272: A violent coronation has earned the utmost respect from all the island's elites!

The entire area was deathly silent.

Tens of thousands of True Disciples and Inner Sect Disciples remained in their previous positions—either fleeing or slumped in weakness.

Their gazes drifted blankly between the unscathed youth in black, the kneeling Divine Phoenix Maiden, and the corpse of Wang Jian pinned to a giant stone pillar in the distance.

That world-shattering strike just now had completely shattered their understanding of the phrase "fighting within the same rank."

No one dared to speak.

No one even dared to breathe loudly.

For fear of disturbing that ancient Vicious Beast that had just retracted its fangs.

"Drip-drop."

A soft sound.

It was the sound of blood from Wang Jian's corpse dripping onto the basalt ground from his toes.

The sound wasn't loud, but in the deathly silence of the martial arts arena, it was like a thunderclap exploding in everyone's ears.

At the very front of the crowd.

Xi Yao's entire body trembled violently.

This True Senior Sister, who was usually socially adept, responsible for receiving newcomers, and even enjoyed tormenting them, was now as pale as paper.

She looked at the figure in the distance, her heart feeling as if it were being squeezed by an invisible giant hand, twitching frantically.

She remembered her former dismissiveness.

She remembered those death-defying taunts.

She remembered the foolish order she had given her subordinates to give this newcomer a "lesson."

A chill originating from her marrow instantly froze the blood in her body.

Wang Jian was dead.

Lin Tian had turned to dross.

If Lu Sheng wanted to settle accounts, the next one... would be her!

A strong desire to survive completely overwhelmed her so-called dignity and pride at this moment.

Under the horrified and puzzled gazes of those around her, Xi Yao did not retreat, nor did she attempt to flee.

She suddenly crawled forward on her knees for a few steps, ignoring the sharp rubble left by the battle; she didn't even notice her knees being cut and bloodied.

Her whole body was like a broken reed as she prostrated herself heavily, her fair Face pressed tightly against the hot and dirty ground.

"Sinner Xi Yao... was blind! I have offended your heavenly presence!!"

Her voice became sharp and trembling due to extreme fear, even carrying a sob.

"Thud!"

A dull sound.

It was the sound of a forehead slamming hard against the rock, blood instantly staining the ground red.

But Xi Yao did not dare to pause for a moment. She used all her strength to utter the title that represented complete submission, even carrying a hint of flattery:

"Welcome... the Chief Dao Child to his position!!"

"The Dao Child's Divine Might is eternal!!"

This roar was like a sharp blade, completely severing the string of pride in the hearts of all the True Disciples present.

Who was Xi Yao?

One of the top ten True Disciples, a ruthless femme fatale who usually wouldn't even give Face to an Elder.

Even she knelt so decisively and so humbly.

These ants, whose names weren't even worthy of being remembered by Lu Sheng, what were they still holding onto?

Were they still waiting to die?!

"Thump!"

"Thump!!"

The dense sound of knees hitting the ground rang out like a rainstorm.

It spread frantically outward from the center of the martial arts arena.

The dense crowd was like a wave of wheat flattened by a gale, falling row after row in perfect order.

Whether it was the Core Disciples who had been clamoring before or the outer sect nobodies watching the excitement.

At this moment, no one dared to stand.

In just a few breaths.

In the vast martial arts arena, except for the black-clad youth standing in the center of the ruins, no one else was standing.

Tens of thousands of usually arrogant Prodigies were now all prostrate, their foreheads pressed against the ground, offering their humblest submission to the man they had once regarded as a joke.

Immediately after, countless voices converged into a wave of sound powerful enough to overturn the heavens, dispersing the remaining clouds in the sky:

"Greetings, Chief Dao Child!!!"

"Greetings, Chief Dao Child!!!"

The sound waves rolled like a tsunami, echoing between every peak of Dengxian Island.

This was an iron rule forged by absolute power.

This was a coronation where ten thousand people submitted.

Lu Sheng stood in the center of the ten thousand people, listening to the mountain-shaking cheers of worship, his dark-golden vertical pupils showing no emotion.

He just glanced indifferently at Xi Yao, who was kowtowing at his feet with a blood-stained Face.

She was a smart person.

If she had dared to run just now, her head would already be hundreds of meters away.

Li Xiaoyao watched this scene, a trace of complex yet gratified light flashing in his eyes.

He knew that the timid old era had ended.

Dengxian Island had welcomed a true tyrant.

But in this cannibalistic Apocalypse, only a tyrant could lead the flock to survive.

Li Xiaoyao straightened his damaged robes and slowly walked forward with Xing Tian and the other Elders.

The Old Man's majestic voice, bolstered by the spirit source, drowned out the sound waves of the entire arena:

"Today's Dao Seizing Battle is decided! Life or death, there are no grudges!"

His gaze swept across the arena and finally fixed on Lu Sheng, his tone more solemn than ever before:

"From this moment on, Lu Sheng is the Chief Dao Child of my Dengxian Island!"

