Chapter 1682: Banquet and Invitation!

Chapter 1682: The Banquet and the Invitation!

"Today is my grand welcome celebration—no one may be left out."

Zhou Zhou glanced at the casual attire upon his body, his mind stirring, and instantly transformed into the imperial dragon holy robe.

This imperial dragon robe was crafted by a subordinate from a race of transcendent will beings, one renowned for his mastery in crafting and adornment. Not only did it surpass the former imperial dragon regalia in elegance and solemnity, but it also possessed formidable defensive capabilities. Though not quite on par with will-class holy artifacts, it stood remarkably close in quality.

Then, with a mere thought, the eleven newly ascended beings of the Supreme Will Realm—just promoted today—appeared before him.

"Join me in attending the banquet," Zhou Zhou said to them.

"Your grace, we are at your command."

These eleven Sovereigns of Supreme Will immediately bowed respectfully.

"Ha ha, no need to be so formal. Tonight is our grand celebration—we are all the main stars. Let's all relax a little."

Zhou Zhou laughed.

Upon hearing this, the eleven Sovereigns of Supreme Will smiled in return, and the stiffness between them eased noticeably.

As Zhou Zhou had said.

Tonight's welcome ceremony was meant to celebrate their arrival as newly ascended Sovereigns of Supreme Will—calling them the main stars was entirely fitting.

Of course.

Among them, the true main star was still their Emperor.

This, they fully understood.

Setting aside titles and status, merely the fact that he had slain a lower-tier Will Transcendent powerhouse during his Precursor Phase of Supreme Will, and then, capitalizing on the resulting momentum, had successfully advanced to become a Sovereign of Supreme Will—was enough to prove it.

Such a spectacular ascent, reminiscent of a classic scroll-fiction tale, even the most ambitious would never hope to match it.

Thus, tonight they had already prepared themselves as mere foliage beside Zhou Zhou’s side.

Yet they bore no resentment—on the contrary, they felt profound pride.

For the Emperor was their stronghold; the stronger the stronghold, the greater their joy.

And truly, they were loyal to their Emperor in every fiber of their being. The better the Emperor, the more deeply they felt pride and admiration for him.

Seeing that the atmosphere had been skillfully balanced, Zhou Zhou did not waste another moment, and immediately led the multitude of Supreme Will Realm masters to the location of the welcome banquet.

Strange as it may seem, on the journey there, Zhou Zhou found not a single Supreme Will Realm master in sight—as if none had arrived at all.

Yet that was impossible.

Now, the Celestial Sovereign of the People, the most sought-after new power across the myriad realms, would surely draw every rational mind with no pressing affairs to attend such a grand celebration.

What could possibly explain this?

Could they all have gone to the Twilight Battlefield?

Zhou Zhou was deeply perplexed.

The newly ascended Supreme Will realm experts behind him, however, felt nothing unusual.

For most of these newly advanced powerhouses, this was their very first time entering the supreme domain of the Supreme Will; a rare few who had chanced upon this domain before had never witnessed any mighty figures passing by back then, so they naturally accepted the absolute stillness of the realm as the norm.

Only a veteran like Zhou Zhou, who had visited several times, could sense that something was amiss with the current situation.

Regarding this.

Zhou Zhou said nothing, merely leading his subordinate Supreme Will realm experts straight toward the venue of the grand feast.

Before long.

They arrived at their destination.

Upon seeing the thirty-odd Supreme Will realm powerhouses within the welcoming feast, along with the chaotic movement of the law creatures busy at work, a smile finally graced his face.

Apparently, they had all arrived beforehand.

He himself was the last one to arrive.

Yet, how could they have come so early today?

Just as Zhou Zhou's mind began to question this, he saw the mighty beings of Supreme Will instantly standing up upon seeing him approach, and walking steadily toward him.

They walked forward, smiling warmly and congratulating him:

"Congratulations! Congratulations!"

"Congratulations, Imperial Lord of the Common People, on your ascension to the rank of Supreme Will! Even more so, through your decisive victory in the War of the Supreme Continent, you have firmly established your unparalleled renown!"

"Lord, just days after your ascension to Supreme Will, you have already slain a Will-Transcendent Master—this is truly a model for all of us!"

"Indeed, you are the first among the chosen potential of the Ultimate Void Cosmos Will. We are utterly convinced, utterly convinced! Hahaha..."

"Lord, may I ask—how many new Supreme Will Masters will emerge within your Sun Kingdom tomorrow morning? Could you at least share a hint? We who are so close to the scene would be honored to know first!"

