Chapter 2281 A Meeting Between A Sect And An Empire
The announcement could be heard all across the Capital city, making all those that heard it be shocked.
This was due to the fact that none of them knew the very Patriarch of the Flourishing Flower Sword Sect was going to be coming. Even the guards and soldiers were not informed of this, they were merely told that an important party would be arriving and to be alert at all moments.
They were even told to be ready for a conflict which was what had made them highly concerned.
After all a conflict that could happen directly in the Capital City was no small joke. Especially considering the fact that Emperor Feng himself was present in the city. For the city to be threatened in any way meant that the other party would have to watch the Emperor in their cultivation base.
Going up against a Transcendent Immortal was not a task that most could do, especially Emperor Feng who had overcome not one but two Transcendent Tribulations.
But the addition of the cultivators and the Flying Immortal Ships also made it extra risky since they could match the strength of an army too.
With all these factors, it was reasonable for the city to be on high alert. After all, there was no telling how things could do.
The Flouring Flower Sword Sect Patriarch looked at the city for a minute, his immortal sense expanding to cover a large area of it.
"They certainly prepared for my arrival." The Patriarch muttered.
"It is the least they could do Patriarch Yao." An elder standing next to him spoke. "After all, we are on an almost equal standing with them." He added.
"Hmm…" Patriarch Yao didn't say much after that and only waited for the 'welcome'.
~SHUA~
And sure enough, a few seconds later a man dressed in regal looking robes appeared. His sported a thick beard and the dignity of a ruler that could only be obtained through years of work. This was none other than Emperor Feng of the Dao Wind Empire!
Accompanying him were the members of the court, and numbered in the fifties. The weakest among them was at the Fifth Tribulation Stage of the Immortal realm, showing the might of the Dao Wind Immortal Court. "Patriarch Yao Hanglu… Welcome." Emperor Feng greeted the man.
"Emperor Feng… It's been a while." Patriarch Yao replied in an emotionless tone.
"Come, we'll talk in the Imperial Court." Emperor Feng replied while glancing at the thousands of cultivators that the Patriarch had brought with him. "You can bring an equal number of your people as the court members in." He stated.
"Very well." Patriarch Yao already knew something like this was going to happen.
The members of the Flourishing Flower Sword Sect he had brought with him were merely as a show of force. After all, he had not been summoned here for a 'good' thing.
There was no telling how the talks could go and as such it was important for him to be prepared for anything.
If he were to walk in foreign territory in a foreign world alone, it would be the stupidest mistake that he could make. For a person of his standing, it was important to maintain a level of authority at all times.
~SHUA~
Emperor Feng descended to the Grand Palace along with Patriarch Yao while the Imperial Court members and an equal number of Sect members followed. The sect members that were following were all those of the highest rankings in the sect, below the patriarch, as such it wasn't hard for them to sort themselves.
The Imperial Court was as impressive as always and could be seen from the reactions of the sect members. While they didn't say it out right, the shock was obvious from their expressions.
'Immortal Green Gold, Thousand Refined Soft Silver, and Immortal gems… Just the sheer amount of materials used to make this Immortal Court would be enough to buy several peaks and run the Flourishing Flower Sword Sect for a century.' The elders thought.
'I had known that the Dao Wind Empire was wealthy but to this extent…' it was clear that they were certainly not expecting this.
Of course, it was not their first time seeing the court of a ruler, as Zhuang World had kingdoms and empires too. But of course, unlike the Rust Sky world, they weren't as strong or influential.
Instead, it was the Immortal Sects that were the true power in the Zhuang World.
And among them, the Flourishing Flower Sword Sect was among the top three. As such they could easily be considered a power on the same level as the Dao Wind Empire. After all, even the Rust Sky World had multiple empires that had been maintaining a certain power balance.
But despite that, the wealth of the Dao Wind Empire seemed to exceed what the Flourishing Flower Sword Sect seemingly had.
The elders all wondered just how long it would take to accumulate something like this. What they were seeing in the Imperial Court was merely the surface too, as the real wealth would be hidden and would only be accessible to the nobles.
Even as the Elders of the Flourishing Flower Sword Sect, they knew that the sect didn't have enough wealth to make anything like this. While their Sect Palace might have formation arrays that might be on the same level in terms of defense, it was a lot more modest in terms of appearance.
Everyone took their places while the Elders continued to think all this. The Court had been modified for the arrival of the Flourishing Flower Sword Sect, and more seats had been added.
In a way the Imperial Court was now mirrored, as another throne, albeit a bit smaller sat opposite the main throne along with the seats on its sides. It was clear that these were all meant for the people of the Flourishing Flower Sword Sect.
"How long has it been since we last met, Patriarch Yao?" Emperor Feng spoke after having taken his place at the throne.
"Seven Thousand Years I believe." Patriarch Yao replied. "At the "Ah yes, at the Grand Gathering of our worlds." Emperor Feng spoke. "The Rust Sky World, the Three Aster World, Misty Sea World and finally the Zhuang World…" he said recalling his old memories.
A few of the elders who were in attendance back then couldn't help but remember it too. It was a Gathering that only happened once every ten thousand years, and as such was a special occasion. It not only gave the four neighboring worlds a chance to interact, it also gave the powers of the worlds a chance to demonstrate their strength.
This was done in the form of a tournament which allowed the talented people of the worlds to fight and learn from each other. On some level this was even more popular than the Tournament of the Four Guardian beasts, as it was on an even larger scale and happened less often. Not to mention, it involved people of various worlds, so the difference in their skills, techniques and talents was a lot more.
Everyone that participated in it got to experience a greater variety of things, as such it was a highly popular event.
Not to mention, it also allowed the four neighboring worlds to decided on their rankings, which helped them in establishing a better rapport with the Immortal Court.
For a long time the Rust Sky World had been ranked at the top amongst the four worlds. While the Zhuang World and Three Aster World both fought for the second position. It had changed several times over the past few Grand Gatherings, and it was almost a tradition for them to take turns to have the position.
As for the Misty Sea World, it had always ranked last among the four worlds.
Though it was through no fault of its own as it was a rather harsh world. It was an Immortal World, but it lacked landmass for any large power to have time to grow properly. Not to mention, it wasn't just humans that lived there either. The race of Merpeople and several other aquatic races lived there too, making the humans a minority. Technically speaking though, the Misty Sea World wasn't truly weak, it was simply that the power laid in the hands of the aquatic races and not the humans.
And due to the restrictions that these races had, they couldn't really participate in the Grand Gathering. Though it wasn't something they really desired anyways, thus it was never a matter of interest for them, leaving only the singular human power of the Misty Sea World to participate.
As such the world lost out even in terms of the manpower needed.
Among the four words, only the top three had truly been in a state of competition and as such conflicts also happened during it. "I remember back then you were not the patriarch." Emperor Feng spoke again. "But you did become one during the gathering. Can you tell me how that happened again?" he added, a serious expression on his face.