"Come, by now he must be done with the ancestral hall. Let's go and watch our young monarch hold court," Baxian said, motioned for Xiao Hu to follow him, and left the ritual chamber. Unable to suppress the curiosity that drummed in her heart, Xiao Hu followed, heading towards the throne room. There, Xinzi would receive the Hengye clan's official welcome and hold court.
…
With Yuemi at his left, Xinzi stood at the entrance of the throne. The Lord-Regent sighed underneath her veil, dissatisfied by the lack of abuse that she'd received from Xinzi. From now on, she'd have to find better ways to get under his skin so he'd bring down the whip and pounding hammer.
No guard stood by the throne room, for throughout the Great Desolation world, none could get in uninvited. Inside, the high officials, lords and ladies of the Eternal Night dynasty, alongside all elders, awaited. Others would come afterward, but stay outside as they didn't have the qualifications to stand before Xinzi.
The respect and reverence that his status commanded was of no consequence to Xinzi, who would trade ten Evernight Palaces for a day in the Liberation Temple. Still, he had appearances to maintain, and thanks to his true mortal shell's lack of unnecessary emotions and desires, he didn't need to pretend.
Arms crossed behind his back, Xinzi stepped forward, walking into the throne room. From those that stood close to the entrance, to the highest-ranking scions by the stairs, all stood erect. But as soon as Xinzi walked past them, they dropped on their knees—laying their foreheads on the ground. Satisfied by the performance, Yuemi nodded in approval. Xinzi soon reached the stairs, crossing them to stand before a marble-white throne built in a combination of divine materials that draped the seat in radiant light.
Turning to face the assembly, Xinzi sat on his throne. Yuemi, who in this instance, represented Yongye, walked past the curtain at the throne's back to occupy her veiled throne. This arrangement made the power structure clear. Xinzi at the front, Yongye at the back—forever and even after.
"Oh Greatest One, may your reign outlast the Stars!" Like a synchronized choir, the Night Spirits said. And by Star, referred to the Gods of the Night Pantheon.
"You may rise. My Divine Self will soon return to the Dongli state to continue the plot that all our futures depend on. Hengye Wuxin is growing softer. It won't be long before we can lure him into giving up the Records. Afterward, we will handle my Divine Consecration, complete the ancestral task, and return to Heaven." Xinzi said, and the lords of the Hengye clan trembled at the words.
Each branch clan held a piece of the Records of the Eternal Night. More than a cultivation, the Records were a part of Yongye. A part that Qingxin dared to fuse with his Divine Soul. Yongye could give Xinzi the mnemonics whenever she pleased. In fact, she could create a brand-new Record for him to use. But this offense, this insult, had to be purged in the blood and tears of the fallen monarch—such was Yongye's will. As for the ancestral task, once Xinzi became the true Zhen of the Night, it should be nothing more than a formality.
"Until the end of my stay, My Divine Self will be handling the administrative matters. Once My Divine Self leaves, the Lord-Regent will resume control. We start now." The bluntness with which Xinzi addressed himself to lords of the night shouldn't have surprised anyone, but it almost felt as if he was trying to end things as soon as possible.
Several elders' hearts ached at the thought, and many feared that Yuemi's insolence was eating at the Greatest One's patience.
Still, they dared not delay. One Hengye official, who stood closer to the throne than most, stepped forward, bowing at Xinzi.
"Greatest One, as you know, of the Eternal Night Dynasty's four main slave halls, the Mourning Shadow hall has always been the trickiest one. Unlike the three other halls, who have been under our command for tens of thousands of years at the very least, the Mourning Shadows were subjugated only 10,000 years ago, and have close ties to the four Infernal Nuns and the deceased Qiu Meng. For that reason, we have handled them with more care than any other of our halls, and closely watched all their moves. As we expected, while most of the Mourning Shadows have fully embraced the Night, those surnamed Qiu still harbor nefarious intent!"
In the Endless Sea, the four Main Slave Halls of the Eternal Night Dynasty represented powers that made countless sea creatures cower in fear. The Chained Dragon hall handled destruction while also serving as spare bodies for the lords of the Evernight palace. The Ghost King hall controlled the reincarnations of all Endless Sea lives, the Night Slave hall housed the ladies handpicked to serve as spies or dual cauldrons for the reigning monarch, and the Mourning Shadow hall played the same role as the Demon Slaying hall in the Five Continents—gathering intel and purging infernalism.
"One of our double-agents reports that, as we speak, the leaders of the Qiu clan are carrying out a ritual sacrifice to…resurrect their ancestor, the Eunuch Immortal and last Celestial Grandmaster: Qiu Meng. It seems that they somehow recovered a piece of his soul—that, or they are in the process of doing so. By then, they will use their clan's bloodline connection to Qiu Meng to create a vessel…and bring him back to this world! Qiu Meng is an Ancient Spirit! The last Ancient Spirit! These ungrateful wretches are giving the Lords of the Infernal Realm an opportunity to create another Demon Monarch! If we don't stop them at once, the Great Desolation World…no, all worlds and realms…will suffer an upheaval! My agent is outside, eager to fill you in." By the time the official concluded his report, all Night Spirits, Yuemi included, rose to their toes, eyes stretched to the limit.
Xinzi, however, stayed stoic, and with mild interest, said:
"Oh? Very well, bring him in."