236: Chapter 236 The Supreme Meeting of the Great Palace

Great Thousand Palace, at the foot of Holy Spirit Mountain. The ancient palace, which had stood for tens of thousands of years, was exceptionally solemn today. Outside the palace gates, the black-armored guards of the Demon-Slaying Army were twice as numerous as usual. The sound of patrolling footsteps was rhythmic and heavy, echoing through the vast hall. The deacons and guards along the way felt an unusual atmosphere—it was the same oppressive and grave tension that only appeared whenever the Council of Elders held a supreme meeting.

Inside the Elder Hall, tens of thousands of fist-sized Holy Spirit Crystals were embedded in the dome. Milky white light poured down from the dome, illuminating the entire hall as if it were daylight. A round table cast from a single piece of Star Meteorite Iron was placed in the center of the hall, its surface carved with the mountains and rivers of the Great Thousand World, with faint spiritual light flowing through every line. Surrounding the round table, seven high-backed stone chairs were arranged in an arc, with five Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign elders of the Great Thousand Palace sitting on them. The Palace Master had not yet arrived, but his seat was empty at the head of the table; everyone was waiting.

Chief Elder Lu sat in the first position to the right of the Palace Master's seat. He had a thin face, white hair and beard, and his deep eyes held the composure and wisdom accumulated over tens of thousands of years of time. At this moment, he was gently placing the battle report jade slip in his hand onto the round table. Faint salt frost, left behind after the South Sea seawater evaporated, still remained at the seal of the jade slip.

"This is the battle report transmitted by the South Sea special envoy early this morning." Elder Lu's voice was unhurried, yet it caused the four elders present to raise their eyes simultaneously. "In the southern waters of the Chaotic Demon Sea, the Hall Master of the Spirit Hall, Hun Feng, killed seventeen Spirit Grade Heavenly Sovereign of the Evil Race single-handedly and captured one alive. The thousand-man scout team was completely wiped out, while the Spirit Hall only lost seven men. The two special envoys witnessed it personally, and it has been confirmed as true." After finishing, Elder Lu paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. "Do you have any opinions? Please speak."

The first to speak was the Second Elder, Elder Qin. He leaned back in his chair and placed the tea cup in his hand, which had long since gone cold, onto the table. The bottom of the cup made a crisp sound as it collided with the Meteorite Iron table. Elder Qin came from the Ancient Floating Pagoda Clan and had a close relationship with the Mohe Ancient Clan; he maintained many of the interests of the Five Ancient Clans within the Great Thousand Palace. He looked at Elder Lu, his tone filled with undisguised skepticism: "I am quite curious—where did this Spirit Hall pop out from? I remember that area of the Burning Heaven Mountain Range very clearly; originally there was only the Fire Swallowing Clan, and the strongest was only an Earth Supreme. Now, suddenly, sixteen Heavenly Supreme, one Immortal Grade, and hundreds of thousands of disciples have appeared. Don't you all find it strange? This person's background is unknown, and his strength is so formidable. If it is a force secretly supported by the Extraterritorial Evil Clan, wouldn't our talk of recruiting him be inviting a wolf into the house?"

"Elder Qin's words are wrong." Third Elder, Elder Mu, leaned lazily against the back of his chair, his arms crossed over his chest. He was a rogue cultivator with no faction background, and he never cared about anyone else's expression when he spoke. "He killed seventeen Spirit Grade Heavenly Sovereign of the Evil Race; this is a solid military achievement. Even if the Evil Race wanted to support a force, they wouldn't use seventeen Heavenly Supreme as a down payment. The Evil Race cannot afford this kind of deal. As for the background—among those present, who doesn't have their own background and opportunities? The rules of the Great Thousand Palace have always been to look only at military achievements and not ask about origins."

