The Qing Capital of the Ancient Flame Kingdom was the most exalted among all cities. No matter how powerful one was on the Origin Continent — even among the Three Major Foreign Races — none dared act presumptuously here! At that moment, inside Emperor Qing Palace— “During my master’s seclusion, no one is to disturb him.” A puppet creature stood outside the great hall’s gate, coldly watching the eight figures before it. The eight Emperor Lords — Di Fu and the others — were all gathered there. “This time, something grave has happened,” Di Fu spoke solemnly. “One of our thirteen Emperor Lords of the Ancient Flame Kingdom — Emperor Yuan — has been killed. This is no trivial matter. You should immediately report this to your master.” Although they had already sent transmission messages to Emperor Qing, he had given strict orders: during his seclusion, all communications were to be ignored. “You servant, go and report to your master at once!” Emperor Yan barked. The puppet creature stared at the eight Emperor Lords expressionlessly and shook its head. “The master commanded that, as long as he is in seclusion, no matter how great the matter, he is not to be disturbed.” “You—!” Emperor Chu couldn’t hold back his anger. “Did you not hear that Emperor Yuan has been slain?” “Even if every Emperor Lord were slain, it is still forbidden to disturb my master,” the puppet said coldly. It would carry out its master’s command absolutely — no matter who came! The eight Emperor Lords fumed in frustration. What kind of logic was this? Even if all the Emperor Lords died, Emperor Qing would not care? “This puppet servant is too rigid — it’s impossible to reason with it,” Emperor Kong said on the side. “Forget it. Emperor Qing must be dealing with something important,” Di Fu said. “Let’s go see the Ancestor.” Though they were displeased, none of them dared to trespass into Emperor Qing’s place of seclusion. They could only leave helplessly. Within a secret world of the Ancient Flame Kingdom lay an ancient cave abode. The eight Emperor Lords stood respectfully at its entrance, not daring to show the slightest disrespect. “Ancestor, a black-robed powerhouse accompanied by an old servant struck and killed Emperor Yuan, forcing him to choose reincarnation,” Di Fu reported respectfully at the cave’s entrance. “That black-robed man’s strength was overwhelming — even the eight of us combined could not match him. He seems to be an existence beyond Divine King-level. We await your guidance on how our Ancient Flame Kingdom should respond to this black-robed man.” After Di Fu spoke, the other seven Emperor Lords stood respectfully beside him, waiting patiently for a response. The cave abode remained silent — no response at all. “I’ve reported too, but the Ancestor hasn’t replied. He must also be in seclusion,” Di Fu said to the others. “According to the rules, when the Ancestor emerges, he will naturally learn of everything.” ŖâɴОΒЁ𝙎 “Mm.” The other seven Emperor Lords sighed helplessly. If the Ancestor’s avatar were awake, he would have responded immediately. But if he was in seclusion — no one could tell when he would answer. The eight Emperor Lords could only retreat, not daring to step even half a pace into that ancient cave abode. Across the Origin Continent, all major powers sensed that Emperor Yuan’s karmic thread had vanished completely! That could only mean one of two things — Emperor Yuan was either utterly dead, or had been forced into reincarnation. It was a world-shaking event. “Emperor Yuan… dead?” A middle-aged man arrived at the battlefield where the clash had taken place. Walking along the timeline of the past, he easily perceived the earlier scene — Iron Howl Demon Monarch in a hidden palace, while Emperor Yuan hid nearby. Then, suddenly, the surrounding scene became indistinct. “The killer is at least at the Ultimate Realm,” the man murmured in surprise. “His Origin Path is perfected — no trace left behind.” “That battle caused tremendous commotion. I could only see, from afar, the endless Filthy Blood River colliding with the Eight-Phase Formation of the Primordial Space,” he thought. “I couldn’t tell who the killer truly was.” “To dare disregard the Two Kingdoms’ Ancestors and kill Emperor Yuan… quite intriguing,” the middle-aged