Sovereign of the Ashes

Drawing upon the wisdom of Magus World, Sein explained the optimal strategy for attacking Cloud Dragon Stream Plane to Gongsun Wudi and the assembled generals of the Dawn Empire.

The plan required precise and extremely complex calculations.

By targeting the various law nodes outside this medium-sized plane, they could force the pillars of White Jade Dragon Qi within the world to collapse.

Once those pillars fell, the planar barrier would shatter along with them.

After that, everything would become much simpler.

The Dawn Empire had no shortage of Rank Six or higher combatants. Once the barrier was breached, they could crush the resistance within the plane through sheer strength and numbers.

Moreover, judging from what they had seen on previous battlefields, the native deities of the Divine Descendants Star Domain did not possess a particularly resolute will to resist.

Each seemed more concerned with fighting for themselves than for the civilization as a whole.

“If we can turn some of the resistance forces within this plane against their own side and have them stir up chaos from within, it would make breaching the planar barrier much easier.”

Sein paused before adding, “After all, a sturdy fort is often easiest to breach from within.”

He had personally heard those words of wisdom from a Magus World knight during his time in Sky City.

The Dawn Empire powerhouses around him nodded in understanding.

However, turning the enemy deities against one another was no simple task.

More importantly, the Dawn Empire had no intention of wasting too much time on a single medium-sized plane.

Breaking through Cloud Dragon Stream Plane as quickly as possible was the strategy most aligned with the Dawn Empire’s broader war plan for the Divine Descendants Star Domain.

After all, who knew when that formidable Divine Descendant Overgod might suddenly enter the war?

“First, raze every defensive fortification surrounding Cloud Dragon Stream Plane. Seize all nearby planes and completely seal off this world! Bring twenty Dragon Howlers here!” Gongsun Wudi ordered.

The Princess Guardian was a veteran of countless battles. She immediately understood what Sein was getting at.

The Dawn Empire had never developed forbidden spells, alchemy, or technology as advanced as those of the Magus Civilization.

However, the empire had forged several specialized siege weapons that drew their power from Dragon Qi.

The Dragon Howler was one of them.

Its source of power was neither ordinary energy crystals nor complex law arrays, but the purest form of Dragon Qi.

Under ordinary circumstances, the Dawn Empire powerhouses would never lightly expend their precious Dragon Qi in battle.

But now, to shatter the planar barrier of Cloud Dragon Stream Plane, the amount of Dragon Qi required would clearly be astronomical.

The Dragon Howlers would not be used immediately.

Until the surrounding defensive lines were destroyed and the vassal low-level planes were taken care of, Cloud Dragon Stream Plane would still enjoy one final period of “peace”.

***

The God of Scorching Wind had only recently arrived on Cloud Dragon Stream Plane.

In truth, he had ended up in this medium-sized world entirely by accident.

At first, he had been traveling alongside the Gallant Federation legions. Yet as the fighting dragged on and their lines continued to retreat, he somehow found himself swept into Cloud Dragon Stream Plane.

He was not the only foreign deity here. More than ten foreign gods had taken refuge in this medium-sized plane!

All of them were law-wielding beings from other planes who, amidst the fierce tide of war, had been forced to retreat to Cloud Dragon Stream Plane and join the defense.

After confirming their identities, the Gallant Federation readily treated these foreign deities as additional combat units.

During his years on Cloud Dragon Stream Plane, the God of Scorching Wind had lived an exceptionally miserable life.

After all, how could anyone live comfortably after being chased into this world by the Dawn Empire’s legions like a stray dog?

Worse still, Cloud Dragon Stream Plane possessed a deeply entrenched native pantheon culture, one that was extremely hostile toward foreign deities.

In fact, this was not unique to Cloud Dragon Stream Plane. The entire Divine Descendants Star Domain was much the same.

Under the influence of the Divine Descendant Overgod Marduk, the countless pantheons of Divine Descendants World had feuded with one another and regarded each other with hostility for far too many years.

Could they really be expected to suddenly unite simply because an external enemy had appeared?

Of course not!

The situation in Divine Descendants World was entirely different from that of the Immortal Realm Civilization.

The major factions of the Immortal Realm Civilization also had no shortage of internal conflicts. However, on the surface, they still maintained a certain peace, and open hostilities were relatively rare.

Divine Descendants World was another matter altogether.

Over the past hundred thousand years, the fall of deities had become all too common there.

The deities were practically mortal enemies, each eager to seize the divine relics of the others by force.

The fact that they had not simply slaughtered the foreign gods and plundered their divine relics could already be considered an act of generosity.

How could they possibly be expected to share their limited resources with a group of unfamiliar foreign deities? Especially now, with the Dawn Empire’s legions already blockading Cloud Dragon Stream Plane.

Communication with the plane’s own vassal worlds had become extremely difficult. With the entire world sealed off, securing outside resources had become harder than ever.

Even the native deities of Cloud Dragon Stream Plane could no longer obtain sufficient resources and supplies.

As for foreign gods with no roots or support in this world, their situation was even worse.

Of all the foreign deities stranded on Cloud Dragon Stream Plane, few were in worse condition than the God of Scorching Wind.

Even now, a horrifying wound stretched across his back, wide open and stubbornly refusing to heal.

The raw power of laws lingering within the wound tormented his nerves every moment of every day.

This was no clean cut left behind by a sword or blade. It was a brutal tear in his flesh, caused by the violent impact of a blunt weapon.

