The Great Ruler

Clang!

The next day, the ringing of the ancient bell echoed in every corner of the city. After a brief silence, countless figures flew like a group of locusts, heading straight towards the center of Aeon City.

In the center of the city, there was a bare and unimpressive-looking mountain. Right on the top of the mountain stood an ancient and mottled stone pagoda.

The stone pagoda was unimpressive. However, all of the top powers who got within a thousand miles of the pagoda could feel an oppressive feeling coming from it, which pierced through space and turned their expressions sombre and caused fear to flash through their eyes.

This stone pagoda, which was called the Ancient Pagoda, was rumored to have been built by the Immortal Emperor himself. Almost everybody held some measure of respect towards this first top power, who had once saved the Great Thousand World.

“Is this the Ancient Pagoda?” Mu Chen asked as he, Qing Yanjing, and Budur Xuan materialized at a tower near the mountain. They all stared at the Ancient Pagoda with sombre expressions.

“The Immortal Emperor built it! Although the stone pagoda is thousands of years old, it can still deliver a sense of dread to one’s heart,” Budur Xuan said, while staring at the stone pagoda. When faced with the stone pagoda, even he, who was a Divine Heavenly Sovereign, could feel a sense of danger and dread.

“The strength of the Immortal Emperor seemed to have been even stronger than that of a Divine Heavenly Sovereign!” Mu Chen murmured before becoming silent for a few seconds. He had met a few Divine Heavenly Sovereigns before, but none of them could raise such an ominous feeling within him.

Qing Yanjing nodded slightly, then said solemnly, “The Immortal Emperor was beyond the Divine Heavenly Sovereign level.”

“Beyond even that?” Mu Chen was shocked.

“In today’s Great Thousand World, among the Divine Heavenly Sovereigns, only two have the chance to reach the level of the Immortal Emperor,” Budur Xuan said in a low tone.

Hearing this, Mu Chen’s eyes sparkled. “The Flame Emperor and the Martial Ancestor?” he guessed.

Of all the Divine Heavenly Sovereigns, only these two could raise such an indescribable feeling inside of him. They were like the vast ocean, unpredictable and possessing unfathomable depths.

Budur Xuan sighed, then spoke of them admiringly, “Although they were born in the Lower Planes, their natural talents were extraordinary. As such, it is definitely possible for them to achieve the Immortal Emperor’s level one day.”

“If that is so, then this is good news for the Great Thousand World. After all, we will no longer have to fear the Extraterritorial Race with the two of them on our side!” Mu Chen smiled.

Qing Yanjing shook her head and had a sombre expression on her face. Budur Xuan was equally solemn.

“You underestimate the power of the Extraterritorial Race. Back when they invaded the Great Thousand World, the Great Thousand World alliance was defeated by them at every turn. Even with the support of the Immortal Emperor, the situation could only be stabilized, but not won. In the end, almost half of the Great Thousand World’s territory was occupied by the Extraterritorial Race.”

Qing Yanjing sighed softly. “That war was not considered a victory for the Great Thousand World. Instead, it was known that the Extraterritorial Race had simply put their offense on hold. However, most importantly, the top power of the Extraterritorial Race, Sky-Devouring God, was sealed by the Immortal Emperor. After losing their leader, the rest of the Extraterritorial Race had no choice but to end the war.”

Mu Chen’s expression was somber and had a bitter feeling in his heart. He could hardly imagine the tragic situations that the Great Thousand World had faced during that invasion.

Now, one single mistake could cause the countless spiritual beings in the Great Thousand World to be once again enslaved by the Extraterritorial Race. He had seen the fates of those spiritual beings who were enslaved by the Extraterritorial Race in the Lower Plane. They were treated like livestock.

“These past few years, the Extraterritorial Race has been planning something, but we have no intel about their current situation. If a new Devouring God has been born, there will be no more peace in the Great Thousand World,” Budur Xuan said in a low tone.

Seeing their solemn expressions, Mu Chen quickly attempted to comfort them. “We do not have to worry yet. When the time comes, if the Extraterritorial Race tries to make a comeback, then we shall fight them with all of our might. After all, the Immortal Emperor managed to defeat them back then, and the Great Thousand World today is much stronger than it was back then.”

Clang!

Just as Mu Chen was reassuring them, the ancient bell rang once again, while more figures dropped out of the sky to surround the stone pagoda. Mu Chen lifted his head, while scanning the figures, his gaze resting in front of the stone pagoda.

