277: Chapter 275 All Nations Pay Tribute

"Hey, hey, hey! Everyone, stop meditating! Have you heard the massive news?"

"What news? Could it be that a new Spiritual Vein has appeared in the North? Or has the beast tide retreated?"

"Neither! It's about the Eastern Wasteland! It's about His Majesty Yuan Chen of the Daming Dynasty!"

"Yuan Chen? That Prodigy who unified the Eastern Wasteland? I've heard of him, but he stays in the Eastern Wasteland all year round, so it has nothing to do with us in the North."

"Nothing to do with us? Now, everything in the entire Canglan Domain concerns him! You are too uninformed!" A young Cultivator slapped the stone table, his Face full of excitement. "Do you know why there are more and more rifts in Canglan Domain, and why they are getting bigger? It's all because Immortals from the Upper Realm are frequently descending to the Lower Realm. Their Immortal power is too strong, forcibly tearing apart the plane barriers of our Lower Realm!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions changed. They sat up straight, their eyes filled with fear.

"No wonder! I was wondering why border rifts have been popping up one after another recently. So it was caused by the Immortals from the Upper Realm!"

"This is bad. With the barriers torn and space becoming unstable, I'm afraid there will be no peace from now on!"

"It's not just that! I heard from a Senior Brother who came from the Eastern Wasteland that our Canglan Domain is now connected to several ancient Cultivation Worlds! Don't let the fact that the rifts are closed now fool you; they will open again!"

Someone's voice trembled, filled with panic: "Doesn't that mean there will be chaos? That the entire Canglan Domain will be plunged into catastrophe?"

"There would have been chaos!" The young Cultivator's eyes were filled with fanaticism. He said loudly, "But His Majesty Yuan Chen acted against the heavens! He personally set up a Supreme Formation to turn those terrifying spatial rifts—which were swallowing living beings and tearing apart the world—into training grounds for Cultivators!"

The teahouse fell silent instantly. Every Cultivator present looked stunned, completely unable to believe these words.

"You, you said what? Rifts turned into training grounds? Are you trying to fool a fool?"

"Why would I lie to you! Yuan Chen's Formation doesn't follow common sense at all!" The young Cultivator became even more excited, his tone filled with worship and envy. "That Formation is called the Equalization and Unification Boundary-Suppressing Formation! Within the Formation, it forcibly flattens all gaps in cultivation and locks down all suppression of Realms! Regardless of whether you are a Golden Immortal from another domain or a mortal-stage Cultivator from our world, once you step into the Formation, you are all treated as being in the same Realm for battle! The danger still exists, but there is no longer any crushing slaughter. It has completely become the best real-combat training ground for us Cultivators!"

"My god... This isn't just a method of a Formation, this is forcibly rewriting the laws of heaven and earth!"

"I'm so envious! Our North is also full of rifts, but not only can we not get any Opportunity, we also have to mobilize manpower to guard them strictly. A slight mistake could lead to the destruction of our Sect and our deaths!"

"It's too unfair! It's the same spatial rift, but for the Eastern Wasteland, it's a Heaven-Defying Opportunity, while for us, it's a fatal disaster!"

"Say no more, say no more. The more we talk, the sadder it gets!"

Similar discussions were blooming not only in the North.

In the gentle and beautiful Nanshan Ancient Domain, where Sects stood in great numbers and there were countless Disciples, one could see groups of Disciples chatting in pavilions and along mountain paths everywhere. Everyone looked solemn and anxious.

"Senior Brother, is the news from the Eastern Wasteland true? Have those spatial rifts that were ravaging the region really been completely suppressed by the Dragon Emperor and turned into training grounds?"

"It is absolutely true! My brother is in the Eastern Wasteland right now, and he said it himself. Not a word is false!"

"He didn't just suppress the rifts; he clearly revitalized the Luck and Opportunity of the entire world." A Core Disciple sighed softly, his eyes filled with helplessness. "When the time comes, they will be constantly experiencing life-and-death battles and honing themselves. As time goes on, the gap will only get wider and wider, and we will never be able to catch up."

