The past few days saw thousands of rogue cultivators and members of sects and families flocking to join, but most of them were only at the Nascent Soul or Void Refining stages. They brought with them disciples from Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, or even the early stages of Strength Realm.
This situation made Wan Lei’s hair turn gray with worry. The date he had announced for the Thunder Emperor Hall’s grand opening and establishment of power was fast approaching—the first of March. Yet, these people were simply not impressive enough.
Then, with only ten days left until the first of March, two Mahayana stage cultivators arrived to pledge their allegiance. Wan Lei personally went to greet them.
“Brother Yunxiao, Brother Beihan, it is truly a great honor to have you here. I, Wan Lei, am immensely grateful.”
Standing at the outermost mountain gate of the Thunder Emperor Hall, Wan Lei clasped his hands in greeting towards Venerable Yunxiao and Bei Hanwu.
The arrival of two Mahayana stage experts was like timely snow bringing charcoal, deserving of Wan Lei setting aside his busy schedule to greet them personally.
At the same time, Wan Lei was also thankful that he had not pursued them relentlessly back then, but had instead shown mercy, leaving them indebted to him with an enormous favor.
“We pay our respects to the Hall Master.”
The two, Yunxiao and Beihan, bowed respectfully, directly declaring their loyalty to Wan Lei.
Since Wan Lei had not declared himself Emperor, but merely stated that he was rebuilding the Thunder Emperor Hall and would be its Hall Master, they could only address him as such.
“Hall Master, we are not here to repay your past favor. With the demonic invasion and the treachery of the Liu family, it is an outrage that angers both gods and men.
Upon hearing that you were rebuilding the Thunder Emperor Hall and vowing to resist the demonic race, we brothers immediately rushed here.
Now that the Thunder Emperor Hall is rebuilt and will once again lead the Thunderwind Realm, we have come, unashamed, to partake in this glory, to add our humble strength to the rebuilding of the Thunder Emperor Hall, and to contribute our small efforts to resisting the demonic race.”
“You two understand righteousness. Wan Lei admires your actions. Please, come inside, a banquet will be prepared to entertain you.”
Wan Lei laughed heartily, pulling each of them by the arm as he led them into the Thunder Emperor Hall.
Such an intimate gesture was also a means of winning people’s hearts.
“Alas, Hall Master, you should no longer refer to yourself by your name. You should address yourself as ‘this seat’.”
Venerable Yunxiao said, clasping his hands.
“This seat?”
Wan Lei blinked. This title was something he usually heard others use; he had never considered it for himself.
“That’s right. You are now the leader of the most powerful force in our Thunderwind Realm. What’s wrong with referring to yourself as ‘this seat’?
Are you going to continue saying ‘I will do this’ when you issue commands and dispatch troops? It lacks authority.
Of course, ‘this seat’ is merely a temporary title. Once you ascend the throne and inherit the position of Thunder Emperor, you will be the second generation Thunder Emperor, and then you will refer to yourself as ‘朕’ (zhen).”
What Yunxiao said was indeed true. Wan Qingyi was the first generation Thunder Emperor, universally acknowledged. After he left the Thunderwind Realm, his eldest son, Wan Jiran, inherited his position. However, at that time, no one recognized him as the Thunder Emperor.
In the cultivation world, the strong are respected. After Wan Qingyi’s departure, although Wan Jiran was also a Tribulation Transcending expert, his cultivation was no match for his six senior brothers. He was basically the weakest, and they did not acknowledge him as the Thunder Emperor. Instead, they would oppress him. This could be seen from the fact that the Wan family was almost annihilated later on.
This time, if Wan Lei could achieve great merit in the war against the demons and further elevate his cultivation to the Tribulation Transcending stage, then in terms of cultivation, strength, reputation, and contributions, he would be the foremost figure in the Thunderwind Realm. At that point, ascending the throne would be met with no dissent.
“朕?”
Wan Lei blinked again, his eyes shining even brighter.
Seeing his reaction, Venerable Yunxiao and Bei Hanwu exchanged glances and chuckled.
“Hall Master, you have achieved great merit this time! Without you, the Thunderwind Realm would have long been invaded by the demonic race, and the Demon Lord would have descended, turning us, the people of the Thunderwind Realm, into slaves of the demons.”
“Exactly! Hall Master, your merits are unparalleled, a legend for all time. Even the Thunder Emperor of yesteryear did not achieve as much as you.”
“Indeed. To speak plainly, and with no disrespect intended, the Thunder Emperor back then merely eliminated the Evil Moon Sect. However, that was an internal conflict within our Thunderwind Realm. No matter how great the merit in an internal conflict, it cannot compare to the merit of repelling an external invasion.”
“Precisely. Our Hall Master is heroic and peerless in battle, single-handedly thwarting the Liu family’s and the demonic race’s ambitions to annihilate our Thunderwind Realm. In the vast history of the Thunderwind Realm, he is the only one…”
The flattery from Venerable Yunxiao and Bei Hanwu made Wan Lei a little dizzy, but he quickly forced himself to regain his composure.
“Please, do not say any more. No matter what, I am a descendant of the old Thunder Emperor. How can I claim my merits surpass those of my ancestors? Isn’t that filial impiety?
Furthermore, the Liu family is currently colluding with the demonic race, and their strength is unprecedented. It is still too early to discuss merits. It is not too late to discuss them after the enemies have been vanquished.
Do not say these things anymore. If you continue, I will become so conceited that I won’t even know my own surname.”
“Your surname is Wan, the Wan meaning ‘one above ten thousand’.”
“Your surname is Wan, the Wan meaning ‘eternal and unique’.”
“Your surname is Wan, the Wan meaning ‘the one favored by the masses’.”
“Your surname is Wan, the Wan meaning ‘immeasurably powerful’.”
“…Wan Lei.”
“Venerable Yunxiao, you have come as well?”
As the three walked onto the plaza outside the main hall of the Thunder Emperor Hall, they heard Qingfeng’s voice calling from not far away.
Turning their heads, they saw Qingfeng flying towards them with a look of joy and excitement.
“Qingfeng? You are here too?”
Venerable Yunxiao looked at Qingfeng with surprise.
“You two know each other?”
Wan Lei was also quite astonished.
“Yes. Over ten years ago, I was still a Nascent Soul cultivator. I accidentally stumbled into a beast’s lair, and a Void Refining stage beast was about to kill me. It was Venerable Yunxiao who arrived at the last moment, killed the beast, and saved me.
Venerable Yunxiao saved my life.”
“Alas, do not put it so gravely. I was going to collect the beast’s inner core for alchemy at the time and happened to encounter you. I simply lent a hand. Do not speak of a life-saving favor; it is too heavy a burden for me to bear.”
“Good heavens, why are you always being rescued? Can’t you be more resourceful yourself?”
Wan Lei laughed and scolded.
“Alas, it’s all because my strength is too weak. But I am also very lucky, always encountering noble individuals like yourselves to save me at the most perilous moments.”
Qingfeng scratched his scalp, smiling a little awkwardly.
“By the way, Venerable Yunxiao, are you also here to join the Thunder Emperor Hall?”
“Yes. Didn’t you know? In the Water Immortal Secret Realm, the Hall Master spared both of our lives.
Now that the great enemy has invaded, and the Hall Master intends to organize forces to resist the demonic race, how could we not come to offer our service?”
“That’s good, that’s good. Qingfeng and Tao Dian are responsible for arranging the rogue cultivators here. Please follow me, esteemed seniors, and I will arrange your accommodation.”