The first day of the first month of the third year of Han, at the hour of Chen, all four major city gates of Chang'an City were wide open. Countless Han citizens, their faces solemn, entered Chang'an, forming orderly queues and proceeding towards the Vermillion Bird Gate.
In front of the Vermillion Bird Gate, there were no generals guarding, only rows of Imperial Guards. By now, the Han had unified the human territory of the southwest region and become its overlord. The Han was no longer a dynasty of the remote border seas.
Coupled with a host of exceptional individuals at the Creation Realm, Yang Hao was filled with confidence. Residing in the palace and with the Xuanyuan Sword in hand, he feared no strong enemy!
Though the true foundations of the ancient wilderness remained unknown, the Han's abundance of Creation Realm figures far surpassed that of the former shattered Imperial Dynasties.
The palace gates were thrown open to welcome the courtly greetings of subjects from all regions!
The majority of the countless citizens were warriors from newly demarcated prefectures and counties, most of whom were visiting Chang'an for the first time, and even more so, setting foot in the Royal Palace!
Upon entering the Vermillion Bird Gate, on the square between the Vermillion Bird Gate and the Xuanzheng Hall, a massive altar, dozens of feet high, had been erected. At its apex, the nine cauldrons of the Han pulsed with boundless radiance!
To the left of the altar, led by Prime Minister Li Si, followed closely by Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui, all looked with solemn expressions at the densely packed Han citizens who had come to witness the ceremony. Su Dan Novel Network.
To the right of the altar, generals such as Zhang Liao, Gao Ying, Qi Jiguang, Fu Hao, and Hua Mulan, all clad in armor and with swords at their waists, gazed at the altar dozens of feet high.
On either side of the Xuanzheng Hall, Wang Yue and Li Bai guarded the hall entrance, one exuding an imposing and unfathomable aura, the other, clad in white, appearing like a deity!
The countless Han citizens, observing the array of civil and military officials, some with excited expressions, others ecstatic, felt their hearts stir. While some civil officials' reputations were less well-known, the fame of each and every military general was enough to set the blood of myriad warriors boiling!
With such formidable generals, the Han could surely repel the ancient wilderness!
The entire square had few soldiers, scattered in twos and threes, conveying the boundless confidence and deep foundations of the Han.
This grand ceremony for the Han's ascension to Imperial Dynasty was a celebration of self for the entire human territory. After all, the four great ancient wildernesses bordering the human lands were enemies with blood feuds.
The warriors took their seats, awaiting the auspicious hour!
Not long after, Li Si nodded at Zhang Liao and the other generals. Zhang Liao and the commanders of the major legions all nodded in agreement!
Zhang Liao stepped forward first, looking at the citizens of the Han, then towards the altar. He raised his hand and grasped the void, and a legion banner of the Vermillion Bird Legion, ablaze with the Southern Flame, rapidly materialized.
A high-pitched cry resounded in the sky above the palace!
Holding the Vermillion Bird Legion banner, Zhang Liao knelt on one knee and shouted, "Vermillion Bird Legion, congratulates the Han, congratulates our King!"
"Hoo!!!"
A hundred-zhang-long, fiery red Vermillion Bird instantly flapped its wings, hovering in the west.
"Kirin Legion, congratulates the Han, congratulates our King!"
"Roar!"
The Kirin, engulfed in roaring flames, gradually appeared behind the Vermillion Bird. The blazing flames were on par with the Vermillion Bird!
"Azure Dragon Legion, congratulates the Han, congratulates our King!"
"Ang!"
Dragon roars echoed, and a faint stream of azure light streaked across the sky, coiling nine times in the void before settling behind the Kirin, its gaze surveying the world!
"Qiongqi Legion, Splitting Sky Tiger Legion, congratulates the Han, congratulates our King!"
Meng Tian, holding two legion banners, knelt on one knee and roared. In the void, one yellow and one dark, intertwined, descended from the heavens. The Qiongqi spread its wings, and the Splitting Sky Tiger lowered its head, slowly alighting to the east of the altar.
