Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan! - Chapter 432 Rewards Bestowed By Then Emperor!
Chapter 432 Rewards Bestowed By Then Emperor!
The moment the Emperor sat down, the atmosphere in the Grand Ceremonial Hall changed completely.
Even the Great Ascension Realm felt an instinctive pressure settle upon their shoulders-not the oppressive force of cultivation, but something far more unsettling.
Authority!
The kind that had been honed over centuries of rule.
The Emperor’s gaze swept across the hall once more, slow and deliberate. He did not rush. He did not speak immediately.
Only after the hall had fully stilled did he finally open his mouth.
“Today,” the Emperor said calmly, his voice neither loud nor soft, yet echoing clearly through every corner of the vast hall, “we celebrate victory!”
His words were simple.
“The Demonic Forces have been repelled. The Beast Tide has been crushed. The borders of the Desolate Heaven Empire remain intact.”
He paused briefly.
“This outcome was not achieved by anyone alone.”
His gaze passed over every faction present.
“The clans.”
“The sects.”
“The commanders and cultivators who stood on the front lines.”
“And the Cultivators who paid with blood.”
The Emperor inclined his head slightly-an almost imperceptible gesture.
“For that, this Emperor acknowledges you.”
The words carried weight.
Almost as if he stood above everyone present.
In an empire like the Starfall Empire, such a declaration might have been normal.
But in the Desolate Heaven Empire, it was different.
Clans like the Bai, Li, and Zhao were considered nearly equal to the Imperial Family.
Statements like this were rarely-if ever-made in their presence.
Yet today, the Emperor said it without hesitation.
He was displaying his authority.
Interestingly, the Bai, Li, and Zhao Clans themselves did not seem to care.
Because they knew that Words were meaningless.
Only true strength mattered.
Then, the Emperor’s gaze shifted.
It settled more clearly in one direction.
The Bai Clan!
And at its center-
Bai Zihan!
The Emperor’s eyes lingered there for a fraction of a second longer than necessary.
Not obviously.
Yet Bai Zihan felt it clearly.
(Hostility?)
No!
It wasn’t that crude.
It was closer to… observation.
Bai Zihan kept his posture relaxed, his expression neutral, his breathing steady.
Outwardly, he looked exactly like what the rumors claimed-a crippled young man with no qi fluctuations.
(This Emperor…)
He could not reconcile what he was seeing with the intelligence he had received.
If Kong Zhanhong’s report was accurate-and Bai Zihan trusted it-then this Emperor should not have been capable of sitting here.
Unless-
(A temporary recovery? Or a substitute?)
The second option seemed impossible with so many experts present.
If it was anyone other than the Emperor that many are familiar with, then he/ she would have been caught immediately.
Then the first?
That was plausible.
There were pills capable of temporarily restoring vitality-though the backlash afterward would be severe.
But that was rare and precious, and in Desolate Heaven Empire, it is almost
unheard of.
Which was the truth?
Who knew!
It was also possible the Emperor had deliberately feigned illness for years to deceive his enemies just as Bai Zihan was trying.
But if that were the case, Bai Zihan couldn’t understand why he would reveal it
now.
Either way-
This was something Bai Zihan would have to investigate.
Meanwhile, the Emperor continued.
“Merits must be rewarded. This ceremony exists for that very reason.”
Only then did he raise his hand slightly.
At the gesture, imperial attendants stepped forward, each carrying treasures
sealed within shimmering formations.
Even without being revealed, the aura alone made breaths turn shallow.
The Emperor’s voice rang out once more.
“The first merit,” he said calmly, “belongs to Grand Elder Bai Ren.”
If Kong Zhanhong’s report was accurate-and Bai Zihan trusted it-then this Emperor should not have been capable of sitting here.
Unless-
(A temporary recovery? Or a substitute?)
The second option seemed impossible with so many experts present.
If it was anyone other than the Emperor that many are familiar with, then he/
she would have been caught immediately.
Then the first?
