Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)

“Greetings, Mother,” Yang Qi said with a slight smile. “No, that little show of mine isn’t worth mentioning. In fact, I'm worried it could cause problems for us.” He knew that his actions in the Titan Emperor Collegium had been so dramatic that the news was likely even spreading to other planetary systems.

“We should be fine,” the Holy Mother said. “However, you need to be wary of the society chief of the Beastmaster Society. He has the chief of the Snakefolk on his side, and also August Patriarch Mammoth Heaven. We also learned that the hallmaster of the Hall of Beheadings and Executions is going to be coming out of seclusion soon, and he obviously won’t be happy with you.

“Unfortunately, there’s no way I can handle such a force of enemies for you, my son. That’s one reason why I sent Yan Wubing to fetch you here to this godrelic. If you can help unlock its secrets, then not only would I be able to achieve another breakthrough, but you also might get more enlightenment regarding the quintessence of the legion of gods. And that could help you reach a higher level of enlightenment.”

“Don’t worry, Mother, I should be able to help.” Looking around at the world of jade, including the jade sphere and the streams of true energy, he said, “Do you have any idea which god-spirit left behind this godrelic?”

Even the mere exhalation of a god-spirit could create a world, thus, this godrelic was definitely home to profound and enigmatic secrets.

“A god associated with jade,” the Holy Mother replied. “I've spent years seeking enlightenment atop this enormous jade sphere, which is the core of this world. But it contains the will of that ancient god-spirit, and whenever I attempt to send my own will inside, I'm rebuffed. Nothing I try works. Worse, the Hell of Gloom and Darkness has been stirring recently, causing fluctuations to fill the jade sphere and the world of jade. I have the feeling that, before long, the jade essence will be destroyed. Before that happens, I have to get the full legacy of that ancient god-spirit.”

“I’ll handle it. I suspect that the essence of the Hell of Gloom and Darkness has changed, creating friction with the godrelic.” He thought for a moment about everything he knew about hell. “You know, Mother, this might be an opportunity in disguise. We can probably use the friction to give you full control of the godrelic! And if that happened, you’d probably achieve an immediate breakthrough.”

“Good idea,” the Holy Mother said. After a bit of thought, she continued, “The godrelic contains immense amounts of power, power that surpasses immortals. Not even an immortal descended into the mortal world should be able to fuse with it. But perhaps the conflict with the essence of the Hell of Gloom and Darkness will give me an opening. And you have a special understanding and control over hell, right Qi’er? You’re essentially the lord of hell, so perhaps you can see what’s going on around us.”

“I’ll give it a try,” Yang Qi said. He sat down and sent his nascent divinity into the altar. As soon as he did, he sensed that the jade wasn’t actual jade, but rather, a high-level expression of power. In fact, it was of such a high level that not even he could absorb or fuse with it.

It was stronger than immortal stones, and was not the type of power that was native to the mortal world.

‘The lord of hell commands the godmammoths and controls the crucibles! Eye of the Sovereign Lord!’

He opened his Lord's Eye and saw the Hell of Gloom and Darkness stretching out in all directions. He saw countless devil planets in the dome above, and vast tracts of land filled with endless fiend-devils. He saw mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, and deserts. There were actually many planes of existence, layers upon layers of them, a labyrinth whose depths contained fiend-devils so powerful they could create worlds.

The soil that made up the Hell of Gloom and Darkness was mysterious and impossible to comprehend. There was simply no way for him to completely take in this hell, not even as a Demi-Immortal.

However, by drawing on the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth he was able to reach out to its essence. And when he did, he realized that the essence was in fact active, and was actually sinking toward a certain location.

‘The Eye of the Sovereign Lord can perceive the boundlessness of the universe!’

To Yang Qi’s shock, he realized that the sinking portion of this hell’s essence was evidence that someone was invading it. Either that, or the hell was fighting entities on a higher plane. In other words, war was being waged somewhere in the Hell of Gloom and Darkness! According to the myths and epic sagas, when hells warred with immortal worlds, it would cause problems for the essences involved.

‘Could it be that this hell is really fighting one of the immortal worlds? Is that war causing a backlash that will result in the godrelic being destroyed?’ He could sense powerful fluctuations emanating from the depths of space, yet no amount of focus could tell him exactly where they were coming from.

His cultivation base was too weak, and he just couldn’t cast his vision far enough to see what he needed to see. Considering that, there wasn’t even a need to mention participating in the conflict.

