Chapter 461: Chapter 279: The Nations Gather, an Apex Gathering, I Shall Be the Ruler of the World, Not Just the Central Plains World...

For a moment, the atmosphere grew silent.

"What arrogant words!"

From beyond the valley, a group of powerful Cultivators arrived, riding the wind on their swords.

Their leader was a handsome young man with a slender build, his jet-black robes making him stand out. The crown in his hair was carved with dragon patterns.

A tall Old Eunuch followed by his side.

"The Crown Prince of Great Sui, Cao Zongxi."

Lu Mingyuan recognized him almost instantly.

"I never thought the former Sixth Prince could utter such ruthless words. It seems you’ve changed quite a bit in these past three years."

From the east, a petite young woman appeared, clad in Flame Stream Pattern Armor and carrying a Great Sword on her back. Beside her was an old man with white hair and cloudy eyes, who carried a rod-like object wrapped in old cloth strips on his back and seemed unfathomably profound.

The one who had just spoken was this very young woman.

Wuxun chuckled. "Li Muwan, you’re a bit late."

Li Muwan’s attitude was cold. "Hmph. If my father the emperor hadn’t ordered it, I wouldn’t have come."

Currently, the Nanli Dynasty and the Silver Frost Empire enjoyed excellent relations, with a potential marriage alliance on the horizon, but Li Muwan adamantly refused.

Otherwise, the two nations would have already been joined by marriage.

Cultivators from various other Immortal Influences continued to arrive, none of them ordinary figures.

They were either from the top powers of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands or the main lineages of the seven great Buddhist Heavens.

"You’re the new King of Great Yan, Lu Mingyuan?"

"Younger than I expected."

Not far away, Chu Longxiang, the Eldest Prince of Great Wu, also arrived. His expression was serene, and he was clad in Black Tortoise Armor. His vitality was flourishing; it was clear his Martial Arts Cultivation had greatly advanced after receiving the blessing of Celestial Destiny and Fortune.

Heirs from Immortal Influences in different States and Counties, along with the chosen sons and daughters of major Sects, had all gathered here.

Lu Mingyuan saw many familiar faces. There were Qi Cultivators from the Taoist Sect who had sided with the Great Sui Dynasty, such as Master Purple Sun of Purple Sun Palace, Master Bodhi of Bodhi Temple, and Zhenren Wangqing of the Forgetful Sect. There were also young Sword Cultivators from the Heaven-Reaching Sword Sect and Daoists from the Mao Mountain Blessed Land and Cyan Cloud Blessed Land.

There were Confucian Scholars of the Mo Family from the Song Dynasty manipulating Puppet Armored Warriors, and famous personages from the thirty-six Academies of the world: Luochuan Academy, Bihu Academy, Bailu Academy...

And numerous Buddhist Family Sects: Leiyin Temple, Little Lingyin Temple, Jinshan Temple, Wenshu Temple, Putuo Temple, Great Celestial Dragon Temple, Great Golden Cicada Temple...

This showed that ever since the Celestial Destiny and Fortune had descended,

the support for the major Dynasties had skyrocketed.

Amid the crowd, Lu Mingyuan released his Spiritual Power, formed from Primordial Qi, to carefully observe the young Cultivators present.

Retracting his Spiritual Power, Lu Mingyuan was secretly surprised. He had detected more than ten experts at the Twelfth Realm alone, each one exuding a formidable aura.

Lu Mingyuan, however, appeared perfectly composed and smiled. "I didn’t expect such a rare gathering of nations today, a true meeting of titans."

Hearing this, the eyes of the several experts from the various nations who had reached Twelfth Realm Cultivation flashed with a sharp light as they looked toward Lu Mingyuan.

He could still smile in the face of the Six Kingdoms’ experts.

"Do you actually think you can win today?" one of the Tributors from the Great Wu Dynasty asked.

