Wei Wuyin's surroundings had abruptly shifted. The proverbial sea of people had been replaced by a spacious and grandiose-looking throne room. After being transported, Wei Wuyin wasn't all that surprised. In fact, he quietly glanced around until he spotted the individual responsible.
Tuo Bihan, dressed in a prestigious black-colored palace robe suited for an imperial advisor, was directly beside him. He stood by him like a ghost, and despite his calm outward expression, the faint light in his eyes revealed a sense of extremely helplessness at this moment.
Wei Wuyin noted that while Tuo Bihan was beside him, there were others present as well. There were four other figures, all of which were the most notable figures within the entire sect! The Grand Imperial Sage of the Extreme Imperial Mountain, Zen, who was a beastwoman of an ancient tortoise lineage. Her pale-green scaly skin and reptilian eyes had been given an exceptional quality as she donned a similar set of robes but they were golden.
Qin Rui, the Grand Imperial Sage of the Extreme Origin Mountain, was beautifully dressed in white, accentuating her looks and giving her an aspect of innate purity that fit her so well. With her Primal Yin Aura being like a volcanic eruption on repeat, it was truly fitting.
Yao Zhen, with his three-meter tall body, carried the usual physically dominating presence as always as the Grand Imperial Sage of the Extreme Demon Mountain. Despite his violet-colored robes that added a hint of regality into his appearance, his blazing eyes and spiked elbows and knees were unhidden. As the youngest Grand Imperial Sage, he still seemed the one with the most outward presence.
The Grand Imperial Sage of the Extreme War Mountain, Ji Changkong, was donned in the color red with the same set of robes. His thick, yet sharp eyebrows accompanied his canine pair of eyes as he emitted a sharpness that seemed to emanate from his bones, from his soul. As a member of the canine lineage of beastmen, he lacked any sort of feral aura, which made him feel more like a living weapon than a beast. He was the exact opposite of Zuhei.
The five Grand Imperial Sages of the Myriad Monarch Sect had gathered, with four standing a set distance apart before the steps of a large, towering throne that seemed to have been made of astral gold. It sparkled with a majestic and boundlessly noble aura. While empty, it could bring up the feeling of extreme reverence and desire to kneel before it.
Besides these five that were wearing their Extreme Mountain's designated colors, there was another individual that was dressed in red and gold dragon robes present. He had an innate charm with black hair and dark eyes, seemingly out of place yet not, giving one a strange feeling. He stood below the steps, directly below the four Grand Imperial Sages.
At present, they were all looking his way. He didn't find this shocking, turning to notice behind him was nearly a hundred individuals that were wearing various colors of robes, signifying their own Extreme Mountain. There were some who wore multi-colored robes with a variety of color schemes. These were the elders of the sect. They were all looking towards Wei Wuyin, their expressions mixed and complex.
Wei Wuyin noticed these were the Earthly Generals, Heavenly Commanders, Imperial Sages, and Prime Imperial Sages. Not a single one of these individuals lacked a cultivation base at the Fourth Stage of the Astral Core Realm. In fact, they were only higher. This was the strongest force of cultivators in the sect, and this line-up could instill fear in the hearts of all forces beneath the hegemonic forces.
"Coronation Ceremony?" Wei Wuyin asked casually, dismissing their expressions. He glanced briefly at Long Chen who seemed to be staring at him. While there wasn't any aggression displayed on his face, one could tell that there was a restrained emotion within his eyes.
Tuo Bihan faintly smiled, "It is a Recognition Ceremony. A meeting to officially recognize and celebrate the Successor of the Grand Monarch Lineage." While he explained this, he stayed behind Wei Wuyin. In a way, from their positions, it seemed as if Long Chen and Wei Wuyin were facing each other in confrontation. With the four Grand Imperial Sages behind Long Chen and Tuo Bihan behind Wei Wuyin.
Zen looked at Wei Wuyin intently. It had been two hours since the Recognition Ceremony was scheduled to begin, but it hadn't! The numerous individuals of great status and ability were all forced to wait. Technically speaking, Wei Wuyin, as a Heavenly King, shouldn't even be present as a disciple. It was supposed to be just the Elders and the three form of Sages that should be here, but there was a very strange atmosphere when she suggested his exclusion.
The reason?
Everyone had doubts and concerns.
Wei Wuyin was the Prince of Everlore, a young Alchemic King who concocted an eighth-grade alchemical product before the age of fifty! He was a future Alchemic Emperor; furthermore, his displayed talent was exceptional beyond belief! He had a one centimeter-sized Astral Core! That was two hundred times greater than the average Sky Ruler Phase cultivator, and double that of a Gravity Emission Phase expert, a cultivator at the same level as the Grand Imperial Sages!
Just his foundation was enough to reign supreme over all cultivators, but then Zuhei was revealed. While others might think that Zuhei was merely an extremely talented seed that was plucked and given immense support from the entire sect, how could these high-level figures not be aware of the truth? An originally crippled cultivator had been turned into a Nine-Ringed Soul Idol Phase cultivator in the matter of a few years!
Moreover, the sect simply did not have the resources or potential to create such an extreme expert! This was all with Wei Wuyin's dedicated nurturing, and this was incredibly telling of his abilities as an Alchemist! Even as an Alchemic King, he exceeded the ability that even the Alchemist Association could produce.
It was a formless breath in their throats, as if they were seeking the acceptance of Wei Wuyin.
Therefore Zen, the one who usually managed matters of this scale, had been left helpless. But after Wei Wuyin missed the initial starting time for the ceremony, she became even more helpless. She could only ask Tuo Bihan to scale the Extreme Creation Mountain and fetch him, but he came back and said: "The little boss is busy."