There, a huge group of figures stood on top of the great stone platform, and at their forefront, Mu Chen saw a familiar figure. It was Maha You.

A middle-aged man in a golden robe was standing beside Maha You. He had a calm expression on his face, a muscular body, and a confident aura. However, there was no spiritual energy fluctuation surrounding him.

Still, even Maha You showed him some respect. Even the elders from the Maha Ancient Clan took a step back and did not dare stand beside him.

“That is the leader of the Ancient Maha Clan, Maha Tian,” Qing Yanjing said in a neutral tone.

Mu Chen was shocked. This Maha Tian was rumoured to have faced the Flame Emperor once before. As such, he was definitely extraordinary!

Maha Tian seemed to have noticed Mu Chen’s stare, and he raised his gaze slightly and looked at Mu Chen and the others. With Maha Tian’s gaze upon him, Mu Chen could clearly feel the surrounding atmosphere condense. He was like a bug that was trapped in amber, unable to move at all.

Cough!

A cough rose from the frozen space as Budur Xuan gazed coldly at Maha Tian. Maha Xuan smiled upon seeing Budur Xuan’s gaze, then he nodded to Budur Xuan and Qing Yanjing, signaling his welcome.

“Hmph. Even though he is the leader of the clan, he still has to show off to his juniors. This Maha Tian is still clearly immature,” Budur Xuan said, while ignoring him.

As Mu Chen broke free from the frozen state, his face was calm and showed no signs of anger. Thinking back on the trapped feeling that he had just experienced, he asked, “Is this the true strength of the Divine Heavenly Sovereign? It is impressive indeed. With a single glance, he managed to freeze my entire body!”

He then smiled at Budur Xuan and said, “Thank you for lending me a hand. Do not feel angry. After all, I will soon take away their precious treasure, the Primordial Immortal Body.”

Budur Xuan laughed upon hearing his words. “You are ambitious indeed, as you’re already thinking of the Primordial Immortal Body as being yours!”

Mu Chen smiled as his black eyes sharpened.

“Is that Qing Yanjing’s son?” Maha Tian then asked Maha You, who was beside him.

“Yes.” Maha You nodded. “This fellow is not an easy opponent. With such impressive achievements at such a age, given a few more years, I am afraid that we will not be his match.”

Maha Tian looked at the Ancient Pagoda and said, “Unfortunately, he doesn’t have that much time, so perhaps it is not his fate.”

Maha You nodded and smiled. “Exactly, as this time, I will become the new master of the Primordial Immortal Body!” His words revealed his confidence. After all, his success rate was the highest among all of the other competitors.

“I hope you won’t make any mistakes…” Maha Tian rubbed the lion statue on the stone pillar, then lowered his gaze and said, “Of course, none shall steal the Primordial Immortal Body from its place in front of me.”

…

“That one… Is that the Asura Spear Ye Qing?” Mu Chen asked as he shifted his attention to the North-West direction of the stone pagoda. There, a man in a green robe was standing on top of the highlands with his arms crossed.

He was good-looking, but a murderous intent glinted inside his red pupils, making him look very intimidating. The atmosphere around him was gloomy and cold and no one dared approach him.

“That’s Shi Luo, the Lord Vajra and Tuo Bacang, the Divine Blade…” Not far from Ye Qing, a thin man in a golden robe stood. His bald head was glossy, which made him very eye-catching. Under his gentle smile was a wild beast, which was just waiting to be unleashed.

On top of a decrepit building in the distance, a expressionless man in a black robe was standing, carrying a broken sword on his back. He seemed to be surrounded by countless blade rays, which would pierce through any living thing that came close to him.

“Seems like they have all arrived…” As he was experiencing numerous strong spiritual energy fluctuations, Mu Chen felt the blood in his body start to boil. It was akin to a thirst, as if something from these people was attracting him. Mu Chen knew that this was the attraction between the Immortal Golden Bodies.

Boom!

At that moment, all of heaven and earth trembled. Then, the ancient bell rang once again.

At that moment, as if they were all sensing something simultaneously, everybody lifted their heads, their passionate gazes locking on the Ancient Pagoda at the top of the mountain. At that moment, the stone tower’s tightly-shut gates started to open slowly.

The sound that was made by the stone doors brushing the ground echoed throughout the skies, and at that moment, Mu Chen opened his eyes, his gaze becoming as sharp as a blade. The Ancient Pagoda has finally opened up!