311: Qin Yang has stopped pretending.

Banners fluttered, and halberds clanged.

After disembarking, Ye Aotian and the others stepped onto the red carpet leading to the Tenshukaku.

On both sides of the red carpet, Imperial Guards stood in neat formation, their gazes cold.

As the three of them, Ye Aotian, walked on the red carpet, they felt a chill down their spines.

Each of these halberd soldiers possessed Grandmaster Tier strength.

Not considering the City-Guarding Monarchs… just this welcoming party alone could sweep through a city.

Ye Aotian had no doubt.

If these golden-armored guards swarmed them, they might not be instantly killed, but they would certainly be overwhelmed in a war of attrition.

Even more terrifying… directly in front of the red carpet,

stood the six great Monarchs, including Chen Moran and Jiang Liyue.

They had all once been subordinates of Zhan Tianxiong.

Now they were under Si Zhenfeng's command.

If these six attacked together, the Clan Chiefs of the Ye, Xiao, and Li Families, along with their elite retinues, would not escape.

Seeing this, Li Wenbo couldn't hold back.

He whispered, “We shouldn't have come. If this is a Hongmen Banquet, we're dead.”

Xiao Hongyu said helplessly, “If you didn't come, Qin Yang and Si Zhenfeng would have an excuse to make an example of you.”

Ye Aotian chimed in, “Since we're already here, don't overthink it. You can't leave now anyway; look behind you…”

Li Wenbo glanced back.

He saw Lin Xiaoer following behind them with her hands behind her back.

“This isn't an invitation to a meeting; we're clearly being escorted to it,” Li Wenbo said with a bitter face.

Xiao Hongyu also sighed at the same time.

They had realized they were walking into a tiger's den.

Ye Aotian, however, was relatively relaxed.

Sometimes, recognizing one's own weakness is a blessing.

Ye Aotian felt that way now.

If he hadn't come in person, he would have still believed the Eight Great Families had the strength to contend for the world.

Now, it seemed he had been overthinking things.

Leaving aside hard power like military strength, economy, and spheres of influence,

Qiu Yan's attitude alone made Ye Aotian feel a chill in his heart!

The three Clan Chiefs being escorted into the city was a huge loss of face.

As the leader of the Co-governance Faction, had Qiu Yan said a single word?

“He even made our three Families use our multi-decked ships to show off and display the Alliance's strength.”

“I think he just wanted us to attract Hatred!”

Ye Aotian thought to himself.

He felt extremely disappointed with the so-called Family Alliance.

Under the cold, murderous gazes,

the three Clan Chiefs entered the Thousand-Person Conference Hall.

The moment they entered, they were stunned by its layout.

They stood directly at the entrance, unable to move for a long time.

Their expressions were a mix of shock and a hint of awe.

They didn't know why they felt awe.

But just seeing those decorations… they felt something within their Bloodline Awaken.

“The effect of this arrangement is quite good.”

In a corner of the Thousand-Person Conference Hall, Qin Yang looked at the awe-filled gazes of the crowd and nodded in satisfaction.

If the display outside the Tenshukaku was meant to teach the three great Families a lesson,

then the arrangement of the Thousand-Person Conference Hall was intended to brainwash all participating forces.

Inside the semi-circular hall, nine giant black tapestries hung.

Eight banners surrounded the hall, each inscribed with “Granted by Heaven, Eternal Prosperity.”

In the very center of the hall, an even larger black banner hung.

On the banner, the character “Qin” was written in powerful, ancient seal script.

Within such a space,

Qin Yang himself felt a sense of solemnity.

Black banners, golden seal script.

The two colors together inherently conveyed a sense of power and reverence.

The powerful characters exuded an ancient, profound heritage.

Coupled with the large-scale coverage, it created a strong visual impact.

It further made people disregard individual perceptions and enter a solemn, respectful atmosphere, even facilitating the arousal of fervent emotions.

This technique was widely used by the Third Empire and the Red Giant.

Qin Yang merely experimented a little and achieved excellent results.

The ceremony had not yet begun, and the representatives of various forces seated did not whisper among themselves.

