Star Gate

Skyward had only single digit numbers of eighth ranks in the past. How had that become so many more after a million years??

There were now twelve eighth ranks!

When it came to the current chaos, even Chaos Sky’s direct eighth rank subordinates numbered only four or five. Granted, that was the number of eighth ranks on the surface. There could be more in the shadows, but there shouldn’t be that many more.

Were ninth rank worlds really this terrifying? All of this, and this was before the Skyward master’s return!

A light flashed through the light envoy’s eyes when he looked at Long Zhan. The dragon was very strong... He could sense a thing or two even without meeting the other in battle.

“Are you Long Zhan?” He offered a friendly smile.

The dragon did not respond, a fact that the light envoy didn’t mind.

“The dao master left word before we returned that if the fellow daoist is willing to join the Skyward banner, then we still lack a chaos envoy!” The light envoy’s smile broadened. “The fellow daoist does not need to worry about favoritism either.

“Envoy Demon Summit, Envoy Coiling Dragon, and myself are not originally from Skyward. We joined halfway, yet fully retained freedom of movement!

“Everything changes over one million years. Seas turn into mulberry fields and fields turn into the seas. The only constant is... Skyward!

“The fellow daoist is wise and should know what ninth rank entails, yes? The chaos is vast and the four regions are but one corner of it. If the fellow daoist joins us, you will achieve a greater enterprise!”

Long Zhan looked behind the light envoy, at the palace hovering in the void and the currents of dao strength coursing through the air. The Skyward Palace of yesteryear was once more taking center stage. It was magnificent!

Even though he was very far away from it, he could clearly see how the newly revealed world resembled an immortal paradise. Everything really did seem to have returned to the way things were one million years ago.

Long Zhan had seen this sight when they reversed time. He’d even launched a few blows of his own during that trip. Of course, that was a very faded memory to the light envoy. For the dragon, it’d happened only a breath ago.

Back then, the five of them had easily defeated the Skyward group. Yet today, this group was his greatest enemy.

Destiny was fickle.

“Since Skyward has departed, why come back?” Long Zhan kept his composure. “The chaos is vast, why obsess over this particular spot? Skyward has been absent for a million years. Everything has changed over such a period of time...”

“This was Skyward territory to begin with, and remains that way so long as the dao master is still alive,” laughed the light envoy. “It doesn’t matter if it’s been one hundred million years! All of you are but passersby, people requesting lodgings for the night. Should you not return what you have borrowed, now that the master has returned?”

Long Zhan said nothing else. He kept his eyes trained on the world. The spatial formation that’d enclosed the world from above seemed to be dissipating. Endless dao strength had maintained its operation. That energy now went to the group of new returnees, creating a large number of heavyweights!

While that also rendered the formation null and void, that didn’t matter at this point. Twelve eighth ranks and nearly thirty seventh ranks was a force sufficient to sweep any faction. And they were all veteran exalted emperors, not newly ascended ones. They’d benefitted from the tutelage of ninth ranks for a million years. It made them a far cry beyond initial first ranks.

The light envoy and others were already eighth ranks back in the day. That meant their tenure was longer than even Chaos Sky’s. Their grasp of strength and dao comprehension ran deep. They were far from flimsy eighth ranks that had suddenly come into power.

“Did you guys come back just for the four regions?” Long Zhan “Did Skyward lay plans for so many years just for this domain?”

“The answer to your questions is Skyward business and has nothing to do with the fellow daoist!” smiled the light envoy. “I simply wish to ask the fellow daoist if you are leaving or staying.”

Long Zhan smiled as well and didn’t respond. He only took a step forward.

The atmosphere grew taut.

One step turned into two... Long Zhan strode through the void, his hair billowing around him. “That depends on... if you guys have the right to do as you wish!” he said expressionlessly. He punched!

Ten thousand dragons seemed to rise in unison! Dragon croons rang through the worlds and Long Zhan broke through the firmament with one punch!

The light envoy’s eyes narrowed and he grunted, also punching in response. The Divine Fist of Light appeared, surprising some of the powerhouses watching from the sidelines. That... seemed to be the move of the Light master!

Was there a connection between the two?

As much as they were confused, they were even more nervous. The domineering Long Zhan had sent the Human King and Silver Moon king packing, as well as everyone else who set themselves against him. Could his reign continue after Skyward’s return?

Boom!

A massive explosion rang through the world. The light envoy took a few steps back, blood welling in his mouth. He was a bit shaken by how strong his opponent was!

But he was no pushover either. He’d merely stumbled backward with a few light injuries. It was nothing too serious.

Someone appeared behind him and sent darkness sweeping through the land. “Let’s work together, Light!”

“Alright!” The light envoy readily agreed. Light and dark combined, the heavens toppled and earth collapsed!

