Chapter 1847 Award and Punishmen
The heir to the Lord of the Underworld had also been killed by Ye Futian's hands. Moreover, Ye Futian now wielded the Power of Yin.
One can only imagine that whether it was the Dark Court or the Underworld, they wanted Ye Futian's head. They promised that they would not interfere with the affairs of the Original Realm, but it did not mean that they would not go for Ye Futian.
That was the reason why Ye Futian hid his strength during the battle. Branches exposed in the woods will eventually be destroyed by the winds. After he went on the rampage and destroyed his enemies, he had wondered if it was a curse or a blessing.
At this time, whether it was the factions of the Divine Prefecture, the Dark Court, or the Empty Divine Realm, everyone wanted to get at him.
That was unless Princess Donghuang decides to protect him. Otherwise, he would be put in a very precarious position, and many top figures would focus on him.
The cultivators outside the Empty Imperial Palace were silent. They would never have imagined that the situation would turn like this. The person who led the Divine Prefecture to turn the tides of the battle, the practitioner who brought them victory in the Battle of the Original Realm... That person was actually in such a terrible situation. Should he not be rewarded for his feats and achievements?
The gazes were now focused on Princess Donghuang. The arrival of the Dark Court and the Evil Emperor Realm was also a different sort of pressure. While they said they were only there for a visit, it was a given that they had plans of their own.
At this time, only Princess Donghuang's approach could decide everything, or perhaps, it was more accurate to say that she would decide Ye Futian's fate.
Princess Donghuang shifted her gaze away from the cultivators from the Dark Court and Evil Emperor Realm to Ye Futian again. She stood there quietly; however, it was as if she was bathed in Divine Light. She was born a divine being; hence she had always been dazzling. All the women in the world would be envious of her.
"Ye Futian. You killed quite a lot of enemies in this battle. You took down the Proud Son of the Underworld by yourself. In terms of contribution to the victory of this battle, you ranked first." Princess Donghuang spoke. In that instant, everyone looked at her. Princess Donghuang's approach was too important. It would decide everything.
When she spoke, a sense of seriousness filled the eyes of those from the Shen clan, as well as the cultivators from other sides. If the princess made up her mind to protect Ye Futian, no matter how much they wanted to kill Ye Futian, even if they were to use the rules of the Princess to start a battle, the Princess could still easily overrule that and prohibit them from doing so. If that were to happen, no one would be able to kill Ye Futian.
So, at that moment, it was time to see just how much Ye Futian meant to the Princess.
The reason why they kept repeating Ye Futian's errors and offense, highlighting the fact that Ye Futian disregarded the benefits of the Divine Prefecture and claiming that Ye Futian did not care about winning was so that the princess' perception of Ye Futian would deteriorate.
Right now, it was time to see the results.
"However, you intentionally hid your strength, restraining yourself, and ultimately hindered the entire operations. You prioritized the benefits of the Heavenly Mandate Academy on the battlefield. Even though you had your reasons, this had led to many of the practitioners from the Divine Prefecture meeting their demise. On these, do you have any objections?" Princess Donghuang asked as she faced Ye Futian.
This time, it was time for the cultivators from the Heavenly Mandate Academy to look solemn. What was the Princess's intention?
No one could understand what she wanted. No emotion could be seen from her eyes, which could be regarded as absolute beauty.
"What the Princess has said is true. I have no objections," admitted Ye Futian honestly. He could not deny it. Everyone clearly saw what happened on the battlefield. Princess Donghuang was also not stupid. Of course, she understood what she saw.
The key was how to balance it.
As such, it still depended on the Princess's judgment.
Princess Donghuang looked at Ye Futian. She waved her hands as bright and dazzling divine lights appeared, floating in front of her. It was a bright square box suffused with a frightening Space Will of the Way, which made the area around it surrounded by bright and beautiful divine light.
She waved her hands, and the box flew towards Ye Futian. Then, Princess Donghuang said, "This is an important treasure. Now, I hand it over to you. I've said it before. We would grant rewards based on one's achievement during the battle. You contributed the most, and this is your reward."
The box flew in front of Ye Futian. It floated in front of him, the bright divine light shining upon Ye Futian's handsome face.
Multiple gazes fell on the box in front of Ye Futian. The box was unique, and the treasure inside the box was surely incredibly valuable. However, since it was granted by the princess, they did not dare to have any ideas. This was particularly true for the Divine Prefecture factions. Even if they were to snatch it away, they would still have to return it to the princess. Who would dare keep it as their own?
Moreover, at that moment, they were very curious as to what the treasure was.
"Thank you, princess." Ye Futian took the gift. He accepted directly and did not act overly courteous. With regard to what the item was, he would check it out later.
"This is what you deserve. You do not need to thank me. Apart from that, hiding your strength and hindering the overall battle operations, which resulted in the demise of many from all sides, was your personal choice. Since we achieved victory in the end and since I only look at the result, I have no reason to punish you for your crimes." Princess Donghuang's word made the expression on the faces of the cultivators from many factions change.
In particular, Shen Gao and the cultivators from the Shen Clan. Did this mean that Princess Donghuang had decided to protect Ye Futian?
"However..." Princess Donghuang was not finished. With that word, everyone stood straight and listened carefully to the words that were yet to come.
"Just as I have no reason to punish you for your crimes, the other factions of the Divine Prefecture also participated in this battle. They have made a lot of contributions and sacrifices in this battle. Similarly, I have no reason to stop them from hating you or from exacting their vengeance upon you. As such, in terms of the grudge between the Divine Prefecture factions and yourself, I will not side with anyone. If you want to fight and wage war, you can do so based on my preset rules. On this, do you have any objections?" Princess Donghuang answered while looking at Ye Futian.
