Immortal Supreme: Sovereign of the Grand Dao-Chapter 267: Winner! The Emperor’s Shocking Announcement!

Chapter 267: Winner! The Emperor’s Shocking Announcement!

The battle between both sides began and the outcome was shocking to some.

*Boom!*

Kalius’s body crashed into the arena floor, creating a massive crater that sent cracks spider-webbing across the already damaged stage. Dust and debris exploded outward from the impact point.

He coughed violently, blood spurting from his mouth and staining his torn robes. His vision blurred, but he forced his gaze upward.

Arthur hovered in the air above him, using peak level wind conception to float effortlessly. His robes billowed in the currents he controlled, making him look like an immortal descended from the heavens.

’Damn it!’

Kalius’s mind raced despite the pain wracking his body. ’Didn’t even last more than a few moves!’

He had prepared so carefully. Three trump cards—techniques he’d kept hidden for years, waiting for the perfect moment to reveal them. Techniques that could turn the tide of any battle.

But he hadn’t gotten the chance to use a single one.

’No, it could have ended in one move if he wanted,’ Kalius realized, the truth hitting him harder than Arthur’s attacks had. Arthur had been holding back. Testing him. Playing with him like a cat with a mouse.

The worst part? He’d finally revealed his greatest secret—his dual martial spirits. Two Earth Rank Martial Spirits that he’d kept hidden his entire life, knowing they would make him a target.

And he’d still lost.

The arena fell into stunned silence. Twenty thousand spectators sat frozen, trying to process what they’d just witnessed.

Then chaos erupted.

"Holy shit! Did you see that?!"

"Dual Earth Rank Martial Spirits! Prince Kalius had dual Earth Rank Martial Spirits!"

A man in the front row stood up, his voice cracking with excitement. "I never knew Prince Kalius was this talented! To think he was hiding such power all this time!"

His companion nodded vigorously. "But that just goes to show how monstrous Prince Arthur is. He defeated someone with dual Earth Rank Martial Spirits like it was nothing!"

"Indeed..." an elderly cultivator muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "That boy isn’t human. He’s a monster wearing human skin."

A woman clutched her companion’s arm. "Did anyone else notice? Prince Arthur didn’t even use his full power! He was holding back the entire time!"

"You’re right! His martial spirit never even fully manifested!"

"What kind of cultivation strength does he have? To toy with Prince Kalius like that..."

*Tap!*

Arthur descended gently, his feet touching down on the shattered arena floor. The wind around him dispersed, and he stood there looking as fresh as when the tournament began—not a single scratch, not even a wrinkle in his robes.

He glanced at the referee and gave a subtle nod.

The referee, who’d been standing frozen in shock, suddenly snapped back to attention. He raised his hand and his voice boomed across the colosseum through the amplification crystal.

"Winner—Prince Arthur Hartfield!"

The crowd roared.

The referee paused, letting the cheers wash over them before raising his hand for silence. When the noise died down to a murmur, he continued.

"I hereby announce that Prince Arthur Hartfield is the undisputed winner and champion of the Grand Martial Arts Tournament!"

The implications hit immediately.

"Wait, doesn’t that mean—"

"The emperor said the winner would become Crown Prince!"

"Prince Arthur is going to be the next emperor?"

"Finally! Someone worthy of the throne!"

An older merchant leaned over to his friend. "This changes everything. With Prince Arthur as Crown Prince, the empire’s future is secure."

"Secure? It’s going to be glorious! Did you see how he fought? Imagine what he’ll accomplish as emperor!"

A group of young cultivators huddled together, their voices low but excited. "Should we try to join his faction now?"

"Are you crazy? Everyone will be trying to curry favor with him. We’ll never stand out."

"But if we don’t try, we’ll miss our chance entirely!"

In the VIP sections, nobles exchanged knowing glances. Some smiled, seeing opportunity. Others frowned, seeing the end of their own ambitions.

"My son was planning to compete for influence with the princes," one duke muttered. "Now there’s no point."

His companion shrugged. "Better to accept reality quickly. Those who fight the inevitable only destroy themselves."

During all this commotion, several sect elders began exchanging subtle glances. No words were spoken, but entire conversations passed through their eyes alone.

An elder from the Thunder God Sect caught the gaze of the Fire Spirit Sect’s leader. A slight nod.