"And have you noticed? Recently, the number of rifts on our Nanshan border has skyrocketed!"

"I noticed it a long time ago! In just half a month, three brand-new spatial rifts have appeared out of thin air! The Sect has already mobilized two batches of Disciples to guard the front line, wasting countless resources and manpower!"

"Defending blindly is useless! We can only passively resist the disaster and cannot utilize any Opportunity at all. It's purely wasting the Sect's Foundation!"

"If this continues, the new generation of our Nanshan Disciples will be completely ruined! Others are growing rapidly and making Breakthroughs, while we are standing still and wasting our strength for nothing!"

"To be honest, I'm really panicking. There are too many Cultivation Worlds connected now!"

"We can't stop them! We absolutely cannot stop them! In the entire Canglan Realm right now, the only one with the ability to stabilize the situation of the world and resist the chaos from outside the domain is likely the Dragon Emperor!"

Above the Chaotic Star Sea, winds and waves were monstrous, and the Void Realm was intertwined. This place was a mix of good and bad people, where Loose Cultivators, rogue Cultivators, and lone powerhouses gathered. It had always been the most chaotic and disorderly region in Canglan Domain.

In the past, people would fight and snatch the moment they met. Now, at docks, ferry crossings, and island boardwalks, all Cultivators had stopped to discuss hotly, with all topics revolving around Yuan Chen and the changes in the Eastern Wasteland.

"Fellow Daoists! Let me speak from the bottom of my heart. In the past, I secretly despised the Cultivators of the Eastern Wasteland, thinking they were all uncivilized savages who hadn't seen the world. Now, I am completely convinced!"

"It's natural to be convinced! They have a Supreme of this era sitting in town, holding Heaven-Defying methods. You have to be convinced whether you want to or not!"

"Who could have imagined that those spatial rifts that could tear through the Void Realm and slaughter Sects could actually be forcibly refined and transformed by someone into a training treasure land? I have lived for hundreds of years and have never even heard of such an operation!"

"Our Star Sea is the truly miserable one!" An old white-haired Loose Cultivator shook his head with a bitter smile. "The Dragon Emperor was originally one of us from the Chaotic Star Sea, but now he has run off to the Eastern Wasteland."

"Just now, my Master specifically lectured and warned us, saying that the activity of rifts in the Western River region has skyrocketed by a full thirty percent!"

"Thirty percent? Such a terrifying increase?"

"It's over. Who can withstand this! What if a large-scale rift opens directly in the heart of the Sect one day? We won't have time to prepare at all!"

"I don't dare to imagine the consequences! Once high-level powerhouses from outside the domain pour in, the thousand-year Foundation of our major Sects will be destroyed in one fell swoop!"

"Look at the Eastern Wasteland! Living in the same world and facing the same rift disaster, they use it to cultivate Prodigies and strengthen their Sect, while we can only live in fear and run around guarding blindly!"

The heated discussions among the bottom-level Cultivators of the Five Domains spread like a prairie fire. In just a few days, it swept across the world and reached every corner of Canglan Domain, eventually reaching the ears of the higher-ups of the top forces in the North, Nanshan, the Chaotic Star Sea, and the Western River.

The major Sects, which had originally been entrenched in their own territories and living in peace, finally realized the severity of the situation.

The Sect Masters, leaders, and Clan Chiefs of the four regions immediately linked up to hold a remote discussion across the Void Realm. Inside the discussion hall suspended in the Void Realm, the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive, silent without wind.

"Fellow Daoists, the situation is completely clear, and I don't need to say much. The barriers of heaven and earth are broken, multiple worlds are connected to the ten thousand worlds, spatial rifts have become completely normalized, and a chaotic catastrophe is about to descend!"

