In the main hall of the Astral Death Sect, the people who had previously gathered arrived once more. Xing Jimie was not afraid at all when Liraxa, Elyndor, and Ao Yuelan arrived with extra reinforcements. Now, there were three Law Creators on each side, making sure that no side was at a disadvantage.
While the Astral Death Sect only had Hei Lin and Xing Jimie initially, the strength of these two could easily rival that of multiple ones in the same realm. Of course, if that was all the reassurance Xing Jimie had, she wouldn't have allowed Yasenia to be present.
Xing Jimie stood quietly, her mind spinning around. 'How should I make amends with Lady Yasenia? Will she be angry at my attitude? Ugh… Why did I have to pick a fight with her?'
Were she a mortal, Xing Jimie would've been losing hair from the anxiety. As alert as she was, she didn't take long to notice Tatyana's presence approaching their location.
Liraxa's voice reached Xing Jimie as well. "Xing Jimie, why do I see that the number of elders has been reduced compared to before? Did you have a war and lose a few?"
Xing Jimie glanced over at Liraxa's condescending eyes, and showed no fluctuations in her own. "When you find trash, isn't it polite to pick it up and throw it where it belongs? Do not worry too much, Liraxa. Instead, I would be worrying about your own safety."
Hei Lin was the same. He stood up and turned toward the door, speaking to everyone else. "Rise, the Death Empress will soon bless us with her presence."
Like synchronized creatures, all from the Astral Death Sect stood up and fell to their knees with a loud thud, their foreheads shortly after hitting the ground while facing the door. Even if their postures were not as servile, Xing Jimie and Hei Lin still bent one of their knees to pay their respects.
The Demons, Divines, and Dragons were stunned, not expecting their reactions. Feeling a strange sense of dread, their gazes moved toward the door, which opened right after.
When the doors opened, there was no oppressive aura and no grand, overflowing presence. Instead, they saw two peerlessly beautiful women with unique charms accompanied by a maid. At a first glance, one would have trouble even detecting that these two were cultivators… and that was a problem.
For someone to be able to conceal their strength to that degree from their actively peering eyes was something that scared them a thousand times more than any mountainous pressure.
Tatyana looked around the room, her facial features relaxed, unlike her usual self. After all, she had her Little Treasure by her side, so she was joyous and satisfied. This only enhanced her usual beauty even further, though.
Her charm, enhanced by the passive effects of the [Love Law], was no less potent than those of a charm demon at her level. Her red eyes, which usually held oceans of blood, swirled around gently with a hint of softness. Her red lips, which were generally pressed in a flat line, were arched up and very lightly puckered out, giving them a sensual volume and softness.
Her body was covered in a simple black hanfu with golden accents, which contrasted with her smooth and supple white skin, elevating her natural beauty to otherworldly levels.
Just a single look was enough to put the Seventh Realm cultivators in a momentary daze.
Yasenia, by her side, wore a conservative blue dress with golden accents. The dress's colors perfectly matched those of her tail, giving her already seductive body an adorable charm.
Together, they complemented each other, showing the peak of elegance and allure.
"Rise. Always kneeling here and there, you just make things feel stuffy."
Tatyana's voice was cold yet clear, carrying a trace of calmness that soothed the soul like a chilly morning breeze during winter.
"Lady Death Empress, allow this one to present our guests."
Tatyana nodded at Xing Jimie's words, prompting the Death Saintess to stand up and walk over. Once they arrived, she slowly signaled them one by one. "The three main envoys of the Demon Clan are Lord Morveth, Lady Liraxa, and Lord Kaltureth."
The three Law Creators didn't know who this woman was, but they didn't dare be disrespectful. So, all of them bowed down. Tatyana glanced at their polite demeanors with indifferent eyes.
Xing Jimie, ignoring Tatyana's lack of answer for their cordial gestures, moved on toward the Divines. "The three main envoys of the Divine Clan are Lord Elyndor, Lady Auranya, and Lady Irlaya."
Similarly, Tatyana glanced over lightly, ignoring their gestures. This made both the Demons and the Divine start to frown. If Tatyana were allied with the Divines and therefore ignored the Demons, it would not be a big problem. However, showing such disregard for both races was not natural.
Xing Jimie once again noticed their small gestures, but she chose to ignore them. "Finally, the envoys over there come from the Dragon Clan. They are Lord Long Tianxu, Lady Ao Yuelan, and Lord Feng Haorong."
This time, Tatyana nodded lightly in their direction. This made Ao Yuelan and the others smile and show more amiable attitudes. Then Ao Yuelan spoke up. "Lady Death Empress's beauty is something this Ao Yuelan has never witnessed before. I would love to ask what the secret is later, if possible, over a cup of tea."
Hearing her invitation to get closer, Tatyana refused with a light tone. "For now, I will decline your kind offer, Lady Ao Yuelan. Nevertheless, depending on how these talks turn out, I might change my opinion."
Ao Yuelan faintly frowned, but then, her nose twitched as a peculiar scent reached her from Tatyana's body. Not only her, but the other Seventh Realm dragons also noticed, their sharp senses reacting to Yasenia's lingering mating scent. Curious, Ao Yuelan looked between Tatyana and Yasenia. "Um… if I may ask, what is Lady Death Empress's relationship with Junior Yasenia?"
