Chapter 3925: Assembly of the Emperors
The divine might erupting from the Life Bone was too awe-inspiring, and the Primordial Qi within it was dense, leaving Yun Hunxuan and the Golden Clan Emperor without the slightest doubt.
Even a one-star ancient race could not suddenly produce such a powerful being.
The master of the Great Dark Mountain was extremely mysterious, the master of the Divine Musician and the Immortal Musician. Legend had it that over ten eons ago, his cultivation had already transcended the mundane.
Having not appeared for many years, many ancient beings believed he had already fallen.
As the master's envoy, and equally mysterious, the Sacred Musician was naturally questioned by the various ancient races. However, these doubts dared not be brought into the open.
Doubts were one thing, but with the Sacred Musician and the mountain master appearing together before them, who would dare to show disrespect?
Even if they disrespected their status, they would still respect their cultivation.
Yun Hunxuan probed cautiously, "Has the mountain master been in the upper realm all these years?"
The Life Bone had already discussed matters with Zhang Ruochen. It walked straight past Yun Hunxuan and the Golden Clan Emperor, stepping toward the center of the hall, and sighed, "Heaven and Earth are unkind, refusing us cultivators the chance for immortality. Ten eons ago, they sought to kill me. I have been sleeping in a... foreign land for ten eons, hiding from the Eon Calamity. Only recently did the Sacred Musician awaken me, and only then did I learn how ignorant you all are, nearly driving our ancient races to death."
Every word shook the ears like heavenly sound.
Yun Hunxuan and the Golden Clan Emperor felt their pressure surge, as if layers of great worlds were pressing down on their heads.
The Golden Clan Emperor said fearfully, "Mountain master, what do you mean by this?"
"Hmph!"
The Life Bone flicked its sleeve, placing its right hand behind its back, and said, "Send word to the Earth Clan Emperor and the Wood Clan Emperor to come see me immediately! A war of the entire clan concerns the life and death of all ancient races; it must be carefully deliberated. We cannot allow the Divine Musician and Tou Qi to act recklessly."
A glimmer of joy appeared in the Golden Clan Emperor's eyes, and he immediately had Yun Hunxuan send the message.
Just now, when he mentioned the Earth Clan Emperor and the Wood Clan Emperor, the mountain master must have overheard.
Summoning the two emperors undoubtedly meant the mountain master was on his side.
Was this a power grab?
Yes, it had to be.
The Divine Musician and the Immortal Musician had already grown strong and had been in charge of the Great Dark Mountain for ten eons, their influence spreading across the twelve clans. They might not necessarily obey his decrees anymore.
To put it bluntly, the mountain master had been away for ten eons and was already sidelined. Without a Half-Ancestor level of cultivation and an absolute advantage in combat power upon his return, it would be impossible to have the final say.
To reclaim power, he had to rely on the strength of their clans.
The Golden Clan Emperor and Yun Hunxuan realized this almost simultaneously, and their hearts settled. Although the mountain master was powerful, he was alone. Behind them, however, stood two entire clans.
Since the mountain master needed their support, they had ample leverage to negotiate terms and secure benefits.
Yun Hunxuan stopped pretending and said, "The mountain master speaks truly. The upper realm is now teeming with experts. The twelve ancient races must unite to fulfill the will of our ancestors and restore the glory of ancient times. But the Divine Musician and Tou Qi, the Sword Emperor, rely on their profound cultivation to favor their kin and intimidate others."
"Is this not sowing discord? Is this not splitting the twelve clans? How can we accept this?"
"Mountain master, we fully support you in coming forward to uphold justice and redetermine the war strategy."
The Life Bone glanced at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen stroked his long beard, giving them a reassurance, and said, "Rest assured, the Chaos Clan is a two-star ancient race and shall enjoy the dignity and respect it deserves. The Golden Clan has long stood on the front lines outside the Ancient Desolate Ruins City, with merits and hardships surpassing any of the twelve clans. The mountain master will surely fight for the best treatment for you!"
Yun Hunxuan and the Golden Clan Emperor were overjoyed that the Sacred Musician spoke so bluntly, and they loudly proclaimed, "The mountain master is wise, and the Sacred Musician is righteous!"
Before news came from the Earth Clan Emperor and the Wood Clan Emperor, the Divine Musician first sent a decree to the Chaos Mountain: "Both emperors, bring your true bodies to the Primordial Hall for council."
The Golden Clan Emperor was slightly startled, "How does the Divine Musician know I came to the Chaos Mountain? Could the Earth Clan Emperor or the Wood Clan Emperor have betrayed us?"
Yun Hunxuan remained calm, "Probably not! The Earth and Wood clans are also launching a full-scale assault this time, responsible for the frontal attack. They must harbor resentment toward the Divine Musician and wouldn't inform on us."
"At such a critical moment, the Divine Musician's divine thoughts must be spread across the Overlord Ridge, sensing everyone. It's not strange that he knows you secretly came to the Chaos Mountain, since you're not the Sacred Musician or the mountain master."
