Sovereign of the Ashes

When it came to pursuing the fleeing forces of the Grand Cosmic World, the Pharaohs of the Amenkha Empire reached a decision almost immediately.

There was hardly anything to discuss.

No prey had ever escaped the Amenkha Empire before.

The Grand Cosmic World had already fallen, and not even the smallest scrap of its wealth would be allowed to slip through their fingers!

A small portion of the Amenkha Empire’s forces split off to pursue the fugitives fleeing toward other star domains.

Meanwhile, after crushing nearly all remaining resistance on the Grand Cosmic World’s main plane, the empire’s main legions charged straight toward the edge of the star domain.

Countless blood-soaked corpses littered the plane behind them. Their bodies lay twisted and broken, with large patches of skin flayed away.

Such a gruesome sight, with blood and corpses stretching as far as the eye could see, would have left beings from most other planar civilizations sick to their stomachs.

Yet the legions of the Amenkha Empire treated the battlefield like an amusement park, laughing and joking amidst the carnage.

Every intact piece of skin was regarded as an exquisite “work of art”.

Even if the warriors who collected them had no use for the skins themselves, they could still sell them for a considerable profit once they returned to the empire.

The customs of different civilizations could truly be astonishing... and deeply unsettling.

As the de facto leader of the Amenkha Empire’s expeditionary force, the Third Pharaoh made no attempt to stop the imperial generals and the other Pharaohs from continuing the pursuit.

He had yet to satisfy his hunger for battle. More importantly, he wanted to see just how powerful the unknown forces gathering at the edge of the Grand Cosmic World’s star domain truly were.

As for the Luminara Civilization, there was no need to worry about them for the time being.

After enduring the Amenkha Empire’s attacks for so many years, the Luminarians had long since grown accustomed to defending themselves.

Although the Luminara Civilization had become far more active over the past one or two thousand years, even daring to provoke the Amenkha Empire along the border, Makhast remained certain of one thing.

The Luminara Civilization would never risk everything to launch an all-out war against them!

With its immense strength and deep foundations, the Amenkha Empire could afford to lose a city or even a stretch of territory along the frontlines.

The Luminara Civilization could not.

Besides, they were undoubtedly still watching the situation from the sidelines.

Would the destruction of a mere Grand Cosmic World be enough to draw them into the conflict?

Absolutely not!

Only when the armies of the Magus Civilization and the Amenkha Empire clashed head-on, with both sides locked in a fierce and prolonged deadlock, might the Luminara Civilization finally consider stepping into the fray.

Before I left, the Second Pharaoh ordered me to focus on conquering the Grand Cosmic World. There was no need to become too deeply entangled with the legions of the Magus Civilization. Now is not the time to wage war against them.

But that star domain lies at the border of the Grand Cosmic World, and our primary objective is to hunt down its fleeing forces. As long as I don’t enter the Magus Civilization’s home star domain, I wouldn’t be disobeying his orders, would I?

The Third Pharaoh lived for battle. His self-sealing technique had yet to be fully undone, and already he was eager to throw himself into another fight.

Thus, as the collapse of the Grand Cosmic World sent waves of chaos surging across the star domain, Makhast had no intention of stopping.

Not far away, the battlefield where Whispering Plume was gradually died down.

Surrounded by ten Amenkha Empire overlords, the newly risen Whispering Plume was about to meet a miserable end before he ever had the chance to make a name for himself in the Astral Realm.

When his presence finally disappeared, Makhast turned his gaze toward the Amenkha Empire’s vanguard legion, which was already pursuing the fleeing forces ahead.

“Farakanh, the Eighth Pharaoh, fell in battle. Neyathia, the Fifth Pharaoh, and the others accomplished little on the battlefield against the Magus Civilization... From what I saw during our previous clashes, the Magus Civilization overlords were mediocre at best. I’m eager to see what other forces they have left,” Makhast muttered.

By then, he had finished harvesting the skin from the Cosmic King’s corpse.

With a powerful leap, he shot forward and raced after the Amenkha Empire’s vanguard legion.

Makhast’s decision to continue the pursuit was not entirely reckless. He only intended to reach the border of the Grand Cosmic World’s star domain and complete the conquest of this vast territory.

Moreover, his second unsealed state had yet to end, and he still carried the Amenkha Empire’s civilizational treasure, the Sealing Chains.

As long as the Sealing Chains remained in his possession, Makhast would always have a way out.

Of course, before setting off, he did not forget to collect the Cosmic King’s corpse and all of his spatial storage equipment with him.

After all, the corpse of the Cosmic King was a priceless treasure that even peak Rank Eight beings would covet.

***

By the time Makhast arrived at the border of the Grand Cosmic World’s star domain, radiating a fierce magical aura, the battle was already in full swing.

Two Pharaohs, one imperial general, and two monster kings serving as the vanguard of the Amenkha Empire’s expeditionary force had already clashed with the combined armies of the Magus Civilization and the Immortal Realm.

And the Amenkha Empire was at a disadvantage!

It was not because its Pharaohs and monster kings lacked strength. The enemy simply had far more overlords.

Makhast was no stranger to the overmages and overlords of the Magus Civilization. Their auras were all familiar to him.

But where had these sages and immortal emperors of the Immortal Realm come from? There were also several phoenixes radiated an oppressive aura and Great sages of the Yao Clan.

Faced with so many unfamiliar enemies appearing at once, even Makhast was momentarily stunned.

However, his battle instincts, honed through countless wars across the Astral Realm, quickly led him to a conclusion.

The forces now fighting alongside the Magus Civilization belonged to another top-tier civilization! 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Moreover, it was one the Amenkha Empire had never encountered, or even heard of, before.

The Astral Realm was truly vast and boundless. Whether it was Whispering Plume, who had claimed to hail from Sky Plume World before being eliminated, or the Immortal Realm sages now standing before him, each represented a brilliant and prosperous civilization somewhere within the Astral Realm.

“Ha!” A Rank Eight imperial general from the Amenkha Empire let out a thunderous roar and forced back several Immortal Realm overlords before him.

The roar also snapped Makhast back to his senses.

Black mist continued to seep from his skin, while the bandages imbued with the power of the sealing laws whipped violently around his body.

There was no time to wonder where these Immortal Realm powerhouses had come from.

Makhast swung his right fist and struck at the nearest overlord!

He was Emperor Chen Gou of the East Pole, a member of the Jie Sect!

The fist, brimming with power, slammed into the Emperor’s green immortal armor.

Countless cracks spread across its surface in an instant, and Emperor Chen Gou was sent hurtling uncontrollably toward the distant star-domain battlefield.

A mouthful of overlord blood burst from his lips. Indeed, it was extremely difficult for a Rank Seven being to withstand a direct blow from a peak Rank Eight powerhouse like Makhast.

The moment Emperor Chen Gou was blasted away, Makhast prepared to teleport behind him and deliver a devastating strike to the back of his neck.

But before he could move, several Jie Sect overlords had already surrounded him!

“Get into the Three Poles Formation!” Celestial Venerable Duobao commanded through divine consciousness.