Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)

Yang Immortal-Slayer had finally reached the half-Annulled level.

By devouring Yang Voidprime, being blessed by the destiny of Yang Qi’s empire, receiving the aid of the combined might of the God Legion Seal and the Mahātmā Jade, and being given enlightenment of the King of Fate, he finally achieved the breakthrough.

Strange chanting filled the lands, and beautiful magical symbols swirled everywhere, filling the many heavens. In numerous locations in the god world, experts suddenly sensed the aura of someone becoming half-Annulled.

And it came from the Sage Monarch Empire.

Countless old-timers were shaken by this development. The Sage Monarch Empire was already considered invincible with two half-Annulled experts, namely Yang Qi and the Invincible Dugu. But now they had another?

Didn’t that mean they would be completely unbeatable?

And the influx of destiny caused by the breakthrough would make the hearts of the people even more stable.

Everyone in the Sage Monarch Empire could tell that they had three half-Annulled experts to protect them. They were definitely the top force within creation.

The Demonfolk Empire had two half-Annulled experts: the King of Godmammoths and the Demonfolk Empire. In the Deathless Heaven Dynasty, there was Proud Heaven and the High Priestess.

For a time, there had been a balance between the three major forces. But now Yang Qi had seized the upper hand, and as a result, more experts were experiencing breakthroughs, and his destiny was growing again.

News was spreading throughout the multiverse of the god world that the Sage Monarch World was a powerful organization, which caused many people to want to join them.

That said, the Sage Monarch World wasn’t recruiting. And even when it did recruit, they had a very tough application process. They only wanted truly elite experts.

The people of the Sage Monarch World were similar to those immortals from the immortal worlds who would only select the best of the best from the impure lands to become apprentices. The people of the Sage Monarch World had already developed a lofty attitude and believed themselves to be above the god world. It was only natural.

All of them wanted to fight to help the Sage Monarch World transcend.

It was similar to how, in the impure lands, planetary systems would want to become immortal worlds.

Thankfully, Yang Immortal-Slayer’s rise to the half-Annulled level had provided a big boost in destiny.

“Citizens of the empire,” Yang Qi said. “We finally have three half-Annulled experts. Next, we’ll all enter a huge session of cultivation. I want everyone to become as strong as possible. Before long, we’ll wage war on the god world, and conquer it!”

Everyone excitedly began their sessions of cultivation. All of them were very confident that their empire was the most unique to ever exist; it would definitely conquer all, and slaughter all fiend-devils.

As for Yang Qi, he focused his daoist techniques on searching for clues about the True Devil and the Sovereign Lord.

It was now very clear who the top powers in the god world were.

The half-Annulled experts were Yang Qi, the Invincible Dugu, Yang Immortal-Slayer, Proud Heaven, the High Priestess, the King of Godmammoths, and the Demon Master.

Seven people.

It would be difficult for anyone else to reach the half-Annulled level. Not even Yang Chiliocosm could do it by himself. Little did he know that Yang Qi had a plan to win him over to his own camp. His plans were unfolding one after another, and once he had fully realized all of them, the Deathless Heaven Dynasty would collapse.

And much of it came down to the back door that King Immortal-Slayer had left for him.

Even if the King of Godmammoths, High Priestess, Proud Heaven, and Demon Master joined forces, he would still be able to slip into the Deathless Heaven Dynasty. The only downside was that the essence of the god world was involved. Furthermore, the Sovereign Lord and the True Devil were still in hiding. That much he was sure of, considering their auras were still detectable.

They might jump out from the shadows at any moment to unleash a deadly blow.

For all he knew, they might even be hiding among his own citizens. Given how powerful they were, it was entirely possible they could hide from him. And it was compounded by the fact that his entire foundation was built on the God Legion Seal and the Mahātmā Jade.

Another downside to consider was that Yang Qi would have a disadvantage if he fought in open battle. The god world had already rejected his empire, and if his people tried to go about in it, they would be targeted and rejected. The god world wasn’t a good place for the Sage Monarch Empire to fight; the battlefield had to be in primal-chaos.

