109: A thousand cultivators pay homage, the True Lord takes one step.

The information revealed in these subtle details gave Celestial Rain Master a deeper understanding of Zhao Xicheng's management and control over Southern Yue Province.

It was not merely a suppression of strength, but also a complex network of human relationships and a balance of interests.

'I heard that this True Monarch Tianhuo is the most gifted of the "Xi" generation of the imperial family.

Although the other two branch ancestors have also advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm, in terms of combat ability and distinguished service, they are far inferior to him...'

Celestial Rain Master thought to himself, then shook his head, casting aside these unnecessary thoughts.

'How can an external enshrinement like me comment on the thoughts and schemes of such a figure?

I should just do my duty.'

...At the foot of Yinlong Mountain.

Qi Xuanlin subconsciously glanced at the distorted light and shadow high in the sky, trying to see that Nascent Soul existence clearly.

In the next instant, he felt a stinging pain in his eyes as if pricked by needles, and his Divine Soul felt dizzy, as if a Mortal were staring directly at the midday sun; he hurriedly lowered his head, not daring to look again, his heart filled with horror.

Was this a Nascent Soul True Monarch?

Even if not intentionally targeted, the Dao rhyme and pressure unconsciously emitted were definitely not something low-level Cultivators could behold!

Qi Xuantong, beside him, was full of excitement and yearning, lowering his voice with uncontrollable agitation:

"Fifth Brother, did you feel it?"

"That blazing, overbearing intent of fire!"

"Rumor has it that True Monarch Tianhuo controls several types of Earth Fire, and the Cultivation Technique he practices is profound.

It can merge various fires, return to the Origin, and condense his own 'True Monarch Tianhuo'!"

As a Cultivator of fire-attribute techniques who aspired to Artifact Refining, he was more sensitive to these rumors:

"In the world, there are strange items containing unique Origins; if a Cultivator obtains them, they can greatly enhance the power of their attributes, collectively known as 'Spirit Seeds'."

Fire-attribute Spirit Seeds are called 'Spirit Fires'; those born in the earth's veins and nurtured over tens of millions of years are 'Earth Fires'.

And only those merged and created by powerful Cultivators through their own insights and opportunities, unique in the world, can be called 'True Monarch Tianhuo'!

Fire element is inherently violent and difficult to tame; those who can reach the stage of 'True Monarch Tianhuo' are all giants who have understood the fire attribute to an extremely profound level!

Looking at the entire Zhao Kingdom, in terms of fire-element divine abilities, True Monarch Tianhuo is definitely among the best!"

Qi Xuanlin listened with fascination, yet felt his own insignificance.

He had never even left Yunliao Prefecture, and the Foundation Establishment Cultivators he had seen were few and far between, let alone Golden Core or Nascent Soul ones.

Only today did he realize what kind of scenery the Nascent Soul stage of the immortal path was.

At this moment, the core of the Formation.

Nearly a hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Zhao Family knelt on both knees, their voices shaking the mountains:

"May the Imperial Heavens protect us, may the Zhao Clan prosper forever! The True Lord's Divine Might shines upon the Southern Border!"

Driven by powerful dharmic power, this oath echoed through the valley like the thunder of war drums.

Nearly a thousand Cultivators in the mountains, most of whom were descendants of subordinate immortal clans registered under the Southern Yue Zhao Family, also knelt to the sky and shouted in unison:

"May the Imperial Heavens protect us, may the Zhao Clan prosper forever! The True Lord's Divine Might shines upon the Southern Border!"

The waves of sound surged, soaring straight into the clouds.

The Disciples brought by the three major Golden Core Sects, under the explicit or implicit hints of some fellow Disciples, also mostly performed a grand salute toward the distorted light and shadow in the air.

A few young and arrogant ones hesitated slightly in their movements, but under the surrounding tidal waves of sound and invisible pressure, they eventually lowered their heads and touched one knee to the ground.