"Kui Niu Legion, congratulates the Han, congratulates our King!"
Qi Jiguang stepped forward, and a single-legged Kui Niu let out a low roar, its sound like surging waves, hovering behind the Splitting Sky Tiger.
"Taotie Legion, congratulates the Han, congratulates our King!"
Gao Ying, holding the Taotie Legion banner, shook the void. Cracks appeared in the void, and streaks of red light erupted, following closely behind the Kui Niu.
On the altar, dozens of feet high, divine beasts stood on the left, treading the void; ferocious beasts on the right, intimidating the heavens!
The nine cauldrons of fortune slowly revolved, subtly flashing with golden streams of light, like golden dragons joyfully weaving between them.
"Auspicious hour has arrived!"
"We respectfully invite our King!"
Minister of Rites Bao Zheng shouted!
"Ang!!"
A dragon's roar shook the heavens and the earth. The divine and ferocious beasts bowed their heads in submission. Golden streams of light burst forth from the nine cauldrons of fortune, soaring into the nine heavens, reaching tens of thousands of feet, completely enveloping the sky above the palace. The flowing light flashed, and the royal might descended!
"Let's go!"
In the Xuanzheng Hall, Yang Hao smiled as he held the hands of Fan Lingyue and Ling Xuan. Wei Zhongxian pushed open the hall doors.
Yang Hao gazed at the altar. Divine beasts stood on the left, treading the void; ferocious beasts on the right, intimidating the heavens. The seven great legions had made illustrious contributions to the vast territory of the Han. It was precisely with the assistance of these exceptional individuals from past dynasties that the Han had finally risen from the border seas of the southwest region to the pinnacle of the human race in the southwest region!
The Han Dynasty's promotion to an Imperial Dynasty was to take place today!
"Your subject greets our King, Queen, and Noble Consort!!"
...
For a time, on the entire square, civil and military officials and the myriad citizens knelt in excitement. Countless humans looked at the figures of Yang Hao and Fan Lingyue, their tears flowing with emotion.
"Your Majesty, the appointed time has come. The grand ceremony may commence!"
Bao Zheng, holding the royal decree, approached Yang Hao and said respectfully.
Yang Hao released Fan Lingyue and Ling Xuan's hands, nodded, and looked at the altar dozens of feet high on the square. At its summit, the nine cauldrons of fortune shimmered with golden light, and the ten-thousand-foot dragon of fortune in the void roamed joyfully.
He slowly descended the steps of the Xuanzheng Hall, with Bao Zheng bending low and following closely behind Yang Hao.
Yang Hao walked along the red carpet, slowly passing through the civil and military officials, and ascended the altar dozens of feet high.
However, suddenly, he sensed fluctuations of Yuan energy in the void not far from the Han's Chang'an City. With the continuous upgrading of the nine cauldrons of fortune, he had long been able to survey the vast territory of the Han. If he wished, he could instantly appear anywhere within the Han's domain.
A cold smile flickered on Yang Hao's lips. The powerful beings behind the Flaming Rhino, Blood Python, Devouring Heaven Wolf, and Iron Lion had finally arrived. However, the Han was no longer the Han of the past. This world was gradually being revealed by him!
The Han feared nothing!
The Han would lead the human race, step by step, to the pinnacle of this Cangyuan World!
He then furrowed his brow, wondering what it was that the four great wildernesses were so relentlessly fighting the human lands for?
To the extent of warring for millions of years?
However, he soon calmed down. Holding the Xuanyuan Sword, he gradually ascended to the very summit of the altar!
On the square, the civil and military officials who were kneeling, as well as the myriad warriors, all looked up, gazing with unbridled joy at the figure on the altar's peak!
"Hah!"
"Hah!"
"Hah!"
On the square, all the soldiers roared to the sky, welcoming this momentous occasion!