Chapter 1661: Crowding Around!

Chapter 1661: The Crowd Surrounds!

Zhou Zhou nodded.

Zhang Fugui silently stepped back.

Carla Moira stepped forward, speaking with respectful dignity:

"Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, after our territory has advanced to the second-tier Supreme Divine Level, our 'Other Shore Holy Vessel' now boasts 500 jin of priests, 500 jin of deacons, 500 jin of nuns, and 50 million Life Holy Knights."

"These holy personnel are sufficient to carry out combat healing and resurrection tasks at the level of the Fifth Sister."

"Furthermore,"

"Currently, our Other Shore Holy Vessel has reached 500 million supreme-tier holy officials!"

"Each of them possesses mastery over both minor and major resurrection spells, enabling them to independently resurrect our nation's divine offerings."

"My power has already surpassed its limits, reaching the pinnacle of the second-stage Supreme God tier. Currently, I can resurrect approximately fifty Supreme Gods at the fourth stage or below each day."

Zhou Zhou nodded.

A thought stirred within him.

He would need to elevate the Beyond-Realm Holy Boat to the unrivaled, singular Master-tier ability. Only then could he begin resurrecting Supreme Will-tier beings.

The Yellow Spring Imperial Sword in his hand can only resurrect one Supreme Will-tier being—or lower per day.

That number is far too small.

Each day, numerous near-Supreme Will-tier beings are now ascending to the Supreme Will tier.

One resurrection slot is utterly insufficient.

More is required.

Afterward, Zhou Zhou conversed with them a moment longer before dismissing them to their quarters.

Then, with a mere stir of his intent, he summoned the seven newly ascended Supreme Will realm powerhouses to his side.

Following a few brief words exchanged with them, he unleashed his boundless power once more.

In the next heartbeat, the heavens and earth shifted.

He stood once again within the Supreme Domain.

Arriving in this sublime realm anew, Zhou Zhou moved with the ease of familiar routine, leading his subordinates directly toward the grand welcoming feast.

Along the way, he encountered numerous other powerhouses of the Supreme Will realm traveling to the celebration.

Unlike the night before, these supreme entities were now visibly brimming with a far deeper, unbridled enthusiasm.

They clustered around Zhou Zhou, showering him with warm solicitude and tender inquiries, as though he, and not the seven newly ascended Supreme Will realm powerhouses, were the true protagonist of this grand feast.

Zhou Zhou, of course, was well aware of the origin of their sudden devotion.

If his previous success in cultivating two Supreme Will realm powerhouses could be dismissed as a stroke of mere fortune,

then his feat this time—breathing life into seven new Supreme Will titans all at once—could by no means be chalked up to luck.

By now, these supreme beings had come to a collective realization.

The Emperor of Common People possessed, without a shadow of a doubt, a secret method or a divine talent capable of endlessly mass-producing masters of the Supreme Will realm.

Though they themselves had already attained this supreme zenith, their subordinates had not.

If they could only push their own followers into the Emperor's good graces and see them emerge transformed into Supreme Will powerhouses, would they not gain a peerless vanguard of the highest order?

Who could possibly look upon such a prospect without burning with desire?

And conversely...

If there existed a powerhouse of the Supreme Will realm who, cloaked in lofty aloofness, disdained to curry favor with Zhou Zhou and cared nothing for nurturing others of their own kind,

then beneath the relentless tide of shifting fortunes, while rival masters gathered an ever-growing vanguard of Supreme Will allies to their banners, this solitary rogue would remain entirely alone, and the yawning chasm between them would inevitably lay bare.

As time wore on,

those who had once stood as equals in the Supreme Will realm would find the distance between them widening into an unbridgeable gulf.

The eternal truth that the lagging are doomed to be beaten would eventually catch up even with such an unyielding, solitary soul.

Thus, if they wished to escape the sting of defeat, currying favor with Zhou Zhou became an absolute necessity.

Zhou Zhou, for his part, did not meet them with a cold or distant air; instead, he laughed and conversed with these supreme masters as though they were cherished old friends.

This only deepened the admiration these Supreme Will powerhouses felt for him.

In their long lives, they had seen far too many who achieved fame in their youth only to become blinded by arrogance.

Yet a young powerhouse who had risen to early renown while remaining genuinely humble was a rarity they had seldom, if ever, encountered.

The Celestial Sovereign Emperor was undoubtedly a man of this nature.

Merely his innate humility and warm, approachable demeanor caused the supreme will-bound masters to believe that this Celestial Sovereign Emperor possessed a vast and promising future.

The Supreme Will itself, selecting him as the final reserve candidate for the Supreme Lordship, was not without reason.

Indeed, there was something unique about the Celestial Sovereign Emperor—something that no other candidate for Supreme Lordship possessed.

Thus,

more and more of the supreme will-bound masters gathered around Zhou Zhou’s side.

By the time they arrived at the welcome banquet venue, it had become a scene of rare wonder.

