The Endless Sea, Nine-Dragon Island.
In the vast square at the center of the Sky-Supporting Tribe's grounds sat an enormous Purple Treasure Lotus, spanning hundreds of li and rising roughly a thousand zhang high, wreathed in lightning. Sacred and majestic, it was the rarely seen Twelfth-Rank Thunder Tribulation Purple Lotus.
Atop the Tribulation Purple Lotus stood a colossal tower nearly four thousand zhang tall, thrusting into the clouds. It was the Sky-Supporting Tribe's Totem Tower, adding grandeur and mystery to the sacred majesty.
An immense Golden Sea Dragon coiled around the towering structure, like a giant dragon embracing a tower. On each of the nine surrounding petals of the Tribulation Purple Lotus crouched a colossal beast, its aura vast and its presence as imposing as the heavens. These were the nine Demon Emperors who had already revealed themselves on Nine-Dragon Island.
After the battle of Netherblood Island, nearly five hundred thousand cultivators had left Nine-Dragon Island by teleportation within half a day, amid widespread panic and a rush to flee. Yet over the following days, more than a million cultivators arrived in succession. Rather than falling, the population grew, while the atmosphere became more harmonious and peaceful, and trade flourished. At Nine-Dragon Island's harbor in particular, countless immortal ships and flying vessels came and went every day, and expeditions to explore and hunt for treasures beyond Nine-Dragon Island suddenly became all the rage.
As for Nine-Dragon Island itself, few cultivators still dared to explore and seek treasures recklessly. Apart from the revelations about the Sky-Supporting High Priest's relationship with the island's demonic beasts and the beasts' strength, the nine Demon Emperors remained stationed at the center of the tribal grounds. Their imposing presence was like nine pairs of "Eyes of Heaven" watching the entire island at all times. Naturally, few