Chapter 0144: Election of the Divine Maiden

Restoring the scene to its original state, Huang Long acted as if it were a mundane matter, his expression calm. With a flash, he appeared atop the VIP stand.
It was only then that millions of spectators regained their senses.
“Elder Huang Long!”
“Elder Huang Long!”
Young people from all over the Hengyuan Continent stood up, shouting loudly with all their might, their faces filled with excitement, awe, and fervor.
These fervent cries converged into a massive wave of sound that even reached beyond the training ground, causing ripples in the air there.
Even tens of thousands of maids and eunuchs in the Dark Forest Empire’s palace, located nearby, were startled by this loud noise.
The representatives of the Dragon Language Empire sat in the audience, their faces pale from fear.
These waves of sound kept crashing in like tides, never ceasing.
Emperor Bi Wei of the Dark Forest Empire tried to shout to restore order and end the day’s competitions, but his voice was drowned out by the noise. He turned to the temple priestess for help: “Priestess, what should we do?”
The temple priestess frowned, feeling helpless. She shook her head—there was nothing she could do. Though she was a peak warrior of the Holy Land, she lacked the power to suppress the voices of millions of people. This noise was far louder than when Huang Long first appeared; back then, the cheers of his admirers were like small ripples on the sea, but now they were like giant waves.
After a long time, the scene finally calmed down. Eventually, it was Huang Long who raised his hand to signal everyone to quiet down, and only then did the roaring noise subside.
Emperor Bi Wei glanced at Huang Long, a young man of just fifteen, with complex emotions. This young man was clearly the protagonist of the day—and would remain so for every day ahead. No matter how revered his status as an empire emperor might be, it was still relative. At least he didn’t possess Huang Long’s influence to suppress the voices of millions with a simple gesture.
Only after the noise died down did Emperor Bi Wei step forward to announce the end of the first day of the competitions. After making the announcement, he let out a sigh of relief.
It was over. Finally over.
Yet, this was only the first day. Emperor Bi Wei now began to regret whether holding these competitions was indeed the right decision. Although the death of Elder Oudo of the Dragon Clan had nothing to do with their empire, it still happened right here in the arena. Fortunately, millions of people were there as witnesses, proving that it was Oudo who challenged first.

After Emperor Bi Wei of the Dark Forest Empire announced the end of the event, millions of spectators refused to leave for a long time. It was not until Huang Long and the others left that they gradually departed, albeit reluctantly.
Huang Long’s heroic feat in this battle spread to every corner of the Hengyuan Continent as the first day of the Dark Forest Empire’s martial arts tournament came to an end.
Millions of spectators had witnessed firsthand a true dragon-slaying spectacle!
With the end of the first day’s competitions, stories of Huang Long’s battle circulated throughout the streets and alleys of the Dark Forest Empire’s capital. No matter where you went, you could see people excitedly discussing his heroic act of slaying a dragon in the arena.
The entire capital seemed even more lively because of Huang Long’s feat, as if warm water suddenly reached boiling point.
Within a single night, the news of the dragon-slaying incident from the first day of the tournament spread to various cities in the Dark Forest Empire, then expanded at an exponential rate. First to be affected were the major cities, followed by towns, villages, and then the surrounding kingdoms and duchies.
Almost everyone was greatly shocked, yet also filled with excitement. Many regretted not being there to witness such an extraordinary scene.
At a manor in the Dark Forest Empire’s capital, the residence of theVas family family, Colin paced back and forth anxiously, while Eunice stood nearby, looking worried.
“Colin, Eunice, what’s the matter?” At that moment, a middle-aged man entered from outside the manor. He had a beard and appeared refined. This man was the manager of theVas family family’s manor and also a cousin of Colin and Eunice. Upon seeing their expressions, he asked.
After Colin and Eunice approached the middle-aged man, Colin hesitated, unsure whether to speak. Finally, after the man pressed him, he recounted what had happened.
When he heard that Colin had traveled all the way to the Dark Forest Empire with Huang Long, the middle-aged man was stunned. Hearing that Colin had challenged Huang Long to a duel left him even more astonished, his eyes wide. It took some time before he regained his composure at Colin’s anxious urging.
“Uncle Ian, what do you think? Will Senior Huang Long agree?” Colin asked anxiously.
Only then did Ian understand why Colin and Eunice were in such a state. They were indeed very lucky, but he couldn’t make a decision on this matter—even the head of theVas family family couldn’t. In the end, he could only stammer, “I think Senior Huang Long won’t care about such things!”
Yet he wasn’t sure either.

After all, who knows what the Yellow Dragon is thinking? If the Yellow Dragon gets angry, theVas family family might decline or even disappear forever. “The Senior Yellow Dragon is currently in the palace. I have some acquaintance with the Imperial Envoy, so I asked him to inquire whether the Senior Yellow Dragon would be willing to meet us. We’ll go and atone for our mistakes. Given the Senior Yellow Dragon’s status, he should not take this too seriously,” Ian said after some thought.

