High in the sky, ancient ships, chariots, and flying treasures from various territories traversed the Stele Forest Heaven Domain, slowly landing in the welcoming airspace exclusively designated for the Chi Lineage; on the long street below,
Cultivators from all races arrived in droves. Some clans brought their younger generation of prodigies to offer their congratulations, some sect elders led their teams to the event, and some powerful figures who rarely appeared in public and lived in seclusion came alone.
The clansmen responsible for welcoming guests at the Chi Lineage gate worked tirelessly from dawn till dusk, as tightly sealed jade boxes, ancient caskets, and storage crystal cores were continuously delivered into the mansion.
Large clans sent rare source crystals accumulated over thousands of years; ancient sects offered fragments of divine weapons passed down through generations; and many small and medium-sized forces poured out their most treasured possessions, all in an effort to climb up to the now powerful Chi Lineage.
The final result of the competition among the Lineage has already spread throughout the entire Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain. The Chi Lineage has emerged victorious, and what is even more shocking is that the champion is not a member of the Chi Lineage itself, but rather an outsider invited by the Chi Lineage.
The aftershocks of Qin Yu's epic duel with Hua Jingmeng have yet to subside, and the Chi Lineage's prestige has risen rapidly at an unstoppable pace, taking advantage of this opportunity. Countless small and medium-sized clans that had been watching and wavering between the Lineage for the past few hundred years have now made their choices and are vying to attach themselves to them.
"The Eastern Mausoleum Ji Clan, acting on the orders of the Supreme Elder, has come to offer their congratulations to the Chi Lineage for winning the grand competition!" "The Silent Profundity Valley has prepared three boxes of congratulatory gifts and requests an audience with the Chi Clan!" "The Bai Clan of the Destruction Labyrinth has come to pay their respects!"
One congratulatory message after another echoed throughout the mansion, as cultivators from all realms flocked to the site.
The First Multidimensional Universe, the Skeleton Star Sea; the Second Multidimensional Universe, the Destruction Labyrinth; the Third Multidimensional Universe, the Annihilation Continent; and even the major hidden forces of the Void Dharma Realm, all sent powerful figures to the Stele Forest Imperial City.
Many forces ostensibly came to offer congratulations, but their true intentions went far beyond mere favors. Some small clans, long oppressed by their enemies, sought protection by leveraging the Chi Lineage's power; some sects brought their most talented disciples, hoping to forge a lasting bond with the Chi Lineage; and some established powers offered their most prized clan treasures, asking only for a promise of protection from the Chi Lineage and a sliver of hope for survival.
Outside the Chi Lineage mansion, the flow of people surged ever stronger, creating an unprecedented spectacle. But beyond the bustling crowd, in the deep shadows of thousands of towering ancient steles, countless silent figures lay hidden.
Some stand atop the towering monument, silently overlooking the entire city; others stand on the eaves of distant buildings, coldly observing the prosperity; still others, draped in wide robes and cloaks, blend into the crowd, offering no greetings, no gifts, no connections, only a pair of eyes quietly scrutinizing the Chi Lineage's current glory.
Among them were many reclusive masters from the Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain who had disappeared for many years. With the martial arts tournament over, hidden talents from all sides emerged.
Some came to observe the Chi Lineage's current prosperity and predict its future trajectory; others came to reassess the balance of power among the Lineage and weigh the pros and cons; still others, out of curiosity upon hearing of the emergence of a Nameless external leader at this grand event, came specifically to see for themselves and investigate the situation.
Outside the gates of the Chi Lineage mansion, the air was filled with the sounds of people and carriages. A Chi Lineage steward, who was in charge of registering congratulatory gifts, had just seen off the guests from the Annihilation Continent when he turned around and saw a clan procession of dozens of people steadily approaching along the ancient road of the stele forest. He quickly led his men forward to greet them.
Over the past few centuries, the Chi Lineage has had its periods of great prosperity.
However, the unprecedented spectacle of the four multidimensional universes, myriad races and sects, Rogue Cultivator cultivators and reclusive powerhouses gathering in one place to visit the Stele Forest Imperial City is still a once-in-a-century event and extremely rare. The outcome of this martial arts competition has long since transcended the rise and fall of the rankings of geniuses, and has completely affected the power structure, balance of strength and weakness, and future direction of the entire Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain.
The North City · Stele Forest Imperial City was even more bustling than usual today. Outside the Chi Lineage mansion, from the ancient stele forest that stretched for hundreds of miles all the way to the road in front of the main gate, cultivators from all directions came to visit in an endless stream.
Long rainbows stretched across the sky, and a colossal ancient ship slowly docked in the distance. Forces from the Skeleton Star Sea, the Destruction Labyrinth, and the Annihilation Continent flocked to this place.
As time passed, the truly important guests who could stir the hearts of the Chi Lineage's higher-ups finally appeared one after another—several ancient clans that had been living in seclusion for years and had never publicly intervened in the power struggles of the Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain arrived at the Stele Forest Imperial City.
