Immortal Paladin

I sat upon the throne at the center of the half-dome chamber, my fingers resting against the armrest as countless eyes turned toward me. The World Council chamber had always been grand, but today, the atmosphere hanging within it felt heavier than iron. Representatives from every major organization of the Hollowed World occupied their designated seats in layered rows that descended toward the central platform where my throne stood elevated.

This assembly had been called in haste. Messages had been sent through emergency channels, teleportation arrays had been forcefully activated, and several Primaries had abandoned active operations merely to arrive here in time. Even then, many secondary and tertiary representatives had failed to attend.

That was acceptable.

The important ones were here.

The Adventurer’s Guild.

The Ward.

The Martial Alliance.

The Federation.

The Four Pillars.

Radiant Losten.

Even the former Judges of the Underworld had gathered beneath this chamber, their expressions grim in a way I rarely saw.

I slowly rose from my throne.

“The World Council shall now commence.”

I swept my gaze across the gathered leaders before continuing.

“A dangerous foe is currently marching toward our world, and we possess little time to respond. An existence that we shall henceforth refer to as the Great Beast has manifested within the First Layer of the Underworld.”

The chamber erupted instantly.

Shock spread across countless faces while several representatives rose halfway from their seats. The former Judges looked particularly disturbed, their expressions paling as though they understood the implications faster than the others.

I raised one hand.

Silence descended once more.

Without another word, I activated the Divine Phantasm of Dreams.

The air above the chamber distorted.

A massive illusion unfolded across the ceiling of the half-dome chamber like reality itself had been peeled away. Darkness spread overhead before my memories manifested for everyone to witness. The First Layer appeared before them in horrifying clarity, the endless blackened continent formed from corpses, the rivers of death qi, and then the thing itself.

The Great Beast.

Several people inhaled sharply.

Others simply froze.

Even now, after witnessing it personally, the sight still clawed at my mind.

The illusion showed the continent trembling before the land itself began to move. Mountains cracked apart like brittle twigs. Entire oceans of corpses shifted upward as colossal flesh emerged beneath the surface. Then the scale of the creature became visible.

And the chamber fell deathly silent.

I stood within the memory projection like a speck of dust before an impossible titan.

“This memory was extracted directly from my mind,” I said calmly. “As of this moment, the Great Beast should already be beginning its march toward the Second Layer of the Underworld.”

The First Layer itself resembled a galaxy-sized realm of death and corpses. Yet the Great Beast had consumed it, fused with it, become it. The continent itself served as its body. Compared to it, worlds looked microscopic.

No.

Not merely worlds.

Entire layers.

Each layer of the Underworld possessed a scale beyond mortal comprehension, and the Great Beast had effectively devoured one whole.

Fear spread visibly across the chamber.

This was an extinction event, so it was only right for them to be scared.

“We possess little time,” I continued. “Therefore, I shall issue my orders immediately.”

I straightened upon the throne platform, allowing my voice to carry absolute authority.

“We will evacuate as many souls as possible from the Second through Sixth Layers of the Underworld. Every available transportation array, vessel, gate, and resurrection corridor shall be dedicated toward evacuation efforts.”

The illusion shifted again, showing the layered structure of the Underworld.

“We shall establish our primary defensive line within the Sixth Layer, Order.”

Murmurs spread immediately.

Order was among the least populated layers, so it made sense.

“Nidhogg currently roams that layer,” I continued. “Its presence alone may buy us critical time against the Great Beast. We will make use of that.”

Several faces visibly tightened at the mention of Nidhogg. This people weren’t as clueless of the Greater Universe, compared to when I just started my expedition of the place.

“Understand the stakes before us. The fate of not merely the Hollowed World, but the Underworld itself now hangs upon our actions. Entire realms may vanish if we fail.”

My voice hardened.

“You are allowed to fear this enemy. Any being that does not fear annihilation is either a fool or already dead. But you will not succumb to that fear.”

The pressure within the chamber intensified.

“We still breathe. Therefore, we still fight.”

No one spoke or dared interrupt.

I turned toward a tall man seated beneath the sigil of the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Primary Mao Xian.”

The young man immediately stood.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I hereby order the full mobilization of the Player Covenant. Cancel every existing quest regardless of priority. Redirect all guild resources, adventurers, transport divisions, and logistics personnel toward evacuation operations.”