"Your Grace, you may not know, but after last night, we never actually left this place. We wagered that by this morning, your Radiant Kingdom would surely produce another Supreme Will Realm master. So we decided to stay right here at the Welcome Banquet, waiting for the emergence of a new Supreme Will Realm master from your realm. Unexpectedly, not only did fifteen such masters arise under your command, but even Your Majesty yourself has ascended to the rank of Supreme Will Realm master. Even the Ultimate Void Cosmic Will has acknowledged and blessed your achievement. In all our lives, we've never witnessed anything like this."

"Indeed, indeed. Such a scene may never be seen again in our lifetime."

...

The Supreme Will Realm masters alike praised and reflected upon it.

Zhou Zhou also learned from their conversation why they had remained here all along.

He found himself both amused and slightly embarrassed.

So you all stayed here just to watch whether or not a new Supreme Will Realm master would emerge from my Radiant Kingdom?

Hmph.

Well, you actually did manage to wait for me.

"Thank you, esteemed elders, for your trust. I am deeply honored, yet profoundly humbled."

Zhou Zhou laughed heartily.

"Ah ah, Imperial Lord of the Common People, as the saying goes, strength reigns supreme. Though you have risen recently and are still young in years, your power and accomplishments are beyond doubt. Not to mention you are one of the heirs of the Supreme Will—why be so humble? From now on, Lord, you may simply call us by name or title."

A supreme will cultivator heard this and immediately stepped forward to correct it.

The other supreme will cultivators, upon hearing this, nodded repeatedly, expressing full agreement.

To have a prodigious figure—someone who, even in the early stages of ascending to supreme will cultivation, could leap a tier and slay a lower-tier will transcendent—address them as elders?

It always feels unnatural to their inner thoughts.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhou did not hesitate, merely smiled and nodded in acceptance.

"Lord, will your Sun-Heaven Sovereign State produce another supreme will cultivator tomorrow?"

At that moment,

the very cultivator who had just asked this question repeated it, then smiled and explained, "If new supreme will cultivators continue to emerge within your domain, we shall not leave tonight. We will stay here, waiting for the next supreme will cultivator to arise within the divine capital of your realm."

"Yes, that's right. I'm glad we won't have to come back again tomorrow—going back and forth would be a real hassle."

"Ha ha, if the Supreme Will hadn't forbidden it, I'd already like to carve out a small realm within His Most Holy Domain and settle there for a while."

Upon hearing this, the other Supreme Will-level masters turned their gaze curiously toward Zhou Zhou, waiting for his reply.

After a moment of thoughtful silence, Zhou Zhou spoke:

"Yes."

The other Supreme Will-level masters' eyes lit up. Just as they were about to speak, Zhou Zhou continued:

"Under normal circumstances, twenty-two Supreme Will-level masters will emerge within my Sun God Capital tomorrow."

"If any of you are interested, you're welcome to go ahead and visit in advance."

"I guarantee you won't be disappointed."

"Really?!"

Upon hearing these words, the eyes of the gathered paragons of the Supreme Will Realm instantly ignited with brilliance.

Watching the spectacle unfold from afar could never match the sheer thrill of being present at the scene.

After all, twenty-two newly ascended powerhouses of the Supreme Will Realm were being born all at once!

The mere thought of it was utterly mind-boggling.

If they could witness this firsthand, the sheer impact of the spectacle would surely be earth-shattering.

To miss it would be a lifetime of regret.

"Of course," Zhou Zhou replied with a smile and a nod. "I never speak in jest."

Seeing this, the surrounding experts felt a surge of excitement, even as a quiet dread crept into their hearts.

To be capable of nurturing powerhouses of the Supreme Will Realm was a feat that already defied words.

They could precisely determine how many there were, and exactly when their ascension would occur.

That was terrifying!

"I'll definitely be there tomorrow!"

"Ha ha, I'll be there too—this kind of spectacle, not attending would be a lifetime of regret!"

"I'll join the fun too."

"You all go, I must go as well."

"I might only send a copy."

A supreme will realm master frowned, troubled by the decision. "My true form is still engaged in battle at the dusk battlefield, and it's simply impossible for me to come."

"A copy is sufficient."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhou immediately replied, then smiled and said, "Besides, the future is long. My Sun Sovereign Nation isn't going to cease producing supreme will realm masters simply because one emerges tomorrow. New ones will continue to arise."

"When the time comes, as long as everyone has the leisure, you are all welcome to come to My Radiant Divine Capital to watch, and I guarantee you will all receive the finest viewing experience."