Elder Qin's expression sank slightly, and just as he was about to retort, Fourth Elder, Elder Liu, spoke first. She came from the Tai Ling Ancient Clan and had a gentle temperament, often acting as a peacemaker in the Council of Elders. She gently waved the round fan in her hand, her voice soft but clear and logical: "Both special envoys are old men we trust; you should trust their judgment. To be able to kill seventeen Spirit Grade Heavenly Sovereign of the same rank single-handedly, I fear this combat power is no longer something an Immortal Grade Heavenly Supreme can achieve. In my opinion, this person's true strength has long reached the level of a Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign. If such a powerhouse is left alone, he will inevitably become a great threat in the future; but if we rashly suppress him and provoke his resentment, the Great Thousand World will have one more enemy harder to deal with than the Evil Race. Therefore, this matter should not be handled too aggressively, nor too slowly—first, summon him to the Great Thousand Palace, see him in person, observe his character, and then make a decision."

"Elder Liu speaks lightly." Elder Qin snorted coldly. "The Spirit Hall now sits on sixteen Heavenly Supreme and hundreds of thousands of disciples, occupying the Burning Heaven Mountain Range and the southern waters of the Chaotic Demon Sea. How long has it been? From obscurity to this scale, it has only been a few years. If we give him another few decades or a hundred years, to what extent will he grow? At that time, will the Great Thousand Palace still be able to suppress him? In my opinion, while his wings are not yet fully grown, we should eradicate him as soon as possible. Such an uncontrollable force is a disaster sooner or later."

"Eradicate?" Elder Mu sneered and retorted unceremoniously, "Elder Qin, how many Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign does your Ancient Floating Pagoda Clan have under its command? Can you all join forces and retreat unscathed under the siege of eighteen Spirit Grade Heavenly Sovereign? Not to mention counter-killing them. He blocked the Evil Race's blade for the Great Thousand World in the South Sea, yet you, sitting here drinking tea, want to eradicate him. If this word gets out, who will dare to risk their lives for the Great Thousand World in the future?"

"You—" Elder Qin slammed his hand on the armrest, but was stopped by Elder Lu's raised hand. Elder Lu had not participated in the argument from the beginning to the end, just listening quietly. It was not until both sides had finished speaking that he cast his gaze toward Elder Yun, who had remained silent at the very end of the round table. Elder Yun came from the Sword Domain and was once a senior brother of the Green-Shirt Sword Saint. He was upright and not good with words, and rarely spoke voluntarily in such meetings. But at this moment, he spoke unexpectedly, his voice hoarse and powerful: "I will only say one thing—it is a fact that this person killed seventeen Heavenly Supreme of the Evil Race. If the Great Thousand Palace turns a blind eye to this military achievement, when we confront the Evil Race in the future, none of us present will have the face to face those soldiers who died on the South Sea front line. I support recruiting him."

Elder Lu nodded slightly and finally stood up. He supported his hands on the Meteorite Iron table, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the four elders one by one: "You have all stated your opinions, and I will say one thing as well. This young man can kill seventeen of his peers single-handedly, which shows that his true combat power has long reached the level of a Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign, and what he lacks is only official recognition. More importantly—he is only in his early thirties. A Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign in his thirties; those of you present have lived for tens of thousands of years, have you ever seen a second one? Have you ever thought about what height he can reach in the future? Is it possible for him to surpass the Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign? If that day really comes, by choosing to eradicate him today, we are planting an unresolvable deadly enemy for ourselves. On the contrary, if we choose to recruit him today and give him the recognition and respect he deserves, one day he may become the strongest aid for the Great Thousand World against the Evil Race. This is not gambling; it is foresight."

Just then, the space at the head of the table suddenly distorted silently, and a figure walked out slowly from the void. The Palace Master had arrived. He looked to be only in his early forties, with a scholarly appearance and deep eyes like a starry sky. Everyone stood up simultaneously and saluted with cupped fists. The Palace Master sat down in the main seat, took the battle report jade slip presented by Elder Lu, tapped his fingertip lightly on the jade slip to read all its contents, and then slowly put it down.

"Recruit him. This young man's future is boundless, and breaking through to Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign is only a matter of time. More importantly—his battle record is worthy of this recognition. It has been too long since such a monstrous talent appeared in the Great Thousand World; there is no need to chill the hearts of the people of the world because of suspicion." The Palace Master's voice was calm and firm, with every word carrying unquestionable weight. His gaze lingered for a moment when it swept over Elder Qin, and Elder Qin lowered his eyes and did not speak again.

