The Divine Realm Emperors were in an uproar, their discussions growing increasingly heated.
"Hey, guess what? This is turning into a huge mess," one of them remarked.
The main issue stemmed from the intelligence brought back by an Emperor who had disguised himself as a boatman. They had already sensed something unusual about the Inner Demon and had gone out of their way to investigate, thinking it wouldn’t amount to much.
But the first words out of the boatman Emperor’s mouth upon his return left all the Emperors uneasy. He said,
"That person’s gaze terrified me. It felt like staring into the eyes of something utterly horrifying, as if I might drop dead at any moment!"
"Are you sure it was that terrifying? Maybe you’re just being overly cautious, always fearing this and that, and it’s all in your head," another Emperor questioned skeptically.
"Damn it, if you don’t believe me, go see for yourself! I was there—I know what I experienced. Stop running your mouth!"
At this, the other Emperors fell silent. Arguing wasn’t the solution; they needed to figure out how to deal with this unwelcome visitor.
"Perhaps we should adopt a delaying tactic. Pretend to form an alliance with him to conquer the Immortal Realm together. Once the Immortal Realm is under the Divine Realm’s control, he’ll be nothing more than a footnote," one Emperor suggested.
"That’s a feasible plan. We’ll show him enough sincerity. If he’s truly as powerful as you say, a fifty-fifty split isn’t out of the question. After all, it’s just a stalling tactic."
The Emperors continued their deliberations.
Suddenly, a ferryboat, resembling a cascade of stars from the Milky Way, crashed into the Divine Realm Emperors’ barrier formation, causing a deafening roar and tilting the entire formation.
High above, numerous birds scouted the area.
The East Jia State Emperors could now see the Inner Demon’s actions and immediately became ecstatic.
"We’ve misunderstood this senior! He’s here to stand up for East Jia State!"
"Indeed, this senior is truly righteous. First, he spread opportunities across the Ten Thousand Mountains, and now he’s confronting the Divine Realm Emperors. Such a sight fills me with boundless emotion."
The East Jia State Emperors and their sages were overjoyed, and even the elders of the Eighth Mountain couldn’t contain their excitement.
East Jia State had endured humiliation and oppression from the Divine Realm cultivators for so long. Who wouldn’t want to finally stand tall? But they had been powerless, as the Emperors from other states were unwilling to leave their own territories to help, and the Emperors of other mountains were preoccupied with the battles at the frontlines of the Immortal Realm.
Thus, East Jia State had been left to fend for itself, bearing the brunt of the conflict. After all, it was only a third of their territory—once the main battlefield was secured, they could reclaim it at any time.
This had left the East Jia State cultivators seething with frustration, often tempted to explode in defiance, but reason had always prevailed.
Now, the appearance of the Inner Demon presented East Jia State with the opportunity to finally reclaim their dignity.
Moreover, the Ten Thousand Mountains had existed in East Jia State for so long that this senior could almost be considered a local. Rounding it off, he was practically one of their own.
This was East Jia State’s own calling out the Divine Realm cultivators!
The tilted formation trembled slightly.
An Emperor clad in phoenix-feather robes stepped forward, his expression amiable as he smiled at the Inner Demon and asked respectfully,
"May I ask what brings you here, senior?"
The Inner Demon chuckled and retorted, "Do you really not know? I’ve already made my intentions clear."
The Emperor’s expression stiffened, but he maintained his friendly smile. "What was said before is in the past. Let’s have a proper conversation now. We know you’ve emerged from the Ten Thousand Mountains."
"And what if you do know?" the Inner Demon replied, unhurried.
"Then our shared goal is the Immortal Realm. As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Why don’t we join forces and attack the Immortal Realm together? Once we’ve conquered it, we’ll split the territory fifty-fifty between the Divine Realm and you!"
As he spoke, the Emperor subtly glanced upward, eyeing the birds in the sky.
He knew these birds were the East Jia State Emperors’ spies, so his words weren’t just for the Inner Demon—they were also meant to sow panic among the East Jia State Emperors.
His words did indeed frighten the East Jia State Emperors. A fifty-fifty split was shocking—why would the Divine Realm be so generous as to share the spoils equally with the ancient being from the Ten Thousand Mountains?
Fortunately, the Emperors quickly saw through the ploy and said gravely,
"It’s a stalling tactic. Once the Divine Realm becomes the new ruler of the Immortal Realm, the terms of the split—or whether there’s even a split at all—will be entirely up to them. A senior as experienced as you surely sees through this."
Despite their reasoning, they couldn’t help but feel anxious. After all, no one could predict what the Inner Demon might do.
The birds hovered high above, the green mountains swayed gently, and the clear waters rippled softly.
The Inner Demon slowly grinned and replied with a single sentence:
"The Immortal Realm is not my enemy."
Enemies are relative, but the Immortal Realm was merely his prey. Prey isn’t meant to be shared, and there’s no such thing as a fifty-fifty split.
The Phoenix Emperor frowned, his voice turning cold as he demanded,
"So you’re saying you intend to fight us?"
"Do you even deserve to speak of fighting me?" the Inner Demon sneered, raising an eyebrow.
If it were the Four Paths Emperors, they might have had the right to speak of battle. But a mere ordinary Emperor daring to utter such words? His audacity was truly astonishing.
The Phoenix Emperor took a sudden step forward, and a resounding phoenix cry echoed through the heavens and earth. A divine phoenix manifestation appeared, towering between the sky and the ground. Its sheer pressure caused the rivers to surge and the skies to darken. He coldly shouted,
"You’ve chosen the hard way. You’re courting death!"
Boom!
The world seemed to flip in an instant.
The divine phoenix manifestation crumbled to the ground, its body covered in countless cracks, as if it might shatter at any moment.
The Phoenix Emperor lay on the ground, a foot pressing his head deep into the soil, suppressing all his spiritual energy and divine sense.
The Inner Demon looked down at him and calmly agreed,
"Indeed, you’re courting death."
He raised his foot, aimed at the Emperor’s head, and stomped down with full force.
Boom!
The entire East Jia State trembled.