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"The academy under His Highness King of Qin really does produce one talented individual after another..." Chen Baifeng finally breathed a sigh of relief upon witnessing this scene. His own child hadn’t caused a major disaster and had even managed to survive.

Although still under the control of that monster, and clueless about how to break free from it, at least there was a seal in place, leaving room for reversal. His wife wouldn’t throw too big of a fit.

"Oh, not at all..." Chen Qing humbly smiled, "Shen Yuan is from Capital City, he’s talent cultivated by Capital City. I merely picked a peach."

Upon hearing this, everyone’s faces became somewhat awkward.

Many members of Jiangnan Academy were those who hadn’t been valued in their families and had gone there to try their luck. However, someone like Shen Yuan, who would likely remain a mortal for life in Capital City, could undergo a complete transformation in Jiangnan. What did this imply?

Not wanting the atmosphere to become too awkward, Chen Qing quickly changed the subject, "In reality, it’s still too early to breathe a sigh of relief.

As you’ve all seen, the so-called Heavenly Master election by Heavenly Master Mansion this time was clearly not that simple.

With us being trapped here, we still don’t know what they’re planning to do.

It’s best if everyone remains mentally prepared. "

At these words, both Chen Baifeng and the elders from other families nodded gravely.

With the Four Saints’ positions surrounding them outside, one could say that their own lives were at the whim of another.

They hadn’t anticipated the Heavenly Master Mansion to wield such power and had been too careless.

"Is Heavenly Master Mansion really willing to commit a heinous crime against the entire world? Aren’t they afraid of an all-out attack?" One elder frowned deeply.

Chen Qing also frowned, sharing this puzzlement.

The assembly here could be said to represent the heads of various powers, the significance of which could not be overstated.

No country would invite foreign dignitaries just to wipe them out in one fell swoop; wouldn’t that be a mockery of the entire world?

The Great Jin Dynasty, the nobles of the Southern Sea, the Northern Demons, and his own Jiangnan—one might say that these represented the pinnacle in the struggle for the Central Plains this time around. To offend them all at once, was the Heavenly Master Mansion truly so arrogant?

What exactly was the underlying scheme?

Chen Qing was puzzled, but suddenly, he seemed to think of something.

He looked at Chen Baifeng and whispered, "Lord Chen, how have you prepared for the Nanhai Dragon Palace?"

"Prepared?" Chen Baifeng was startled but then immediately caught on, his previously eased mind suddenly tensing up again.

Right... the survival of Chen Yun had made him momentarily forget the greater danger!

His initial... trust in the Dragon King might have been too great.

Their group of Sorcerer Families lacked military force. Therefore, to counter external powers such as the North or Jiangnan, or even the Imperial Court, they chose to directly use their resources to unseal the army of the Nanhai Dragon Palace.

The reason for everything was their belief that the Dragon Clan would regard a sorcerer who had undergone Dragon Transformation as one of their own...

This notion had been mentioned many times in ancient records, stating that among all beings, whether from the Human Race or other demons, whoever successfully underwent Dragon Transformation would become a noble in the Dragon Palace.

Regardless of your past, after the transformation, you would be one of the most esteemed beings in the palace.

Trusting this record, and fooled by the gentle demeanor of the Dragon King after their transformation, he subconsciously believed they were allies with the Southern Sea forces, united against others.

Therefore, as the other side kept providing Dragon Transformation resources to the Sorcerer Families, they continuously gathered enough blood essence stones and Spirit Jade to slowly revive the original military power of the Nanhai Dragon Palace.

As external forces grew stronger, especially with Jiangnan’s ability to directly confront the military power of the Northern Demons, they felt an increasing sense of crisis and thus desperately gathered resources for extra security.

But now, when looking back... was that really security?

Now, the Nanhai Dragon Palace already had hundreds of Yaksha generals, controlling thousands of Flood Dragons.

The selected soldiers from the common Sea Clan had already exceeded forty thousand.

