The group, momentarily lost in thought on the golden clouds, was only jolted back to reality by Granny Hua Geng's voice after ten breaths.
"Let's go. Once we descend to the Crystal Palace, the dragon's might suppression will disappear."
Qing Ling chuckled, "Granny, you seem very familiar with the Dragon Palace. You must have visited many times."
"Hehe, not exactly. I've only been here twice before, so this is my third time. When we reach the Dragon Palace's Sacred Rite Plaza, you must stay close to me and not stray an inch. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Got it."
The twelve Celestial realm clan members, along with the three of them, all nodded.
Granny Hua Geng descended from the clouds, leading them onto a ten-thousand-mile heavenly staircase paved with crystal. It was incredibly luxurious and pulsed with immense divine power.
As soon as they landed, a golden-armored shrimp soldier holding a divine trident approached them. He asked respectfully, "Which region or clan are you from among the Four Seas?" Although he was part of the Dragon Palace's defenses, with great cultivators and powerful beings arriving from all directions, he didn't know how many esteemed elders were present, perhaps even close friends of the Dragon Lords. It was not the time to be arrogant.
Granny Hua Geng replied with a faint smile, "General, we are from the Donghuang tribe, located at the border of the East Sea, the Xishan Serpent Clan."
"Oh, from Donghuang," the shrimp general said, pulling out a magical map and focusing on the East Sea. After a moment of searching, he found Donghuang's location. "Donghuang isn't too far from the Dragon Palace. You are quite lucky to have arrived safely."
Surprise flickered in Granny Hua Geng's eyes. She took out a piece of Xuanjin Gang Stone and handed it to the shrimp general, smiling, "General, we are from a small tribe in Donghuang and are not aware of the hidden details. We would appreciate it if you could enlighten us."
The shrimp general accepted the golden stone without hesitation. Such a high-grade spiritual ore was a rare sight in the deep sea. After receiving it, his smile deepened. "You must be the clan leader of Xishan, right? Please follow me to the Donghuang tribal area, and we can talk as we go."
Hua Geng naturally agreed, "Then we shall trouble you, General."
With that, the group followed the shrimp general through nearly a hundred diverging paths, listening to his words as they walked.
"Clan Leader Hua Geng, you may not know this, but during this Myriad Tribes Sacred Rite, some tribes from the West Sea, North Sea, and South Sea were mysteriously attacked on their way to participate. To this day, the Dragon Palace's Heavenly Patrol Mirror has detected over a dozen incidents. In some cases, entire tribes were wiped out, with only their Holy Son or Holy Daughter being abducted. Their intentions are unknown."
Hua Geng exclaimed, "What? Someone dares to defy the Dragon Clan's sacred decree? Are they not afraid of being soul-refined by the Patrol Supreme?"
"Alas, yes. How powerful is the Dragon Clan's might? Who would dare to provoke the Dragon's wrath?" The shrimp general then glanced around, making sure no one else was present, and whispered, "I heard whispers within the Dragon Palace that this matter is surely the doing of the Phoenix Clan and the Qilin Clan! I believe only these two clans in the vast Primordial World would have such audacity."
Granny Hua Geng's heart skipped a beat, but she merely smiled and said, "General, do not spread such baseless rumors."
"Haha, of course, of course. I am merely reminding the clan leader. You must be careful on your journey back. Although nothing has happened in the East Sea yet, it doesn't mean it won't happen in the future."
As they spoke, the group arrived at the eastern side of the Myriad Tribes Plaza in front of the Crystal Palace. A rough map of the Donghuang region was hung on the east side. Since outsiders could not understand the Dragon Clan's language, they could only display it visually.
"Clan Leader Hua Geng, the tribes of Donghuang are located in this area. Please do not wander off, lest your clansmen get lost. I have other escort duties and cannot stay long," the shrimp general said, pointing to a specific area.
Granny Hua Geng nodded and bid the shrimp general farewell with a smile.
Qing Ling surveyed their surroundings. The entire Myriad Tribes Plaza was shaped like a crescent moon, cradling the Dragon Palace.
Thousands of alien races were already seated or standing on the plaza. The Xishan tribe from Donghuang was the earliest to arrive, positioned in the northern part of the eastern side.
Granny Hua Geng instructed everyone to sit down, rest their minds, and ignore any external disputes.
Qing Ling, however, gazed at the entire Myriad Tribes Plaza. Regions of maps floated in the air above the plaza. In the Southern Wasteland Swamps, various alien races radiating a fiery aura were seated. Beneath the map of the Northern Absolute Heaven Domain, hundreds of ice-cold alien races stood. Other races from the Deep Abyss in the far west mingled, as did the Wood and Spirit races from the northeastern forests.
