The boundless clouds were scattered as if tossed by a gale, drifting thinly across the heavens. The entire vast world seemed to fall suddenly silent. Across the immense continent, the city walls stood like unyielding stone; within the varying structures inside, everything was empty. Only a desolate, faint breeze swept across the perfectly straight, level streets, leaving no trace of life.

The once bustling metropolis was now a ghost town.

In the dense, oppressive black forest, not a single bird sang; the silence was absolute, broken only by the gentle murmur of a stream washing over pebbles.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three whistling sounds suddenly pierced the distant sky, like meteors streaking at impossible speed, trailing long white vapor trails across the entire expanse. They illuminated the earth below before abruptly halting before a bank of ethereal mist, revealing their distinct forms.

The Demon God Supreme, the Dragon God Supreme, and the Human King Supreme!

Upon manifesting, these three Supremes immediately dropped to one knee, and with a wave of their hands, they unveiled the worlds contained within their own ‘bodies’. Three vast, colossal black holes materialized in the sky, revealing countless planets and continents within. With Ye Chen’s vision, he could discern the inhabitants on them, appearing as tiny as ants.

In this final reckoning, the three Supremes had ultimately chosen submission. They were now his Blade Slaves, and under his command, they had gathered every living being from the entire Demi-God Realm.

He clenched his hand, and a world-shattering attractive force enveloped the inner worlds of the three Supremes. The beings within their respective worlds were violently pulled out, swallowed, and deposited into his own ‘body’ world, immediately occupying a massive continent as its new residents.

Before these creatures could even process what was happening, they found themselves thrust into an alien world, utterly disoriented.

The collected beings were incredibly diverse, ranging from the most common life forms to mighty experts at the Heaven-Defying Realm. To prevent chaos, different races were segregated, partitioned by World Power to preclude any unrest.

With the influx of these beings, Ye Chen’s ‘body’ world immediately felt much fuller, as if he had consumed the essence of several World Supremes. A massive surge of Faith Power emanated from these creatures, absorbed, assimilated, and converted by his ‘body’ world into surging energy that flowed into Ye Chen.

Ye Chen clenched his fist, a sharp light flashing in his eyes. He glanced at the five World Supremes before him, then lifted his hand and pointed to the sky. A sliver of razor-sharp blade light shot forth, slicing the entire firmament open to create a massive void, like a piece of fabric ripped asunder.

“Follow me to the Pseudo-God Realm.” Ye Chen stepped forward first, entering the swirling vortex passage.

The Asura Supreme and the others followed closely behind.

The Pseudo-God Realm.

Strictly speaking, the Pseudo-God Realm was a division of the God Realm. Legend held that the Pseudo-God race, founded by the three World Supremes who once dominated this realm, had branched off from the Divine Clan. The leader of the Pseudo-Gods suffered oppression within the Divine Clan and ultimately defected, establishing the Pseudo-God Family lineage independently.

The Patriarch of the Pseudo-God Realm was undoubtedly an unparalleled talent, an absolute prodigy!

The Pseudo-God Realm also boasted only three World Supremes, but among them, the Patriarch of the Pseudo-God Family was the strongest; the other two were his direct disciples!

These three World Supremes were: the Fengtian Supreme, the Three Dao Supreme, and the Moon God Supreme!

The territory of the Pseudo-God Realm was slightly larger than the Demi-God Realm, yet its population was sparse. Vast tracts of land lay desolate, breeding savage, primeval beasts that dwelled within, rarely trodden by human feet. Only supreme experts dared venture into these areas for adventure and to hunt powerful monsters for forging weapons.

The human population of the Pseudo-God Realm was concentrated in the core of the continent, where the land was fertile, and the scenery picturesque. Numerous human empires had been established here, all built encircling Mount Tianshen.

Mount Tianshen was the highest symbol of the Pseudo-God Realm, revered like a sacred, magnificent deity, untouchable!

The fact that the ferocious beasts of the surrounding wilderness had not exterminated humanity was also due to Mount Tianshen. Whenever a savage beast attempted to breach the human domains, it would be instantly struck down by an invisible energy, regardless of its power. (ShuShuWu) Thus, humanity here was forever confined to the borders of this fertile land; stepping beyond meant certain death by the lurking beasts.

However, as long as they remained within these confines, they could live without worry forever.

Was this the sorrow or the joy of mankind?

Duoer City.

This was a frontier town belonging to the Mino Empire, closest to Mount Tianshen. Perpetual snow buried the area, and the city walls were carved from ice and snow. The sky was always a dull, whitish haze, threatening to release heavy snowfall at any moment. Hunters were numerous here.

The Hunter was the most prevalent profession in the Pseudo-God Realm.

Hunters were divided into nine ranks, each with distinct titles, and the profession commanded great respect in this land.

Monsters frequently emerged from the forests outside Duoer City, making the region renowned for its leather and tailoring industries. Every spring, as the ice and snow began to melt, merchants would transport large quantities of finished leather goods to the coastal ports in the south for sale.

Qi Wei was one such merchant dealing in hides. He piloted the Tewei flying ship, which he had purchased with a massive outlay of Fa Stones, soaring through the sky. The cargo hold was packed with sewn leather and armor; delivering the goods to the south guaranteed a profit so substantial it would allow him to take ten more wives upon his return.

