The moment the old man spoke, everyone looked at him simultaneously. The crowd silently made way for him.
When the old man walked to the front of the crowd, I saw his face clearly.
That person was one of the elders that we had met at the palace gate.
No wonder I had noticed that an elder was missing behind the chief. It turned out that this person had been hiding in the crowd.
It was obvious that the chief had arranged for him to stand up and speak now.
Chief Qingqiu had probably anticipated that the situation would fall into a stalemate after the public announcement. Hence, he had arranged for the old man to stand up as a spectator and speak for justice.
However, the so-called justice was only for the people of the clan to hear.
As for whether it was truly fair, only the two of us would know.
When the old man arrived before the crowd, the chief took the initiative to greet him. "Great Elder," the people of the clan followed suit.
Although the High Priest and Yao Yao knew that the Great Elder was the chief's man, they still cupped their hands in greeting.
Looking at the crowd, it was obvious that the Great Elder had a high position in the Qingqiu clan.
The High Priest seemed to notice the strange expression on my face. He explained, "The Great Elder has lived for a thousand years. His power is only at the Complete Seal Celestial Master rank. However, his seniority in the Qingqiu clan is very high. Even I am only his grandson. Moreover, he has always been fair. Hence, everyone trusts him."
The scene before us was indeed as the High Priest had described. However, the Great Elder was in cahoots with Chief Qingqiu. His so-called fairness was naturally just an undeserved reputation.
The corner of my lips curled. I wasn't in a hurry to speak. I wanted to see what the Great Elder had to say.
After the Great Elder returned the greeting, he turned to the crowd and said, "The debate between the chief and the High Priest seems to be reasonable. No one can tell who is right or wrong. However, it is not a long-term solution if this goes on.
I took the liberty to think of an idea. Since we can't tell who is right or wrong, why don't we use the rules of the human race and have a duel in the arena to determine the winner?
I wonder what everyone thinks of this? "
With that, he turned to look at us. He wore a kind smile on his face, but he couldn't hide the hint of mockery at the corner of his lips.
Looks like this is Patriarch Qing Qiu's wishful thinking.
Although Yao Yao's bloodline talent was high, her current cultivation level was still lower than Clan Leader Qingqiu's. Moreover, Clan Leader Qingqiu had also cultivated the High Priest's bloodline's secret technique, so his strength was more than a level higher than Yao Yao's.
Moreover, life and death in the arena were up to fate, and no one was allowed to interfere. This put an end to the possibility of sacrificial evil spirits participating in the battle.
Great Elder proposed this kind of seemingly fair solution, but in fact it is clear that he wants to put Yao Yao to death.
Seeing that everyone was about to open their mouths to agree, I hastily stood up and shook my head. "The difference in power between Yao Yao and the Clan Leader is too great. Furthermore, the martial arts competition has always been a method used by the Human race to eradicate their opponents. It isn't suitable for our Monster race.
Great Elder, please think of another way. "
When the Great Elder saw that I had rejected him, he wasn't surprised. Instead, he turned his head and cupped his hands towards me. "Lord God's Envoy, your words are incorrect. Since the High Priest has declared that Yaoyao is the person chosen by the Fox King, there must be something extraordinary about her.
There is indeed a slight difference in cultivation between her and the Clan Leader, but the difference in power can't be determined by cultivation alone.
Just like you, you only seem to have the cultivation of a Seal Celestial Master, but in terms of power, I'm afraid that you won't lose to an ordinary Yang God Celestial Master.
Hence, this martial arts competition method is the most fair choice. "
I wasn't surprised by his rebuttal, but I frowned when I heard him speak of my true power.
Could it be that the Clan Leader Qing Qiu had specially investigated me?
Hearing what the Great Elder said, the Qing Qiu clansmen below started to discuss. They should have already realized that if this matter continued to be in a stalemate, it would definitely have a huge impact on the Country of Qing Qiu.
The method that the Great Elder had mentioned could indeed resolve the problem quickly, and on the surface, it seemed to be rather fair.
Hence, the two powers that had been arguing earlier had already started to whisper to each other.
The situation was already developing in the direction that the Clan Leader had predicted.
Seeing that the situation was getting out of our control, the High Priest softly asked me what I should plan to do next.
At that moment, I was hesitant. Yao Yao naturally wasn't the Clan Leader Qing Qiu's opponent, but if we were to directly fall out with him, even if we managed to suppress the Clan Leader Qing Qiu, it would be difficult for Yao Yao to get along with the Qing Qiu clansmen in the future.
As I was pondering, the Great Elder of Qing Qiu had already walked to the staircase. He cupped his hands at the crowd below and said, "Since no one has any objections, this matter is decided.
I will be so bold as to let me take charge of this matter. How about we compete here in three days? "
The Clan Leader Qing Qiu naturally didn't have any objections and quickly cupped his hands in agreement.
After she had confirmed it, all the Qing Qiu clansmen focused their attention on Yao Yao and the High Priest.
At that moment, the High Priest was already looking at me anxiously, waiting for my final decision. I hesitated for a moment, but in the end, I decided that I couldn't let Yao Yao kill herself in the Qing Qiu clansmen, so I nodded at the High Priest.
After receiving my decision, the High Priest was stunned. He seemed to be confused, but under everyone's gaze, he didn't ask any further. He turned his head hesitantly and represented Yao Yao to accept the Great Elder's suggestion.