It was easy for Skyward exalted emperors to meld together since they hailed from the same origin. They were all from Skyward.

Within the dao universe, the dao stars of light and darkness integrated as one.

Either of the two alone would be no match for Long Zhan. They possessed roughly five thousand daos each. That made them premier existences even among eighth ranks, not to mention that they currently enjoyed home ground advantage.

They fully rivaled the Human King in peak condition.

When the light and dark envoys worked together, they erupted with daos of two extremities. The force they could bring to bear was utterly shocking!

Long Zhan snarled and punched again!

BOOM!

A collision to end the age rang in all four cardinal directions. A massive force of destruction swept through the area. Some of the seventh ranks in the audience immediately turned tail and ran. Those who were slower exploded on the spot!

People who dared linger to watch the battle had done so because they were confident in their abilities, but that assurance had just been shattered.

In the void, the two envoys jointly took a step back. Long Zhan stumbled over his feet, but maintained his balance with a savage look in his eyes. Black Tiger and the other eighth ranks watched glumly.

Long Zhan... was an invincible presence, but he only barely managed to suppress the two envoys working together! Skyward still had envoys of yin and yang, life and death, and the five elements that could also integrate with each other!

This... induced despair.

To them, the Dragon master was so invincible that he could go head to head with Skyward. But now, their fantasies lay in pieces around their feet.

Long Zhan had not lost.

He’d suppressed the two envoys after one exchange. Both of them were cultivators of five thousand daos, yet working in tandem permitted them to bring strength of seven thousand daos to bear.

Such was the effect of daos at two extremes. They were formidable when combined, which also formed the basis of Skyward confidence. No one else would be able to easily match them even without the ninth ranks!

And yet... not losing also meant that Long Zhan had lost.

He was the strongest among the chaos race and the unspoken greatest of the eastern region. Only two of the twelve eighth ranks had taken the field today. Just that was enough to halt him in his tracks. How were they to suppress Skyward with this level of strength?

“Dragon master!” roared Black Tiger as he wished to rush to his lord. Figures materialized within Skyward. Some looked on sternly, others with amusement.

Long Zhan!

The dragon was very strong. The combined force of light and dark boggled the mind, yet the dragon was still able to somewhat maintain an upper hand. That was terrifying. No wonder the dao master had given them a few words of instruction specifically for this one before they left.

However... as strong as he was, he wasn’t ludicrously strong. So two envoys couldn’t take him down, how about if life and death were thrown into the mix?

That would do the deed!

And if yin and yang, the five elements, and Long Zhan worked together... They would be able to easily eliminate all of the chaos beasts.

Pfft. The dao master had wanted them to request help from the cultivator of time or even the dao chess. It would seem that they’d overestimated this Long Zhan. There was no need for that level of concern at all. They could eradicate the dragon by themselves!

Long Zhan looked at them without saying anything. The silence dragged on so long that the light envoy wanted to pick up the conversation again.

“Skyward has gone to a lot of effort to recruit you guys and create a force that can stand against the ninth ranks!” the dragon suddenly said.

Indeed, this group of people was actually meant to counter the ninth ranks!

The five elements, life and death, light and darkness were all present! Perhaps they could all integrate with each other. There were even outsiders among them. Clearly, the Skyward master hadn’t recruited the eighth ranks just to add to his forces. His ultimate goal was to create a task force that could handle the ninth ranks when they themselves weren’t ninth rank!

It meant that without the support of spirit and in the face of being unable to produce ninth ranks, Skyward cultivators would still dominate the chaos!

That was the situation that presented itself now.

Granted, the current group wasn’t quite on that level. It would be very hard for them to fight ninth ranks. But when it came to eighth ranks, there weren’t many that matched them.

Long Zhan of seven thousand dao rules and a premier existence in body dao could just barely overcome two of them!

“You’re very strong, Long Zhan!” chuckled the light envoy. “You’re stronger than I anticipated! Seven thousand dao rules and a dragon’s formidable body means that there aren’t many who can stand against you in this age, right?

“But you underestimate Skyward’s foundations! I already told you about the olive branch that the dao master is extending to you..”

“You guys are very strong...” Long Zhan went off on a tangent.

The light envoy frowned slightly. This conversation wasn’t going in the direction that he’d anticipated.

“But how can we coexist peacefully?” finished the dragon. “I can already sense a loss in spirit from chaos dao as soon as you return. You guys are devouring its spirit!

“Why... do you not nurture it yourself?” Long Zhan didn’t raise his voice, it was just filled with confusion and bafflement. “Li Hao can do it, can you not do the same? Can Skyward not do it? Why must you devour the spirit of the chaos?

“That means that my chaos race will one day be extinct within the chaos. Why... must you conduct your affairs this way?”

The light envoy’s frown deepened. Indeed, they were extracting spirit from the chaos. So Long Zhan could sense their actions??

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