275: Chapter 275 The Common Ruler of Cangwu

The floating circular platform.

Ling Hao sat peacefully upon the throne carved from the star-moon Divine Tree, his profound black robes spreading out, calm as an abyss.

Su Fengyi stood before the Dingding Platform, her vermilion phoenix robes overflowing with majestic splendor.

"With the Dingding Ceremony, we take an oath as proof. I ask all parties to bear witness: honor the Cangwu Co-Lord and stabilize the heaven and earth of this entire region!"

This was the first goal Ling Hao had set for holding the Dingding Ceremony!

Yu Lingshuang stepped forward first.

"The Moonshadow Sect honors Sect Master Ling Hao as the Cangwu Co-Lord! Wherever the Sect Master's sword points, that is where our sect's heart lies! We swear to advance and retreat with the Sect Master, to protect Cangwu, and we shall not refuse even if it means death!"

Ye Xinglan, the Imperial Preceptor of the Wutong Divine Dynasty, had her silver hair slightly lifted, and her deep purple star-patterned Daoist robe fluttered without wind. Though her figure was petite and cute, few could compare to the Aura she exuded. She exchanged a glance with Su Fengyi for a moment, then looked toward Ling Hao, her voice ethereal and distant.

"Ye Xinglan, Imperial Preceptor of the Wutong Divine Dynasty, on behalf of our Empress, Her Majesty Su Fengyi, honors Supreme Moonshadow Ling Hao as the Cangwu Co-Lord! The Wutong Divine Dynasty is willing to pour out the nation's strength to assist the Co-Lord in gathering Luck, stabilizing the wu tripod, and securing the Foundation and borders. May heaven and earth bear witness to this oath, with the star trails as proof."

Zheng Nanxun, Master of Wan Shou Mountain, stepped forward and said loudly:

"Zheng Nanxun of Wan Shou Mountain, leading all of Wan Shou Mountain and its subordinate sects and islands, honors Supreme Moonshadow as the Cangwu Co-Lord! From this day forth, the million warriors of Wan Shou Mountain shall be the spear in the Co-Lord's hand and the shield protecting the region! The Co-Lord's command is the horn for us to engage in bloody battle! The Co-Lord's enemy is the foe we must slay!"

Representatives from the other major forces and Families also stepped forward one after another, their voices loud or solemn, reciting oaths of allegiance and support.

Although the oaths had different focuses, the core of all of them was to honor Ling Hao and serve Cangwu. The waves of sound from the gathered oaths echoed over the Yuji Platform, coalescing into an invisible Aura.

After the oaths were finished, Su Fengyi turned toward the throne in the center of the Dingding Platform, her expression extremely solemn.

"I invite the Co-Lord to—draw upon the Cangwu Luck!"

At this moment, one could hear a pin drop in the entire venue.

All eyes were focused on Ling Hao. This was the most critical step of the Dingding Ceremony: to draw the Luck of the entire region to converge upon the phantom of the wu tripod, turning the virtual into reality, repairing the tripod's body, and re-establishing the region's destiny.

If successful, the Foundation of Cangwu would be solidified, and the position of Co-Lord would be well-deserved; if it failed... failure was not an option!

However, Su Fengyi and Zheng Nanxun, not far away, exchanged a brief glance, both harboring a trace of worry deep in their eyes.

Ling Hao rose from the throne, his black robes fluttering. His expression was calm, and with a wave of his hand, eight ancient bronze mini-tripods (auxiliary tripods) flew from his sleeves, landing precisely on the eight Formation eyes of the Dingding Platform.

Immediately after, a massive, heaven-toppling Mahayana Stage Aura was released!

He looked up, his gaze piercing the firmament, and said in a grand and majestic voice:

"I am Ling Hao, the Cangwu Co-Lord!"

"With these mountains and rivers as the base, and the living beings of this region as the thought!"

"I swear here: to protect Cangwu, to cleanse away evil, and to open up eternal peace!"

"All forces, offer your loyalty! All people, offer your faith!"

"Today, I invite the Cangwu Luck—"

"Appear!"

The final word "Appear" sounded like a thunderclap, containing the supreme will to trigger the Laws of heaven and earth.

However...

Silence.

The spectacular scene of changing winds and clouds, with a river of Luck surging and converging as expected, did not appear. Above the Dingding Platform, the azure sky remained the same, and the cracks on the phantom of the wu tripod remained hideous and glaring, with no signs of repair.

Time seemed to freeze for an instant.

Immediately after, murmurs spread through Cangwu City like ripples in water.

"Why... is there no movement?"

"Could it be... that it failed?"

"Shh! Watch your words! The Co-Lord is still..."

"Maybe it needs some time?"

Feelings of doubt, disappointment, and unease were spreading.

Lie Shan, a Disciple of the Golden Crow Holy Land, could not help but whisper:

"Elder, this..."

A trace of an 'as expected' arc curled at the corners of Zhu Rongyang's mouth.

"Do you see? I said it before, is the Luck of a region so easy to mobilize? Even with Mahayana cultivation, one is not omnipotent."

Ling Hao stood on the high platform, his brows furrowed, and his heart sank.

