The Unparalleled Sword Emperor
Chapter 272 - 271: Chaoyang Palace

Chapter 272: Chapter 271: Chaoyang Palace

The Shenwu Kingdom’s Imperial Banquet took place at the Chaoyang Palace.

Chaoyang Palace, one of Shenwu Kingdom’s nine halls and twelve palaces, symbolizes the identity of the royal family. It was only open for the Imperial Banquet or when entertaining envoys from other countries.

Below the Chaoyang Palace, there were nine hundred and ninety-nine white jade staircases, emanating a sacred and solemn aura, leading upwards to the majestic Chaoyang Palace that had been standing unwavering in the Shenwu Kingdom for thousands of years.

At this moment, high-ranking officials and nobles, dressed in their finest, princes and their descendants, all with smiles on their faces, made their way towards Chaoyang Palace.

Chaoyang Palace was incredibly vast, covering nearly one hundred and eight thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine square meters, enough to accommodate more than ten thousand warriors.

It was already nightfall now.

Stars peppered the night sky, like a glittering Milky Way.

Beneath the Milky Way, an exceedingly splendid palace stood tall between heaven and earth.

Inside the Chaoyang Palace, the candlelight cast a sober air of royal dignity.

There was an order of attendance at the Chaoyang Palace.

The first batch to enter was the wealthy businessmen of Shenwu Kingdom.

Despite their low cultivation, these rich businessmen had wealth rivaling nations.

If the Shenwu Kingdom was to go to war, resources would first be collected from these merchants, namely Spiritual Stones, Elixir Pills, ores, Spiritual Tools, and so forth.

Because being merchants, it was far easier for them to obtain these articles than it was for the Shenwu Kingdom.

So the ones to enter first were the rich merchants, and after they entered the Chaoyang Palace, they could only sit in the outer circle.

The second batch to enter was the civil and military officials of the Shenwu Kingdom.

They held significant posts within the military and the imperial court, being the pillars of the nation.

After their entrance, they took the seats in front of the merchants.

The third batch to enter was the Four Major Sects of the Shenwu Kingdom.

The Four Major Sects nurtured exceptional talent, aiming for the pinnacle of the martial arts. In this power-dominated world, they commanded respect.

Hence, the disciples of the four major sects entered third; they were designated seats on the right side of the Chaoyang Palace’s core area.

The fourth batch to enter was the princes and generals of the Shenwu Kingdom.

The princes and generals led the armies, safeguarding the everlasting integrity of Shenwu Kingdom’s rivers and mountains. Without their sacrifices, there would be no merchant activity, nor peace and stability in the Shenwu Kingdom.

These princes and generals, along with their talented protégés, were to be seated on the left side of the Chaoyang Palace’s core area.

Since ancient times, the left has been seen as superior, the right secondary.

The fact that the generals and princes sat on the left and the Four Major Sects on the right demonstrated the high esteem in which they were held.

The fifth batch to enter was the royal lineage of the Shenwu Kingdom.

The royalty referred to the current ruler of Shenwu Kingdom, Bai Huatian, his queen, and the princes and princesses.

At the Imperial Banquet, concubines and high-ranking concubines were typically not allowed to make an appearance. They could only watch the banquet covertly from behind screens.

The entrance ceremony concluded with Bai Huatian’s arrival.

The Imperial Banquet was elaborate, yet it established the grandeur of the Shenwu Kingdom.

Chen Gong, Lin Bai, Lu Yuan, Zhang Lingdao, and others were standing beneath Chaoyang Palace, looking up at the majestic palace on the nine hundred and ninety-nine white jade staircases. Chen Gong, in particular, was deeply moved.

Chen Gong said, "Do you see the palace above? Every year, at the Year-end Tail Sacrifice, who knows how many from the Spirit Sword Sect, fighting for glory, will battle until the last moment."

"Every year, countless warriors spill their own blood inside."

"It’s been many years since the Spirit Sword Sect dominated the Chaoyang Palace."