Tatyana answered without any burden. "She is my daughter."
Pin-drop silence descended in the room, the eyes of almost every single person present widening to different degrees. Among them, Liraxa's heart suddenly started thumping loudly, her gaze moving back and forth between the tall dragon girl and Tatyana.
Now that everyone looked closely, they could see a resemblance in appearance. Yasenia felt as if someone had taken all of Tatyana's features and decided to maximize seductiveness. This answer was so different from what Ao Yuelan expected that she couldn't control the utter befuddlement from appearing in her eyes.
"That… Um."
Ao Yuelan was about to ask when Long Tianxu stopped her by grabbing her arm. This gesture snapped her out of her confusion, her heart palpitating. With a calm smile to hide her inner turmoil, Ao Yuelan spoke. "Now that Lady Death Empress pointed it out, Junior Yasenia does indeed resemble Senior. Her beauty was most certainly inherited from Senior."
Yasenia's tail gently wagged behind her, feeling quite happy about the compliment. Noticing her daughter's happiness, Tatyana's lips arched very lightly. "Many thanks for the compliment."
If it made her Little Treasure happy, then she would gladly accept whatever compliment was thrown at her!
With no more delays, Tatyana glanced around and saw a set of luxurious tables and chairs. "Let's move over and talk, shall we? I heard that you all are quite eager to get a treasure my Little Treasure got in the Secret Realm."
There was absolutely no animosity behind her words, yet almost everyone felt as if the Underworld was about to open its maws under their very feet. Hiding their stiffening muscles, everyone moved over and sat around the grey-colored, luxurious marble table.
With its circular form, it was easy to look at everyone else.
Yasenia didn't care that the ones sitting were Seventh Realm powerhouses and planted her big and soft butt on a chair by Tatyana's side. She received many reproachful glances, only for Tatyana to speak. "Can't a child accompany their parent? Or does anyone have any problem with it?"
All gazes that were falling onto Yasenia disappeared instantly, with Elyndor speaking up. "That's not the case at all, Lady Death Empress. It was more of a look of curiosity than anything else."
Tatyana blinked and looked over with a small smile. "Say, Lord Elyndor, do I look stupid?"
Elyndor began to sweat a bit, not expecting Tatyana to go out of the script in such a manner. "T-That's not the case at all, Lady Death Empress."
"Exactly, so I would love not to hear lies meant to pacify the arrogant and stupid. Both of us have enough experience behind our backs to understand that being looked down upon is quite uncomfortable, am I right?"
Elyndor nodded. "Lady Death Empress is more than right."
Tatyana nodded, looking at Yasenia. Her big girl was looking at her with adoring golden eyes, hugging her arm between the massive volume of her twin mountains, while the tail behind her wagged lightly.
'...Should I drag her back?'
Controlling the sudden urge to punish the dragon girl, Tatyana turned toward the others. Her gaze moved toward Xing Jimie, and she used her chin to prompt her to speak.
Xing Jimie nodded and officially started the conversation. "Lady Death Empress has come to know about Lady Yasenia's plight. She doesn't intend to abuse her authority and make enemies out of all of you. Nevertheless, now that her backing has been revealed, Lady Death Empress asks if you all still want to create the tournament."
All the Seventh Realm cultivators were placed in a tight spot from the very first exchange. With doubt coloring their eyes, no one dared to take the first step. Instead, the one who urged was a Transcendence Realm Divine Woman.
Feeling his wife's urging, Elyndor's face turned somewhat stiff. He did not want to carry her over this time around. However, the elders told him that she has the right to witness how the matter of her daughter's death is dealt with.
Honestly, Elyndor very much wanted to retire. The woman with the nickname Death Empress was anything but simple. Compared to offending her, the Star Breaking Realm Bead was absolutely worthless.
Still, there was a level of pride that he needed to maintain. Groveling under another person would only affect his heart, after all. So, he slowly thought and chose his words carefully. "Lady Death Empress's worries are more than valid. No one would like to place their precious child under any unnecessary danger. Nevertheless, the Star Breaker Realm Bead has been a treasure our powers have been searching for several millennia."
Tatyana glanced over, noticing his emotions and intentions rather easily. Elyndor ignored the glare from behind while he continued. "Therefore, our Divine Clan is willing to continue with the tournament. Of course, it won't be a tournament to the death, and I also swear that our Clan won't send challengers far from Lady Yasenia's strength."
Tatyana hummed and turned toward the demons. "What about you?"
Liraxa had been in a pinch for a while. She honestly wanted to get out of here as fast as possible after understanding who Yasenia was. Still, returning without any results would also lead to punishment for showing weakness. Therefore, after mulling her options, she worded her willingness to continue similarly to Elyndor.
Tatyana heard them and hummed. "So, both of your clans still want to steal my daughter's treasure even after everything."
Everyone began sweating again. At that moment, the Graveyard Emperor and Flame Sky Emperor entered the hall. "We would also like to have a word here."
Their appearance took not only the Seventh Realm cultivators by surprise, but also Tatyana. Looking over strangely, Tatyana thought to herself. 'What are the Flame Guy and Graveyard Guy thinking?'