The moment the Emperor sat down, the atmosphere in the Grand Ceremonial Hall changed completely.
Even the Great Ascension Realm felt an instinctive pressure settle upon their shoulders—not the oppressive force of cultivation, but something far more unsettling.
Authority!
The kind that had been honed over centuries of rule.
The Emperor's gaze swept across the hall once more, slow and deliberate. He did not rush. He did not speak immediately.
Only after the hall had fully stilled did he finally open his mouth.
"Today," the Emperor said calmly, his voice neither loud nor soft, yet echoing clearly through every corner of the vast hall, "we celebrate victory!"
His words were simple.
"The Demonic Forces have been repelled. The Beast Tide has been crushed. The borders of the Desolate Heaven Empire remain intact."
He paused briefly.
"This outcome was not achieved by anyone alone."
His gaze passed over every faction present.
"The clans."
"The sects."
