Liraxa and Elyndor led during the following parts of the conversation, planning on how to create the tournament. Since Yasenia was the only person, traditional pair matching was naturally not proper.
Moreover, the Divines and Demons didn't want other powers to have a chance. So, it wouldn't be a public matter either.
Instead, they focused on a more private and personal competition that could hardly be considered a tournament.
At the side, the Dragons acted like beautiful statues, never interrupting and just soaking in the information that was being exchanged. Flame Sky Emperor and Graveyard Emperor were the same, not interrupting their interactions and letting Tatyana deal with everything.
From the side, Yasenia heard many ideas being thrown around between them. There was an obstacle trial option, an army slaying option, a hunting option, an illusory point system option, and many others.
Tatyana listened quietly, speaking up from time to time. Of all the things they suggested, there were always some sections that would place Yasenia at a numerical disadvantage. The Divines and Demons rationalized that Yasenia was only an individual, while the bead was for a group.
Of course, Tatyana shot all those suggestions down. She could barely accept Yasenia fighting people one after another, but several people at once was too unfair.
Liraxa frowned after a while of conversation. "Lady Death Empress, we've already brainstormed several hundred ideas, tried to develop them, and yet you shot everything down. Are you trying to delay the competition for the treasure? While we admit that we are not in a hurry, it doesn't mean that we will accept everything you complain about."
Tatyana glanced over calmly, her finger coiling a strand of her pitch-black hair around her finger. "You are trying to place Yasenia in a situation of one against many. Every single idea has its pros, but once I point out its clear unfair points, you give it up and move on. The one who wants to ask is me, to be honest. What are you planning? Do you want to entrap and kill my daughter?"
Serathel spoke in a whisper audible to the strong people present. "Our children can be killed and yours can't?"
Elyndor's face paled for a second, and he immediately glared behind him. "Serathel! Ask for forgiveness right at this second!"
Serathel's face was indifferent. "Why? Did I say anything wrong?"
Tatyana chuckled, interrupting everyone as she looked over. There was some silence in the room, since this was the first time Tatyana had even shown a trace of a smile since the beginning of the conversation. Still, everyone could see that the smile didn't reach her eyes. "Do you really want to hear an answer to that asinine question?"
With the two red eyes locked onto her, Serathel felt her instincts scream not to anger this being. No matter how angry she was, when someone with Tatyana's bloodlust glared over, it was impossible to remain unfazed.
Tatyana noticed and snorted. "You are grieving for your child, so I've been ignoring your little looks at Yasenia for a while now. However, aren't you old enough to understand that might makes right? To answer your stupid question, yes, your children can be killed, and mine can't because I am their mother."
Serathel paled because each word Tatyana spoke increased the pressure on her body. Tatyana didn't stop talking, her eyes squinted and full of warning. "I want my Little Treasure's stay in this world to be relatively peaceful. She has lived her entire life entangled in conflict, with no chance to relax since she left my arms. Any normal junior her age would've, at most, participated in some mercenary conflicts, tournaments, and a few more things. Most of the time for juniors of Yasenia's age would've been spent in a sect, learning from their elders and having conflicts with other sect juniors."
That was Tatyana's initial plan for Yasenia. Let her enter her Rising Talent Academy, plan out some Secret Realms and tournaments, allow Yasenia to experience the dangers of the world, and gradually give her treasures and make her stronger.
She also gathered materials so that she could create an item for Yasenia to regain her dragon form and beast core during her Dantian Spiritualization Realm core perfection. Although ultimately, they were useless since Yasenia managed to not only perfect, but also create the Black Hole Energy Core.
However, because of her lack of attention and overconfidence, the demons managed to strip Yasenia of her arms and throw her who knows where. Even when her body double had been by her side for most of the time and everything ended up working, the times Yasenia brushed up against death were too many to count. Not only brushed, as Yasenia had already died once in the past.
So, Tatyana would defend Yasenia regardless of what she did. She would become the most hypocritical and stereotypical elder for Yasenia and teach a lesson to whoever dared to aim for her life. If she needed to shout "courting death" to some stupid junior, she would!
"Let me make this extremely clear for everyone, since you all seem to think that I am sitting here intending to act rationally." Tatyana looked around the room, her face cold. "I am here to gain advantages for Yasenia. I am not here to compensate you, much less let any of you steal something from her. The only reason I am even allowing this farce is that I don't want you, Demons and Divines, buzzing around like annoying mosquitoes. Is it clear?"
Everyone in the room was silent for a few seconds; their expressions varied, but all shared some amazement at Tatyana's bold statement. Serathel wanted to speak, but her words were stuck at the back of her throat, unable to be pronounced.
