80: Chapter 80 Wan Chao comes to pay homage
The Heavenly Pride Battle had concluded.
Like a violent storm, it swept across the entire Eastern Wasteland overnight.
The news spread at lightning speed.
Deep within the palace of the Yuhua Dynasty.
An old Emperor who had been in secluded cultivation for hundreds of years was attempting to break through to the Great Saint Realm when he was suddenly jolted awake from his enlightenment.
A Soul Lamp before him exploded with a soft 'poof'.
It shattered into fine powder.
“Imperial Grand-Uncle... has fallen?”
Immediately after, an urgent message burning with the essence blood of a Saint tore through the Void Realm and crashed directly into his secret chamber.
His Divine Thought probed inside.
In an instant, the old Emperor was utterly horrified, and more than half of the Dao rhythm he had just condensed dissipated.
“Three years old...”
“One sword...”
“The sky has fallen...”
He muttered several phrases to himself.
Each phrase was enough to strike terror into the heart of a Saint.
At the same time, the Holy Land of Nine Heavens, the Eternal Divine Mountain, and the Dayan Dynasty...
All the top-tier forces in the Eastern Wasteland received blood-colored secret reports sent back by their respective Old Ancestors at the cost of their lives.
The contents were similar.
Every word carried heavy weight.
[Great Xia is invincible!]
[Prince Li Changsheng, three and a half years old, severed a Great Saint Dharma Image with a single sword; his might is staggering!]
[Should a Great Saint descend, even they must bow to the existence behind him and respectfully address him as 'Li Xuan of Great Xia'!]
[Taboo! Great Xia is the number one Forbidden Ground of the Eastern Wasteland! Quickly prepare generous gifts and go to beg for forgiveness! Otherwise, total destruction awaits!]
This news shook the entire Eastern Wasteland!
The Holy Lords and Emperors, who usually stood high above others, reacted with startling consistency after reading the secret reports.
Some were so shocked they couldn't stand steadily, while others accidentally smashed the objects around them.
Still others stood frozen on the spot, only letting out a wail an hour later.
“Thank goodness... thank goodness we only sent people to test the waters back then!”
In one night.
The upper echelons of the entire Eastern Wasteland were turned upside down.
“Forbidden Ground!”
It was unknown which old fossil first shouted this term.
Afterward, this became the sole designation for the Great Xia Divine Dynasty among all top-tier forces.
A newly emerged Divine Dynasty had forced Immortal Dynasties and Supreme Holy Lands to look up to it.
In the millions of years of history in the Eastern Wasteland, this had never happened before.
The council halls of various major forces were brightly lit.
“Who could have thought that Great Xia was such a lurking beast? We were truly blind!”
A Holy Lord was filled with regret.
“It's more than just hidden talents; this is a dragon's nest! A three-and-a-half-year-old Sword God... who would dare believe such words? But with more than a dozen Old Ancestors signing a joint blood letter, we have no choice but to believe!”
“Forget the three-and-a-half-year-old, didn't you notice that sentence? 'Even a Great Saint from the Central Province must respectfully address the existence behind him as Li Xuan of Great Xia'! This 'Li Xuan' is the one whose strength is far beyond imagination!”
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent.
Everyone's expression turned solemn.
Indeed.
What Realm was a person who could make even a Great Saint act respectfully?
That level was already beyond their cognition.
“We can't wait any longer!”
The Emperor of Yuhua slammed his hand onto his dragon desk.
“Our Yuhua Dynasty has had friction with Great Xia. That Princess... thinking back now, it's truly the ancestors' protection that we didn't strike to kill!”
“My Holy Land of Nine Heavens is the same; we even tried to lay hands on their merchant guild...”
The Holy Lord of Nine Heavens couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.
“Prepare the gifts!”
“Immediately!”
“Right now!”
“Bring the most precious 'Nine-Cycle Soul-Returning Grass' from our imperial treasury!”
“And my Sect's 'Stellar Divine Iron', take half of it out!”
“Bring that tattered page of the Emperor's Scripture from our Sect as well!”
All the forces that had friction with Great Xia went mad.
They spared no expense, digging items out of their own treasuries.
Those who had no grievances didn't dare to be negligent either.
What a joke.
In such a Forbidden Ground, if they didn't go to pay their respects, and if one day the other party was in a bad mood, a single sneeze could wipe out their entire legacy.
And so.
A never-before-seen spectacle unfolded in the Eastern Wasteland.
One magnificent tower ship after another, and carriage after carriage pulled by exotic beasts, converged from all directions of the Eastern Wasteland toward the same destination.
The Imperial Capital of Great Xia.
