Towering figures stood within the vast main hall; these colossal silhouettes were sometimes rock creatures wreathed in flames, sometimes massive, hirsute beings with no mouths atop their heads, possessing only a single eye. Or perhaps... they were entirely different species—some flesh and blood, others rock, some metal.
This was the Prison Race! A chaotic collective, yet every single one emanated an endless aura of malice, a shared trait of all beings born and risen within the Prison Race.
“Demon Ancestor!”
“Demon Ancestor, news has arrived.”
Two Universe Masters spoke from below in succession.
Above the hall, the sinister figure upon the throne surveyed the assembly below, his pair of crimson eyes set beneath a silver carapace: “Speak quickly. Lord Zhimò, you first.”
“Yes, I have just received word. The Humans and the Demon Race engaged in combat. The Demon Race contingent was led by Dream Demon Ancestor and Shock Demon Ancestor, a force composed of Universe Masters, and the Human Race also sent a contingent of Universe Masters! In their clash... the Demon Race lost six Universe Masters, while the Human Race suffered absolutely no casualties!”
“What!”
“The Humans suffered no losses?”
The figures within the hall couldn't conceal their shock. The Demon Ancestor upon the throne above spoke slowly, “Humans truly cannot be underestimated! Even with Dream Demon Ancestor and Shock Demon Ancestor participating, they still incurred the loss of six Universe Masters.”
“Demon Ancestor, I have supplementary news. My disciple is currently at Purple Thorn Island of the Ancestral God Cult, and some members of the Human Race are also there. I overheard their discussions... they know the details of this battle, and I also heard that the Human Silver River Lord, ‘Luo Feng,’ once slew a Universe Master in a single strike, fighting toe-to-toe with Dream Demon Ancestor and Shock Demon Ancestor.”
“Luo Feng is that formidable?”
“How could he not be formidable, having obtained the inheritance of the Duandong River lineage?”
A murmur swept through the hall.
The Prison Race Demon Ancestor on the throne muttered hoarsely, “Luo Feng? For the Humans to be this strong, it might be due to treasures left by the Primal Ancestor, or perhaps treasures this Luo Feng acquired from that inheritance.”
Just then...
A powerful aura permeated from outside the hall, and the entire hall instantly fell silent. Everyone turned to look outward, even the Demon Ancestor on the throne shifted his gaze.
Boom!
An intensely malevolent aura, enough to make even a Universe Master tremble, materialized as a streak of light, descending directly into the hall. It then manifested... a gigantic throne, entirely black, with two golden, alien skulls affixed to the apex of its backrest. As this black throne landed in the hall, it swiftly transformed, condensing into a being with black skin, clad in rudimentary armor, yet exposing its arms, legs, and feet. Its head was a skull, but unlike any known race, its forehead protruded forward like a scimitar.
Within the sockets of its eyes burned two clusters of black flame.
It stood in the center of the hall, and the invisible evil aura radiating from it... was denser than the combined malice of all other experts present, including the Demon Ancestor upon the throne!
“Prison King!” the Universe Masters of the Prison Race called out with reverence.
“Prison King,” the Demon Ancestor in the hall looked down and spoke as well.
“Demon Ancestor,” the malevolent being offered a slight bow.
The Prison King was an entity possessing a unique status within the entire Demon Race. When the Original Universe was first born, the evil domain known as ‘Prison’ began giving rise to countless beings. However, at the ‘Ancestral Mountain’ within this evil domain, a black throne materialized, radiating an endless evil aura...
The Prison Race beings at that time were still weak; one and all assumed that the strongest among them would be worthy of sitting upon that throne.
But unexpectedly, this black throne was a living being. Once it reached the Immortal level, it could automatically alter its form! And strangely, it was born with certain characteristics of ‘Supreme Treasures’... for instance, the innate ability to form illusions, and the innate ability to manifest a Supreme Treasure Domain! Furthermore, it ascended smoothly, quickly reaching the Universe Master level, becoming the strongest existence in the Prison Race.
However, after that, it could never advance further.
Other powerful beings of the Prison Race were born later, like the Demon Ancestor, who became the patriarch of the entire race! Yet, the Demon Ancestor still held the ‘Prison King’ in high regard.
In terms of combat strength... the Prison King was at the peak level of Tier Five.
But it could be called indestructible. It possessed partial Supreme Treasure characteristics; perhaps its divine body was akin to a Supreme Treasure. And precisely because of its complexity... it could smoothly ascend to Universe Master, yet it was also trapped at the Universe Master level, unable to progress at all.
“Prison King, you too have received the news?” the Demon Ancestor asked.
“Yes,” the Prison King nodded. “This is the greatest opportunity for our Prison Race. Moreover, if the Duandong River lineage inheritance is a powerful inheritance from an ancient civilization, then it must contain a great deal of detailed information. I too wish to search that inheritance... to find detailed records concerning life forms like myself, to understand how I should move forward.”
“Mhm,” the Demon Ancestor nodded.
“Regarding this battle, Demon Ancestor, command me,” the Prison King bowed.
“Good,” the Demon Ancestor was delighted. “You, Prison King, will lead a vanguard team first to the Human territory. I estimate the Demon Race, Bug Race, and Machine Race are likely to join forces! Three races uniting might overwhelm the Humans; it will be hard to say if they can resist. You go observe the battle; if you see the Human Race is unable to hold, notify me immediately, and I will lead the follow-up forces. We will advance directly.”
