A person can choose to ignore an immediate foe and exercise restraint for only two reasons: the first being that the enemy at hand is too formidable to overcome, and the second, to conserve strength for a genuine adversary.

Ye Chen naturally did not believe that the World Origin of the Ghost Realm would fear him. As a realm that had stood for eons, nurturing countless lives, the accumulated power of the Ghost Realm was not something he could lightly dismiss; should a fight ensue, the victor would remain uncertain.

Based on this premise alone, the World Origin was bound to reveal itself.

—Every living being possesses a degree of innate ferocity.

Ye Chen pondered, rapidly gathering all the life forms in the Ghost Realm. Two hours later, he stood gathered with Asura Sovereign and Evil Spirit Sovereign high above the largest continent in the Ghost Realm.

The once-prosperous Ghost Realm was now deserted. Countless walls stood tall, dense forests covered the land, and gentle streams flowed beneath a soft breeze. Only the sounds of nature could be heard, devoid of any hint of vitality—truly, it was a ghost realm.

It was only then that Ye Chen truly felt how empty and solitary this world was without life.

Was it out of loneliness that life was created?

“Master,” Asura Sovereign looked up at Ye Chen with reverence. “Shall we proceed to the Demigod Realm now?”

Ye Chen nodded slightly. He raised his palm and grasped, tearing open the void to reveal a massive, pitch-black vortex. Surging spatial forces coiled around them like countless pythons, pulling their bodies inward. None of them resisted, allowing the gravity to drag them in.

The Demigod Realm.

Among the Eight Great Worlds, the Demigod Realm was the weakest, possessing the smallest population and, consequently, the least expansive territory. Its World Origin power was thus less potent, meaning the World Sovereigns within it received a smaller share of the world's essence compared to those in the larger realms.

The three World Sovereigns of the Demigod Realm were the God of Sin Sovereign, the Dragon God Sovereign, and the Human King Sovereign!

The Demigod Realm boasted a vast and sprawling continent inhabited by countless human beings, naturally divided into numerous races, such as the White-Skin Tribe, the Golden-Eyed Tribe, and the Purple-Veined Tribe, among others. This massive landmass held a long history, giving rise to countless powerful individuals—some fallen, some still standing. Yet, every powerhouse inevitably gazed up at the heavens.

For above them floated three Sky Worlds.

It was within these realms that the three Sovereigns resided.

No matter how much time passed, these three Sovereigns endured. Time had not erased them; their recognition by this world bound them to resist being overcome by the passage of years.

However, time remained a fearsome instrument.

It could not only bring about demise but also fundamentally alter a person.

The long, indulgent life had caused the three Sovereigns to gradually shed their battle armor. They reclined upon once-glorious thrones, sipping tea they had cultivated in leisure, or losing themselves in the embrace of peerlessly beautiful women, inhaling the scent of their youthful bodies.

Everything could eventually become tiresome, save for women.

It was like a person not ceasing to eat unless they were tired of living—this was instinct.

Was instinct something immutable, something one could never tire of?

Languishing in soft comforts, cradled by beauty, their hands certainly held no blades.

Thus, after prolonged indulgence, their palms remained fair, slender, and entirely free of scars.

Was the absence of scars truly a good thing?

This day was entirely ordinary for the Demigod Realm, until a series of booming sounds suddenly echoed through the sky, startling every living creature. This thunderous roar, like the bellowing of dragons, spanned countless light-years, reverberating across the entire realm.

The three World Sovereigns in their Sky Cities were jolted awake. Shock registered on each of their faces, for through the power of their covenant with the Demigod Realm, they sensed three immense forces entering their domain. Two of these forces were almost equal to their own, perhaps even slightly stronger. As for the third energy signature, it was piercing and sharp, like a dagger thrust into the heart of each Sovereign, causing their very hearts to tremble.

This prickling sensation, where every hair stood on end, was an experience they had not felt in an age.

The trio mobilized instantly, gathering together. Distances spanning light-years seemed reduced to a single step beneath them as they converged in the sky, looking up at a black fissure that had suddenly appeared overhead. Within it, bolts of electrical light danced as three figures slowly drifted out.

“Asura Sovereign!”

“Evil Spirit Sovereign!”

The three immediately recognized Asura Sovereign and Evil Spirit Sovereign, then turned their gaze to Ye Chen, instantly realizing this was the very individual they had desperately sought, even venturing into the Ancient World to acquire.

Yet, after such a short interval, seeing Ye Chen again, they felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity. An inherent nobility, detachment, and an emperor-like aura emanated from Ye Chen, creating a sensation that made it difficult for them to draw breath. Any mortal emperor, standing before Ye Chen, would seem less than a beggar—especially Ye Chen’s eyes: detached, clear, and sharp, like a finely crafted dagger capable of reflecting everything, pure and exquisite!

