All Sides Offer Congratulations, Yunlan Bows Its Head

Xiao Chen's words, imbued with endless killing intent and the pressure of a Dou Zun, were like ice from the nine heavens, freezing the hundreds of thousands gathered across the entire square into silence so profound that a pin drop could be heard.

Countless gazes converged upon the figure in azure robes, filled with reverence, fear, and an indescribable shock. This was a Dou Zun! With a single word, he could set the rules; with a single thought, he could decide life and death!

After a brief dead silence, all the leaders of the various factions on the Viewing Platform, led by the Old Prince of the Jia Ma Imperial Family, rose almost simultaneously. They bowed deeply toward Xiao Chen beneath the Heaven Worshiping Platform, their voices carrying unprecedented respect and even a hint of trembling:

"Congratulations on the founding of the Xiao Sect!"

"We are willing to maintain eternal friendship with the Xiao Sect and seek mutual development!"

Their voices gathered into a tidal wave that echoed above the square. This was a declaration of allegiance, but also submission. Before absolute power, any so-called dignity or pride was utterly fragile.

Xiao Chen swept his calm gaze across the Viewing Platform. He was neither surprised nor particularly pleased by their declarations. In his eyes, these so-called top factions of the Jia Ma Empire were no different from ants. If not for the sake of providing the Xiao Family with a stable foundation, he would not have bothered with them at all.

He gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.

At that moment, a disturbance arose from the outskirts of the square. The crowd parted once more as a group clad in Misty Cloud Sect robes approached with heavy steps. The man at their head was not Yun Shan, but an elder with graying hair whose aura was only at the Dou Wang level. He held an exquisitely decorated jade box in his hands, his face filled with barely concealed humiliation and panic.

They were the emissaries of the Misty Cloud Sect!

When the people of the Misty Cloud Sect appeared, the gazes of everyone present turned intrigued once more. The feud between the Misty Cloud Sect and the Xiao Sect was already known to all. Now that the Xiao Sect was holding its ceremony to establish its might, why had the Misty Cloud Sect sent people here?

The Misty Cloud Sect elder walked before the Viewing Platform. He did not dare raise his head to look at Xiao Chen, instead bowing deeply to Xiao Zhan. Raising the jade box above his head with both hands, he spoke in a dry, hoarse voice:

"The Misty Cloud Sect... congratulates the Xiao Sect on its founding. By... by order of the Sect Leader, we offer one Seven-Colored Primal Stone, one seventh-grade medicinal pill, the Yin Yang Profound Dragon Pill, and ten Fifth-Order Magical Cores... as a humble token of our sincerity. May the Xiao Sect... prosper for ten thousand generations."

With every item he named, gasps of cold air rose from the square!

The Seven-Colored Primal Stone! It was a legendary top-grade material capable of enhancing the spirituality of weapons and even offering a certain chance of forging a seventh-grade weapon! The Yin Yang Profound Dragon Pill! A seventh-grade medicinal pill said to possess miraculous effects such as reviving the dead and cleansing one's meridians and marrow! Fifth-Order Magical Cores were equivalent to Dou Wang experts, and they had offered ten at once!

This was an extraordinarily lavish gift! It had nearly emptied the last of the Misty Cloud Sect's reserves! How could this be a congratulatory gift? It was clearly an apology, a ransom! The Misty Cloud Sect was lowering its once-proud head before the Xiao Sect, before Xiao Chen!

Everyone understood that the Misty Cloud Sect was afraid! Afraid that Xiao Chen would settle accounts after the fact, afraid that the Xiao Sect's colossal ship would crush them completely! That was why they were willing to offer such treasures, seeking only to survive.

Xiao Zhan looked at the jade box being respectfully presented, then at Xiao Chen's indifferent expression, unsure how to handle the matter for a moment.

Xiao Chen's gaze fell upon the jade box. With an imperceptible sweep of Soul Power, he had already discerned its contents. A faint curve appeared at the corner of his lips, seeming both mocking and understanding.

He did not take the jade box, nor did he even glance at the Misty Cloud Sect elder. He merely nodded slightly at Xiao Zhan.

Understanding his meaning, Xiao Zhan stepped forward, accepted the jade box, and said in a deep voice, "The Xiao Sect has received the Misty Cloud Sect's sincerity. I hope your sect will keep its promise, seal the mountain, cultivate in peace, and refrain from stirring up further trouble."

He did not say "forgive," nor did he say "let bygones be bygones." He merely reminded them to "keep their promise." This meant that the Xiao Sect had accepted the compensation, but nothing more. Should the Misty Cloud Sect make another move in the future, today's events would serve as a warning.

Upon hearing this, the Misty Cloud Sect elder felt as though he had been granted amnesty. He bowed repeatedly. "Yes! Yes! Thank you, Sect Leader Xiao! The Misty Cloud Sect will certainly remember!" Having said that, he did not dare linger for even a moment. Like dogs driven from their home, he hurriedly led his people out of the square, their retreating figures bleak and desolate.

Watching the Misty Cloud Sect emissaries flee in such sorry states, everyone in the square was filled with complex emotions. Once upon a time, the Misty Cloud Sect had been the overlord of the Jia Ma Empire, looking down upon all living beings. Yet now, it had fallen so low that it needed to offer precious treasures and beg for mercy.

All of this was because of the young man named Xiao Chen.

The Xiao Sect had established its might, and Yunlan had bowed its head.

At today's ceremony, the Xiao Sect had already used indisputable strength and authority to declare to the entire Jia Ma Empire who would be the future master of this land!

The following rituals proceeded naturally. Worshiping Heaven, informing the ancestors, announcing the sect rules... every part was carried out amid solemn and grand ceremony. Xiao Chen did not participate much, leaving the stage to his father, Xiao Zhan, and his younger brother, Xiao Yan.

He only needed to stand there to serve as the Xiao Sect's most solid foundation and strongest deterrent.

The ceremony lasted an entire day, finally drawing slowly to a close at sunset amid the attention of the masses and countless complicated gazes.

Yet everyone knew this was not an ending, but a beginning.

From this day onward, the name of the Xiao Sect would resound through every corner of the empire and would eventually spread to the far vaster Central Plains.

As night fell, a grand celebration was held within the Xiao Sect.

Meanwhile, in Xiao Chen's quiet chamber, he was turning over the Yin Yang Profound Dragon Pill presented by the Misty Cloud Sect, his gaze deep.

"A seventh-grade medicinal pill... the Misty Cloud Sect really was willing to part with it," he murmured. "However, the real storm has only just begun. The Soul Hall... will not let this go."

He put away the pill, his gaze seeming to pierce through the roof and reach toward the endless night sky.

"Looks like it's time to head to the Central Plains and meet them head-on."