Lu Yuan laughed lightly and said, "Elder, don’t worry. This year, with Junior Brother Lin Bai here, even if we don’t make it to the top three, we won’t lose as badly as we did in previous years."

Upon hearing Lin Bai’s name, Chen Gong’s solemn face lightened slightly. He laughed and said, "Indeed, Lin Bai, even if you don’t get the first place, as long as you aren’t utterly defeated, it will be an opportunity for our Spirit Sword Sect to rise again!"

"Work hard."

Chen Gong heard that Lin Bai had slain all the warriors of the Canghai Sky Palace while in Qitian Mountain. His expectations of Lin Bai became even higher.

As an elder of the Spirit Sword Sect, Chen Gong naturally wished to see Lin Bai dominating over all at the Chaoyang Palace, demonstrating the might of the Spirit Sword Sect.

But was this even possible?

For the past decade or so, each year’s Chaoyang Palace had been a place of disgrace for the Spirit Sword Sect.

They had been slaughtered by warriors from the Canghai Yuntai Palace, the Fire Palace, and military prodigies - almost everyone wanted to take a shot at belittling the Spirit Sword Sect.

"Please, the Four Major Sects, enter the palace!"

A eunuch stood at the entrance of the Chaoyang Palace and, with a yell, his voice echoed in all directions.

"Let’s go then." Chen Gong took a deep breath - he knew that he couldn’t escape this moment.

On the other hand, Murong Qi, accompanied by Yi Han, also ascended the staircase.

Murong Qi sneered at Chen Gong and said, "This year’s Chaoyang Palace will be just like before. The warriors of my Canghai Yuntai Palace will certainly dominate all and take the lead. And your Spirit Sword Sect will still be trampled upon like a dead dog."

Chen Gong coldly responded, "The fighting hasn’t even begun, what are you being smug for?"

Yi Han smirked at Lin Bai. He sneered, "I’ll make sure you’re desperate to live, but unable to die."

Lin Bai responded with the same cold sneer. "Before Li Luobei died, he entrusted me with something. He asked me to tear you into a thousand pieces, saying traitors deserved such a punishment."

"He was a pretty impressive warrior. If we didn’t have different allegiances, perhaps he and I could’ve been friends."

"As for his dying request, I’ll carry it out."

Lin Bai looked at Yi Han with determination, his face betraying a cold demeanor.

Upon hearing Lin Bai mentioning Li Luobei, Yi Han immediately paled and quickly turned his face, avoiding eye contact with Lin Bai.

After ascending the nine hundred and ninetieth-nine steps, a few eunuchs guided the warriors of the Four Major Sects and settled them down on the right side.

Immediately after, the eunuch’s high call echoed from the palace entrance again.

"May all princes, military commanders, and princes and princesses please enter the palace."

One after another, influential princes and military commanders who hold sway under heaven entered Chaoyang Palace, engrossed in jovial conversation.

"Good to see you, Prince Duan."

"Oh hey, Prince Chu."

"Come now, let’s all go together."

"Chu Jiangliu greets Prince Duan."

"..."

The princes and kings all gathered to stride into Chaoyang Palace, still absorbed in their friendly banter.

Among the princes and kings, only the Qi Wangfu and Qi Rui were not present.

Looking around at all the princes and kings from the Shenwu Kingdom, including the Chu Royal Mansion, Duan Royal Manor, Lin Royal Mansion, the Twin Swords Royal Mansion, all powerful houses were present - except no trace of Qi Wangfu was found.

Not just the Qi Wangfu, there were not even any recognizable military geniuses present. Qi Rui was missing too.

Could it be that the Qi Wangfu decided not to attend the year-end tail sacrifice?

But it felt impossible. Although the Qi Wangfu had been growing its influence, it still hadn’t reached a point where it could control everything. Moreover, the royal family still had some fight left in them. Qi Wangfu would not dare to revolt openly.

Although Qi Wangfu was absent, the other princes and kings didn’t bother about them. They directly walked into Chaoyang Palace, sat down calmly in their seats for the princes and kings.