Within the Myriad Monarch Sect's Pentao Dao Mountain Range, the surge of activity was erupting amongst the members. The majority of the upper-echelon were summoned, brought to the first level of the Extreme Monarch Mountain.
There was a long list of experts gathered from Earthly General-rank Elders, Heavenly Commanders-rank Elders, Imperial Sages, Prime Imperial Sages, and Tuo Bihan, the only Realmlord and Grand Imperial Sage of the sect. They were all situated at the base of the Extreme Monarch Mountain, and they were all looking towards the Void Gate.
Tuo Bihan had returned from the Auric Sea, and his first course of action was to use his authority at Grand Imperial Sage, the cultivator with the highest authority with an absent Grand Monarch, to initiate an Imperial Summons. This evoked his power to immediately gather all available experts within the confines of the planet.
As for those outside of it, their objective was to return to the sect at the earliest moment. The only times an Imperial Summons had been used was related to war, conflicts that would determine the entire course of the starfield's hierarchy. They had been ganged up by three hegemonic forces before, forcing them to suffer continuous defeats and only surviving by the intervention of the San Clan.
If it wasn't for that action of theirs, the Myriad Monarch Sect might not exist today, but they were certain that neither would any of the other three hegemonic powers. Even against three, they were fearless. And if they had to prove why this was so, then the three hegemonic forces would understand how the character for 'regret' was written.
Tuo Bihan was dressed in a loose grey robe, giving off the feeling of a casual, gentle, and playful elder that slept all night and rested all night. Yet no one present would ever underestimate this figure. He was the only Grand Imperial Sage, a genuine Realmlord, and to add for style, he was an Emperor Alchemist.
"Grand Sage." A group emerged out of thin air, arriving from another Void Portal. There was no indication of their arrival to most, but Tuo Bihan felt the spatial fluctuations emitting briefly prior. Tuo Bihan turned to see them greeting him with humble bows, and he faintly smiled.
"What would the little boss think if he knew I let you bow to me?" Tuo Bihan waved his hand to lift the leading figure up. The force used was extremely gentle. His chuckle and words caused the various elders to curiously inspect the new arrivals. The other arrivals all had to bow, so they were curious.
But when everyone looked over, not a single member amongst the crowd felt his words were too much, unfair, or unnecessary. In fact, if they were in Tuo Bihan's situation, they might go into a fierce panic if they saw her bow, feeling as if she was trying to force that grand figure to be displeased with them.
The figure was none other than Xue Yifei, the only official concubine of the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn! The youngest Emperor Alchemist in history, and leading figure of the new era! Her beauty was phenomenal, capable of taking one's breath away.
Her resplendent hazel-colored eyes with flecks of navy blue was highlighted by her rich caramel skin. With a slender, willowy bodily figure that carried a pair of exquisitely shapely and ample breasts, she was utterly tantalizing to the visual senses. Dressed in sanguine-colored combat attire that accentuated her figure, she seemed to be a mixture of a valiant and sexy beauty.
"Grand Sage, he would not mind." Despite saying this, she didn't try to bow again to show her respect. Behind her was a group of fifty elite cultivators that she had recruited of her own sub-faction as a Valkyrie. This was in accordance with Wei Wuyin's suggestions. There would be two sets of Ascendants that he'll handle, his own personal unit of Ascendants and the Ascended Army.
Hong Chunhua was the First Commander of the Ascended Army, while Zuhei was a member of his personal unit of Ascendants that had yet to be named. The Valkyrie will count as a personal sub-unit of select individuals, and they will have authority to establish their own forces. If they desire, they can even establish sects.
She realized that Wei Wuyin didn't want a single power force, but a congregation of elite powers nurtured by not just him but them individually. If she were to guess his intentions, it was as if he wanted them to have their own personal army for protection or uses.
This gave her ill-feelings. It was as if he was saying: "I want you to establish your own force so that when I'm gone, you'll be safe." The feeling wasn't just shared by her, but even the other members of Valkyrie were of this idea. The issue is they couldn't discuss this with him due to his exploration of the Gateway Door.
Still, none of them wasted their time. She had established her own personal army called the Bloodforge Dragon Unit. They were made up of females. There wasn't a single man that was willing to join her force, for fear of being quietly removed by Wei Wuyin. As Wei Wuyin's concubine, she shouldn't be close to any male figure. And she was aware of this, not risking creating a single misunderstanding.
Not a single one of these women were weak, with all of them being at the Astral Core Realm. They had just been summoned back by the sect. After all, they might be her own unit, but Wei Wuyin's Ascendants was a Faction formed within the Myriad Monarch Sect. They were all a part of the sect.
Tuo Bihan liked the intelligence that Xue Yifei had shown. Despite being within the Auric Sea, he could easily extract reports from outside by having them send updates through Void Gates that led to the Auric Sea. He was well aware of their activity and continuous reclaiming of continental flat earths and portions of planets.
Xue Yifei was the only individual that claimed an continental flat earth. Despite her small force, she exhibited good battle sense and combat abilities. With her own cultivation reaching the Sky Ruler Phase, was she unmatched by those outside of the sect. To have beauty, brains, talent, and strength was a combo package that was extremely hard in this world.
