"Why do I even need this ceremony in the first place?" Reluctantly leaving his room, Yun Wuji scratched his head while grumbling. Yun Wuying's body was so good that doing it with her for just a few hours was nowhere near enough for him to feel satisfied, and he started questioning his decision to agree to Shenwu Youluan to hold this ceremony in the first place.
Since Yun Wuji felt that he would soon become the ultimate ruler of the Abyss, he saw no point in this ceremony if he was going to host a far grander one not long after. Shenwu Youluan, Shenwu Qing, and even Meng Xuanjue insisted that he go through with it anyway. Meng Xuanjue was even annoyed that Yun Wuji did not simply kill Meng Kongchan and take his place to make him the Divine Regent of the Dreamweaver Kingdom.
These women, even if they believed in his strength, did not believe he could defeat the Abyssal Monarch this soon. The might and influence of the Abyssal Monarch had existed since the beginning of the Abyss, and breaking that kind of common sense was easier said than done. It was like telling someone that a rich CEO billionaire could just buy the president of the strongest country on Earth.
Yun Wuji eventually caved under their insistence and agreed. Adjusting his luxurious robe, he walked through the hall where two rows of beautiful maids silently bowed to him. He glanced at them as he passed. Each one of them was at least at the Divine Extinction Realm, which made the scene feel more like a parade of hidden monsters than a welcoming line.
Any one of them could be considered a powerhouse outside, but they were all willing to become his servants just to stay close to the Divine Regent, who overthrew the crazy, toxic feminist, Shenwu Yanye.
"Still, I did not expect my gains to be this great." Yun Wuji touched his navel area with a wide smile. Taking Yun Wuying's virginity had given him a few surprises he never saw coming.
First was that he felt he had gained a great amount of that aura of nothingness from her, many times greater than all the combined aura he gained from every moment he banged Xiao Lingxi.
This was something he expected. With Yun Wuying's special abilities, she was basically a mini version of the Ancestral Goddess. Since Xiao Lingxi was only her reincarnation with no real power, it was completely normal for Yun Wuying to surpass her in this regard.
What he did not expect, however, was the sheer amount of energy in her virgin Yin. If he could fully refine it, he would probably leap straight to the Divine Extinction Realm.
"It is about time." At the far end of the hall, Shenwu Youluan stood waiting for him. Her nose twitched slightly as she picked up the lingering trace of sex from him, even after he had tried to erase it with his profound energy. "Which woman did you do it with? Was it one of the servants?" she asked, her eyes sweeping over the maids still standing in perfect lines.
"That's not important." Yun Wuji patted her large butt casually and walked past her. "Is everything ready?" This was neither the time nor the place to tell her about Yun Wuying.
Shenwu Youluan walked beside him and spoke, "The major clans arrived a few days ago and have been waiting to receive your presence. The envoys from the other five kingdoms and the Ancestral Dragons arrived just yesterday." She paused for a moment before continuing, "And just as you expected, someone from the Pure Land has come."
Normally, even for the coronation of a new Divine Regent, the Pure Land would not bother sending envoys. At most, they would send a letter accompanied by some gifts to acknowledge the new Divine Regent.
"Oh, which one?" Yun Wuji asked.
"Why are you acting so oblivious? Of course, it is Su Shang." Shenwu Youluan rolled her eyes at him. She had been the one who spread the rumors about the Primal Flame Crystal and knew it would draw the attention of the Pure Land, or more specifically, the High Priest Ling Xian.
The Primal Flame Crystal was an extremely rare artifact that had appeared only once in the entire history of the Abyss. It had been used by High Priest Ling Xian to easily suppress the backlash of the Vermillion Bird's flame.
According to what he knew, High Priest Ling Xian was the daughter of the Vermillion Bird. However, she was not a pure Vermillion Bird; she had inherited the powers of wind and thunder from her mother's side. This caused a terrible imbalance in her power, which often spiraled out of control.
This created terrible elemental disasters. Back then, she used the Primal Flame Crystal to suppress her Vermillion Bird flame, the strongest part of her power, while also using her strength to control the far weaker wind and thunder. However, the crystal's suppression was not permanent. Once its effect faded, the disasters would inevitably return.
And now, the effect had already worn off. So when she heard the rumors about another Primal Flame Crystal, she immediately wanted to get her hands on it.
Yun Wuji had asked Shenwu Youluan to spread rumors that he possessed the Primal Flame Crystal to draw the attention of the daughter of the Vermillion Bird. He was curious about her, as she was the last surviving True God Beast.
The Golden Crow and the Phoenix were also clamoring over her.
Su Shang, whom Shenwu Youluan mentioned, was one of the Guard Commanders and the direct attendant of High Priest Ling Xian. She had reached the peak of the Divine Limit Realm, and her appearance clearly signaled that she had come for the Primal Flame Crystal.
