A Barefaced Display of Power!

This was the first time since the Investiture of the gods that all factions had stood so completely assembled within this golden hall.

Whether they sincerely submitted to Haotian or not, he was, after all, the rightful Heavenly Emperor of the Three Realms, invested with the Mandate of Heaven.

In name, he remained the supreme Ruler who governed the Three Realms.

Those Immortal Gods who upheld the order of Heaven and Earth and patrolled the cosmos were born subject to the Heavenly Emperor's command, and had to bow their heads and obey.

Thus—

once the imperial decree was issued, none dared be negligent.

Whoever failed to appear at the Hall of Supreme Harmony was openly defying the Mandate of Heaven. Judged by the heavenly laws, the lightest punishment was removal from the registers and banishment; the heaviest was the dispersal of soul and annihilation of form!

"My dear ministers, I have summoned you all to Lingxiao today—"

Haotian, seated high above at the dragon desk, spoke with the ring of metal and stone. His gaze slowly swept over the gathered immortals below the steps, his brow calm, yet concealing an edge.

As he watched the immortal worthies throughout the hall stand solemnly with bowed heads, sleeves hanging low and footsteps silent, a burning sense of control quietly rose within his chest—

this was what it meant to truly hold power in one's grasp!

Awake, he commanded Heaven and Earth; drunk, he held the stars. How could the sheer exhilaration of it be put into words?

"Your Majesty, this minister has a memorial!"

Before his words had even faded, an immortal official stepped forth from the crowd. With a flick of his sleeve, he spoke in a clear voice that brooked no doubt, forcibly cutting off Haotian's not-yet-begun address.

"Speak."

A