274: Chapter 274 The Ceremony of Establishing the Dynasty Begins!

Cangwu City · The Hour of the Dragon

Seventy-two deep and resounding bell tolls rippled out from the Cangwu Yuji Platform, echoing throughout the entire city.

The bell tolls swept away the morning mist, announcing the commencement of the Dingding Ceremony.

In the center of the Cangwu Yuji Platform, a massive circular platform slowly rose amidst a low, rumbling sound.

The platform was laid out in a three-layered concentric circle structure, presenting a magnificent spectacle. At its core stood a nine-zhang-tall white jade Dingding Platform, constructed from an interlacing of starlight-imbued star stones and gentle, cold ten-thousand-year cold jade. Its surface was engraved with the trajectories of the sun, moon, and stars, as well as the veins of the Cangwu mountains and rivers.

At this moment, at the center of the array eye of the Dingding Platform, a massive illusory phantom of a bronze tripod, covered in spiderweb-like cracks, was suspended. It was the projection of the Origin of the wu tripod, the Foundation of Luck for Cangwu Continent.

In front of the tripod, a wide dharma throne, carved entirely from star-moon Divine Tree wood, stood quietly, exuding an ancient and majestic aura of life.

In the inner ring viewing area, seats had been set up on the high platforms on both the east and west sides, quietly awaiting the arrival of the core members of the Moonshadow Sect. The area in front was reserved for Wan Shou Mountain and the Wutong Divine Dynasty.

The outermost perimeter was reserved for seventh-rank factions and numerous sixth and fifth-rank factions.

In Cangwu City, there were high platforms in the southeast, west, and north, where factions below the fifth rank were arranged.

On a high mountain outside Cangwu City, Zhu Rongyang stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze spanning the distance, locked firmly onto the cracked phantom of the wu tripod.

The burly Disciple Lie Shan could not help but sneer in a low voice, "It's cracked into such a ghostly state, and that Supreme Moonshadow still says it's nothing serious? It's truly..."

"Shut up!" Before he could finish, he was coldly interrupted by Zhu Rongyang.

Lie Shan immediately fell silent, though his face still bore resentment. Zhu Rongyang's eyes were solemn as he pondered inwardly.

The Holy Master had indeed predicted correctly; the wu tripod had indeed developed problems. The Moonshadow Sect was holding the ceremony in such a rush, likely wanting to gather the Luck of the entire continent to forcibly repair it.

However... the Luck of an entire continent is so vast and majestic, how could it be easily gathered and manipulated? Ancient texts record that the Mahayana Stage cultivation is merely a threshold, and the success rate is extremely slim.

Since records began, only the nine Supremes of the ancient era had successfully gathered the Luck of a continent, coordinating with the Origin of the Shi Continent, and using the main tripod to join forces to resist the Immortals and Seal the passage between the two worlds.

This Ling Hao... will likely end up with nothing in the end. Nothing to worry about! Nothing to worry about! Nothing to worry about!

The lingering echoes of the bell had not yet dissipated, and the various factions entered in sequence.

The first to step into the inner ring viewing area was the group from the Moonshadow Sect.

Yu Lingshuang and Yu Linglong walked side by side. Yu Lingshuang wore an ice-blue thin gauze dress, with a vermilion tear mole at the corner of her left eye, like a red plum blossom blooming alone in the frost and snow.

Yu Linglong was barefoot with golden bells, and a similar vermilion mole adorned the corner of her right eye, yet it looked like burning peach blossoms falling upon a jade face. This pair of Senior Sisters echoed each other from left and right.

Chi Shuying wore a pink-hued flowing cloud dress, her hair swept up in a high bun, looking plump and maturely charming; beside her, Chi Wanhe, though also in a pink dress, had her silk robes fluttering, looking delicate and bright.

This pair of grandmother and granddaughter, one graceful and one vibrant, were like a blooming peony and a newly opened lotus reflecting each other's radiance.

Qin Zhaoxue's misty green silk dress wrapped around her slender and elegant figure, Du Yuqing was solemn in black, Lin Xiwei wore a moon-white merfolk silk dress, and Lu Changning and Xia Yingying... Hua Youyou... Huang Yutong...

The women were either as cold as frost, as charming as rosy clouds, or as lively as water, just like Fairies from the Moon Palace descending to the mortal world.

This scene drew low sighs from the watching Cultivators.

"With such grace, truly, even the Nine Heavens Mystic Fairy would be no more than this!"