"Woman, how dare you disrespect me?!" Yun Wuji squeezed her butt tightly, glaring at her with cold eyes. "Do you want to be punished again?"
"Ahn~! Yes, master." As if a switch had been flipped, Shenwu Youluan immediately melted in his embrace, her eyes turning misty as she whispered in a lascivious voice, "Please punish me!"
"You have become really addicted to these roleplays." He shook his head helplessly at her, though he had to admit he might be getting a little too addicted to them himself lately. "I will make sure to punish you after the ceremony."
"Now I really look forward to the end of this ceremony!" Shenwu Youluan separated from him, smoothed her robe, and nodded calmly. "Qing'er, Lingzhu, and Xuanjue can join us as well. I bet they need a proper 'punishment' too."
...
The capital city, now renamed the City of Light, was densely packed with people. Everyone who could have come to witness the coronation of the new Divine Regent.
A Divine Regent is the True God of the entire kingdom, the source of faith and even survival, since they provide the Divine Grace that shields the people from the Abyssal Dust. Normally, everyone would be celebrating the ascension of a new Divine Regent.
This particular grand coronation ceremony was unlike any that had ever taken place in the history of the Eternal Light Kingdom. Every inhabitant had been dreaming of this day, from children to the elderly, from the lowliest slave to the highest-ranking noble.
They all longed for the day when the darkness would be driven away, and a new dawn would arrive.
This coronation was the first ray of light piercing through the darkness, the dawn they had longed for so desperately. Of course, everyone had come to witness the magnificent scene of their lord and savior's ascension, Feng Yuan... I mean, Yun Wuji, the one who had freed them from that crazy bitch, Shenwu Yanye.
Above the capital city hung an enormous platform adorned with all kinds of crystals and jade. In the center stood a magnificent, luxurious throne, and surrounding it were the most powerful and influential people in the kingdom, all of them women.
Among them, Shenwu Qing stood in the middle.
A few steps below the throne were seven seats reserved for the representatives of the other five kingdoms, the Ancestral Dragons, and the Pure Land.
Further down was another row reserved for the most powerful clans and factions in the kingdom. Though most of them no longer held much influence, since Shenwu Yanye had purged them long ago for petty reasons, such as answering her summons a few minutes late or questioning her ridiculous and incomprehensible commands.
Even so, despite their meager strength and influence, Shenwu Youluan still took the time to summon them as an attempt to restructure the kingdom. After all, a single person could not manage the entire realm alone; capable servants were needed to delegate tasks. These people were exactly who she deemed fit for the roles, and she had invited them to fill the spots. With so few of them, the ceremony would have looked a bit shabby without enough 'great' people worshipping Yun Wuji.
Below the platform were the fortunate nobles and wealthy people who had managed to secure a good spot to watch from there. Most of them were not strong enough to earn a place on the platform but strong enough to witness the scene live, unlike the less fortunate, who could only watch the coronation from afar. Even more unfortunate were those who could not come to the capital at all and had to rely on the large broadcasting screens hung in the air in every city.
"So many powerful people gathered today. Look over there, that lady Shenwu Xiang. I heard she was thrown into the underground prison 500 years ago because she was found having a relationship with a man." Since Yun Wuji had not yet made his appearance, people's attention was focused on those on the platform. Many had spotted some interesting gossip and began talking among themselves.
"She is really lucky to serve only five hundred years before being saved by the Supreme One. I heard there are many women who end up literally rotting in prison, tortured until their souls break," a woman responded to the first speaker with a grim voice.
"That's the Divine Daughter Shenwu Qing. She is as beautiful as the legends! She looks so cold, yet so graceful. How envious!" More people focused their attention on Shenwu Qing, as she was very famous in the kingdom. Many even longed for the day she would ascend the throne, hoping she would change things for the better as quickly as possible.
"I heard the reason the Supreme One overthrew that crazy bitch was that he fell in love with the Divine Daughter."
"Nonsense! I heard he did it because he fell in love with Lady Shenwu Youluan!"
"Bullshit! It was because he fell in love with Diddy!"
"All of you are wrong. He did it because he fell in love with all of them!"
Gossip was natural for all humans, especially women. Many rumors about the relationships between Yun Wuji, Shenwu Qing, and Shenwu Youluan had been circulating in the capital for some time, and countless stories had been cooked up. Those who had never had the chance to enjoy such juicy gossip found themselves completely drawn into these ridiculous tales.
"His Excellency the Supreme One, Yun Wuji, has arrived!" Suddenly, a powerful voice swept through the entire city, silencing everyone. All eyes in the kingdom focused on a single person.