The thunderclouds grew louder, and everyone realised that the lightning tribulation was far from over. This time, the lightning strike appeared to be much stronger than the previous three strikes.
'Why isn't it over yet, Jiji?' 'Shouldn't Zahia be safe by now?' Ryan was worried about her sister because the lightning seemed to be more powerful this time.
'Dark Phoenix is normally a King Grade Spirit, but her fiery spirit constitution has pushed the spirit into Emperor Grade. It is a King Grade spirit if it receives three lightning tribulation strikes. However, your sister's tribulation has not finished yet, which means her spirit is Emperor Grade. Moreover, the lightning strikes will be ten times stronger than before so she may not be able to survive solely based on the strength of her physical body.' What heathen soul didn't tell is that even for spirit constitution, it is rare to push a spirit to a whole new grade. Usually, a spirit constitution would advance a spirit's rank from low or intermediate level to high or peak level in that particular grade. There must be some other factor at work.
Listening to this Ryan's body instinctively started moving without thinking. He started running towards the stage in order to save his sister. However, the lightning did not wait for him, and Zahia was struck by three more tribulations in a row. The shockwaves blew Ryan back out of the stage, and he fell next to Rivia. Everyone was blinded by the lightning, and only a ringing thunderclap could be heard later. When the noise died down, the clouds began to recede and the night sky became clear again.
When everyone's vision returned, they saw Zahia standing in the middle of the stage, a massive Dark Phoenix behind her back. The green jade necklace that hung around her neck had ceased to glow. The Dark Phoenix now wore a crown on its head and no longer radiated heat. When Zahia opened her eyes, her Dark Phoenix spirit vanished, and she was met with the sight of Ryan on the ground, rendered speechless. She ran to him, helped him standup and looked around only to see everyone staring at her.
There was a minute of silence during which everyone simply contemplated the series of events that had just occurred. Amon was the first to move, and he immediately approached her and checked her cultivation. He was surprised to discover that Zahia had already advanced to the fourth rank of the Energy Origination Realm.
'It appears that your sister has incredible luck; she has Dark Phoenix Queen as her spirit. In terms of Qi cultivation, she is already far ahead of you. Brat, once this ceremony is over, you must begin working hard. Renegades usually have bad luck, so if you don't get stronger, you might end up dead.' The heathen soul made a remark.
Ryan recovered from his shock and replied, 'What terrible luck?! My sister's luck is also my good luck. And you don't have to remind me, I will grow stronger since I have too many dreams to fulfil. If you know what I mean.'
'Brat when will you take anything seriously', the heathen soul sighed.
Immediately, there was a commotion, with people all over the place discussing what had just happened. August Emhyr, as before, was the first to congratulate Lucifer, his voice trembling with delight. Everyone had gradually flocked to Lucifer, appeasing him in any way they could.
People in the crowd were astonished and everyone was talking about Zahia's spirit. "This is probably the first time an Emperor-grade spirit has been born in this kingdom's history. She can easily get into any empire's cultivation academy. The Radiance Kingdom will surely rise in this generation." One person enthusiastically cheered.
Suddenly, a scream of agony was heard, and everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound, where they saw Damian running towards the arena. Damian is Lucifer's sworn brother and the leader of the Dèvel Family's protectors, so almost everyone recognised him. However, as he got closer, everyone noticed that he was severely injured and on the verge of death. "Lucifer!! The royal family has betrayed us. They assassinated all of the family castle's protectors, guards, and servants. They have joined forces with——" His final scream was heard just as everyone watched his head fall off his neck.
"Kyaahh!!", Zahia screamed out of terror as she saw this scene. Rivia who was standing next to her was also visibly shaken up, "But uncle Damian was a 9th rank Spirit Transformation expert. Who could kill him so easily?"
Only now did Damian's pursuers appear. The three old men, dressed in lavish red robes, led the way. They were followed by a group of about 20 men dressed in black who were strangely difficult to look at. It was almost as if they were blending into the darkness. They wore no symbols or emblems on their clothing.
Ryan recognised the three old men in the foreground; they were the Grace royal family's great guardians. He knows this because he used to accompany his stepmother to the royal family's castle. Reinhold Grace, the grandfather of his step-siblings, was in the centre, and Reinhold's brothers Hubert and Myers were on either side of him. Myers Grace held a sabre that was still dripping with Damian's blood. Ryan was startled to feel a gust of wind pass by him. When he looked to the side, he noticed that his father was no longer standing beside him.
The clashing of a sword and sabre was heard, as Ryan's father started fiercely fighting with Myers Grace. Lucifer had coated his sword in Darkness energy, while Myers wasn't even using his energy. After a few clashes, Lucifer was easily knocked back. "Kid, you have a long way to go before you reach my level." Myers was still standing his ground, unfazed with the sabre resting on his shoulder. He then noticed a nick on his sabre, indicating that Lucifer's darkness energy was still devouring it. "Although the darkness energy in your cultivation technique is extremely troublesome. It's even devouring my Brightstone Iron sabre, hahaha." He infused the sabre with fire energy, erasing the darkness energy.
The crowd began whispering among themselves as they watched the two collide. One of them, a historian who was knowledgeable about royal families, explained, "Hmph, how could Dèvel family head so recklessly try to fight with the royal Guardian Myers? Guardian Myers is in the fourth rank of the Yin-Yang Enlightenment Realm, while the Dèvel family head is only in the first." Another person overheard this and asked, "But why is the royal family doing this in the first place? Isn't Lucifer the royal family's son-in-law?" "Who knows?" said the former. "Perhaps the royal family is concerned about the Dèvel family's rise and prominence. Some claim that the person who overthrew the previous rulers of this kingdom was an ancestor of the Dèvel family."
Hubert Grace took a step forward and turned to face the audience. "Everyone, please pay attention to what I'm saying. His Highness has issued an order to execute the entire Dèvel family for the crimes of plotting to murder and overthrow the royal family in order to seize control of the kingdom. I hope all of you will cooperate and leave the Dèvel family castle grounds. Those who choose to remain here will be considered co-conspirators and subjected to the same punishment."