Chapter 977 - The Future of the Celestial Orthodox Martial Alliance (01)

Chapter 977: 977 - The Future of the Celestial Orthodox Martial Alliance (01)

Qingyi spoke with Tianjin for just a brief moment longer, until Akane finally left the realm of the mind.

Up until then, she had still been getting used to the sensation of her body standing fully at the peak of the Celestial Emperor realm.

She appeared right beside Qingyi, already seated in the chair to his right, as if she had been there all along.

She was as beautiful as ever. Her elegant kimono, however, was now fastened far more conservatively, covering what had previously been left exposed, and her blood-red lips curved into a refined smile.

Her legs were crossed with easy grace, and she made no effort whatsoever to hide her demonic aura, much less her current cultivation level.

Of course, that aura was nothing like that of any other demon.

Where the aura of ordinary demons was impure, filthy, and putrid, Akane’s was even purer than Tianjin’s own.

That was the true demonic path.

Tianjin gasped. His own aura instinctively retreated, shrinking back as Akane’s power seeped into every corner of the office.

It was suffocating, honestly. Even for him.

He already knew that Akane was an aberration from a higher plane, capable of defeating his ancestor in just two exchanges, even while gravely wounded. Still, feeling that pressure up close was something else entirely.

"Senior Akane... it’s an honor to have you here, with your power fully restored," Tianjin said, then laughed at himself the moment the word left his mouth, realizing how strange it sounded on his tongue.

"Has it been a long time since you’ve called anyone ’senior’?" Akane asked, laughing as well, her voice light and playful.

"Indeed..." Tianjin nodded slowly. "It’s been a long time since I’ve met anyone I need to call ’Senior.’"

He paused for a moment, his gaze drifting to some distant point beyond the office walls.

It had been well over two hundred thousand years. Maybe three hundred thousand.

Back then, he had still been young, far from the leadership of the Celestial Orthodox Martial Alliance.

Just another young talent from a lineage that, for millions of years, had produced the most powerful warriors in all of the Celestial Heaven.

For someone who had ruled supreme over the orthodox world for so many hundreds of thousands of years, finding anyone worthy of being called "senior" was nearly impossible.

"I see." Akane nodded, calmly extending her right hand.

In the next instant, an object appeared between her slender fingers, glistening under the office light.

A golden crown, beautiful and elegant, shaped as if tailor-made to fit perfectly between a dragon’s horns.

"When your ancestor came to challenge me, I took this from him," she said. With a simple wave of her hand, the crown drifted through the air toward Tianjin, spinning slowly as it crossed the room.

He caught it with firm fingers, feeling the familiar weight of the metal settle into his palm, and recognized it immediately.

The Immortal Golden Dragon Emperor. A title that had belonged to Tianjin’s father, his grandfather, his great-grandfather, and every one of his ancestors throughout history.

Now, that title rested on Tianjin’s own shoulders.

And it stemmed not only from the fact that they were Celestial Emperors, but also from that very crown.

It had been a gift from the Celestial Father himself to Tianjin’s ancestor, back when he took them under his wing.

And Tianjin’s ancestor had worn that very same crown when he took advantage of the severe injuries the Celestial Father had suffered to assassinate him.

Tianjin’s lips curled bitterly, his fingers tightening around the cold gold. The metal offered no warmth, no matter how long he held it.

"I know there are far too many crimes tied to this crown. Betrayals, deaths... I myself might have died if I’d been too weak, falling into the treacherous hands of your ancestor."

Akane’s eyes lingered on the crown for a moment.

"He was not a man worthy of his own power, nor of the trust the Celestial Father placed in him."

Tianjin’s expression hardened even further, his jaw clenching for a moment.

Well, it was obvious that he knew all of that.

He was hundreds of thousands of years old. Far too old to be deluded by pretty lies about his own lineage.

"Still, this is a powerful artifact. In your ancestor’s hands, it nearly doubled his power. Don’t you find it sad that such a legendary artifact should fall into oblivion?" Akane continued, her voice soft but firm.

"Use it when necessary. And if its history disgusts you, then rewrite that history from scratch."

Hearing those words, Tianjin let out a long sigh, slowly loosening the tightness that had gripped his chest.

But he did not use the crown.

Instead, he turned and handed it to Qingyi, placing it gently in his hands, as if passing over something fragile.

"This is my engagement gift to you and Qianyao. It may be of use to her in the future, or perhaps to the child you will have together, or maybe even to you yourself..."

Tianjin was obviously still a long way from death, but he already stood at the peak of his life, with no hope of climbing any higher.

He was powerful enough to kill any enemy he needed to kill, and his life itself was already eternal.

That crown would be put to far better use in Qingyi’s hands.

Tianjin then rose from his seat, smoothing out his robes with a calm gesture.

"Thank you very much for returning this artifact to me, Miss Akane... I hope that in the future, in the new world you will forge in the demonic lands, free from the Celestial Demon, the orthodox world and the demonic world may live in peace."

"Good." Akane smiled, rising as well, her kimono gliding smoothly over her body as she stood. "But I’m tired of living in the shadows."

"Can you publicly announce that I’m alive? And announce my marriage to Qingyi for after he kills the Celestial Demon?" she asked, already retrieving a token from her spatial ring.

She handed it to Tianjin without ceremony.

"Here is information on all my followers who are still alive. Three Celestial Emperors, three hundred Cosmic Emperors, and just over ten thousand Stellar Sovereigns. I’ve already sent word for them all to come to the Alliance, and I’d like them to be officially accepted into it as well."