This man’s name was Yao Longchuan, a top expert from the Great Wu Dynasty. He wore a lavish purple Martial Robe and appeared to be in his thirties. With sharp, sword-like brows and eagle eyes, he possessed an extraordinary air.

He knew that not only were there Twelfth Realm experts involved this time, but masters of the Upper Three Grades might also join the fray.

Right now, they were likely observing the battle from the Outer Heaven.

In that case, it would come down to whether Great Yan had more masters of the Upper Three Grades, or if the Six Kingdoms had more.

Yao Longchuan was optimistic about the outcome.

Ever since the Celestial Destiny and Fortune descended, several ancestors of the Great Wu Dynasty had broken through to the Upper Three Grades.

Lu Mingyuan wasn’t surprised to see familiar people.

Instead, he found something strange.

’Why have the Six Kingdoms arrived so quickly? And at such an opportune moment?’

His suspicious gaze couldn’t help but fall upon the Black Turtle Shell.

At this moment, King Jin Wu, Luo Lingxiao, had already released the restriction on his Dantian. He stared coldly at Lu Mingyuan. "Lu Mingyuan, I don’t know how you learned our marching route, but I can only say you were one step short. This place is our designated rendezvous point. It’s just your bad luck that you appeared here. If you had intercepted our route just Half an Hour earlier, you might have actually captured us."

’So what if we’ve been ambushed?’

’This is the meeting point I arranged for the armies of the Six Kingdoms. Rather than Lu Mingyuan trapping a turtle in a jar, it was more like the Six Kingdoms arrived just before Great Yan could complete its encirclement. If we had been just a little earlier, we might have really been captured alive by Lu Mingyuan, which would have been a colossal joke.’

The War of the Seven Kingdoms was the greatest event for the Central Plains Dynasty in this five-hundred-year cycle of Reincarnation. Numerous powers had gathered, all of them the strongest experts in the Mortal World—a true gathering of dragons.

Today’s battle, in particular, was the center of all attention.

The Six Kingdoms, symbolizing the next inheritors of the Celestial Mandate, were officially clashing with the previous inheritor, Great Yan.

What was a Celestial Destiny Dynasty?

It was a contest for Destiny that unfolded when a five-hundred-year cycle of Reincarnation entered its final century. Only the victor could enter the next five-hundred-year period and become the inheritor of the Celestial Mandate.

However, this era was a confluence of momentous events, with children of Destiny appearing frequently.

With the emergence of numerous prodigies and children of Destiny, six great hegemons had also risen in the Mortal World to contend for supremacy, shining like the stars in the sky. A land as beautiful as a painting, filled with enchanting women; the great era of a cruel and chaotic world was unfolding before their eyes.

Those who could stir up storms in such an era and contend for the throne would walk over the graves of countless heroes to become legends, discussed and admired by the Cultivators of later generations.

To this, Lu Mingyuan simply offered a calm smile.

’From the moment Wei the Ninth accomplished his heroic feat of guarding the Celestial Gate, a raging fire has been lit in my heart.

No matter how the winds of change blow beyond the Celestial Gate, across the Central Plains World,

if the gods and buddhas dare to interfere in the Mortal World, the first to bear the brunt will inevitably be the mortal Emperor, the lord of the Celestial Destiny Dynasty.

If I want to break the Human Race’s current predicament of being besieged by the Demon Country and the Wilderness, I have to establish a Supreme Immortal Dynasty.

Before that, I must defeat the Six Kingdoms.

My earlier words, spoken as the new master of the world, weren’t born of arrogance, but of necessity.

I must seize the Destiny of the Six Kingdoms, unify the power of the Human Race, and continuously accumulate strength to contend with the Wilderness and the Holy Netherworld.

I need to amass sufficient strength to face the myriad gods and buddhas whose future actions are still unknown.

In the eyes of these prodigies, I might seem to be making outrageous claims.

But defeating the Six Kingdoms is merely the first step I have to take now.’

...