Chapter 522: Chapter 231 The Secret of the Square-Inch_1

    The Netherworld supernatural beings were being difficult, and Xia Yunqiu was proclaimed as the Heaven Traversing Princess; all of this happened so quickly that the people from various grotto heavens sacred grounds in and around the Imperial Capital were unable to react in time.

    It was not until Xia Yunqiu first appeared in public stepping out of the Enlightenment Pavilion and taking charge of one of the seventy-two halls in the Imperial City, the Yude Hall, that everyone realized a new star wielding power was about to rise within Great Xia’s Imperial Court.

    In the subsequent days, Xia Yunqiu replaced Minister of Ceremonies Xu YanKuan, originally managing the negotiations with the Netherworld supernatural beings, discussing alliance matters and setting the timing for reestablishing the post of Netherworld City God.

    In this process, Xia Yunqiu inevitably came into contact with the reigning ministers and nobles above the court, as well as the very core of Great Xia’s power.

    Emperor Xia, already realizing that the situation was beyond salvaging, simply relinquished his power, handing all matters over to Xia Yunqiu to handle on her own, hoping only to reach an agreement with the Netherworld as soon as possible.

    In the Imperial Capital, the Netherworld residence was already overcrowded at this moment.

    The Prime Minister and Admonishment Minister among the Three Excellencies, the Minister of Imperial Stables, Guards Commander, Minister of Protocols, Minister of Finance among the Nine Ministers, various princes and State Dukes—the number of important figures from the Imperial Court almost completely gathered here.

    The assembled ministers and nobles sat upright and dignified, without engaging in idle chatter, their gazes were fixed on Xia Yunqiu in the forefront.

    Xia Yunqiu was dressed in a white, unisex formal attire with gold trim that conveyed a sense of opulence and magnificence.

    Her long black hair was tied up; at this moment, she shed any typical feminine softness, resembling more a graceful noble son from a well-established family.

    Today was the first public negotiation for the alliance between Great Xia and the Netherworld; nearly all the civil and military officials of the court had come to the Netherworld residence to witness this meeting.

    The arrogance previously exhibited by the Netherworld had provoked dissatisfaction amongst the entire civil and military administration. Had it not been for Emperor Xia overruling everyone’s advice and agreeing to the Netherworld’s request, this meeting would not be taking place.

    With such a precedent, the entire civil and military administration was discontent with the Netherworld and even with the suddenly promoted Xia Yunqiu, attending this meeting with somewhat of a quarrelsome mindset.

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    Even setting aside the previous prejudice, the civil and military officials were also skeptical of Xia Yunqiu’s position.

    The Netherworld’s promotion of Xia Yunqiu could mean that she might disregard Great Xia’s interests in favor of handing over key resources to the Netherworld.

    Should such a thing occur, the ministers and nobles would be willing to stop the meeting at the risk of angering Emperor Xia.

    Inside the meeting hall, the people from Great Xia were already present, but the Netherworld’s supernatural beings were nowhere to be seen.

    The sitting ministers kept their composure, not showing any displeasure due to the late arrival of the Netherworld supernatural beings, for all present were seasoned politicians who wouldn’t reveal their true emotions in the face of such minor tactics.

    Time continued to pass until, with the sun beginning to set, the White Tiger and Vermilion Bird, two of the Mount Luofeng 6 Hell Deities, slowly stepped into the hall.

    Following them, twenty supernatural beings at the Peak Spirit Transmutation stood on either side, not making a move, but simply letting their Peak Spirit Transmutation presence emanate was enough to make everyone present feel a tremendous sense of oppression.

    However, Xia Yunqiu stepped forward, her Spirit Transmutation Early Stage cultivation and the humanity fate of the home field advantage forcefully suppressed

    “I apologize for the wait, everyone. The Zhoujue Yin Heavenly Palace had suddenly transmitted a message from Fengdu City, and we were receiving the communication from the Zhoujue Yin Heavenly Palace, which took some time,”

    “Surely everyone wouldn’t mind, right?” asked the White Tiger, waving his hand towards the audience.

    Although the face hidden in the mist was unclear, the mocking tone in his voice was unmistakable.

    Zhoujue Yin Heavenly Palace! The chief of the Mount Luofeng 6 Hell Deities!

    All the ministers present felt a tremor in their hearts.

    Among the known information about the Netherworld within Great Xia, the significance represented by the chief of the Mount Luofeng 6 Hell Deities, the Zhoujue Yin Heavenly Palace, was drastically different from the other supernatural beings.

    The Zhoujue Yin Heavenly Palace, originally Bull Head, one of the 10 Netherworld Commanders, had been favored by the Primal Chaos Realm’s rules; within the Netherworld, Bull Head possessed the formidable cultivation of a Peak Return-to-Void.

    When Bull Head was given his pantheon seat, he single-handedly withstood a Yama from the 10th Hall at the same realm, making him the foremost combatant among the Mount Luofeng 6 Hell Deities.

    More importantly, Bull Head was the closest to the Fengdu Emperor among all the known supernatural beings, having been personally driven by the Fengdu Emperor into Fengdu City in the Emperor’s Carriage.

    In a sense, the Zhoujue Yin Heavenly Palace was representative of the will of the Fengdu Emperor.

    The White Tiger brought up Zhoujue Yin Heavenly Palace straight away, effectively sealing the mouths of all those who wanted to question him.

    The ministers glanced at each other, but only Xia Yunqiu spoke up with a frosty tone:

    “It is indeed more important to receive a message from the Zhoujue Yin Heavenly Palace, but I hope that next time, before a similar incident occurs, we can receive an advance notice from the esteemed deity.”

    Xia Yunqiu’s firm stance took everyone by surprise.

    Even though they couldn’t see his face clearly, all the ministers present could feel the deity’s initially mocking demeanor suddenly going cold.

    But at that moment, Vermilion Bird spoke out.

    “Please, take your seats,” she said.

    That single sentence diffused the impending conflict.

    The White Tiger gave Xia Yunqiu a penetrating look before sitting down at the long table in the middle of the hall.

    Xia Yunqiu’s performance managed to shine a new light on her in the eyes of several ministers, and a hint of admiration began to emerge in their expressions.

    However, most remained skeptical, and some even whispered mockingly, “Such good acting, what a waste not to be on stage.”

    Xia Yunqiu ignored the whispers, and after taking her seat, she began:

    “Now let us discuss the specifics of the alliance. If the two esteemed deities have any demands, please feel free to express them.”