man said with curiosity. The clash between the endless Filthy Blood River and the Eight-Phase Formation of the Primordial Space had been unimaginably destructive — yet impossible to probe in detail. Across the entire Origin Continent, only a handful — the Three Major Foreign Races, the Ruler of the Myriad Realms, and the Realm Beast of Tianmu Nation — could glimpse faint traces. As for Luo Feng’s appearance — no one had seen it. All investigations could only conclude one thing— Emperor Yuan had been slain by an Ultimate Realm existence! “Emperor Yuan carried a full set of immensely powerful secret treasures, and yet he died within two or three breaths?” “Even with eight Emperor Lords of the Ancient Flame Kingdom joining forces, they still couldn’t save him?” News of this spread quickly among the monarchs of the Ancient Thunder Kingdom. These monarchs felt chills run through their hearts. Though the two ancient kingdoms seemed equal in name, in deterrent power, the Ancient Thunder Kingdom was somewhat inferior — for the Ancient Flame Kingdom had Emperor Qing. “If that killer targeted any of us monarchs, he could easily slaughter us.” “That person must be above Divine King-level! One glance from him might shatter our minds, driving us insane.” The monarchs grew uneasy — for those who cultivated the Primordial Bloodline had very obvious weaknesses. In front of an existence beyond Divine King-level, even a gaze could make them lose control. “For now, we must act with extreme caution and uncover the killer’s identity as soon as possible,” the monarchs warned one another. In the days that followed, the entire Origin Continent was shrouded in tension. The two ancient royal clans that once stood arrogantly above all had greatly restrained themselves — no longer daring to devour countless living beings at will. Everyone knew the killer was one who despised evil and injustice. “Our Emperor Yuan was slain — the first such case in our history.” “It’s been over half an era since his death. Still no sign of Emperor Yuan’s return. Could he truly have perished completely?” “The eight Emperor Lords went to rescue him, but delayed a bit too long. He had time to reincarnate! Likely, he doesn’t dare return to the royal clan — afraid the killer will come after him again.” In a gathering of marquises from the Emperor Chu lineage, the topic of Emperor Yuan’s death was once again discussed. Nowadays, in the royal gatherings of the two ancient kingdoms, the hottest topic was Emperor Yuan’s death. Relations between the Emperor Chu lineage and the Emperor Yuan lineage were poor, so the marquises of the Emperor Chu line discussed it with lively interest. “That killer despises evil — but to him, we royal clans of the Chaos Realm are beneath notice,” Di Chu Yu said with a laugh. The difference in strength was far too great. The lesser royals could only watch as spectators. Those who truly felt unease were the Divine Kings of the Second Stage, the Emperor Lords and monarchs — those whose hands were stained with immense sin. Inside Emperor Qing Palace— “Rumble~~~” The grand ancient hall’s gate finally opened. The most exalted among the thirteen Emperor Lords of the Ancient Flame Kingdom — Emperor Qing — had finally emerged from seclusion. The news instantly spread to all the Emperor Lords. At once, Di Fu, Di Yan, Di Xi, and the others — whether in person or by avatar — all rushed to the palace. Emperor Qing sat high upon the main seat. The eleven Emperor Lords took their places, all with humble bearing. They all knew — though they might share the same title, in truth, it would not be long before they had to leave the Origin Continent to venture into the outer worlds. Their power was far below Emperor Qing’s — they weren’t even on the same level. “Emperor Qing, you should already know what happened,” Di Fu said. “Tell us, how should we respond now?” Emperor Qing sat back, laughing lightly. “With Emperor Yuan dead, our Ancient Flame Kingdom now has twelve Emperor Lords.” Di Fu, Di Yan, and the others were speechless — such a grave matter, and yet Emperor Qing was laughing? Updates are released by 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚫𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵 “Has Emperor Yuan not yet returned