Standing on every flying Magical Artifact was a titan of a region.
The Holy Lord of Nine Heavens, the Master of the Eternal Mountain, the Emperor of Dayan, the Emperor of Yuhua... these people were usually difficult to even catch a glimpse of.
Today, however, as if by appointment, they brought their most precious gifts and personally led their teams, rushing toward Great Xia.
Their expressions were serious, humble, and even somewhat fawning.
This was no longer 'Ten Thousand Nations coming to the Imperial Court'.
This was 'Ten Thousand Dynasties coming to Worship'!
A few days later.
Outside the Imperial Capital of Great Xia.
Streams of light flickered in the sky.
The carriages of Holy Lords and the dragon palanquins of Emperors, which were rarely seen on ordinary days, were now parked densely in the air like common objects.
Not a single flying boat dared to cross an invisible boundary a hundred miles outside the Imperial Capital.
All the Emperors and Holy Lords tacitly stopped their vehicles, restrained their auras, and tidied their clothes.
Then, they walked on foot toward that majestic city.
“Gulp.”
The Emperor of Yuhua walked among the crowd, looking at the giant city ahead where divine light flowed, his expression nervous.
The last time he came, it was nowhere near as shocking as it was today.
The current Imperial Capital had city walls a thousand zhang high, with the luster of divine gold throughout, and countless runes flickering faintly on the walls.
They resonated with the Golden Dragon of National Fortune in the sky, forming a single whole.
Just looking at it produced a pressure that made even these Saint Kings feel awe and respect.
“A Quasi-Emperor Grade Array...”
The Holy Lord of Nine Heavens whispered nearby, his voice trembling.
Everyone around them turned pale with horror.
A Quasi-Emperor Grade Array?
What kind of concept was that?
Even if a Great Saint came and wanted to attack by force, they would have to weigh their own strength carefully!
Their awe of Great Xia deepened further.
The closer they got to the city gate, the more alarming the sights became.
Before the city gate, two rows of Black-Armored Soldiers stood perfectly straight.
Their long halberds glinted with a cold light.
A Holy Lord quietly scanned them with his Divine Thought, and immediately, his heart skipped a beat.
“They are all in the Cave-Heaven Realm! That captain is actually at the Peak of the Array Formation Realm!”
Several Emperors beside him were stunned on the spot upon hearing this.
What a joke!
In their dynasties, a Cave-Heaven Realm expert could be a city lord, and an Array Formation Realm expert could be appointed as a general!
But here, they were just gatekeepers?
These weren't just soldiers; this was an elite army capable of wiping out a top-tier Sect!
While they were in a daze, the city gate opened.
Some commoners from the city walked out, talking and laughing.
When those Holy Lords and Emperors looked, they were stunned once again.
An old man carrying a shoulder pole to sell vegetables walked with light steps, his breathing drawing in Spiritual Qi; he was a Martial Artist at the Late Stage of Body Tempering.
Several seven or eight-year-old children chasing each other all had Spiritual Qi fluctuations on their bodies.
A storyteller at a roadside teahouse could even spit out several strands of Noble Qi when he reached an exciting part of his story!
Universal cultivation!
These words caused a massive shock in the hearts of all the visiting powerhouses, even making them feel a chill.
At this moment, they finally understood why the Old Ancestors used the term 'Forbidden Ground' to describe this place.
This country, from top to bottom, inside and out, exuded an unfathomable foundation.
The Holy Lords and Emperors, who were once high and mighty, all lowered their heads now.
Like schoolboys waiting for a lecture, they gathered obediently outside the city gate, not daring to make a sound.
They didn't even dare to look directly at those soldiers, fearing that a single glance might bring about their own death.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Finally, a middle-aged official wearing a brocade robe with a restrained aura walked out from the city gate.
His gaze swept over the hundreds of Emperors and Holy Lords present, his expression calm.
It was as if he wasn't looking at the top figures of the Eastern Wasteland, but a group of Mortals.
“You have all come from afar; it has been hard on you.”
Though the voice was soft, it clearly reached everyone's ears.
“His Majesty has decreed that you may enter the city in order and proceed to the Honglu Temple to rest. You shall wait until tomorrow's morning court to have an audience.”
His cultivation at the Perfection of the Saint Realm naturally flowed out.
It brought with it a heavy pressure.
Even the official responsible for reception was at the Saint Realm Perfection!
Everyone's hearts sank further.
They looked at that magnificent city.
It felt as if it wasn't an imperial capital.
It was more like a giant beast ready to devour everything at any moment.
The words 'Forbidden Ground' were etched into their memories at this moment.