Immortal of the Nine Realms

The sudden manifestation of that particular Inner Domain sent an instinctive, bone-chilling tremor through the soul of every Saint present.

Ever since they had achieved full Sainthood, they had rarely experienced the raw sensation of helplessness. At most, when standing before absolute titans like Saint Long, they might occasionally glimpse the massive disparity between their respective domains. Yet even then, it felt like a distant summit they could still hope to chase.

But the reality of this Inner Domain reduced them to mere ants. The subtle, drifting pressure hanging in the air was entirely suffocating. As the grand gates of the Inner Domain slowly opened, the Saints felt as though they were staring directly into the belly of an entire independent cosmos.

Fang Lie’s countenance turned exceptionally grim. He subconsciously moved closer to Fang Chen, shielding him behind his broad shoulders.

”So it is the Honored Envoy of the Qingming who graces us with his presence! I am Long Ming, and I offer my deepest greetings to you!” Saint Long exclaimed.

His physical structure suddenly underwent a staggering mutation. He swelled from the height of an ordinary human youth into a colossal, hundred-chang-tall leviathan. Massive, emerald dragon scales rippled across his heavily muscled frame, gleaming with a damp, brilliant luster.

Transforming instantly from an elegant young master into a terrifying, humanoid dragon-beast clad in billowing robes, he bowed deeply toward the magnificent gateway.

The surrounding Saints registered looks of unadulterated terror.

In their daily interactions, Saint Long had always projected an air of gentle, refined courtesy. Though they harbored no illusions about his vast strength, they had collectively assumed he was merely a fraction stronger than the absolute peak experts of the Divine Realm. Yet, as they witnessed his true primordial form, they all sensed the unstoppable destruction radiating from his flesh. It felt as though he could casually raise a foot and stamp a dozen Saints into absolute paste without breaking a sweat.

Within the shifting portal, a towering silhouette stood half-revealed. His features were obscured, but his massive, mountain-like build was clear for all to see. The very moment he opened his mouth, he demanded an account of Saint Long’s sins!

”Long Ming, do you acknowledge your crime?”

The Saints exchanged bewildered, terrified glances. They possessed a modicum of legendary knowledge regarding the fabled Envoys of the Qingming. Yet, from the day they had become a Saint to this very hour, this was the absolute first time they had ever witnessed the physical descent of one.

According to ancient rumors, the Envoys of the Qingming held an entirely transcendent status, actively patrolling Qingming Realms on behalf of the big shots of the Supreme Qingming Alliance. They wielded supreme, absolute authority and divine abilities! With a single thought, they could dictate the birth or total extinction of myriad races.

For such a big shot to suddenly descend and actively interrogate Saint Long triggered an intensely dark, ominous premonition across the hearts of all present.

No trace of fury or fear showed on Saint Long’s face. He merely maintained his humble, deeply respectful posture. ”I do not know what crime I have committed. I humbly implore you to state it clearly.”

Behind the grand gateway, the mountain-like silhouette seemed to quietly evaluate the giant dragon beast. Only after a long, heavy silence did his voice echo once more, its absolute majesty laced with a razor-sharp, chilling edge.

”You do not understand? The Realm Lord of the Divine Realm launched an active rebellion and has just been personally suppressed by my own hand. You have stood guard over this sector for eight hundred thousand epochs, yet you claim you intercepted absolutely no intelligence regarding his schemes?”

The Realm Lord of the God Realm rebelled!?

The God Race Saint registered a look of pure, unadulterated shock. But before he could even process the words, the towering silhouette behind the portal shifted his gaze directly onto him.

An incomprehensible, absolute law instantly locked onto the God Race Saint. Like a cosmic eraser smoothly scrubbing away an errant pencil stroke, his physical form, his soul, and his very concept were quietly and thoroughly erased from reality, leaving behind not a single shred of residue.

Lang Daochun, Dai Conglong, and the other top-tier geniuses of the God Race went entirely stiff. They stared blankly at the empty space where their progenitor had stood a microsecond prior, their minds completely flooded with horror, rendering them incapable of thought.

The Saints of the various races gulped. Though they forced their features to remain calm, a terrifying, raging tempest had been unleashed within their hearts.

A magnificent, supreme God Race Saint... as just casually erased from existence like a speck of dust?

Even the Southern God Race Saint who had been locked in a bitter, bloody geopolitical struggle against the God Race for countless millennia found himself entirely unable to process the sheer weight of this reality, his thoughts grinding to a complete halt.

Fang Chen’s expression shifted subtly as a chilling realization struck him. This horrific scene mirrored the precise historical plight of the Demon Race during the later Nine Realms Era. Could it be... the systematic downfall and ruin of the glorious God Race began at this exact historical moment?

Of course, how else could it have started? The collapse of a supreme race could never be a bottom-up affair. It can only ever be executed from the very top downward. But why on earth would the Realm Lord of the God Race actively choose to rebel? The Supreme Qingming Alliance is a monolith of absolute, terrifying power. What could have possibly driven him to execute a decision that amounted to absolute racial suicide?