He leaned against the ship’s rail, cradling a glass of red wine, a smile already curving his lips. He savored the lingering memory of last night’s passionate encounter, though he admitted his body was not what it used to be. Fully aware of this decline, he planned to retire for a few years after this delivery to focus on training his son to take over his business.

As he gazed distractedly out the window, the habitually pale sky suddenly appeared to collapse inward, revealing a vast, pitch-black vortex. A fierce suction pulled his flying ship toward it. The captain in the bridge, watching his instruments go haywire, had a face utterly drained of color. He was an experienced captain, but he had never witnessed anything so bizarre.

Everyone aboard the ship gasped in terror, losing their balance and tumbling to the floor, accelerating toward the dark aperture.

Qi Wei felt a sharp pang in his heart; his pupils constricted violently, and his mind went utterly blank.

When faced with imminent death, if one lacked exceptional fortitude, the mind simply ceased to function, incapable of forming a single coherent thought.

Just as the ship was about to crash into the black void, a hand suddenly emerged from the darkness. It was impossible to describe—long, slender, like a perfectly honed blade. The fingernails were not long, but translucent and clean. It reached out gently from the hole and simply grasped the head of the listing vessel.

The ship instantly stopped, without so much as a tremor.

The immense vessel, under the pressure of that single hand, felt no heavier than a scrap of paper being pinched.

Qi Wei’s mind snapped back into focus with a violent jolt. He scrambled to look up and saw six figures stepping out of the black hole. Leading them was a tall youth clad in black, his sharp eyes bright as stars, radiating an aura of detached nobility.

The five figures behind him pulsed with earth-shattering power, resembling five peerless Killing Gods. A single glance made him feel breathless; his layers of fat shook uncontrollably, as if convulsing.

Ye Chen squeezed his hand, absorbing the flying ship into his ‘body’ world as easily as a whale playing with a fish. He then looked up toward the sky ahead, his gaze sweeping past countless cities, settling on a majestic, immense peak shrouded in clouds around its midsection, hiding its true summit.

The mountainside was incredibly broad, like a gigantic bamboo shoot piercing the heavens. With his vision, he could see it clearly even from a distance of a thousand light-years.

A thousand light-years sounded distant, but in reality, it was like viewing the stars in the sky from Earth.

“Asura Supreme, Human King Supreme, why have you two World Sovereigns come here today?” A voice boomed from a distance spanning hundreds of millions of miles.

Before the sound fully arrived, three figures materialized in the sky before Ye Chen and his entourage. Leading them was an elderly man with white hair, draped in a black robe; his hair, like liquid mercury, cascaded back, flowing smoothly. His skin was fair and plump, possessing the supple firmness of a young girl, radiating a rosy health. His face was handsome and gentle, radiating benevolence, and his eyes were a deep emerald green, startlingly vibrant, like pools of clear water.

Such an elder possessed a charm that rivaled any young man.

The moment he appeared, the man and woman standing behind him were completely overlooked by Ye Chen’s group. Though both were exquisitely handsome and beautiful—figures who would command attention individually—next to the white-haired elder, they were merely starlight adjacent to the moon, existing only to provide contrast.

“Fengtian Supreme, we have come here today following our Master. We intend to bring the entire Pseudo-God Realm under his command. We hope you will cooperate and submit to our Master,” the Asura Supreme stated coolly to the white-haired elder. “If you do not know what is good for you, do not blame me for the warning. You should know that none beneath the Heavenly God level can ever escape the reach of the Blade Emperor.”

Blade Emperor!

Those two words struck Fengtian Supreme and the other two like a drumbeat.

Their pupils contracted slightly, and their gazes shifted to Ye Chen standing beside the Asura Supreme. Ye Chen was the only unfamiliar face among them; the ‘Master’ spoken of by the Asura Supreme must surely be him.

And besides…

The moment Ye Chen appeared, they had sensed a distinct, intense aura of danger emanating from him—an aura entirely absent from the other World Supremes.

The Blade Emperor!

Was this young man the legendary Blade Emperor from years ago? The one whose presence had shaken countless Heaven-Defying experts and World Supremes?

Fengtian Supreme fixed his gaze upon Ye Chen, his expression heavy with gravity. After a long moment, he withdrew his look and stared coldly at the Asura Supreme and the others. “I understand why you are here. I presume the once glorious Ghost Realm and Demi-God Realm no longer exist?”

The Asura Supreme looked back with cold arrogance, “Less talk. Will you submit, or do you wish to struggle a bit?”

Fengtian Supreme sneered, “A World Supreme who submits to become a slave dares to speak before me! You are no longer a World Supreme, merely a thrall! For me to submit? Dream on! I don't know how this Blade Emperor was resurrected, but sheltered by the Pseudo-God Realm, it will surely be difficult for him to kill us. Moreover…” A cold, sinister smile suddenly flickered in his eyes, and he aggressively clenched the void before him.

Crack!

The space before them violently fractured, and an intensely hot energy surged forth, instantly enveloping the entire sky. It melted all cities and every living soul within a light-year radius into ash-like residue, which floated aimlessly in the expanse.

The destruction of these beings meant nothing to them. In their eyes, they were merely materialized energy forms created by the world. According to the law of conservation of energy, their demise returned them to the primordial source, from which they could be remade, suffering no true loss.

Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat all things as straw dogs!