Chapter Ninety-Eight: Opening the Divine Court

A streak of sunlight pierced the clouds and came to the sacred and resplendent City of the Gods, proclaiming the arrival of a new day.

Clang, clang, clang...

Clear bell tones rose slowly, steady in rhythm and unchanging in volume, like a vast divine chant, resounding through every corner of the City of the Gods without hurry or pause.

At that moment, all beings within the city, whether divine or mortal, opened their eyes in unison, their faces filled with complicated emotions of excitement and unease.

Today, Divine Emperor Southern Descent would confer godhood upon the myriad gods from the God-Conferment Platform, and the Northern Wilderness would enter an era of unification led by the divine race.

Under the guidance of the divine clergy, the gods of the Northern Wilderness arrived one after another beneath the God-Conferment Platform, some soaring on divine radiance, some riding auspicious clouds, and some astride mounts.

The God-Conferment Platform was one of the most important divine stages in the City of the Gods, the place where the Divine Emperor enfeoffed the deities.

Though called a platform, it was in truth divided into upper and lower sections.

The upper section was the true God-Conferment Platform: ninety-nine hundred ninety-nine layers of white jade steps, encircled by sacred golden light, rising ten thousand zhang into the sky, magnificent beyond measure.

The lower section was the God-Conferment Square, entirely paved with gold bricks, stretching a million li in all directions, grand and imposing beyond compare.

By the time the gods of the Northern Wilderness arrived, all the divine beings of the city had already gathered there.

Looking at the densely packed gods of the divine race, whose countless beams of divine light shot up into the heavens and occupied nearly the entire God-Conferment Square, the gods of the Northern Wilderness finally understood just how many deities the divine race possessed.

Since its birth, the divine race had existed for only ten thousand years.

What was more, the divine race had always been as elusive as the head of a dragon, its tail nowhere in sight; no other beings could possibly know where they resided.

Aside from the occasionally active Divine Emperor and the Twelve Divine Lords, the rest of the world knew practically nothing about them.

This time, the gods of the Northern Wilderness, especially the Nine Lords of the Northern Wilderness, had come to the Peach Banquet with one purpose among others: to observe the divine race's foundations.

In the primordial world, the strong were sovereign.

For a powerful race, the first necessity was formidable top-tier strength, namely mighty Divine Lords.

The divine race possessed the Divine Emperor and the Twelve Divine Lords, thirteen Primordial Divine Lords in all. Add to that the many other Divine Lords, and it was obvious they possessed an overwhelming and invincible top echelon of power.

Second, if a strong race was to develop over the long term, it had to possess a sufficient number of young members with potential.

The strong were a race's reliance in the present; the young were its reliance for the future.

Without the strong, the race perished now; without the young, the race would certainly march toward extinction in the future.

Therefore, for any race that was to continue growing stronger, especially the newly founded divine race, both were indispensable.

"So the divine race actually has so many gods!" Xuantian Wu released his divine sense and swept across the entire God-Conferment Square in an instant, unable to suppress his amazement.

Within the square, apart from the space reserved for the gods of the Northern Wilderness, nearly every other area was occupied by the divine race, and even the sky had been claimed by them.

Wherever one looked, the many gods of the divine race stood like towering walls with no summit in sight, encircling the God-Conferment Platform at the center.

The gods of the Northern Wilderness stared dumbstruck at the scene, at those innumerable divine walls rising without end, and could not help but feel reverence well up in their hearts.

Judging from the scale of a square a million li across, there had to be at least ten million divine beings present.

A race established for only ten thousand years, yet already possessing more than ten million members.

The divine race truly could not be measured by ordinary standards.

Xuantian Ji rolled his eyes and surveyed the gods on the square. Astonished by their sheer number, he suddenly noticed something curious.

After a moment's reflection, Xuantian Ji went to Xuantian Wu's side and quietly sent a message: "My lord, it seems that most of the divine race's members are innate gods."