"In my view, the Divine Musician isn't just summoning us this time—he's preparing to launch a total war! Perhaps even today."
...
Zhang Ruochen and the Life Bone followed Yun Hunxuan and the Golden Clan Emperor discreetly, flying straight toward the Primordial Hall.
As they neared the Primordial Hall, they saw large numbers of dragon-shaped and phoenix-shaped ancient beings flying in from all directions, each releasing the might of a god.
There were no dragon roars or phoenix cries; it was very quiet, but the dragon bodies like mountain ranges and the phoenix bodies like star clouds were densely packed, stretching beyond sight.
This silence was enough to shake an Indestructible Infinite, like two iron-blooded armies.
Zhang Ruochen was deeply moved. The strength of the ancient beings exceeded his expectations. Under the leadership of the humanoid royal clans of the twelve ancient races, these two dragon and phoenix armies could sweep the universe.
The Hell Realm, relying only on the Upper Three Clans, would certainly be unable to stop them.
Yun Hunxuan was stirred, "It seems I guessed right. The Divine Musician is launching an all-out war against the upper realm today."
The Golden Clan Emperor said, "These dragon and phoenix nobles don't all come from the twelve clans. Could he have invited the Dragon Emperor and the Phoenix Emperor?"
"Your information is too outdated! I've heard that the Divine Musician has not only invited the Dragon Emperor and the Phoenix Emperor but also the Ghost Emperor. Moreover, the Ghost Emperor has already led a large number of ghost-type ancient beings to infiltrate the Hell Realm. Once the war on the front line erupts, they will launch their own operation," Yun Hunxuan said.
Under the twelve ancient races, there were large numbers of ghost-type and dragon-phoenix noble ancient beings.
Although ghosts and dragon-phoenix beings were inherently inferior to the humanoid royal clans, they had the advantage of greater numbers, and some prodigies could emerge, cultivating to heights that the humanoid royal clans could only dream of.
Gradually, some of these strong ones refused to submit to the humanoid royal clans and chose to establish themselves independently.
Among them, the Ghost Emperor, Dragon Emperor, and Phoenix Emperor had transcendent cultivations, declaring themselves emperors and standing on equal footing with the clan emperors of the twelve ancient races.
The clan emperors of the twelve ancient races naturally would not allow anyone to challenge their royal authority, leading to numerous conflicts. Some races were even at odds with the Three Different Emperors.
For this reason, the fact that the Divine Musician could invite the Dragon Emperor and the Phoenix Emperor surprised the Golden Clan Emperor.
"Whoosh!"
A white jade divine boat traced a beautiful arc, flying in from the edge of the sky.
"Both emperors, why haven't you entered? Are you waiting for this old man?"
An old man with seven heads was still in midair when he put away the white jade divine boat into his sleeve and descended from the sky with another person.
The old man's seven heads were each only the size of a fist, but his seven necks were quite long.
Except for the head that spoke, the other heads had their eyes closed. From the tops of those six heads, dense heavenly mechanism dao patterns emerged, indicating that these heads were not sleeping but operating at high speed, either calculating or comprehending the Dao.
From the six starlight dots on his forehead, it was clear that this old man came from a six-star ancient race, the Heavenly Mechanism Clan.
With the mountain master's backing, Yun Hunxuan had regained the arrogance he had when the Chaos Ancestor was alive, sneering, "The Heavenly Mechanism Clan Emperor has always been close to the Great Dark Mountain. I thought you would be the first to arrive, but you're also this late."
The Heavenly Mechanism Clan Emperor caught Yun Hunxuan's sarcasm and smiled, "I was delayed by some matters! Yun Emperor and Golden Emperor arrived late—were you also delayed? Huh, this one looks familiar!"
The Heavenly Mechanism Clan Emperor's gaze fell on Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen smiled calmly and did not respond.
In the memories of the Quantifier Emperor, he had met the Heavenly Mechanism Clan Emperor once, but that was many years ago. At that time, their cultivations were not particularly strong.
The Heavenly Mechanism Clan Emperor released his spiritual power to probe Zhang Ruochen, but Yun Hunxuan waved his sleeve to disperse it.
Yun Hunxuan intended to set a trap for the Heavenly Mechanism Clan Emperor and said coldly, "Casually releasing spiritual power to probe others—this habit of the clan emperor is not good. What if you provoke someone you shouldn't? You might regret it too late."
With that, Yun Hunxuan, the Golden Clan Emperor, Zhang Ruochen, and the Life Bone directly ascended the steps and walked toward the grand doors of the Primordial Hall.
The Heavenly Mechanism Clan Emperor said to the young man standing beside him, "Those two have restrained their aura, but I can sense they are very extraordinary. They really seem familiar. Who are they? Where have I seen them?"
The Heavenly Mechanism Clan Emperor's seven heads began to spin rapidly, like flipping through a book, recalling every event and every person he had encountered over the past million years.
The young man beside him, in a white robe and silver armor, was exceptionally handsome. He was none other than the possessor of the Great Radiance—Yu Zhuan.
