"We pay our respects to the Second Generation Thunder Emperor!"
Outside the grand hall, a sea of people surged, the entire Thunder Emperor Hall, with its hundreds of millions of cultivators, all knelt in unison, paying homage to the newly appointed Thunder Emperor.
This bow represented Wan Lei's legitimate imperial position in the hearts of all.
This bow signified that Wan Lei was the people's choice, with no one dissenting.
He was the new Thunder Emperor, the new leader of the Thunder Wind Realm.
Regarding Wan Lei's title, the people had deliberated for a long time. They believed that since he inherited the position of Thunder Emperor, he should be distinguished from the original Thunder Emperor. If both were called Thunder Emperor, it would be inconsistent with legal principles.
Some proposed the title "Second Generation Thunder Emperor," but it was immediately rejected.
This was because Wan Lei was not the son of Wan Qingyi, making the title "Second Generation" inappropriate.
They were from different generations, two generations of Thunder Emperors, thus the title ultimately decided for Wan Lei was "Second Generation Thunder Emperor."
Simultaneously, this also represented the people's earnest hope that the Thunder Wind Realm would see a Third Generation Thunder Emperor, a Fourth Generation Thunder Emperor, and so on, in the future.
Although the title "Second Generation Thunder Emperor" was somewhat a compromise for Wan Lei, since Wan Lei was adamant about inheriting the Thunder Emperor title, the people could only accept it this way.
"Please rise, everyone."
Wan Lei raised his hand upwards.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The people lifted their heads, gazing at Wan Lei with reverence. Some were even overcome with emotion, their faces flushed.
Wan Lei calmly surveyed the crowd before him. At this moment, he did not feel much excitement.
He was no longer the impetuous youth he once was. He now held the supreme position, the lord of a realm, and naturally possessed the composure that came with it.
Moreover, the matter of the Demon Lords weighed heavily on his heart, like a colossal mountain.
"Today, I, Wan Lei, officially accept the title of Thunder Emperor. I vow to safeguard the peace of the Thunder Wind Realm and protect the prosperity of our realm."
"Long live the Thunder Emperor!"
"May the Thunder Emperor reign for ten thousand generations!"
Seeing the mindless adulation erupting below, Wan Lei sighed and waved his hand again, urging the crowd to quiet down.
"However, there are those who do not wish for our Thunder Wind Realm to be peaceful, who do not wish for us to live in tranquility."
Upon hearing Wan Lei's words, the uninformed cultivators from outside the realm immediately looked on with surprise, unsure of the meaning behind the Thunder Emperor's statement.
"Yes, we have annihilated the tripartite allied forces, we have slain the traitor Liu Naiweng, and we have eradicated all the invading demons.
But the demons' ambition to destroy our Thunder Wind Realm remains unquenched.
My good friend, Marshal Qianniao of the Demon Race, has informed me that in the near future, several Demon Lords will descend upon our Thunder Wind Realm. They intend to annihilate us and occupy our homeland.
Tell me, can we agree to this?"
"No!"
"Annihilate the demons!"
"We'll kill them all, no matter how many there are!"
After shouting for half a quarter of an hour, the crowd noticed that His Majesty the Thunder Emperor offered no words of encouragement. Instead, his expression grew somber, and his voice gradually weakened.
"Do you know what a Demon Lord is? They are Immortals. And this time, it is not just one Immortal who is coming.
I, myself, could have chosen not to tell you, allowing you to continue living in blissful ignorance. But I do not wish for the day of disaster to arrive, only for everyone to be caught unaware and in a state of panic.
You have the right to know this. And do not assume that because I could eliminate Liu Naiweng, I can also eliminate the Demon Lords.
Demon Lords are seasoned warriors; they are not comparable to Liu Naiweng, who had only recently ascended to the Immortal realm.
Without becoming an Immortal ourselves, we are no match for the Demon Lords."
Below, there was stunned silence, a complete hush.
"However, I have communicated with the will of heaven and earth, and it can assist one person in achieving immortality. I have relinquished this opportunity to my Empress, Fang Xiaoyu.
Therefore, I no longer have this chance.
Therefore, I require your assistance."
After a moment of silence from below, someone shouted,
"We are willing to hold your horse and fetch your stool, Your Majesty. We will brave mountains of knives and seas of fire without hesitation!"
"Your Majesty, whatever your command, speak it! We are willing to sacrifice our lives to help you ascend!"
"For the Thunder Wind Realm, for His Majesty the Thunder Emperor."
"I do not need your lives. I need your mental power, your prayers, your hopes."
Wan Lei looked up, and a scroll of earth-yellow color appeared in the sky, unfurling slowly to reveal the vast landscapes of mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas within.
"This is the Fate Weaver Scroll. It forms its own world, its own set of rules, and is not suppressed by the rules of any other world.
Most importantly, it can gather the power of the wishes of all beings and transmit it to a single individual.
The enemy is formidable, beyond our ability to contend with. Yet, we must still rely on our own strength to protect our mountains and rivers, to defend our world!
I believe that in our Thunder Wind Realm, with billions of souls, as long as each person contributes their strength and conveys their faith, then no enemy will be able to harm us.
For the Thunder Wind Realm, for the billions of our subjects, for our home!
I, here, implore all beings to help me achieve immortality!"
Implore all beings to help me achieve immortality!
Below, there was silence, but everyone's hearts were surging with extreme excitement.
Finally, we have the chance to do something for the Thunder Emperor!
"Furthermore, I need you to spread this news, to inform every cultivator, to tell every mortal.
Tell them that the Thunder Emperor needs them, and the world needs them!"
Wan Lei first revealed no concealment, first informing them of the enemy's immense power, and only after they were clear in their minds did he tell them that there was still a way, still hope.
Similarly, relying on the power of all beings to achieve immortality, Liu Naiweng's methods were far inferior to Wan Lei's.
He had achieved his path to immortality by killing people, by amassing the vital energy and life force of all beings, by piling up mountains of corpses and seas of blood. This path was paved with countless bones and overwhelming resentment.
Wan Lei, on the other hand, relied on the voluntary cooperation of others, on the collective will of all beings, encouraging them to willingly gather their strength and help him ascend.
Both achieved rapid ascension to the Immortal realm through the power of all beings, but Wan Lei's mental power was far more noble than Liu Naiweng's vital energy, and the power he received was much purer.
Everyone in the Thunder Emperor Hall became busy. The powerful cultivators of the Tribulation Crossing stage, under the banners of the Thunder Emperor Hall, Yin Yang Sect, Kui Lian Sect, and the Fang family, issued commands, notifying all the countries on the Thunder Wind Continent to immediately post imperial decrees, informing all citizens of the enemy's might and the Thunder Emperor's command.
The hundreds of millions of cultivators in the Thunder Emperor Hall also took out their transmission jade slips, informing their fellow disciples, relatives, and friends who were not present.
This news spread out like a storm.
Gathering the wishes of all beings to aid the Thunder Emperor's ascension!
However, just as everyone was busily engaged, His Majesty the Thunder Emperor, after bidding farewell to the Empress, disappeared.
In the vast expanse of the universe, Kun Du Star.
Kun Du Star was a planet with a long history, possessing a brilliant cultivation culture.
Outside the capital of Kun Du Star stood a massive teleportation array, the only one on the planet that could connect to other alien planets and the Thunder Wind Continent.
The owner of this teleportation array had also profited handsomely from it.