Chapter 2077: Flying Dragon in the Sky

If the five-city alliance, organized by Qingyang for Baitian, could have held out for just ten more days—which, given the inherent strength of the cities, would not have been difficult—the Dragon God Army would have immediately faced a severe food crisis. The daily consumption of 400,000 troops represented an astonishing amount.

Unfortunately, there are no "ifs" in war.

Sadly, Qingyang was dead, and no one could influence Baitian as effectively. While some of his advisors and officers suggested that the Dragon God Army's supplies were insufficient, these were merely "opinions" without concrete evidence. In his panic and despair, Baitian was completely unwilling to listen.

Taking these five core cities, especially Mangzhou and Tianshui City, was an enormous boon for the Dragon God Army.

The Yao Kingdom was originally sustained by the combined wealth of Gold-Foil, and Baitian had extensively plundered Tianshui City's resources. Even after Baitian's execution, when the Black Armored Army searched his mansion and clan warehouse, they found them still overflowing with goods.

The military granaries in the five cities also held, on average, half their capacity. This was purely because the Dragon God Army's offensive had been so swift that the cities had not had time to consume their stored provisions.

At this point, the overall situation in the Gold-Foil Plains was settled.

Two months later, the Gold-Foil Plains experienced an unprecedented and abundant grain harvest across all regions. Merchants traveled along the newly repaired official roads, beholding endless, undulating golden seas of grain on both sides. At village entrances, large yellow dogs could be seen chasing sparrows away from the fields, preventing them from stealing the crops.

Such a sight brought tears to countless eyes.

It was a beautiful scene they had never dared to imagine, even in their dreams.

On the day of Ju City's traditional "Harvest Festival," He Lingchuan performed rites to heaven and earth, honored the Dragon God, and established the state. He officially founded a nation in the Gold-Foil Plains, naming it "Cangyan"!

The name "Cangyan" signifies the deep green wood growing from the earth and the bright sun shining in the sky, representing the righteous path of the cosmos.

The grandeur of the day was self-evident. The suburban area where He Lingchuan performed the rites was a sea of people, with countless residents from the Gold-Foil Plains rushing from all directions, eager to witness the magnificent presence of the Dragon God.

What they witnessed was an unforgettable sight:

At the climax of the founding ceremony, the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities personally laid the cornerstone and declared the establishment of the Cangyan Nation.

As his words concluded, a powerful wind erupted from all directions, forcing everyone to squint.

This was followed by a clear, resonant dragon's roar that shook the heavens.

Beneath He Lingchuan's feet, a gigantic phantom of a black dragon emerged from the ground and circled gracefully three times above the city outskirts.

The Dragon God had manifested!

Its massive form, when coiled, could cover an area equivalent to half of Ju City!

As it completed its first circle, everyone on the ground gazed up in stunned awe at this legendary, most mysterious, and most powerful deity.

The Black Dragon had last appeared at Julu Port, and stories of its manifestation had spread throughout the Gold-Foil Plains. Those who had not witnessed it firsthand inevitably harbored doubts, suspecting the tales were exaggerated.

Today, they finally saw it for themselves!

As the Black Dragon completed its second circle, both soldiers and civilians knelt and prayed loudly to it.

As the earnest chants of the crowd intensified, the Dragon God's form grew increasingly solid. With each roar, it caused mountains and rivers to tremble and filled the hearts of the people with fervent devotion.

After completing three circles, it soared straight upward, piercing through the thick clouds.

It was sunset, and several bolts of lightning flashed across the sky, clearly illuminating the dragon's shadow within the clouds. What an immense, stretching, and majestic figure it was!

The Great Emperor of Nine Serenities then personally declared:

"The Dragon God descended to banish evil, uphold righteousness, dispel demons, and eradicate wickedness. Now that Gold-Foil has achieved a peace and tranquility unseen in a thousand years, the Dragon God's merits are complete, and it returns to its celestial abode. Upon its return, the Dragon God will nourish all creation and safeguard Gold-Foil's peace!"

His voice, amplified by True Force, resonated throughout the entire venue, every word and phrase penetrating the ears of soldiers and civilians alike.