"Hm?" Xuantian Wu heard this and swiftly swept the square with his divine sense, only to discover that most of the divine race were indeed innate gods.

A playful smile appeared on Xuantian Wu's face as he thought to himself, "The divine race truly prides itself on its sacred nobility to such an extent that it accepts only innate gods."

"However, perhaps this is precisely the reason for your decline!"

From the start of the previous night, Xuantian Wu had kept his cold and stern expression; but now, as though ice and snow had melted away, a cheerful smile blossomed on his face.

"Good. Your observation this time was very careful," Xuantian Wu praised Xuantian Ji with a smile.

Boom!

The gods of the Northern Wilderness transformed into ten thousand streaks of flowing light and flew to the seats prepared for them by the divine race, waiting quietly for the conferment ceremony to begin.

At noon, the sun in the sky moved to the very center of heaven.

Woo, woo, woo! Boom, boom, boom! Clang, clang, clang!

Trumpets, war drums, and golden bells suddenly sounded together, shaking the heavens. The three sounds intertwined in harmony, blending into a magnificent divine anthem.

"Praise the Ancestor of Gods, who created the divine race; you are the forefather of the divine race, you are the god of all gods...."

"Praise the gods, who assist the Ancestor of Gods; you are the rulers of the divine race...."

As the grand divine anthem rose, the tens of millions of gods on the square all sang praise in unison, extolling the Divine Emperor and the gods.

The gods of the Northern Wilderness all looked on in astonishment at the divine race's fervent hymns and fanatic expressions, never expecting the divine race to spring such a move so suddenly; they had not prepared at all.

Upon the God-Conferment Square, the fanatic gods of the divine race and the calm gods of the Northern Wilderness formed a scene both harmonious and awkward.

Fortunately, this awkwardness did not last long. The Divine Emperor and the gods descended.

Boom...

Thirteen pillars of golden light burst forth from the thirteen divine palaces above the City of the Gods and descended upon the God-Conferment Platform.

Seeing the Divine Emperor and the gods arrive, the divine race became even more fervent, singing the hymns with greater excitement and praising the Ancestor of Gods and the gods.

Southern Descent wore a sacred golden crown and a sacred golden robe, sacred golden light circulating around him as he stood atop the ten-thousand-zhang God-Conferment Platform, looking down upon the tens of millions of gods like a sanctified being walking the world.

The Twelve Gods stood separately on the twelve sides of the platform, guarding the Divine Emperor Southern Descent at the center like sacred protectors.

Southern Descent smiled as he looked upon the ten million gods, raising both hands and pressing downward to signal for quiet.

An irresistible sacred might radiated from his body, sweeping toward the tens of millions of gods below.

All who were touched by that sacred pressure felt as though they had fallen into a sacred ocean, experiencing peace and serenity, and could not help but fall silent.

Even a Divine Lord such as Xuantian Wu, upon coming into contact with Southern Descent's sacred pressure, would also feel calm and tranquil.

Seeing the ten million gods remain peaceful beneath his sacred might, Southern Descent could not help but nod in satisfaction, quite pleased with his own divine power.

"Today is a great and sacred day. It is destined to be recorded in history forever, and remembered by all ages."

As Southern Descent's divine voice spread in all directions, the hearts of the ten million gods present suddenly surged with blood and excitement.

"Since the day Father God Pangu opened heaven and earth, since the birth of the primordial world, the myriad races of the primordial world have fought and slaughtered one another without cease. Worse still, the race of fierce beasts has ravaged the primordial world and brought harm to all living beings."

"To rescue all the common people of the world from suffering, I hereby resolve to establish the Divine Court."

"The Divine Court has only one goal: to unify all under heaven!"

Southern Descent's majestic and domineering declaration completely ignited the passion and fervor of the ten million gods of the divine race, and one after another they roared wildly:

"Divine Court!"

"Unify all under heaven!"

"Divine Court!"

"Unify all under heaven!"

"Divine Court!"

"Unify all under heaven!"