They looked around at the words on the banners, their eyes somewhat unfocused.

“Granted by Heaven, Eternal Prosperity.”

These eight characters appeared publicly for the first time in this world.

Even if the crowd couldn't precisely grasp their meaning, they could sense an Aura of unrivaled supremacy from the feeling of the words.

In a way, Qin Yang was no longer pretending.

In Kyushu, the concept of unification was deeply ingrained.

If you said you wanted to clear the six directions and unite the world,

everyone would consider it right, even the Eight Great Families.

They would only doubt if you had the strength.

And what Qin Yang wanted to display today was strength… “500 years of history, countless Prodigies.”

“Only Qin Yang can be called unparalleled.”

“In June of this year, Sage Yang Awakened the unique legendary profession, Supreme Emperor.”

“When the Summoning Battlefield descended upon Hongwu, Qin Yang effortlessly swept through three major checkpoints and crushed nine Prodigies.”

“When Jingming City was attacked by a Dragon, Qin Yang summoned a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, slew the Western false Dragon, plucked stars with his bare hands, and annihilated thousands of Dragonkin Soldiers.”

“The following month, Qin Yang went to Lizhou alone, crushed the century-old scourge of the Zhen Gu sect, prevented the outbreak of the Wildfire Secret Realm, and was hailed as the Lord of Gu Spirits by the people of Lizhou.”

“When the Pope was corrupted by an evil god, Qin Yang, along with the Sword Emperor and Dao Emperor, jointly thwarted the evil god's plot to defile the Holy Light, and was revered as the Holy Emperor by the Knights Templar.”

“When the Free Federation encroached upon our outer seas, Qin Yang set a trap in the Colored Glaze Islands, single-handedly ambushed the fleets of the Stick Island and Two Nations, and annihilated three Emperors.”

“Such achievements are worthy of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.”

“I, Si Zhenfeng, have served as a Sage for over fifty years, yet my achievements are less than a tenth of his.”

“The Sage Hall should have increased its seats and recommended Qin Yang to become the Sixth Sage.”

“However, Sage Yang, with his noble character, repeatedly declined, citing his young age as a reason for not ascending to such a high position.”

“After an internal vote— ”

“Qin Yang is appointed as Acting Sage, temporarily taking over Han Chen's position!”

The inauguration ceremony was personally presided over by Si Zhenfeng.

After he recounted Qin Yang's achievements one by one,

he formally announced Qin Yang as Acting Sage, taking over Han Chen's duties.

And after this, the Thousand-Person Conference Hall fell silent!

Many of the achievements meticulously listed by Si Zhenfeng were revealed for the first time.

For example, the outbreak of the Wildfire Secret Realm in Lizhou, the crisis of the evil god descending upon Holy City, etc.

Apart from the Clan Chiefs of the Ye, Li, and Xiao Families,

most of the representatives were unaware that Qin Yang had accomplished these great deeds.

This was not just worthy of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple!

Qin Yang was qualified to build an Imperial Ancestral Temple of his own!

If it hadn't come from the mouth of a Sage, no one would have believed that a person under 20 could have achieved so many great things in the half-year after Awakening his profession.

Annihilating witches in Lizhou, slaying gods in foreign lands, eliminating enemies near the coast… any one of these would be enough to boast about for a lifetime.

Yet Qin Yang had done three or four such things consecutively within half a year!

Such a person could no longer be described as a Prodigy.

Clap!

Clap, clap!

With two claps, a thunderous applause erupted in the Thousand-Person Hall, which had been silent for about ten seconds, and it lingered for a long time.

Everyone's expression when looking at Qin Yang conveyed one word:

Convinced!

But was being convinced enough?

Qin Yang murmured to himself on the podium.

This inauguration ceremony was an important opportunity to win over the world!

The people sitting in this hall were all influential figures.

Guilds, legions, aristocratic Families, financial groups, bureaucrats.

All the large and small forces of Kyushu were gathered here.

This opportunity must not be missed.

This was also why Qin Yang had postponed his trip to the Divine Realm.

He was going to put on a grand show using the inauguration ceremony!