"The Eastern Wasteland has completely stabilized its Foundation thanks to Yuan Chen's Boundary-Suppressing Formation. In contrast, our four regions are still stuck in a dead end of passive defense, wasting resources, manpower, and Foundation every day. If this continues, even if we resist the invasion of strong enemies from outside the domain, we will decline and perish on our own!"

The Master of the Chaotic Star Sea spoke in a deep voice, his tone decisive: "Defending to the death has no solution, and avoiding it is useless! Now, in the entire Canglan Domain, only Yuan Chen holds the Supreme ability to rewrite the pattern of the rifts and suppress the chaos of the world. If we want to survive and continue our Sect's Legacy, we must beg him to take action and set up the Formation!"

"But Yuan Chen's status is transcendent and his Heart-Nature is hard to fathom. We have no deep friendship with him. To visit and ask for help rashly would be too abrupt. I'm afraid we won't even have the qualification to meet him, let alone ask him to set up the Formation!"

For a moment, the hall fell into silence. Everyone frowned, at their wits' end.

Just as the stalemate occurred, a Sect Master's eyes suddenly lit up, and he spoke abruptly: "I have a way! An excellent way to break the deadlock! Everyone, don't forget, the wives of His Majesty Yuan Chen all come from our four major forces!"

"We don't need to ask for help directly. We only need to entrust the Elders in our families and the ancestors of our Sects to contact the families of the ladies and use this marriage connection to pass on the message and mediate. It is a hundred times more reliable than us rushing over and asking for help bluntly!"

One word awakened the dreamer! The crowd, who had been at their wits' end, was instantly invigorated, and their worries dissipated.

"Brilliant plan!"

"No time to lose! Immediately send secret orders back to the Sect, use our connections, contact the ladies, and implore them to convey our request!"

Urgent, top-secret messages crossed thousands of mountains and rivers, pierced through the barriers of the Void Realm, and flew rapidly from the four regions toward the harem of the Daming Dynasty.

In just half a day, Bing Ning, Jin Jing, Great Elder Wu Xuan, Chi Yun, Wen Rou, and more than a dozen other women all received requests for help from their own Sects and families.

In the warm pavilion of the Daming Imperial City, the spring light was warm and the breeze was gentle. A group of stunning women gathered together, with different temperaments, gentle and lively. Everyone held a slightly vibrating message jade talisman in their hands. They looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

Bing Ning's brows were cold and clear, and she smiled lightly: "My Sect is quite anxious. Four urgent messages in a row, every sentence earnest, just begging me to plead with my Husband to set up the Boundary-Suppressing Formation."

Jin Jing rubbed the jade talisman with her fingertips and shook her head helplessly: "My Jin Family is the same. The ancestors in the clan took turns sending messages to urge me, repeatedly entrusting me to persuade my Husband not to be biased. The Eastern Wasteland can have the Opportunity, and the Western River wants to strive for it too."

Chi Yun's expression was calm, and her voice was soft: "The major forces of the Chaotic Star Sea sent a joint message, saying that the Void Realm of the Star Sea is becoming increasingly unstable, and the rifts are expanding day by day. If they are not sealed, there will definitely be chaos within the year. They implore me to plead on their behalf."

Great Elder Wu Xuan had a straightforward and cheerful personality, and she laughed directly: "For me, it's the forces I've been on good terms with in the past. They sent messages repeatedly, insisting that I help the Sect ask for a Formation!"

"The Elders in my Family are the same. Hearing about the magnificent scenery of the Eastern Wasteland, they are full of envy and also want to ask my Husband to set up a Formation to stabilize the Sect's Foundation, protect the Disciples under them, and cultivate the new generation of Prodigies."

The other women spoke up one after another. Without exception, they were all families and Sects using connections and pleading for favors, hoping to use their bond with Yuan Chen to seek the protection of the Equalization and Unification Boundary-Suppressing Formation.

Someone laughed softly: "The Sects are quite shrewd, knowing that we are the best people to pass on the message, so they specifically entrusted us to plead for them."