A month ago, when he saw this force, he felt somewhat comforted, thinking that although the power of the Southern Sea couldn’t dominate the world, it was more than sufficient for defense.

Yet now, reflecting on it, it seemed that the family’s power was drifting further and further from the Dragon Palace. How could he have been so unguarded?

The more Chen Baifeng thought about this, the more anxious he felt inside, wishing he could fly back immediately.

"It seems there were no precautions in place..." Chen Qing looked at the other’s grim face and immediately made a judgment.

He suddenly realized a problem: all of their powers, themselves included, had hidden dangers!

Jiangnan’s hidden dangers include two major threats, one being the West Sea Dragon Palace with its own deity lineage forces, constantly balancing the power between the Dragon Palace and their own strength level.

The fear is that one day the Dragon Palace will become uncontrollable, ensuring their own power doesn’t collapse entirely; but what if they themselves were no longer within the power structure, or to put it bluntly, completely vanished?

Chen Qing closed his eyes—no one knew that the deity lineage would crumble following the death of the Divine Master. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that his subordinates might be planning to replace him. The Heavenly Master Mansion... could there be collusion within?

If there is collusion... who would be the most likely person?

Looking at the Southern Sea families, unlike himself, these Magician Families of the Southern Sea have no military strength. To protect themselves, it’s very likely they’re completely betting on the Dragon Palace, at the cost of being devoured at any moment.

From the Ancient Demon Egg, it would seem that the Nanhai Dragon Palace had already begun to make its move.

Aside from them, the other two forces are effectively the same.

Great Jin Emperor relies on the Ghost Soldiers from the Path of Yin and Yang; earthly forces rely on Emperor Siao to maintain order, while the nether forces depend on King Gui Xiang. But what if King Xiang and Emperor Siao were both absent?

Is it possible they could be replaced?

The Northern Territory is the same; the four major guilds have deep roots and resounding names, but at the end of the day, with Spiritual Energy just beginning to resurface, there aren’t many in the guilds who are able to awaken. Otherwise, where would they come into the picture?

In such situations, the guilds rely on the Demons from Celestial Serpent Palace!

The weaknesses of these forces, their critical cores, all depend on oneself, and just so happens, this competition for the Heavenly Master has invited the leaders of all the forces, while also restraining their freedom using the Four Holy Guard.

It seems as if they’re not afraid of any retaliatory measures from the forces behind them at all.

If... Chen Qing knew it was highly unlikely, but if the Heavenly Master Mansion’s power had actually started to strategize long ago?

And they already knew the vulnerabilities of each force?

Ancient Demon... Hiss!!!

Suddenly, Chen Qing realized it, a most terrifying thought flooded his mind!!!

The so-called Sorcerer Dynasty, could it be...

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"The Four Holy Gate have begun to open in succession, each candidate may proceed to their respective area to await their challenger."

An aged voice came through, and the four in the Qiankun Hall all looked over, the messenger was none other than the Old Heavenly Master himself!

"Yes..." The most respectful reply came from Zhang Zhiyun and Murong Ziyi, while Zhang Xiaoyun posed as a dandy, with Zi Yue maintaining a cold demeanor.

"You two, go on and prepare," the Old Celestial Master said with a kind smile.

Zhang Zhiyun and Murong Ziyi acknowledged with a bow, then left the Qiankun Hall and headed to their own designated areas.

Only Zi Yue and Zhang Xiaoyun were left behind.

"Senior Zi Yue..." Zhang Xiaoyun looked at Zi Yue, his eyes gleaming with excitement, "You’ve been still all this time; is there something you want to know?"

Zi Yue looked at him coldly, "Old man... from the moment I joined the trial, you mentioned that you would tell me the truth during the final trial of the Four Holy Gate—is this promise just to appease me?"

"How could that be?" The Old Celestial Master looked at Zi Yue, his eyes filled with affection, "Where would you like to start listening?"