Two auras of the fifth-grade Martial Master level surged to the sky, instantly suppressing the atmosphere over the Big Bone Plaza. At this moment, countless gazes became incredibly fervent.

Fifth-grade Martial Master! Those were true powerhouses who stood at the pinnacle! And within the Da'an Dynasty, only the three Supreme Venerable figures had reached this level!

Boom!

Following these two auras, from within Da'an City, another five auras rapidly soared into the sky. These subsequent five auras seemed a bit weaker compared to the initial two! However, everyone understood that the owners of these five auras were figures who, with a simple stomp in the Da'an Dynasty, could make the ground tremble.

...

Quickly, in the sky, seven silhouettes appeared almost simultaneously, and with a speed akin to specters, they shot directly in front of the Big Bone Plaza.

The figure emerging from the imperial city, wearing a purple-gold robe, lightly flicked his sleeves. Immediately, a rich Qi was released, directly crafting seven large Qi chairs in mid-air.

Without any hesitation, the man directly took a seat at the centermost position, laughing heartily, "Honored guests, please take your seats!"

With his invitation, the other six figures also sat down in succession. Soon after, the gazes of the seven seemed to subtly collide in mid-air, and each of their faces displayed faint smiles.

Even though the constructed viewing platform was some distance away from the Big Bone Plaza, given the keen eyesight of those present, they could instantly discern the appearances of the seven individuals.

Among the seven, seated at the very center, was a middle-aged man around fifty years old. He wore a purple-gold dragon robe, a crown adorned with a massive Demon Crystal, and exuded a regal air befitting one of high stature.

With such attire and such a visage, it was almost needless to say, everyone clearly recognized him. This man was none other than Huangpu Rui, the monarch of the Da'an Dynasty.

"One of the three Supreme Venerable powerhouses." Staring at the man, Du Fei involuntarily drew a sharp breath. Although Huangpu Rui didn't exude any astonishing aura, Du Fei was well aware that in front of such figures, regardless of how many tricks he had up his sleeve, the outcome would likely be the same.

This was a true powerhouse standing at the pinnacle!

His gaze slowly shifted from Huangpu Rui to an old man in a gray robe with black hair sitting to his left. This elder had come from the direction of the Junwu Sect, indicating his association with them.

"Huh? That's the Senior Elder of Junwu Sect, Wu Xinyu! One of the two Supreme Venerable powerhouses of the Junwu Sect. Who would've thought he'd come too?!" somewhere in mid-air, someone exclaimed in surprise.

"Junwu Sect's Senior Elder, Wu Xinyu!" Hearing this, the corner of Du Fei's eyes twitched slightly. One of the two Supreme Venerable powerhouses from the Junwu Sect! A Martial Master of the fifth-grade! Just these two were enough for Du Fei to realize that there was at least a 50% chance that this man was behind the tragedy that befell the Du Family. However, even though he understood this, Du Fei clenched his fists tightly, forcing himself to suppress his urge to charge forward impulsively.

While Du Fei was confident, he was also well aware that despite being exponentially stronger than he was two years ago, this growth had made him realize his insignificance in front of such Supreme Venerable powerhouses. Confronting them head-on at this moment was basically out of the question.

Moreover, if he acted rashly without concrete evidence, the only outcome would be the full might of the Junwu Sect converging against him. This time, escaping would likely be impossible.

Thus, no matter what, he had to restrain himself now. At the very least, until after he defeated Long Aotian!

"That one there should be the patriarch of the Yunshui Du Family, Du Yuntian!"

"And there's the patriarch of the Yunshui Long Family, Long Yang!"

"Over there is the patriarch of the Yunshui Yun Family, Yun Xiao!"

"That's the patriarch of the Yunshui Liu Family, Liu Wumei!"

"And the patriarch of the Yunshui Shui Family, Shui Yuan!"

...

While Du Fei was forcing himself to remain patient, a wave of exclaims echoed through the mid-air, making it clear to everyone present that the seven figures floating above were indeed the monarch from the royal family, the Senior Elder of the Junwu Sect, and the patriarchs of Yunshui's Five Families!

Seeing these seven figures who stood at the pinnacle of the Da'an Dynasty, everyone present respectfully gestured towards them, their faces full of reverence. Of course, beneath the respectful expressions of many, there were feelings of displeasure, including from individuals like Du Fei and representatives of other major forces.

"Esteemed guests, it has been quite a while since we last met, hasn't it? Senior Elder, I haven't seen the Sect Master this year; I wonder." Huangpu Rui's gaze swept over the Big Bone Plaza before he turned with a gentle smile.

"Thank you for your concern, King Huangpu. The Sect Master is at a crucial moment of his seclusion, so for this Palace Contest, I will be representing the Junwu Sect and acting as the referee," Wu Xinyu, the Senior Elder of the Junwu Sect, replied with a slight nod.

"I see," Huangpu Rui responded, his gaze then shifting to the patriarchs of Yunshui's Five Families. "Do the five of you have any objections?"

The gazes of the five patriarchs briefly met, but none spoke.