One sharp, critical query after another swirled through Fang Chen’s mind. However, with his current cultivation and breadth of experience, he simply lacked the necessary puzzle pieces to sort out the grand tapestry.

”Honored Envoy, regarding the Realm Lord’s rebellion... I truly did not receive even a whisper of wind, nor do I possess any clarity regarding the specifics of the situation,” Saint Long declared, his voice heavy.

He paid absolutely no heed to the sudden erasure of the God Race Saint, his features revealing not a shred of deviation.

”I do not believe your words. However, given your unique background and racial origin, my authority is not sufficient to deal with you personally. But rest assured, it won’t be long before the upper echelons summon you back to headquarters to formally give an account of what happened. You had best formulate a thoroughly flawless justification to extricate yourself. Otherwise, if the high echelons unleash their thunderous wrath, not even you will survive,” the Envoy replied.

Having delivered the warning, he paused briefly before stating with absolute indifference, ”The God Race originally commanded a total of eight hundred supreme Saints. A moment ago, I personally snuffed out the life of their absolute last remaining one. The ledger regarding the God Race’s rebellion is officially concluded for this sector. However, a punishment of this scale is insufficient to properly deter the other realms. Therefore, I shall implement a supplementary decree. Within the next million epochs, the God Race is strictly forbidden from birthing even a single true Saint. From this day forth, I strip the God Race of their right to hold a Supreme Bone.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the Envoy casually gestured with his wide sleeve. Fourteen mature Saint Blood Bodhis soundlessly drifted into the air, flying straight into the depths of the majestic gateway.

”All rewards and structural endowments earned by the God Race during this cycle of the Saint Tower Battles are hereby confiscated in their entirety,” the Envoy said. He paused, his hidden gaze locking firmly back onto the giant dragon beast. ”Long Ming, you must never forget who it was that stationed you here to guard this sector. It was the Supreme Qingming Alliance. In your future dealings with others, remember not to bite the hand that feeds you, nor harbor any treacherous thoughts of betrayal. If you dare to cross that line... hmph!”

He didn’t bother to finish the threat. Casting a final, sweeping glance across the trembling Saints present through the grand portal, he turned around and stepped back into the void.

The exact moment his silhouette receded, the magnificent gateway soundlessly dissolved into the empty air, leaving behind not a trace of its existence.

The entire scene fell into a dead, absolute silence. Not a single Saint dared to utter a sound, their minds completely occupied by the sweeping declarations of the Envoy, while the horrific imagery of the God Race Saint being effortlessly erased repeatedly surfaced in their minds.

Every single one of the eight hundred supreme Saints of the God Race had been systematically slaughtered down to the last individual. Did that not mean... that from this day onward, the once-glorious God Race would be thoroughly reduced to mere slave-soldiers for the other factions?

Lang Daochun and Dai Conglong were completely deathly pale, trembling uncontrollably. It was impossible to tell whether they were shaking from absolute terror or boiling fury.

Finally, an established Saint mustered up an immense amount of courage, opening his mouth to break the suffocating silence. ”L-Long... Saint Long... based on the decree delivered by that lord... does that mean the God Race is...”

Saint Long’s suffocating aura suddenly shifted as he smoothly returned to his original elegant and refined form. He declared expressionlessly, ”An Envoy of the Qingming never plays games or jests with his decrees. Therefore, following the conclusion of this day, the God Race holds no Saints, and the Divine Realm shall be thoroughly renamed. Your golden opportunity has officially arrived. Let us see which of your respective races possesses the structural strength to birth a brand new Realm Lord, thereby claiming the vacant throne left behind by the God Race.

”However, I shall deliver a firm word of caution to you all: The upper echelons must never exploit the lower tiers. This stands as an absolute, foundational mandate of the Supreme Qingming Alliance. You are entirely free to wage diplomatic and military warfare for supremacy, but you are strictly forbidden from plunging the civilian populations of this realm into absolute, apocalyptic ruin. If any faction dares to shatter this fundamental equilibrium, I shall personally step in to eliminate them.”

The Saints belonging to the top twelve races slowly snapped out of their shock. Instantly tossing their lingering terror to the back of their minds, they immediately began executing frantic, cold calculations regarding the staggering mountain of structural resources and territories they could carve up in the wake of the God Race’s absolute collapse.

Suddenly, the Third Step Limit Breaking expert of the God Race collapsed heavily onto his knees before Saint Long, torrents of agonized tears streaming uncontrollably down his pale face. ”Lord Saint Long! Our God Race is entirely innocent in this matter!”

”It is glaringly obvious that your Realm Lord backed the wrong faction and executed a fatally flawed strategic decision. Therefore, the ruin of your race today is a historical outcome that even I possess zero authority to interfere with. The absolute maximum I can do for your people... is safely escort you back to your ancestral lands. You still possess a narrow window of time to organize a total race migration.”

Saint Long shook his head with a sigh of cold detachment. With a sweep of his sleeves, the divine ability experts of the God Race were instantly enveloped in spatial energy, vanishing from the deck into thin air.