As expected... it still wouldn't work. After deciding to hold the Dingding Ceremony, Su Fengyi and Zheng Nanxun had informed him that the probability of the Dingding Ceremony failing was very high. This was recorded in ancient texts; there was a precedent for success, but only one—Cangwu Supreme.

This was also the reason he, Su Fengyi, and Zheng Nanxun had prepared a backup plan in advance.

Sighing silently in his heart, Ling Hao's gaze hardened. Since it wouldn't work, he could only use that backup plan.

He would let his own Moonshadow Sect's "Luck Golden Dragon" temporarily stand in for the Luck of this Cangwu region.

As for the true repair of the wu tripod... he could only look for other methods in the future.

A Jade Slip flowing with profound Talisman runes appeared quietly in his hand, and Ling Hao's five fingers suddenly exerted force—crack!

The Jade Slip shattered in response!

It was as if a giant stone had been thrown into a lake between heaven and earth!

A wild wind rose from the flat ground, rolling the clouds! The ground trembled slightly, like the low roar of a giant beast. Auspicious clouds from all directions surged and gathered, with ten thousand zhang of golden radiance and a thousand strands of auspicious colors. Faintly, the sounds of Dragon roars and Phoenix cries came from above the Nine Heavens!

"It's done! The Luck has descended!"

"Heaven blesses Cangwu! Long live the Co-Lord!"

After a brief silence, deafening cheers swept through the entire venue like a tsunami! The wild joy of surviving a disaster dispelled all doubts, and countless Cultivators were moved to tears, kowtowing in the direction of the Dingding Platform.

However, this seemingly magnificent and grand scene of "Luck descending" was, in essence, the result of the joint evolution of Talismans and Formations that Ling Hao had carefully arranged beforehand.

Its core principle was the combination of Talismans and Formations, using the world-suppressing monuments and resonance dao towers spread throughout Cangwu City as energy nodes and amplifiers, combined with the guidance Dao patterns pre-carved on the floating circular platform to simulate the magnificent phenomenon of Luck converging.

At the same time as the "phenomenon" erupted, the surfaces of the world-suppressing monuments and dao towers in the city quietly lit up with a faint glow. On the ground of the floating circular platform, hidden Formation patterns also lit up one by one, and invisible ripples spread, covering the entire city, cleverly isolating the outside world from perceiving the true nature of the "Luck."

Except for Cultivators above the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, basically no one could detect that this phenomenon was actually fake!

Yu Lingshuang and Yu Linglong stood at the front of the Moonshadow Sect's ranks, looking at the brilliant "Luck radiance," their delicate brows slightly furrowed. They naturally knew the truth, and could only sigh in their hearts; in the end, they still hadn't truly been able to trigger the Cangwu regional Luck...

At the edge of Cangwu City, Zhu Rongyang looked at the colorful sky and let out a low laugh.

Lie Shan was stunned: "Elder, this Supreme Moonshadow has triggered the 'Luck of a region,' why are you laughing? Could it be that you are still brooding over the arrangements in the hall earlier?"

Zhu Rongyang's laughter paused slightly, and he pointed to the sky and said.

"Fool, look carefully at this 'Luck,' isn't it..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Rongyang's body suddenly stiffened, and the smile on his face froze.

Yan Xi, who was beside him, noticed the Elder's abnormality and asked suspiciously: "Elder Zhu? This phenomenon... is there a problem with it?"

Zhu Rongyang took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the trepidation in his heart, squeezed a smile onto his face, and said dryly:

"...Isn't it... very beautiful? This scene is truly... dazzling and magnificent!"

Xu Xiao, Yan Xi, and Lie Shan were even more confused upon hearing this, but they still looked up again as told. Lie Shan scratched his head:

"Uh... Elder, now that you mention it, with all this golden light and drifting clouds, it really is... quite beautiful."

Lie Shan asked puzzledly: "So, Elder, you were happy just now because you thought it was beautiful?"

"Naturally!"

Zhu Rongyang spoke extremely quickly, almost rushing to answer, while simultaneously slapping Lie Shan hard on the back of the head, making a crisp "pop" sound. The force was so great that Lie Shan staggered.

"I am happy for the millions of living beings in this Cangwu region! Finally, 'Luck' has descended! Alright, say no more, watch the ceremony quietly!"

He withdrew his hand, his clothes on his back already soaked with cold sweat in an instant.

Just a moment ago, an icy Divine Thought had pierced into his Sea of Consciousness. Its power was so strong that it could have destroyed his Divine Soul with a single thought!

Zhu Rongyang couldn't help but curse inwardly.

Damn it! A dignified Mahayana Supreme, actually acting so dishonorably! And talking about inviting me to tour Cangwu City after the ceremony as a token of gratitude... I'm afraid he wants to invite me to tour the road to the Yellow Springs, right?!

Ling Hao was just about to call his own Luck Golden Dragon over.

A mocking voice suddenly came from above the Nine Heavens, drowning out the clamor of the entire venue.

"Heh, good methods! Truly good methods!"

Accompanied by the clear sound of "clap, clap, clap," the voice continued.

"Is this the so-called Dingding Ceremony? The so-called triggering of Cangwu Luck? Tsk, tsk, tsk... it's nothing but a grand performance... to fool the common people!"