Rong Zhou could not help rubbing his eyes.
The Divine Palace had stood in the Spirit Beast Forest for tens of thousands of years. How could it suddenly vanish?
This must be an illusion, definitely a trick of the eyes. But no matter how hard he rubbed, the vanished palace never returned.
At once, the voices of discussion rose into chaos. For ten thousand years, the countless spirit beasts had regarded the Divine Palace as the guardian temple of the Spirit Beast Forest. And now, with no sign or warning, the palace had disappeared. How could they possibly accept this?
Countless spirit beasts surged forward toward where the palace had once stood. That location, however, was now nothing but barren emptiness. Yun Jin was standing at the very center, releasing wood-attribute spiritual energy. In moments, the empty wasteland grew lush and verdant.
"King…" Sang Qing said with unease, "the Divine Palace…"
Di Xiao's voice was calm. "The palace never belonged to the Spirit Beast Forest. Now, it has chosen its master."
The palace… had chosen its master?
All the spirit beasts saw the Palace Pearl hovering beside Yun Jin. Within the pearl, they could faintly glimpse the silhouette of the palace. The chosen master of the palace was clear as day.
Of course… it was Yun Jin.
Rong Huo's mouth fell slightly open.
What could he even say?
Should he praise her and say, "As expected of the Sect Master"?
Their King had struggled against the palace for a thousand years without ever being acknowledged. Yet Yun Jin merely came here to face a heavenly tibulation, and somehow walked away with the entire palace in her pocket?
Rong Huo sneaked a glance at Rong Zhou and nearly burst into laughter.
Rong Zhou's expression was, naturally, not pleasant. To old stubborn beasts like him, the palace was their spiritual faith. Every time they made progress in cultivation, or successfully advanced to a new stage, they would come to the Divine Palace to pray, to thank it for its protection.
Back then, his father's harshest words to him had included one particular line:
"If you acknowledge a human as your master, you will forever be abandoned by the Divine Palace!"
And now…
Well.
He had not been abandoned by the palace.
The palace itself had been taken wholesale by their Sect Master!
For some reason, Rong Huo felt a wicked thrill.
Yun Jin turned her head and looked at the gathered spirit beasts, then said, "The Celestial Divine Palace has already acknowledged me as its master. From now on, it will be relocated to the secret realm of the Wushuang Sect."
The lips of the spirit beasts trembled, their eyes turning red with emotion. They were not unreasonable. But emotionally, it was hard to let go.
"Yuan Yuan," Yun Jin called.
Under the astonished gazes of the spirit beasts, an automaton rolled forward on wheels. After circling around once, it picked a location and busied itself with construction.
Yun Jin explained to the spirit beasts, "Yuan Yuan will arrange a teleportation formation here. Through this array, you can enter the Celestial Divine Palace directly. Whenever you miss it, you may use the formation to go there. This array only responds to spirit beasts, and requires but a single drop of your blood to activate."
Through this teleportation formation, they could go directly into the Celestial Divine Palace?
But was the palace not being moved to the Wushuang Sect?
Would that not mean they would be transmitted directly into the human sect?
This… this was…
How could this be acceptable?
They were supreme spirit beasts, aloof and untouchable. How could they take the initiative to step into a human sect?
And yet…
The palace…
Rong Zhou's whiskers twitched violently. He had only barely forced himself to accept that Rong Huo had become a guardian beast of a human sect. That did not mean he approved of spirit beasts drawing so close to humans.
But the palace…
The palace had been taken away by Yun Jin.
If they did not go to the Wushuang Sect, they would never see it again.
If they did go, it would wound their pride and dignity as supreme spirit beasts.
Rong Zhou was torn apart inside.
By the time Yuan Yuan finished laying out the teleportation array, Yun Jin smiled and said, "I'll head back to the Wushuang Sect first to arrange the palace. Once it is set, you may come whenever you wish."
Her body vanished on the spot.
All the other spirit beasts turned to Di Xiao.
"King, what should we do?"
"Our Spirit Beast Forest's Divine Palace has been moved to the Wushuang Sect. If this spreads, will we not be ridiculed to death?"
The group of supreme spirit beasts fretted anxiously.
Di Xiao snorted coldly. "Ridiculed to death? Will you be ridiculed more, or will I?"
All the spirit beasts fell silent.
It was common knowledge. For the sake of mastering the Divine Palace, Di Xiao had not left the Spirit Beast Forest in a thousand years. And the result?
The palace had been snatched away, clean and simple. If there was ridicule to be had, none would suffer it more than Di Xiao.
Di Xiao said evenly, "This Celestial Divine Palace was originally masterless. It lingered in the Spirit Beast Forest for ten thousand years yet never yielded, proof enough that it shared no fate with us. Now it has found its rightful master. I, for one, am glad for it.
The palace protected the Spirit Beast Forest for ten thousand years. That alone was the greatest gift. To demand more would be nothing but greed."
Hearing this, many spirit beasts revealed thoughtful expressions.
Di Xiao paused, then showed a very complicated look. With great reluctance, he said, "Now that Yun Jin has successfully endured her heavenly tribulation, within this small world she is beyond dispute the number one powerhouse."
What?
The eyes of all the spirit beasts widened in shock.
Yun Jin, beyond dispute, the number one powerhouse?
And this was coming from the King himself, who had never acknowledged anyone above him!
Even in the age of Wan Dao Saint, Di Xiao had never uttered such words.
But now…
He was admitting outright that he was inferior to Yun Jin?
Di Xiao continued evenly, "From now on, this small world will belong to Yun Jin and the Wushuang Sect. The Celestial Divine Palace has submitted to Yun Jin. Perhaps this is the palace's final gift to us."
He sighed and spoke slowly. "The era has changed. If the Spirit Beast Forest can use this to strengthen ties with the Wushuang Sect, perhaps that is the destiny of our forest.
All spirit beasts, if ever you have the chance to contract with a disciple of the Wushuang Sect, do not lightly refuse such fortune."
Every word he spoke overturned the spirit beasts' worldview.
Especially for the supreme beasts like Rong Zhou. They had lived for countless years, always lofty and untouchable. If not, Rong Huo's contract with humans would never have caused such an uproar.
But now…
Their King was saying that if they could contract with disciples of the Wushuang Sect, they must not pass up such fortune.
Fortune?
Contracting supreme spirit beasts was no longer the disciples' fortune, but the beasts' own fortune?
This… This was absurd beyond belief!
If anyone else had spoken these words, the entire Spirit Beast Forest would have rioted.
But the one who said them was Di Xiao.
The strongest king among spirit beasts throughout history: Di Xiao.
"I may be your King, but I cannot forcibly change your hearts. How the path ahead is walked, you must decide for yourselves," Di Xiao said.
His own feelings were tangled and conflicted.
How could he possibly want to say such words?
By saying them, he was placing the entire Spirit Beast Forest in a weaker position.
And yet…
What difference would it make if he said nothing?
Yun Jin's strength was already an unbridgeable gap.
The Wushuang Sect still possessed the Trial Tower, that divine artifact.
In the future…
The strongest under heaven would all come from that sect.
Nothing else needed to be said. Just look at the recent battle rankings. The disciples of Wushuang Sect at the Unity stage had joined forces and slaughtered beasts on par with supreme spirit beasts as easily as butchering chickens or dogs.
If the spirit beasts still acted high and mighty, they would become nothing but a laughingstock.
After Di Xiao finished speaking, silence descended.
All the spirit beasts stood in deep thought.
The more they pondered, the greater the storm that raged in their hearts.
Yun Jin…
And the Wushuang Sect… had truly grown so strong?