The East and South Sea emperors, as well as the dragon emperor of the Untroubled Sea promptly left without a second thought.

“Stop them, quick!” Ge Yanxia shrieked. “They’re Lu Yun’s allies, all of them! I’m sure they’re going to join him now.”

The combination of two monster emperors and a dragon emperor was a fearsome one. With them by his side, Lu Yun would have no issue activating the Sovereign Stele and setting foot in the central world. Sadly, the three had long disappeared into the distance.

“It’s too late, you people can’t stop them from leaving.” Strongest of the group, the Primus celestial emperor shook his head. “Let us go to the Sovereign Stele now. Since this sealed stele can’t be ours… we must prevent Lu Yun from attaining the ancient immortal emperor’s treasure at all costs!”

His eyes glinted menacingly. The lord of Destiny City had no strong opinion one way or the other, so he looked up at the figure of Qi Hai hovering in the sky, who gently shook his head.

“Indeed, we can’t let Lu Yun get his hands on the treasure… With the protection of the sword formation, Dusk Province is already as impregnable as Mount Tai. If he gains such a treasure on top of it, the world of immortals will be his sooner or later,” Qi Hai asserted meaningfully.

“If Dusk’s powerhouses ever happen to launch an offensive, I fear the few of us wouldn’t be able to stop them by ourselves,” Ge Yanxia responded uneasily.

Dusk Province could count on a holy lord from the underworld, the first void-ascended immortal Mo Yi, and the enigmatic Lu Feng. Furthermore, Chen Xiao and Qing Buyi, two unholy devils that’d once terrorized the entire world, had returned. Most likely, their battle strength was at origin dao immortal realm, if not greater.

A combined assault from all of those mighty figures would be impossible to fend off, even with the gathering currently assembled in Destiny City. Everyone’s gaze landed on Silverlight; among them, she was undoubtedly the strongest.

“Not to worry. This is Destiny City, not a place that just anyone can run wild in,” Qi Hai reassured. “Incidentally, there’s more heavyweights in the world at large than one can imagine. If they ever dare go too far, someone or another will be along to deal with them.”

Awkward shrugs rose and fell in the crowd. Chen Xiao and Qing Buyi were fiends who’d never let anything stop them. “Too far” didn’t exist in their vocabulary.

“Indeed, if one could truly do as they pleased in this world, Goldenlight and I would’ve long conquered the ten lands and occupied the nine majors.”

Quite a few shuddered at Silverlight’s words. There were eighteen complete origin dao immortals at Levitating Island’s command. Lacking heavenly mandates and imperial treasures, no current celestial emperor would be their opponents.

……

In fact, the East and South Sea emperors, as well as the dragon emperor of the Untroubled Sea, didn’t go to Lu Yun. They’d discussed the matter with him in Dusk Province beforehand and decided on a plan of action, hence why they weren’t particularly worried.

Meanwhile, layers upon layers of seals were added to the Sovereign Stele. The Primus celestial emperor personally added numerous restrictions to protect the giant stele. Not even a fly would be able to slip through the defenses.

There had to be more than two methods to activate the stele. Before a third way could be found, no one was to be allowed within three thousand meters of it.

At the break of dawn the next day, a great rumbling came from the air as a blindingly white avenue fell from the sky and crashed into the Primus celestial emperor’s restrictions. Under the impact, the great formation that contained the power of the celestial emperor’s origin dao fruits instantly shattered.

The Path of Ingress!

“Who is it?!” The Primus celestial emperor broke out of his meditation and sprang to his feet, two aureate rays erupting from his eyes as he took stock of the situation. Since there was a Path of Ingress in Lu Yun’s possession, his first thought was that the little bastard had come a-knocking.

“This emperor cometh!” a voice traveled in from the distance with unbridled arrogance. “Female immortals of Destiny City will quickly submit to this emperor. Do not force this emperor’s hand, or no mercy will be forthcoming despite you being members of the fairer sex!”

Open-mouthed, everyone stared dumbly at him.

“Zhao Shenguang, what in the heavens are you doing?!” Some people quickly recognized him.

Clad in imperial vestments, Zhao Shenguang stood on the Path of Ingress. Glittering bright above him was a heavenly mandate—Nephrite Major’s heavenly mandate! After returning to court, he’d… actually really become the celestial emperor!

Lu Yun and Qing Yu exchanged a glance. When the boy had escaped from the Ancient Tree of Life, Zhao Shenguang had skipped his way back to Xiankan, muttering something about recovering an imperial treasure. It hadn’t been yet five days since. How had he managed to refine the heavenly mandate and become the celestial emperor in the meantime?

The first time he’d ascended the throne, he hadn’t refined the mandate at all. He’d merely managed to put in a quick appearance before being dragged off by Chen Xiao and Qing Buyi to the Endless Desert, leaving a casual substitute in the Nephrite Palace.

As a result, a creature from the Blood Sea had come ashore and swallowed the substitute, refined the heavenly mandate, and become the celestial emperor, thus turning Nephrite Major upside down. It’d happened right when Lu Yun and the rest had obtained the Dao Flower and were drifting in the Blood Sea.

Ultimately, Mo Yi had had to make a trip to the Nephrite palace, capture the creature, then sacrifice it to Dusk Province’s restriction along with the mandate. It now appeared to Lu Yun that the creature had chosen Nephrite Major for a specific reason… namely, the Path of Ingress, a path that led to the central world!

Back during the first Sovereign Rankings, when the Path of Ingress had been connected to the central world, countless creatures from the Blood Sea had also crawled onto it. At first, Lu Yun had thought them part of the ranking’s trials.

However, according to the Azure Dragon King, creatures from the Blood Sea had come ashore again. As it happened, something unusual had recently taken place in the central world, leading to the appearance of the immortal emperor’s treasure.

It’d be too incredible a coincidence if the two matters weren’t related. Most likely, the denizens of the Blood Sea were after that very treasure. As for what Qi Hai had said, that was nothing but utter bullshit. The appearance of the treasure had to be intimately linked to the immortal emperor’s sudden appearance.

……

“You?” The Primus celestial emperor stared blankly at Zhao Shenguang for a long moment before recomposing himself. “You’re the new celestial emperor of Nephrite Major?”

“New? Wrong! This emperor was always the Nephrite celestial emperor!” Zhao Shenguang tilted his chin regally. “That you lot have trespassed on Nephrite Major territory without this emperor’s permission… Are you challenging Our authority?”

Qi Hai kneaded his forehead wordlessly. Zhao Shenguang’s sudden arrival was truly unexpected, to say nothing of using the Path of Ingress to smash through all the formations and restrictions laid down by the Primus celestial emperor and the other powerhouses.

“The emergence of the supreme treasure in the central world is a matter of great import for all living beings of this world. It is an opportunity that one and all are entitled to! How dare thee rebuff the will of the people out of petty selfishness?” Zhao Shenguang roared. “Today, this emperor comes to redress this wrong for the good of all. Open!”

Rumble!

With a violent shake, the Nephrite mandate above him transformed into white radiance that encompassed all of Destiny City. Following which, the Path of Ingress shot into the sky and smashed the Sovereign Stele into pieces, then connected their spatial plane into the unexplored horizon where the central world lay.

“Go forth, mine people! Other than the immortal emperor’s treasure, thou may also find the teachings and legacies of countless ancient immortals inside. Go on, it’s time for thee to find thy destiny!” Zhao Shenguang hovered in the air, doing his best to look mysterious and unfathomable.