Immediately following was the Wan Shou Mountain Sect Master, the Burning Fierce True Emperor Li Huangtian, who brought several Elders with powerful auras into the front viewing area; Elder Fu Tai was also among them. As soon as they sat down, the gaze of the entire worship area was drawn to another group.

The representatives of the Wutong Divine Dynasty had arrived. The leader was a cute little girl with silvery-white hair in double buns and a face as delicate as a porcelain doll. Her deep purple star-patterned Daoist robe made her look mysterious and transcendent, and her deep purple eyes seemed to contain an endless sea of stars.

Beside her was a woman dressed in light cyan feather robes; her temperament was gentle and calm, and her demeanor displayed steadiness and reliability. There was also a lively woman in goose-yellow feather robes, who stood out noticeably amidst the solemnity.

"Look quickly! It's the State Preceptor and the female officials of the Wutong Divine Dynasty!"

"Is that Lord Ye Xinglan, the State Preceptor of the Wutong Divine Dynasty? Just as the rumors said... how cute~"

"Cute? I heard she is a Void Tempering Great Perfection Cultivator, just one step away from breaking through to the Tribulation Transcendence Stage; if she glares at you, you'll die!"

"Yeah, cute to death!"

"..."

"Female Official Gu is truly gentle and dignified..."

"Fairy Yue is still as lively as ever!"

The whispers in the crowd carried awe and curiosity, and their gazes lingered on the three of them.

Compared to that group of muscle-heads from Wan Shou Mountain, the crowd clearly felt that the three women from the Wutong Divine Dynasty were more pleasing to the eye.

After Wan Shou Mountain and the Wutong Divine Dynasty, the seventh-rank factions entered.

The leaders of the three major affiliated factions under Wan Shou Mountain: Sect Master Xiao Chiyan of the Chixiao Sect, Island Master Guihai Cang of Xuangui Island, and Valley Master Yun Yi of Qinglan Valley, entered!

The Four Great Families of the Wutong Divine Dynasty: Patriarch Dongfang Qing of the Dongfang Family, Patriarch Ximen Che of the Ximen Family, Patriarch Beitang Hao of the Beitang Family, and Patriarch Ouyang Juechen of the Ouyang Family, entered!

The simultaneous appearance of these power-holders from the seventh-rank factions also drew waves of suppressed exclamations from the crowd.

The masters of the remaining sixth and fifth-rank factions entered one after another.

The figures of Zheng Nanxun and Su Fengyi appeared on both sides of the high platform almost simultaneously. Zheng Nanxun landed in front of the Wan Shou Mountain Sect Master, Li Huangtian. And Su Fengyi, the Empress of the Wutong Divine Dynasty, landed directly in front of the dharma throne on the Dingding Platform.

Today, she did not wear her iconic red-gold Phoenix palace attire, but had changed into a more solemn and luxurious cinnabar-red Phoenix-tail robe that trailed on the ground.

The robe was embroidered with golden thread, featuring a totem of a Phoenix about to spread its wings and fly, with flowing cloud patterns embellishing it, outlining her tall and graceful figure to perfection.

Wearing a red-gold Phoenix crown with tassels hanging down, it set off her face to be even more stunningly beautiful, revealing an air of graceful dignity amidst her sacred majesty that made one dare not look directly at her.

She—was the host of today's ceremony.

A dark figure stepped through the air and landed in the center of the Dingding Platform, standing side by side with Su Fengyi.

Ling Hao wore the Profound Dome Eternal Night Robe, with a black satin base, precisely embroidered with secret silver thread depicting the star map of the heavens. When the hem of his robe moved without wind, star tracks flowed, faintly revealing the Laws of Heaven and Earth.

Yue Qianqian looked around curiously, leaned close to Gu Qingyao's ear, and with her big eyes glancing towards the Dingding Platform, whispered: "Second Senior Sister, look, the Sect Master of Moon Shadow Sect and Your Majesty standing together, they are quite a matching pair, aren't they?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingyao helplessly rolled her eyes slightly. She still had fresh memories of being reprimanded by Your Majesty at Fengqi Palace last time, and at this moment, she made up her mind never to get involved in anything between Your Majesty and that Sect Master again.

Su Fengyi turned her head, her gaze meeting Ling Hao's briefly, and he nodded slightly. She took a deep breath, faced the entire venue, and her clear, Phoenix-cry-like voice resounded through the clouds.

"The auspicious hour has arrived—"

"The Dingding Ceremony, begin!"