Chapter 580 - 579: Foundation

Chapter 580: Chapter 579: Foundation

Yi Tianyun had originally planned to properly cultivate a few Void Spirit Stage experts. He happened to see the Ren Clan siblings, and their favorability toward him was naturally quite high.

He immediately wanted to bring them into the fold. If they became Honored Guest Elders, it would be functionally the same as joining the Celestial Cloud Mansion. That would be enough to fulfill the requirement. This loophole also applied to other Cultivators; it wouldn’t be a problem to pull in a few more ministers.

The only issue was that the quest was divided into several tedious steps. Fortunately, the experience reward was substantial. Quests like these were always welcome—the more, the better. As long as he took it step by step, he would eventually reap all the rewards, making it a win-win situation.

"Yi, what’s wrong?" Ren Zhirou saw that Yi Tianyun, who had been smiling just a moment ago, was now lost in thought. She had no idea what was on his mind.

’One moment he’s acting all crazy, the next he’s impossibly serious. I can never tell what he’s thinking.’

"It’s nothing, just thinking about a few things. Let’s head inside," Yi Tianyun said, ushering them in. He then went to make his own preparations.

All that was left was to wait for the coronation ceremony. He didn’t need to worry about the arrangements; he just had to wait in the imperial palace.

「A few days later.」

Cultivators from all over the world streamed in, most of them coming to witness this historic moment. The Celestial Cloud Mansion was holding a coronation ceremony for Yi Tianyun and establishing the Celestial Cloud Empire, and countless Cultivators had come to behold the spectacle.

The other Empires also rushed over from their respective lands. Within just a few short days, they had all rapidly converged on the Celestial Cloud Imperial City.

The day before the coronation ceremony, the entire Celestial Cloud Imperial City was extraordinarily lively. It was bustling with a cacophony of voices, marking the most crowded it had been since its construction. The gathering of so many Cultivators naturally created a festive atmosphere, but the main event was the arrival of experts from the various Empires to pay their respects.

On this day, Yi Tianyun sat upon the throne, watching as the experts from other Empires arrived one by one to pay him a visit.

"Liuyun Emperor of the Luoyun Empire has come to pay his respects to the Celestial Cloud Emperor!"

"Profound Cloud Emperor of the Xuan Yun Empire has come to pay his respects to the Celestial Cloud Emperor!"

"..."

One by one, the Great Emperors of the various Empires arrived in person. However, not all of them were at the Spirit King Stage. The Great Emperors of the lower-ranking Empires were not at the Spirit King Stage, but they were at least at the eighth or ninth layer of the Void Spirit Stage.

This was not surprising. It wasn’t a strict rule that one had to be a Spirit King Stage expert to become a Great Emperor. However, their Ancestor Level figures were most likely Spirit King Stage experts. Without a Spirit King, it would be impossible to keep an Imperial Influence in check.

The Great Emperors of the higher-ranking Empires were all at the Spirit King Stage, and each one of them was extremely respectful before Yi Tianyun. He knew their deference was entirely due to him having annihilated the Four Great Empires. Had it been before, they certainly would not have come.

At most, some second or third-grade factions might have come to offer congratulations, but the majority would have simply ignored him. This was the importance of power!

Yi Tianyun greeted them one by one with a smile. He wasn’t one to slight those who came with good intentions, so if they approached him respectfully, he would naturally show them some courtesy.

Most of the Great Emperors had come in person, but the top-ranked ones had not. That is, the first and second-ranked Empires—the World Dragon Empire and the Qianyuan Empire, respectively—were absent. For a thousand years, these two Great Empires had held firmly to their top two positions.

It was rumored that the World Dragon Empire was at the level of "One Nation, Five Kings," while the Qianyuan Empire was "One Nation, Four Kings." This simply referred to the number of Spirit King Stage experts within each Empire.

The World Dragon Empire alone had Five Kings. They had the capital to be arrogant, as did the Qianyuan Empire.

In comparison, the Netherworld Empire had been complete trash. In truth, the Netherworld Empire was not very strong on its own; its greatest strength lay in the Divine Country Power backing it! Otherwise, given their arrogance, they would have been destroyed by the other Empires long ago.

Often, one didn’t need to be powerful themselves. Having a massive backer was enough to suppress everything.

As for the "One Nation, Two Kings" Empires, they had all come to offer their congratulations. The power gap between them and the top two was simply too vast, so they obediently came to pay their respects.

"Great Emperor, aside from the World Dragon Empire and the Qianyuan Empire, all the other Great Emperors have arrived," Ye Qingxuan whispered from the side.

"Understood." Yi Tianyun didn’t mind that they hadn’t come. As long as they didn’t provoke him, he wouldn’t bring the fight to their doorstep.

Just as the other Empires were thinking that those two were being disrespectful, an announcement echoed from outside the palace.

"Emperor Qianyuan has arrived to offer his congratulations!"

The stunning news came from beyond the main gate. A look of awe appeared in the eyes of many Great Emperors as they all turned to look toward the entrance.

A handsome, middle-aged man walked in from outside. With his hands behind his back, he strode forward, his pace neither fast nor slow. Each step seemed to merge with the heavens and the earth.

In that moment, it was as if he were the true protagonist. He captured everyone’s attention, instantly stealing Yi Tianyun’s thunder. It couldn’t be helped; the Qianyuan Empire’s reputation was just too great. Even the third-ranked Empire was a far cry from them.

Everyone had thought they disdained to come, but in the end, Emperor Qianyuan had arrived in person. This shocked many of them. ’Could it be that even he was intimidated by Yi Tianyun’s prestige?’

Emperor Qianyuan: Spirit King Stage 6th Layer, wears High-Grade Sacred Artifact armor, and possesses the domineering Ancient God Bloodline. Martial Arts: Celestial Essence Divine Palm, Bullying Technique, etc. Weakness: None. Comprehensive Combat Power: 600 million (without Ancient God Bloodline activated). Killing him will grant...

’Spirit King Stage 6th Layer, and he even has the Ancient God Bloodline?’

’The Ancient God Bloodline is just as domineering as a Dragon Race Bloodline. In fact, it’s several times more powerful than a common Dragon Race Bloodline. Only the Bloodline of a true Dragon Race Emperor could compare to it.’

’There are many Bloodlines in this world; the Dragon Race Bloodline is just one of them. There are certainly Bloodlines stronger than the Dragon Race’s, and the Ancient God Bloodline is one such example.’

’The Ancient God Bloodline is essentially a type of divine blood. Its recovery and explosive power both surpass those of the Dragon Race. It’s an extremely Rare Bloodline, unique to the Qianyuan Empire!’

"My apologies for being late." Emperor Qianyuan smiled faintly. "I didn’t expect the newly ascended Great Emperor to be so young. This is quite unexpected. Our generation has grown old; we’re having some trouble keeping up."

"Not at all! Emperor Qianyuan is just as young! To have broken through to the Spirit King Stage at a mere forty years of age, you are truly a monstrous genius!"

"That’s right! And Emperor Qianyuan also possesses the Ancient God Bloodline. It would be hard to find your equal..."

The Great Emperors immediately swarmed him, showering him with praise. They normally never had a chance to see him, so now that they did, they rushed over to flatter him. In an instant, it felt as though the protagonist of this coronation ceremony was not Yi Tianyun, but Emperor Qianyuan.

A glint flashed in Yi Tianyun’s eyes. ’So this is a true foundation, the kind that everyone fears! My own is still far too lacking.’