Then, he shrugged his shoulders. When questioned, all he replied with were: "I said what I said. You can go and disturb him, but I can promise you…well, you can just go try, haha." This bred feelings of fear in the hearts of everyone present. Was he concocting another product? Was he in the midst of cultivating?
Not a single one of these elders, these sages, were willing to fly up there and be the one to gain the dissatisfaction of Wei Wuyin. This made even the Grand Imperial Sages helpless! Why were they so fearful? Because while this ceremony was important, Wei Wuyin's future was tied to theirs! If they stepped wrongly, displeased him, then their future would be dumped away. As for excluding him in the end? No one dared to suggest it again.
They could only silently wait.
Wei Wuyin realized their emotions, and he couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "It seems I'm late, apologies." His words elicited a few sighs of relief amongst the crowd. For some reason, they felt that Wei Wuyin wouldn't arrive at all, or maybe they would be waiting for days. Fortunately, it was merely a few hours.
"I'll observe silently. You can all begin as you like," after saying this, he found a corner to settle himself and calmly onlook the preceding.
"They're quite afraid of displeasing you," Wu Yu's voice resounded within his mind.
"Aren't you the same?" Wei Wuyin replied with a faint smile.
"…haaaaa. The value of a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist is not to be underestimated. For one of your age to be born, your potential just on the basis of lifespan is greater than the King of Everlore. But only I'm aware of that fact, how could others treat you the same?" Wu Yu said with a hint of discontent.
"Well, Tuo Bihan knows. Furthermore, there's not a single person in this room that hasn't taken a sixth or seventh-grade product of mine. They've all had dealings with me, either directly or indirectly. So it's understandable." Wei Wuyin didn't mind as Zen started to loudly exclaim some words of initiation. He wasn't particularly mindful of the ongoing events.
This event was merely Long Chen's attempt to gather the support of the Myriad Monarch Sect, but a Successor was a Successor. Until he reaches the appropriate requirements of taking that grand throne, he would only receive the recognition and some support. Unfortunately for him, that didn't include him.
"…Tuo Bihan." Wu Yu noted that Tuo Bihan was standing in his official position as Zen let loose a speech, his cultivation base was concealed. While he could determine it, the others weren't very likely. Despite this, he was still a little shocked that Wei Wuyin produced a genuine Realmlord from someone whose foundation was originally extremely far from meeting requirements to do so.
This was unlike nurturing an expert from scratch. There were only top-tier eighth-grade products that could achieve something like that. Even if you factored in Wei Wuyin's Mortal Sovereign Alchemist status, the time to concoct the number of products required to achieve a feat like that was terrifying. He couldn't help but reconsider Wei Wuyin's true abilities.
It was possible his refinement speed was far, far greater than the average alchemist. Even the King of Everlore had spent a decade or two on a batch of his Everlore Ascension Pills.
"No wonder the entire sect is already so infected by your influence," Wu Yu spiritually swept his senses over everyone present. He realized that the overall cultivation base and strength of everyone present had risen a notch or several since he arrived from the Myriad Yore Continent. They must've consumed quite a lot of alchemical products suited for them, and this caused his mood to become contemplative and solemn.
Long Chen revealed a proud and expectant expression as he took the center stage. While this was merely a Recognition Ceremony, he would be officially the Grand Prince of the Myriad Monarch Sect. He would finally have authority within the sect, and he could utilize a little more resources for less effort. While the system of the Myriad Monarch Sect still required one to display an exceptional talent and ability to receive resources, just his identity would allow his treatment to faintly exceed normal Heavenly Kings.
At times, he would look at Wei Wuyin as he noticed the black ring flicker from time to time. His expression would become somewhat dark for a moment before regaining his calm. His mentor had to depart from his side to Wei Wuyin because he didn't have enough authority. He already vowed in his heart to reclaim Wu Yu.
The only issue in his heart was how everyone present treated Wei Wuyin. He wasn't a fool. He knew the importance of an alchemist, but the overall sect still recognized his rank as an Alchemic King, not a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist, yet they all were on tenterhooks about him. Even the Grand Imperial Sages were forced to wait, and when he arrived, he wasn't berated one bit.
According to the rules, he shouldn't be here, but he had the faint feeling that if Wei Wuyin objected, there would be an insurmountable obstacle he would have to overcome to receive his status. Just his presence alone and acceptance of the event induced waves of relief on the vast majority of people's expressions, especially Zen.
In the end, the ceremony was broadcasted to the entire planet as everyone went through the process without interference. It was rather long, but it was grand. At the end of it, numerous cheers resounded from outside that penetrated the formations and entered the throne room.
The Grand Monarch Lineage, the lineage that had represented their supremacy of an era, had returned! How could they not be excited! They had the Prince of Everlore, and the successor of the Grand Monarch! Wouldn't this be as if they had the King of Everlore and Grand Monarch Wu Yu being born in their sect once more? While it might not be as exaggerated, everyone was extremely hopeful.
After all was completed, Wei Wuyin was about to leave. He didn't care much for any of this. But as he was about to leave, Tuo Bihan lightly coughed. Glancing at this grey-bearded old man, he couldn't help but recall a certain matter.
He nodded towards Tuo Bihan.
Tuo Bihan faintly smiled, "Everyone!" He called out to everyone as he took center stage, replacing Long Chen. The broadcast from outside and all those present in the throne room focused on him. With everyone's attention on him, he announced with formidable strength:
"I'd like to announce that I, Tuo Bihan, have ascended!"
"…!" The entire planet momentarily went silent!
