The Great Emperor of the Vastness, Haha

Seven major planes exist across the cosmos, and currently, five of them are known to be engaged in warfare.

The battles between the Immortal Realm and the Divine Realm need not be elaborated upon. The Supreme Realm is assisting the Divine Realm, sending several Great Emperors as support, though only ordinary Great Emperors. It seems the Supreme Realm doesn't fully trust the Divine Realm and is unwilling to commit significant resources. This is understandable, as the current large-scale conflicts between the planes are still in their infancy, far from the chaotic age. If the Supreme Realm were to fully support the Divine Realm, it would appear as though they are bound together, which is not a wise move.

Aside from these three major planes, the Celestial Realm and the Twilight Realm are also battling, and their conflict is relatively intense. The remaining two major planes have shown no interest in joining the war, likely harboring intentions of conserving their strength and waiting for the opportune moment to emerge as the beneficiary—like the fisherman who profits when the snipe and the clam battle.

The origins of this interplanar conflict can be traced back to Vast Emperor of the Ten Thousand Demons Realm. Rumor has it that Vast Emperor has already conquered the surrounding planes, merging four planes into one unified Ten Thousand Demons Realm. His power has skyrocketed as a result, and there are speculations that he has already reached the pinnacle of the Three-Path Great Emperor, and some even suspect he might be stepping into the Four-Da Great Emperor realm.

All of this is due to the benefits Vast Emperor has reaped from the interplanar wars, leading other Great Emperors to ponder: how many Five Paths Great Emperors will emerge once these conflicts conclude?

The end of an era of chaos invariably leads to the beginning of a new era of prosperity. Throughout history, it has always been so.

By then, it will be those who rise to become the patriarchs of this new era who will be the next generation of Five Paths Great Emperors.

Within the Ten Thousand Demons Realm.

Vast Emperor, in his humanoid canine form, stood high above the grand hall, lost in thought. Behind him, footsteps approached, and a Flood Dragon Race member respectfully addressed him.

"My lord, the neighboring minor planes are prepared to surrender and integrate into our Ten Thousand Demons Realm. Which date would suit you for the ceremony that will require your presence?"

"Handle it yourself," Vast Emperor dismissed casually. "Just a couple of minor planes—I can't be bothered to move for something so trivial. You figure it out."

The Flood Dragon Race could only offer a wry smile, clearly aware of Vast Emperor's temperament and did not dare to argue. He delivered another message.

"The major planes' conflicts have stalled recently. The previously raging war between the Divine Realm and the Immortal Realm seems to have calmed down for various reasons. We are investigating the cause."

Vast Emperor continued to gaze at the sky, responding with a simple "Mmm." He then instructed, "Briefly summarize the reasons for me when you find them. And remain vigilant against the Celestial Realm—those bastards have no good intentions towards us."

"By the way," Vast Emperor added, "ask the Celestial Realm if that Three-Dao Great Emperor still wants to fight me or not. It's been dragging on without a word."

Hearing this, the Flood Dragon Race's expression stiffened. He was unsure whether to speak or remain silent, settling at an awkward smile.

Vast Emperor noticed his hesitation and raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"

The Flood Dragon Race could only reluctantly reply. "The Celestial Realm's Three-Dao Great Emperor said that if you wish to fight, you must change your appearance. At least... one befitting a leader of a realm."

Vast Emperor cocked his canine head and frowned, expressing clear disdain. "So he's got a racial prejudice problem, huh? What exactly did he say?"

The Flood Dragon Race hesitated for a moment, then softly spoke the words.

"He mentioned that if he fights you and wins, others would say he only beat a dog. If he loses, they'd say he couldn't even defeat a dog. It would be an unbearable outcome either way. According to him, you're already invincible as it is. He won't fight you unless you change your appearance."

"If he doesn't want to fight, then don't! Who does he think he is acting so superior? This 'top dog' hasn't seen where his own superiority is!" Vast Emperor scoffed with disdain.

"Yes, yes," the Flood Dragon Race quickly agreed, keenly aware of his lord's temperament and capabilities, and dared not disagree.

"By the way," Vast Emperor suddenly asked, "you'd better understand everything about the Immortal Realm; that's where the biggest impact will be felt."

"We have plenty of informants there and have bought a lot of intelligence," the Flood Dragon Race quickly replied, extending his hand to reveal a holographic map.

"This is the current layout of the Immortal Realm. The Treasure Ring Scale State is the most chaotic, fighting fiercely with the Divine Realm cultivators. The other eight states are relatively stable."

"One noteworthy event is a significant change in the East Jia State. It's no longer under the control of the Eighth Mountain but taken over by a newly emerging sect, which is a first in hundreds of thousands of years in the Immortal Realm."

"This has led others to suspect that it might signal the decline of the Eighth Mountain, especially since the ultimate ruler of nine mountains hasn't appeared for a long time—it’s possible they’ve..."

"Impossible," Vast Emperor interjected, shaking his head. "Such a paramount figure couldn't simply perish. If they had died, the entire Immortal Realm would feel the repercussions, nothing as mundane as all this."

After considering the situation, Vast Emperor inquired further, "What's the background of this newly emerging sect? To be able to replace the Eighth Mountain, breaking the ancient domination of the Nine Mountains for hundreds of thousands of years—that’s no trivial feat."

"It seems to be called Heaven's Pill Gate, and their leader is the Azure Sky Medicine Ancestor," the Flood Dragon Race answered respectfully.

"Heaven Pill Gate?" Vast Emperor mumbled slightly, wrinkling his brow in thought before dismissing it and imagining it was just a common name.

"By the way, their leader is apparently surnamed Chen, nameless for now, as inquiries among many cultivators have yielded no results. Here’s his aura hologram—it seems ordinary, not particularly striking…"

At that, Vast Emperor turned his gaze to the aura hologram and instantly fell into a prolonged silence, his expression blank, eyes frozen.

"Chen... Xia?"

"Do you know the Azure Sky Medicine Ancestor?" the Flood Dragon Race asked in surprise.

"Investigate!" Vast Emperor's tone turned grave, pointing to the aura hologram as he ordered: "Go deeper—find out everything about Heaven Pill Gate, especially its enemies. Any who have crossed Chen Xia, I will kill immediately!"

"Umm... based on the Azure Sky Medicine Ancestor's current achievements, it seems no one has offended him yet, as those Divine Realm's Great Emperors who tried have already been turned into his mounts." The Flood Dragon Race responded modestly.

"Then it's the Divine Realm!" Vast Emperor roared with indignation, before fiercely adding: "I swear I will not rest until the Divine Realm is obliterated, their master even taking a slap from me! And yes... this is justified retribution!"

Vast Emperor had clearly declared his defiance towards any opposition.

In the East Jia State.

Chen Xia lay lazily on a rocking chair when he suddenly sneezed, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease. He asked the demon meditating beside him,

"Someone plotting against me behind my back?"

The demon glanced at him, answering rhetorically,

"Do you really expect someone to be saying nice things about you secretly?"

"Fair point, if someone’s talking in secret, it’s definitely not something nice." Chen Xia agreed, resuming his relaxed position and gazing at the dull sky above when he suddenly asked,

"Do we stand a chance to win it all in the end?"

"Don’t sell yourself short," the demon responded, "this is more about your lack of confidence."

"It’s not about confidence," Chen Xia spoke softly, "just concerns over results that might be too much for me to handle."

"Don’t worry about it; I'll be gone before you know what hits you," the demon chuckled.

At the right moment, the demon would merge with Chen Xia to form a unified core.

By that point, he would truly cease to exist, although 'existence' per se never really belonged to him.

Ha.