Mao Xian placed a fist over his chest.

“It shall be done.”

I shifted my gaze toward another section of the chamber.

“Primary Tao Long.”

The man from the Ward rose silently, his sharp eyes already filled with resolve.

“Prepare your most experienced agents. I shall attach my finest Guardians to your command. Together, you will lead an expedition into the furthest untouched layer of the Underworld. You will establish immediate order there and begin forced evacuation procedures if necessary. Resistance is irrelevant. We no longer possess the luxury of diplomacy.”

Tao Long nodded once.

“The Ward understands.”

Next came the Martial Alliance.

“Primary Yi Qiu.”

The broad-shouldered cultivator stood proudly despite the tension filling the chamber.

“Prepare your warriors and commence aggressive military operations against the remnants of War’s army. Any dissenters capable of destabilizing evacuation efforts are to be crushed immediately no matter the cost.”

Yi Qiu grinned grimly.

“At last. Understood.”

I turned toward the Federation delegation.

“Primary Liu Yana.”

The elegant woman straightened instantly.

“Negotiate entry into neighboring greater realms using every existing conglomerate connection available to the Federation. Additionally, attempt to reacquire the mercenary forces formerly employed by Famine.”

Liu Yana frowned slightly.

“They may demand impossible prices.”

“Pay them anyway.”

That silenced her immediately.

At this stage, resources meant nothing.

Survival meant everything.

Beside her sat an elderly woman wrapped in heavy ceremonial robes.

“Primary Tian En.”

The old woman slowly raised her head.

“I require the cooperation of the Four Pillars. Coordinate with Liu Yana and bring the Origin Faith fully into these preservation efforts. I want their connections, sanctuaries, healing arts, and there skills assisting with evacuation operations immediately.”

Tian En closed her eyes briefly before nodding.

“The faithful shall answer.”

Finally, my gaze settled upon the radiant woman clad in silver-white armor.

“Primary Joana Luminara.”

The leader of Radiant Losten rose gracefully.

“Escort the supply lines. Establish healing stations, rear support divisions, and resurrection measures throughout every evacuation route. I want wounded personnel returned to combat readiness as efficiently as possible.”

Joana pressed a hand against her chest.

“Radiant Losten shall not fail the living.”

The gathered cultivators in the lower seats immediately exploded into chaos.

“That’s impossible!”

“You want Radiant Losten to maintain the supply lines?!”

“Then who shall manage transportation and military distribution?!”

“The Federation normally handles long-range logistics!”

“And the Martial Alliance secures the routes!”

“Why are the responsibilities being divided like this?!”

“This makes no sense!”

Several representatives rose from their seats while others argued among themselves loudly enough that the chamber devolved into complete disorder. Spiritual pressure leaked from agitated cultivators as panic and confusion spread across the lower tiers.

I could feel there fear.

Everyone understood the stakes now, and that understanding was beginning to crack their composure.

I raised my voice.

“SILENCE!”

The entire chamber shook.

The words crashed across the half-dome hall like heavenly thunder. My aura erupted outward instinctively, carrying the weight of my authority as Holy Emperor. Spiritual pressure descended upon every seat simultaneously, and the uproar died instantly.

Several cultivators paled.

Others lowered their heads.

No one dared continue speaking.

I swept my gaze across them before continuing coldly.

“Primary Ren Xun of the Dragon Court shall act as support between all major factions.”

At the mention of his name, the tall Dragon King seated near the eastern wing slowly stood, looking particularly troubled. “Your Majesty,” Ren Xun greeted carefully. “I shall do what I can.”

“You and your dragons shall utilize your perception of dragon veins and world-flow to stabilize movement between layers. I want warp arrays accelerated beyond their current limits, even if it requires your kind to directly power them.”

A faint grimace crossed Ren Xun’s face.

He looked as though he wished to object.

And honestly, I understood why.

No dragon wished to be reduced into a glorified living battery.

But we did not possess the luxury to care about pride anymore.

Even with Ophanim calculating every accessible resource remaining across the Hollowed World, gathering them all and distributing them properly would require time we simply no longer possessed. Conventional energy cores, spiritual reactors, dimensional stabilizers, spirit stones, extracted dragon veins, warp formation arrays? All of it demanded harvesting, transport, refinement, and deployment.

Dragons were different.

