Chapter 1018: The Gathering of the Masses
In truth, countless people were paying close attention to whether Ling Zhan would succeed in ascending.
Now that Ling Zhan had arrived at the Domain Gate, on the other side at the port, the leaders of the Allied Legions from various Kingdoms also arrived, albeit fashionably late.
The reason for their tardiness was simply due to handling some follow-up matters concerning the Ten Thousand Demons Cavern over the past few days.
After pulling all-nighters to rush through work, they finally managed to sort out most of the issues. Thus, they came here to see whether this non-specialist could truly ascend.
As for the leaders of these allied Kingdom legions, regarding Ling Zhan's ascension...
One could only say they all had their own motives.
Quite a few of them secretly hoped that this non-specialist would fail.
Now that the Ten Thousand Demons Cavern had been resolved, the agents from the Terrifying Mountains and the Demon Nest had shown up to concede.
Only the ghost generals of Takamagahara remained obstinate.
To be honest, among the four forbidden zones, Takamagahara was likely the weakest.
As for whether the Lord of a Hundred Ghosts was stronger or weaker than the other three Forbidden Zone Lords, nobody really knew.
But in terms of the overall power of the entire forbidden zone, Takamagahara was undoubtedly the weakest.
That's also why the Allied Legions had yet to take action against Takamagahara.
Naturally, you deal with the hard targets first, and the easy ones later.
If Ling Zhan failed his ascension now, it would be a blessing for countries like Fusang and the Free Federation.
First of all, a failed ascension meant certain death, with the Domain's Order erasing him completely. That would leave Dragon Kingdom with one less supreme powerhouse.
Second, without Ling Zhan, they could better contend with the Dragon Kingdom.
Lastly...
Ling Zhan's existence made all the other Kingdoms extremely wary of Dragon Kingdom.
If Ling Zhan could single-handedly slaughter five top-tier Demon Sovereigns, what did that imply?
It meant he could easily slaughter five world-class powerhouses too.
That threat was simply too massive.
So much so that not a single Kingdom dared provoke Dragon Kingdom now.
Thus...
These bigwigs came to witness whether Ling Zhan could really ascend.
Logically, with Ling Zhan's strength, passing the Domain Trial should've been easy.
But then again, maybe not.
After all, it was said the Domain Trial's difficulty scaled with the strength of the ascender.
The stronger the ascender, the harder the trial.
Under the bewildered and astonished gazes of the crowd, the major Kingdom legions and their leaders led grand processions toward the Domain Gate.
As for the job-changers along the way...
Would they dare make a move?
Not even slightly. Not a single one of them would dare have wicked thoughts.
They scrambled to flee, terrified of being noticed and targeted by the legions.
"Why are all these big shots coming here?"
"No idea. There's no word about it."
"They're heading to the Domain Gate... Are they planning to ascend together?"
"No way. While these generals are powerful, few of them are even level 200. I think they're just here to see if someone succeeds in ascending."
"If we're talking about that, isn't that guy with the three beautiful girls getting ready to ascend at the Domain Gate?"
"Damn, so that guy's also a top-level 200 powerhouse? No wonder those girls with him are ridiculously strong."
"..."
Still, everyone rushed over to watch the spectacle.
After all, this was no small event.
Soon...
Tens of thousands of spectators gathered near the Domain Gate.
Every eye focused on the lone figure standing before the gate.
That tall figure carried the weight of global interests and had the power to alter the world's balance.
Most job-changers could hardly imagine that the man before them, someone who could shift the global landscape, was merely in his twenties!
"Master, so many familiar faces showed up..."
Meng Shuang naturally scanned the scene behind them.
She even spotted her father Meng Zhang and her two brothers, all giving her encouraging looks.
Yun Man and Chang Yue's mothers were also present.
Their eyes radiated deep pride.
Once their daughters ascended, they too would wrap up their affairs within the divine beast clan and ascend as well.
Probably in another year or two.
Besides...
Some of Ling Zhan's former companions had also come.
Zhu Yaoguang, Ji Wuming, Temuris, Gao Yao—all sent him distant glances of recognition.
Saint Luni and Saint Lucy, the princesses of the Holy Light Empire, were also present.
And notably...
The Holy Light Emperor himself had come in person.
Even on his imposing face, one could see signs of emotion and sighing.
Just two years ago, this non-specialist was merely a fledgling contestant in the global monster tournament.
Now he had grown into an eagle even the Emperor had to look up to.
The speed of this growth was truly shocking and unbelievable.
Additionally, the Rotten Witch Cathy and the Night Empress Andrea had also arrived.
"What? Don't you want to ascend with that little man?"
Andrea teased Cathy with a sly smile.
"Of course I do. But there's too much crap to handle. I'll ascend after finishing up."
Cathy had originally planned to ascend long ago.
But the Ten Thousand Demons Cavern situation and guild affairs forced her to stay and clean up.
Once done, she too would ascend.
"Well, I definitely plan to ascend with you. There's nothing fun left in this lower realm."
The Night Empress Andrea said flatly.
"Hey, the clan leader of the Xinmao Jade Rabbit Tribe is over there. Aren't you going to say hello?"
Cathy asked with a smile.
Many speculated Andrea might be Chang Xi's first daughter.
Even Andrea herself wasn't sure.
"Doesn't matter. There's no point confirming things anymore."
Andrea just shook her head.
Elsewhere...
Li Chaoge looked at the figure attracting the attention of all, her clear eyes brimming with determination.
After that grand battle, she had harvested many Ten Thousand Demons and gained a ton of experience, reaching level 191.
Just 9 more levels to ascension.
At this pace, with effort, she could likely make it within a year.
Then she too could ascend directly.
But…
She didn't know what kind of storm this non-specialist would stir up in the upper realm a year from now.