Chapter 1030: Ancient Emperor and His Treasures
Chapter 1030: Ancient Emperor and His Treasures
The Yan Huang Ancient Emperor arrived exactly on time.
His grasp of the timing was uncannily accurate. Or perhaps he had already arrived earlier, but no one could see him.
In any case, the Yan Huang Ancient Emperor was the foremost being in the Jambu Realm. A real immortal, and so Wu Yu had no way of understanding his might. He could not comprehend what he was capable of.
When he was still a mortal, his understanding of a martial cultivator's abilities had been similarly fuzzy. He could only guess, and many things had exceeded his imagination.
When he arrived, everyone looked at the Ancient Emperor subserviently, in fear, and anticipation. For many, this was an incredible experience. However, they quickly realized that they could not see the Yan Huang Ancient Emperor clearly. He appeared as a glaring, golden light - a stern and imposing figure within the golden flames. But they could not see what he looked like.
Of course, this was not important. What was important was that the legendary Yan Huang Ancient Emperor was right before their eyes.
Even Wu Yu's Eyes of Fire and Gold could not see past the light and flames. What he saw was no different from the others, and in fact, he saw less clearly than the Ancient Emperor's previous appearance against the Ancient Demon God.
However, what the Ancient Emperor looked like did not mean much. When he appeared, what struck Wu Yu most deeply was reverence, something that was featured in every gaze here. Reverence included both respect and fear. Respect because this was the emperor of the Yan Huang Tribe, and the protector of the Jambu Realm. And the fear was of his power. Everyone quickly lowered their heads because of this. Those martial cultivators who did not possess sufficient strength could not even muster the courage to lift their heads.
It was not the first time that Wu Yu had seen him. Previously, he did not know that he had been watched so closely. Therefore, he felt the gaze of an immortal even more keenly than before.
Everyone prostrated and chorused for eternal life and boundless longevity for the emperor.
Not just on the Windy Fiery Skies Platform, but the entire Immortal's Capital, the numerous satellite cities, and even beyond, to the Central Region Divine Continent, the Futu Divine Continent, and the East Region Divine Continent. All knew that the Ancient Emperor must have appeared at noon, and so made the same cry that echoed throughout the Yan Huang Ancient Country.
Eternal life, boundless longevity.
Wu Yu thought that the Yan Huang Ancient Emperor must have achieved it. At this time, if he had a target to reach in his dao, it would be the Yan Huang Ancient Emperor.
How he would be admired if he could become him!
When he appeared, cries blanketed the entire world. The air above the Yan Huang Ancient Country continued to reverberate with cheers for the Ancient Emperor's arrival. The sound was too great, and the entire kingdom border spirit design shook with it. The height of explosiveness, magnificence. Such passionate cheers shook the ground itself, until even the land itself seemed to join in the cheer.
The fervor of the Yan Huang Ancient Country towards the Ancient Emperor was a lesson for the Ambassadors of 10,000 Kingdoms. They understood that the Yan Huang Ancient Country had dominated the Jambu Realm for so many years because they were something special. And this special thing was present today.
But in the end, the Ancient Emperor called for silence, and the Yan Huang royal family on the Windy Fiery Skies Platform were first to comply, then the Immortal's Capital. It spread out through the entire Yan Huang Ancient Country, and the roused nation finally settled back into a peaceful state.
However, in the silence, wild and passionate eyes were still turned towards this supreme being.
The silence did not last for long. The Ancient Emperor was speaking now, and his voice was clear and calm. It was not a voice that immediately stood out, but one that lingered in your mind, lulling you to ease, lost in the power of his voice.
"Welcome, everyone, to Yan Huang."
He spoke briefly, but a personal welcome - given his identity and ability - was face enough for the Ambassadors of 10,000 Kingdoms. After all, they had come to deliver their treasures. The greater their nation was, the higher the value expected of their offerings.
The Regent had already stood out at this time. The Ancient Emperor could not personally host the 10,000 Kingdoms Pilgrimage and do the legwork. The Regent's voice rang out clearly. "The Ancient Emperor has descended, and the Ambassadors of 10,000 Kingdoms are all present. On behalf of the Yan Huang Tribe, I welcome you all. Next, I will call you up one by one to make your pilgrimage. First, allow me to celebrate the long and peaceful reign in the Jambu Realm under the protection and watchful eye of the Ancient Emperor. Everyone has the right to cultivate, and the world continues to grow in an orderly fashion."
He also added reasons for the pilgrimage, spinning it such that this was the Yan Huang Ancient Emperor's work. Of course, it was effective. The power that the Ancient Emperor held was too superior. Anyone who wished to extend their territory or wipe out tribes on a large scale would have to think twice about retribution from the Ancient Emperor.
