Sovereign of the Ashes

Qiuniu went on to recount what he had encountered on the way here, including the warnings given by that meteor-like creature about an impending crisis.

Destruction Spring listened, but remained unconvinced.

“I am an overlord who personally took part in a Dimensional War and a top-tier Clash of Civilizations. The war between the Radiant Celestials and the Source Energy Civilization left a lasting impression on me,” he said.

“Then came the war that led to the collapse of the Source Energy Star Domain. That alone brought unimaginable gains to both me and the Supreme Knight Overlord, Locke.”

He paused briefly before continuing.

“Without facing a top-tier civilization in war, you cannot truly understand how terrifying they are. In terms of scale, the current war between the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation has already surpassed the Dimensional War launched by the Radiant Celestials back then.

“At the very least, both sides have seen a surge in overlords in recent years, especially after absorbing the Radiant Celestials’ remaining territories and annexing a large number of surrounding planes.

“Even so, the combined strength of the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation still falls short of the civilization you mentioned. So in my opinion, you most likely ran into a rambling madman... or whatever creature that was.”

The Rank Eight overlord also drew the same conclusion.

“On the other hand, the Amenkha Empire—something the Magus Civilization clearly treats as a major threat—is a different matter,” Destruction Spring added, his tone turning more serious.

“Everything suggests they have already stepped onto the path to Rank Nine and are close to reaching that realm.”

Qiuniu neither agreed nor argued.

Over the past two hundred thousand years, he had wandered across vast regions of the Astral Realm, witnessing countless civilizations and strange worlds shaped by all kinds of laws.

Even so, there were places he had never set foot in—dangerous regions like the Dimensional Battlefield or the World of Despair.

It was not out of fear. Qiuniu was not the type to avoid danger simply because it was dangerous.

Rather, he had a naturally peaceful temperament, while those places were steeped in slaughter and destruction—environments he instinctively disliked.

And because he had never taken part in large-scale Dimensional Wars, his understanding of top-tier civilizations was not as extensive as Destruction Spring’s.

After wandering for so long, he was even out of touch with the changes that had taken place within the Immortal Realm over the past two hundred thousand years.

He had only recently returned to its vicinity.

With so little time since his return, he had not yet met his younger brothers. Instead, the first familiar face he encountered was his niece, Tourmaline.

As a fellow dragonkin and close relative, Qiuniu was very fond of her.

During his travels, he had heard from his younger brother Chaofeng that the younger generation had become increasingly unruly.

But looking at Tourmaline now, Qiuniu found her quite well-behaved.

In truth, Qiuniu was not a match for Destruction Spring in combat.

Although both were Rank Eight, Qiuniu was never one to excel in battle.

In nearly three hundred thousand years, the number of battles Qiuniu had fought could be counted on two hands!

Among their Dragon Clan, the only one capable of going head-to-head with Destruction Spring was Yazi, the defender of the Great Primordial Land.

Only those with overwhelming strength had the right to judge the strength of others.

Since even Destruction Spring dismissed the meteor as a rambling madman, Qiuniu had little to argue.

Still, a faint unease lingered deep in his mind.

With his sharp, bulging eyes, he gazed into the depths of the Astral Realm and murmured, “Over the past hundred thousand years, something feels off. Civilizations across the planes have grown increasingly restless.”

Destruction Spring chuckled. “The laws of the Astral Realm are all about the survival of the fittest. The strong always prey upon the weak. It’s only natural for powerful civilizations to conquer the weaker ones and seize more resources.”

He glanced at Qiuniu with a faint smile. “You are starting to sound like those creatures from Aerwen Continent. Did you run into them during your travels?”

Qiuniu said nothing.

Perhaps he did not agree with Destruction Spring’s comment.

Or perhaps he simply did not want to revisit matters involving the Aerwen Continent and the Sacred Court.

In his eyes, they were true idealists of the Astral Realm.

But ideals rarely survived reality.

Destruction Spring had no interest in creatures who had lost their homeplane either.

He and Qiuniu were of very different minds. What truly interested him, however, were Qiuniu’s brothers.

Yazi, in particular, wielded a power that even made Destruction Spring treat him with caution.

Then there was Chaofeng, master of spatial power. His Arriba Interstellar Chamber of Commerce had already extended its reach to the Myriad Springs Worlds.

If not for the Spring Ancestor’s indifference toward both the Magus Civilization and the Immortal Realm, the Myriad Springs Worlds could have established thriving trade with the Arriba Chamber of Commerce, making full use of its abundant hydro-attribute and vitality-rich resources.

