The Great Ruler

“The Elder Academy has the greatest power in our Budur Ancient Clan. If any clan wants to issue a decree, it must first have the approval of the Elder Academy. If one can control the Elder Academy, he can then control the entire Budur Ancient Clan,” Elder Qing Xuan said.

She then added, “Currently, there are 19 seats in the Elder Academy. The Xuan lineage assumes seven of those seats, the Mo lineage assumes six, and our Qing lineage only assumes three. The rest of the lineages share the remaining three seats.”

“Only three seats…” Mu Chen frowned at the disappointingly low number.

“When our Qing lineage was at its peak, we had six seats. However, as our strength weakens, we lose more of our seats. Every time there is a Contest of the Lineages, we end up losing one of our seats in the Elder Academy,” she said.

She then sighed before continuing, “According to the rules, every time there is a Contest of the Lineages, the number of defenders in the arena will correspond with the number of seats in the Elder Academy. If there are more defeats than victories, it means that the defenders have failed in their duty and the elders will have to give up one seat.”

“I see…” When Mu Chen heard this, he nodded.

No wonder the Budur Ancient Clan took the Contest of the Lineages so seriously. It concerned the highest authority in the Budur Ancient Clan! Whichever lineage had more seats in the Elder Academy had more power in the Budur Ancient Clan.

As for the defenders, the Qing lineage could send out three people, since they had three seats. There would be three rounds of fights, and if two of them were defeated and one of them won, the Qing lineage had to give up one seat in the Elder Academy. If two of them won and one was defeated, they could keep their seats.

“All these years, we have always been defeated by the Xuan lineage and the Mo lineage. Whenever there is a Contest of the Lineages, they target us. For the past three sessions, they have taken three seats away from us.” As Qing Xuan related this information to mu Chen, she was filled with anger and helplessness. It saddened her that they were weak and unable to secure their seats.

She then added, “We are now left with only three seats. If one more seat is taken away from us, our Qing lineage will lose our position as the strongest lineage, according to the rules. We will then have less resources, which will make us even weaker. Then, we won’t be able to contend with the Xuan lineage and the Mo lineage.”

As Qing Xuan thought of this, her face turned pale. When that happened, she could not imagine when their Qing lineage would ever be able to make a comeback. The Xuan lineage and the Mo lineage would have the final say in the Budur Ancient Clan thereafter.

Mu Chen squinted his eyes when he heard what Qing Xuan had said. He was not interested in the Budur Ancient Clan, but he had grudges with the Xuan lineage and the Mo lineage. Hei Guang had even asked Ancestor Xuan Tian to create trouble for Mu Chen, and Mu Chen could not take such an affront lying down!

Although he was not afraid that the Xuan lineage and the Mo lineage had the final say in the Budur Ancient Clan, given their attitudes toward him, they would create a lot of trouble for him in the future. Thus, it would not be good for Mu Chen if the Xuan lineage and the Mo lineage controlled the Budur Ancient Clan.

“How can we stop them?” Mu Chen asked.

“As long as two of our people win, we will be able to secure our seats.” Qing Xuan sighed. “However, the two lineages have a strong base, and they have more Heavenly Sovereigns than our Qing lineage. Moreover, they have come prepared, so it won’t be easy to stop them.”

When Mu Chen heard Qing Xuan’s pessimistic comments, he knew that the Qing lineage was in a terrible state. He shook his head and asked, “Why do you only defend, but not attack?”

Qing Xuan smiled helplessly as she replied, “We cannot even defend ourselves well. So, how can we attack with any success?”

Mu Chen ignored what she had just said as he asked, “Will there be any Divine Heavenly Sovereigns in this Contest of the Lineages?”

“No. That would be impossible… Regardless of which lineage the Divine Heavenly Sovereign comes from, he would immediately get into the Elder Academy and be given five seats,” Qing Xuan replied.

When Mu Chen heard this, he frowned and asked, “If that is the case, then why did they imprison my mother?”

As a Divine Ancestral Master was comparable to a Divine Heavenly Sovereign, Mu Chen believed that, even with the strong foundation of the Budur Ancient Clan, they would not dare to give up a Divine Ancestral Master so easily.

Qing Xuan gritted her teeth and said, “It is all because of the Xuan lineage and the Mo lineage. Back when your mother was first imprisoned and was found guilty, she had not reached this level yet. After she advanced in her power, the Xuan lineage and the Mo lineage became wary of her and were worried that she would go back to our Qing lineage and strengthen our power. Thus, they voted in the Elder Academy to disqualify your mother from assuming the position, then made her serve in prison instead. Moreover, the First Elder was stubborn and allowed it to happen!”

