Chapter 531: The Zong Family's Plot

In the Saint Martial Hall, the crowd of young paragons watched the Great Emperor. They remained silent, listening intently.

The Great Emperor was not just the ruler of the Holy Country, but also a supreme powerhouse whose methods defied the heavens. His terrifying, unparalleled strength was enough to earn the respect and admiration of all.

For this was the prerogative of the strong!

The Great Emperor spoke, "Three requirements, which will also be your three trials. Only the final victor who fulfills all three requirements can become the Holy Country's Prince Consort."

Hearing this, no one was particularly surprised. After all, there could only be one Prince Consort. Through trials and competition, only the strongest individual to emerge from the crowd of Celestial Prides would be qualified to marry the Princess.

However, everyone was curious. What exactly were the requirements?

"We implore His Majesty Great the Emperor to enlighten us!" the Dragon King asked.

The Great Emperor swept his gaze over the dozens of people before him and said, "The first requirement: travel to the Profound North Realm and find the Holy Medicine, the Moon God Flower."

"The Profound North Realm?"

"The Moon God Flower?"

Upon hearing this, the complexions of many people changed drastically.

"In the Ancient Era, the sky had two moons that rotated and shone upon one another. But for some unknown reason, one day, one of the moons suddenly fell, landing in the north of the Holy Country—the Profound North Realm!"

"Later, the world underwent a great change. The fallen moon vanished without a trace, but it left behind its Moonlight Essence. Over the long years, this essence gave birth to the Supreme Holy Medicine, the Moon God Flower!"

"And the Moon God Flower is guarded by the Lost Clan. For countless ages, innumerable people have entered in search of it, but none have returned alive. It is a Forbidden Land."

Young Master Xie Qing explained. Many were well aware of how terrifying the Lost Clan was, and their faces instantly paled.

"The second requirement!"

The Great Emperor paid no mind to the changing expressions of the others and continued, "After finding the Moon God Flower, you will proceed to the Celestial Pass. The Beastman Empire has repeatedly encroached upon our borders. My requirement is this: drive the Beastman Empire back one million li and plant the Holy Country's military banner on the new border!"

"Drive the Beastman Empire back one million li!"

At this, the hearts of the crowd sank. This requirement was undoubtedly even more difficult than finding the Moon God Flower!

The Beastman Empire was terrifyingly powerful, with countless Nirvana Powerhouses. With their individual strength alone, let alone one million li, even pushing the border back a hundred thousand li would be incredibly difficult.

"Of course, you may use any and all available forces to help you complete this task, including your families or the powers backing you," the Great Emperor added.

At that, the expressions of Jing Hui and the others finally relaxed somewhat.

They hailed from Noble Families and possessed their own deep reserves of power. If they were to draw upon those reserves, they might just be able to accomplish these tasks.

Of course, for some of the other outstanding Celestial Prides who lacked powerful backing, the second requirement was a monumental challenge.

"I trust you all understand my intentions. Without great accomplishments, I will not entrust my daughter to any of you so easily," the Great Emperor continued.

Hearing this, the crowd fell silent. How could they not understand? The Great Emperor wanted to use this opportunity to give them a chance to prove themselves to the world.

Only by making a great name for themselves would their claim to being the Prince Consort be undisputed!

Then, even if they were to become the Young Emperor in the future, no one would object.

At this thought, Jing Kang, Zong Shuai, and the others nodded.

The Great Emperor continued, "The time limit to complete these requirements is one year. Within one year, if you complete the first two requirements, you are to return to the Holy Palace. Defeat the Princess, and you shall become the Prince Consort."

Ye Wushuang listened quietly. 'Although the Great Emperor's words are simple, they hide far too many implications.'

'First, there is only one Moon God Flower. Among dozens of people, only one can obtain it.'

'And even if someone gets it, they may not be able to protect it.'

'During the process of completing the second requirement, it will inevitably be stolen. The battles at that time will be incredibly brutal!'