after reincarnation?” Emperor Qing asked again. The identity of a reincarnated being was beyond control. Given the countless living beings on the Origin Continent, reincarnation among the primitive tribes of the wilderness was the most probable. Once his realm recovered, he could swiftly regain power — and recognizing him would be simple enough. For example, through the Ultimate Realm secret techniques Emperor Yuan had mastered, or the exact merit points he owed the royal clan — confirming his identity would be easy. “He hasn’t returned,” Di Fu said. “He owed the clan too much and had no merit to exchange for the resources to reattain his Ultimate Realm lifeform.” “Quite sensible,” Emperor Qing nodded. “As long as he keeps his identity secret, no one will know who he is — that’s the safest way.” “Emperor Qing,” Di Yan interjected, “are we just going to let this go?” “It’s a small matter. Why be so concerned?” Emperor Qing smiled, as if finding amusement in it. “A small matter?” Emperor Wu couldn’t help but speak up. “A fellow Emperor Lord has been slain — this affects the entire royal clan of the Ancient Flame Kingdom!” Emperor Qing’s gaze fell upon her. Emperor Wu shuddered and dared not speak further. “No one truly died — they’ve all reincarnated. What’s the big deal?” Emperor Qing’s gaze swept across the eleven Emperor Lords. “You’ve lived too comfortably on the Origin Continent. Such a small setback — what of it?” Emperor Qing had left an avatar on the Origin Continent, but his true self had long begun venturing beyond. Out there, one fought in darkness for survival — true peril lurked everywhere. Outside, at best, an avatar would fall and all the treasures accumulated would be lost. At worst… even the avatars connected to the Source World would perish entirely. Even the Two Kingdoms’ Ancestors, while venturing outside, acted with utmost caution. The Origin Continent was too safe. These Emperor Lords had grown far too complacent. “Yes,” Di Fu said. “Compared to the dangers of the outer realms, this is indeed a small matter. But we still need a response strategy.” “The eight of you together already reached the limit of power allowed on the Origin Continent,” Emperor Qing said leisurely. “With your formation treasures, even your combined techniques surpass Divine King-level. Yet even so, you were suppressed by that black-robed man.” “The black robe — either his realm was higher than yours, or he used an extraordinarily powerful treasure. In any case, his endless Filthy Blood River surpassed even your formation in strength.” Emperor Qing shook his head. “Even if I made a move, we’d be about equal. Even if I gained the upper hand, I couldn’t kill him.” “Under the restrictions of the Origin Continent’s laws, even the Ancestor couldn’t do anything to him,” Emperor Qing said. The eleven Emperor Lords fell silent. “Do not think only of vengeance,” Emperor Qing said to them. “When you leave the Origin Continent, you’ll encounter countless strong ones. Learn to make friends — at least, don’t create too many enemies.” “If that black-robed one truly stands above the Divine Kings, then within the Origin Continent he’s invincible. So we must learn to coexist with him.” Emperor Qing smiled. “If he can’t be killed, then we adapt to his existence.” The eleven Emperor Lords understood, yet for the proud royal clan of the Ancient Flame Kingdom, the thought of yielding to that black robe was bitter indeed. “We’re willing to make peace, but what if he keeps opposing us — what if he strikes again?” Emperor Yan asked. Emperor Qing smiled faintly. “If we extend goodwill and he still refuses, then he’s made himself an enemy. In that case, when we meet him beyond the Origin Continent — we kill him every time we see him!” In the outer realms, friendship was important — but so was slaughter. Power and status were carved through blood. “Our Ancient Flame Kingdom’s foundation lies on the Origin Continent,” Emperor Qing continued. “So for now, we must strive for harmony. After all, if things truly fall apart, even if the Ancestor and I hunt him beyond this world — within the Origin Continent, he could wreak havoc beyond imagining.” “A mutual loss benefits no one,” Emperor Qing said calmly. “Yes,” the eleven Emperor Lords responded in unison.