Chapter 259: Chapter 259: I am taking it

The echoes of Ancestral Elder Yang's laughter faded into the grand hall, leaving behind absolute silence.

The Great Elders, still recovering from the earlier suppression, exchanged wary glances. They couldn't understand why the Ancestral Elders hadn't attacked him. Why had they left so silently even though Eren had killed one of their own?

Eren leaned back on the throne, his fingers tracing the intricate patterns carved into the armrests.

"Wait, look at that ring! Isn't that the Sect Master's ring?!" One of the Great Elders suddenly exclaimed, catching everyone's attention.

As his words echoed through the hall, the Great Elders came to a sudden realization. They looked at the ring closely, confirming that it was indeed the same one the Sect Master used to wear.

With that ring, it was no surprise that Eren was able to control the formation of the palace.

"Why do you have that ring?" Zia asked, taken aback. "What happened to the Sect Master?"

Until now, she had only heard rumors that the Sect Master was dead, as she hadn't returned. However, seeing the ring in Eren's possession almost confirmed her suspicions. The Sect Master was indeed dead.

Why else would her ring be on Eren's fingers? If she didn't know any better, she would have assumed that Eren killed Feng Yu to snatch that ring and the sect for himself.

Fortunately, she knew a lot more about the ring. The ring could only be passed down from one person to another. It couldn't be snatched from them.

Even if a person was to kill the Sect Master, the ring could not be taken from them. If anything, the ring was going to go straight to the person that was assigned to be the next Sect Master, traveling through space.

This was also why Zia wanted to delay the Ancestral Elders until Xiu Ying returned as she believed that the ring was going to go to her if the Sect Master was actually dead.

Many Great Elders knew that Eren was often seen entering and leaving the sect master's palace. She was also very close to him, so they couldn't help but be suspicious of him.

"As per the rules of the sect, I will officially take the position. Those who have any issues with it can raise their hands now," he said, his fingers tapping against the armrest of the throne.

"As per the Sect's Decree, the inheritor of the ring will become the next Sect Master. As this was the desire of our previous sect master, Zia has no opposition to it," Great Elder Zia was the first one to raise her hand, albeit in support of Eren.

One after another, the other Great Elders also realized that they could only raise their hands unless they wanted to be killed.

However, they also knew that things weren't going to be peaceful. Whoever became the sect master didn't matter to them as they weren't even in line for that position.

Soon enough, almost everyone in the hall offered their support for Eren, even if superficially. Almost all of them congratulated him.

Soon, all of them were dispersed as Eren told them to leave. Zia appeared like she wanted to talk to him, only for him to tell her that he wanted to be alone for now.

Zia also left, leaving Eren alone in the palace.

Eren let out a sigh, watching the doors of the grand hall close. In the entire palace, he was all alone.

"How was it?" he asked, opening a portal behind him.

Now that he had the ring, he could open the portals to anywhere in the Sect.

On the other side of the portal was an insignificant corner of the sect where a hooded woman was standing, her hands covered by her hood, hiding the handcuff.