Yu Zhuan looked at the four figures above and said, "It's not just extraordinary. I can feel that the two of them carry immense variables in the Heavenly Mechanism."
"I know who they are!"
The Heavenly Mechanism Clan Emperor calculated the result, and all seven heads opened their eyes at once, releasing blazing divine light.
...
Zhang Ruochen had been pondering whether Yu Zhuan was hiding among one of the twelve ancient races and repeatedly thinking about how to find him.
Who would have thought that as soon as he arrived at the Overlord Ridge, Yu Zhuan would take the initiative to appear?
Thinking about it, it made sense. If the twelve ancient races were about to launch an all-out war, there was no need for him to continue hiding.
If that were the case, the likelihood of the Nightmare Realm being hidden in the Heavenly Mechanism Clan increased significantly.
When the four entered the Primordial Hall, aside from the Heavenly Mechanism Clan Emperor, the other nine clan emperors had already arrived.
The Divine Musician sat atop the Primordial Divine Cloud, manifesting a three-thousand-zhang-tall dharma form, his aura as majestic as a divine mountain.
His face was not old, appearing to be only about thirty years old, with deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, and features as sharp as if carved by knives and axes, exuding a decisive and domineering temperament.
The other emperors did not manifest dharma forms, sitting in their designated seats.
The more noble the race, the further forward the clan emperor sat.
The Dragon Emperor and the Phoenix Emperor, attending the clan emperor council for the first time, sat above the Five Elements Five Clans, only below the Seven Stars Seven Clans. This was already a very high honor.
It not only signified that they had been recognized by the twelve ancient races but also represented their future status in the lower realm.
This infuriated the Golden Clan Emperor of the Five Elements Five Clans even more, as the Divine Musician had not even consulted him beforehand.
Thinking that he now had the mountain master and the Sacred Musician backing him, he felt a bit better, snorted, and sat down in his seat.
His seat happened to be below the Phoenix Emperor.
The Phoenix Emperor was wrapped in multicolored feathers, flowing with light and mist, reclining sideways on a wide chair. She had the stunningly beautiful face of a human woman, with jet-black hair drifting among the colorful feathers.
Just looking at that face, it was enough to be considered a beauty that could topple nations, and her lazy, seductive demeanor could make any man in the world forget that her body was covered in feathers, that she was a phoenix, and forget her danger.
The Golden Clan Emperor knew the Phoenix Emperor's prowess well, having suffered a great loss at her hands. So, facing her provocative gaze, he chose to ignore it and closed his eyes.
As the clan emperor of a two-star ancient race, Yun Hunxuan naturally sat at the left head seat, opposite the Tou Qi Sword Emperor, the clan emperor of the three-star ancient race, the Primordial Beginning Clan.
"Late, late! My apologies for keeping you all waiting!"
Yun Hunxuan walked forward, with Zhang Ruochen and the Life Bone following behind him.
Many clan emperors' gazes fell on Zhang Ruochen and the Life Bone, filled with curiosity. After all, not just anyone could participate in a council of this level.
Some recognized the "Sacred Musician," their eyes showing surprise, and immediately sent voice transmissions to allied clan emperors.
Yuan Sheng stared intently at Zhang Ruochen, who had transformed into the "Sacred Musician." Her eyes held both surprise and suspicion, and her heartbeat quickened.
Yuan Sheng's strong reaction put Zhang Ruochen under immense pressure.
These old fellows in the hall were all shrewd. How could they not notice her unusual expression?
If his identity was exposed and he was besieged by over a dozen Indestructible Infinites, even a Heavenly Venerable-level being would likely fall. Zhang Ruochen had no desire to be used as a sacrificial banner!
The Divine Musician, sitting above, had already locked his gaze entirely on Zhang Ruochen.
Those eyes seemed capable of piercing through time and space, seeing through reality and illusion, making Zhang Ruochen feel as if needles were pricking his back. He dared not show the slightest flaw.
Zhang Ruochen had not obtained all of the Quantifier Emperor's memories, but according to what Gong Nanfeng had said back then, the Divine Musician and the Immortal Musician might know the true identity of the Sacred Musician.
This could be Zhang Ruochen's greatest weakness and his biggest challenge today.
He had to gamble!
He gambled that Yuan Sheng was not an ungrateful woman.
Zhang Ruochen naturally took out the long flute, using it to prove his identity as the Sacred Musician.
Seeing the long flute, Yuan Sheng finally confirmed that the Sacred Musician before her was Zhang Ruochen. Because the Quantifier Emperor's long flute had fallen into Zhang Ruochen's hands.
She knew she had lost her composure just now, so she immediately stood up to remedy the situation, saying, "Sacred Musician, long time no see. Do you still remember me?"
As Yuan Sheng called out Zhang Ruochen's identity, the emperors present either stood up or sat up straight, their gazes focusing on Zhang Ruochen.
At that moment, the Heavenly Mechanism Clan Emperor and Yu Zhuan had just arrived at the entrance of the hall.
...
Tonight, I had already gone up to the rooftop, but finding no updates, I came back! I firmly believe that Boss Mei can lead me back to profit~