The cultivators from the Shen Clan breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the words of the princess. It seemed like the Princess was very thoughtful and considerate in whatever she did. The lines between punishment and rewards were clear, and she treated both sides fairly, and this was enough.
They never really expected the Princess to sentence Ye Futian to death. They knew well enough that this was impossible. The true objective of their previous efforts was to ensure that the Princess did not interfere with them dealing with Ye Futian.
Otherwise, if the Princess were to favor Ye Futian, it would be too late for them to deal with Ye Futian.
Who would dare kill a person under the Princess?
"The Princess is clear in rewards and punishment. I naturally do not have any objections," answered Ye Futian while nodding. Ye Futian could not find any fault in Princess Donghuang's approach. They were all representatives of the Divine Prefecture in the battle. He made the most contribution and was thus rewarded by the princess personally. However, the others also took part in the battle, so she would not interfere with their personal grudges or affairs.
One could only say that this was an amazingly fair way to deal with the situation. However, the overall situation was still very disadvantageous for Ye Futian.
At the moment, the number of people and factions wanting him dead had increased.
Princess Donghuang nodded. She shifted her gaze toward the cultivators from the Shen clan and asked, "What about you? Do you have any objections?"
"We naturally do not object to the Princess's will," answered Shen Gao as he nodded. This result was sufficient.
This time, as long as Princess Donghuang did not protect Ye Futian, he would be powerless, he would not be as lucky as the last time.
"Good." Princess Donghuang nodded.
"Princess, our Shen Clan has had a grudge with Ye Futian for a long time. In addition to the incidents during the battle, we are prepared to conclude things. Ye Futian is from the Heavenly Mandate Academy. If the Heavenly Mandate Academy or the other factions help him, our Shen Clan, and the other factions will also intervene," said Shen Gao.
"What other factions want to take part in this battle?" Asked Princess Donghuang as she looked toward the crowd.
"Our Golden Divine Nation will take part," Gai Cang answered.
"Our Holy Land of Taichu has also lost a considerable amount of people. We will take part," answered the cultivators from the Holy Land of Taichu.
"The Martial God Clan will also partake in the battle."
"The School of the Emperor Star will take part as well."
One after another, factions began to voice their opinions. It seemed as if they had a tacit understanding, or perhaps they had already communicated with each other through divine consciousness. The factions of the Nine Realms and Divine Prefecture expressed their opinions one after another. All of them wanted to put Ye Futian to his death.
Many from the 3,000 Realms of the Great Pathwanted to see Ye Futian rise. For example, many cultivators outside the Empty Imperial Palace wanted to see the birth of a legend.
However, at the same time, many people did not want to see a legendary person like him to reach his peak. In particular, the factions that had grudges against Ye Futian. They would not allow this.
The Heavenly Mandate Academy and their allies were too strong. Once Ye Futian reached the top, this alliance would dominate the entire Three Thousand Realms of the Great Path. By then, the other factions would be affected directly.
This time, the number of factions involved was higher than the earlier battle of the divine palace.
This time, the Solar Divine Palace of the Solar Realm also announced that they would participate in the battle.
They wielded the Power of the Sun and did not want the appearance of a peak existence who wielded the Power of Yin.
"The Nantian Divine Kingdom will take part in the battle as a representative of the Heavenly Mandate Academy," said Emperor Nan, supporting the Heavenly Mandate Academy's side. However, allies of the Heavenly Mandate Academy was obviously weaker, and they would be completely overwhelmed.
In particular, since they would be fighting under the rules set by Princess Donghuang, they would not need to worry.
"The Shen Clan will join as well." Allies of the Heavenly Mandate Academy also showed their support one after another. However, in comparison to the other side, there was a huge gap.
Regardless, as allies, if they did not stand up to protect Ye Futian right now, they would be targeted and pulverized in the future.
Cultivators continued to speak up. Finally, Princess Donghuang asked, "Are there any more?"
"The Nine Realms is in turmoil. I am surprised by how hated Little Ye is among the people. Perhaps the Tianshen Academy should not have joined the battle outside God's relic. That way, we would not be faced with the storm right now," said the Tianshen Academy college chief, Jian Ao. He then continued and said, "Princess, since Ye Futian started this battle, it should end with him as well. If Ye Futian dies in battle, I hope it will also end this debacle."
Princess Donghuang glanced at Jian Ao and then the rest of the others. Then, she said, "What do you think?"
"Replying to the princess. We have no objections," Shen Gao said. Ye Futian was too much of a threat; killing him would be enough. The others were far less of a threat than he was; moreover, they had many opportunities in the future.
Clearly, this was going to be a hunt, with the prey being Ye Futian. Everyone wanted him to die.
Ye Futian's death would end everything.
"Since that is the case, our Tianshen Academy will also take part. We hope that order will be restored to the Original Realm as soon as possible," said Jian Ao with a strong sense of righteousness. He looked at the Heavenly Mandate Academy and said, "I can only apologize first to Little Ye now."
"Father..." Jian Qingzhu shouted. He did not understand why they had to do that.
They held no grudges against Ye Futian. Why did it have to come to this?
Ye Futian raised his head to look at Jian Ao. He was curious. So, he asked, "Last time in the Shadow Realm, Elder, you did not lend a hand even as I was on the verge of death. On that, I hold no grudges. After all, you and I were mere acquaintances. We do not know each other that well. However, on the battlefield, I have at least shown kindness to your Tianshen Academy. Why are you, elder, repaying my kindness with cruelty? Moreover, you are doing it with such dignity and righteousness. I am very much confused. Could you please clarify and enlighten me?"