There were too many powerful individuals present for Qing Ling to dare use her divine sense to scan. She could only observe with her eyes and roughly estimate their power based on their auras. There were already a thousand Golden Immortals, over a hundred Grand Unity cultivators, and she even detected five or six Supreme Da Luo.
At this point, only a small portion of the Dragon Clan's tributaries, those who had set off early or were geographically closer, had arrived.
Without the Dragon Clan to maintain order, even the Supreme Da Luo sat motionless. The other Golden Immortals, having sense, dared not move casually.
After meditating for half a month, other tribes finally arrived in the Donghuang area.
They were led by a short old man, but his clansmen behind him were burly and exceptionally strong, all Golden Immortal Venerables. There were ten Golden Immortals in total, accompanied by two Grand Unity cultivators.
Upon seeing them, Granny Hua Geng stood up and led her clansmen in greeting, "The Xishan tribe greets the Mountain River Giant Apes, and Senior Shanku."
The short old man at the forefront smiled, "Clan Leader Hua Geng, you are too polite. Your Xishan tribe arrived quite early."
"We cannot compare to Senior's divine遁术 (dùnshù - escape arts). We could only set off in advance," Hua Geng replied with a humble smile. As their only non-hostile northern neighbor and a superior tribe, she naturally showed them great respect.
"Hehe, it has been a long time since you emerged from seclusion. The Xishan tribe is rich in talent. Perhaps in the future, you may even ascend to the status of a superior tribe!" Supreme Shanku chuckled. "When I arrived, I saw the old fellow Hei Wen leading the tribes of the Black Lizard Superior Tribe. The Giant Crocodile Superior Tribe should also be arriving soon. For now, let us sit quietly."
Hua Geng naturally agreed and instructed her clansmen to contract their area to within fifty feet, trying to make the Xishan tribe as inconspicuous as possible.
Two days later, Supreme Hei Wen of the Black Lizard Superior Tribe indeed arrived with eighteen Golden Immortal Venerables. He cast a cold glance at the Xishan tribe before sitting down cross-legged, paying them no further attention.
Several months passed, and more and more tribes filled the Myriad Tribes Plaza. Finally, nearly ninety-nine percent of the Myriad Tribes had arrived. The plaza was now home to over a hundred thousand alien races, yet the scene was not chaotic in the slightest. The Dragon Clan's order and authority were deeply ingrained.
In the thousand-zhang area designated for Donghuang, all the tribes were now seated. The Giant Crocodile Superior Tribe was led by a gray-robed woman, a Supreme Da Luo, dressed in extreme simplicity, accompanied by fifteen Golden Immortal Venerables.
The Spirit Toad King also arrived, leading eight Golden Immortal Venerables and twenty-four Celestial realm clansmen. Upon arrival, they had mocked the Xishan tribe for their lack of strength.
The Jun Tian Salamander tribe only sent one Grand Unity, three Golden Immortal Venerables, and eight Celestial realm clansmen. Like the Xishan tribe, they sat quietly and silently in a corner, completely shrouded in white robes, extremely low-key.
In the previous Myriad Beasts War, the Spirit Toad King, disregarding the dissuasion of numerous Golden Immortals, had launched a war of unification, annihilating and absorbing eight toad tribes, significantly increasing their strength.
The Tian Jun Salamander tribe had reduced the original seventy-two salamander tribes to thirty-eight, and their Golden Immortal Venerables now numbered fifty to sixty. In terms of Golden Immortal strength alone, they were no weaker than the Black Lizard Superior Tribe, the strongest in Donghuang.
Across the entire Myriad Tribes Plaza, the aura was overwhelmingly powerful and mixed. There were tens of thousands of Golden Immortal Venerables, over a thousand Grand Unity cultivators, and nearly a hundred Supreme Da Luo Golden Immortals!
The tribes participating in the Myriad Tribes Sacred Rite had only dispatched a portion of their strength, yet it was so terrifying. This formidable power did not dare to harbor any thought of resistance in the face of the Dragon Clan.
As time passed, ten more days went by, and the majestic sound of eighty-one divine bells resounded from within the Dragon Palace, shaking the hearts of all.
On the sea surface surrounding the Crystal Palace, the ocean suddenly churned, and waves surged a hundred thousand feet high. Eighty-one true dragons soared into the sky from the sea, roaming the nine heavens. Dragons brought forth wind and clouds, and rain descended from the sky. Golden light illuminated trillions of miles, and the entire Primordial World witnessed the dazzling and magnificent dragon might!