Chapter 64: Mu Qingqing Ascends the Throne

Just as Qin Tian was considering where he should sit, Gong Yuce sneered, "Surely your seat isn't by the door!"

Ha!

Gong Yuce walked inward with a chuckle.

At this moment, someone next to Qin Tian kindly asked, "How did you manage to offend Gong Yuce?"

"He is a notoriously arrogant scion. If you've truly offended him, you'd better just apologize to him!"

Qin Tian was baffled. Then he asked, "Are one of the three highest seats reserved for Qin Tian?"

"It is reserved for Grandmaster Qin."

Qin Tian nodded and walked forward. As he passed Gong Yuce on the second tier, Gong Yuce froze.

Then, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Qin Tian sat down upon the dragon throne at the very top.

Gong Yuce's face shifted through various shades of anger until he finally roared, "Audacious! You piece of trash at the Spirit Awakening Realm dare to sit on the dragon throne!"

"This seat is reserved for Empress Bingxuan, the new Empress Mu Qingqing, and the Emperor-grade Artifact Refiner, Grandmaster Qin."

"Your actions are a desecration of imperial authority!"

As soon as Gong Yuce finished speaking, murmurs broke out among the crowd.

"He really is just at the Spirit Awakening Realm!"

"Is this some fool of a son from a noble family? He's completely doomed his clan this time."

"Indeed. Do you know what he gave as a gift during the tribute presentation earlier?"

"It was just a slip of paper promising one exclusive artifact refinement. It had me in stitches."

Just as the imperial guards were about to step forward and seize Qin Tian, Xiao Zhan hurriedly gestured for them to retreat.

Before Xiao Zhan could speak, Gong Yuce's father, Gong Yumingxuan, stood up and said, "Ignorant brat, is a seat like that yours to sit in? Your crimes warrant death a thousand times over."

His son had told him earlier that this was an opportunity to shine in front of the new Empress.

Therefore, he had taken the matter upon himself, planning to claim credit before the new Empress later.

Delighted to watch the Gongyu family make fools of themselves, Xiao Zhan swallowed the words he had intended to say.

Hearing this, Qin Tian said with utter disdain, "What kind of thing are you, daring to speak to this young master like that?"

The grand hall erupted in uproar!

Almost everyone was stunned by Qin Tian's words!

One must know that Gong Yumingxuan was the head of the Gongyu family, one of the four great clans of the Vast Sky Empire.

A powerhouse at the second layer of the Emperor Realm, the only faction in the Vast Sky Empire that could suppress him was the imperial family.

And now, he was being rebuked in front of all the top dignitaries of the nation.

This drove Gong Yumingxuan into a fit of explosive rage.

"You're courting death!"

Following an angry roar, Gong Yumingxuan leaped up and charged directly at Qin Tian.

Before he could even get close to Qin Tian, Xiao Zhan stepped forward and blocked him with a single strike.

"Why are you protecting him? Who is he?" Gong Yumingxuan asked in shock and suspicion.

Then a thought crossed his mind—could Qin Tian possess some extraordinary status?

Gong Yuce hurried to Gong Yumingxuan's ear and whispered, "My daughter is on good terms with this person. He's probably trying to protect him."

Gong Yumingxuan nodded upon hearing this, feeling he had been overly cautious.

Qin Tian was young and only at the Spirit Awakening Realm; naturally, he could not be anyone of great consequence.

As for the possibility that Qin Tian was an Emperor-grade artifact refining grandmaster, that was something he had never even considered.

Because in his understanding, such a figure should at least be a middle-aged man, if not an elder.

At this point, a scheme formed in his mind—this was an opportunity to suppress the Xiao family.

"Since your Xiao family insists on shielding this person, don't blame me for being discourteous!"

With that, Gong Yumingxuan lunged at Xiao Zhan while sending a voice transmission to Gong Yuce, "I will hold off Xiao Zhan; you go capture that fellow."

"Father, rest assured!"

Immediately, Gong Yumingxuan and Xiao Zhan clashed in battle, while Gong Yuce charged toward Qin Tian.

The officials were somewhat bewildered, unable to understand why General Xiao would go out of his way to protect this person.

Seeing Gong Yuce drawing closer and closer to Qin Tian, everyone assumed the matter was drawing to a close.

