Chapter 1034: Chapter 1033: The 10th Family

"What’s the matter, does Elder Ling Yi not believe me?"

Empress Yun Yao’s eyes were indifferent, unhurried, "If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do, but I have evidence to make you believe."

After speaking, she looked toward Ling Chen and said, "Ling Chen, take out the token I gave you and show it to Elder Ling Yi."

Hearing this, Ling Chen was slightly taken aback, but immediately reacted. Previously, Empress Yun Yao did give him some rewards, which he didn’t think were useful at the time, but now, they might come in handy.

With a flip of his hand, a dragon-shaped golden token appeared in his palm.

"This is the Heavenly Dragon Order bestowed to me by His Majesty."

After taking out the Heavenly Dragon Order, Ling Chen picked up the Thunder Sound Sword in his hand and directly tossed it to Ling Yi, "This is the sword bestowed by His Majesty as a token, which can also serve as evidence."

Ling Yi took the Thunder Sound Sword half-doubtfully, examined it carefully, and sure enough, saw the four characters "Empress Yun Yao" on it.

This item is indeed the personal sword of Empress Yun Yao.

With the Heavenly Dragon Order and the Empress’s sword, even if Ling Yi didn’t believe it, he had nothing to argue about.

If there wasn’t a secret decree bestowing these to Ling Chen, why would Empress Yun Yao give such good things to Ling Chen? Now that these two items are out, most people are at least seventy to eighty percent convinced.

"This young lady is orchestrating such a grand scheme, truly remarkable."

On Spirit Snake Island, Left Guardian Law looked at Empress Yun Yao with a touch of admiration in his eyes, such a large arrangement, and the other party actually has the audacity to recruit them from the Witch Fiend Sect, truly not simple.

"Is she not afraid that we will first feign allegiance and then seek an opportunity to rebel?"

Right Protector squinted his eyes and said.

"If Empress Yun Yao handles it appropriately, we have no reason to rebel."

Left Guardian Law shook his head, a glint flashing in his eyes, "Moreover, with the relationship between Ling Chen and the Witch Goddess, they’re fundamentally of one mind, once we surrender to Empress Yun Yao, it will likely be very hard to rebel."

The Witch Fiend Sect has shrunk back to the East Sea over the years because they were forced by those Saint Families in Xuzhou. Once they rely on Empress Yun Yao and obtain a legitimate status, there will be no need to fear the Ling Family anymore, we can gain many benefits, so why not? Why must we rebel?

Ling Yi’s face was somewhat unsightly, regardless of the authenticity of the secret decree, they cannot continue to attack the Witch Fiend Sect anymore, Empress Yun Yao wouldn’t allow it, so this time the Ling Family has suffered heavy losses, all for nothing, failing to destroy Ling Chen and the Witch Fiend Sect, utterly achieving nothing.

"I wonder how His Majesty intends to deal with the Witch Fiend Sect?"

Ling Yi, with a gloomy face, suppressed the anger in his heart and asked.

"From now on, abolish the existence of the Witch Fiend Sect."

Empress Yun Yao’s calm voice sounded, causing Ling Chen and Xia Yunxin’s expressions to change somewhat, frowning uncontrollably, abolishing the Witch Fiend Sect, indeed, Empress Yun Yao still cannot tolerate the existence of such forces as the Witch Fiend Sect in the Four Wilderness.

Upon hearing this, Ling Yi’s expression finally looked a bit better, it seems Empress Yun Yao was at least giving the Ling Family some face, planning to make the Witch Fiend Sect disappear from this world.

However, the corners of Empress Yun Yao’s mouth slowly curled up at this moment, "The Witch Fiend Sect will be renamed to the Witch Gate, becoming the Tenth Great Family of the Imperial Court, from now on guarding the East Sea as a vassal of the court, inheriting the position perpetually."

"What?"

As soon as these words spread, an uproar erupted around, Ling Yi, Ling Tianzun, and Ling Tingfeng were all shocked to the extreme, frozen on the spot, unable to speak.

