At the highest realm of the Forbidden Lands, in the uninhabited forbidden zone.
The Ancient Dragon stirred, focusing its divine will into a point to communicate with the other eleven Forbidden Lands.
Eleven mysterious Divine Lanterns flickered alight.
"Has the Emperor Witch not emerged from seclusion yet?" a deep voice asked.
"It has been ten thousand years of seclusion, aiming to break through to the Great Saint of Four Dao. It will likely take another thousand years, by which time the events uniting the destiny of the Heavenly Rain Realm with the Realm Grand Array will also be nearly complete."
"Have the future Emperors of the Heavenly Rain Realm not noticed?" a shrill trumpet-like voice questioned.
"And so what if they have noticed? They merely see the unification of the Heavenly Rain Realm's destiny with the Realm Grand Array as a positive event. They even intend to conquer and occupy the Realm Grand Array, vying for the vacant spots of the Great Saints. Haha."
"This is even better for us. They have also dragged two other realms into the conflict. When the time comes to pry open the Realm Grand Array, they will bear the backlash from the Way of Heaven for us."
The Old Dragon's head rested horizontally between the heavens and earth, smiling with satisfaction.
"Excellent, truly excellent. When the time comes, we will all have a chance to break through to the Emperor Realm. We can then escape this realm and go to other realms, or even to the Great Heaven. Our prospects will be boundless."
"Additionally, the deaths of cultivators from our realm should be accelerated. Let them battle more fiercely. It would be best if no great cultivators remain native to our realm, so that the destiny can be dispersed. Our chances of breaking through to the Emperor Realm will increase."
The Twelve Forbidden Zone Masters showed no regard for the life or death of their realm, just as Chen Xia had said—the entire realm was merely a chessboard for them, and cultivators like Wang Yangzi were their chess pieces.
To win the game, sacrificing some pieces was natural, and if necessary, even the chessboard itself could be destroyed.
They had bided their time for over a hundred and fifty thousand years. Now, finally, they had waited until the Grand Array was at its weakest, seizing a slim chance. They were no longer content to remain under the shadow of others and sought to attain the Great Emperor's realm in the All Heavens World!
The Heavenly Rain Realm was merely one part of their scheme, ceding half of its upper echelons, and the near-annihilation of the Holy Court's Holy Ones.
Even Wang Yangzi's death was under their control.
Within the realm, they were the pinnacle under the Great Emperor. Once the Emperor Witch attained the Great Saint of Four Dao, they may well match the Great Emperor.
The Twelve Forbidden Zone Masters, achieving the First Mastery.
Harmonious and symbiotic.
In the Immortal Realm.
Within the Fuyao Immortal Sect.
Xu Zhen had been a Holy One for many years, but due to conflicts between the Fuyao Immortal Sect and other sects, and the Great Sage Chen Xi's persistent refusal, Xu Zhen had never gone to the realm.
News of the war ravaging the realm had now spread throughout the Immortal Realm and reached the various sects, with many in the Fuyao Immortal Sect discussing it.
"Word is that the Forbidden Zone Masters of the realm have taken action, yet they still cannot defeat the Heavenly Rain Realm and are being suppressed by the combined forces of the Heavenly Rain Realm and two other realms."
"The latest news says the Heavenly Rain Realm has occupied half the territory of the realm. The fighting must be incredibly fierce. Is the Heavenly Rain Realm really that powerful? From my reading of the 'Myriad Realms Record,' it seemed the Heavenly Rain Realm was merely a minor realm."
A fellow cultivator replied, "From the perspective of our Immortal Realm, the Heavenly Rain Realm is indeed a minor realm. But considering the All Heavens World, the Heavenly Rain Realm is quite formidable, with a few future Emperors."
"But the realm is not weak either. The records say the Twelve Forbidden Zone Masters of the realm are the pinnacle under the Great Emperor."
"Who can say for certain?"
"Isn't the realm supposed to be a grand array we established to suppress and eliminate threats? Why are we not supporting the realm?"
"I'm not sure. Perhaps it is because the conflicts between the Immortal Realm and the God Realm are intensifying, and war is imminent, so we cannot spare any resources."
As the two cultivators walked and chatted, news of the realm spread throughout the Immortal Realm, though it was already two thousand years out of date.
It was not the Immortal Realm's fault for delayed information—it was simply too far from the realm. Receiving any news at all was fortunate.
Few truly cared about this news and merely listened for entertainment.
But there were certainly those who paid attention.
Today, a woman stood atop a mountain peak in the Fuyao Immortal Sect, tearing open the void with one hand to forcibly open a Star Gate.
"Why bother?" the Great Sage Chen Xi asked worriedly.
"You know why," Xu Zhen replied without turning, her eyes determined as she looked ahead at the Star Gate.
"The realm's destiny is too chaotic now, like turbulent waters. Even the Great Emperor is unwilling to go. What use is there for you to rush over? Besides, the Star Gates can no longer reach the realm—someone has deliberately sealed off its location."
The Great Sage Chen Xi tried to persuade her.
"But I am not the Great Emperor," Xu Zhen refuted.
"Which is why you cannot go!" The Great Sage Chen Xi grew more anxious.
"Eight thousand years ago, you told me only Holy Ones could go to the realm. I entered secluded cultivation and realized the Dao of the Holy One. Then I spent thousands of years more to become a true Holy One."
Her tone grew heavier, until it was resolute.
"After becoming a Holy One, the Fuyao Immortal Sect faced a crisis, and I stayed to wholeheartedly handle it, intending to repay the sect for taking me in..."
"But there are some things more important to me than the Fuyao Immortal Sect."
The Great Sage Chen Xi did not know how to respond, looking at Xu Zhen with trembling, sorrowful eyes carrying an unspoken anguish.
She had long anticipated this day would come.
"Go then." The Great Sage Chen Xi smiled sadly. "Go bring Chen Xia back. The Fuyao Immortal Sect is vast enough to accommodate you both."
"Yes." Xu Zhen nodded resolutely, her pretty face filled with stubbornness.
Her tiny figure stood in the celestial vault, unhesitatingly stepping into the Star Gate.
Thus, this pivotal figure of the Fuyao Immortal Sect's revival ultimately left the sect.
In the 1,500th year of the Realm's New Calendar.
The Forbidden Zone Masters' schemes finally surfaced as they personally led the remaining Holy Ones into battle.
Outside Border Town, they beheaded a Great Saint of the Heavenly Rain Realm, hanging the severed head above the town gates and lighting Divine Lanterns in a show of force.
The morale of the entire realm soared, the remaining Holy Ones filled with renewed vigor.
The Heavenly Rain Realm flew into a rage, immediately accelerating their plans for warfare. After nearly a thousand years of relative peace, the two sides clashed once more.
This time, the carnage was even more horrific. All twelve Forbidden Zone Masters took the field, battling the future Emperors of the Heavenly Rain Realm and the other two realms to a stalemate, though they seemed slightly suppressed.
As a result, deaths and injuries in the realm skyrocketed once more.
Chen Xia frequently looked up to observe, perceiving from an outside perspective that this was all a scheme.
Estimating that they could no longer remain patient, he noticed something odd during his observations.
One of the previous Forbidden Zone Masters, the demonic hound from his past, was now missing from the twelve.
The Forbidden Zone Masters could be replaced, just as the blood-flesh sculpture in Triumph Ridge had once been a Forbidden Zone Master.
Chen Xia's eyes narrowed slightly.
With a single step, he arrived within the Thread of Time, traveling into the past to investigate the entire history of the realm.
With divine powers, he gazed into past and future events, overlooking them as the Way of Heaven itself.
Nothing could escape his sight!