Another nodded gently, gauging the situation appropriately: "It's just that this matter concerns the pattern of the entire world. We can only pass on the message truthfully, and it all depends on my Husband's wishes."

Everyone present was clear-headed and intelligent, with pure and distinct hearts.

Being in Daming Imperial City and by Yuan Chen's side, their hearts were entirely with him. This was merely a favor to help convey requests; they would never interfere with any of Yuan Chen's decisions.

Bing Ning nodded slightly and coordinated, "Since every Family has requests, and the chaos of the world's rifts is real, let us go to Zichen Hall together and relay this to Husband truthfully, leaving it to his judgment."

Everyone agreed in unison, rose together, and walked with light steps through the long palace corridors, heading toward Zichen Hall.

Yuan Chen sat upright on the Supreme jade throne, yawning lazily.

Hearing the soft, light footsteps outside the hall, Yuan Chen raised his eyes and happened to see the group of women entering the hall together, their brows smiling and their demeanor gentle and dignified.

"Husband." The dozen or so people bowed in unison, their voices soft and pleasant, filling the hall with warmth.

Yuan Chen put down the memorial in his hand and gave a wicked smile, "Why is everyone gathered here today? Are you all here for a group sleepover?"

Bing Ning stepped forward half a pace, "Husband, stop messing around!"

"Husband, my Sect has been sending frequent messages recently. The spatial rifts within our territory are increasing and becoming more active, posing deep hidden dangers and causing panic among the people. We wish to implore Husband to take action and go to Southern Mountain to set up the Equalization And Unification Boundary-Suppressing Formation to protect the Sect's Cultivators."

Jin Jing followed closely, truthfully relaying the requests from Western River. Great Elder Wu Xuan, Chi Yun, Wen Rou, and the others stepped forward in turn, clearly conveying the wishes of the Chaotic Star Sea, the Northern Snow Plains, and the major Families and Sects of the Central Plains, remaining objective and neutral throughout, only passing on the messages without applying pressure or showing favoritism.

Yuan Chen listened quietly, a faint smile playing in his eyes, having already understood everything in his heart.

The powers of the four directions could not hold out after all.

After everyone finished speaking, the hall returned to silence. Yuan Chen spoke slowly, his voice gentle and steady, carrying the Supreme Aura of one who could settle matters with a single word, "Very well."

These two simple words instantly made the women's brows relax and warmed their hearts.

Although they said it didn't matter whether he agreed or not, Yuan Chen agreeing gave them some Face, and it would be easier to report back.

The next second, Yuan Chen changed the subject slightly and calmly added, "I can set up the Formation, treating everyone equally without regard to region. But I have conditions."

He swept his gaze over them and gently instructed, "Send a message back to all Sects, Families, and powers in the four directions: if they want me to take action and set up a Boundary-Suppressing Formation, every Sect Master, Headmaster, and Clan Chief must personally come to Daming Imperial City to meet me in person. All rules, costs, responsibilities, and subsequent matters will be discussed and finalized in person."

Immediately after, he calmly reassured them, dispelling all concerns from the various sides, "Tell them not to worry. I have no intention of making things difficult for anyone; I just need their help with some matters. We will discuss things Face-to-Face and make fair decisions."

The women nodded one after another, understanding clearly.

"We will send the message back immediately." Everyone did not stay long; after bowing in salute, they turned and left, immediately conveying Yuan Chen's exact words back to the four territories.

The moment the major powers received the message, instead of being happy, they collectively fell into a long and extreme state of hesitation and dilemma. The assembly halls of the major Sects instantly erupted into chaos and endless arguments.

A white-haired Elder frowned tightly, his tone resolute, "Sect Master, this must not happen! Our mountain has a Legacy that has lasted for eternity. We have always held our own territory and remained independent. Our ancestors never bowed to any Imperial Dynasty Supreme! Now, for you to personally visit and bow to request help is equivalent to submitting and lowering our status! A thousand years of pride and eternal Face would be lost in an instant!"

