Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)

The preparations had all been made for Proud Heaven to ascend to the throne. Once the two dynasties were combined, and their destinies became one, they could crush the Dugu Clan and vanquish the Invincible Dynasty.

That said, Proud Heaven was still irritated.

He had set his mind on being the emperor of three combined dynasties, and the sudden loss of the Invincible Dynasty was a big blow to his majesty. Obviously, he needed to wipe them out of existence quickly to establish his power in the god world.

Right now, the Demonfolk occupied the majority spot in the population of the god world. Although in the past they had always existed in tribal structures, over the years, many Demonfolk empires had been founded. However, they were scattered and disunited, and most weren’t even as powerful as the old Deva Dynasty.

Every ancient forest or jungle in the god world had Demonfolk in it.

In fact, they made up about eighty percent of the population, while humans were only about ten percent, and other denizens made up the final ten percent. However, because of the lack of order among the Demonfolk, it was easy for humans to subjugate them. A single human empire could usually defeat hundreds or thousands of Demonfolk empires in battle.

Considering that this current conflict was between human empires, the Demonfolk were essentially sitting on the sidelines waiting to see how things would play out. It was the biggest conflict that had ever occurred in the god world, and of course, the sages and mahātmās of the Demonfolk were already hatching plans for how to take advantage of the situation.

It was the same with the Devilfolk in the god world.

Even the various races of godlings were around, waiting and watching.

Everyone wanted to see which human empire would prevail, then hopefully seize some advantage out of it.

Despite the fact that humans only made up ten percent of the population, they commanded ninety percent of the resources.

The Central, Invincible, and Chiliocosm Dynasties had been in power for billions of years, and during that time, the Demonfolk had waged war on them countless times in the hopes of seizing resources. The human empires didn’t want demons or devils in them. Because of their inherently chaotic nature, they would damage the destiny, and were a constant threat to the citizens.

Yang Qi was no exception. He had subjugated the Dragonfolk, and even brought certain Demonfolk into his empire. However, he had been forced to alter their life force and genes, turning them into humans.

Later, he had stopped accepting Demonfolk.

Transforming them into humans was just too big a drain on resources. In the end, he realized that transforming demons and devils as a whole just didn’t make sense. It was little wonder that humans had long emphasized the importance of ridding the world of devils and demons.

That said, the Sage Monarch Empire wasn’t completely opposed to them. Destructive demons and devils had to be exterminated, but those who could accept order would be accepted.

For now, the most powerful of the demons and devils were simply waiting to see how the conflict between the humans would play out, and how it would change the god world. And as soon as Proud Heaven took the throne, everything would begin in earnest.

Countless beams of prismatic light shot toward the Central God-Temple as old-timers headed there to watch the ceremony.

Yang Chiliocosm’s expression was unsightly, as though he also wanted to back out of the alliance, just like the Dugu Clan. Unfortunately, the die had already been cast, and he couldn’t afford to do anything dramatic. The High Priestess and Proud Heaven were both half-Annulled experts, and if he tried anything like that, they would definitely pounce and destroy him.

It would be better to accept a position as a government official and reap whatever benefits there were to be had.

That was better than being dead. And while Yang Chiliocosm longed to reach the half-Annulled himself, he knew that it wouldn’t happen anytime soon.

Numerous old-timers observed as Proud Heaven walked up to the throne. The first thing he would do was offer a sacrifice to the god world.

Burning sagefire erupted as he began the rite. “Oh great essence of the god world... I, your servant Proud Heaven, shall sit as emperor and excise the tumor that is the Sage Monarch Empire. I only hope that you will bless my efforts!”

RUMBLE!

Everyone could sense the god world trembling as numerous spatial rifts opened up, and vital energy swirled around and into Proud Heaven. Obviously, the god world was accepting him as its representative.

Any other person who claimed that position would be a heretic and a liar.

