Chapter 46 Vermilion Bird Terrace

In the face of Shen Yan's pressing questions and the Emperor Qian's imposing throne, the Canglan Kingdom had no choice but to pay their respects. A young man in a black brocade robe with gold trim stepped out of the foremost carriage. He wore a jade crown on his head and had a handsome face with a faint smile, giving off a sense of disdain. Around his waist, he wore a bronze sword with five differently colored gemstones embedded in the scabbard, reflecting a faint light.

"I, the Crown Prince Zhu Yìshì of the Canglan Kingdom, represent our country in paying respects to Emperor Qian!"

The young man in the brocade robe spoke with an air of confidence, bowing slightly and making a gesture of respect with his hands. He was not a person of the Qian Yue Kingdom, so he naturally did not need to kneel before Emperor Qian.

As soon as he finished speaking, the people from the three carriages behind him also stepped out. A great general, two cultivators, although they restrained their aura of transcending the mortal world, still exuded a compelling presence.

The great general was clad in a mighty black armor, with his black hair casually draped over his shoulders. He had thick eyebrows and fierce eyes, and his black cloak swayed slightly behind him in the wind, resembling a drawn sword, exuding a terrifying aura. He was the first to speak, "Canglan Kingdom's General Xiao Beilong pays respects to Emperor Qian!"

"Canglan Kingdom's Zhen Hun pays respects to Emperor Qian!"

The speaker was a cultivator in a blue robe, with a middle-aged appearance, hair streaked with black and white, deep eye sockets, and a hooked nose, giving off a sinister impression.

"Canglan Kingdom's Song Lang pays respects to Emperor Qian!"

The remaining cultivator in a gray robe followed suit, greeting with clasped fists. He had an ordinary appearance and standing next to Xiao Beilong and Zhen Hun, he was easily overlooked.

As soon as the three of them spoke, they caused a stir among the cultivators surrounding the Vermilion Bird Terrace.

"It is said that Xiao Beilong broke through the mortal realm ten years ago!"

"Zhen Hun and Song Lang are also renowned strong individuals in the Canglan Kingdom's cultivation world, not inferior to Xiao Beilong."

"Yes, these two are said to control major sects, not inferior to the three major sects in our kingdom!"

"Doesn't that mean they are all transcendent realm powerhouses?"

"Sss—In our kingdom, only General Nan Meng is in the transcendent realm... We're done!"

Qin Jun and the others hid among the crowd, silently watching Xiao Beilong and the other two.

Qin Yu, standing on the pavilion, couldn't help but grit his teeth as he looked at the Crown Prince Zhu Yìshì of the Canglan Kingdom. In the eyes of the outside world, both of them were the future emperors of their respective kingdoms. Although Qin Yu was outstanding among the princes, compared to Zhu Yìshì, the difference was not small.

However, Zhu Yìshì was already close to thirty years old, and in terms of experience, he had many times more than the sixteen-year-old Qin Yu, which made the people of the Qian Yue Kingdom still favor Qin Yu.

"Please be seated!"

Emperor Qian said expressionlessly. However, in his heart, he felt a sense of helplessness. Looking at Xiao Beilong and the others, he knew that in this confrontation between the two countries, the Qian Yue Kingdom was most likely to lose.

But losing the battle did not mean losing the war. At least, he had to remain composed on the surface and not be perturbed by success or failure.

Just as Emperor Qian was being supported by the palace steward Shen Yan and walking towards the pavilion, Zhu Yìshì led Xiao Beilong and the others to follow.

"Tak! Tak! Tak!"

At that moment, the sound of horse hooves resounded from the distant street. The crowd automatically parted, and the General of the Town, Nan Meng, rode in on a majestic black horse that stood ten feet tall.

It was as if he was riding a black dragon, exuding a heroic and extraordinary aura.

"General of the Town!"

"General, you're mighty!"

"General, go for it! You must defeat them!"

The people cheered excitedly, as if a great king had arrived. It must be said that in the Qian Yue Kingdom, Nan Meng's popularity was definitely number one. Even Emperor Qian couldn't compare, because he was the number one powerhouse of the Qian Yue Kingdom, and his achievements were unmatched.

