Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San-Chapter 708: The First Battle, The Ruby Princess

The Celestial Pillar of the Sky-Splitting Demon Emperor, the leader of the Behemoth lineage, was nearly as tall as the one belonging to the Undying Demon Emperor.

The Celestial Pillar of the Tenebrous Demon Emperor was nearly the same height as the White Tiger Demon Emperor’s. The Golden Mammoth Demon Emperor's pillar was about two hundred twenty meters tall.

The height of the Celestial Pillars made it possible to gauge the power differences among these Emperors. Although all were Emperors, their strengths varied significantly.

However, atop the crystal-clear Celestial Pillar that stood proudly at the forefront of the Ancestral Court's council, there was no figure present. The Crystal Demon Emperor, the foremost among them, had not arrived.

The absence of the world’s strongest Demon Emperor seemed to be a common occurrence; none of the other Demon Emperors appeared surprised.

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor gazed calmly at the other Demon Emperors. A surge of white light emanated from him, and a Celestial Pillar, also glowing with white light, began to shine.

This Celestial Pillar stood over four hundred meters tall. As it lit up, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's figure silently appeared atop it. Behind him, a faint fox silhouette glowed, with nine large tails swaying gracefully. His presence softened the previously intense and oppressive atmosphere created by the other Emperors, making the entire council feel more harmonious.

Standing on the Celestial Pillar, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor looked down at Mei Gongzi and said in a deep voice, "Today, you will undergo three tests. This is something every city lord must face. Since you are not an Emperor, you need to prove yourself even more to inherit the position of city lord. Do you understand?"

Mei Gongzi bowed slightly. "Greetings, Your Majesties. I understand and I am ready to face the trials."

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor nodded. "Good. Your first test is to prove that you have the ability to protect Kali City. In this regard, your father was lacking. It was only after much deliberation and in recognition of the contributions of the Peacock Demon Emperor that he was allowed to pass and continue ruling Kali City successfully. However, Kali City has been without an Emperor for many years, and it lacks the strength to respond adequately should there be a threat coming from the Endless Blue Sea. You must prove that you have the strength to defend your city and the potential to become an Emperor. Thus, for your strength assessment, you must consecutively defeat three opponents to pass. These three opponents will be at your level and above."

"Yes." Mei Gongzi did not protest the change from facing one opponent to three as the Emperors had expected; she was surprisingly calm.

Before coming, Tang San had analyzed the situation with her. They anticipated that her report would be more challenging than usual, so she was fully prepared for difficulties. Moreover, these difficulties would not be too excessive; otherwise, some of the Emperors present, especially the White Tiger Demon Emperor, would raise objections.

Originally, she had expected to face one Great Demon King, but it turned out to be three opponents—one Demon King and two Great Demon Kings? Two Demon Kings and one Great Demon King? Either way, while the difficulty had increased, it was not excessively so.

"Very well, begin your first test." The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's gaze was calm, and he gently waved his hand. A beam of light descended from the sky, landing about a hundred meters in front of Mei Gongzi.

When Mei Gongzi saw her opponent, she couldn't help but furrow her brow slightly. Even she couldn't immediately recognize the opponent's race. She had expected one of the Emperors’ clansmen, a Demon King with a first-tier bloodline, but that was not the case.

The opponent had a humanoid figure, standing about two meters tall, and appeared to be female. Its entire body was covered in ruby-colored armor, and it wielded two long, curved sabers, with six more blade-like appendages extending from its back.

A closer look revealed that the armor was in fact some kind of carapace. Though it was incredibly ornate, it seemed to be a part of its body, and its face was covered by a mask, obscuring its appearance. Or maybe that was its true appearance?

What is that?

Before Mei Gongzi could figure out what race or clan her opponent was from, the voice of the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor rang out.

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"Begin!"

The red-armored female moved almost instantly, like a streak of red lightning, cutting through space as if it were a blade itself. A crimson saber was upon Mei Gongzi in a flash.

This was officially called a "test," but in fact it was very much a real battle. There was no room for hesitation or mercy.

It appeared that Mei Gongzi's figure was about to be slashed in half by the crimson saber, but she suddenly turned illusory, and the saber passed right through her.

Mei Gongzi stepped forward calmly as if taking a leisurely stroll, turned, and with a flick of her hand, the Celestial Plume in her grasp traced arcs of silver light in the air. The arcs caused the space around her to layer upon itself, reflecting countless images of her; in that instant, a hundred Mei Gongzis appeared in the hall.

The red-armored female raised her sabers and shot forward a full hundred meters. Then it spun in place, and the six curved blades on her back shot out simultaneously, along with the two in her hands. They traced eight red lightning-like arcs in the air, flashing forward with unparalleled sharpness.

Wherever the sharp blades passed, the spaces Mei Gongzi had created were sliced apart, shattering into fragments. The speed of those blade lights was so great that they could even cut through space itself.

Seeing this, even the Sword Saint Demon Emperor couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. It wasn't just Mei Gongzi; even an experienced Emperor like him couldn't immediately recognize Mei Gongzi's opponent. Only now did he murmur to himself, "Is this a Sky-Devouring Ant? The Ruby Queen? No... It must be an heir, not the queen. The real deal is a Great Demon King, while this one is only at the Demon King level."

The Sky-Devouring Ants were a particularly unique clan, and they lived in areas rich in life energy, feeding on it. Only the royal lineage had this kind of ruby-like carapace, hence the name of Ruby Queen—or Princess, in this case. Originally, the leader of the Sky-Devouring Ants was known as the Ruby Empress, but to avoid offending the actual Demon Emperors, the title was changed to Queen.

The members of this clan were almost never seen in public; they kept to themselves, and they were extremely hard to find. It was surprising to see a Ruby Princess here, and it clearly indicated a direct connection with the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor.

The Ruby Princess's abilities seemed tailored to break through space, directly countering Mei Gongzi's Peacock Demon bloodline abilities.

But just then, a strange scene unfolded. The fragmented pieces of space that had been sliced apart began to undergo a miraculous transformation. They started to reassemble themselves, fusing back together as if nothing had happened.

The Ruby Princess, who had already moved past, turned back and couldn't help but narrow its eyes. The space it had cut apart had seamlessly fused back together. The six curved blades on its back reattached themselves, but it did not rush to attack again. Clearly, its opponent's control over space far exceeded its ability to slice through it.

The Ruby Princess paused only briefly before performing a bizarre action. It stepped forward with its left foot, its knee bending into a stance reminiscent of an archer’s. Its upper body rose slightly as she took a deep breath. Its entire armor began to emit a brilliant radiance, like a massive ruby shining with dazzling light. It slowly brought its hands together above its head, crossing the pair of curved sabers it held. With a series of clanging sounds, the blades on its back fused into the ones in its hands, and a moment later, its hands only held one saber, three times larger than the dual sabers it had first wielded.

A radiant red saber light shot up toward the sky. Around it, arcs of black lightning could be seen, clear signs that the energy was so overwhelming that the space around it could barely contain it.