When Mu Chen heard this, a cold light surged in his eyes and a killing intent overwhelmed him. The Xuan lineage and the Mo lineage had gone too far! They were just big bullies!

Qing Xuan looked embarrassed as she said, “Our Qing lineage is too weak. Although we objected to this treatment of your mother, we were unable to change the situation.”

Although some of the members from the Qing lineage were angry with Qing Yanjing for forsaking them for her personal relationship, they knew that if she were to return to their lineage, she would be able to bring back the past glory that they used to enjoy. Thus, everyone had tried to get her acquitted.

However, the Qing lineage was no longer the same. Although they had done their best, they were unable to contend with the Xuan lineage and the Mo lineage.

Mu Chen nodded, then suddenly said, “I can help you secure your seats.”

When Qing Xuan heard this, she was shocked. She looked at Mu Chen in amazement and asked, “Do you have a solution?”

Mu Chen said, “I have my own way. If you trust me, leave it to me.”

When Qing Xuan heard his reply, she hesitated for a while before gritting her teeth and saying, “Okay.”

Since they were in such a desperate situation, she figured that there was no harm in giving it a try. After all, Mu Chen had stepped into the Heavenly Sovereign level at such a young age, so he must be extraordinary. He might truly be capable of helping them!

Mu Chen nodded as she said calmly, “Since I will be helping you, you have to help me as well.”

“How so?” she asked curiously.

As Mu Chen clenched his fist, several scripts appeared in his palm. He then flicked the tip of his finger, while Blood Essence flew out and landed on the scripts. This motion seemed to have formed runes on the script that were written with blood.

He then passed the scripts to Qing Xuan and said, “Since you are an elder of the Budur Ancient Clan, you should know where the central of the Fortify Clan Grand Array is located. You have to hide these scripts there before the Contest of the Lineages commences.”

Qing Xuan turned pale when she heard what Mu Chen had said. The Fortify Clan Grand Array was an array that protected the Budur Territory. This was a serious matter, and she dared not mess around with it.

“I am here to save my mother, and I have no intention of becoming an enemy of the Budur Ancient Clan. You can rest assured that I will not do anything to harm the clan. I just need to have some bargaining power, as the Budur Ancient Clan is too powerful,” Mu Chen explained his intentions when he saw Qing Xuan’s doubtful expression.

He then added, “Even if you do not trust me, you should trust my mother. She would not allow me to destroy the Budur Ancient Clan.”

When Qing Xuan heard this, she instantly became more relaxed. She might not know Mu Chen, but she knew her sister well.

Although her sister was angry with the Budur Ancient Clan for imprisoning her, she would not hold it against them. After all, this was the place where she grew up and all of her relatives were here. Moreover, Mu Chen should be aware that, although the Fortify Clan Grand Array was important, he would not be able to overthrow the Budur Ancient Clan simply by doing something to the array.

“All right. I will do it.” After Qing Xuan had made up her mind, she nodded and carefully took over the scripts that were stained with Mu Chen’s Blood Essence.

Mu Chen heaved a sigh of relief. This step was extremely important to him.

Although he had the help of the Endless Fire Territory and the Martial Border, if those people from the Budur Ancient Clan became unreasonable and came down hard on him, he might have a problem dealing with them. Moreover, there were Divine Heavenly Sovereigns in the Budur Ancient Clan, so he had to be prepared.

“Thank you, Elder Qing Xuan,” he said.

When Qing Xuan saw Mu Chen smiling politely at her, she sighed within her heart. Mu Chen should have addressed her as aunt, but apparently, he still bore grudges against them. She felt so distant from him.

However, when she thought about how Mu Chen had been separated from his mother since he could remember things and had to survive on his own and cultivate all by himself until this moment, she felt that it was understandable for him to behave in this manner. He must have suffered a lot and gone through many difficult tribulations.

She only hoped that Mu Chen would be able to save his mother. After this was done, their relationship could then hopefully improve.

Since they had come to an agreement, Qing Xuan did not stay any longer. She bid Mu Chen farewell and left.

When Mu Chen saw that Qing Xuan had left, he let out a long breath. With Qing Xuan to help him, it had indeed saved him a lot of trouble.

Since everything was now in place, he just had to wait for the day of the Contest of the Lineages to arrive. Mu Chen placed his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky. His dark eyes looked profound.

“Budur Ancient Clan, this time around, let us fight it out…” he murmured. Mu Chen had waited so many years for this day to come.