The crowd of Supreme Will realm powerhouses—especially those who could only dispatch avatars or projections to this place—were overjoyed one after another.

With this promise from Zhou Zhou, their minds were finally put at ease.

Furthermore, in the days to come, they might very well have the chance to witness the birth of even more Supreme Will realm powerhouses.

After all, such was the nature of the Radiant Divine Kingdom.

From Main Gods, to Supreme Gods, and now to the present Supreme Will realm powerhouses.

The number of experts born here would only ever increase; it had never once dwindled.

"Then our hearts are truly at peace."

One of the Supreme Will realm powerhouses laughed heartily.

"To the banquet, to the banquet!"

"After talking for so long, we are still blocking His Highness, the Emperor of Common People, at the entrance. How terribly rude of us!"

A formidable powerhouse of the higher supreme will realm, possessing a rather solemn countenance, spoke up.

The other experts took a look and realized this was indeed the case, hurriedly ushering Zhou Zhou,

"All of us are on the same side!"

He swept His gaze over them, studying them from head to toe before speaking. "Are you all merely projected forms? What is the current situation on the Twilight Battlefield?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, it is holding steady for now."

A lower-ranking supreme-will realm powerhouse from the Solar Divine Court replied with deep reverence.

"Though the Illusionary Race has launched a ferocious assault, our concerted efforts have prevented them from inflicting any major losses upon us."

"The Supreme Will Himself has even taken personal measures, deploying ten of His avatars directly onto the battlefields against the Illusionary Race."

"The ten will-transcendence level experts of the Illusionary Race have been trying to break the deadlock, but they are forcibly halted by the avatars of the Supreme Will every time."

"Yet the Illusionary Race refuses to give up. They are still continuously drawing powerhouses from all factions within the Great Illusionary World to reinforce the Twilight Battlefield, attempting to mount greater pressure against us."

"Even so, with the assistance of the Lord Supreme Will, we do not currently feel overwhelmed."

Zhou Zhou nodded slightly upon hearing this, his brow furrowing just a fraction.

According to the Supreme Will as stated.

The Delusional Race's Delusional Great World, though merely the size of a normal great cosmos, appears vastly different from the Ultimate Void Great Cosmos.

Yet it is a realm capable of nearly matching the Ultimate Void Great Cosmos in stature and influence.

Precisely because its scale is small yet contains energy levels comparable to the entire Ultimate Void Great Cosmos, it becomes exceptionally fertile ground for the emergence of powerful beings.

Beings such as Supreme Will Masters and Will-Transcendent Masters—among the highest echelons of strength—rarely exist in the various Great Cosmologies within the Ultimate Void Great Cosmos.

Within the Delusional Great World, however, such beings are not rare at all. They are abundant—far more numerous than in any other realm.

The number of top-tier masters within this one Delusional Great World nearly equals the total number of such masters across the entire Ultimate Void Great Cosmos.

Even the number of Eternally Unbroken Masters born within it reaches a comparable scale.

Thus, it follows that...

Now they stand at the pinnacle of the cosmos, confronting an enemy whose scale rivals that of the entire ultimate void cosmos itself.

This battle—no, it is nothing short of insurmountable!

Zhou Zhou thought it in his heart.

Yet they must fight. And they must fight alone.

For if word should reach the ultimate void cosmos that the Wandering Race has breached the Supreme Cosmos, then this race—born from mere imagination—would swiftly spread across the entire expanse of the ultimate void cosmos.

That would be a catastrophe on a scale matching the very fabric of the ultimate void cosmos!

And then,

it might seem as though the pressure upon the Supreme Cosmos has lessened.

But the end result would remain unchanged—perhaps even more hopeless.

Wait a little longer.

Zhou Zhou thought within his heart.

When I grow stronger!

When I train more masters of Supreme Will, even those transcending will itself!

Then—

Perhaps I can prolong the resistance of the Supreme Cosmos longer, give the Supreme Will sufficient time to devise a solution, and buy more time.

As for solving the Wandering Race, or even the entire Wandering World?

Even the Eternal Immortal Willful Masters could not resolve this.

Zhou Zhou naturally could not hope to surpass them, to stand alone and solve such a problem.

He could only strengthen himself, gain more endurance, before the true crisis strikes.

That was what he was meant to do.

As for the rest, we'll talk about them later.

"Third brother!"

"Third brother!"

"Big brother!"

At this moment.

Three familiar voices echoed.

Zhou Zhou looked over.

It was the Heavenly Punishment God King, the Spring-Autumn Law Master, and the Ten Thousand Evil Demon Master.