"Grand Sage, may I ask why we're here?" She was curious, and so was everyone else. An Imperial Summons was not to be used lightly and it was only used to declare war. Furthermore, Tuo Bihan was watching over the Gateway Door, why was he back?
The others were also curious, and one impatient Heavenly Commander received a faint wave that forced him to kneel for an entire five minutes for his lack of bearing and patience. But they all knew that Tuo Bihan wouldn't dare do the same to Xue Yifei.
Tuo Bihan smiled in response, "I'll explain when everyone's here."
The Heavenly Commander that was forced to kneel cursed underneath his breath, but he couldn't blame Tuo Bihan. He cursed Xue Yifei's luck. If he had been born a female, wouldn't he have a chance to become a concubine of Wei Wuyin?
Xue Yifei nodded and brought her unit to an empty area. That's when another familiar group arrived. But this group caused the crowd to rustle about with a bit of tension in the air.
A pair of crystal clear yet fiercely regal eyes descended on the crowd, causing them to feel a little suppressed, as if before royalty. Her peach lips and outstanding figure that rivaled Xue Yifei's was accompanied by dark-colored hair. The bearing she possessed was unmatched by everyone present. Around her slender neck was an unassuming black ring tied by a string, and the ring itself was nestled comfortably between two ample peaks.
When Tuo Bihan turned to face her, he didn't smile, and his expression was stern and respectful. "Grand Princess," Tuo Bihan gave a faint bow. An utmost show of respect that a Grand Imperial Sage could give a Grand Princess!
She was none other than Wu Baozhai. Her unit was formed from Earthly Elites and Sky Nobles, a mixture of males and females of various races. They were selected carefully and properly nurtured. They were all dressed in a uniform set of gold and white heavy armor. A bloodthirsty and fierce aura permeated from their eyes.
The crowd went into a wild fervor of discussion and transmissions. A year ago, another member of the Grand Monarch Lineage had emerged. To add, she was a member of the Ascendants! With her present, and the backing of Ascendants, she was accepted in direct contention with Long Chen's right as Grand Prince! While there have been multiple Grand Princes before contesting for Grand Monarch, this was the first time a female was selected!
Furthermore, she was terrifyingly fierce!
Within the span of a year, she had reclaimed the most territory out of all factions, and a large portion of a planet. She paved her name on the wall in blood. The Demonic Abyss Mountain members could only perish before her might.
Wu Baozhai bowed to Tuo Bihan, showing her respect. Her eyes met Xue Yifei's and a competitive light radiated from their eyes. They were two members of Valkyrie, but their positions were also different. As a woman of endless ambition, she had reservations about Xue Yifei.
After experiencing vast improvements in her cultivation, even establishing the Nine-Ringed Soul Idol in the shortest period of time, she was aware that the resources she could enjoy would be a level below Xue Yifei. Even if she became Grand Monarch, this wouldn't change.
After all, she was the only official concubine of Wei Wuyin. And she was aware that even if she became Grand Monarch, she couldn't exert authoritative power over Wei Wuyin. They were competing quite often, yet Xue Yifei was only slightly inferior to her due to numbers and restrictions on gender.
Tuo Bihan had already received notice that the other members who've been very high profile lately, such as Hong Ru, Xiao Bing, Lin Ziyan, and Na Xinyi were in closed door seclusion, attempting to enter the Soul Idol Phase. The other members of the Ascendants were occupied, unable to answer the summons immediately.
Therefore, only these two were present.
A few more groups arrived before the gathering time for the Imperial Summons had ended. Tuo Bihan took the stage, floating above the sky as the eyes of everyone looked towards him from below.
Sweeping his gaze over the world, he announced: "We're traveling to planet Wuyu! Your job is to be prepared for anything. We might face experts far beyond our means! Treat this as a war, and be ready to fight with your life on the line."
Tuo Bihan's announcement shook the crowd, but they grew silent immediately. A fierce, violent, and honed aura emitted from them all. Every last Myriad Monarch Sect expert was forged in battle and competition! Which one of them hasn't fought with their lives on the line?
The dogma of the Myriad Monarch Sect had never accentuated talent, but hard work and intelligence. Your competition wasn't just those outside, but even those inside. With this mindset, they were almost always ready to fight.
Seeing this, Tuo Bihan glanced at Xue Yifei and Wu Baozhai. These two women were competitive and fierce. He faintly smiled, "Your Ascendant Emperor will also be there!" When he said this, the light in everyone's eyes brightened considerably.
Wasn't this also a chance to show off their ability to Wei Wuyin? To earn his favor? The prospect invigorated their battle wills further.
As for Xue Yifei and Wu Baozhai, their eyes radiated with different emotions. The former was in disbelief, and then a large smile that dazzled the world revealed itself. As for Wu Baozhai, she was conflicted. There was even a faint thought in the back of her mind. It kept asking: should she?
"Good! Let's go!" Seeing the blazing fervor within their eyes, Tuo Bihan waved his hand to send the Void Disk towards the Void Gate. It entered and light started to erupt!