Another powerful Elder immediately retorted sharply, "Can Face be eaten as food? Can it block extraterrestrial Cultivators? Can it suppress spatial rifts? The situation has changed. Clinging to empty pride will only ruin the Sect's ten-thousand-year Foundation!"

"But visiting in person is actively showing weakness and choosing to submit! From now on, our mountain will likely become completely dependent on the Daming Dynasty, with no independent voice, and we will be controlled by others in everything!"

"Being controlled is better than annihilation! A chaotic world is coming, and our mountain alone has no power to resist the disaster!"

The conservative Elder was worried, "His Majesty Yuan Chen's move is intended to gather the powers of the four directions and unify the Canglan Domain landscape! If I'm not mistaken, it's a Hongmen Banquet!"

The radical high-level official said bluntly and clearly, "Stop saying useless things. No single Sect can resist the cross-Realm disaster! Let's survive first. There are thousands of Sects; Yuan Chen wouldn't dare to make excessive demands!"

All the major powers fell into the same struggle.

The core of their hesitation was nothing more than three shackles: first, their pride was hard to break. Having held territory for eternity and ruled for generations, they were used to being high and mighty. Now, to lower their status, travel thousands of miles to pay homage, and bow to ask for help made them extremely unwilling, and their Face was at stake.

Second, the pros and cons were hard to predict. No one knew what conditions Yuan Chen would set. If the conditions were harsh or involved heavy binding, it would be like inviting disaster and tying their own hands, leaving them controlled by others for generations.

The struggle, hesitation, debate, and weighing of options continued for several days.

In the end, all the powers calmly analyzed the situation, faced the reality of the crisis, and completely understood the key to it.

A certain Sect Master sighed, his gaze distant, having completely seen through the situation, "In today's Canglan Domain, there is no place for separatist princes! Yuan Chen is the only Supreme powerhouse in current Canglan Domain, invincible and unstoppable. Now that multiple Realms are connected, the Wuhen Realm is eyeing us covetously, and extraterrestrial invasion is imminent, no single Sect has the power to resist the chaos of the heavens! If we refuse to visit today because of Face, when the disaster arrives, the rifts explode, and demons invade, we will still have to bow and beg for help when we have nowhere else to turn! Rather than begging pitifully and submitting passively in the future, it is better to visit calmly today, proactively build friendship, and pave the way early!"

"And there is one more fatal point! The disparity is growing, and the gap is lethal! Eastern Wasteland Cultivators are rising rapidly with the help of the Formation, with Prodigies emerging and combat power skyrocketing, accumulating battle experience and battlefield merits every day. We can only defend our lines, waste resources, and stagnate. In a few years, our Disciples' combat power will have a gap, our Foundation will be exhausted, and without the need for foreign enemies to invade, we will be completely crushed and annexed by Eastern Wasteland! This Boundary-Suppressing Formation is not an optional Opportunity; it is a life-saving path that must be guarded! There is no choice; we must beg! We must set it up!"

"The trend cannot be reversed, and the situation cannot be defied! Submitting to the trend is the only way out for us!"

All hesitation dissipated, and all powers reached a consensus, immediately setting about preparing for the visit.

Visiting to ask for help requires the utmost sincerity; one must never come empty-handed or be perfunctory. The major powers immediately mobilized their entire networks and intelligence webs to fully investigate Yuan Chen's preferences, temperament, and taboos, striving for perfect etiquette, catering to his tastes, and maximizing their sincerity.

Countless pieces of intelligence were summarized layer by layer, and a clear conclusion was finally reached.

Yuan Chen is not greedy for worldly treasures, does not like luxury or ostentation, and views ordinary Heaven And Earth Treasure, Spirit Stone, and Immortal gold as trivial. He only has a preference for peerless beauties of the world who are elegant, pure, and have excellent temperament.

The powers of the four directions instantly understood and felt as if they had found a treasure, having completely found the right direction for gift-giving.

