Chapter 1681: Promotion to First-Order Supreme Kingdom!

Chapter 1681: Advancement to the Next Rank of the Supreme Realm!

Power breeds confidence.

At this moment, Zhou Zhou felt no fear facing the battle with Chongqiu's Master tomorrow.

Then suddenly, an idea struck him. He immediately reached out mentally to Zhou Zheng.

The next instant, he saw Zhou Zheng appear before him, cradling a physical official document, hunched over his desk.

While diligently reviewing the documents, he did not lift his head, simply asking:

"What's up?"

"Why do you handle the affairs of the Divine Realm this way?"

Seeing Zhou Zheng's demeanor, Zhou Zhou did not immediately speak of his own matters. Instead, he responded with astonishment.

"Grading this way feels more satisfying."

"Online grading is utterly boring."

Zhou Zheng spoke calmly, "Currently regarding state affairs, I have selected one million capable and astute officials to oversee different sectors. I will handle the overall oversight. As long as the major directions are correct, minor errors are acceptable. With the strength of our Yangyang Divine Nation, even if we make mistakes, we can easily recover."

"The Yangyang Divine Nation is now so vast—there's no way I should continue holding all decision-making power, or it would be detrimental to the nation."

"And I've established the Intelligent Center—Chaos. The correct strategies stored in Chaos' mind are far more numerous than those in my own. By having Chaos serve as the administrative assistance hub for all officials, they actually can't make any real mistakes."

"Administrative affairs—your responsibility. No need to discuss them with me."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhou simply waved his hand, indicating he had no interest in listening.

Zhou Zheng looked utterly helpless.

He really wanted to complain, but ultimately held his tongue.

This guy's hands-off approach is truly thorough.

"Then what exactly did you call me here for?"

Zhou Zheng muttered impatiently.

Didn't they know he was right in the middle of something?

"In the future, newly ascended Master Gods will no longer need to ascend within the boundaries of the Capital of the Scorching Sun. Let them ascend in the territories outside the capital. The ascension energy between heaven and earth there is pure enough to ensure their smooth transition into Master Gods without any issue."

"As for the ascension energy within the capital's confines, it is the most abundant and highest quality within our entire kingdom. This caliber of energy must be reserved for Master Gods ascending to Supreme Gods, or for Supreme Gods breaking through to the Supreme Will realm."

Zhou Zhou spoke his mind directly.

Zhou Zheng pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"What you say makes sense."

"Right now, the number of Supreme Gods and Master Gods successfully ascending in the Kingdom of the Scorching Sun every day is already overwhelming. If we keep cramming the new Master Gods in here too, then from now on, we won't be able to see anything else in the capital's night sky except the daily spectacles of those new ascensions."

"Thinking about it that way, it really does ruin the scenery of the divine capital."

A faint twitch played at the corner of Zhou Zhou's mouth.

To speak of a massive influx of newly ascended True Gods as a mere blight upon the capital’s scenery?

Only those within the radiant capital of Scorching Sun possessed the sheer arrogance to utter such words.

Yet, Zhou Zhou’s decision was born entirely of helpless necessity.

According to the latest wartime summaries, tomorrow alone would witness nearly sixty million True Gods standing on the precipice of ascension to Master Godhood!

Should so many deities undergo their ascension simultaneously within the confines of the capital, the resulting cosmic phenomena would be nothing short of terrifying, genuinely disrupting the daily lives of the city's inhabitants.

To preserve the order and stability of the capital, and to ensure that every newly ascending deity possessed ample space and energy for their trial, Zhou Zhou had chosen to dispatch them across the vast reaches of the Scorching Sun Kingdom to complete their transformations, to return to the legions only after the dust had settled.

As for the nascent Supreme Gods and those achieving the realm of the Supreme Will, they numbered a mere thousand or so combined. Even if they ascended all at once, they would pose no threat to the lives or safety of the capital's citizens. On the contrary, their ascension would bolster the subjects' pride and devotion toward their kingdom, making it perfectly acceptable for them to remain within the capital’s borders.

"Then I shall see to it immediately."

"Beginning tomorrow, only the newly ascended Supreme Gods and those of the Supreme Will realm shall be permitted to ascend within the capital of Scorching Sun."

"If there are so many newly ascended Supreme Deities that even the Sun God Realm cannot contain them, then only those at the Precursor to Supreme Will Realm shall be allowed to ascend to the Supreme Will Realm."

Zhou Zheng spoke.

"Very well."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhou nodded in agreement.

Yet, to have so many newly ascended Supreme Deities that even the Sun God Realm could no longer contain them—such a number would be astonishing, and certainly not expected to materialize within a short span of time.

Then Zhou Zheng departed.

After Zhou Zheng left, Zhou Zhou glanced at the number of Chaos Divine Treasures in his possession and found it had reached 400,000 units!

He then turned his gaze toward Zhou Shiyu's situation in the Yellow Sky Great Universe.