After agreeing on this matter, we didn't need to stay here any longer. After bidding farewell to the Clan Leader Qing Qiu, we left the Fox King Palace and returned to the High Priest's residence.
On the way, Yao Yao was silent. It wasn't difficult to see that she was very worried at that moment.
However, she had promised me that she would let me handle this matter, so she didn't mention anything to me.
However, the High Priest, who was following behind me, kept muttering in a low voice. He sighed after a few steps, his face full of pessimism.
After returning to his residence, he immediately closed the door and asked me why I had agreed to the competition and if I had a plan to deal with it.
I couldn't blame him for being so anxious. The High Priest and I both knew about Yao Yao's situation.
She was at the middle stage of the Yang Spirit Realm, so her strength couldn't be considered weak. However, the problem was that she was still young. Although she had cultivation, she didn't have any actual combat experience.
If she were to really fight against an enemy, it was hard to say how much of her strength she could use.
On the other hand, the Clan Leader Qing Qiu was an old fox who had lived for hundreds of years. He had rich combat experience, and his cultivation was above Yao Yao's. In terms of combat power, the two of them weren't on the same level.
The High Priest was anxious, but I was calm. I didn't reply to him, but turned to ask Yao Yao if she had practiced any special techniques.
Yao Yao was from the Tushan Clan, after all, and she had the Fox King's true blood. She might have some extraordinary abilities.
If she could tap into her own strength, that would naturally be the best.
However, Yao Yao's words quickly dispelled my thoughts. She told me that the techniques she practiced were taught by her mother.
She was no different from the ordinary members of the Qing Qiu Clan.
I couldn't do anything about her. I recalled that the Death Scripture had recorded many special techniques, but none of them were suitable for the Monster race.
Besides, the Monster Refining Gourd could help Yao Yao increase her cultivation in a short period of time. However, since the fatty wasn't here, the Monster Refining Gourd naturally couldn't be used.
As I pondered, I glanced at the High Priest, who had his head lowered in contemplation. I couldn't help but recall the secret technique that he had mentioned earlier.
Since the secret technique had been secretly learned by the patriarch, the rule was broken.
If Yao Yao practiced it, with her innate talent, she might make great progress in three days.
Of course, the High Priest wouldn't refuse. He immediately nodded in agreement.
Although the secret technique was an inheritance of the High Priest's bloodline, the situation was special, and he couldn't care less about it.
With the secret technique, I felt a little more confident, but it wasn't enough to put my mind at ease. Yao Yao still didn't have any battle experience.
After much consideration, I asked the Evil Sacrificial Spirit for help.
Among the three of us, only his power could completely suppress Yao Yao.
Yao Yao's potential could only be stimulated when she was at an absolute disadvantage. I had experienced this before.
The Evil Sacrificial Spirit nodded and agreed.
Since there was some progress, I didn't delay any longer. I planned to ask Yao Yao and the Evil Sacrificial Spirit to find a remote place to train. As for the secret technique, I would leave it to the night to practice.
After listening to my arrangement, no one objected.
The Evil Sacrificial Spirit and I weren't familiar with the terrain of the Green Hill Country. So, the High Priest led the way and we found a spacious place with few people.
To prevent the fight between the evil sacrificial spirit and Yao Yao from disturbing our clansmen, and also to prevent the Chief from sending people to monitor us, I asked the evil sacrificial spirit to set up a barrier around this area to isolate us from the outside world.
He was powerful, so it was easy for him to do that.
Before we started, I took out the Armor Dismantling Sword from the Xiang Liu Pouch and handed it to Yao Yao.
The reason why I agreed to the competition was that I wanted Yao Yao to use the Armor Dismantling Sword and use its power to defeat the chief of the Green Hill Country.
Originally, I even wanted to let her use the Xuanyuan Sword. After all, the power of the Xuanyuan Sword was stronger.
But then, I changed my mind. The Xuanyuan Sword was the Yellow Emperor's magic weapon.
The ancient war was the result of the conflict between humans and demons.
Although the Green Hill Country didn't participate in the war, I couldn't guarantee that it wasn't recorded.
If I took out the Xuanyuan Sword, the High Priest would be suspicious.
Of course, I could make up a reason to fool him.
But during the competition, if the chief recognized the Xuanyuan Sword, it would be hard to say what would happen.
After careful consideration, I decided to rule out the Xuan-Yuan Sword. I thought about it carefully and decided to rule it out.
As for Yao Yao, she couldn't use the Armor Dismantling Sword properly at first. In addition to the difference in power, she was being suppressed by the Evil Sacrificial Spirit.
Fortunately, she was talented and had the Fox King's blood in her body. She quickly adapted to the situation. She could only defend herself, but she could occasionally counterattack.
Although the Evil Sacrificial Spirit didn't use his full power, I estimated that I wouldn't be able to last long if I were to fight him.
In other words, Yao Yao's power wasn't any weaker than mine.
The Grand Priest looked at Yao Yao, who was in the midst of the battle, and his face was filled with gratification.
He was even more certain that Yao Yao was the one to lead the Green Hill Country back to its peak.
We didn't go out for three days. Yao Yao fought with the Evil Sacrificial Spirit during the day to accumulate battle experience. At night, she cultivated the secret technique with the High Priest.
In just a few days, her power had improved by leaps and bounds, and her battle experience was mature.