The Witch Fiend Sect, originally a despised force of evil cultivators, was the target of eradication by the Central Dynasty. Yet now, it has suddenly become the tenth great power of the Imperial Court, equivalent to the Ling Family’s status?

This is simply outrageous.

"The Tenth Great Family?"

Even Ling Chen was somewhat bewildered; even he didn’t expect Empress Yun Yao to be so bold as to directly promote the Witch Fiend Sect to the Tenth Great Family. One must know that the hierarchy of the Nine Great Families has been maintained in the nine provinces for many years, if a Tenth Great Family could have been formed, it would have formed long ago, how could it have waited until now?

That’s because the entire Nine Provinces Land consists of only nine provinces, the Nine Great Families just happen to be distributed within each great province, each province can only have one dominant family, a mountain cannot accommodate two tigers, so the structure of the Nine Great Families has remained.

Over the years, everyone tacitly approved of this structure, not allowing the emergence of a Tenth Family, nor was it likely to appear.

But now, Empress Yun Yao actually wants to break this structure, it’s simply too bold.

Although she is nominally the supreme Empress of the Central Dynasty, inside the Imperial Clan, as well as throughout the entire Central Dynasty, opposition is incredibly strong, issuing such a decree would surely stir waves, one can only imagine.

"Your Majesty, think thrice, such a decree, our Ling Family will not accept, and I believe the other Eight Great Families will not either."

Ling Yi’s expression was already extremely grim, Empress Yun Yao wanted to protect Ling Chen, to subdue the Witch Fiend Sect, he tolerated it, yet this time, they intended to elevate the Witch Fiend Sect as the Tenth Great Family, disregarding rules, ignoring the established order, he would never agree.

He believes the other Eight Great Families would not agree either.

"Elder Ling Yi’s remarks are unfair."

At this moment, Liu Chengyuan, standing behind Empress Yun Yao, spoke, smiling as he looked at Ling Yi, "That is your singular viewpoint, do not presume to represent the Eight Great Families arbitrarily."

"Our Liu Family, strongly supports the integration of the Witch Gate into the Ten Great Families, and it’s not just the Liu Family, but also the Heavenly Wolf Family, Xing Saint Family, Tang Sect... they all endorse this matter."

"As for the other families, as long as their core interests are not infringed upon, they will not lightly defy Her Majesty’s decree."

Liu Chengyuan’s mouth arched a faint smile.

"What about the ancestors of the Imperial Clan? Don’t they have opinions?"

Ling Yi persisted, unwilling to give up.

"Subduing the Witch Fiend Sect, making them protectors of the East Sea, is a beneficial matter of expanding territories, how would the ancestors of the royal family oppose it?"

Liu Chengyuan said indifferently.

In truth, though he spoke as such, actually, even he found it curious; this time, the ancestors of the royal family surprisingly did not express any objections, seemingly permitting this endeavor, otherwise, even if Empress Yun Yao desired to elevate the Witch Gate as the Tenth Great Family, without the nod from those ancestral figures of the Imperial Clan, it would be as meaningless as waste paper, without any actual effect.

He didn’t know on whose behalf those old fellas were being lenient, surprisingly allowing Empress Yun Yao to freely undertake this plan with the Witch Fiend Sect.

"And what about Ling Chen? Even if he has a secret decree from Her Majesty, let’s set aside the theft of the Saint’s Soul Niche temporarily, but he killed my Ling Family’s young geniuses like Ling Yuxuan, and used a talisman to blast Elder Ling Ba to death, these are unforgivable crimes, clear as day, what does His Majesty intend to do about him?"

Ling Yi knew that entangling with the matter of the Witch Fiend Sect was to no avail, the overall situation was settled, unchangeable, but regarding Ling Chen, he was not willing to let him go just like that, even if he couldn’t make the other party perish, he wanted to inflict some sort of punishment on him.