White-Robed Chief

Chu Li did not find anything intriguing about it as the symbols looked like they were merely for decoration purposes. They were deliberately made to look mysterious but had no forces within.

Nevertheless, he had a vague feeling that it was not as simple as it seemed. After all, it was the Crowning Altar which was used to communicate with the Outland, hence it must have had its wonders.

Consequently, Chu Li remembered all of the symbols clearly to study them in the future.

"Eh?" He looked at Xiao Qi in surprise.

Before that, he was too attracted to the mysterious symbols that he did not pay attention to the other people who were present.

The spacious square was now filled with people such as the chancellors, family members, and relatives of the imperial family. It was exceptionally lively.

Chu Li spotted Xiao Tieying amongst the crowd, as well as Lu Yulou.

Apart from them, there were also ten other young men. They were surrounded by a bunch of Imperial House protectors in a way that they were more guarded than those from the imperial family.

The Imperial House protectors were all top-notch masters with at least 200 years of experience and were actually internal guards of the Imperial House. They were similar to the protectors of the Inner Mausoleum.

At a glance, Chu Li did not see the emperor.

Xiao Qi who stood beside him turned when she heard him. "What's wrong?"

"Big Brother is here, did you know?" Chu Li asked.

Stunned, Xiao Qi shook her head. "He didn't mention."

Messages were normally passed very quickly in the High Duke's Public House. Particularly because she was connected to the High Duke's Public House, Xiao Qi would be informed of all information of the High Duke's Public House at any time. If Big Brother was attending, he would have notified her in advance.

Chu Li smiled. "Big Brother is indeed here. Apart from the eldest master, it looks like all other Public Houses are here too. The ceremony seems quite grand since all twelve Public Houses are present."

"Why keep it a secret if he's attending the ceremony?" Xiao Qi frowned.

Chu Li guessed, "Perhaps he's afraid that other people will cause trouble."

Xiao Qi nodded her head lightly.

Soon enough, scribes from the Imperial House directed everyone to their respective spots, where the crowd was eventually separated into different batches in an orderly manner.

Chu Li and his people were situated furthest away as the chancellors were placed in front.

Despite that, they could still get a clear view of the altar even from a distance away since the Crowning Altar was over ten meters tall.

All of a sudden, a roaring voice came from the Crowning Altar. "The Crowning Ceremony officially begins, please welcome the emperor!"

The loud voice masked everyone's voice.

At once, the crowd fell silent and looked up.

As if the Sun descended from the sky, a glaring light appeared that forced the crowd to shut their eyes. By the time they were able to open their eyes again, an elder was seen standing on the Crowning Altar. Dressed in a bright yellow robe, it was the emperor, Leng Wufeng.

Leng Wufeng glanced at the crowd with his sharp eyes. "My subjects, today I'll be conferring the crown prince title, and announce him to the world. Is the crown prince here?"

King Jing paced up the Crowning Altar, then gave the emperor a fist salute. "Greetings, father."

Leng Wufeng nodded satisfyingly, then turned to the people. "Are the twelve Public Houses here?"

Xiao Tieying, Lu Yulou, and the other youths walked up the Crowning Altar slowly, then greeted Leng Wufeng with fist salutes too. "Greetings, Emperor."

"The twelve heirs to the High Duke, do you object to the crown prince candidate?" Leng Wufeng asked the twelve heirs.

The twelve heirs to the High Duke remained silent for a while before they all shook their heads.

"We approve!"

"We approve!"

"We approve!"

…

Twelve approvals were heard one after another.

While they did not speak loudly, the words were clearly heard by the people.

Chu Li turned to look at Xiao Qi, then whispered, "Can they actually object?"

"Yes." Xiao Qi nodded. "The twelve High Dukes have the rights to object the successor to the throne."

Chu Li began pondering.

Xiao Qi added, "If one of the High Dukes objects, the throne won't be passed on, but each High Duke only has one chance in their lives."

Chu Li nodded slowly.

It was not easy to claim the throne at all. If it was not perfectly justifiable, a High Duke could simply object the decision made. It would be extremely difficult for Xu An to become the emperor.

Leng Wufeng continued, "Alright since none of the twelve High Dukes objected, present your High Duke Medallion!"

The twelve High Duke heirs shifted positions quickly and formed a circle around the emperor and King Jing. Next, they retrieved their black, sword-shaped High Duke Medallions, and lifted it above their heads. They pointed the tip of their medallions diagonally upwards, then shut their eyes to channel.

Through his mind, Chu Li observed the heart technique of every heir to the High Duke and realized that their heart techniques differed from one another. The heart technique used to activate each medallion was different.

Throughout the process, the people from the crowd watched the twelve High Duke Medallions quietly as they were extremely curious.

As time passed, the High Duke Medallions underwent wonderful changes. The black medallions gleamed so brightly that they appeared black and shiny. Afterward, the medallions radiated so much light that they extended upwards.

Eventually, the rays of light intersected above their heads. The twelve lights were completely different as it appeared shiny and black. A milky brilliance formed when it combined.

The milky brilliance appeared like moonlight as if the Moon descended and shone on their faces. A solemn atmosphere enveloped them on the altar.

In the center, Leng Wufeng and King Jing looked dignified too.

Leng Wufeng retrieved two black sword-shaped medallions, one was big and the other was small. He handed the small one to King Jing.

King Jing shut his eyes for channeling, whereas Leng Wufeng sat with his legs crossed, and placed the medallion on his forehead.

Subsequently, the milky brilliance shot into Leng Wufeng's medallion. In spite of that, it was as if the brilliance did not exist at all as Leng Wufeng's black medallion did not undergo any change.

The people only felt like everything turned dark around them. Confused, they looked at Leng Wufeng's medallion.

Leng Wufeng's body quivered as he began emitting light. The radiance gradually became brighter and more striking, then vanished into his black medallion at last. Followed by that, his medallion lit up and shot a golden light ray that was as wide as a fist into the dome of Heaven.

Consequently, the sky lit up and revealed a light gate.

The light gate was enormous. As the golden light shone on it, the light gate opened slowly. The people could see the pavilion and the palace within, where graceful ladies were seen fluttering and elegant men were seen roaming around. In addition, strange flowers and trees were also vaguely seen.

The people knew at once that it was the Outland. They began craning their necks to look into the distance as they wished that they could enter.

Chu Li furrowed his brows as he felt a boundless force at the light gate. He felt insignificant when compared to the force.

All of a sudden, a shadow appeared above Leng Wufeng's head that landed on his gold medallion. It appeared like a real figure due to the golden light and was only the size of a palm as if it was a miniature version of himself.

That being said, the facial features of the tiny figure were so clear that his calm and dignified expression could be seen. He appeared to be around thirty years old and was very much real than imaginary.

The miniature version of Leng Wufeng nodded at the crowd, then looked up at the light gate. Next, he fluttered his way up along the golden light, then appeared in front of the enormous gate in the blink of an eye, and entered through a leap.

Upon seeing that, the crowd exclaimed.

This was the ability of an Enlightened Master, where one was able to reach the Outland directly.

Chu Li was astounded. He had witnessed the Holy Church of Light's disciples enter the Great Light Surpassing State, which was also in the Outland, but it was not as clear and as magnanimous as this. It seemed like the closer Chu Li was, the more he felt the boundless force.

A moment later, Leng Wufeng appeared at the enormous light gate again. He carried a light ball that was the size of an egg, then released the light ball after looking beneath him. It instantly fell through the path of the golden light.