Sovereign of the Ashes

The battlefield of the Grand Cosmic World...

The overwhelming might of Third Pharaoh Makhast had completely shattered the planar barrier.

The billions-strong legions of the Amenkha Empire had also brought death and despair to countless beings throughout this large-sized world.

Just as Celestial Venerable Tianyang had fallen on the battlefield of Divine Descendants World, an overlord had perished here as well.

The one who fell was none other than the Rank Eight Cosmic King.

Aeberton, the Dark Knight Overlord of the Magus Civilization, had already withdrawn from the battlefield.

With his Omnipotent Soul depleted, his constitution weakened, and his unwillingness to abandon his wealth, the unfortunate Cosmic King was left behind to cover their retreat.

The powerhouses of the Magus Civilization had actually prepared a plan for the Cosmic King. They had never expected him to fall so easily.

Unfortunately, the world-class secret treasure known as the Scales of Conservation was bound by strict limits of time and balance.

Before it could be activated again, the Cosmic King was permanently trapped within the Grand Cosmic World.

In the end, he fell upon the very land where he had been born.

After reaching the Magus Civilization’s defensive front at the edge of the Grand Cosmic World, Aeberton was still gasping heavily for breath.

The Dark Blade in his hand continued to hum and vibrate. Faint dragon roars and scorpion-like rasps echoed from within.

Blood continued to seep from the wounds covering Aeberton’s body.

It was clear how much strain this Rank Eight knight had endured during his life-and-death struggle against Makhast.

Aeberton had withdrawn from the Grand Cosmic World not because he no longer wished to fight, but because he simply could not continue.

“Oh my. With injuries this severe, you’ll need a proper period of recuperation,” Regalis said as she stepped forward.

She and Aeberton were both veteran powerhouses of Magus World who had risen to fame during the same era, so she spoke to him more casually than most.

Aeberton was still struggling to catch his breath and did not respond.

“How’s the battle over there? How long before the Amenkha Empire’s legions reach this position?” Vivian, the former leader of the Northern Witches’ Council, asked.

She frowned slightly and continued, “The fighting was too intense earlier. The fluctuation of laws had interfered with my crystal ball’s remote projection. We still don’t have a clear picture of what’s happening inside the Grand Cosmic World.”

Only then did Aeberton finally respond. “The situation is dire. Makhast has already activated his Second Unsealing. Thanks to the Scales of Conservation I prepared in advance, I managed to escape in time.”

“As for the Cosmic King, I fear he’s...” Aeberton shook his head.

“Those foreign overlords he recruited were totally unreliable! Faced with the power Makhast displayed, they didn’t show even the slightest will to fight.”

Although Vivian and Regalis were far from the Grand Cosmic World battlefield, they could still sense the moment Makhast activated his Second Unsealing from the edge of the star domain.

The violent fluctuations of his overwhelming power not only shook the Magus Civilization’s powerhouses but also placed tremendous pressure on the Immortal Realm reinforcements already stationed within the star domain.

Fortunately, the Immortal Realm Civilization’s second wave of reinforcements had also arrived!

This time, the five Great Sages of the Yao Clan had come to the border battlefield of the Grand Cosmic World, led by Bull King, the Great Sage Who Pacifies the Heavens.

Bull King had once belonged to the Jie Sect, so he could naturally coordinate seamlessly with Celestial Venerable Duobao and the others.

Furthermore, the Jie Sect followed the principle of teaching without discrimination. Among the many sects of the Immortal Realm, it was one of the few that placed little importance on the backgrounds of its disciples.

The Yao Clan might not get along with the Chan Sect or the Human Sect, but they had always been on excellent terms with the Jie Sect.

After all, many great Yaos of the Immortal Realm who did not serve the Yao Court or Nuwa Palace would usually join the Jie Sect as outer disciples.[1]

Once they stepped into the wider world, they could all call one another brothers.

Among the various sage courts of the Immortal Realm, the Jie Sect also had the greatest number of disciples...

Just as several overlord-level powerhouses of the Magus Civilization were speaking...

BOOM!

An overlord-level impact erupted from the heart of the Grand Cosmic World and swept endlessly across the large-sized star domain.

The moment that terrifying upheaval appeared, everyone understood what it meant. A Rank Eight being had fallen!