"He shall reside in Daozi Peak, command all Disciples, and enjoy the power to allocate all the island's resources!"

"Enjoy the power to allocate all the island's resources!"

As Li Xiaoyao's words fell, a brilliant golden light descended from the sky, turning into a purple-gold token carved with a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, floating in front of Lu Sheng.

The Chief Token.

Seeing the token is like seeing the Island Master.

It was a symbol of power, the highest status on Dengxian Island for thousands of years, second only to the Island Master.

All the Disciples kneeling on the ground buried their heads even lower, their bodies trembling uncontrollably out of awe.

They were waiting.

Waiting for the new king's first acts of authority, or for him to deliver a stirring and passionate victory speech.

However.

Lu Sheng didn't even look at the token. He grabbed it casually and stuffed it directly into his pants pocket.

The action was as casual as picking up a beer cap on the side of the road.

He looked up at Li Xiaoyao, who was preparing to continue his long speech to elevate the theme.

"Old Man, is this show over yet?"

Lu Sheng yawned, his voice carrying a thick sense of impatience, and even a bit of sleep-deprived laziness.

The words Li Xiaoyao had prepared about carrying on the past and creating a brilliant future together were instantly stuck in his throat.

His mouth twitched, and he forced himself to maintain his masterly demeanor: "Cough, the ceremony is complete, you..."

"Alright, since it's over, let's talk about something practical."

Lu Sheng directly interrupted the Grand Elder's words.

He pointed to the mess of ruins around him, then to his clothes which were actually free of dust, and said with a serious Face:

"That fight just now was a bit intense; the consumption was quite high."

"When will this month's Spirit Stone allotment for Daozi Peak, and that... mental distress fee, lost wages fee, and the depreciation fee for my clothes be settled?"

"I don't mean anything else, it's just that I've been short on cash lately and need to replenish."

The whole place was deathly silent.

Although the tens of thousands of Disciples kneeling on the ground didn't dare to look up, their frantically twitching mouths were enough to show their inner collapse at this moment.

Mental distress fee?

Lost wages fee?

Clothes depreciation fee?!

Big brother! You just blasted someone into dross with one punch and almost tore down the island with a single Dragon Breath, and you call this having a loss?!

This is fucking extortion, isn't it?!

Li Xiaoyao's body swayed a few times, almost falling headfirst.

His eyes widened, and his beard trembled: "You... you..."

"What about 'you'?" Lu Sheng said righteously. "If you want the horse to run, you have to feed it. I am now the Chief Dao Child. I represent not only my personal Face but also the Face of our Dengxian Island. If I starve thin, it's your reputation that's lost."

This logic was impeccable.

It was even shamelessly straightforward.

Li Xiaoyao took a deep breath, telling himself that this was the Dao Child he had personally chosen; he couldn't kill him, he really couldn't.

"Fine! This Old Man will give it to you, alright!!"

Li Xiaoyao gritted his teeth and waved his hand. "I'll have someone deliver it to your peak later! Double! Is that enough?!"

"That's more like it."

Lu Sheng nodded with satisfaction, the cold expression on his Face instantly melting away to reveal a bright, sunny smile.

It was the exclusive smile one gives when a sugar daddy pays up.

Then, Li Xiaoyao turned his head irritably and looked at Luo Tianfei, who was still kneeling on the ground.

Although she lost, she was still a God-Tier Sequence after all, and a treasure of Dengxian Island.

"Luo Tianfei, there is honor in your defeat."

Li Xiaoyao's tone softened slightly as another crimson token flew out.

"I grant you 'Lihuo Island' of the nine floating islands. From today on, it will be renamed 'Divine Phoenix Peak.' You shall rank above the True Disciples, second only to the Chief."

"Do you have any objections?"

Luo Tianfei grasped the hot token.

She looked up, her Face covered in black soot, her eyes filled with extreme complexity.

She glanced at Lu Sheng, who was currently haggling with the Elder with a Face full of mercantilism.

This was the man who had defeated her.

Powerful, shameless, yet so real it was despair-inducing.

"This Disciple... accepts the command."

Luo Tianfei bit her lip, her voice hoarse.

She slowly stood up and, facing Lu Sheng's direction, although she didn't kneel, she still slightly lowered her proud head.

This was an admission of defeat.

And also a period of lying low.

"Alright, everyone disperse. Stop kneeling; it's making me dizzy."

Lu Sheng swayed his hand as if shooing away flies.

After saying that, he didn't even look at the group of still-shivering Disciples. He shouldered his dragon devouring spear and turned to leave.

His back looked dashing, yet it also carried a sense of relief, as if saying, "Finally finished this overtime shift."

Not until his figure completely disappeared in the direction of Daozi Peak did the frozen air in the martial arts arena finally begin to flow again.

Countless people slumped to the ground, panting heavily, their backs already soaked with cold sweat.

They knew.

From today on, the heavens of Dengxian Island had changed.