All eyes fell upon Yang Kun and Yang Ling.
The real protagonists of this literary ritual were indeed the two of them.
Yang Ling immediately stepped forward, knelt three times and kowtowed nine times before making his way to the altar, his eyes brimming with excitement. With great reverence, he placed the beast-controlling bag in his hand onto the altar, looking at the neatly arranged bags in front of him.
Yang Ling carefully straightened the surface, dusted off any dust, and then stepped down.
As soon as he left the altar.
He couldn't help but reveal a smile of excitement and pride on his face, his gaze towards Yang Kun heavy with provocation.
In the past few days...
He had worried himself gray over the matter of the ritual offering.
After losing the Ice Snow Phoenix, he could find no other offering to replace it.
Luckily, in the competition for the first offering, Jin Feiyan proved to be supportive enough to let him win back the Ice Snow Phoenix from Yang Kun.
"Imperial brother, where is your offering? Don't tell me you haven't prepared one," said Yang Ling with a smirk as he looked at Yang Kun.
Although he had taken healing pills, his face was still bruised and swollen, creating a fascinating collage of blues and purples.
Facing Yang Ling's provocation, Yang Kun couldn't help but let out a cold laugh, "Little brother, you must be underestimating your elder brother too much."
Yang Ling's whole body shook, and he stopped in his tracks as he brushed past Yang Kun.
Cold sweat covered his body in an instant.
Cold beads of sweat ticked down tautly.
A terrible thought surfaced in his mind.
Yang Ling's body trembled like a sieve, and he turned stiffly, his eyes fixed intently on Yang Kun: "What on earth are you trying to say?"
Yang Kun approached him, gently patted his shoulder, and whispered in his ear, "My dear brother, do you really think I'd give back the hard-earned Ice Snow Phoenix that easily? That was nothing more than trash I couldn't use. Oh, you are still too young! Hahaha..."
Yang Ling's entire face paled, and he looked lividly at Yang Kun, "Don't be too pleased with yourself just yet, Xiao Yi took your offering too..."
"My silly brother, do you really think I wouldn't have any preparation?"
Yang Kun smiled smugly, then turned to look towards Xiao Zhengde in the crowd, who from beginning to end had not uttered a word, and bowed respectfully, "Xiao, thank you for your efforts!"
Xiao Zhengde smiled faintly, watching as everyone's gaze converged on him. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly in a hint of pride.
"Xiao Zhengde? What's he doing here?"
"There are rumors that Xiao Yi is Xiao Zhengde's youngest son, who has never been favored, with conflicts between father and son too great to resolve. I thought it was just hearsay, but now it seems to be true!"
"The Xiao Family must have their ancestral graves steaming with good fortune; first Xiao Tianjiao, and now Xiao Yi. If these two brothers join forces, how long will it be until the Great Qian Dynasty is under the Xiao's thumb?"
"Let's see just why Xiao Zhengde is stepping forward!"
Emperor Qian sat on his dragon throne like a recumbent dragon, his eyes as inscrutable as the night sky, observing Xiao Zhengde and Yang Kun.
Xiao Zhengde's gaze swept over everyone, quite pleased with being the focus of attention, and went straight to Yang Kun.
Yang Kun greeted him with a cupped fist and said with a smile, "Xiao, I didn't expect we would still need your intervention in the end!"
Xiao Zhengde waved his hand and laughed, "Tian'er has long been cautious of petty people's sabotage and made thorough preparations. He won't let those miscreants succeed!"
As they mentioned the miscreants, Xiao Zhengde and Yang Kun's gazes simultaneously shifted towards Xiao Yi.
All eyes followed suit, turning towards him.
Xiao Yi raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes to meet theirs, showing no sign of backing down.
Yang Kun snorted coldly and laughed proudly, "Xiao is indeed thorough in his consideration; some people just lack such self-awareness. Like insignificant ants deluding themselves into thinking they can shake a tree, it's utterly overreaching!"
Xiao Zhengde nodded in agreement, "You're right, it's important for people to know their place. Some are born noble, while others are destined to be lowly, and no matter how hard you try, you will never be able to catch up with the former!"
As the two of them went back and forth with their remarks, the gazes people cast at Xiao Yi became increasingly strange and curious.
Of course, they were referring to Xiao Tianjao!
At his birth, a fire dragon descended from the sky and acknowledged him as its master.
Before he was three years old, he awoke the Supreme Overlord Holy Body, possessing the divine power to lift a thousand catties with a single arm.
At five, he broke through to the Tenth Layer of the Physical Body Realm, stepped into Qi Gathering with Ten Layers at seven, and at eight, he successfully assailed the Shentong Realm, becoming the youngest Divine Skills powerhouse in the history of the Great Qian Dynasty. By ten, he entered Tianjian Sect, ranked first among the ten great sects of the Great Qin Dynasty, becoming a Direct Disciple of the sect.
Now, he had become the youngest fighter in the Dharma Manifestation Realm of the Great Qian Dynasty, with combat strength that left his peers unable to hold their heads high.
And as for the lowly persons...
It goes without saying that it was Xiao Yi!
From a young age, he had been imprisoned within the Xiao Family by Xiao Tianjiao. After eight years of confinement, and because Xiao Tianjiao wanted a mate for his mount, Xiao Yi was sent to the remote Fang Family to become a son-in-law.
This meant that, in the eyes of the Xiao family, Xiao Yi was valued no more than a magical beast.
Could this not be considered lowly?
Xiao Yi remained expressionless.
These are not for you to decide!
Seeing Xiao Yi's lack of reaction, Xiao Zhengde and Yang Kun frowned, also feeling extremely bored. Yang Kun looked at Xiao Zhengde and said, "Head of the Xiao Family, why not bring out the thing that Xiao had prepared?"
Xiao Zhengde nodded, and in a flick of his wrist, a beast-controlling bag appeared in his hand.
This beast-controlling bag was embroidered with a golden dragon in gold thread. The dragon lay coiled among the auspicious clouds, fierce and majestic, vivid as if alive. Its teeth and claws suggested it could soar into the heavens at any moment.
"This is what Tian'er asked me to pass on to you," Xiao Zhengde handed the beast-controlling bag to Yang Kun.
Yang Kun received the beast-controlling bag with both hands, "Thank you, Xiao."
The beast-controlling bag emitted a violent roar as soon as it was taken.
There seemed to be faint sounds of a dragon's chant coming from it.
Yang Kun's eyes shone as he looked at Xiao Yi with pride and laughed loudly, "Head of the Xiao, speaking of which, the magical beast inside this beast-controlling bag has a deep connection with you!
Xiao Yi was taken aback, "What connection does it have with me?"
Xiao Yi's face changed drastically, turning ashen in an instant.
The only beast that could possibly have a connection with him from Xiao Tianjiao's possession would be the Silver-Winged Sword Dragon, the one exchanged from the Fang Family to be a mate for Xiao Tianjiao's mount, the Nine Heavens Profound Fire Bright Dragon King!
The Silver-Winged Sword Dragon.
This was once the beast that stood as the Fang Family's symbol.
This was also the disgrace of Xiao Yi becoming a son-in-law.
"It seems the Head of the Xiao has guessed it already, correct, inside here is indeed the Silver-Winged Sword Dragon that you once exchanged from the Fang Family,"
Under Xiao Yi's icy stare, Yang Kun laughed proudly, "Under Xiao's cultivation, it has already become a Beast King comparable to the peak of the Dharma Phase Realm. Ladies and gentlemen, let's all witness what kind of magical beast the Head of the Xiao exchanged for. Hahaha..."