Those other supreme will-bound masters and Law-born beings who had arrived earlier at the banquet site stared in astonishment, their hearts filled with awe at Zhou Zhou’s rising prestige.

It made perfect sense.

In just two days, he had cultivated nine supreme will-bound masters.

Whoever came would receive such treatment.

Even more so, since they were personally chosen by the Supreme Will itself as a candidate for the Supreme Lord.

Given all these circumstances, the Commoner Emperor’s Status stood out as exceptionally worthy of alliance in the eyes of the myriad Supreme Will-tier beings.

After Zhou Zhou arrived, he had originally intended to sit down.

Yet there were so many Supreme Will-tier beings surrounding him, engaging in conversation with him, that if he sat, all the others would have to stand and speak to him.

No matter how mediocre his social grace, Zhou Zhou knew such a situation was improper. So he simply led the entire gathering to a spacious corner, where he could freely converse with these Supreme Will-tier beings.

Most of these beings would eventually be entrusted with protecting his enigmatic caravan as it conducted trade across the Ultimate Void Cosmos.

Establishing a solid rapport with them would undoubtedly prove beneficial.

A moment later.

The Heavenly Punishment God, the Spring-Autumn Law Master, and the Universal Demon Master all arrived together.

When they saw Zhou Zhou surrounded by the mightiest of the Supreme Will Realm beings, they first stared in astonishment—then comprehension dawned upon them, and they smiled softly.

As the smile grew, the Heavenly Punishment God mused:

"There's a saying from Earth that holds true."

"A new generation replaces the old."

"I was once as illustrious as He."

"But now, the one standing there is merely my younger brother."

The Spring-Autumn Law Master shook his head, chuckling.

"You were once renowned because you invented a Will Technique capable of summoning your own future self from a timeline beyond time."

"Because that technique was universally applicable, almost every Supreme Will Realm master could learn it—thus, you achieved such prominence."

"At that time, you had already been circling the realm of supreme will for many years, achieving such feats and gaining the glory of that era."

"And what about our third brother?"

"He is no longer even a master of supreme will—yet he has already achieved such accomplishments."

"Eventually, his future achievements will surpass ours at the same level."

The Heavenly Punishment God chuckled, teasingly, then spoke with a touch of reflection.

He had to admit it.

As each of Zhou Zhou's deeds became known and celebrated among the most powerful beings of the highest cosmic realm, even he—so proud—felt a growing sense of urgency.

A sense that the future might see his younger successors catch up, and even surpass him.

To this, he wasn't truly anxious. Instead, there was a deep, bubbling excitement.

For a very long time...

He had not encountered a foe capable of instilling such urgency into him in so long.

Even the present Spring and Autumn Law Master had not managed to do so for a very long time.

Once, perhaps, he could.

But the current Spring and Autumn Law Master—despite all his might—still fell short of creating that sense of urgency in him.

It was the newly arisen Celestial People Emperor who could truly do so.

Even the Heavenly Punishment God King found this sensation strange.

Though the gap between them in power was a hundred thousand miles and more,

the Heavenly Punishment God King could still sense a palpable urgency emanating from the other.

That urgency did not stem from their current strength, but from the incomprehensible potential, and from the methods so astonishing that even he found them utterly bewildering.

For example, at this very moment, Zhou Zhou's ability to nurture nine powerholders of the Supreme Will Realm in a mere two days.

Even the Heavenly Punishment Divine King himself felt a profound sense of helpless awe, like a traveler gazing at a vast, untamable ocean.

There was no comparison.

Absolutely no comparison.

Even if he were to augment his own capacity for cultivating subordinates thousands, or tens of thousands of times over, he still could not claim with any certainty that he could forge nine Supreme Will Realm powerholders in the span of two days!

Yet the Emperor of Common People had achieved it.

Such was the man's sheer capability!

A capability that forced even his own absolute admiration.

"By the way."

"Is there any news regarding those one hundred Supreme Will Realm subordinates you entrusted to Third Brother for cultivation last time?"

A thought struck the God-King of Heavenly Punishment, prompts him to question the Law Master of Spring and Autumn.

"There is news,"

The Law Master of Spring and Autumn nodded with a smile, then sighed with emotion, "They tell me that a quasi-Supreme Will realm being has successfully comprehended its own Will Technique. Next, it only needs to combine this Will Technique with the power of the Supreme Will realm to condense a Will Source Core and formally ascend into a Supreme Will existence."

"It defies imagination; only a single day has passed."

"Yet already there are such remarkable results."

"My subordinate remarked that the cultivation environment within the Divine Kingdom of the Radiant Sun is simply beyond belief. Since they joined and became citizens of the Radiant Sun, both their innate comprehension and karmic luck have dramatically multiplied, and the corresponding cultivation resources are plentiful to an incredible degree. Furthermore, they possess an abundance of Supreme Will realm inheritances available for reference and study."