The rest of Qiuniu’s brothers were no less remarkable.

In recent years, several of them had broken through to the overlord realm one after another.

In terms of bloodline alone, this Dragon Clan surpassed even the direct descendants of the Spring Ancestor.

Their only limitation was reproduction. Like most dragonkins, they struggled to produce offspring.

As for the Spring Lords of the Myriad Springs World, they reproduce through fission—a process far faster than any natural method.

That was one of the inherent advantages of elemental beings.

Destruction Spring continued, “My sister, Illusion Spring, will return soon. Given her ties to Magus World, she will definitely lead her followers to join their war.”

He paused briefly before adding, “Her closest friend is Kun, right? She has strong connections to the Nuwa Palace of the Immortal Realm, and even to the rising faction at Lion Camel Ridge. That massive golden-winged bird—he is Kun’s older brother, Peng, isn’t he?”[1]

“Who knows? The various factions of the Immortal Realm might end up getting involved too. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Magus Civilization has already sent an envoy to seek their support.”

He glanced at Qiuniu. “Your Dragon Clan will not just sit this out either, will it?”

In truth, they had already begun preparing to enter the war.

That much had been clear from Baxia’s roar back then, brimming with the power of his bloodline!

Qiuniu did not respond. Though he was the eldest of the Dragon Clan, he rarely interfered with his brothers’ choices.

Every branch of the family followed its own path.

Take the Baxia’s lineage, for example. They had flourished within the Magus Civilization.

Blessed by the planar will of Magus World, Baxia and his descendants had advanced far beyond the Suanni and Bi’an’s lineages in the Immortal Realm.

At that moment, Tourmaline stopped swinging around. Climbing up along Qiuniu’s long whiskers, she made her way to his face and pressed her soft cheek against his.

In her human form, she had been listening the entire time.

“Uncle... can you go save my big sister and the others? She’s my only sister. If something happens to her...” Her voice broke.

Tears welled up and streamed down her face, dampening Qiuniu’s whiskers.

Faced with this, Qiuniu fell silent for a moment. There was clear hesitation in his eyes, but in the end, he nodded. “All right.”

No matter how calm and peaceful his nature was, and no matter how much he disliked conflict and bloodshed, family ties were something he could never truly ignore. Perhaps that was also his weakness.

An elder brother is like a father. After the death of the Dragon Ancestor of the Immortal Realm, it had been Qiuniu who raised his younger siblings.

Now that the fate of his direct bloodline descendants on the battlefield of civilizations was uncertain, how could he, as their uncle, simply stand aside?

Seeing this, Destruction Spring could not help but laugh.

“It seems this little girl is more persuasive than either of us, or even the Magus Civilization powerhouses,” he teased.

Qiuniu answered calmly, “I’ll only go to rescue my family’s children. I won’t interfere in the Clash of Civilizations started by the Magus Civilization.”

Destruction Spring raised a brow. “And if those children are already dead? Or if your younger brothers have suffered losses—would you not seek revenge?”

That question left Qiuniu speechless.

After a long pause, he finally sighed. “The path of life is one we choose ourselves. I do want to protect them—for hundreds of thousands of years, maybe even longer. But is that really possible?”

“Even though the nine of us are as close as blood siblings, in truth, we are all solitary travelers on a long road. I can’t watch over them forever,” he admitted.

Destruction Spring chuckled. “You really are nothing like your younger brother, Yazi. He would never think like that.”

“Given your temperament, your Rank Eight Eternal Soul’s current stability, and the fact that you have never suffered major combat losses, you might actually be the one who lives the longest among your family.”

“As an overlord, if one truly wants to, they can live for tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of years in this Astral Realm.”

He tilted his head slightly. “But tell me—is living that long really worth it?”

Qiuniu said nothing.

It felt as if, with every passing word, the distance between him and Destruction Spring had grown a little wider.

Qiuniu walked his own path of peace and principle.

He did not believe he was wrong.

And more importantly, he was determined to continue on this path!

1. Translator’s Note: Kun is a gigantic fish in ancient Chinese mythology and legend, first recorded in the text “Zhuangzi · Free and Easy Wandering”. Its size is said to be thousands of li in length, and it can transform into a giant bird named Peng. As an important image in Daoist philosophy, the transformation of the Kunpeng symbolizes the natural course of change in all things and the state of free and easy wandering. Obviously, the lore has been altered by Mr. Author in this book. ☜