218: Late-night spy, general's seal

“By Imperial Decree, Asura Supreme Ye Kong is summoned to the palace.”

Late at night, the palace gates quietly opened, and Ye Kong, guided by an Imperial attendant and two guards, entered the palace to meet the Emperor.

Five days had passed since the Ten Kingdoms Tournament. During this time, the tournament continued, determining the second and third place winners.

Second place was taken by the super Family, the Guixin Sect—Gui Jue.

Gui Jue displayed absolute combat power, his movements like a phantom. With his Demonic Shadow talent, he defeated Long Ao of the God Family Long Family in the final round of four, securing his qualification for advancement.

Third place went to the super Family, the Damor Family—Damor Zhenhou.

Damor Zhenhou defeated Moken of the Tian Xuan Sect, also a super Family, in the final round of four. However, he was severely wounded and unable to fight further, thus he forfeited the contest with Gui Jue and took third place.

Perhaps because the Emperor was offering three Godheads as rewards this time, the contestants from these super families were also very powerful. However, they did not forcefully challenge Ye Kong like Huo Ding of the Tian Xuan Sect and Luoshui of the Sea Alliance Army.

Instead, they chose the safer approach of avoiding Ye Kong and competing for second and third place to obtain the Godheads.

This approach was more in line with the practices of great families; they prioritized the Legacy of power over risking their lives for rank and glory. Furthermore, none of them were confident they could defeat Ye Kong, who wielded the power of the Great Dao of the Gods.

Ye Kong walked along the stone paths of the palace, guided by the guards directly to the rear hall.

Ye Kong did not know why the Emperor had summoned him to the palace so late at night.

The attendant led Ye Kong to the rear hall, asked him to wait at the entrance, then pushed open the hall door, bowed inside, and entered.

Inside the hall, candles burned brightly. From the paper windows, one could see only three blurry figures, including the attendant.

“Please!”

While Ye Kong was pondering, the attendant had already returned to the inner hall entrance and invited Ye Kong inside.

Ye Kong nodded, took a deep breath, stepped over the threshold, and entered the inner hall.

Inside the hall, besides the seated Emperor, Wang Jian was also present.

Ye Kong was somewhat surprised but did not show it. He went straight ahead, first bowing to the Emperor, then to Wang Jian.

“This one, Ye Kong, greets the Emperor and the Crown Prince.” The Emperor gestured to Ye Kong.

“Ye Kong, sit.”

With that, the guards retreated, closing the hall door.

Ye Kong took his seat and glanced at Wang Jian.

Wang Jian nodded at Ye Kong.

The Emperor said, “Ye Kong, have you studied the Godhead I bestowed upon you?”

Ye Kong took out the Godhead and said, “The Godhead is here. I have studied it for days and found that it contains many Dao runes, which I cannot comprehend in a short time.”

The Emperor nodded and said, “A Godhead is the embodiment of a Deity, the manifestation of their own Great Dao and Law. Every person of the Human Race who achieves Deity Realm will condense their own Godhead within their body.”

Ye Kong’s heart stirred; this was information about Deities he had never heard before.

Seeing Ye Kong’s surprised expression, the Emperor smiled faintly and continued, “This Godhead is usually extracted from a Deity’s body only after they die. Once others fully comprehend its mysteries, the Godhead will turn into a stone.”

Ye Kong was immediately shocked and asked, “Then, in past Ten Kingdoms Tournaments, a Godhead of a fallen Deity was always awarded?”

The Emperor nodded.

“Exactly. Living Deities will not hand over their Great Dao and Law to others; this is also where their weakness lies.”

“However, as long as the Deity themselves is alive, no one can obtain the Godhead within their body.”

“The Human Race has prospered for so many years, yet currently, the national treasury only holds a dozen or so Godheads. After all, for families, their patron Deity will pass on their Godhead to the next person most likely to achieve Deity Realm, and would certainly not hand over the Godhead to the Imperial Capital.”

Ye Kong stood up and cupped his fists: “Many thanks for the Emperor’s guidance. I will certainly diligently study the Great Dao and Law within this Godhead.”

The Emperor nodded, then coughed once. In that instant, the tips of his hair turned white for a moment, then quickly reverted to black.

This scene was obscured by the Great Dao of the Gods; ordinary people, or even those below the Deity Realm who did not understand the Dao, could not see through it or perceive the Emperor’s moment of white hair.

However, Ye Kong, who frequently dealt with the Great Dao of the Gods, noticed it.

But he did not speak of it.

The Emperor then said, “Ye Kong, you were the first place in this Ten Kingdoms Tournament. Are you willing to accept the position of General Who Suppresses Rebellion, to serve the Human Race, suppress foreign races, and protect the national territory?”

Ye Kong did not hesitate and immediately stood up.

He had actually considered this long ago; he needed to find the God of Life of the Ten Thousand Races to extend Ye Liting’s lifespan. If he acted alone, not yet having advanced to the Deity Realm, venturing deep into the Ten Thousand Race Battlefield to confront a Deity would be extremely perilous.

If he could lead a large army, on one hand, he could serve the Human Race, and on the other, it could help him find the God of Life. At the same time, during this process, he could comprehend the Great Dao and Law within the Godhead. If he advanced to the Deity Realm one day, it would be killing two birds with one stone.

“Of course, I am willing! Those foreign races are my sworn enemies; they have repeatedly tried to assassinate me, viewing me as a thorn in their side. I have long wanted to meet them!”

“I only regret being alone and unable to fulfill my wish!”

“Hahaha.”

The Emperor let out a hearty laugh.

“Ye Kong, I have investigated your background. You come from humble origins, a Family with bare walls, and no Family background. This is why I am willing to employ you.”

“Today, I will give you the General Who Suppresses Rebellion seal and documents.”

Ye Kong was stunned. Hadn’t it been said there would be an official enfeoffment ceremony?

The Emperor seemed to have noticed Ye Kong’s confusion and said, “When we suppress foreign races, I naturally must inform the world, and the foreign races will also know.”

“If we select another date for the enfeoffment and set a day for the army to depart, the foreign races will surely be prepared.”

“Therefore, today I will hand you the General’s seal and the clearance documents. You will head to Wuji City tonight to make preparations. Once my decree arrives, immediately dispatch the troops.”

“I have already ordered the Xiandeng Camp and Zhenwei Camp, which are under your command, to depart for Wuji City overnight. You can rendezvous with them in Wuji City. If you encounter any problems, you can consult with the Deity Yang Wuji of Wuji City.”

“Publicly, I will announce that the grand enfeoffment ceremony will be held in half a month, to buy us time.”

Ye Kong nodded; this move by the Emperor was truly brilliant. Speed is paramount in war; attack the enemy when they are unprepared!

The Emperor gave Wang Jian a look, and Wang Jian immediately picked up the seal and documents from the desk, holding them with both hands and handing them to Ye Kong.

“Brother Ye, the future and fate of the Human Race are entrusted to you!”

Under the gaze of both Wang Jian and the Emperor, Ye Kong immediately felt a strong sense of mission.

Ye Kong carefully took the seal and documents with both hands and solemnly declared, “This time, when I, Ye Kong, go out to suppress the rebellion, I will surely achieve victory. If I cannot win, I am willing to take my own life to atone to the world!”