Sovereign of the Ashes

The terms the Gallant Federation offered Mosquito Daoist were simple: star core extraction and utilization technology, a steady supply of overlord flesh and blood, and acceptance of Mosquito Daoist’s demand to launch surprise attacks on several specific overlords across the civilizational battlefield.

In terms of raw strength, these two powers recruited by the Gallant Federation were not especially powerful. At the very least, they could not compare to the Immortal Realm reinforcements secured by the Magus Civilization.

Still, it was enough to leave an extremely unpleasant taste in the Magus Civilization’s mouth.

What had once seemed like unstoppable momentum had now been thrown into uncertainty by the arrival of these two external forces.

***

In Myriad Manifestations World, thick white mist drifted through the vast, boundless sky.

Amidst the clouds stood towering archways.

They were gateways leading to the shrines of this world.

They stood in various locations across the world, and the nine grandest and most majestic among them made it clear that there were currently nine overlords in Myriad Manifestations World.

In addition to the nine majestic archways, there were also nearly ten thousand less imposing ones.

From that alone, it was no exaggeration to say that Myriad Manifestations World was already on the path to becoming a top-tier civilization.

The difference between those lofty shrines and the ordinary pavilions was somewhat similar to the difference between the soul towers and divine towers of Magus World.

If the Magus Civilization were to one day destroy Myriad Manifestations World, one could imagine how much inspiration the mages would draw from its many civilizational achievements.

Within Myriad Manifestations World, opinions were also divided over whether they should come to the Gallant Federation’s aid.

After all, Myriad Manifestations World was a mature civilization. Its various overlords all held considerable influence.

This was unlike the Mosquito Heavenly Emperor’s faction, where Mosquito Daoist alone drove every plan forward, and those beneath him had no choice but to obey.

The one who questioned Venerable Weiwu’s plan was a newly risen Rank Seven overlord named Venerable Yunqi.

He was the eighth overlord-level powerhouse to emerge in this world.

During his rise, he had received no small amount of guidance from Venerable Weiwu.

But young people, in the end, always had views and opinions of their own.

Venerable Yunqi approached Venerable Weiwu and asked respectfully, “According to the intelligence we have gathered, the Gallant Federation is already at a major disadvantage in its war with the Magus Civilization. The battlefield has even shifted into the Gallant Federation’s territory. Why must we still step into this quagmire?”

Venerable Weiwu appeared as a middle-aged man dressed in the distinctive robes of Myriad Manifestations World.

The first impression he gave was one of majesty.

He was a powerful figure who carried the weight of this world upon his shoulders during this critical period of history.

Although Venerable Weiwu knew full well that he was still far from reaching Rank Nine and had only just barely touched the threshold of peak Rank Eight, he was still willing to try as much as he could.

Faced with a question from a rising star like Venerable Yunqi, Venerable Weiwu showed no irritation. He merely looked at him peacefully and said, “What do you think of our relationship with the Magus Civilization?”

Venerable Yunqi was familiar with some of that history. He shook his head and replied, “Not particularly good. Especially after one of their powerhouses killed the Celestial Venerable of our world.”

Venerable Weiwu nodded. “Then do you think we will enter open war with the Magus Civilization in the near future?”

Hearing this, Venerable Yunqi fell silent for a moment before shaking his head again. “Probably not. At present, the Magus Civilization’s main enemy is still the Gallant Federation.”

“Given the vast distance across space and time between the Magus Civilization and us, direct military conflict is generally unlikely,” he concluded.

The straight-line distance between Myriad Manifestations World and the Magus Civilization was somewhat comparable to the territorial distance between the Amenkha Empire and the Magus Civilization.

In fact, Myriad Manifestations World was even farther away!

After all, powerhouses from the Magus Civilization had traveled as far as the Amenkha Empire. Even the Arriba Interstellar Chamber of Commerce conducted business with the far more distant Luminara Civilization.

Yet there had never been any reports of powerhouses from the Magus Civilization venturing near Myriad Manifestations World.

Even the Arriba Interstellar Chamber of Commerce, with its vast and well-connected intelligence network, had been unable to determine the star domain coordinates of this world.

Under such circumstances, it would clearly be no easy task for the Magus Civilization to launch an expedition against the Myriad Manifestations World.

At present, the Magus Civilization’s foremost enemy was the Gallant Federation, followed by the Amenkha Empire.

As for Myriad Manifestations World, with which the Magus Civilization had once held a grudge, it had long since faded from their attention.

Even if the Magus Civilization were to learn that this world possessed the foundation of a top-tier civilization, the conditions for war simply did not exist.

At most, they could track down the exact star domain coordinates of Myriad Manifestations World, then do what they had done with the Amenkha Empire—gather a group of top-tier powerhouses, storm into Myriad Manifestations World, wreak havoc, and, ideally, kill one or two overlords.

But that approach would benefit no one.

If the Magus Civilization could do such a thing, then so could Myriad Manifestations World. Who could say there was not a lone overlord wandering somewhere out there?

Moreover, the cost of such a retaliatory strike would be enormous.

The risks involved in long-range teleportation across star domains alone, not to mention the possible loss of an overlord’s Omnipotent Soul, were enough to make the vast majority of powerhouses hesitate.

Venerable Weiwu’s two simple questions left Venerable Yunqi silent for a moment.

After a brief pause, Venerable Weiwu continued, “Since the Gallant Federation has covered all our operational costs and sold us many core technologies from top-tier civilizations, why shouldn’t we intervene?”

Venerable Yunqi replied hesitantly, “But if we do, we will be directly confronting the Magus Civilization...”

Venerable Weiwu shook his head. “We are already at odds with the Magus Civilization. Will this change anything?”

“When facing a civilization more powerful than our own, we cannot simply retreat. When opportunities appear, we must seize them and take what benefits we can.”

Venerable Weiwu sighed, then continued, “If we turn a blind eye to the Gallant Federation’s fall, it may be no different from choosing a slow, painful death for Myriad Manifestations World.”

Hearing this, Venerable Yunqi could not help but sigh as well.

Everyone was fighting for the interests and future of their own civilization. In such matters, it was difficult to say who was truly right or wrong.

From the perspective of Myriad Manifestations World, the Magus Civilization was evil. Their decision to aid the Gallant Federation was an act of “upholding justice”.

Were they supposed to retreat simply because the enemy was too powerful?

Venerable Yunqi was a passionate young man who had only recently ascended to the rank of overlord. After reaching that level, he had led his legions on campaigns in every direction, conquering many planes for Myriad Manifestations World.

Although Venerable Yunqi was passionate, he was not reckless.

He was also the only powerhouse who currently dared to question Venerable Weiwu’s decisions.

After gradually accepting Venerable Weiwu’s reasoning, Venerable Yunqi declared, “I’m willing to lead my legions and be the first overlord to march onto the federation’s battlefield.”

Venerable Weiwu nodded slowly and said nothing more.