The Emperor's Sorcerer Takes His Place, the Martial Emperor Descends

The chess game on the mountaintop echoed loudly, clanging, as the grand-scale chessboard also played its part, affecting the entire Immortal Realm.

The Five Paths Emperors were fiercely battling, while Chen Xia was recovering from his injuries, though not participating, he had already thought of which great continent to conquer next.

It was the Manghei Continent, where the Heavenly Emperor had fallen.

This continent was now unclaimed territory, perfect for him to occupy, and since he was the one who killed the Heavenly Emperor, it was only reasonable for him to take it.

The current state of the Immortal Realm was too chaotic; it wasn’t enough to merely abstain from contention and conflict. If Chen Xia wanted stability, he had to conquer the entire Immortal Realm and become supreme. Only when he could stand toe-to-toe with the Martial Emperor would he truly be at ease.

More and more people were gathering at the mountain gate, all representing variables that Chen Xia dared not gamble on. He ordered everyone not to leave the East Jia State and to remain within it for relative safety.

Everyone agreed, waiting for Chen Xia to become invincible.

However, the Immortal Realm saw another variable as more Five Paths Emperors arrived, brazenly occupying the Jianxuan Continent near the Ninth Mountain.

One of these Five Paths Emperors, Chen Xia recognized—it was an old acquaintance.

Emperor Witch.

Ever since breaking through the realm’s limitations, his cultivation had grown at an astonishing pace, reaching the level of a Five Paths Emperor within just a few tens of thousands of years. No wonder he was once regarded as the top genius of the myriad worlds, one of the figures favored by the Martial Emperor.

Emperor Witch’s arrival caught all the other Five Paths Emperors off guard, and his subsequent actions even more so.

He directly engaged in combat with the Dominator of the Nine Mountains, challenging this former ruler of the Immortal Realm to a duel. Moreover, his moves were unrestrained, as if he truly intended to determine life and death.

Naturally, this attracted the attention of the other Five Paths Emperors, who watched from the sidelines, not intervening, purely for the spectacle.

Chen Xia, being the sort who loved a good show, was naturally among them, eagerly watching and inquiring to the Lord of the Divine Realm beside him, “New here—who’s winning?”

The Lord of the Divine Realm glanced at him, noting that his injuries were almost healed, feeling a chill in his heart but masking it, responding casually, “Emperor Witch has a slight edge, maybe because the Dominator of the Nine Mountains is growing old, or perhaps Emperor Witch is just too strong.”

The Supreme One stood nearby, shaking his head, “That’s not quite right. The Dominator of the Nine Mountains isn’t old; he’s even stronger than before. I’ve fought him before, so I know. It’s Emperor Witch who’s truly powerful, there’s something to his Dao.”

“Indeed, indeed,” the Star Lord of the Twilight Realm, not one to stand out much, added his agreement.

“Hey, wait—given Emperor Witch’s attitude, is he really trying to kill the Dominator of the Nine Mountains here?” Chen Xia noticed the issue at hand, astonished.

“Should be about right, but he probably can’t kill him. After all, the Dominator of the Nine Mountains is the former leader of the Immortal Realm, even if it’s just nominal, he’s still under the protection of fate. He won’t die, just severely injured.” The Lord of the Divine Realm assessed.

“This Emperor Witch is truly mad. Even if he does severely injure the Dominator of the Nine Mountains, what good could it possibly do for him? Wouldn’t he end up equally injured?” the Supreme One added.

“Indeed, indeed,” the Star Lord nodded.

“You’re kind of just repeating yourself, huh?” Chen Xia commented to the Star Lord.

“Indeed, indeed,” the Star Lord nodded again, not denying it.

While Emperor Witch and the Dominator of the Nine Mountains fought fiercely, the other Five Paths Emperors showed no intention of joining in, instead happily discussing who would win.

They even placed bets.

“Two Emperor Pills—I’m betting on the Dominator of the Nine Mountains. Emperor Witch looks exhausted now, but the Dominator is still holding strong.”

“Three Emperor Pills on Emperor Witch. Don’t you get it? The new tide drives out the old.”

“…”

They perfectly demonstrated what it meant to “mind your own business and stay high above.”

Being peers, there was no need for pretense, so their words were more candid, influenced by Chen Xia’s bluntness, making them even more unrestrained.

Even the Lord of the Divine Realm boasted to Chen Xia, "Fifteen hundred thousand years ago, at my peak, you wouldn't have been a match for me."

Chen Xia rolled his eyes and retorted, "Give me fifteen million years, and if I don't beat you to a pulp, then consider yourself house-trained."

The Lord of the Divine Realm fell silent, not arguing, because the reality was exactly that. If Chen Xia were given fifteen million years, he might truly be ready to challenge the Martial Emperor.

The Supreme One sighed, saying, “Chen Xia, my boy, not that I’m trying to lecture you, but we’ve all been around for so long, just surviving off the hope of reaching the supreme position. You’re young, so why don’t you give the opportunity to us old guys? There’ll be plenty of chances for you to become supreme later.”

“Indeed, indeed,” the Star Lord nodded again.

“Come on, after tens of thousands of years and you still haven’t reached the supreme position? I think you guys should just pack it in and go to sleep. The supreme position’s gotta be mine, or it’ll be a waste.” Chen Xia waved it off.

The group chatted and boasted, enjoying themselves.

Suddenly, a light flickered in the sky, not glaring or intense, but a pure golden glow, dazzling to the eyes.

Boom!

This golden light suddenly descended.

Buzz.

An echoing sound filled the world, so much that even Chen Xia and the others couldn’t hear anything, feeling as if the world had become illusory, everything unreal.

This feeling persisted for a moment.

When Chen Xia and the others came to their senses, Emperor Witch had stopped fighting the Dominator of the Nine Mountains. Only a figure with golden eyes stood there.

It was the Martial Emperor!

Where was the Dominator of the Nine Mountains?

Chen Xia and the others looked around in confusion and finally found him. The Dominator was at the Martial Emperor’s feet, half-dead, his spirit dazed.

Chen Xia paused, then quickly waved his hands, laughing, “Well, fellas, guess I’ll catch you later—busy at home, won’t be joining you for the supreme position.”

With a sway of his steps, he made his escape.