177: Is this the Manifestation Sect?

"The Emperor ascends the throne!" As the voice rang out, the officials knelt one after another, shouting in unison.

"We, your subjects, pay our respects to Your Majesty and wish you peace!"

Facing this unknown Former Emperor, the voices of the crowd were exceptionally loud and uniform; even Song Yan could not help but feel a twinge of jealousy at this display.

Hmph, they never show such vigor on ordinary days; I will settle this score later.

"I am well, you may all rise."

Once the Inner Palace Bureau finished the announcement, everyone slowly raised their heads to look at the figure on the dragon throne.

The people in the hall had mixed feelings, yet they all couldn't help but tremble involuntarily.

Among them, some had experienced the period when the Regent oversaw the state, and others had served the Former Emperor.

However, the Former Emperor was frail and sickly, lacking imperial dignity, and during the Regent's oversight, he was held back by many, his Aura far inferior to an ordinary person's.

Therefore, almost no one had truly witnessed the might of a Peak emperor, so they could not help but feel nervous at this moment.

And when they truly looked toward the dragon throne, they saw a heart-palpitating sight.

The appearance still vaguely retained the outline of the young emperor, but the Aura and eyes were completely different.

Dominating and awe-inspiring, sharp and exposed, with bright eyes looking down upon the world. Anyone who saw him would inwardly sigh, "The bearing of a Dragon and Phoenix, the appearance of the sun and sky."

Most were so startled that they took one look and quickly lowered their heads.

Only a few people still dared to look directly at the "The Emperor" on the dragon throne.

However, the most shocked of all were Li Wenbo and Song Yan.

How does this look like Xianzong?

Li Wenbo was particularly confused.

He knew that after Zhou Yan's Breakthrough, his temperament had transformed, and he indeed possessed some imperial bearing, but it was only "similar in form."

But at this moment, with Zhou Yan wearing the dragon robes, sitting high on the imperial throne, and his Aura fully unleashed, he suddenly felt that it wasn't that Zhou Yan looked like an emperor, but that an emperor should look exactly like Zhou Yan.

A question simultaneously surfaced in both their minds: Is the person sitting on the throne really Xianzong?

"Your subject, Chen Jingyuan, has a matter to report."

"Proceed."

With just this one word, the pressure penetrated their hearts like a physical force.

Others might not have felt it, but Duke Zhenguo could clearly perceive it.

The "The Emperor" before him was already at the Body Integration Stage, and certainly not an ordinary Body Integration one.

"Your subject dares to ask, which Former Emperor is present?"

What he asked was precisely what the entire court of civil and military officials was wondering.

Zhou Yan's lips curled slightly, revealing a playful smile.

"What do you think?"

"Your subject dares not say."

Hearing that Zhou Yan did not answer directly, Duke Zhenguo quickly bowed to show respect.

"Dares not?"

An even stronger pressure descended with a boom, forcing everyone in the hall to bend and lower their heads; even Chen Jingyuan was no exception.

Refreshing! This was the only thought in Zhou Yan's mind right now.

Who do you think designed these clothes and the dragon throne? It's so comfortable to wear and gives you so much energy when you sit on it.

Especially when thinking about what he was about to say and do, Zhou Yan felt even more refreshed.

He looked at Song Yan and Li Wenbo, who still looked bewildered below the stage, sent a Divine Thought of "don't worry," and then swept his gaze across the officials who were intimidated by his Aura.

He rose from his seat and walked down the jade steps; with every step he took, the pressure increased. Until his entire cultivation base was fully released.

At this moment, not only Chen Jingyuan, but the other Nascent Soul Cultivators also sensed that terrifying Realm. Late Stage Body Integration!

— — This was, of course, fake.

Last night at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Zhou Yan originally intended to borrow Xianzong's power. However, the upgraded God Summoning Art could actually summon more than just Xianzong.

Whether it was because of the skill upgrade or the effect of his own title, the range of emperors he could borrow from had expanded significantly, and the restrictions were greatly reduced.

Now that the selection range had increased, he naturally didn't have to be limited to Xianzong. With more options available, he immediately chose the most dazzling emperor among them, Song Ming.

That Aura soared to the heavens with purple Qi among The Emperors, extremely eye-catching. After selecting it, the power feedback was extremely surging.

