Chapter 464: Chapter 447: Sword Pointing to the Sky
Xie Tianhua certainly recognized the man and announced his identity.
"Announcing the arrival of Lord Lv Yuantian, Director of the Starlight Cultivation Academy!"
The Star Alliance had five great academies, and their five directors controlled an immense amount of power. They were the core figures of the Star Alliance, their depths unfathomable. For one of them to personally attend and show his support... what did that signify? It meant that Wang Meng was a figure acknowledged by the Star Alliance, and that his ascension to Sect Leader was officially sanctioned by them.
It was easy to imagine that once the ceremony concluded, news of this grand event would spread throughout the entire Star Alliance.
This level of prestige was nearly on par with the inauguration of a Sect Leader from one of the Ten Great Sects.
And yet, the one being inaugurated was merely a young man.
Yuu Kunlun smiled faintly. When he had ascended to his position, the only person of higher station to attend had been the Star Lord himself.
"Director, you came too," Wang Meng said, not putting on any airs in front of Lv Yuantian. A student would always be a student.
Lv Yuantian chuckled. "You really know how to stir things up, kid. Quite the grand affair. So many old friends are here."
"Old Lv, you certainly took your sweet time. Putting on airs, are we?" Yuu Kunlun laughed.
"I’m not putting on airs. I’m just the advance guard."
At Lv Yuantian’s words, Yuu Kunlun and the others were stunned. ’Surely the inauguration of a mere Holy Hall Master couldn’t have alarmed someone at the level of a Star Lord, could it?’
"Heh, the people from the Pure Land have arrived." Lv Yuantian didn’t leave them guessing.
The moment Lv Yuantian finished speaking, a seven-colored holy light descended from the heavens. A pair of silver-armored knights riding Qilins followed the light down. The Pure Land Knight Order!
Wang Meng was genuinely confused. He had no ties to the Pure Land. ’Could it be because of Mingren?’
The knight at their head stepped forward, bathed in a brilliant radiance, looking for all the world like a descending deity.
"I am Ji Guang, the humble Director of the Pure Land Knight Order. Congratulations, Sect Leader Wang."
"Director Ji, thank you. But I must admit, I’m a bit confused."
Wang Meng didn’t hide his confusion. Why would people from the Pure Land show up?
Ji Guang smiled faintly, not expecting Wang Meng to be so straightforward. "I’ve come today for two reasons. One is to congratulate you, Sect Leader Wang. The other is to deliver a message on someone’s behalf."
"Mingren?"
"Precisely. He said that if you disappoint him, he will annihilate the Holy Hall!" Ji Guang’s tone was completely emotionless.
The faces of the surrounding Holy Hall members changed drastically. They were shocked by Mingren’s ruthlessness, but also by the fact that he could command the presence of the Director of the Pure Land Knight Order himself.
’The Holy Hall has produced two incredible figures, it seems.’
All eyes turned to Wang Meng. This was an undisguised challenge. Clearly, Mingren saw Wang Meng as a worthy adversary.
Wang Meng smiled. "Then please trouble Director Ji with a message for me. Tell him that if his Holy Light Demon Collapse Body doesn’t advance further, he really won’t be qualified to fight me."
Ji Guang’s brow twitched. ’What arrogance. As things stand, the Holy Light Demon Collapse Body is the number one offensive Sacred Body.’
Among those present, perhaps only Yuu Kunlun knew that Wang Meng wasn’t exaggerating. ’It seems Wang Meng takes Mingren very seriously. It’s rare to see him act so domineeringly.’
There was no boastfulness in Wang Meng’s eyes, only sincerity. ’With Mingren, there’s no need for pretense!’
However, Ji Guang didn’t seem to take a liking to Wang Meng. After delivering the message, he prepared to leave. It appeared the congratulations were merely an afterthought; the true purpose was intimidation.
Unfortunately for him, Master Wang wasn’t easily intimidated.
Today, the expected guests had arrived, and so had the unexpected ones.
Yang Yingtian and Yang Molong no longer bothered to announce themselves. In a scene like this, what place did they have to speak? ’If only we’d known, we should have arrived in the first wave. It’s late, but at least we came.’
"Big words. I hope you can live up to them."