These clans have long resided in their ancestral domains, isolated from the world, and have rarely meddled in the power struggles Lineage. Their lineages can even be traced back to the ancient era. This time, each of their groups is not particularly large, but when they traverse the ancient path through the vast forest of steles, the originally crowded and noisy crowds around them will involuntarily give way.
Some teams consisted of only three to five elders from their clans, all of whom concealed their auras and did not display any sharpness. However, the True Annihilation Realm cultivators who stopped around could still sense a heavy, layered pressure from the depths of their Fate Soul.
Furthermore, a reclusive powerful clan arrived in an ancient chariot covered with age-old cracks. The chariot was devoid of any ornate decorations, and the ancient bronze bells hanging from its four corners remained completely silent throughout the journey. However, the elders guarding outside the Chi Lineage's gate recognized the ancient clan emblem engraved on the chariot at a glance, and their expressions instantly became solemn. They all personally descended the long white jade steps and bowed to welcome the clan.
"We hail from the Skeleton Star Sea, and we carry important matters, requesting an audience with the Chi Clan for a face-to-face discussion." "The Destruction Labyrinth lineage, carrying substantial gifts from our clan, has come to inform Clan Chief Chi Boqian that our clan intends to forge an alliance with the Chi Lineage to discuss our long-standing ties."
Another reclusive clan originating from the Annihilation Continent adopted a more open and straightforward approach. The elder leading the clan stood outside the main gate of the Chi Lineage, facing the welcoming elders, and without mincing words, solemnly handed over an ancient talisman engraved with ancestral Dao patterns.
He spoke in a deep voice, "Our clan has lived in seclusion for ten thousand years, and had no intention of getting involved in worldly disputes again. However, today the situation in the Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain has changed dramatically, and the elders have reached a consensus that we wish to submit to the Chi Lineage. From now on, we will rely on the Chi Lineage's protection and live peacefully in this corner of the world. Since we have come in person, our sincerity is not empty words. Please inform them that our clan members can wait in the mansion for an audience."
As soon as these words were spoken, countless cultivators who had been giving gifts and observing all turned their heads, and murmurs of discussion spread along the long street.
These reclusive clans are completely different from ordinary small clans seeking refuge. Their foundations are unfathomable, and the strength of their clans, their ancient heritage, and the accumulation of their ancestral lands are enough to intimidate half of the forces in the Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain. The true foundations of some of them are in no way inferior to the Lineage.
Now, these long-established, reclusive forces have all entered the world, seeking meetings, alliances, or open submission. The resulting shift in the power structure far surpasses the mountains of congratulatory gifts piled up at the mansion's gate.
The Chi Lineage's elders were very hospitable in receiving the guests, immediately leading them into the mansion and settling them in the highest-level welcoming hall. At the same time, they sent messages to the inner court, reporting the arrival of various powerful families to higher levels.
For a time, the entire Chi Lineage mansion was bustling with people coming and going, their steps hurried. Beyond the long street, new congratulatory teams continued to arrive in droves. The various Rogue Cultivator standing atop the monument, looking down at this unprecedented spectacle, were filled with emotion.
For centuries, the Lineage had held sway over their respective territories, their strength evenly matched, firmly locking down the power structure of the Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain. Yet, just days after the conclusion of a martial arts competition among prodigies, the Chi Lineage had amassed such immense power that even ancient, reclusive forces that rarely appeared in public were now actively bowing and siding with them. The upheaval brought about by this victory had only now truly revealed its true power.
Just as the area outside the mansion was bustling with activity and all races were making their pilgrimage, a uniform fluctuation of Fate Soul essence suddenly appeared in the sky, and countless people subconsciously looked up.
Deep within the Chi Lineage mansion, figures rose from the various palaces, instantly converging into a hundred-person formation high in the sky. The hundred cultivators, their robes fluttering, stood in neat and orderly positions, their cultivation levels spanning from the True Annihilation Realm · Initial Stage to its Supreme Ultimate.
The moment everyone returned to their positions, the essence of a hundred Fate Soul merged and converged, transforming into a profound and majestic aura that spread across the sky. The ancient steles standing below were all illuminated by this primal radiance, covered with a faint, lustrous sheen.
At the very front of the group, a Chi Lineage steward at the Eternal Silence Realm Initial Stage stood with his hands behind his back in mid-air. He did not deliberately release his aura, but the unique difference in life level of the Eternal Silence Realm naturally gathered the auras of the hundred disciples behind him, making the aura of the entire group uniform and solemn, instantly locking the attention of everyone present and attracting the attention of cultivators from all races below.
"This must be the Chi Lineage's patrol team from outside their territory." Someone in the crowd sighed softly, looking up. A middle-aged cultivator beside him nodded in agreement. "That's right, today is the Chi Lineage's regular patrol day."