That was plausible.
There were pills capable of temporarily restoring vitality-though the backlash
afterward would be severe.
But that was rare and precious, and in Desolate Heaven Empire, it is almost
unheard of.
Which was the truth?
Who knew!
It was also possible the Emperor had deliberately feigned illness for years to deceive his enemies just as Bai Zihan was trying.
But if that were the case, Bai Zihan couldn’t understand why he would reveal it
now.
Either way-
This was something Bai Zihan would have to investigate.
Meanwhile, the Emperor continued.
“Merits must be rewarded. This ceremony exists for that very reason.”
Only then did he raise his hand slightly.
At the gesture, imperial attendants stepped forward, each carrying treasures
sealed within shimmering formations.
Even without being revealed, the aura alone made breaths turn shallow.
The Emperor’s voice rang out once more.
“The first merit,” he said calmly, “belongs to Grand Elder Bai Ren.”
The moment the name echoed through the hall, countless gazes snapped
toward the elderly figure standing among the Bai Clan’s ranks.
Bai Ren stepped forward slowly.
This was the man who had personally slain Gou You, one of the Demonic Sect’s
core experts.
The man who had hunted down and killed a Half-Qilin-an existence regarded
as a calamity.
His merit was unquestionable.
“The slaying of Gou You.”
“The extermination of the Half-Qilin.”
“For this,” the Emperor continued, “your merit ranks the highest.”
At his signal, an attendant stepped forward and unveiled the rewards. Gasps rippled through the hall.
Ten crystal bottles floated into the air, each sealed with blood-red runes.
Inside, thick crimson liquid churned slowly, radiating terrifying vitality.
“Ten bottles of Half-Qilin Refined Blood.”
Even Li Jianhong and Zhao Wutian couldn’t hide the change in their
expressions.
The refined blood of a Half-Qilin could alter the destiny of an ordinary
cultivator.
Ten bottles-
In the hands of an alchemist, it could produce high-grade pills.
Such treasures were nearly impossible to obtain, even with immense wealth.
Then-
Another attendant stepped forward.
A suit of armor unfolded mid-air.
Scales shimmered like molten metal, layered seamlessly, each engraved with
dense defensive runes.
A faint beastly pressure pulsed outward-ancient and domineering.
“A Mid Heaven-Grade Armor, refined from the hide of the Half-Qilin itself.”
The hall fell into silence.
Mid Heaven-Grade!
Even for top clans, such a treasure was exceedingly rare.
With such armor-and a Saint-Grade sword-who could truly threaten Bai Ren?
Bai Ren accepted the rewards calmly, clasping his fists slightly.
“This old man thanks the Emperor.””
The Emperor nodded once.
Then his gaze shifted.
“The second merit,” he said, “belongs to the commander who held the Northern
Defense Line.”
All eyes turned. “Commander Wei Zongyuan.”
Commander Wei stepped forward.
His armor was plain, his expression steady-but the respect in the hall was
unmistakable.
Unlike Bai Ren’s overwhelming individual strength, his contribution was
different.
“Before reinforcements arrived,” the Emperor said, “you held the Northern
Defense Line against relentless demonic assaults.”
“Afterward, you stabilized the battlefield, coordinated the counteroffensive, and
ensured that chaos did not claim more lives”
“If not for your command,” he said evenly, “the Northern Defense Line would
have fallen.”
No one doubted it.
If the line had collapsed, entire regions would have been swallowed.
Millions of lives lost.
“For this,” the Emperor said, “your merit ranks second.”
Rewards continued to be bestowed-starting with Immortal Realm experts, followed by Commander Wei of the Great Ascension Realm.
Then came clan leaders and sect masters, rewarded not only for personal
merit, but for the contributions of their factions.
The Bai Clan received additional territories and a significant share of demonic
beast cores and resources.
The Li and Zhao Clans followed.
And then-
The Emperor spoke again. “Next,” he said slowly,
“Bai Zihan of the Bai Clan!”
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
