In the blink of an eye, more than ten days had passed.
The day of the Buddha's succession ceremony had arrived.
The Buddhist Capital was festooned with lanterns and decorations, while Sanskrit chants rang without end.
Golden Buddhist light spread from the relic atop the central giant tower, shrouding the entire holy city in a solemn, peaceful radiance.
The streets were packed with spectators who had rushed in from all corners of the Demon Kingdom, their clamor boiling over.
Yet beneath this universal celebration, entirely different emotions churned in certain corners.
"Damn Su Bai!"
"Stinking Su Bai!"
Within the courtyard residence temporarily occupied by the Great Qian delegation, Yan Ling wore a formal, magnificent palace gown. Her face, which should have been radiant and beautiful, was instead clouded with grievance.
Her eyes were rimmed red.
The matter had grown far too large to be covered up.
Over these past days, the most eagerly discussed topic in the Buddhist Capital's streets and alleys was neither the majesty of the Buddha's ascension nor Senior Lu Jiu's earth-shaking Sword Dao Cultivation.
It was the ambiguous yet fragrant and romantic rumors between the Crimson Flame Fox Clan's enchanting Grand Elder, the Nine-tailed Empress, and Su Bai, the newly risen genius of the Human Race and Lu Jiu's disciple.
Vivid details spread at breakneck speed through every tavern and tea house, even into the corners of trading markets. The fervor had surpassed even the world-shaking battle in which the two Peak Deity Transformation experts had fought to a draw.
"Hmph, ignorant commoners with shallow knowledge! What was so good about that woman who was already over a thousand years old?"
Yan Ling bit her lower lip, her voice full of resentment. "After cultivating for a thousand years, who knew how much she's been through... How