'There will surely be no shortage of sieges and ambushes. It's even possible that the powerful experts from the families backing these Celestial Prides will also participate.'

'So, without a doubt, these requirements have laid out a path of blood for everyone.'

'Anyone willing to walk it must face the risk of being killed at any moment!'

Of course, for those who succeeded, the glory would be immense. Not only would their strength increase, but they would also marry the Princess. More than that, the Great Emperor was also deliberately selecting an heir to the Holy Country!

Once the Great Emperor's three requirements were announced, the entire world was shocked!

Many people astutely perceived that this time, the Great Emperor seemed to be choosing the heir to the Holy Country!

Immediately, dark undercurrents began to surge throughout the Grand Emperor Country!

Countless Major Influences emerged from the shadows, continuously converging on the Holy City, all for the sake of this consort selection.

「That night, in the main hall of the Zong Mansion.」

"Patriarch, it seems we must act quickly. His Majesty Great the Emperor's move is undoubtedly a search for a candidate to be the 'Young Emperor'. This is an absolute opportunity for our Zong Family!"

"Indeed. This old man believes we should dispatch our powerhouses to the Profound North Realm to seize the Moon God Flower first and grasp the initiative."

All the Chief Stewards of the Zong Family were gathered inside, engaged in a heated discussion.

Patriarch Zong sat, deep in thought.

Beside him, Zong Shuai listened for a moment before thinking and calling out, "Father!"

"If you have something to say, then speak," Patriarch Zong said, turning to Zong Shuai.

At his words, the others also turned their attention to Zong Shuai.

Zong Shuai thought for a moment and said, "Elders, in my opinion, we should not focus our attention on the Profound North Realm."

"Why not?" an Elder in a black robe asked. It was Zong Hai!

"Elder Zong Hai, of the two requirements His Majesty has set, the first is to seize the Moon God Flower in the Profound North Realm."

"The Profound North Realm is guarded by the Lost Clan. If we all go there, we will inevitably clash with them. We won't gain any advantage and might even weaken our own strength."

"Once our strength is weakened, others will benefit. The loss would outweigh the gain."

"Therefore, our focus should be on the Celestial Pass. We should make all the arrangements there in advance, while I will go to the Profound North Realm alone."

"As soon as I obtain the Moon God Flower, I will rendezvous with you at the Celestial Pass. By then, you will have already established a foothold and arranged everything. The moment I arrive, we can complete the mission quickly."

"And if someone else manages to obtain the Moon God Flower first, their next stop will also be the Celestial Pass. As soon as they arrive, we will have the advantage and can seize the Moon God Flower from them. It's a foolproof plan."

Zong Shuai explained his plan methodically, having calculated every possible move and contingency.

"Brilliant, brilliant!"

The Elders all nodded at once, tacitly agreeing with Zong Shuai's words.

"You are truly worthy of being the Celestial Pride of our Zong Family. With the strategic mind of an emperor, the position of Young Emperor will surely be yours," Zong Hai praised.

"The position of Young Emperor!"

Zong Shuai's eyes flashed, burning with intense desire.

"Shuai'er, the future of our Zong Family will certainly rise because of you. You are destined to be the pride of our Zong Family," Patriarch Zong said, his face filled with pride.

"Father, I will not disappoint everyone. I will build my glory upon the bones of others," Zong Shuai replied.

"Patriarch, we will go and make preparations then," said the Zong Family Elders.

"Go and prepare. Also, Zong Hai, I want you to investigate this Ji Xuanyuan. I've heard he possesses a Holy Bone. We must seize all of it."

"And that boy, Ye Wushuang... to prevent him from causing trouble, send some people to eliminate him. Remember to do it cleanly. Don't let the Dongfang Family find out."

Patriarch Zong gave a few more instructions.

The moment he mentioned Ye Wushuang, a sharp, murderous glint flashed in his eyes!