The moment the words left her mouth, the whole of Tianjun was struck dumb.

Deciding who holds the orthodox claim by means of a debate?

Just how was this woman's mind put together?

The seat of Lord of Tianjun—Wei Zhao had not talked himself into it with boasts; he had fought his way into it, battle after battle, each one packed with genuine worth.

Put plainly, the reason everyone unanimously acknowledged Wei Zhao as Lord of Tianjun was not that they wholeheartedly supported him, but that Wei Zhao had beaten them into submission, clean and thorough.

And now Lin Hongchou actually thought she could seize the orthodox throne through a single debate?

Even granting her the most generous assumption—suppose she really did win the debate against Wei Zhao, and Wei Zhao refused to acknowledge it and simply turned around and slapped her dead with one blow—what then? What could she possibly do about it?

Then a pillar of light descended from the heavens and landed dead center in the plaza of the New Heavenly Palace.

Feeling the exalted will flowing from that pillar of light, everyone in Tianjun, from Wei Zhao down to the lowliest common folk, felt their hearts tighten, and the same understanding rose in every mind.

"The will of the Heavenly Dao! It is actually the will of the Heavenly Dao!"

Every face wore the look of someone who had just seen a ghost.

Anyone in their right mind would have taken Lin Hongchou's earlier words for a joke—who could have imagined that even the will of the Heavenly Dao would descend for it?

"So this is for real?"

"The will of the Heavenly Dao actually acknowledged her?"

"Could it be that the sky over Tianjun is truly about to change?"

At this very moment, as the pillar of heavenly light fell, a golden formation swiftly took shape, marking out on the spot the positions of the two debate platforms.

Not only that, a colossal holographic projection spread across the whole of Tianjun.

Not just the sight of the two debate platforms—every faintest sound either side made was heard clear and distinct by everyone within the bounds of Tianjun.

The expressions on every side turned strange.

It was plain enough: the Heavenly Dao had not only acknowledged this debate, it had even specially prepared a venue for the live broadcast.

The overall impression was that the Heavenly Dao had not taken a stand on either side, but had simply struck the pose of a spectator settling in for the show.

For the first time, the people of Tianjun discovered that the lofty Heavenly Dao actually had such a human side to it!

Zhang Baiyu looked utterly incredulous. "Is this also an effect of the fusion ritual?"

For the fusion ritual of a single piece of immortal divine equipment to stir the Academy of Heavenly Humanity would already have been absurd enough—and now it had even drawn the attention of the Heavenly Dao itself.

It stuck out as utterly outrageous.

Wei Zhao gazed at the Slaughter Mask before him, lost in thought. "It seems the value of this immortal divine equipment is far higher than we imagined."

Compared with high-grade divine equipment, which could be mass-produced, immortal divine equipment was unique—yet judged purely by market value, however vast the gap, it could still, in the end, be exchanged for something.

If it could be exchanged, then in a certain sense it was the same kind of thing.

But judging from the Heavenly Dao's behavior at this moment, that clearly was not the whole story.

Instinct told Wei Zhao that behind immortal divine equipment there must lie some underlying principle, and that if he could fathom it, his entire understanding of power might well undergo a qualitative transformation!

For now, though, there was plainly no time left for thinking.

Locked in place by the will of the Heavenly Dao, Wei Zhao's figure blurred, and he appeared at once upon the debate platform in the plaza.

With his strength, he had not the slightest power to resist.

Of course, Wei Zhao had no intention of resisting in the first place—this was, after all, part of the fusion ritual.

At the same moment.

Lin Hongchou, clad in a robe of crimson brocade, appeared on the debate platform opposite.

Crowds from every quarter surged toward the plaza of the New Heavenly Palace.

There was that vast projection covering all of Tianjun, true, but for a spectacle like this, how could watching it through a projection compare with seeing it in person?

Wei Zhao regarded Lin Hongchou calmly.

Strictly speaking, this was the first time he had ever met the matriarch of the Lin family face to face.

At his present level of strength, even without deliberately releasing his aura, the mere unconscious pressure of his presence was enough that few in all Tianjun dared meet his eyes directly.

Lin Hongchou's first instinct was to shrink back as well.

But the very next moment, she met his gaze without yielding an inch, and on the surface she cut a figure that gave away nothing at all.

Only that air of gritting her teeth and forcing herself through was plain for anyone with eyes to see.

Even so, Lin Hongchou's performance, falling as it did in everyone's eyes, was already quite remarkable.

After all, swap in the head of any second-rate clan—even one whose strength surpassed hers—and in all likelihood they would have wet themselves on the spot in a situation like this.

Wei Zhao sized her up and spoke first. "What do you wish to debate with me?"

"The orthodox claim over Tianjun, naturally!"

Lin Hongchou answered without a moment's hesitation.

Wei Zhao raised an eyebrow with a peculiar look. "You believe you are more worthy of the orthodox claim over Tianjun than I am?"

Lin Hongchou responded on the spot. "Of course!"

At those words, the whole of Tianjun erupted in uproar.

For Lin Hongchou to jump out and contest Wei Zhao for the title of Tianjun's orthodox lord was absurd enough in itself—had the Heavenly Dao not suddenly intervened like this, everyone would have taken it for a joke.

And now, Lin Hongchou actually had the nerve to declare, openly and brazenly, that she was the more worthy of Tianjun's orthodox claim!

Even though the people of Tianjun had braced themselves, at this moment they could not help curling their toes in embarrassment.

Lin Hongchou herself, by contrast, stood with her head high and chest out, not the least bit embarrassed.

Wei Zhao's interest was piqued. "Let us hear it, then."

A debate ought to be a clash of thrust and parry, but given the way Lin Hongchou was carrying on, if Wei Zhao truly held her to the strictest standard, it would only make him look like a bully picking on the weak.

Everyone pricked up their ears to listen.

They too were eager to know whether this matriarch of the Lin family could actually produce a coherent argument.

Lin Hongchou cleared her throat. "Before I took over as matriarch, the Lin family was nothing but a third-rate clan, unknown to anyone, without the slightest presence to speak of. Even when our family's juniors went out, they were too ashamed to announce their own name."

The crowd exchanged glances, unable to tell what she was driving at.

What did any of this have to do with the orthodox claim over Tianjun?

Wei Zhao, for his part, showed not the slightest inclination to interrupt.

Since the fusion ritual demanded a strike at the heart, he had to let the other side put on a proper show; if she were not even given the minimum chance to perform, she would at most feel unwilling, and striking at her heart would become that much harder.

"Half a year ago, I formally took over as matriarch of the Lin family, and from then on the Lin family finally got onto the right track."

Lin Hongchou spoke fluently and at ease.

What followed was nothing short of her personal autobiography.