Everyone could sense the massive power of the essence of the god world. It was something that couldn't be faked. There were numerous old-timers here who were deeply familiar with that essence, and as such, they could all sense the terrifying power that was converging in Proud Heaven.

“Not even the Sovereign Lord provoked signs like this when he assumed power,” the Patriarch of the Universe said. “Is Proud Heaven the true Son of Heaven? Is he the real Lord of the god world? The essence of the god world accepts him, which gives him the legal right to rule. And the destiny of his empire will be linked with that essence!”

The High Priestess wasn’t very happy about what she was seeing, but she couldn’t do anything about it. If the essence of the god world was going to accept Proud Heaven, and not her, then her hands were tied. Having been a follower of the Sovereign Lord for so long, she knew how terrifying the essence of the god world could be. Even the Sovereign Lord had perished after plotting against it, so what exactly could she do?

The essence of the god world was providing signs and portents so that all living people, even in distant locations, knew that it had selected a representative.

This was the first time that the god world had actually had a legal and rightful ruler.

When the Sovereign Lord unified the god world, it wasn’t legitimate. He had taken over by force, and the essence of the god world had eventually seen to it that various powerful entities rose up to overthrow him.

But now, because Proud Heaven had the legal right to rule, many people were viewing him as someone that had surpassed the Sovereign Lord. He was now more untouchable than ever, and at the same time, the destiny of his empire was growing.

“Congratulations on taking the throne, Emperor!”

The old-timers could see how things were going, so they didn’t hesitate to act pragmatically. They began offering their congratulations, knowing that with Proud Heaven as the emperor, it would be a big benefit to become a government official in the Central Dynasty.

Eventually, Hailan, Yang Voidprime, Yang Chiliocosm, and even the High Priestess all offered their congratulations.

“I hereby ordain the High Priestess as the imperial preceptor!” Proud Heaven said as he began the various ordainments. In response, the destiny converged, growing even stronger.

“Let Yang Chiliocosm be ordained the premier and regent prince. Let Yang Voidprime be ordained as a grand prince. Let Hailan be ordained as a grand princess. Let the Patriarch of the Universe be ordained as a vice prince....” One by one, Proud Heaven made all the announcements according to the plans he had made. He also made various promotions among the existing leadership of the Central Dynasty, much to their delight.

“Make the official announcement. The Central Dynasty and the Chiliocosm Dynasty have now become one. And instead of taking either of the previous names, the new empire will be called the Deathless Heaven Empire! The ‘Heaven’ comes from my name Proud Heaven!” As Proud Heaven’s voice rumbled out like thunder, the influx of destiny caused his cultivation base to rise to a level no one could even assess, making him seem completely fused with the multiverse.

The Patriarch of the Universe and the other old-timers were all shocked.

“This reminds me of the time of the Sovereign Lord. The Sovereign Lord was the only one whose aura seemed like it wasn't part of the world, as though he was about to reach the Annulled. Until now.”

“You're exactly right. Proud Heaven’s cultivation base is now at the same level as the Sovereign Lord’s was. In fact, if the Sovereign Lord suddenly returned, it's hard to say who would come out on top in a fight.”

“From ancient times until now, there have been countless boundless experts. But the Sovereign Lord was number one among them all. And now Proud Heaven stands shoulder to shoulder with him. He’s definitely beyond the High Priestess now.”

The High Priestess felt grimmer than ever on the inside, but she knew she couldn’t defy Proud Heaven and the essence of the god world. That said, she still hoped that one day she would be able to kill him and take the approval of that essence by force.

Proud Heaven had established his foundation smoothly and with no problems.

The entire ceremony lasted seven days and seven nights.

Not even Yang Qi’s empire had legitimacy or legality, and was thus considered heretical by the god world. Only Proud Heaven’s empire was legitimate and orthodox.

After the destiny stabilized, Proud Heaven didn’t hesitate to issue his next order. “Let’s go. The time has come to bring destruction to the Dugu Clan and the Invincible Dynasty!”