Two elders are dead, and the First Cardinal has appeared, yet you are still so arrogant, demanding the Illumination Society yield its position.
"Yield,"
The First Cardinal spoke, and the sixth high platform slowly ascended.
It seemed they had prepared it long ago but hadn't brought it out.
Though the members of the Illumination Society were unwilling, they could only step aside.
Who could blame them when they were outmatched?
Moreover, the Angelic Conclave seemed disinclined to intervene.
In such a situation, they had no choice but to concede.
...
Thus, Wen Lan City took its place on the stage.
This also proved, from another perspective, that Wen Lan City was qualified to stand on equal footing with other powers.
The sixth major power had emerged.
The First Cardinal did not depart. After the Illumination Society collected the bodies, he continued to speak.
"Everyone, I thank you for attending this Cardinal Selection Assembly."
"Some time ago, the Second Cardinal, Idar, unfortunately perished. However... the Angelic Conclave cannot be without its seven Cardinals, hence this Cardinal Selection Assembly has been convened."
"Those gathered below are all participants in the Cardinal Selection Assembly."
"According to the established rules, you may select one person from amongst yourselves, attach your spiritual power, and enter the secret realm together."
The First Cardinal spoke for a long time, outlining the rules.
Finally, he addressed the matter of the stakes.
All stakes must be declared by name to prevent cheating.
Furthermore, stakes of excessively low value are not permitted.
"Now, those willing to participate in this wager may present their treasures in sequence."
"Let the Angelic Conclave set the example."
As his words fell, a golden stone appeared in the First Cardinal's hand.
The moment this item materialized, everyone felt a clarity of mind.
"Stone of Enlightenment."
The First Cardinal stated directly, "Cultivating beside the Stone of Enlightenment aids in breaking through realms."
The Angelic Conclave immediately presented a precious treasure.
An artifact that could induce epiphany was a treasure anywhere, and even Chen Fan felt a flicker of interest.
*Clang!*
A blade's resonance spread.
The Dark Church produced a black saber.
This saber exuded immense demonic energy.
"A fine saber."
Old Demon's eyes lit up; he had immediately taken a liking to it.
The demonic energy perfectly matched him.
This was a demonic blade.
On behalf of the Dark Church, the First Dark Cardinal spoke, "This saber is nameless, it originates from the East, and is quite wicked..."
A brief introduction was sufficient.
Next was the Illumination Society, which presented a luminous umbrella.
The Luminous Umbrella was originally used by the leader of the Illumination Society. Now that the leader possessed a superior weapon, this one had become idle.
While its value was less than the demonic saber or the Stone of Enlightenment, it was still considerable.
The Skull Society presented a crystal-clear skull.
"Crystal Skull."
Only these four words were spoken.
Chen Fan observed it for a moment and nodded subtly.
This was likely the skull of a powerful being, who, in life, must have possessed the cultivation of the Supreme Realm. Its value was extraordinary.
Then came the Monster Beast Legion.
Griez smiled and presented his treasure.
*Boom.*
What Griez produced was immense, spanning a hundred zhang.
*Whoosh!*
Instantly, everyone rose to their feet, including Chen Fan.
"Dragon corpse?"
How could this be?
Moments later, the crowd realized, no, it wasn't a dragon corpse.
Although the outline of horns was visible on its head, they were not dragon horns. It was likely the corpse of a flood dragon.
Though it wasn't a dragon, which was slightly disappointing, this flood dragon corpse had likely died on its path to becoming a dragon, making it still incredibly valuable.
The five major powers had all presented their treasures, leaving only Wen Lan City.
There was no need to mention Old Demon; though he had possessed many treasures in the past, they had all been consumed during his hundred-plus years of imprisonment.
His survival itself was testament to his wealth of treasures.
All that was left was for Chen Fan to act.
Chen Fan remained silent, quietly releasing a wisp of aura from the Golden Silkworm Robe.
Though it was only a wisp, it was released voluntarily.
*Boom.*
The moment the Golden Silkworm Robe's aura was released, the golden palace in the rear mountains trembled slightly.
Before others could comprehend what was happening, a voice emanated from the golden palace: "Acceptable."
The Holy Emperor had been alerted.
At once, all eyes turned to Chen Fan.
What was this item that could stir the Holy Emperor?
"Esteemed Eastern Daoist, are you truly willing to wager such an item?"
The Holy Emperor seemed somewhat disbelieving and pressed for an answer.
"No."
To everyone's surprise, Chen Fan denied it. Instead, he looked towards the golden palace and retorted, "Senior Holy Emperor, do you believe these items are worth me wagering this artifact for?"
"..."
The Holy Emperor's voice fell silent.
"Heh."
Chen Fan did not seem bothered and continued, "I can only say that an item of the same origin is inconvenient to bring out at this time."
The other powers exchanged glances.
"Acceptable."
This time, it was the First Cardinal who spoke.
A treasure that could alert the Holy Emperor, even if it was merely an item of the same origin, was sufficient in value.
...
The six major powers had placed their stakes.
It was now the turn of the smaller powers below. Instantly, a dazzling array of treasures competed for attention.
Some were of considerable value and were accepted, while others were simply not up to par.
Some factions even presented items that were entirely unrecognized.
Lacking foresight, they intended to gamble on their worth. Many indeed possessed high value and were accepted as stakes, but more were screened out.
Of course, the highest value lay with the stakes of the six major powers.
The smaller factions merely hoped for a chance, a sliver of possibility to win.