The one who had inflicted it was Belphane, the Rank Six Magus World knight.

For a mere Rank Four deity like himself to have escaped from the hands of a Rank Six powerhouse was something the God of Scorching Wind felt he could boast about for the rest of his life!

Of course, the truth was not quite so glorious.

The main reason he had managed to escape was that two federal war fleets had intercepted Belphane and provided covering fire.

At the same time, the God of Scorching Wind had pushed his exceptional aero-elemental divine abilities to the limit, narrowly slipping from her grasp.

When Belphane saw the Gallant Federation reinforcements closing in, she chose not to continue the pursuit.

Knights who had reached Rank Six, especially knights like Belphane, were rarely reckless fools. They knew perfectly well when to press forward and when to withdraw.

After concluding a meeting with the White Jade Dragon King, the God of Scorching Wind immediately flew toward the battle zone that had been assigned to him.

It was near one of the towering pillars of white qi.

Because it stood so close to the planar barrier, this region was effectively one of the most dangerous sectors on the entire battlefield.

As he flew, the God of Scorching Wind could not shake the feeling that someone was watching him from behind.

Yet every time he turned to look, he found nothing.

Was it just his imagination?

Of course not.

The God of Scorching Wind knew perfectly well that more than a few native deities of Cloud Dragon Stream Plane had their eyes on his divine relic!

Within Divine Descendants World, divine portfolios of aero and pyro attributes were among the most coveted.

Many deities associated with those elements could absorb and benefit from the power contained within his divine relic.

Now that such a severely wounded prey had stumbled onto their territory, how could they possibly resist coveting it?

With the White Jade Dragon King and the Azure Cloud Dragon King overseeing the plane, and the Gallant Federation legions maintaining order, the native deities of Cloud Dragon Stream Plane might not dare to make a move openly.

That did not mean they had given up.

They were simply waiting... Waiting for the God of Scorching Wind to fall on the battlefield, so they could swoop in afterward and divide whatever remained of him.

With the pressure of the external war mounting by the day, everyone was barely able to protect themselves. Yet somehow, there were still those with enough leisure to covet the spoils of others.

It was absurd, yet it was reality.

And that same reality had played out across countless planes in the Astral Realm.

The feeling of being watched like prey was painful and suffocating. It made the God of Scorching Wind want to lash out and vent the rage smoldering within him.

Unfortunately, he did not possess that luxury.

All he could do was swallow his humiliation in silence, preserve as much of his strength as possible, and wait for a chance to turn his fate around.

The God of Scorching Wind did not want to die.

Even gods feared death...

Upon arriving at the battle zone assigned to him, the God of Scorching Wind exchanged greetings with the God of the Black Dog, who had come to meet him.

The God of the Black Dog was a truly funny divine title.

But the God of the Black Dog himself did not seem to care. He was the deity of the Black Dog Clan, wielding divine abilities related to bloodlust, biting, and violent assault.

Back when he first ignited his divine fire, condensed his divine relic, and established his own divine nation, he had not bothered to choose some grand or dignified title.

He had simply called himself the God of the Black Dog.

He was certainly a deity with character.

With his dog-like head, drooping ears, and pitch-black skin, he was not particularly well-liked by the native deities of Cloud Dragon Stream Plane.

The God of Scorching Wind, however, had become friends with him after only a brief interaction. In his view, the God of the Black Dog was actually a decent and easygoing fellow.

What he admired most was that, after abandoning his homeplane, the God of the Black Dog had somehow managed to bring a group of his followers and subjects with him as he fled the battlefield.

According to the God of the Black Dog, he had originally had no intention of abandoning his homeplane.

He had been prepared to die in battle!

It was the Gallant Federation legions that persuaded him, through a mixture of coercion and reason, to lead his forces in a “strategic withdrawal”.

More than two-thirds of the dog-headed beings stationed around the nearby cloud pillars had been transported here by the Gallant Federation back then.

“How is the situation?” the God of the Black Dog asked, his enormous black eyes fixed on the God of Scorching Wind.

The God of the Black Dog was indeed terribly ugly, and the God of Scorching Wind felt rather uncomfortable under his stare.

Still, he needed this ally.

The God of Scorching Wind snorted bitterly. “How else could it be? They’re using us as cannon fodder.”

The God of the Black Dog fell silent for a long moment.

The God of Scorching Wind raised his head and gazed toward the sky.

Outside the plane, the Dawn Empire legions were placing immense pressure on the native creatures and deities of this world.

The God of Scorching Wind continued thinking, desperately searching for some way to turn the situation around.

He had managed to escape the pursuit of a Rank Six being, and he had no intention of perishing here.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

“Wait... is that the God of Black Mist’s vessel?” the God of Scorching Wind exclaimed in surprise as he stared at the massive metal fortress beyond the plane.

What made him uncertain was that the fortress looked somewhat different from what he remembered.

“What is it?” the God of the Black Dog asked as he stepped forward. His senses were quite sharp as well.

The God of Scorching Wind glanced at him, but did not explain.

“Nothing,” he said instead.

After the God of the Black Dog left, the God of Scorching Wind could not help but raise his head and gaze toward the sky once more.

***

Outside the plane...

Sein had only just returned from his meeting with Gongsun Wudi when the God of Black Mist requested an audience.

After being summoned by Sein, the God of Black Mist bowed respectfully and said, “Master Ashes, I believe the God of Scorching Wind of our Kales Pantheon is on the medium-sized plane below.”

“Oh?” Sein murmured in surprise.

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