In the grand hall of the Absolute Monarch Sanctuary, a tense and solemn atmosphere filled the air. Spiritual Masters and elders gathered, their expressions grim as they listeo the messenger before them.

  The news of the destru of the two sacred grounds had spread quickly, reag everyone's ears. Now, with the arrival of the envoy, fear and palpitation filled the hearts of all present in the hall.

  "You!!" Spiritual Master A Wood's eyes narrowed sharply at the envoy's words, his expression twisting with anger. Around him, the faces of everyone in the hall shifted with shod e. He spat out furiously, "Our Absolute Monarch Sanctuary is the mightiest for this ti, boasting over one hundred sixty-six Monarchs and tless Overlords and Thrones! Do you think that just because your so-called Lord says so, he destroy us?!"

  "Hmm, wait a moment," the Lin elder raised his hand, making a 'stop' motion as he spoke, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Spiritual Master A Wood. "Lord Yun Wuji anticipated this response from you."

  The elder pulled out a scroll, carefully unfolding it. He fumbled for a moment before finding the correct se, then read aloud with a mog tone, "My Lord said: Critical thinking might very well put you in critical dition... I destroyed two sacred grounds without losing a single soldier ihan an hour. What makes you think I 't do the same with your Absolute Monarch Sanctuary?"

  "You!!! How dare you mock us like that?!" Spiritual Master A Wood's eyes widened like saucers. He had never received or even heard an insult like this before. The urge to crush the man in front of him surged withi what infuriated him even more was the helplessness of it all. He didn't have the ce to kill a messenger, knowing full well that doing so would be a btaion of war!

  "Stand down, do not speak any further," At this moment, Saint Emperor Huangji Wuyu, who had been silent until now, spoke in a low voice.

  "Saint Emperor!" Spiritual Master A Wood looked at him and protested.

  "I said, step down!" Huangji Wuyu gred at him.

  "..." Spiritual Master A Wood lowered his head and fell silent.

  "May I ask what your lord means by submitting to him?" Huangji Wuyu turned his gaze to the elder from the Lin d asked slowly.

  "My Lord is magnanimous and benevolent. Although you have been greedy and despicable in the past, attag our Illusory Demon Realm, he is willing to spare your lives," the elder said. "He only asks that you unditionally follow his orders. Every year, you must submit 70% of the Purple Veined Divine Crystal you gain. Additionally, all of you must kneel in front of the Demon Empress until she fives you. If she wishes to kill any of you, you ot resist. Should you defy any of these ditions, they will be null and void, and you will faplete destru."

  "!!!" Spiritual Master Detached Heart, A Wood, and Nine Lamentations all had their eyes wide with ahis was absolute humiliation! To follow his orders unditionally meant that Yun Wuji could and them to do anything. The demand for 70% of their Purple Veined Divine Crystal would stifle their progress, and future geions would struggle to advan their cultivation! They gritted their teeth and held back their words, suppressing their fury, as they obeyed the Saint Emperor's and to remain silent.

  Listening to his demands, Huangji Wuyu closed his eyes and remained silent for a long while, as if he were struggling with the weight of the decision. Finally, he opened his eyes, and with a loained voice, he said, "I agree to submit to Lord Yun Wuji!"

  "Saint Emperor!" His decision shocked everyone! Whether it was the Spiritual Masters or the elders, they all looked at him with incredulity!

  "I, Huangji Wuyu, have lived for more than two thousand years, and I do not fear death! But... my Absolute Monarch Sanctuary's more thahousand-year-old heritage ot be destroyed by my hand!" Saint Emperor looked at everyone, his voice deep and resolute.

  "Saint Emperor!" Seeing his pained and unwilling expression, everyone was moved. He robably the most relut to submit, but he had to bear this humiliation for the sake of the Sanctuary's survival.

  "Huangji Wuyu, you made a wise decision! Three days from now, you will apao personally pledge loyalty to Lord Yun Wuji," the Lin 's elder said, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

  ...

  At the same time, in the Supreme O Pace, the Xiao 's elder, who was also ag as an envoy, had just delivered his message.

  The Sn of the Seas, Qu Fengyi, was a middle-aged woman, but there was not the slightest trace of femininity in her demeanor. Instead, every tour of her form exuded an air of solemn dignity and sharpness.

  Hearing the envoy's words, she frowned without speaking. The destru of a Sacred Ground was no easy feat. A thousand years ago, the four sacred grounds had joined forces to destroy the Eternal Night Royal Family, and evehey had suffered siderable losses in the process.

  After the destru of the Eternal Night Royal Family, all the sacred grounds learned from that lesson aly worked tthen their defenses, determio prevent the same fate from befalling them.

  Even if she and the Absolute Monarch Sanctuary were to join forces to destroy the weakest of them, the Sun Moon Divine Hall, they would almost certainly fail. The foundation of a sacred ground was incredibly deep, and no oruly knew what secrets they were hiding. Just breaking through their protective barrier would rehem helpless.