After approximately fifteen minutes of swirling clouds, the Dragon God vanished.

Accompanied by one last dragon's roar, the Imperial Nectar descended from the sky.

The Great Emperor of Nine Serenities had just declared that the Dragon God would nourish all creation, and in the blink of an eye, the sweet rain showered down upon them.

His words were indeed golden.

The crowd erupted in cheers, then knelt in the rain before the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities, prostrating themselves fully.

Hundreds of thousands of people personally witnessed this "Ascending Dragon" event.

Amidst the fervent excitement, some minor disturbances also occurred.

Fortunately, the Imperial Nectar had appeared frequently over the past half-year, so the populace was far less fanatical than before. Coupled with the Dragon God Army's extremely strict security and crowd control measures, no significant issues arose.

As everyone continued to bask in the blessings of the spiritual rain, they suddenly felt the ground tremble. It was subtle at first, but then pebbles on the ground began to jump, and people swayed along with the movement.

Could it be an earthquake?

Just as the common people began to feel fear, they saw a brilliant light shoot skyward behind the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities. The sound of trees snapping echoed from several hilltops, followed by one magnificent palace after another rising from the ground!

These palaces featured vermilion eaves and red ridges, arranged in an orderly, dense fashion, each with a distinct design.

The further they extended toward the onlookers, the more symmetrical and uniform their architectural styles became, arranged on both sides of a central axis, embodying solemn grandeur.

In just half an hour, even the massive and imposing palace gates and city walls were complete, positioned directly behind the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities.

This was the Imperial City of Cangyan Nation!

Obscured by the palace walls, people could now only glimpse the varying heights and styles of building rooftops, along with blood-red maple trees peeking over the walls!

Yet, in the mountains behind, lit-up palaces shimmered vaguely amidst the dense forest, appearing ethereal and elusive.

A miracle, a true miracle!

Hundreds of thousands of people were once again struck silent.

They had experienced so many astonishing events that night that their initial shock had naturally transitioned to a state of impressed acceptance: "Ah, this is truly worthy of the Dragon God's work," and "Indeed, this is exactly what one would expect from the Great Emperor's handiwork."

Xutuo, standing beside Liu Qingdao, quietly asked, "Wait, isn't this...?"

"It looks incredibly familiar."

Liu Qingdao interrupted before Xutuo could finish:

"It is."

An earthly emperor's palace city could never be built overnight. He Lingchuan had achieved this extraordinary feat by directly employing the Illusion Sect's most precious and foundational treasure:

The Scarlet Sky Golden Palace!

Indeed, this entire palace city was a magical artifact. After the Illusion Sect relocated to the Upside-Down Sea, they used it to establish their former sect's headquarters.

Last year, when He Lingchuan first entered the Illusion Sect's territory, he had witnessed the very palace halls materialized by this artifact on the mountaintop.

The shock He Lingchuan and Dong Rui felt at that time was multiplied many times over for the Gold-Foil people now, as their own experiences and perspectives back then were already extraordinary.

As He Lingchuan founded a nation and declared himself emperor, he naturally required an imposing capital city and a royal palace.

While Ju City could be gradually expanded as the capital, the royal palace had to be established first; otherwise, where would the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities reside?

A palace that was too small would fail to convey imperial grandeur, especially since the royal city served as the nation's public face.

A palace that was too large would, first, take an exceedingly long time to construct, likely not finishing in under three to five years. For instance, the former Kite Nation's Imperial City was built intermittently for over a decade, halting several times due to lack of funds. Similarly, Beijia's Imperial City, situated on a floating island, required at least two years for even minor sectional repairs. Despite the Sky Island's impressive appearance, a portion of it is constantly under maintenance.

He Lingchuan certainly wouldn't appreciate the distant clanging of construction while he was busy governing.

Secondly, building something too large would be an unnecessary drain on resources and labor. The Cangyan Nation had just been established, and there were countless areas requiring funds, workers, materials, and personnel. He Lingchuan intended to allocate these resources only where they were most critical.

Therefore, the Scarlet Sky Golden Palace was truly the optimal choice.