For a moment, in Yinlong Mountain, nearly a thousand figures were kneeling in worship, a dense black mass.

High in the sky, Zhao Chengxi was very displeased.

'My Zhao family just has this bad habit of loving to put on a show.'

He did not appear, nor did he respond.

He just seemed to lightly flick his sleeve.

A massive dharmic power quietly descended, like a spring breeze blowing over ice.

It gently "lifted" all the Cultivators present who were bowing, regardless of their cultivation level.

Everyone felt out of control of their bodies but experienced no discomfort; their awe of the Nascent Soul Cultivator's Divine Ability to "act as the thought moves" and "control with minute precision" reached its peak.

Seeing this, Celestial Rain Master waved his whisk slightly:

"True Lord, this is a spontaneous act of everyone being grateful for the imperial grace and in awe of the True Lord's prestige and virtue.

It is also the etiquette to maintain the dignity of the imperial family and the Zhao family. Why not say a few words of encouragement to reassure the people?"

Jiang Han also nodded and echoed with a smile on the side.

Zhao Xicheng seemed to have no such intention.

He just casually waved his sleeve.

Swish! Swish! Swish! ... More than thirty figures flew out of his sleeve without warning, landing as light as feathers on the periphery of the Formation below.

These thirty-odd people, both men and women, all looked to be around twenty years old. Each had a steady aura and pure dharmic power; they were all surprisingly at the Qi Refining Perfection stage!

Celestial Rain Master sighed softly in his heart and shook his head without speaking.

'As expected of someone who formed a Nascent Soul at just over two hundred years old; his style of doing things is indeed different from ours.'

Seeing that the True Lord had no intention of giving a speech but instead "released" more than thirty Zhao family descendants with astonishing auras, the Cultivators in the mountains were puzzled, but none dared to show any sign of it.

The actions of a Nascent Soul True Monarch are unfathomable; how could they speculate?

The four Golden Core Cultivators looked at the thirty-odd Zhao family descendants with varying expressions.

Each of their four families had twenty slots.

They thought that since the Zhao family was the host, they would take at least a hundred slots, but unexpectedly, they only sent thirty-six people?

This number was not much more than any one of their families.

Zhao Xicheng's indifferent voice then rang in the ears of the four Golden Core Cultivators:

"earth spirit qi is precious and rare.

Those trash who rely on external strength need not waste such an Opportunity."

Hearing this, the four Golden Core Cultivators' expressions became somewhat strange.

Jiang Han smiled bitterly; the True Lord... had extremely high expectations for 'Earth Spirit Foundation Establishment,' and even the selection of his own family's descendants was so strict.

Only Celestial Rain Master's expression remained normal.

Serving the imperial family, he was used to seeing true prodigies, so he was not surprised.

Seeing no further abnormalities below, Celestial Rain Master waved his whisk again, gave a solemn salute toward the light and shadow, and said loudly:

"The auspicious hour has arrived, and the void fluctuations are stable. We respectfully invite the True Lord to... activate the Formation!"

This time, Zhao Xicheng was not silent.

His figure, with hands behind his back, seemed to become clear for a moment within the light and shadow.

He simply took a light step forward with his right foot in the void.

"Dong—!!!"

An extremely dull sound rang directly deep within everyone's Divine Soul, exploding with a bang!

Centered on where his toe landed, a circle of strange ripples, a mix of dark gold and crimson like lava and stars interwoven, suddenly spread out!

Wherever the ripples passed, the space made a "zila" sound as if overburdened, and small pitch-black cracks flashed and healed.

What was even more shocking was that as the ripples spread, the fire-element Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth seemed to be summoned, instantly changing from docile to violent and boiling!

Meanwhile, the other four elements of Spiritual Qi—metal, wood, water, and earth—were forcibly organized by an invisible great power, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, frantically surging and pouring into the 'Two Realms Dragon Guiding Array' below!

The might of a Nascent Soul: commanding the Five Elements, fire governing all spirits!