  Even if they poured all their effort and resources into it and mao destroy the barrier, it would take at least months to aplish—this, of course, uhe assumption that both sacred grounds worked together sincerely and without aernal interference.

  Destroying any of them was as difficult as sg the heavens!

  However, right at this moment, someone had mao destroy not one, but two sacred grounds ihan an hour! What kind of cept was that?! How did he even mao do it?!

  Qu Fengyi couldn't prehend how this had happehe only thing she could think of was the Divine Profound Realm! This must be the work of someo the Divine Profound Realm! Only someoh strength that surpassed the very limits of this world could aplish such a dreadful feat!

  Seeing the Sn of the Seas remain silent, Venerable Purple turo the envoy and spoke with a solemn voice, "We, the Supreme O Pace, seek only pead the preservation of our heritage. We have y with your lord. Why must you force us to submit to him?"

  The Xiao 's elder nodded with a smile. "Wait a moment, please," he said, taking out a stack of papers and beginning to fiddle with them. "Lord Yun Wuji anticipated this response from you."

  "Ah, I found it!" The elder excimed, clearing his throat before reading aloud, "My Lord said: In this world, there are only two kinds of people: those who follow me, and those who die."

  "How unreasonable!" Mo feng, the stro Great Elder and son of Venerable Blue shouted angrily.

  *You don't o remember any of these characters. Not only you but even I will fet about them in just a feters.*

  "Wait a moment, please! My lord anticipated this response as well." Again, the envoy raised his hand in a 'stop' motion. He looked at the paper in his hand and read aloud, "My Lord said: You look like an old man, your brain gotta have dust on it... Why are you talking about reasons with me? In this world, the only thing that be reasoned with is strength! If my fist is strohan yours, then my reason is the truth!"

  The Seven Venerable Ohe Grand Elder, and even Qu Fengyi gred at him with deep ahey were from the Supreme O Pace—a Sacred Ground revered and worshiped by the masses across the Profound Sky ti. They were the ones who typically bullied others, using their strength to oppress those weaker than themselves. If anyone dared to oppose them, they would erase them and their entire s without a sed thought!

  But right now, someone was using the same logic against them! They were both shocked and furious. Since when had their Supreme O Pace fallen so low?!

  Sitting ohrone, Qu Fengyi's eyes fshed with a sharp light. She wao kill him with a sp, to wipe that fake, mog smile off his face! Taking a deep breath, she waved her hand, restraining the others from making a move.

  Zi Ji, who stood by her side, could no longer hold bad had already taken a step forward. "Listen!" he shouted. "Our Supreme O Pad the Bert Guild have built our foundatioen thousand years! We have bored through geion after geion to reach this point, all to uphold the grand might of our Supreme O Pad protect our name. How could we submit to you?!!"

  "That's right! We were never afraid of anyone! How could we bow to someone else?!"

  "Your so-called lord is so overbearing! Does he want to force everyoo kneel before him? Does he think everyone in this world is afraid of him?!"

  "How admirable! Wait a moment, my lord anticipated this response as well!" The envoy seemed uurbed, and in fact, from his expression, it almost seemed as though he wahem to refuse, so his Lord could personally desd upon them and grant them destru.

  The envoy cleared his throat again and read aloud, "My Lord said: Bow before me, not because you fear me, but because ynize my supreme authority!"

  "..." Everyone in the hall.

  Venerable Purple g the stack of papers and thought, How many things did your Lord write? And you, as an envoy, shouldn't you be the one speaking? Why are you reading your Lord's words word by word?! Where is your professionalism? Where is your iy?!

  The hall remained silent for a while, no one daring to make a move. They were speechless and helpless. Eae of them had the strength to sp the man in front of them to death, but none had the ce to do so. Finally, Qu Fengyi spoke, "This sn has agreed to Lord Yun Wuji's demand. From today onwards, my Supreme O Pace will willingly heed the words of Lord Yun Wuji."

  "You... You... What are you saying?" Zi Ji, her husband, asked with widened eyes. The pupils of those eyes were filled with boundless shock, disappoi, and pain. "You... Have you gone mad? We are the ten-thousand-year-old Supreme O Pace! How we bee someone else's subordinate? If we do this... If we do this, how we at to the founding fathers of the Supreme O Pace?!"

  Everyone else looked at her with a variety of expressions. Some shared the same look as Zi Ji, filled with shod disbelief, while others remained expressionless, and still others wore looks of uanding and relief.

  "Allowing our Supreme O Pace to be destroyed like this is what will truly let down our founding fathers!" Qu Fengyi said severely. "The power of Lord Yun Wuji is something unheard of. If he wants to destroy our Supreme O Pace, which has sted for ten thousand years, it will only take him half an hour!"

  "Tsk! Here I thought we could destroy this pce as well," Hearing her words, the envoy tsked, muttering under his breath. The on a fake smile and said, "Wise choice, Sn of the Seas. In three days, you and the Saint Emperor will go to Lord Yun Wuji to pledge loyalty to him personally."

  Everyone in the hall, at least at the Monarch level, heard his muttering a a chill run down their spines.