After the competition, the Yellow Dragon returned to the resting palace assigned to him in the Dark Forest Empire. He planned to refine the dragon bodies ofFiet andOdu and incorporate them into the Five Pits Divine Cauldron and the Bagua Purple Longevity Robe to enhance the power of these magical artifacts. Just then, a palace maid came in to report that the Imperial Envoy wanted to see him.

“The Imperial Envoy?” The Yellow Dragon was surprised. He didn’t know this envoy of the Dark Forest Empire, so why did he want to see him?

“Let him in,” the Yellow Dragon nodded.

“Young master, could it be related to the Dragon Clan elderOdu?” Bog asked.

“Unlikely,” the Yellow Dragon replied.

“Young master, what aboutOuda’s essence blood?” Gusta hesitated before speaking.

The Yellow Dragon smiled faintly. “Do you wantOuda’s essence blood for cultivation?”

For mages who practice necromancy, the essence blood of powerful creatures is a rare treasure.Odu was a peak warrior of the Holy Land and a Green Dragon, so his essence blood was naturally powerful.

Seeing that his thoughts had been seen through, Gusta nodded shyly.

“The essence blood ofOdu andFiet can be used to create some pills later. I don’t need much now, so I’ll give you some now,” the Yellow Dragon said. A small jade bottle appeared in his hand, containingOuda’s essence blood.

Gusta took it with both hands, his face filled with joy, and thanked the Yellow Dragon.

At that moment, the Imperial Envoy entered, led by the palace maid.

The envoy approached the Yellow Dragon, looking anxious—more so than when facing the emperor of the Dark Forest Empire. After kneeling, he explained his purpose at the Yellow Dragon’s question.

TheVas family family? Only then did the Yellow Dragon realize why the envoy had come to see him. He found it amusing; it seemed Colin wanted to atone for his mistakes.

Actually, the Yellow Dragon didn’t take Colin’s matter seriously and saw it as just a joke.

“Very well, let them in,” the Yellow Dragon said after some thought. If he didn’t meet Colin and the others, theVas family family would surely be worried.

After a while, Colin and the others, led by the envoy, arrived before the Yellow Dragon. Seeing it again, Colin was filled with awe. Along with Anice and the others, they bowed respectfully to the Yellow Dragon—their attitude completely different from before. After bowing, they stepped aside, standing nervously with their heads lowered, not daring to breathe heavily or even look at the Yellow Dragon. Ian, who accompanied them, also appeared tense. After bowing, he cautiously stepped forward and said, “Elder Yellow Dragon, Colin is my nephew. Ian just learned about what happened between him and you. Colin didn’t know your identity, which is why he acted that way. On behalf of the Vass family, I come to apologize for him. I beg you to show mercy.”

Before Ian could finish speaking, the Yellow Dragon spoke up, “I understand your purpose. Let’s leave it at that.”

Ian, Colin, and Anice were stunned before realizing what the Yellow Dragon meant. Their faces lit up with joy, and Ian, filled with gratitude, led them to kowtow to the Yellow Dragon.

The Yellow Dragon waved his hands, lifting them up, then looked at Anice and said with a faint smile, “Actually, I should thank Miss Anice for saving my life.”

Everyone was surprised. Faced with the Yellow Dragon’s joking words, Anice’s face turned red with embarrassment as she stood there, not knowing what to say.

The next day, the martial arts competition continued.

Perhaps due to the battle between the Yellow Dragon and Odo the previous day, it inspired some of the powerful figures in the Holy Land. On the second day, other powerful figures from the Holy Land appeared on the main arena stage.

Of course, the excitement couldn’t compare to the battle between the Yellow Dragon and Odo.

On the second day, the Yellow Dragon appeared in the VIP area, once again becoming the focus of everyone.

The second day’s competition had even more spectators. What was already packed tightly now was beyond description.

The tickets had been sold out long ago—or rather, snatched up—long before the event. Of course, many people came not for the fighting matches but for the Yellow Dragon.

Now, everyone in the capital of the Dark Forest Empire knew that the Yellow Dragon was a guest invited by the empire.

On the second day, the crowd grew larger; on the third day, even more; by the fourth day, and even half a month later when the competition ended, the number reached a terrifying tens of millions, or even more.

These people had come from all over after hearing about the battle between the Yellow Dragon and Odo.

After the competition ended, the selection of the Goddess of the Dark Forest Empire’s Temple took place.

Compared to the martial arts competition, the selection of the Goddess was completed in just one day.

The selection of the temple priestess in the Dark Forest Empire is different from the selection of the holy maiden by the Light Church. While the Light Church selects its holy maiden based on the Standard of Light, the Dark Forest Temple selects its priestess based on the Standard of Natural Energy. That is, under the natural energy of the temple, the girl most suitable for mastering the laws of life is identified, and she becomes the temple priestess.