Gong Yuce was at the second layer of the Saint Realm; seizing someone at the Spirit Awakening Realm would be effortless.

Xiao Zhan, however, wore a look of disdain. In his eyes, Gong Yuce's actions were pure suicide.

Xiao Meng had already begun silently mourning for Gong Yuce!

Seeing Gong Yuce charge over, Qin Tian remained unmoved, showing no intention of fighting back.

Because Mu Qingqing had already arrived.

Swish!

A wave of vital energy swept across Gong Yuce's legs.

Two meters away from Qin Tian, Gong Yuce abruptly collapsed to his knees.

Cold sweat poured from him as agonizing pain wracked his body. He knew his legs were crippled; the bones and tissues inside had been pulverized into paste.

With great difficulty, he raised his head to look at Mu Qingqing, who stood before Qin Tian clad in a dragon robe.

"Wh... Why?"

"Why? You dared to attack my Uncle Qin, and you ask why?" Mu Qingqing said coldly.

She had originally assumed a person of Qin Tian's temperament would never attend such an occasion.

Yet he had come, and now that this had happened, she truly feared Qin Tian would be angry with her.

Upon hearing those words, Gong Yuce fainted on the spot.

Gong Yumingxuan wore a look of utter despair. He gazed helplessly at Gong Yuce, feeling he had been dragged down by his own son.

Had it not been for his son's instigation, things would never have reached this point.

At this moment, the crowd finally realized Qin Tian's true identity. Those who had previously joined in the mockery and gossip broke out in cold sweat.

They hurriedly lowered their heads, terrified of catching Qin Tian's attention.

Mu Qingqing turned her gaze to Gong Yumingxuan. "Since you have offended my Uncle Qin, do not blame me for being merciless."

She then stepped forward and announced, "Starting from today, the Gongyu clan is stricken from the records of the Vast Sky Empire, and all their assets are to be confiscated by the state."

Only now did everyone realize the immense weight Qin Tian carried in the eyes of Princess Mu.

Just over a minor dispute, she had completely abolished one of the four great clans of the empire, the Gongyu family.

Hearing this, Gong Yumingxuan panicked and cried out, "No! You have no authority to abolish my Gongyu clan. Empress Bingxuan will never agree to this!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Empress Bingxuan's voice echoed through the hall, "I agree. In my Vast Sky Empire, offending Grandmaster Qin is equivalent to offending me."

Hearing this, Gong Yumingxuan turned ashen, his face devoid of all hope.

Empress Bingxuan then struck, directly sealing Gong Yumingxuan's cultivation, after which a group of guards marched the members of the Gongyu family away.

Turning to Qin Tian, Empress Bingxuan said, "I trust you weren't too amused by that spectacle."

"It's of no consequence." Qin Tian was quite satisfied with how they had handled the matter.

Mu Qingqing also offered Qin Tian an apologetic smile.

Then, the assembled officials dropped to their knees and shouted in unison!

"Greetings to the Empress!"

"Greetings to Grandmaster Qin!"

"Greetings to Princess Mu!"

Once the salutations concluded, the auspicious hour had arrived.

The ascension ceremony proceeded step by step in an orderly fashion.

When the ceremony concluded, the officials below knelt once more in unison and proclaimed, "Greetings to Empress Mutian!"

This was the imperial title Mu Qingqing had chosen for herself!

With the ceremony completed, the banquet commenced.

The first item on the agenda was the presentation of tributes sent by various officials.

Since they had offered lavish gifts, it was only natural to grant them a chance to display them.

Most of the offerings consisted of medicinal herbs, spiritual elixirs, and precious mystical treasures.

Among them, the rarest were ten-thousand-year spiritual herbs and Emperor-grade artifact refining materials.

When the master of ceremonies announced Qin Tian's gift, everyone understood what it signified.

It meant that Empress Mutian was about to possess her very own Emperor-grade divine weapon.

Those who had previously sneered at Qin Tian felt as though they had been slapped across the face, realizing that the true clowns had been themselves all along.

Mu Qingqing stood up directly, bowed deeply to Qin Tian beside her, and said with a beaming smile, "Thank you for the gift, Uncle Qin!"

Qin Tian smiled and replied, "Prepare the weapon blueprints and materials you prefer, and I will refine it for you once the banquet is over."