Yang Qi retracted his gaze. “Mother, I found out what’s going on. The Hell of Gloom and Darkness is at war with one of the immortal worlds—a high-level one at that. The war has changed the fluctuations of this hell's essence, which is causing problems for the godrelic. Considering the resonance that's forming, I'd say the godrelic will shatter soon. After all, it doesn’t represent the full force of the legion of gods, only a tiny sliver of it. And that sliver has wasted away over who knows how many hundreds of millions of years. In any case, it's not going to last for much longer.”

“So that's the situation. A war between a hell and an immortal world is no small matter. No wonder the essence fluctuations are so intense, and there are so many devil-ghosts roving about at the edges of this world of jade. Qi’er, there’s no time to lose. If you wait too long, the Titan Emperor Collegium’s initiators might do something to you. If not them, the other society chiefs will. The Invincible Dugu informed me about the situation before he ascended.”

“Master contacted you?” Yang Qi said, a bit surprised. “It seems to me the news about his ascension won't remain a secret for long. The initiators are definitely already suspicious, and they’ll surely uncover the truth soon. I have to achieve my next breakthrough as quickly as possible. Hell of Gloom and Darkness! Let your essence heed my command!”

Without any hesitation, he sent out some divine will, causing the Hellfire Crucible to appear within the world of jade. It was enormous, fully hundreds of kilometers wide, and it immediately began to gobble up the devil energy from the surrounding hell. At the same time, six Hell Portals appeared.

Fiend-devils immediately began pouring out of the portals, giving rise to powerful essence fluctuations.

RUMBLE. RUUUUMBLE….

The essence of the Hell of Gloom and Darkness had been provoked and immediately began to wrap around the godrelic, which trembled violently. As for the jade sphere in the middle of it all, it began crumbling.

“Blood of the One God!”

A drop of blood flew out of his fingertip, pulsing with a holy will as it entered the jade sphere.

WHIZZZ!

The immense power within the jade sphere belonged to the legion of gods, and was something not even powerful immortals would casually profane. However, Yang Qi’s Blood of the One God contained the most paramount of wills, that of the Sovereign Lord which existed above the legion of gods. Therefore, it provoked a chain reaction as soon as it entered the jade sphere.

A powerful will erupted from the sphere, filling the world of jade and causing it to shake. At the same time, it became possible to see the faint outline of an enormous figure, something large enough that it could stride through the immense planes of the universe with ultimate ease. Yang Qi, the Holy Mother, and even Yan Wubing could clearly see that figure.

“Who carries the glory of the paramount and supreme Sovereign Lord?”

“Who is it that has the Lord’s blood?”

“Who has accepted the sealing mark of the legion of gods?”

“Why is the God Legion Seal fragmented?”

“Who profanes the glory of the legion of gods?”

Numerous voices spoke out from various planes of the universe, all of them converging on Yang Qi’s forehead, expressions of will that sought to shatter his sea of consciousness. Before they could, the God Legion Seal stirred. The golden imp appeared and blocked the incursions, sending golden light out to fill the world of jade.

“The legion of gods perished? The seal was broken? The Lord vanished? After the gods experience nirvanic rebirth, a new epoch will be born? Is it deathless, or eternal? Is it pāramitā, or is it destruction?”

The enormous, projected figure appeared to be conversing with the golden imp.

In the end, Yang Qi somehow managed to guide the God Legion Seal to absorb the will of that enormous figure.

Information poured into his mind, which was when he saw something happening in the depths of the universe. He saw planes that surpassed the host of immortals, an ancient universe of space-time that was pure primal-chaos. In innumerable godly worlds, the gods fell from grace and the glory of the Lord went dark.

‘After the gods experience nirvanic rebirth, a new epoch will be born?’

For some reason, those words seemed to etch themselves in his mind and engrave themselves in his deepest thoughts. He suddenly sensed the profundity of the legion of gods, and felt as though he had touched upon the most profound secret of the universe, something that affected the past, present, and future.

Suddenly, the Holy Mother shot to her feet, her eyes glowing with enlightenment. “The jade sphere is transforming. It’s actually made from the blood of a god-spirit! The image inside is a message! I understand! Be absorbed!”

Reaching out, she drew on the Jade-Emperor Profound-Welkin Exalted-Celestial God-Dao and sent her energy to surround the sphere. Not even an immortal could have drawn out that figure from within the jade sphere. But because it had made contact with the God Legion Seal, it began transforming.

In that moment, the Holy Mother realized that it was definitely not a magical treasure, but rather a drop of blood belonging to a god-spirit. That drop of blood had become a jade sphere and given birth to the surrounding world of jade.

It was impossible to say how it had occurred, but in the heat of battle that god-spirit had sustained a blow which caused a drop of its blood to fall here in the Hell of Gloom and Darkness as a godrelic.