"I have made a decision. First, recognize the Spirit Hall as a super power, on equal footing with the Five Ancient Clans. Second, recognize Hun Feng as the Domain Master of the Shitian Domain, governing the Burning Heaven Mountain Range and the southern waters of the Chaotic Demon Sea. Third, the military achievements of this South Sea battle will be rewarded according to the highest specifications of the Demon-Slaying Order—three super spiritual veins, one scroll of Saint-Rank spiritual technique, and one Immortal Grade peerless sacred object, with the specific categories to be determined by the Hall of Merits. Fourth," the Palace Master paused, his gaze sweeping over all the elders present, and said the decision that stunned everyone, "exceptionally appoint Hun Feng as the sixth elder of the Great Thousand Palace, enjoying the same right to discuss and make decisions as everyone present."

The hall was silent for a full three breaths. Elder Qin stood up abruptly, his face livid: "Palace Master! The position of elder has always been selected from within the Great Thousand Palace; there has never been a precedent for exceptionally appointing an outsider! This person's background is unknown and his details are unclear; to let him enter the Council of Elders like this, I am afraid it is inappropriate!"

"Precedents are created by people." The Palace Master was not angry, just looking at Elder Qin calmly, his tone still as calm and unruffled as before. "He killed seventeen Spirit Grade Heavenly Sovereign single-handedly; who among you present can do this? Elder Qin, can you do it?"

Elder Qin's lips moved a few times, but in the end, he did not say "I cannot." Elder Lu took the lead in cupping his fists, and the other elders also followed suit. The Palace Master stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, and finally landed on Elder Lu: "Make the battle report public today. Let the entire Great Thousand World know—a ruthless person has emerged in the South Sea, and also let them know that the Great Thousand Palace never treats those who have rendered meritorious service unfairly." After speaking, he turned and stepped into the void, disappearing.

That day, the Great Thousand Palace spread the detailed battle report of the South Sea battle throughout the entire Great Thousand World through its intelligence network. When the War Emperor of the West Heaven War Palace saw the battle report, he was reviewing military affairs; his fingers holding the jade slip exerted slight force, and he remained silent for a long time before saying, "Find an opportunity to meet him." The Green-Shirt Sword Saint of the Sword Domain just nodded slightly after reading the battle report, placed the jade slip on his desk, and continued practicing his sword. The Old Ancestor of the Holy Spirit Mountain clasped his hands together while looking at the battle report and whispered, "Good, this child is the fortune of all living beings in the world." The Great Elder of the Mohe Ancient Clan of the Ancient Floating Pagoda Clan had a gloomy expression, slammed the battle report heavily on the desk, and said nothing. The Old Ancestor of the Ancient Wild Clan laughed out loud after reading the battle report, saying that he must invite this fierce man for a drink another day.

When the news reached the Spirit Hall, Hun Feng was sitting in the study of the Imperial City reviewing documents submitted by the various halls. Hun Qian stood before the desk, presenting the official document from the Great Thousand Palace with both hands, his voice trembling slightly: "Hall Master, the Great Thousand Palace has officially recognized the Spirit Hall as a super power, on equal footing with the Five Ancient Clans. Also... they have exceptionally appointed you as the sixth elder of the Great Thousand Palace. This is the first time in tens of thousands of years that the Great Thousand Palace has exceptionally appointed an outsider to the Council of Elders."

Hun Feng took the document, read it, and leaned back in his chair with a faint smile on his lips. Back then, when he established his prestige in the South Sea with eighteen Evil Race Heavenly Supreme, he had calculated that this day would come, but even he did not expect the Palace Master of the Great Thousand Palace to have such great courage—not only giving him super power and Domain Master status, but also directly and exceptionally giving him an elder seat. He didn't say much, just placed the document on the desk, stood up, and walked to the window to look at the blood-flame soul crystal that never extinguished above the Imperial City. The flag of the Spirit Hall snapped in the hot wind of the volcano, and three hundred thousand clansmen were busy in an orderly manner in the city. In the distance, the volcano group was spewing magma under the red clouds, like a flowing galaxy. Everything was developing in the direction he had envisioned, even better than he had expected. He turned around and said to Hun Qian: "Prepare a gift of thanks for me. Another day, I will personally go to the Great Thousand Palace to visit that Palace Master whom I have never met."