The Cloud Mist Sect’s representative made brief eye contact with the Crimson Blade Sect’s elder. Another nod.

Something was being coordinated.

Medical staff rushed onto the stage with a stretcher. Kalius lay immobilized in the crater, his body too damaged to move on its own.

As they lifted him carefully onto the stretcher, Kalius stared up at the blue sky above. The sunlight hurt his eyes, but he couldn’t look away.

His mother’s face appeared in his mind. Pale. Sick. Wasting away in her chambers while he’d been out here chasing glory.

’I failed,’ he thought, and the pain of that realization hurt worse than all his physical injuries combined.

He’d promised her. Promised he would win. Promised he would become Crown Prince and use that position to get her the best healers in the empire.

Now that promise lay shattered like the arena floor beneath him.

The medical team carried him away as the crowd’s attention shifted back to the center of the arena.

Emperor Markus Hartfield rose from his throne in the imperial box. His presence alone commanded silence.

He descended to the arena floor with measured steps, his imperial robes flowing behind him. Every eye in the colosseum fixed on him.

"People of the Hartfield Empire," his voice boomed across the arena, enhanced by cultivation techniques rather than crystals. "Today you have witnessed history. Today you have seen the future of our great nation."

He paused, letting his words sink in.

"Prince Arthur Hartfield has demonstrated beyond any doubt that he is the strongest of his generation. No—he has demonstrated that he stands above even seasoned veterans of the cultivation world. He will definitely rise to realms beyond our predecessors after many years."

Cheers erupted, but the emperor raised his hand and silence fell instantly.

"As I announced before this tournament began, the winner—if a part of the royal family either by bestowment or bloodline—would be named Crown Prince of the Hartfield Empire."

The crowd leaned forward. This was it. The moment that would define the next era.

"However..."

That single word sent ripples of confusion through the masses.

"I must now make an important announcement." The emperor’s expression remained neutral, giving nothing away. "Prince Arthur has, after careful consideration and discussion with myself, declined the appointment as Crown Prince." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Silence.

Then chaos.

"What?!"

"He declined?!"

"Why would anyone decline being Crown Prince?!"

"Is he insane?!"

In the royal box, reactions varied dramatically.

The twins’ father—Prince Cedric and Xavier’s father—sat forward sharply, his eyes widening. Next to him, Prince Julius’s father showed similar shock, though something calculating flickered in his gaze.

Behind them, a mysterious figure cloaked in shadows remained perfectly still, but an aura of interest radiated from them nonetheless.

On the side where he was being healed, Kalius’s eyes shot open. ’He declined? After all that... he declined?!’

Among the sect leaders, most showed surprise or confusion. But a few remained calm, their expressions suggesting they’d known this was coming.

The Heavenly Sword Sect’s leader stroked his beard with a knowing smile. He’d already thrown his lot in with Arthur and clearly understood the young prince’s thinking.

The Alchemist Association President—Ava’s grandfather—nodded slightly, as if confirming something he’d suspected.

Ava herself turned to him sharply. "Grandfather! Did you know about this?"

The old man raised a weathered hand. "Stay calm, child. I’ll explain everything later. For now, stay close to my side. Things are about to get... complicated."

The Dark Night Sect’s leader sat perfectly still in the shadows, his expression completely hidden beneath his dark hood. But his fingers drummed once on his armrest—a sign of interest to those who knew him.

The Green Lotus Sect’s leader—a breathtakingly beautiful woman who appeared to be in her thirties but was actually over two hundred years old—smiled mysteriously. Her sect consisted entirely of female cultivators, and they had their own ways of gathering information.

But the rest of the major sects showed clear surprise.

The Thunder God Sect’s leader, a burly man with lightning crackling around his body, leaned forward with narrowed eyes.

The Fire Spirit Sect’s representative, a woman with flames dancing in her pupils, frowned deeply.

The Cloud Mist Sect’s elder stroked his long white beard, his expression troubled.

The Crimson Blade Sect—rivals to the Heavenly Sword Sect, formed by a banished disciple of that sect’s founder—their leader’s hand moved to his sword hilt instinctively.

The Yin-Yang Sect’s twin leaders, a man and woman who always moved in perfect synchronization, exchanged glances.

The Beast Tamer Sect’s chief, accompanied by his massive tiger companion, growled low in his throat—though whether it was him or the tiger was unclear.

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