Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 565: Three Gifts (Part 1)

Tang San looked calmly at the Peacock Great Demon King, the clan leader whose life essence was continuously draining. At this moment, he sensed a bit of sincerity from him. The Peacock Great Demon King’s gaze was as deep as the sea, and when he spoke about his limited time, there was no regret or reluctance; it was as if he was just talking about an ordinary matter.

"Please go ahead," Tang San said.

The Peacock Great Demon King took a deep breath and said, "I don't know your origins, but that doesn't matter. Your abilities are the strongest I've seen among humans, and there are many mysterious aspects about you. I suppose you are a talent nurtured with great effort by the Redemption Society. Your only shortcoming is that you have no foundation, no backing. The Redemption Society cannot provide these things for you... but Kali City can."

Tang San nodded lightly.

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"Little Mei carries the bloodline of our Peacock Demon clan and is my designated successor. After this Ancestral Court Elite Competition, her prestige will greatly increase, both in Kali City and here in the Ancestral Court, minimizing the resistance she will face when inheriting the throne. Her only issue is having human blood. No one with human blood has ever become the master of a main city. The pressure she will face in the future will be massive. And this pressure... I will need you to help her bear."

The Peacock Great Demon King's voice grew much lower. "Before I leave, I've prepared three gifts for you. First is the support of the upper echelons within Kali City. I've ruled Kali City for many years and I have conducted a thorough purge. Now, the major clans of the city are more or less united. With this Ancestral Court Elite Competition, Little Mei gaining their support should not be an issue. This is especially the case for the Golden Deers and Aetherhorn Deers; they have long been intertwined with the Peacock Demon clan in both prosperity and decline. They are smart and will see from this competition that Little Mei inheriting the throne is the best choice.

"However, internal clan issues will be a bit troublesome. Even though Little Mei has gained the approval of the Celestial Plume and passed the ancestral test, the internal factions in the clan won’t abandon their ambitions and unite just because I say so. What I can do is ensure that the Great Demon Kings won't intervene lightly. You need to work with Little Mei to clear the other obstacles, but I will ask you not to resort to excessive killing. Do you understand what I mean?"

Tang San nodded slowly. "I understand."

The Peacock Great Demon King continued, "The second gift relates to Little Mei's mother. She is also the Saintess of your Redemption Society, right? She was once dearly loved by her father, the White Tiger Demon Emperor, but she fled from an arranged marriage, which led her to leave the Ancestral Court. Otherwise, she would still be the little princess of the White Tiger Demon Emperor. However, today, the White Tiger Demon Emperor stepped forward to protect you. This shows that he still acknowledges both Su Qin and Little Mei. After all, the White Tigers are very few, since the lineage itself is a mutation, and the White Tiger Demon Emperor has no successor.

"Your Lion-Tiger Clan companion, from my observations, has already been targeted by the lion race. The tiger demons will not sit idly by, but their true leader is the White Tiger Demon Emperor. Little Mei's performance today clearly outshines your companion's. Although her human bloodline is an issue, it doesn't exclude the possibility of gaining the White Tiger Demon Emperor's support. This depends on how you communicate with him in the future. If you can gain the White Tiger Demon Emperor's support, then Little Mei's position as the City Lord will be more than half secure. This will also greatly benefit your standing in the Ancestral Court."

Tang San nodded again, understanding what the Peacock Great Demon King was getting at. The White Tiger Demon Emperor was a crucial ally they needed to win over for Kali City's future. If this Demon Emperor supported Mei Gongzi's succession, his presence held a lot of weight in a lot of matters.

The Peacock Great Demon King paused briefly before continuing, "The biggest challenge you'll face in the future is the Ancestral Court Council’s deliberation. When someone wants to take over a city, they need the approval of the Ancestral Court Council. For powerful clans, especially those with a Demon Emperor backing them, the council deliberation is just a formality. But for a clan like ours, without an emperor, it's a fierce struggle.

"Only by ensuring a favorable vote from the Ancestral Court Council can Little Mei rightfully become the city lord. And according to the Ancestral Court's rules, within a year of inheriting the city lord position, Little Mei needs to report to the Ancestral Court and undergo a trial to confirm her qualification as the ruler of Kali City. She needs the agreement of at least half of the Demon Emperors to inherit the position."

Tang San asked, "So, only the Demon Emperors need to vote, and it doesn't involve the Nymph Emperors?"

"We're not in the same country; the nymphs can't meddle in the internal affairs of the demons. Of course, gaining support from some Nymph Emperors would certainly help, but you have to be aware of the potential backlash. The nymph races and the demon races are ostensibly united, but they are actually in constant competition, especially since the nymphs are currently in a weaker position. The demon races would naturally be reluctant to allow them to meddle in the internal affairs of the Empyrean Dominion. With things being as they are, out of the nine Demon Emperors, Little Mei needs the support of at least five to secure the succession."

The Peacock Great Demon King furrowed his brows, clearly showing some concern in his eyes. "Today, you heavily injured Meng Dede, and that has deeply offended the dragon race. I don't know what that red light was, but I'm certain it wasn't Little Mei's power; it was yours, right? It must be an extraordinary divine artifact. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to sever the Blood Slaughter Demon Spear. That spear has been with the Tenebrous Dragon clan for countless years and was once the weapon of the Tenebrous Demon Emperor himself. When it was passed down to Meng Dede, it was already famous, and its significance as an heirloom cannot be understated.

"Yet this weapon was broken by your hand, and you've even potentially severed Meng Dede's path to further advancement. You saved Little Mei and you should not regret that move, but the fact of the matter is that you’ve created a powerful enemy. After all, among the nine Demon Emperors, the Crystal Demon Emperor and the Tenebrous Demon Emperor are both from the dragon race. The possibility of them supporting you is practically nonexistent. Although the Crystal Demon Emperor doesn't participate much in Ancestral Court’s affairs, as long as he is alive, he remains the strongest being on the Daemon Continent. Everyone has to consider his stance."

Hearing him mention the Crystal Demon Emperor, Tang San couldn't help but feel a strange sensation. The Peacock Great Demon King had every reason to believe that the Crystal Demon Emperor would not help his daughter, but Tang San was not so certain!

Crystalline had hatched and seemed to be growing splendidly, although she was mostly asleep. And with her in-between, it was hard to say what the future relationship with the Crystal Demon Emperor would be like. Moreover, the latter was the only one who had a rough idea of how many bloodlines Tang San possessed. Although Tang San was wary of him, for some reason, he felt that the Crystal Demon Emperor didn't harbor any hostility.