In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
Behind the East Sea Dragon Palace, near the Dragon Abyss, stood a towering stone platform several feet above the ground and more than a hundred zhang across. Eighty-one Ascending Dragon Pillars stood around it, each carved with a lifelike azure coiling dragon holding a pearl in its mouth and raising its head toward the center of the platform.
At this moment, the area around the platform was already packed with aquatic inhabitants of the Dragon Palace, all wearing solemn expressions as they awaited that glorious and sacred moment.
Shen Luo stood shoulder to shoulder with Qing Chi at the front of the crowd. Sweeping his gaze around, he noticed many aquatic cultivators with formidable auras among them. Some were the blue-skinned mermen he had seen before, while others were deep-sea giants covered in scales whom he had never encountered. Feeling somewhat puzzled, he asked Qing Chi about them.
"These are Dragon Palace soldiers and generals who were originally stationed throughout the East Sea, as well as some independent cultivators from the East Sea. They have all returned to the Dragon Palace one after another. Some came back to defend the Dragon Palace, while others simply wished to witness this historic moment," Qing Chi replied.
"I see," Shen Luo said.
"Bzzzz..."
Just then, eight merman strongmen with bluish-purple skin came before the platform. Each held a white conch as large as a water jar, raised it to his lips, and blew with all his strength.
Layers of peculiar sound waves spread from the conches toward the surrounding seas, passing through the crystal barrier outside the Dragon Palace and traveling tens of thousands of zhang away.
The countless deep-sea creatures roaming the surrounding waters stiffened upon hearing the sound and ceased swimming.