it. My child reached his current level without relying on the Budur Ancient Clan’s resources. His achievements in the future will definitely surpass those of any past and present members of the Budur Ancient Clan.”
Budur Xuan wanted to make some sarcastic remark, but when he thought of Mu Chen’s current achievements, it was true that he had surpassed all the young generations in the Budur Ancient Clan. Given Mu Chen’s age and the fact that he had built up his own achievements from scratch, he was considered to be a real supreme talent. So, he snorted and did not continue further. He flung his robe, beamed into a streamer, and flitted deep into the Budur Territory. Within split seconds, he had disappeared.
With Budur Xuan’s departure, the tense atmosphere across the land gradually relaxed. As the atmosphere eased up, the members of the Qing lineage were the first to exclaim respectfully, “Greetings to the Great Elder!” The rest of the members in the other lineages began to welcome the new Great Elder with respect as well. Eventually, even people from the Xuan and Mo lineages sighed to themselves and followed suit.
Upon seeing this, Qing Yanjing waved her jade-like hands.
Members of the Xuan and Mo lineages pondered after a while before they asked with extreme caution, “Great Elder, I wonder if you could release our heads and elders first?”
Qing Yanjing looked down at the towering mountains, and she could not help but feel the pain in her head. Taking on the position of Great Elder was indeed not a well-made decision. However, others might comment if she continued to suppress the elders from the two lineages. Hence, she swung her sleeve, and the blocks of mountain gradually lifted. Eventually, they turned into streamers and shot towards the sky. As the mountains lifted, figures immediately darted out.
The moment they escaped from the mountain, the head of the Xuan lineage had hair dangling in front of him as he stood in the air. He bellowed in anger while glaring at Mu Chen, “Mu Chen, I’ll not let you off today!”
Yet, Xuan Guang sensed the sudden silence in the land after he raised his voice. Subsequently, he saw the rest of the elders in the Xuan lineage continuously throwing him eye signals.
Xuan Guang froze for a while before he heard a cold voice coming from the sky. “Oh? What are you going to do to my son?”
Xuan Guan jerked his head up and saw Qing Yanjing. Immediately, he had a fright and asked, “Qing Yanjing? How did you come out?!”
Mo Tong, head of the Mo lineage, also looked bewildered. His eyes were full of wariness as he searched for the presence of the Great Elder. He wanted to find out why Qing Yanjing was there.
Qing Yanjing looked at them without any emotion and said, “From now on, I’m the Great Elder of the Budur Ancient Clan. Budur Xuan has decided to go into a secluded cultivation for the time being.”
Xuan Guang and Mu Tong were dumbfounded. Their eyes were full of disbelief. After a while, they stammered and asked, “How… How is this possible? What nonsense are you spouting?!”
It had only been less than 30 minutes since they had been suppressed. How had the power shifted while they were out? They looked at some of the elders of the Xuan and Mo lineages. They realized all of them had put on a bitter smile, yet no one rebuked her.
Hence, after Xuan Guang and Mu Tong finally realized the truth, they felt numbness on their scalps. They had never thought that things would turn out this way. Since Qing Yanjing had become the Great Elder with the highest authority over the Budur Ancient Clan, they could not make any trouble from now on. If they could also hit the Divine stage, perhaps it would still be possible to vie for the position of the Great Elder with Qing Yanjing.
Yet, even though they were at the final stage of Spiritual Grade, they knew how far it was to that step of Divine Grade. Perhaps they might never be able to make that step for the rest of their lives.
When they thought of how they had hammered the Qing lineage as well as how they treated Qing Yanjing and Mu Chen, they could not help but taste bitterness in their mouths. Their heads spun, even though they were the leaders of two lineages. They knew that the Xuan and Mo lineages would not be peaceful from now on.
Despite the fact that their minds were a mess, they were heads of the lineages. Immediately, they suppressed their emotions and took a deep breath. With a forced smile, they lifted their chins and said, “If so, here’s our greetings to the Great Elder.”
Qing Yanjing looked nonchalant except for nodding a couple of times. She naturally detested Xuan Guan and Mo Tong, but she knew that they were the heads of the two lineages, after all. If she treated them casually, it would cause unrest among the people in the clan. Furthermore, she was in no hurry. Since she was the Great Elder, she would have many chances to repress them and even eliminate the advantages that the Xuan and Mo lineages used to have.
“Take your leave now.”
Upon hearing her voice, Xuan Guang and Mo Tong nodded with servility. Subsequently, they led the rest of the elders back to their individual mountains where their lineages resided.
Qing Yanjing turned to look at the various supreme forces who were there to watch the ceremony. The coldness slowly faded from her face, and her gentleness returned. “What happened today is embarrassing, and this marks the end of the Contest of the Lineages. You may stay for a few more days in the clan. We will do our best to host you during your stay.”
Qing Yanjing sounded gentle and friendly, but they did not dare to be rude, since the various supreme forces had witnessed her outstanding means. All of them expressed their gratitude.
She turned to look at the mountain where Yao Chen and Lin Diao were. Her expression became even more gentle. She smiled and said, “Thank you for taking care of Chen. I will definitely pay a visit to the Endless Fire Territory and Martial Border to greet the Flame Emperor and Martial Ancestor when there is a chance.”
Yao Chen and Lin Diao remained respectful to the Divine Ancestral Master. They nodded with a smile.
The various supreme powers were secretly sighing to themselves. Initially, they had been there to watch the Contest of the Lineages. However, never had they thought that they would witness such a show. From now on, the Budur Ancient Clan would have a power shift.
As for Mu Chen, his name would travel across the Great Thousand World after today. With a Great Elder of the Budur Ancient Clan as his mother, not many people in this Great Thousand World would dare to pick on him.
