The officials' assembly hall in the imperial palace was loosely occupied. The great powers, rarely seen by the world, were not much different from ordinary people—in fact, they were even more free-spirited. Some sat idly atop the beams and walls of the magnificent mortal palace, some lay on the ground dozing, and some even fought crickets as if no one else were there.
They had come from all corners of the world. One-Word Immortal Master, whom Li Xinnian had failed to meet in Hundred Refinements City years ago, was among them. Some wore the armor of Northern Border generals, imposing and majestic. At the entrance even stood a Celestial Immortal with a blue face, fangs, and a pair of wings, carrying at his waist a token imbued with the Emperor Yu's aura. It was truly a mixed bag of fish and dragons.
There was little interaction among the great powers. Even in times of peace, they guarded against one another, much less now.
This only made the court hall seem increasingly silent.
Mountain, who had summoned the great powers, was ascending the jade steps. With his back to the crowd, he stared at the golden dragon throne, now dusted with a thin layer of gray, and for a moment lost himself in thought. Even when Central Peak Fairy called to him several times, he did not come back to his senses. His eyes held only the golden sheen cast from the throne by the light outside.
He had once scoffed at the affairs of mortal emperors. But when he truly stood before the dragon throne, he understood why people coveted this ordinary object, devoid of even a trace of spiritual energy. He turned and looked upon the more than twenty great powers filling the court. So long as he was