After the experts of the Firmament Hall had assembled, Ao Zhantian then opened up a space.
As the portal appeared, the group stepped inside.
It only took a few breaths.
When Lin Heng saw light again from the darkness, he found himself on a patch of lava.
At this moment, on this vast expanse of magma, the Thirteen Factions in the Nine Heavens, starting with the last to appear from the Firmament Hall, have all arrived.
The Ascenders and the Eight Great Imperial Clans tacitly split into two camps.
On the side of the Eight Great Imperial Clans, Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor was still at the head, with the other seven powerful figures standing behind him.
On the Ascenders side, after Ao Zhantian appeared, Qin Hongmian, who was not present, all came to his side.
"The ancient ruins are located less than ten thousand miles ahead, beneath a patch of lava."
" The Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor just made a proposal: once you arrive, each side should send sixteen people to enter together."
Ancestral Dragon Ao Xu spoke softly behind Ao Zhantian.
"Ha! They certainly know how to scheme."
Ao Zhantian glanced at Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor and the others with a mocking look.
Sixteen people entered?
Each of the Eight Great Imperial Clans sent two people.
How is the ability to Ascenders to immortality determined?
Of the five Ascenders, each family sent three, leaving one slot unused.
You see, when venturing into such a dangerous place to search for treasure, having another person on your side significantly increases both safety and the chances of finding the treasure.
If the quotas given by the Eight Great Imperial Clans were to be followed, wouldn't the Ascenders amongst themselves over the extra spot?
Of course, negotiations aren't about simply agreeing to whatever the other party says. How can a decision be made without discussion?
" Ao Zhantian, in my opinion, we should each send sixteen people and then immediately enter the ancient ruins. What do you think?"
The Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor spoke first on the other side.
"We should certainly go into the ancient ruins, but if we go in ourselves, it might cause some friction. In my opinion, it would be better to let the people below go in and explore, giving them a chance to learn and grow."
Ao Zhantian shared his thoughts.
The Eight Great Imperial Clans would never agree to such a proposal.
"The aura emanating from these ancient ruins is so strong that even we, thousands of miles away, sensed a hint of danger."
"Sending our men in would be a death sentence; our Eight Great Imperial Clans would not risk the lives of our juniors."
The Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor's reasoning was quite good, and it was also a veiled criticism of Ao Zhantian for not valuing the lives of his subordinates.
Originally, he wanted to save face for them, but upon hearing this, Ao Zhantian sneered on the spot, "Are you afraid that the younger generation of your Eight Great Imperial Clans will be in danger entering the ancient ruins, or are you afraid that they are no match for my Ascenders?"
Ao Zhantian's words immediately boosted the morale of the Ascenders, who all looked at the members of the Eight Great Imperial Clans with a defiant gaze.
The Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor, naturally unwilling to be led by the nose, took the initiative to concede. "How about this, our Eight Great Imperial Clans can allow you to have one more Ascenders spot, how about it?"
This concession is considerable, but it still cannot solve the fundamental problem.
Ao Zhantian seemed unwilling to waste any more words and directly stated his proposal. " Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor, in order to deal with the crisis of the Hunt Clan's potential invasion of my Nine Heavens at any time, I still suggest that our people enter the ancient ruins. In this regard, we Ascenders can also make concessions. Sixteen people from your Eight Great Imperial Clans will enter, but we will only send fifteen. What do you say?"
Ao Zhantian's move may seem like a concession, but even if the Eight Great Imperial Clans agree, the Ascenders wouldn't actually suffer a loss.
Firstly, there are only five factions that Ascenders immortality, and in order to avoid internal strife, each faction can only send three people, which is exactly fifteen slots.
Secondly, Ao Zhantian was confident that, in terms of lower-level strength, even among the second-generation bloodlines of the Eight Great Imperial Clans, the Ascenders held a slight advantage.
Fifteen to sixteen, everyone can put up a fight.
"No! We won't agree."
But the Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor refused without even considering it.
With the Saint Emperor taking action, it's naturally much safer.
This angered Ao Zhantian, who lifted his left foot and took a step forward.
"If the Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor truly insists on going his own way, then we have no choice but to decide this matter by force."
As Ao Zhantian finished speaking, a terrifying pressure erupted from his body.
The aura of a peak expert from the Nine Heavens made the Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor frown.
The Ao Zhantian surprised the Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor.
After the Ao Zhantian, the Ascenders immediately went into battle preparation mode.
Clearly, if the Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor were to utter a single word of dissent, the Ascenders would immediately launch into war.
" The Ascenders have mobilized nearly 70% of their strongest members; it seems they had already planned this in advance."
Saint Emperor Shuiyu gave Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor a soft reminder.
While seemingly discussing the Ascenders' determination in this matter, it was actually telling the Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor that the number of powerful figures from the Eight Great Imperial Clans present today was less than that from the Ascenders' side, and that they would suffer losses if a real fight broke out.
The Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor glanced around and only then did he notice the lineup of the Ascenders.
Each of the Five Ascender Factions dispatched at least three peak experts.
The Firmament Hall went even further, with all three palace masters mobilized, and not a single peak expert among their disciples remained.
With such a luxurious lineup, they have an absolute advantage over the Eight Great Imperial Clans.
Just as Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor hesitated, even Fire Separation Saint Emperor couldn't help but speak up and advise, " The Ascenders have clearly come prepared, and I just tried it; the Communication Spirit Orb is unusable. It seems that Ao Zhantian tampered with it before coming."
Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor frowned and turned to look at Fire Separation Saint Emperor, as if wanting to confirm.
Seeing that the Fire Separation Saint Emperor nodded with absolute certainty, the Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor could only sigh helplessly.
They couldn't win a fight, and their space was sealed off by the Ascenders, preventing them from using the communication orbs. If they insisted on taking a hard line, they would only end up being humiliated.
"Alright, Ao Zhantian, for the safety of Nine Heavens, I'll agree to your request this time."
The Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor had no choice but to back down, but naturally, he still maintained a morally righteous stance.
Having already gained an advantage, Ao Zhantian wouldn't care about these things anymore.
You have to give people either face or substance, right?
If you take the substance, you have to give them the face.
" The Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor prioritizes the safety of the Nine Heavens; this is truly a blessing for the Nine Heavens."
Ao Zhantian smiled and gave the other party a way out.
The Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor quickly followed up, saying, "The number will be as you said, but the cultivation levels must be fixed: five Heavenly Firmament and ten Primordial Chaos."
This proposal is acceptable. There are eight other companies, and they all agreed to send only five Heavenly Firmament, which can be considered a concession.
But Ao Zhantian was more concerned about something else. "I wonder what level of cultivation the Thunder Punishment Saint Emperor plans to send for your extra spot?"
Since the realms and numbers of Primordial Chaos and Heavenly Firmament are restricted, having one more Heavenly Firmament and one more Primordial Chaos are completely different things.