Today, Zhou Shiyu's Holy Day Divine Nation had conquered 30 primary Sovereign Nation realms and 18 intermediate Sovereign Nation realms.

On the Supreme Continent, under Zhou Zheng's arrangement, the Sun God Nation established a total of fifteen primary Sovereign Nation realms and incorporated them into its domain.

Finally, Zhou Zhou turned his gaze toward the situation on Zhou Shiba's side.

Today, Zhou Shiba led the Demon God Nation, investing vast resources within the Crimson Universe to help his subordinate, high-tier Crimson Lord factions establish ten primary Supreme Kingdoms and conquer six primary Supreme Kingdoms that had been founded by local high-tier factions.

Zhou Zhou felt a sudden spark of recognition in his heart.

Wasn't this enough to elevate his nation to the first rank of Supreme Kingdom?

Indeed, indeed.

His nation's rank was finally about to ascend from Supreme Kingdom to First-Rank Supreme Kingdom.

Thinking of his mastery over the ultimate will beyond transcendence, yet being matched only with a First-Rank Supreme Kingdom, Zhou Zhou couldn't help but mutter a quiet complaint.

Now, at last, he could finally catch up a bit.

With a mere thought, he vanished from his current location, reappearing the next instant directly above the Jiaoyang Divine Capital.

Gazing down upon the Jiaoyang Divine Capital below, he silently chanted the words: "Ascend to First-Rank Supreme Kingdom."

The next second.

A text prompt appears.

[Tip: You have met all conditions to advance the Praey Sun Divine Nation to the first rank of the Supreme Realm. Do you wish to elevate the Praey Sun Divine Nation to the first rank of the Supreme Realm?]

"Advance!"

Zhou Zhou said.

[Tip: You have one opportunity to change the location of your Divine Capital. Do you wish to change or retain it?]

"Retain!"

[Tip: Your choice has been confirmed!]

[Tip: Your Lord's Territory—the Advanced Master God Realm—Praey Sun Divine Nation is now undergoing advancement...]

[Tip: Advancement successful!]

[Congratulations! Your Advanced Supreme Deity Nation Sovereign Territory—Jiaoyang Divine Nation—has officially been elevated to a First-Class Supreme Nation Sovereign Territory—Jiaoyang Divine Nation!]

[Tip: You may display your Nation Territory rank at any channel!]

The very next instant.

The voice of the Universal Clan Announcement resonated through Zhou Zhou's ears and throughout the myriad races across the cosmos.

[Universal Clan Announcement: Congratulations to Jiaoyang Divine Nation—Jiaoyang Divine Sovereign! Your Nation Territory has successfully been promoted to the first First-Class Supreme Nation Sovereign Territory among the myriad races. Reward: Universal Mythic Treasure Box +1, First-Class Supreme Nation Treasure Box +1! Legend Rank +100 million! Mythic Rank +1 million!]

[Universal Clan Announcement: Congratulations to Jiaoyang Divine Nation—Jiaoyang Divine Sovereign…]

[Universal Clan Announcement: Congratulations to Jiaoyang Divine Nation—Jiaoyang Divine Sovereign…]

Zhou Zhou nodded with satisfaction.

At the same time.

Beings across the myriad realms of the cosmos also heard this Universal Clan Announcement.

Though struck with awe, they were not the least bit surprised; indeed, a faint note of lamentation lingered in their voices.

"His Majesty, the Common People's Emperor, already possesses the power of an emancipated will, yet his faction level has only just ascended to a first-tier supreme kingdom? Small wonder it is so agonizingly difficult for a rudimentary primary divine kingdom to be born across the countless heavens and myriad realms."

"A first-tier supreme kingdom is already an exalted height. I have questioned those among my friends who rule divine kingdoms, and every single one of them bitterly complains about the sheer hardship of ascension. One can only wonder how His Majesty managed to climb to such a peak entirely on his own strength."

"The primary reason ascension is so arduous is that our Supreme Cosmos is not a top-tier lord-type universe. Had he been in a premier lord-type universe, where resources of every kind are fully provided, the advancement likely would not be this difficult. Yet, it is precisely because our Supreme Cosmos lacks that nature that I find His Majesty all the more terrifying. I simply dare not imagine—if he can advance this rapidly even within our Supreme Cosmos, how staggering would his speed of growth be if he changed environments and went to a true lord-type grand universe?"

"Hearing you put it that way, my reverence for the Common People's Emperor grows even deeper."

"As does mine."

"The Common People's Emperor is truly a paragon for our generation."

...

Thus the myriad powerhouses sighed and lamented one after another.

Meanwhile, Zhou Zhou paid no heed to their discussions, turning his attention instead to what the rewards for this occasion would be.

He first opened the Box of Mythos Among the Ten Thousand Clans.

Inside lay a model of a foreign race.

He picked it up and examined it closely—quickly realizing that within this model, sealed deep inside, was indeed a lower-tier Supreme Will-being from another race.

The method of activation was simple: merely drop a drop of blood upon it, and the model would become subordinate to the one who did so.

