Sovereign of the Ashes

As Baxia’s roar shook the heavens and echoed across the cosmos...

Far away, in the civilization of the Immortal Realm...

In the Western Niuhe Continent of the Great Primordial Land, where endless deserts and yellow sands stretched as far as the eye could see...[1]

A ferocious dragon suddenly opened his eyes. His body was covered in blade-like protrusions, and a chakram was clamped in his jaws.

His blood-red eyes burned with killing intent, radiating an overwhelming, oppressive aura.

Across the entire Primordial World...no, across the Immortal Realm, this was a creature no one dared provoke!

Even sage-level powerhouses would usually choose to avoid him rather than face him head-on.

This dragon was not a creature to reason with. Violence and bloodshed were in his very nature.

Once, a Buddha from the Western Buddhist Nation had tried to temper his savagery through enlightenment.

The Buddha almost lost his head for it.

In the Immortal Realm Civilization, a Buddha stood on equal footing with a sage.

This was a top-tier civilization where Buddhists, Daoists, Yaos, Devils, and Immortals coexisted, alongside powerful races like the dragons, phoenixes, and qilins.[2]

Among them, the dragons were a force no one could afford to underestimate.

In recent years, however, the balance within the Immortal Realm had grown increasingly unstable.

Its three great factions were divided, Buddhism and Daoism were at odds, while humans and Yaos stood opposed.

Without a unifying goal, a massive civil war could break out at any time.

Many wise figures believed that if all these internal tensions erupted at once, the resulting catastrophe would surpass every calamity the Immortal Realm had ever faced combined.

Countless lives would be lost, and the civilization itself could be pushed into decline.

There was even a real possibility that the Great Primordial Land could fracture and collapse.

Unfortunately, the Immortal Realm had no supreme powerhouse capable of stepping in to stop it.

Not even the sages at the very peak of power could claim that authority.

No one dared!

In contrast, the Magus Civilization had a leader like Bev, who mediated between powers and resolved conflicts before they spiraled out of control.

In terms of overall strength, the Immortal Realm clearly surpassed Magus World.

But when it came to unity, it fell a bit short.

The dragon radiating that terrifying blood-red aura in the Western Niuhe Continent was named Yazi[3].

He was Baxia’s second elder brother.

As the strongest member of the Dragon Clan, Yazi was the first to sense Baxia’s bloodline call.

His younger brother’s furious cry made him stir with visible impatience, pacing back and forth.

The blade-like protrusions covering his body clashed against one another, producing sharp, metallic noises.

One look at him was enough to tell that this was a being born for war and slaughter.

Back when the Dao Ancestor Hongjun ascended to Rank Nine and left the Astral Realm, he had summoned Yazi alone and entrusted him with certain responsibilities.

Compared to the Central Heavenly Court, which only held nominal authority over the affairs of the Primordial World and the Four Symbols that suppressed its four directions, Yazi also, in his own way, carried out the Dao Ancestor’s will and helped maintain the peace of the Primordial World.

As long as he stood here, anyone who intended to cause chaos in the Primordial World would think twice.

After pacing for a long while, Yazi ultimately chose not to tear open the fabric of space. Instead, he acted in his own way.

He lifted his head and let out a series of thunderous dragon roars. In an instant, a heavy, ominous pressure settled over the entire Primordial World.

The sky itself seemed to turn blood-red.

Answering his call, dragons scattered across the Primordial World began to stir.

Among them were several who had already reached the overlord level.

Some were Yazi’s younger brothers—and Baxia’s as well.

Hundreds of thousands of dragons rose into the sky.

If one included all the lesser yao beasts and divine creatures with dragon blood, the number would reach into the millions, even tens of millions, across the entire Primordial World and Immortal Realm!

For a moment, dragons filled the skies. Their serpentine forms twisted through the air as both sea and heavens changed color!

Among them, several dragon overlords flew straight toward Yazi’s location.

“War has broken out again in the Magus Civilization. Something has happened to our young ones.” Yazi paced as he spoke.

“Suanni, Bi’an—you two go and check it out!” he ordered.

Suanni was an overlord-level dragon beast wreathed in crimson flames. He resembled a lion, and black smoke smoldered in his golden-red eyes.[4]

Every step he took left behind scorched marks on the ground.

He was also the father of Hanliu—the Rank Four dragonkin trapped in the Mordora Star Domain.

Sein had met Hanliu before. Back when they explored the secret realm of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization together, he probably never imagined that Hanliu came from such a powerful lineage.

Bi’an, on the other hand, was an overlord-level geo elemental dragon beast. He resembled a tiger, with brown scales and twisted dragon horns that radiated an overwhelming aura.[5]

Qixiu, the Rank Four dragonkin Sein had encountered in that same secret realm back then, was its offspring.

