The national martial arts tournament was drawing near, and increasing numbers of the strong from various nations were gathering at Dawu.
They enjoyed the contest of geniuses too.
Although there was occasional interaction among nations, they were never on such a grand scale. None could match Dawu's initiative and rallying power to bring together the strongest from two realms to compete within a single nation.
All branches of Dawu were busily preparing.
To welcome people from various countries, Dawu Imperial City had arranged special places for reception.
They wanted to project the dignity and majesty of Dawu to everyone.
"Ning Xiuchen," Chu Yuan called out.
"Your Majesty, why have I been summoned?" asked Ning Xiuchen.
Ning Xiuchen's aura was becoming more formidable as his cultivation strength grew.
Being a Celestial God of the tenth level, he would not face any bottlenecks in his cultivation before reaching the peak. To heal his spiritual injuries, all he needed was a steady supply of top quality Divine Elixer.
"Lately, people from various nations have been arriving in droves. Many True Gods have come pouring into the city. You are to lead a law enforcement team to ensure that laws of Dawu are obeyed. Those who dare challenge our law will be punished accordingly. I trust you with this task. Don't disappoint me," Chu Yuan instructed with clarity.
There would be many participants in the martial arts tournament, not just from the Morning Star Realm, but from the Sea Demon Realm as well. Such a diverse crowd would certainly cause chaos within the Imperial City.
"Your Majesty, You surely hold me in high regard," Ning Xiuchen said.
"Ning Xiuchen, without me, you would never be able to recover your peak strength. If you heed my words and follow me closely, healing your injuries will mean nothing. I can even help you to break through the mysterious Divinity. After consuming so much top grade Divine Elixir, you should realize this," Chu Yuan said.
"Break through to Mysterious Divinity? I look forward to that as well," Ning Xiuchen replied.
Ning Xiuchen left to carry out his duties with the law enforcement team.
The more he stayed with Chu Yuan, the more he felt Chu Yuan emanated a terrifying aura of power. Moreover, his strength was improving rapidly, having mastered many incredible Divine Abilities.
"We've reached Dawu Imperial City!"
A group of people outside the city gates moved towards the bustling Dawu Imperial City. They were from the Tianhong Clan.
"This is Dawu Imperial City. It has an expansive layout and feels grander and more majestic than other imperial cities. What a great display of hospitality and inclusivity!"
Inspecting the Dawu Imperial City, someone among them expressed, "But this is nothing compared to our Tianhong Clan."
"Let's enter the city. We should first see the Martial Emperor," said Gongsun Hong, an Eight-Layer True God who coldly led the team.
"Where are you from? Identify yourselves. We need to register you and report to the government," a guard challenged when he saw the crowd from Tianhong Clan approaching.
"Who do you think you are to stop us?" An angry disciple retorted when stopped.
"Humph! I don't care where you're from. But once you are in Dawu, you abide by our rules especially here at the base of the Imperial City where rules are strictly enforced," retorted the guard, indicating that they were at Dawu's mercy.
"Enough," Gongsun Hong decided to end the trivial argument. "We are from Tianhong Clan, here to attend the martial arts tournament."
"Tianhong Clan," the guard nodded. "Proceed. You will be led to the Embassy Hall to register the participants for the contest."
As the people of Tianhong Clan entered the Imperial City, a disciple complained discontentedly, "Elder, why were you so polite to those soldiers? Were they aware that we are from Tianhong Clan? They even dared to halt us. Have they no fear? They deserve to die! Dawu is too audacious!"
"What's the point of fighting with a few soldiers? We are here to defeat the prodigies of Dawu," Gongsun Hong didn't have the fiery temper of the young.
"Elder, you are right. Dawu is confident enough to host the martial arts tournament, which shows their trust in their own prodigies. It will be fun to suppress and humiliate them," one disciple agreed.
"Yes, we should teach these so-called prodigies of Dawu a good lesson. They are not even close to our Tianhong Clan," another disciple chimed in.
"I can't wait to demonstrate my power!"
"Moreover, can't you see? Despite the crowd of strong individuals in the city, why isn't there any chaos at all?"
Gongsun Hong noticed more.
The imperial city was filled with people from Morning Star Realm and Sea Demon Realm, and also ordinary citizens of Dawu. Despite the apparent inequality in their cultivation levels, every individual behaved themselves.
This I itself showcased Dawu's control.
"I feel like there's an eye watching us all the time, it's terrifying," Gongsun Hong confessed.
Gongsun Hong looked up to the sky, feeling watched, but couldn't identify the source.
"People from Tianhong Clan, I heard one of your True God elder was suppressed by the Martial Emperor and is still locked up in the Heavenly Prison. Haha, how useless," Suddenly, a ridiculing voice resounded towards Gongsun Hong.
Gongsun Hong looked sharply towards the source, seeing a group of people approaching. Among them, a man in a black robe released Demonic Qi, which was as profound as an abyss.
This old man was also an Eight-Layer True God, who looked at Gongsun Hong provocatively.
"Demon Abyss Imperial Dynasty, Teng Sen!"
Gongsun Hong looked at the old man coldly, "Teng Sen, I wasn't expecting you to come. But do you have any right to laugh at Tianhong Clan?"
To his surprise, this group was from the Demon Abyss Imperial Dynasty.
Chu Yuan was quite familiar with the Demon Abyss Imperial Dynasty.
In the past, their army had invaded the Martial Domain and even attacked the suspended realm, causing carnage.
Demon Abyss Imperial Dynasty was not far from Sea Demon Realm. Upon hearing the news, not only were they curious about Dawu, but also wanted to join in the excitement.
Tianhong Clan was equally familiar with Demon Abyss Imperial Dynasty.
Both of them being influences with Celestial Gods had clashed frequently over resources. Even their Celestial God strongmen had fought several times.
"Haha, we enjoy watching such a comedy. Are these the prodigies brought by your clan? They are incredibly weak, like hothouse flowers, nowhere near the caliber of prodigies from the Demon Abyss Imperial Dynasty," Teng Sen burst into laughter, ridiculing Gongsun Hong and his crew.
"That's right, they are weaklings who can only die when they meet us!"
"Tianhong Clan is always on the losing end when contending with the Demon Abyss Imperial Dynasty. But you never stop acting arrogant," one of them added.
"The strongest prodigies will surely emerge from the Demon Abyss Imperial Dynasty!"
Those from Demon Abyss Imperial Dynasty mocked Tianhong Clan, their intention to provoke was clear.
"If you have the guts, let's duel!"
Tianhong Clan's prodigies couldn't endure such provocation and bristled with anger.
"Teng Sen, I've had enough of you!" Gongsun Hong was full of killing intent, his hands clenched tight. He couldn't endure the face-to-face insult, especially from their old rivals, the Demon Abyss Imperial Dynasty.
"If you can't tolerate, then just retaliate. I'm waiting," Teng Sen replied dismissively.
However, his unleashed Demonic Qi formed a terrifying Demon Abyss.
If Gongsun Hong didn't retaliate after such provocation, what would be left of Tianhong Clan's dignity? He didn't care about being in Dawu Imperial City. First, he would show Teng Sen his place and make him shut up.
Does the Martial Emperor think he can also control Tianhong Clan?
"Stop, no private duels are allowed in Imperial City!"
The law enforcement team sensed the disturbance and hurried over to stop it.