After a moment, Long Yang chuckled lightly, "Since the Sect Master is in seclusion, he naturally cannot be disturbed. And as the Senior Elder is one of the three Supreme Venerable powerhouses of our Da'an Dynasty, he surely is qualified to act on the Sect Master's behalf. I have no objections."

Hearing Long Yang's words, the eyes of the patriarchs from the Four Great Families in Yunshui slightly flickered, but none commented further, merely nodding in agreement.

"Since none of you have objections, then the position of the referee for this contest is settled," Huangpu Rui observed their reactions, his expression unchanging, before continuing with a smile, "Given that, I believe our young contestants must be growing impatient. Let's begin!"

As his words settled, Huangpu Rui slowly stood up in mid-air, his gaze sweeping over the Big Bone Plaza before he declared loudly, "Esteemed participants, as the referee of this Palace Contest, on behalf of the other six, I welcome you. I assume you're not here to listen to me prattle on, so I'll get straight to the point!"

"According to the longstanding rules, this Palace Contest is divided into two stages. The first stage is a preliminary selection, where anyone can participate. The second stage is the actual Palace Contest! In the first stage, eight contestants will be chosen to qualify for the second stage. Only the victor of the second stage will emerge as the champion of the Palace Contest! And, for the champion, as per the rules, they will have the qualification to become the next Sect Master of the Junwu Sect. Of course, besides this, there are various generous rewards! And I might hint that this year's rewards are sure to be beyond anyone's expectations!"

"As for this year's preliminary selection, you all should know, it will be held in the ancient imperial capital! According to confidential information obtained by our royal family, the ancient imperial capital is incredibly dangerous. Therefore, if one enters, whether you live or die, we will not take responsibility! To secure a spot, one simply needs to obtain a Tiger Talisman from the ancient imperial capital! Legends say there are eight such Tiger Talisman within the ancient imperial capital. Those who obtain a token just need to wait at the teleportation array at the center of the ancient imperial capital. Once all eight tokens are assembled, the array will naturally activate!"

"I should also clarify that, according to the rules of the Palace Contest, we recognize the Tiger Talisman, not the person! Once the first round concludes and we return here, those with the Tiger Talisman will be the ones who passed the preliminary selection. No matter what happens during the selection, we guarantee we will not look into it. Even if someone is capable of killing a member of our royal family, I will turn a blind eye!"

"You all should be clear about the rules of this Palace Contest, right? If that's the case, let the Palace Contest begin!"

...

As Huangpu Rui's words concluded, many gasped, their minds becoming instantly clearer. Notably, those who initially planned to just go through the motions were now more alert.

The underlying messages in Huangpu Rui's words were twofold. Firstly, in the Palace Contest, life or death is irrelevant. Secondly, they recognize the Tiger Talisman, not the person. This means if you are confident enough, you don't even need to search for one. You can simply wait at the teleportation array, and when someone comes with a Tiger Talisman, you can freely seize it from them.

Seeing the suddenly chilled atmosphere among the participants, Huangpu Rui silently chuckled. The purpose of the Palace Contest was to select the most talented and promising young powerhouses within the Da'an Dynasty. Thus, having such rules was reasonable. If someone was scared off by these rules, they truly didn't belong in the Palace Contest!

"My friends, please proceed," Huangpu Rui said softly after a brief laugh.

Hearing this, the other six individuals stood up simultaneously, nodding slightly. Then, they all swung their sleeves at the same time. Suddenly, seven multicolored Light Beams of Qi converged together, forming a radiant seven-colored beam that shot straight towards the Ancient Imperial Gate!

...

With the impact of the seven-colored beam, an incredibly powerful aura surged from the Ancient Imperial Gate. Subsequently, the previously sealed bronze gate was slowly pushed open. Everyone clearly saw, beyond the bronze gate, a world filled with an ancient aura. Within, there were fleeting glimpses of numerous Demon Beasts.

This was the ancient imperial capital!

"Those wishing to participate in the Palace Contest, enter now! We can only keep this gate open for 15 minutes at most!" Huangpu Rui, floating in mid-air, announced calmly.

"15 minutes?"

Hearing this, many were taken aback. Obviously, the limited time was meant to pressure them into deciding quickly without much hesitation.

However, there was an initial pause, a brief lull in the crowd, with no one immediately rushing in.

But this quiet moment didn't last. Suddenly, someone let out a resolute cry and dashed towards the bronze gate. Seeing someone take the initiative, the others on the plaza surged in like a mad rush.

"Let's go!" From the Yunshui Yun Family's side, Yun Pojiang glanced around briefly before signaling with his hand. In an instant, more than a dozen powerhouses from the Yunshui Yun Family quickly darted forward, heading straight into the gate without any hesitation.

Following the Yunshui Yun Family's lead, members of other significant factions also entered without any reservations, moving in groups one after the other.

Watching the multitude of figures in the sky, Du Fei gave a faint smile. He then lightly tapped his foot in mid-air, propelling himself towards the bronze gate.

However, just as he was about to disappear into the gate, a cold voice slowly echoed, "Ye Fei, we'll settle our score inside."