"What's going on? What is that golden light?!" In the Futian Imperial Palace, Yao Die suddenly stood up, her eyes piercing through tens of millions of miles, staring at that area.
"Let's go!" