If the entire East Jia State were to be likened to a chessboard, then the sudden appearance of the Martial Emperor would be like the player stepping onto the board himself, recklessly disrupting the established pattern.
Not only did he disrupt it, but he almost killed the Nine Mountains Hegemon!
The other five Great Emperors couldn't help but feel a sense of sympathy for the Nine Mountains Hegemon, yet what could they do? They could only watch helplessly.
Even if the Martial Emperor wanted to kill them, they would die without any chance of resistance.
However, the Martial Emperor didn't kill the Nine Mountains Hegemon, only gravely injuring him. With a single stomp, he caused the entire Ninth Mountain State to sink by half, then said to the Nine Mountains Hegemon,
"You can temporarily step down from your title as the ruler of the Immortal Realm. From now on, just focus on guarding the Ninth Mountain. Don't get involved in anything else, understand?"
The Nine Mountains Hegemon lay weakly on the ground, blood continuously streaming from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were hollow and lifeless, and in that moment, he seemed to have aged drastically. After being a genius for hundreds of thousands of years, he couldn't help but ask in a trembling voice,
"Why?"
"Because you're out of the game," the Martial Emperor replied calmly.
The Emperor Witch stood behind him, silent, his head tilted towards the east, as if watching something.
"Why am I out of the game? I am the ruler of the Immortal Realm. You asked me not to interfere as they divided my territories, and I complied. For all these years, I have never acted, allowing them to occupy my lands. But now you tell me I'm out of the game? Why? Why am I out of the game?!"
The Nine Mountains Hegemon's neck bulged, his voice brimming with hysteria. His eyes turned bloodshot, and tears of rage formed in them.
The Martial Emperor's expression remained unchanged. He glanced at him, then nodded,
"It's precisely because you listened to my words that you're now out of the game instead of being directly executed, which would have released the true opportunity within the Immortal Realm."
"This primordial land has never had a true master. You were merely the ruler of the Immortal Realm, not the master of the primordial land. More will die in the future. You were removed from the game to save your life. If you don't want to cherish it, then re-enter the game and die today."
The Martial Emperor's eyes shone with golden light, the purest martial aura in the world, one of his fundamental dao paths. Standing on the ground, even the heavens seemed to bow before him.
This was supreme greatness.
"Hah… Haha…" The Nine Mountains Hegemon couldn't help but laugh, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes. The laughter slowly turned into quiet sobbing.
He had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, yearning for greatness, striving to take that legendary step, which had become his obsession.
But the Martial Emperor was telling him to abandon his obsession.
The Nine Mountains Hegemon no longer knew what to say. Trembling, he slowly got up from the ground, shaking off the mud and blood. He looked like a shell of his former self, walking arduously towards the Ninth Mountain.
It seemed that from the moment he stood up, he had lost his obsession, becoming a walking corpse.
"Why not just kill him?" The Emperor Witch, who had been glancing towards the east, turned his head and asked curiously.
The Martial Emperor watched the Nine Mountains Hegemon's trembling figure as it gradually disappeared in the distance, then asked,
"You've mastered the Way of Killing, haven't you? So, let me ask you, why kill him?"
The Emperor Witch found this an interesting topic. He crossed his arms and thought for a moment before replying,
"First, he's an unpredictable variable. He might cause trouble for you later, making you spread yourself thin."
"Second, you're about to open up this true primordial land, right? Killing him would be perfect. With the surface ruler of the Immortal Realm gone, the true primordial land would be more likely to reveal itself, simplifying things."
"Third, there's personal grudges. When I was imprisoned in the borderlands, he was the most supportive, putting in the most effort. To you, it might be ancient history, but I remember it clearly."
"I don't kill lightly, and I respect life. But this wouldn't be considered lightly."
The Martial Emperor's eyes were still fixed on the distance, waiting until the Nine Mountains Hegemon's figure was completely gone before he gently waved his hand and replied,
"What you want is not wrong, but I have my principles. Since he agreed to my conditions, I won't kill him. It's also a reward for him."
"That said, he truly won't achieve greatness. After hundreds of thousands of years, he's already lost that drive, and he doesn't have the talent for it."
"His so-called obsession is more like a foolish fixation."
"Do you think I have a chance at achieving greatness?" the Emperor Witch asked, his expression unchanged.
"Fifty percent," the Martial Emperor replied.
"What about the one in East Jia State?" the Emperor Witch continued.
"Seventy percent," the Martial Emperor said flatly, then added, "He has something extra compared to you. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's there. Perhaps it's an artifact, a technique, or talent?"
"Hmm, is that so?" The Emperor Witch nodded thoughtfully, finding it intriguing, and a slight smile appeared on his face. He looked towards the east, his eyes glimmering faintly, as if asking across several states,
"What exactly is your secret?"
"Incremental!"
Chen Xia inwardly shouted, summoning his interface. Without hesitation, he added all the points he had accumulated over the past ten thousand years to his luck stat.
Golden light emanated from his body, and his eyes flashed. Within his sea of consciousness, tiny text appeared:
【First in the world with the luck of heaven, carrying the fortune of the heavens, or perhaps being the heavens themselves, able to bestow blessings and alter the world.】
This short sentence indicated that Chen Xia had reached the pinnacle of luck in the contemporary world. What did this mean in practice?
For instance, if Chen Xia stood in East Jia State, the state would radiate with brilliance, with the spiritual energy continuously enriched and opportunities gradually emerging.
This was the pinnacle of luck.
A single person influencing an entire state.