“Understood.” The Prison King nodded.
Due to the nature of its existence, it rarely left the Prison Race territory, and seldom ventured into the Cosmic Sea.
Perhaps the three great perilous lands might threaten its life.
But the Original Universe? It truly posed no threat to it.
The Crystal Race.
Within the shimmering divine hall, the layout was circular, with numerous crystalline thrones distributed around; a total of sixteen thrones. Merely observing the arrangement suggested no hierarchy.
Various Crystal Race experts sat upon the thrones.
Each one possessed a flawless countenance! Regardless of gender, each was aesthetically perfect, their crystalline bodies seemingly coalesced essence of the universe. A golden eye was set in the center of their brows, and each emanated an imposing aura; these were the noblest existences of the entire Crystal Race.
Fifteen Universe Masters, and one Universe Supreme Master.
“With two pieces of news arriving consecutively, what are your thoughts, esteemed sirs?”
“Holy Lord, this is the opportunity our race has long sought. Since the Human Race could withstand the Demon Race, and even caused the Demon Race to lose six Universe Masters…” it is clear they benefited immensely from the Duandong River lineage inheritance from the ancient civilization. This inheritance rightfully belongs to our race!”
“Go to war!”
“Fight! While the Demon, Machine, and Bug Races are busy annihilating the bulk of the Human resistance, our race will join the fray.”
“This is our race’s chance.”
The Crystal Race Universe Masters voiced their opinions.
Every single one echoed the same sentiment—
Contend for the inheritance. “Very well, since all of you agree, for the glory of our race, and for the future of our race... commence war preparations immediately. Monitor the movements of the war between the Demon, Machine, and Bug Races, and be ready to join the conflict at any moment!” The Crystal Race Holy Lord issued the decree for war.
“Yes!”
The Crystal Race Universe Masters were filled with eager anticipation.
The major super-powers of the Original Universe all eyed the Humans with covetous gazes.
The reasons why they were all eager to instigate war against the Human Race were threefold.
Firstly, the Humans had obtained the Duandong River lineage inheritance; allowing them to grow unchecked would pose a huge threat in the future, so they must be suppressed early.
Secondly, every race desired transcendence from reincarnation, naturally demanding that the Human Race reveal the related inheritance.
Thirdly, even if the Humans grew strong, they had no fear. This was because they all possessed ‘miniature universes’ as fallback bases... Moreover, even if the Human Race possessed the might of the Purple Moon Holy Land or the East Emperor Holy Land, what could they do? There were so many factions attacking the Humans; even if the Human Race became dominant in the future, what recourse would they have against them?
These three reasons ensured that the Demon, Bug, Machine, Prison, and Crystal Races... had no reservations.
One word: Fight!
However, the high-ranking members of the Nine Domains Alliance engaged in heated debate.
“This is an opportunity!”
“Our Nine Domains Alliance has not a single Universe Supreme Master. If we manage to secure the Duandong River lineage inheritance, I believe we Universe Masters will have a greater chance of becoming Universe Supreme Masters, and even transcending reincarnation! Are you all content to sink into oblivion, content to be annihilated after the passing of three reincarnation eras? If we do not risk everything now, annihilation is the only outcome!” Emperor Yan roared.
“Emperor Yan! Though you are my friend, this is unacceptable this time. I cannot stand by while my race plunges into extinction because of this! We all know you hold a grudge against the Humans, but you cannot push the entire Nine Domains Alliance toward annihilation...”
“You have seen the strength of the Human Race. Even the Demon Race force, with Shock Demon Ancestor and Dream Demon Ancestor present, lost six Universe Masters. If our Nine Domains Alliance were to attack with our full strength... I fear that if the Human Race focused its attack on us, very few of us would survive. Seize it? How can we seize it without the strength?”
“Jue Feng, are you so timid and cautious? Fear guarantees no achievement. Furthermore, the Human Race will be attacked by major factions; they will be too preoccupied to deal with us.”
The Misty Peak Alliance, another alliance of similar standing, comprising a dozen Universe Masters in total, held a relatively unified opinion this time.
“When the Human Race flourishes, defecting is useless! Now that the Human Race is in dire straits, if our race pledges allegiance, the Humans will surely feel... even if they don't share their core inheritances with us, once a Human transcends reincarnation in the future and creates a third Holy Land universe, it is very natural that a portion of space within that Holy Land universe would be allocated for our various races to survive.”
“If our Misty Peak Alliance attacks the Human Race like the major powers, with our current strength... even if we force the Humans to hand over the inheritance in the end, we probably won't get a piece of it; the Demon Race and the other major factions will take it all.”
“Agreed.”
“Compared to those major powers, if we win, we likely won't even receive the inheritance. It’s far more promising to pledge allegiance to the Humans!”
While the super-powers of the Original Universe cast covetous looks upon the Humans, the secondary-tier alliances, genuinely terrified by the horrific outcome of the ‘Humans versus Demon Race’ battle, began to harbor many complex thoughts—some wanting to fish in troubled waters, some choosing to observe and wait, and some choosing to align themselves with the Human faction.