That was one reason why Yang Qi wanted to further his research of the God Legion Seal and the Mahātmā Jade, so that all citizens of his empire could have duplicates that would let them travel freely in the god world, if it became necessary.

His world continued expanding.

Countless old-timers in the god world would look up to it as if it were a moon at night or a sun during the day.

The night sky of the god world was completely dark, with no stars or moon. But now, Yang Qi’s empire was there, casting light down.

Of course, they could also sense how unstable the god world was, and it made them want to join Yang Qi.

The prestige of the Sage Monarch World only continued to grow.

**

By this time, Proud Heaven had reached the Demonfolk Empire.

Demonic winds screamed through the Demonfolk Empire as countless Demonfolk prayed. Of course, they had been forced to do so by the King of Godmammoths and the Demonfolk Empire. They weren’t praying to found an empire. Instead, the various demon tribes were praying as a curse. And as the curse power converged on an altar in the middle of the empire, it became something that even half-Annulled experts would find absolutely terrifying.

In Yang Qi’s empire, people prayed for destiny and glory.

But here in the Demonfolk Empire, they were creating a curse that would lead to fiery destruction.

In other words, the Demonfolk were all praying for the end of the world.

This was curse power, not destiny. And it was an aspect of Operation Demon Destruction. The baleful will would become a tool of attack designed to kill.

When Proud Heaven arrived and saw what was going on, his expression flickered.

However, he quickly raised his voice and said, “King of Godmammoths. Demon Master. High Priestess. I trust you’ve been well since we last met?”

“Proud Heaven! It's you!” The High Priestess rose to her feet with a furious smile as she prepared to directly attack Proud Heaven.

However, the King of Godmammoths waved his sleeve, blocking her way. “We’ve never met, boy. So what's that supposed to mean?”

“There’s no need to be so arrogant, King of Godmammoths,” Proud Heaven said with a smile. “That last part was meant for the High Priestess.” Turning to her, he continued, “High Priestess, you’re the imperial preceptor of the Deathless Heaven Dynasty. So why exactly are you siding with these people? Are you really interested in committing treason?”

“I'm going to kill you sooner or later, Proud Heaven!” the High Priestess said angrily. “So cut the crap. Are you just sitting around waiting for Yang Qi to crush you? I can’t believe you stole my apprentice and besmirched her honor. You bastard! You completely removed any trace of me from your empire. Did you really think I wouldn’t pay you back for that?”

“It's not as though you had good intentions, High Priestess. It just so happens that I came out on top instead of you. The winner is deemed righteous, and the loser is always in the wrong. I'm sure you’ve heard that saying before. I'm actually here to recruit the lot of you.”

“Recruit us?” the King of Godmammoths said, then laughed. “Do you know who you’re talking to, boy? You think you’re going to do that all alone? Who do you think you are, the Sovereign Lord?”

“It's actually not me who wants to recruit you,” Proud Heaven didn’t seem to have even noticed the King of Godmammoths’ sarcasm. “It's the essence of the god world that wants you. And that essence is so much more powerful than the Sovereign Lord that you can't even begin to imagine it.” Seeing the reaction to his words on the faces of the three experts seemed to please Proud Heaven even further. “You see, the essence of the god world is completely enraged because of Yang Qi and his Sage Monarch World. Anyone from there who comes to the god world will immediately be attacked. It’s only a matter of time until Yang Qi is crushed. It won’t be long before the essence of the god world can take human form, whereupon it’ll come to fight Yang Qi personally.”

“What?!” the King of Godmammoths said. “The essence of the god world is going to take human form and come here? That's impossible. The essence is so mighty that even thousands of years pass with the speed of a single thought for it. It simply can’t take human form.”

“I won’t go into the details,” Proud Heaven said. “I just hope that when the essence of the god world does, you’ll be standing by my side to fight Yang Qi. If you aren’t, then you’re going to have a hard time escaping with your lives. After all, that will indicate you're siding with the enemy, and need to be purged.”

Proud Heaven’s words pulsed with killing intent.