However, limited by the young emperor's fate, he could only borrow one strike of that emperor's power, although it was not like Xianzong where he could borrow most of the cultivation base. But this one strike of power could not be underestimated.

Afterward, Zhou Yan read through content related to that emperor and learned of his deeds in joining forces with Qingxu Grotto-Heaven to confront the Yao Race's Sovereign.

Although the Yao Sovereign was dealt with by a Mahayana Heavenly Venerable, he was only responsible for leading the Great Yu army to fight against the Yao followers under its command. But the fact that he could participate in such a battle was enough to show his profound cultivation, and his cultivation was exactly at the Middle Stage Void Refining.

So he simply disguised himself as that emperor, and because it was a long time ago, not many people knew about that emperor.

Now that his title was fully activated and this imperial bearing was revealed, even if he said he wasn't The Emperor, I'm afraid no one would believe him.

The only downside was that this power felt more "detached" than when he first used Dragon Transformation; it felt more like piloting a giant mecha than Dragon Transformation did.

Although this power was strong, it was incompatible with himself. He could clearly perceive that he was controlling that power through a medium, rather than mastering that power himself.

However, this also avoided the backlash from having too much power, like what happened with the Sword Seal.

After obtaining such power, Zhou Yan naturally became overconfident again. He actually wanted to use the Void Refining strike at the beginning of entering the hall to kill the three of Duke Zhenguo in one fell swoop, eliminating future troubles forever.

However, reality left him helpless. [Chen Jingyuan (Soldier Soul)] [Realm: Late Stage Soul Transformation] [Song Jie (Primordial Spirit)] [Realm: Early Stage Soul Transformation] [Zhang Feng] [Realm: Early Stage Soul Transformation]

After walking in from the side hall, their panels refreshed, and seeing these panels, Zhou Yan couldn't help but laugh and cry.

Among the three, only Zhang Feng was present in person; Prince Kang and Duke Zhenguo had not appeared in their true bodies.

If he used the Void Refining strike now and only killed Zhang Feng, that would be too funny; the Joyous Union Sect would probably send him an invitation to be their Saint.

So he settled for the next best thing, breaking that strike down into smaller portions and disguising it as Body Integration cultivation.

This inspiration came from the humanoid Lightning Tribulation; although this technique might not necessarily be useful after understanding it, it was just right for dealing with the current situation.

However, to avoid being seen through, Zhou Yan decided to pressure them first, which led to the scene just now.

And at this moment, Zhou Yan pressed on step by step, until he was in front of Duke Zhenguo.

"No one uses their trump card without reason."

"My Song family descendant asked me to appear today, naturally because he felt threatened."

"I don't understand, how can foreign scum take root in my Great Yu?"

"Although I do not refuse friendly Demon Sects or peaceful Yao Race members to come to my Great Yu as guests,"

"But when did I ever say—that half-breeds could also become officials in the court?"

"Ah!!!" "Your Majesty, spare my life, Your Majesty, spare my life!" "My face! My face!"

Several officials screamed in agony, their bodies suddenly mutating; some turned into reptiles, some into fish shapes, and others into mountain birds or beasts.

The officials around them were so scared that their faces turned pale, and they all retreated.

And those who mutated twisted and struggled on the spot, eventually exploding and dying one after another, blood splashing everywhere, causing everyone to flee in panic.

The most shocking thing was that the high official in purple robes, the Minister of Revenue, also turned into a strange beast, clutching his head and wailing, eventually exploding into a pool of blood.

Zhou Yan didn't even look at the bloodstains splashed to his feet, just coldly said to everyone.

"The Truth Cult, truly has eyes and hands that reach the heavens!"

"These Half-Demon bodies have committed such sins, their Aura is extremely filthy, do they deserve to stand in the imperial court?"

He looked around, seeing that the three, including Duke Zhenguo, all had unchanged expressions, watching coldly from the sidelines.

Since the deterrence had been achieved, the death of one Nascent Soul Cultivator was enough to make them feel wary.

Zhou Yan waved his sleeves, turned around, and walked back to the dragon throne, looking down from above, his voice ringing out like metal and jade.

"Aren't you curious about who I am?"

"Then I will tell you—in your words, I am the eldest son of the Great Yu's Grand Ancestor, Emperor Taizong Wen of Great Yu."

"Now, do you recognize me?"