The three Sovereigns of the Demigod Realm were all strikingly handsome young men, though their temperaments differed. God of Sin Sovereign exuded a cold, sinister aura, his pupils holding an icy glimmer capable of driving naive maidens wild with fascination. Dragon God Sovereign possessed a lean physique, handsome features, and eyes that sparkled like the stars, clad in a dark-gold robe trimmed with gold edging, radiating nobility and a vibrant fighting spirit.

Human King Sovereign, conversely, resembled a refined gentleman, dressed in snow-white robes with his black hair flowing, standing quietly like a delicate scholar.

“Asura Sovereign, ~~ShuShu.com”

Asura Sovereign merely looked down upon them, her words squeezed out between clenched teeth, “We have come with the Master to claim the Demigod Realm.”

Her voice was quiet, yet it struck the ears of the three Sovereigns like a thunderclap. Their minds momentarily froze, not because she announced the subjugation of the Demigod Realm, but because of the single word she uttered: “Master.”

What status did a World Sovereign hold that they would willingly become enslaved?

Their gazes instinctively shifted to Ye Chen, a shadow of unease growing in their hearts.

Ye Chen looked at them coolly. “The Ghost Realm has already been taken by me, and Yama Sovereign perished beneath my blade. You either submit as slaves, or…” He felt no need to finish the sentence.

God of Sin Sovereign and the other two flinched. Seeing the demeanor of Asura Sovereign and Evil Spirit Sovereign, they knew the words were unlikely to be false. But Yama Sovereign, once a hegemon, had died so easily? They found it utterly unbelievable.

“How do we know you’re telling the truth? What if you’ve conspired with Asura Sovereign to deceive us…” Dragon God Sovereign frowned, his words halting abruptly.

Boom!

A massive roar interrupted his speech. A streak of brilliant white blade light, seemingly piercing through all of history, descended from the heavens. It was impossibly large and struck a sky continent directly behind the three Sovereigns, bisecting it precisely down the center.

The space and time upon that entire continent seemed to pause for a few seconds, then violently shattered into dust, vanishing completely.

A single slash had annihilated an entire continent.

This was far beyond simple cleaving.

Dragon God Sovereign’s eyeballs nearly popped out. He knew the sheer size of that Sky City—at least ten light-years across. Moreover, the continent’s structure wasn't ordinary earth but formed by countless divine artifacts piled together, with countless Void Heaven Artifacts and Heaven-Defying Artifacts embedded at its core, magnetically binding all the divine weapons together to form the landmass.

And now, it was annihilated by one stroke!

Ye Chen retracted his finger, looking calmly at the three. “Make your choice.” His voice was placid, yet it carried an undeniable force.

Dragon God Sovereign and the other two exchanged glances, their hearts reeling from the shock. That terrifying blade light, capable of shattering everything, was too horrifying; merely looking at it felt as if their retinas were being cut open.

“You… you are the Blade Emperor?” Human King Sovereign stared at Ye Chen in shock. “Weren’t you supposed to have perished in the Primordial Era? How can you still be here? Did the Ancient War Venerable repair you? Impossible! You were completely destroyed back then; how could you be fixed?”

Facts needed no response to his questions.

Silence fell upon them all. After a long pause, Human King Sovereign sighed and said, “We submit to you. With the Ancient Gods yet to emerge, and you already repaired, we have no means of resistance. Alas!”

Ye Chen’s expression remained distant, though a flicker seemed to cross his eyes.

Ancient Gods…

He murmured the words inwardly.

The Ancient World, Origin Core.

In the pitch-black world, a magnificent, golden palace stood, boundless, exquisite, and luxurious. In the highest hall, a golden-haired woman stood quietly. Her figure was tall, her curves graceful and delicate, as if sculpted by a master painter’s finest brush.

Ancient War Venerable leaned back on a golden dragon throne, looking down upon the expanse of the hall’s ceiling, where the distant night sky seemed to shimmer and shift with starlight.

“Do you believe he can subdue the Eight Great Worlds? While the World Sovereigns of the Eight Great Worlds are not strong and he can easily dispatch them, the World Origin power of each Great World is essentially your avatar, which won't be so easy to handle,” the golden-haired woman asked slowly, after a long silence.

The questions she posed were the ones she genuinely needed to ask him.

Ancient War Venerable merely gazed into the distance, his reply simple: “He can.”

“Why?” the golden-haired woman pressed, unable to contain her curiosity.

Ancient War Venerable retracted his gaze and glanced at her. “You have followed me the longest; you should know my character. Therefore, you should also understand my avatars. They absolutely will not interfere, because they are all waiting to accumulate power to eventually fight me—they do not want me to devour them and re-merge.”

The golden-haired woman fell silent. She suddenly realized how foolish she was, as senseless as a bull, and one without horns at that.