Atop Star-Magnetic Peak, ten thousand rays of rosy light shone amid a thousand streams of auspicious radiance.
Today marked the founding ceremony at which the Star Palace would formally proclaim its dominion over Heavenly South. Star-Magnetic Peak, once its Headquarters Altar, had been utterly transformed. Layer upon layer of enormous formations enveloped the entire mountain in flowing, iridescent light. From afar, it resembled a towering citadel of stars spanning heaven and earth. At its foot, the former plain had been expanded into an immense square capable of holding a million people. Already, a sea of people filled it, their banners blotting out the sun.
Cultivators from every sect in Heavenly South, envoys from mortal dynasties, and countless unaffiliated cultivators drawn by its fame packed the square so tightly that not even water could pass through. Every gaze converged on the Star Altar at its center, towering into the clouds.
Atop the Star Altar, Han Li wore the Palace Master's ritual robes, patterned with stars against a black background. His bearing was as deep as a still pool and as imposing as a mountain. Behind him, Nangong Wan, Lu Yun, Zhou Tong, and the other core Nascent Soul cultivators stood in a line, their auras pure and concentrated, their spirits radiant. Yet the most eye-catching figure was the young man beside Han Li, dressed in fitted gold-and-black attire-Mo Ling.
He stood tall and straight, his short black-and-gold hair stirring in the wind. A dark-gold divine marking flickered on his forehead. His eyes occasionally flashed with golden light, casually revealing a terrifying pressure far beyond the Nascent Soul late stage that sent tremors through the hearts of many early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators present.
**"We welcome the Palace Master of the Star Palace! Congratulations on the unification of Heavenly South-may peace endure for