Therefore, while reluctant to give their offerings, the Ambassadors of 10,000 Kingdoms did not actually doubt the role of the Ancient Emperor. But the Ancient Emperor using this role to collect a protection fee, that did not sit well with the 10,000 kingdoms. Nevertheless, there was no choice but to attend the 10,000 Kingdoms Pilgrimage, and to submit one's own treasures.
In the hands of the Regent was a long, long list. Everyone was quiet now, waiting for him to begin reading. There was not much order to it, besides a general flow from the smaller powers to bigger ones. "Respectful welcome to the Orthodox Jianyuan Sect. Sect leader: Wang Jianyuan."
At the ringing call of the Regent, a 10th tier Primordial Spirit Transformation Realm middle-aged cultivator hurriedly came forth. He raised a prepared Sumeru Pouch high in the air, while he himself fell to his knees. He called loudly, "My gratitude to the Ancient Emperor's grace and protection. May He forgive the trifling offering of the Orthodox Jianyuan Sect."
When he lifted the Sumeru Pouch high, it left him, landing in the golden light and in the hands of the Ancient Emperor.
"This sect leader is only a 10th tier Primordial Spirit Transformation Realm cultivator. This means that the Orthodox Jianyuan Sect must be really small. Probably the smallest power in the 10,000 Kingdoms Pilgrimage. Of course he has to thank the Ancient Emperor. Otherwise, the Orthodox Jianyuan Sect could not possibly last for very long. Seeing him pay tribute to the Ancient Emperor, others will hesitate before deciding to move on him."
Wu Yu knew that the true work of the Ancient Emperor lay here. With all the Ambassadors of 10,000 Kingdoms gathered, they would definitely remember who paid tribute to the Ancient Emperor. If they really were to take action, they would have to first consider if the Ancient Emperor would protect this person.
"Please rise," the Regent said to Wang Jianyuan after the Ancient Emperor received the Sumeru Pouch.
"Many thanks to the Ancient Emperor. Many thanks to the Regent. Long live the Ancient Emperor, may he have boundless longevity!"
Wang Jianyuan was happy to be the first to pay tribute. This way, all the powers present would remember him. His Orthodox Jianyuan Sect would only become safer..... Although that Sumeru Pouch contained the hard-won treasures accumulated over eight years, it was all emptied in a day. But put another way, if the Orthodox Jianyuan Sect that he had built with his own blood could persist, then that was worth it.
"Respectful welcome to Azure Wings Hurricane Valley. Valley master: Azure Wings Yin.
"Respectful welcome to Hundred Flowers Nation’s leader, Hua Xingyu.
"Respectful welcome to Fast Wind Nation’s leader, Li Feng."
The long list moved through the Regent's hands. He read quickly, and more and more had their offerings lifted out from their hands. A stream of Sumeru Pouches flew upwards into the sky, received by the Ancient Emperor. No one knew what was inside the Sumeru Pouches. All they knew was that an inordinate amount of wealth was entering the Ancient Emperor's pockets.
Anyone who could obtain all these offerings would have the riches of nations. They would at least be as rich as the Dark North Kingdom. Each time, the 10,000 Kingdoms Pilgrimage yielded many valuables. Those like the Dark North Kingdom would offer hundreds of times more than the ordinary, small nations.
Or even more than that.
Wu Yu did not know how to describe this scene. All he could say was that it reminded him of street thugs collecting protection fees. But he could not call the Ancient Emperor a street thug. He found a different metaphor - tax. Calling the Ancient Emperor a tax collector was more acceptable. After all, he was the only immortal in the Jambu Realm, and it was reasonable that the owner collected some taxes.
And by the looks of it, while the smaller nations might feel the pinch, the larger nations did not. Perhaps what rankled was not the price, but the dignity.
However, as quickly as things moved, there were simply too many Ambassadors of 10,000 Kingdoms. Therefore, it took a long time. Everyone watched the Sumeru Pouches stream upwards and the Regent calling out names. By the time they reached the mystical dragon tribe, more than an hour had elapsed.
The Yan Huang Ancient Country had put the Nanyin Empire and the mystical dragons at the end. For the mystical dragon tribe, Luo Pin personally delivered the offering.
Wu Yu did not know what was in Luo Pin's Sumeru Pouch either. But it had to be of monumental value. They were probably the big catches for the Ancient Emperor.
The offering segment of the 10,000 Kingdoms Pilgrimage finally came to a close.
In the past, the Ancient Emperor would quickly leave and then the Ambassadors of 10,000 Kingdoms would remain in the Immortal's Capital or the Yan Huang Ancient Country to vent some of their "anger". The 10,000 Kingdoms Pilgrimage would be truly over when they had all left. Next up, the Yan Huang Tribe would entertain the ambassadors of important nations. In the previous times, they would challenge and clash against the Yan Huang Tribe. The Ancient Emperor never cared about this, and that meant it was permitted. Many of the youngsters looked forward to the grand affair where they could lock horns.
But this time, with the Ancient Soul Tower, things would probably be very different.