To put it simply, none of Tourmaline’s elders were ordinary beings!

The Tenth Pharaoh of the Amenkha Empire had no idea just how much trouble she had stirred up.

At this point, the Magus Civilization’s diplomatic delegation had not even arrived in the Immortal Realm to discuss military cooperation with its sages.

And yet, driven by blood ties alone, these dragon beasts were already preparing to intervene.

Among the overlord-level dragon beasts present was one that looked somewhat like Baxia, though rounder, with smaller horns and pale blue scales.

“I’ll go as well. I’m more familiar with Magus World than all of you,” he said.

Shaking his head, he added, “I didn’t expect that after leaving only ten thousand years ago, I’d return to find it already at war.”

This dragon was named Fuxi, and among those present, he was considered one of the weaker ones.

Back when they helped Magus World suppress its eyes of seas, Baxia had contributed the most, with Fuxi coming in second.[6]

Yazi nodded at his words. “Our third brother, Chaofeng, is there as well. If anything happens, go to him directly.”

Then he glanced at the other two overlord-level dragon beasts nearby. “As for you two, decide for yourselves whether to go.”

One of them had blue-green scales and white whiskers—Azure Dragon, one of the Four Divine Beasts of Primordial World, second only to Yazi in strength.

The other was completely black, with no dragon claws at all—Torch Dragon, a newly risen overlord.

Azure Dragon spoke calmly. “My duty is to guard the eastern part of the Primordial World. As long as this world stands, I cannot leave. I will not be joining this expedition.”[7]

His role was similar to that of a planar guardian in Magus World.

But the Immortal Realm Civilization, with its far deeper foundation, possessed guardians far stronger than the Magus Civilization’s Guardians of the Four Seasons.

Torch Dragon, cloaked in a vast aura of darkness, showed clear interest in heading to the Magus Civilization.[8]

“Though I am the youngest here, I cannot let this slide lightly after someone has provoked our clan!” he said.

Coiling its massive body slightly, he added, “Should I call Fuhai as well?”

Translator’s Notes:

1. Western Niuhe Continent is actually from the Journey to the West, a classic Chinese novel that fictionalized the pilgrimage of the Chinese Buddhist monk named Xuanzang, who went on a 19-year journey to India in the 7th century AD to seek out and collect Buddhist scriptures. There are a few official translations for this continent: Western Continent of Cattle-gift, Aparagodaniya (in Sanskrit), Western Continent, or simply West Continent. In this novel, I will call it the Western Niuhe Continent. ☜

2. Qilin is a legendary hooved chimerical creature that appears in Chinese mythology, and is said to appear with the imminent arrival or death of a sage or illustrious ruler. Qilin generally have Chinese dragon-like features: similar heads with antlers, eyes with thick eyelashes, manes that always flow upward, and beards. ☜

3. Yazi is one of the nine sons of the dragon in Chinese mythology, known for its fierce and aggressive nature. It is often used to decorate weapons, symbolizing power and authority. ☜

4. Suanni is the fifth son of the Dragon in Chinese mythology, characterized as a lion-like beast that loves silence, fire, and smoke. Often depicted on incense burners and Buddhist altars, he symbolizes peace, meditation, and wisdom. ☜

5. Bi’an is the seventh son of the dragon in Chinese mythology, recognized as a guardian of justice, law, and order. Resembling a tiger, he is known for his wisdom, power, and fondness for litigation. His image is traditionally placed over prison gates and in courthouses to intimidate criminals and symbolize fair judgment. ☜

6. Fuxi is the eighth son of the Dragon in Chinese mythology and a foundational deity and mythological first emperor of China. He was also credited along with his sister and wife Nüwa with creating humanity and the invention of music, hunting, fishing, domestication, and cooking, as well as the Cangjie system of writing Chinese characters around 2900 BC or 2000 BC. Fuxi is often depicted with a human head and a serpentine or dragon body. However, in this novel he shares a similar appearance as Baxia, basically a cuter and chonkier dragon turtle. ☜

7. Azure Dragon, or Qinglong in Chinese mythology, represents the East, spring, and the wood element. Its color is traditionally interpreted as a blend of blue-green, cyan, or sea-green, representing a shade that combines blue and green, rather than a single pure blue or dark navy. It is also called Seiryuu in Japanese (Fuushigi Yuugi anyone?) ☜

8. Zhulong (Torch Dragon or Candle Dragon), was a giant red solar dragon and god in Chinese mythology. It supposedly had a human’s face and snake’s body, created day and night by opening and closing its eyes, and created seasonal winds by breathing. ☜