Once that was accomplished,

whether the blood was shed by a mortal, a deity, or even a Supreme Will-being, the bearer would instantly gain a subordinate of Supreme Will-tier strength—bound solely by the connection of blood.

Zhou Zhou saw this and was struck dumb.

He was not startled by the presence of the Supreme Will-being within the model.

In fact, he had already begun to care less about such subordinates—his true interest now lay in those of Will-Transcendent tier.

What truly unsettled him was that this Supreme Will-being could be utterly and irrevocably controlled by a single drop of blood—no matter who the blood belonged to, even a common mortal could effortlessly subdue a being of Supreme Will-tier strength.

What kind of insane technique is this?!

Even a being whose will has transcended realms couldn't possibly possess such a method, could they?

"Most High Will, sir."

Zhou Zhou pointed at the model, hesitantly asking, "How is this possible? Can you teach me?"

Soon,

a soft, amused voice of the Supreme Will resonated within his mind.

"What kind of dream are you chasing?"

"The puppet before you was a toy casually crafted by a being of eternal immortality just before that being departed from our ultimate void cosmos."

"That was the master's exclusive technique—lost the moment he left the ultimate void cosmos."

"It's utterly impossible for me to show you."

"Actually, when that great being reached the limits of transcendent will, he once crafted ten transcendent-will puppets."

"After that being departed, these ten transcendent-will puppets fell into the hands of a puppeteer. With these puppets, the puppeteer forged a powerful force of transcendent will, one that earned great renown across the entire ultimate void cosmos."

"It's said that in recent years, He has uncovered a few secrets of transcendent-will puppet lineage. If you desire them, you may go directly to Him and ask."

"That might be best left."

Zhou Zhou smiled. "Actually, this one would be quite fine."

The Supreme Will remained silent.

Seeing this, Zhou Zhou said nothing more, his gaze settling upon the alien puppet model in his hands.

"Give this to Li Ya."

"It's been a long time since I've given Li Ya a gift," Zhou Zhou thought.

Then he tucked it away, intending to give it to Li Ya later.

Then He opened the First-Class Supreme Treasure Chest.

Alas, within the First-Class Supreme Treasure Chest lay only individual Supreme Artifacts.

Zhou Zhou gave a slight snort, but it was no surprise.

After all, it was merely a First-Class Supreme Treasure Chest—was he really expecting it to yield a Supreme Will-level artifact?

He casually tossed the First-Class Supreme Artifact into the Military Merit Exchange Treasury.

As for the final one hundred million Legendary Points and one million Mythic Points, Zhou Zhou naturally didn't give them a second thought.

Then He opened the Divine Realm Ascension Interface.

[Divine Realm Name: Jiaoyang Divine Realm]

[Divine Sovereign: Jiaoyang Divine Sovereign]

[Divine Nation Rank: One-stage Supreme Dominion]

[National Flag: Stars Revering the Sun]

[Divine Armies: Prairial Legion (Four-stage Supreme Divine), Beast Legion (Four-stage Supreme Divine), Dragon God Legion (Four-stage Supreme Divine), Multinational Legion (Four-stage Supreme Divine), Heavens' Map Legion (Four-stage Supreme Divine), Homeland Defense Legion (Four-stage Supreme Divine)]

[Requirements to Ascend to Two-stage Supreme Dominion: Territory rank upgraded to Two-stage Supreme Territory, 10,000 Two-stage Supreme Divine Crystal Stones, Conquest of 2,000 advanced divine nations under the dominion of the Crimson Masters (0/2000), Conquest of 1,000 advanced divine nations under non-Crimson Masters (0/1000), Conquest of 50 primary Master Divine Nation lord territories under Crimson Masters (0/50), Conquest of 20 primary Master Divine Nation lord territories under non-Crimson Masters (0/20), Conquest of any 5,000 advanced divine nation-level lord factions and possession of their True Divine Supreme Nation Mandate (0/5000), 5 billion independent territorial domains, 20 million divine beings of the own race in worship, 200 artifacts of any race (200/200), 20,000 primary Master Divine-level worshipers of the own race (20,000/20,000), 10 Supreme Divine-level worshipers of the own race (1211/10), The Lord's own strength level reaching Two-stage Supreme Divine!]

"It's not that difficult."

After reviewing the requirements for ascending to a Two-stage Supreme Dominion, Zhou Zhou nodded slightly in his mind.

All the other conditions could be easily fulfilled—indeed, a significant portion of them had already been met by him now.

The only challenging aspects were merely conquering 50 primary Master Divine Nation lord territories under the Crimson Masters and 20 such territories under non-Crimson Masters.

Yet, even this difficulty was merely a matter of time—there was no real substantial challenge.

With Zhou Shí and Zhou Shí in his ranks, Zhou Zhou believed that within three days, he would have fulfilled both of these conditions.

Then He could upgrade His kingdom once more.

Subsequently, He closed the war summary panel, and with a mere thought, appeared within the Supreme Domain.