Ignoring her, Tatyana glanced at Elyndor and stated, her red eyes glowing dangerously. "Control your wife. Once more, I have not killed her yet because I know that if I do, you will be the next one trying to bite my tits like a dog with rabies. I would rather she tries to do that than you, because if I kill you next, there will be someone stronger than you buzzing around uselessly, and the cycle is endless. I've already seen this plot too many times to know that I will end up needing to massacre an entire world so that all of you calm down and leave me alone."
Liraxa brought herself to speak, not noticing that her voice had a very faint tremble from the overwhelming bloodlust engulfing the room. "Lady Death Empress, you can't act so selfishly. There are rules that one needs to follow, or else, they would become enemy number one."
"Bullshit." Tatyana scorned. "A Demoness like you speaking of rules? How many juniors have you forcefully raped with your charms? How many have you forcefully pushed beyond limits and devoured so that you could get stronger? What about the parents of those people? Will you compensate them as well?"
Liraxa's face didn't change, but her eyebrow twitched slightly. Tatyana snorted and looked at the Seventh Realm Cultivators. "Everyone here has committed atrocities that would make even the worst mortal tyrant autocrat with selfish interests look like a naughty child in comparison, so save me from your inane arguments."
Everyone became silent. To gain strength to their level, pure cultivation was naturally not enough. Fighting for treasures, finding resources, encountering enemies, creating blood feuds… All of that was nothing but part of a natural process when gaining strength in a world where fighting was the main way of competition.
The only thing that separated them from those who died in the process was that they were smarter with their resources and managed to avoid calamity. That was all.
Usually, people would make some remarks, but the envoys sent by the Divines and Demons were just too weak to push back and face Tatyana's overwhelming presence. Then, the Dragons and two Emperors didn't want to poke around where it didn't bother them, so our Death Empress was free to continue her tirade.
Tatyana leaned back, her posture relaxing and gaining a regal tone. "The competition for the treasure will happen as I say. I am done playing house with all of you. The people that you can send to participate in the competition must not be ten times older than Yasenia. That's the condition for participation and nothing else. Is anyone dissatisfied?"
After Tatyana said those words, everyone was confused except Xing Jimie and Cai Xue. Liraxa was confused. 'Even if she is younger than I expect, she is a Dragon, so she shouldn't be younger than 500 years… Still, given her aura of vitality, Yasenia might even be younger, at around 300 years old.'
Even thinking of that age made Liraxa feel uncomfortable all over. After all, the talent needed to reach the second level of Transcendence at 300 years old was petrifying. 'Still… does this woman really think that there aren't 3,000-year-olds who can't deal with Yasenia? We also have geniuses that have reached the 5th or even 6th Level at 3,000 years of age.'
Elyndor was the same. He even went so far as to label Yasenia a 250-year-old. Still, he could think of several individuals who would overwhelm Yasenia in both cultivation and understanding of the Intent Domain off the top of his head.
Tatyana ignored their little thoughts. She wanted to see them try to find someone in their clans who was Level 4 or above and younger than 1,260 years old. At that age, the usual standard for geniuses was Level 2 to 4, with Intent Domains at Level 2 to 3.
'In just a few years, Yasenia will make those people look like NPCs on the stage.'
Ignoring their looks, Tatyana continued lightly. "The competition will consist of four trials, each one giving points depending on conditions that we will set up. Most of them will include fighting since that's the trial that the Bead used for choosing its master in the first place. I'll send the details later. Now, do you agree?"
Elyndor asked. "What is her—"
"Stop." Tatyana raised one hand. "I won't reveal her age. Otherwise, what sense does it make? I will create a tool to recognize age and filter the people you sent to participate on the day of the competition."
Liraxa frowned. "That's not right, you can't..."
"I can't do what?" Tatyana angrily glared over, her eyes leaking ominous red mist from their edges. "You won't even agree to send people with TEN TIMES her age!? Do any of you dare to say that you can defeat ONE person that's ten times your age!? I am giving you a chance to send several to compete, and you still dare to bark like a dog!?"
Her voice rose as a bellow full of wrath followed. "There are limits to this Venerable's patience!"
BOOM!
Her aura exploded like a violet storm of killing intent, sending almost all Transcendence Cultivators in the room crashing down with loud bangs. Seeing the terrifying strength gripping the space around them like the claws of Death itself scared the seven cultivators so severely that they almost fled.
Even the two Emperors looked over with solemn expressions.
Liraxa quickly stuttered out, trying to calm down the furious cultivator. "W-Wait! We agree! We agree! This condition is good enough!"
Tatyana snorted and flicked her sleeve, sitting back down and calming down her aura. "Since we're finished, scram. I don't want to see any of you for a single extra second."
Their hearts pounding madly from fear, the Demons and Divines quickly left, not daring to bother Tatyana anymore.