If this were ancient Earth, a person with such great achievements would surely have the upper hand. But in this world of gods and demons, cultivation was the true strength, and Emperor Qian dared not plot against Nan Meng, nor did he have the ability to do so.

"He's really good at showing off!"

Qin Jun couldn't help but mutter to himself. Nan Meng's appearance was even later than the Emperor's!

Guan Yu's phoenix eyes narrowed as he looked at Nan Meng, showing a disdainful expression.

In the eyes of ordinary people, Nan Meng was a god, but in his eyes, he was a weakling. He was confident that he could cut off Nan Meng's head with a single stroke.

"Your human race really knows how to put on a show. If it were our demon race, we would have just started fighting directly."

The Xiong Tian Dog stood by Qin Jun's feet, disdainfully saying. Qin Jun pursed his lips. How could the demon race understand the joy of showing off?

Because there were too many people and it was too noisy, as long as the Xiong Tian Dog kept its head down, it wouldn't be afraid of being discovered.

After the envoys of the two countries were seated, there were performances of singing and dancing on the Vermilion Bird Terrace to liven up the atmosphere. Qin Jun watched with great interest, but the rest of the people, both the commoners and the cultivators, were already impatient.

"I wonder if Lord Jun and the others have come."

Sitting behind Emperor Qian, Qin Yu kept scanning the sea of people around the Vermilion Bird Terrace. However, even though the pavilion was four zhang high, it was still impossible to find where Qin Jun and the others were. Looking around, all he could see was a sea of heads.

Most importantly, among the sea of people, there were at least five hundred to a thousand cultivators dressed in black robes. It was impossible to spot Qin Jun and the others with just their eyes.

"I wonder if our Qian Yue Kingdom can win this time." A prince sighed softly.

Qin Yu shook his head. Useless, just a prince in name, with no real accomplishments. He couldn't even see the situation clearly.

"Of course, with my father here, we will definitely win!" Sitting in the back row with the other princes, Nan Yuxin snorted arrogantly. Hearing this, Qin Yu couldn't help but shake his head. What use was Nan Meng's strength?

Three games, two victories!

Sitting on the dragon throne at the front, Emperor Qian turned around and smiled, "Five years ago, Lord Nan had not yet taken up the position of the General of the Town, so he did not participate in the last confrontation between the two countries. I am looking forward to his performance this time."

Receiving praise from the emperor, Nan Yuxin smiled, his eyes narrowing into crescent moons.

On the other side, Zhu Yishi also overheard their conversation. A slight smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth, revealing a hint of disdain.

The song and dance performance lasted for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Then the Grand Eunuch Shen Yan, cough, I mean, the Palace Manager Shen Yan, took the stage to host the duel between the two countries.

"Next, the Kingdom of Qianyue and the Kingdom of Canglan will engage in an alliance competition to enhance the friendship between the two countries. Each side will send three representatives, and the competition will consist of three rounds with two victories needed to win. The match will end once a side reaches the required number of victories."

Shen Yan announced loudly, his voice sharp and penetrating.

"I wonder if this old eunuch has repaired the missing 'thing' below with his cultivation at the pinnacle of the Golden Elixir Realm." Qin Jun thought with a mischievous interest as he stared at Shen Yan.

Shen Yan was quite fair to his predecessor, it was said. He had grown up with the Qian Emperor as a young eunuch, and the Qian Emperor had used resources to elevate him to the pinnacle of the Golden Elixir Realm, but it was unclear whether this was true or not.

If it was true, their relationship was worth investigating. Qin Jun couldn't help but shudder at the thought of a certain evil scenario, hoping that his adoptive father, the Emperor, did not have the same twisted interests as he imagined.

"Please send one representative from each side to the Vermilion Bird Platform."

As soon as Shen Yan's voice fell, a general standing next to Nan Meng flickered and appeared on the Vermilion Bird Platform, drawing cheers from the crowd and cultivators below.

"Just entered the Mortal Shedding Realm," Guan Yu murmured.