Treasures are hard to find, but aren't beautiful women easy to find?

For a time, the powers of the four directions were busy selecting gifts.

Sect Saintesses with skin like ice and bones like jade, who were cold, pure, and filled with Dao charm;

Direct daughters of Families with pure Bloodlines, pure spiritual bodies, who were gentle, dignified, and overflowing with Spiritual Qi;

Tribal Prodigies with Extreme Cold Dao Wombs and stunning beauty.

In addition to this, each Family still brought their best Heaven And Earth Treasures, Origin essences, and ten-thousand-year Dao treasures, preparing both treasures and beauties as gifts, maximizing their sincerity.

Everything was prepared, and the Sect Masters, Headmasters, and Clan Chiefs of the four directions led the teams personally, with Core Disciples and elites accompanying them. Carrying peerless beauties and massive amounts of precious gifts, they set off from the four territories in a grand procession, heading toward the Daming Imperial Dynasty Imperial City.

The journey was long, across thousands of mountains and rivers. Everyone traveled through dust and wind, day and night, for several months.

Several months later, outside the Daming Imperial Dynasty Imperial City, carriages and horses were like dragons, ceremonial guards stood like forests, and the flow of people was like a tide. The major top powers, small and medium Sects, and Family factions from the Northern lands, Southern Mountain, Western River, and Chaotic Star Sea had all arrived outside the Imperial City, lined up neatly with solemn Auras, everyone dressed in formal attire with respectful expressions.

Inside the carriages, treasures were piled up, glowing with colorful light. Countless stunning women stood quietly, gentle, polite, and peerless in their grace, becoming the most eye-catching scenery outside the Imperial City. Ten thousand Sects came to pay homage, gathering at the Imperial Dynasty.

Outside Zichen Hall, the hundred officials stood solemnly, lined up on both sides. Yuan Chen sat on the Supreme jade throne, looking down at the endless stream of precious gifts being sent into the palace. His gaze swept over the rows of carefully selected, quietly standing stunning women, and the expression in his eyes paused slightly.

Mountains of Heaven And Earth Treasure, Origin Immortal gold, and ancient curiosities—he didn't even lift an eyelid, feeling nothing at all. But when he saw the rows of women with city-toppling beauty and varied temperaments, carefully presented as gifts, even Yuan Chen, who was indifferent in his Heart-Nature and had experienced many storms, felt the corner of his mouth twitch slightly, almost failing to maintain his calm and composed expression.

These people are really something; who gives women as gifts!

He rubbed his chin.

However... this is exactly what I want.

The Clan Chief of the Jinxiang Clan was an old acquaintance and took the lead to step forward, "I have long admired the prosperity of the Daming Imperial Dynasty. My presumptuous visit today is not to cause trouble or disturbance, but because of the recent drastic changes in the Canglan Domain world. Spatial rifts are appearing everywhere, multi-Realm passages are connecting the entire territory, and hidden dangers from outside the Realm are lurking in all directions. In our territories, the hearts of the people are restless, and chaos is gradually emerging. We are truly worried and uneasy."

The others nodded in agreement, all with sincere and reverent expressions, completely devoid of the arrogant Aura of the overlords who used to hold territory.

"Your Majesty sits in the Eastern Wasteland. Our Sects in our territories have shallow Foundations and limited means. Facing the drastic changes in the world, we are helpless and had to come here shamelessly to implore Your Majesty to have mercy on the common people and extend a helping hand."

Yuan Chen listened quietly to their greetings and pleas, not interrupting.

He pointed at the beauties, "These are..."

"My daughter admires the Dragon Emperor, so I specifically requested to bring her here, hoping the Dragon Emperor will show favor."

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

Yuan Chen waved his hand, letting Niu Dadu, who was beside him, take the women away to be arranged first.

He was amiable to the various powers, "Tsk tsk, you all came, why bring gifts?"

"Too polite!"