Ji Guang said this, nodded to Lv Yuantian and Yuu Kunlun, and didn’t even spare Yang Jian a glance before preparing to depart. The seven-colored light surged skyward once more as the Qilins roared. As the Director of the Pure Land Knight Order, there were indeed few people in the world worthy of his notice.
But just then, the cry of some kind of creature came from the distance.
The cries echoed, one after another. Some people were confused, but the likes of Yuu Kunlun knew what they were hearing. Even Lv Yuantian stood up, his expression grim as he stared into the distance.
Suddenly, five streaks of light appeared on the horizon. At the same moment, the entire crowd rose to their feet, dumbfounded.
Oh, gods!
Giant Dragons!
Five Giant Dragons!!!
The roars of the five Giant Dragons shattered the Pure Land’s seven-colored holy light, and they chased each other through the sky until they were circling high above the Holy Mountain.
The dragons’ roars echoed for a thousand miles, and all living things bowed in submission.
Surging Dragon Power enveloped the entire Holy Hall. Wang Meng felt the power within his own body surge, almost beyond his control. It was a power from a kindred source.
Finally, brilliant light burst from behind Wang Meng, and his Holy Statue appeared.
A majestic, crowned Giant Dragon soared into the air, gazing down upon the world with supreme arrogance.
’Is that... the Dragon Emperor Holy Statue???’
The five Giant Dragons lowered their arrogant heads as if in submission. A five-colored sphere of light appeared in the air and slowly descended onto the roof of the Holy Hall’s main palace on the Holy Mountain.
"...A Dragon Pearl! It’s a Dragon Pearl!!!"
"Oh gods! The Five Elemental Giant Dragons are presenting a Dragon Pearl!!!"
"A miraculous sight that appears only once in a thousand years!"
Everyone was awestruck by this immense display of power. At this moment, Wang Meng’s Dragon Emperor Holy Statue resonated with the five Giant Dragons in the sky. In all of heaven and earth, he alone was supreme!
This was the Master of the Holy Hall—Wang Meng!
Even the arrogant eyes of the Pure Land Knights revealed a look of shock. Ji Guang’s initial skepticism vanished. ’No wonder he was so arrogant,’ he thought. ’A Dragon Emperor Holy Statue!’
’Interesting. I just wonder what its abilities are.’
After depositing the Dragon Pearl, they circled once more, tore open a rift in space, and departed with a final roar.
For a long, long time, the Cultivators present could only stand there with their mouths agape, unable to process what they had just witnessed.
Even Yuu Kunlun and Lv Yuantian were stunned by Wang Meng. They had both assumed they were the final, most prestigious guests. But then the people from the Pure Land arrived. They thought that must be the climax, but then Giant Dragons showed up to present a Dragon Pearl.
Only Wang Meng knew that this Dragon Pearl must have been a gift from Dragon Emperor Tu Mu. A wave of guilt washed over him. ’He asked me to take care of his daughter, and I ended up swindling both her fortune and her affection. I’m so ashamed.’
Wang Meng’s calm expression made him seem even more profound and inscrutable to the people around him.
What was this?
This was true power! This was a true expert!
Unfazed by glory or dishonor!!!
Zhao Xinglun had completely lost his will to fight. He suddenly understood that competing with Wang Meng was the most foolish thing he could possibly do.
All this time, people had assumed Wang Meng was just relying on connections and flattering a few seniors. Only now did they remember: Wang Meng had been a genius from the moment he joined the Holy Hall!
A true genius!
A genius who could perform Sweeping Thousand Soldiers!
For so long, people had been disappointed by his seemingly mediocre performance after reaching Minor Perfection. But now they understood. Only equals can truly recognize one another. That’s why Mingren understood, why Lin Jinghao understood, why Jii Wanli was so wary, and why Ling Fei could also see it.
It was a resonance between those of the same caliber. If you couldn’t see it, that only meant one thing—you were too weak!
For some reason, tears began STREAMING down Zhang Xiaojiang’s face. The Little Fatty was overwhelmed with emotion. He had finally lived to see Brother Meng’s day of glory. Damn it, after living in constant fear for so long... He could already imagine the glorious future that awaited the Holy Hall under Wang Meng’s leadership.
