As word spread through the capital city, more and more slanderous talk about Marquis Zi Lin could be heard.
When the Giant Ghost King finally caught wind of it all, his jaw dropped. Of course, he immediately assumed that Bai Xiaochun was responsible, and sighed at how useless it all seemed.
“Of course nobody would believe that,” the Giant Ghost King thought. Feeling a headache coming on, he headed over to ask Bai Xiaochun about it. However, as soon as he arrived, he saw Bai Xiaochun walking out of his private chamber, clad in a violet robe adorned with dragons. He wore a kingly crown, and fully radiated the aura of a celestial.
There was something profoundly magnificent about him that caused the Giant Ghost King’s breath to catch in his throat. For some reason, this version of Bai Xiaochun seemed completely different from anything he had seen before.
He seemed to radiate an aura that placed him above all other living beings. Furthermore, Willpower swirled in his eyes. It was as if everything else in existence were mere bugs compared to him. He stood on the peak of the highest mountain, wielding powers that could crush everything else in existence!
The Giant Ghost King was so profoundly shocked that all of the words he had been about to say completely escaped him. He simply stood there looking at this completely different Bai Xiaochun.
The clothing he wore was the Daoist robe of a celestial, which had been bestowed upon him by the Saint-Emperor after he became a celestial. In the entire Saint-Emperor Dynasty, only five people qualified to wear such clothing. However, they would normally only wear this specific Daoist robe every ten years, during special rites held in Saint-Emperor City.
The crown he wore was a similar item.
Upon donning this precious treasure of an outfit, Bai Xiaochun’s energy transformed, making him very different from before.
When Bai Xiaochun saw the Giant Ghost King’s reaction, he felt very proud of himself, and nodded grandly.
“Come with me,” he said. With that, he headed out of his mansion.
Hardly able to breathe, the Giant Ghost King hurried after him. He had an inkling of what Bai Xiaochun planned to do, and although he still wasn’t completely confident, Bai Xiaochun’s current appearance… somehow made the Giant Ghost King think back to the first time he had ever seen the Arch-Emperor back in the Wildlands.
Back before the Arch-Emperor had been supplanted by the Grand Heavenmaster, he was the overlord of all the Wildlands, and his gaze could cause all creation to either tremble, or go completely still.
As the Giant Ghost King followed along, his eyes slowly began to shine. He even subconsciously bowed his head the way a government official would in the presence of an emperor.
As Bai Xiaochun walked along, his servants noticed him, and were struck to the core. Many of them forgot to breathe, and dropped to their knees to kowtow.
As he emerged from his mansion onto the street, his magnificence did not decline in the least. In fact, it grew more prominent as he walked… toward Celestial Aged Spirit’s mansion.
Along the way, everyone who saw him was deeply shocked. Regardless of the level of their cultivation base, they gasped and bowed in greeting.
“Greetings, Celestial!”
“Greetings, Celestial!!”
“Greetings, Celestial!!!”
At first, the greetings were called out here and there, but eventually, a chorus filled the air. It wasn’t necessarily that they wished to greet him this way, but rather, it was an instinct born from the pressure that weighed down on them!
Thankfully, his mansion wasn’t very far from Celestial Aged Spirit’s mansion, and even as his energy reached its peak, he arrived.
Ignoring the stunned devas who stood guard out front, Bai Xiaochun entered. Still shaken, the Giant Ghost King hurried along behind him. The guards’ job was to stop people from entering, but at the moment, Bai Xiaochun’s surging energy erased any thoughts in their minds of attempting to do such a thing.
And thus, he strolled casually into Celestial Aged Spirit’s residence. Upon entering, he found that about a dozen or so people were engaged in a discussion in the main hall, Marquis Zi Lin included. One of them was intentionally masking their aura, but to Bai Xiaochun’s eyes, they stuck out like a torch on a moonless night.
Even as Bai Xiaochun determined who Celestial Aged Spirit was, that very same beleaguered celestial looked up. As he did, the doors to the main hall suddenly slammed open, attracting the attention of the demigods inside, including Marquis Zi Lin. All of them looked around, and what they saw struck them like bolts of lightning. Standing there at the entrance of the hall was Bai Xiaochun, clad in his celestial’s Daoist robe, wearing a kingly crown, and looking like a divine being.
Marquis Zi Lin reacted the same; he was completely stunned.
Ignoring all of the demigods, Bai Xiaochun focused his gaze on the old man who held the seat of honor!
He wore a violet robe, not the special Daoist robe of a celestial, but spectacular nonetheless. He radiated the aura of a celestial, and as he sat there, it was questionable whether he was corporeal or illusory. Anyone who looked at him for more than a moment would be convinced they were looking at a god!
The demigods all stood there, their minds reeling. None of them would ever have guessed that Bai Xiaochun himself would come here, nor that he would do so in a celestial’s Daoist robe. As of this moment, he looked exactly like the king that the Saint-Emperor had appointed him to be.
Even more difficult for them to take was the pressure that was building up between Bai Xiaochun and Celestial Aged Spirit. It left them wanting to scream.
Celestial Aged Spirit’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Bai Xiaochun, but other than that, his expression didn’t change. Despite all the time that had passed, this was their first time meeting in person.
“My apologies for coming late to this meeting,” Bai Xiaochun said calmly, keeping eye contact with Celestial Aged Spirit. Taking a few steps inside, he waved his hand, causing countless stones to suddenly materialize and form together into a huge throne!
Then he flicked his sleeve, sat down, and then turned his gaze back to Celestial Aged Spirit.
Now, there were thrones on either side of the hall, both of equal height and equal distance from the center!
“By all means, carry on,” Bai Xiaochun said coolly. “I'm just fulfilling my obligations to the Saint-Emperor. No need to pay attention to me.”
Everyone else in the hall felt like a catastrophic disaster was about to occur. None of them dared to talk, or even breathe. As for Marquis Zi Lin, when he saw the Giant Ghost King standing behind Bai Xiaochun and off to the side, he could only hope that Celestial Aged Spirit would be able to strike fear into Bai Xiaochun’s heart.
Celestial Aged Spirit looked coldly at Bai Xiaochun for a moment, and then suddenly laughed, a cold laughter filled with scorn. Then he looked away from Bai Xiaochun and said two words.
“Carry on!”
The demigods hesitated for a moment, but considering what Celestial Aged Spirit had just said, they had to brace themselves and continue their discussion.
“Exalted one, I’ve already begun to investigate the matter regarding Marquis Zi Lin. It’s definitely slander!”
“That’s right. It’s a tactic the Vile-Emperor Dynasty uses a lot. If we cast suspicion on Marquis Zi Lin, then we’ll be playing right into the Vile-Emperor Dynasty’s hands!”
“Your humble servant requests that we make an official proclamation in the second immortal domain, declaring Marquis Zi Lin’s innocence!”
After everyone had their say, Celestial Aged Spirit’s lips curled up into a cold smile.
“Request granted!” he said. Then he rose to leave.
However, it was at this point that Bai Xiaochun looked up and said, “Hold on!”