"To hear them tell it,"

"They feel that if they cannot ascend to the Supreme Will realm under such conditions, they would deem themselves utter failures."

Finishing his account,

The Law Master of Spring and Autumn shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Like how they existed alongside me in the Sun's Radiance Kingdom, they remain with me, as if enduring suffering."

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Punishment Emperor burst into laughter—then, as an idea struck him, his laughter gradually faded.

"I asked them about the cultivation environment in the Sun's Radiance Kingdom, and they said it was hard to describe."

"I originally thought that fellow had signed some non-disclosure agreement with the Sun's Radiance Kingdom, binding him not to reveal any secrets of their cultivation environment—thus, he wouldn't tell me about it."

"But now, after you've said this, I finally understand."

"Could it be that he simply fears—should he speak, it might harm me? That's why he refuses to speak?"

"Ha ha ha..."

Now it was the Spring and Law Master who burst into laughter.

To witness the Heavenly Punishment Emperor's face, so utterly absurd, had been a phenomenon unseen for ten thousand years.

The arrival of the Heavenly Punishment Emperor's reserve forces—Zhou Zhou had, of course, seen it too.

Yet, ensconced as He was amidst the convergence of these supreme will-bound sovereigns, escape proved an impossibility, leaving Him no recourse but to offer a distant, acknowledging greeting.

And before much longer had slipped away.

The harmonious and reverent chorus of a legion of law-born entities suddenly resounded, arresting the attention of all assembled.

"We humbly welcome the Solar Emperor and the Lunar Empress to the grand welcoming celebration!"

Zhou Zhou and His companions brought their idle conversations to a close, moving in unison to line both sides of the pathway, preparing to receive the descent of the Solar Emperor and the Lunar Empress.

Though these two sovereign deities occupied the realm of the supreme will, their true martial might had broken through to the level of will-transcendence, positioning them not merely at the lower echelons, but firmly within the middle or even upper tiers of that transcendent state.

In the presence of such formidable titans, even one as fiercely proud as the God-King of Heavenly Punishment was compelled to offer His profound respect.

At that moment, the Solar Emperor and the Lunar Empress walked side by side into the welcoming banquet.

The very instant the two masters of the divine court caught sight of Zhou Zhou waiting quietly by the wayside, their eyes kindled with a sudden brilliance, and completely disregarding the ceremonial retinue following in their wake, they quickened their pace directly toward Him, leaving Zhou Zhou momentarily struck with surprise.

"Worthy brother."

The Sun Emperor smiled gently and said,

"Brother."

The Moon Emperor likewise smiled and addressed Zhou Zhou in the same manner.

Zhou Zhou was bewildered.

When had he actually acknowledged these two as his esteemed elder brothers?

"Ha ha ha..."

The Sun Emperor burst into laughter, taking Zhou Zhou's hand and leading him directly to the seating area, placing him squarely in the first seat.

Then, he and the Moon Emperor seated themselves in the second and third seats respectively.

Now, not only was Zhou Zhou himself taken aback—

even the Heavenly Punishment God King, the Spring and Autumn Law Master, the Ten Thousand Evil Demon Master, and all other beings of Supreme Will were silently stunned.

This... the Sun Emperor and the Moon Emperor, are being so kind to Zhou Zhou?

They've both bowed themselves to the lowest position, yielding the highest first seat to the People's Emperor???

Zhou Zhou himself felt a bit bewildered.

He wanted to rise, yet retreated under the earnest gazes of the Sun Emperor and the Moon Emperor.

The Moon Emperor seemed to sense Zhou Zhou's discomfort, and gently reassured him:

"Brother, don't worry."

"The supreme will won't be seated today, so the first seat has always been vacant."

"And you, after all, are the one who cultivated nine supreme wills—far surpassing those seven newly emerged supreme wills. In fact, they are not the true stars of this welcome feast. You are the true centerpiece."

"If you don't sit here, who will?"

"Even if we did sit here, it would be utterly inappropriate."

"Only you should be sitting here."

Zhou Zhou was naturally a carefree and loose-limbed person.

Hearing that everyone had said such things, he set aside his hesitation and sat down here boldly and openly.

At that moment, the Sun Emperor smiled gently and asked:

"Brother, do you know why I and the Empress of the Shadow Moon call you 'brother'?"

Zhou Zhou didn't hesitate at all—he simply replied, "Because those two are about to enter the Precursor of Supreme Will?"

He had just finished reviewing the battle summary of today, and naturally knew that among the fifteen Precursor of Supreme Will who had entered the Palace of Reincarnation to meditate and prepare for a breakthrough, two came from the Sun God Court and the Shadow Moon God Court.

Now that the Sun Emperor and the Empress of the Shadow Moon were treating him so warmly, after careful thought, Zhou Zhou could only come up with this explanation.

"Exactly,"

the Sun Emperor laughed heartily, "Brother, I never thought that just one day after I handed you 500 Supreme Gods, you'd give me such a magnificent surprise."