A single mature dragon was an enormous source of energy by itself. Beyond that, their innate ability to perceive dragon veins and the currents flowing through worlds made them uniquely suited for maintaining unstable transportation routes between layers.

They were all-rounders.

And right now, our entire civilization required something capable of binding together this desperate struggle for survival.

Ren Xun eventually lowered his head.

“The Dragon Court understands.”

I nodded once before continuing.

“The Crimson Empress, Alice, shall oversee logistical operations.”

That caused another disturbance throughout the chamber.

Alice herself immediately frowned. The crimson-haired woman rose from her seat, looking annoyed by my decision. “Your Majesty,” she said flatly, “I am better utilized at the front lines.”

Few people in existence could match her once battle truly began, but that was precisely why she needed to remain elsewhere for now. She was not just a precious resource, but she was an important person to me.

“My decision is final,” I replied. “You shall have your battle eventually if that is what you seek. But until then, logistics remain your responsibility.”

Alice clicked her tongue softly but said nothing further.

I shifted my gaze elsewhere.

“Ru Qiu shall assist the Crimson Empress.”

The Heavenly Demon seated beside the western aisle slowly nodded.

“As you command.”

Finally, my eyes settled upon my daughter.

“Gu Jie.”

She immediately straightened.

“Prepare countermeasures and refine the operational goals we have established today. I want comprehensive movement projections, contingency measures, realm prioritization, and long-term survival planning completed as quickly as possible.”

The reaction was immediate.

“This is absurd!”

“You’re entrusting that responsibility to her?!”

“She’s talented, but this concerns the survival of the Hollowed World!”

“We cannot entrust the fate of civilization to a single girl!”

Ugh… so much dissenters…

Several cultivators looked genuinely outraged now. The opposition had become far more vehement than I expected. My eyes were still hurting. I wanted to badly rely on it, but my overreliance on it was what got us into this situation in the first place.

Again, perhaps that was inevitable.

The tasks I had assigned Gu Jie were among the most important responsibilities in the entire war effort.

I slowly rose from my throne again.

The chamber immediately quieted.

“Have all of you forgotten who I am?”

My voice carried no anger.

That only made it heavier.

“And have you forgotten what the Holy Ascension Empire represents?”

Without waiting for an answer, I unleashed the Divine Phantasm of Dreams once more, reminding them of the many fights I had. The chamber darkened as the memories came.

Battlefields unfolded overhead one after another from my fight against the Hell’s Gate that threatened this world, my battles against Aixin, the war that I fought in the False Earth, the Civil War in the last Empire within the Hollowed World, the annexation of the Grand Ascension Empire to give birth to the Holy Ascension Empire, the Hollowed World War, and then most recently was the expedition to the Underworld.

I’m a warrior king, a Holy Emperor of War.

They ought to have engraved that in there bones by now, but sometimes, it seemed they would forget this fact. So, I had to remind them.

The illusion showed me standing midst collapsing heavens while armies burned beneath holy light. Entire realms shattered beneath the might of my Empire. Divine warriors screamed as they were torn apart and resurrected. Rulers of various powers knelt midst ruin while the banners of the Holy Ascension Empire rose above their broken lands.

“I was not made sovereign of the Hollowed World through ceremony or because of some fancy rule. I became Holy Emperor, because I’m good at what I do. I don’t give up. I fight, and fight some more. The Holy Ascension Empire rose to its status, because of the devastating power we wielded. It helped me reshape this world into the image I desired. However, that was never enough. I can’t do this alone. That’s why there are people I trust. The World Council exists for that reason too that I can’t do things alone. If I declare that Gu Jie shall refine our movement against this threat, then that is exactly what shall happen.”

The pressure in the room intensified.

“My word is law. Never forget that.”

Silence followed.

Not a single cultivator dared object again.

Gu Jie immediately slammed a fist against her chest.

“I shall do your bidding, Father.”

At least someone here still possessed proper composure. I turned away from the assembly platform afterward, my robes sweeping behind me as I descended the throne steps.

“The former Judges of the Underworld shall come with me,” I ordered calmly.

The ex-Judges immediately rose.

None questioned the command.

I continued walking before glancing toward the edge of the chamber where a familiar figure stood quietly throughout the entire assembly.

“Hei Mao.”

The young man wearing a red scarf straightened instantly.

“You too, disciple. Come.”