The Holy Hall Disciples felt like they were about to explode. Their hearts pounded, their bodies burned with fervor, and their minds were driven to a near frenzy.
That’s right! This was their Sect Leader!
As she gazed at the five-colored Dragon Pearl, a serene smile remained on Hu Jing’s face. In this world, there were two people who understood Wang Meng with perfect clarity.
One was Mingren. At every stage, Mingren had been able to see Wang Meng’s extraordinary nature. In the end, they became rivals. That had been Mingren’s choice. He could have chosen to be a friend, but he hadn’t, because such a life would have been too lonely. And having made that choice, he would never permit Wang Meng to disappoint him. This was the obsession of a genius.
The other was Hu Jing. This intelligent young woman approached everything with logic. Though she hadn’t anticipated the spectacle of today, Hu Jing had always known that Wang Meng would succeed.
The Holy Hall Sword was the symbol of the Holy Hall Master. Originally, this honor was meant for Yang Ying, but she had given the opportunity to Hu Jing instead.
The girl who had always silently supported Wang Meng from the shadows.
Hu Jing solemnly handed the Holy Hall Sword into Wang Meng’s hands. At this moment, Wang Meng officially became the Holy Hall Master.
At this moment, Zhao Xinglun knew that the position of Holy Hall Master was forever beyond his reach.
When the sword was raised to the heavens, the entire Holy Mountain erupted in a cheer.
The pride and power that had long been suppressed within the Holy Hall Disciples burst forth. They saw hope, a path to realizing their dreams. In the days to come, all they had to do was follow Wang Meng and charge forward.
No looking back, no regrets. Even if it was a road of no return, they would walk it in a blaze of glory.
This was Wang Meng’s personal motto: he did not seek immortality, only a life lived in a blaze of glory.
This ceremony would be recorded in the annals of the Holy Hall. It was an unprecedented event in the Four Directions Small Thousand World, and a rarity even in the history of the Star Alliance.
But for Wang Meng, this was only the beginning of a new Chapter.
The Holy Hall’s celebration would last for three days. The Ten Thousand Demons Sect had, of course, prepared to stir up trouble; they even had plans to cause a disturbance at the Holy Hall itself. But now, all those plans had been strangled in the cradle.
With all the powerful figures gathered on the Holy Mountain, wouldn’t any attempt be a suicide mission, no matter how many they sent?
The Five Elemental Divine Dragons presenting the Dragon Pearl was the perfect finishing touch. It pushed the Holy Hall’s prestige to an unprecedented peak, making it peerless, at least for a time, in the Four Directions Small Thousand World. Cultivators were naturally inclined to follow the Mandate of Heaven, and right now, the Holy Hall was the very embodiment of that mandate.
The Dragon Pearl covered the entire Holy Mountain in a layer of Dragon Qi, and all kinds of legends spread like wildfire.
Both guests and hosts were thoroughly pleased. Wang Meng’s "Holy Statue" also became a hot topic among the younger generation of the Star Alliance.
Due to the sudden appearance of the Giant Dragons, no one got a perfectly clear look, but they were certain it was a dragon-type Holy Statue. Lin Jinghao of the No Illusion Demon Sect possessed the Nine Luminaries Cyan Dragon Body, and it was a known fact that anything related to dragons was bound to be powerful.
Although its specific abilities were unknown and its power unproven, it had at least proven itself worthy of the hype.
As for the other rumors, they were many and varied.
After this ceremony, the entire atmosphere of the Holy Hall changed. The younger generation’s rise to power was now a foregone conclusion. In the face of Wang Meng’s overwhelming prestige, any further opposition would be foolish. More importantly, key figures like Thunderbolt were all supporting him. From the perspective of the Holy Hall’s future, following Wang Meng clearly offered a path to greater heights.
Wang Meng didn’t immediately respond to the overtures made by Yang Yingtian. With his connection to Yang Ying, he wouldn’t outright refuse them, but some things couldn’t be decided by words alone. He would judge based on the Yang Family Castle’s future actions.
Wang Meng was no naive fool to be swayed by a few empty platitudes.
(It’s the middle of the month, so you know what that means... I’m asking for a few monthly tickets! ^_^) (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)