The last time the Magus Civilization’s powerhouses had surrounded and killed the Eighth Pharaoh of the Amenkha Empire, his death had similarly sent a massive shockwave throughout the surrounding Grand Eye Demon Star Domain.

Meanwhile, Bull King had only just arrived at the Grand Cosmic World battlefield and was speaking with Celestial Venerable Duobao and the others. Upon sensing that terrifying force, he gulped audibly.

The Immortal Realm Civilization had existed for just over a hundred thousand years, and everything had gone far too smoothly. Forget the unprecedented fall of a Rank Eight overlord, even the number of Rank Seven overlords who had perished could be counted on one hand.

Yet they had only just arrived on this battlefield, and they were already witnessing such a terrifying event.

As a result, many Immortal Realm powerhouses who had come here dreaming of making a fortune quickly put away their earlier arrogance.

“So this is the Clash of Civilizations the Magus Civilization is currently fighting? And this is only one of their battlefields...?” Bull King murmured, fixing his wide eyes on the heart of the Grand Cosmic World.

Celestial Venerable Duobao’s expression was equally solemn.

However, Bull King soon breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness I brought enough men with me this time...”

As Bull King glanced behind him, several imposing figures emerged one after another from among the hundreds of millions of demon soldiers.

Peng King, Lion Camel King, Macaque King, Tamarin King...

Apart from Flood Dragon King, who had entered the war alongside the Immortal Realm’s Dragon Clan, as well as the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and the Great Sage of Demonic Heaven, who were fighting deep within the Gallant Federation’s star domain, Bull King and the Jie Sect had truly mobilized every available force they could gather.

Bull King’s relief did not last long. Several more violent disturbances erupted in rapid succession from the distant heart of the star domain, each one carrying the signs of an overlord’s fall.

Bull King’s face immediately darkened like a pig’s liver.

The Golden Spirit Mother remained calm.

“These disturbances may not necessarily mean that a sage has truly fallen. It is entirely possible that only a clone was destroyed, much like how we slay corpses to attain sagehood in the Immortal Realm.”[2]

“The Magus Civilization has held this front for many years. The Jie Sect and the Yao Clan are both gathered here. With two major forces of the Immortal Realm fighting alongside the powerful legions of the Magus Civilization, it’s not as though we cannot withstand the Amenkha Empire’s offensive. In fact, with the combined strength we have committed, we have more than enough power to confront the Amenkha Empire head-on!” she said.

The Golden Spirit Mother truly lived up to her reputation as the Jie Sect’s eldest senior sister and the current leader of the Phoenix Clan.

Her words immediately eased the unease among the Immortal Realm powerhouses.

Bull King glanced around before saying with feigned nonchalance, “You’re right. Damn it, once our forces are combined with the Magus Civilization’s, there are nearly twenty sage-level combatants gathered in this star domain! I refuse to believe that the Amenkha Empire is really that powerful! Let me be the first to test their strength!”

With that, Bull King drew a crescent-shaped broadsword from his side. Powerful fluctuations belonging to a world-class secret treasure radiated from his new weapon.

With Bull King and the Golden Spirit Mother speaking so confidently, the Immortal Realm powerhouses felt a little less nervous and a little more eager for the great battle ahead.

Translator’s Notes:

1. An outer disciple is typically the lowest-ranking official student in a cultivation sect. They usually receive basic training, have limited access to advanced techniques, and perform menial tasks to fund their living expenses before proving their talent to advance. ☜

2. This is not particularly important at this point, but in case you were wondering what she meant by “slaying corpses to attain sagehood”, “Slaying the Three Corpses to Attain Sainthood” is a major concept found in Chinese Daoist mythology, modern xianxia and xuanhuan web novels, and Honghuang/Prehistoric/Great Desolation-style (subgenre of Chinese web fiction that serves as a grand, mythological prequel to legends like Journey to the West and Investiture of the Gods) fiction.

It refers to a supreme cultivation method in which a practitioner severs their inner desires and attachments, which are personified as three spiritual “corpses”, in order to achieve spiritual perfection or attain sainthood. The three corpses are:

The Benevolent Corpse: Represents positive attachments such as kindness, compassion, and sympathy.

The Malevolent Corpse: Represents negative desires such as greed, anger, jealousy, and the urge to kill.

The Self Corpse: Represents one’s attachment to the self, personal identity, sense of existence, and desire to survive. It is the most difficult of the Three Corpses to slay. ☜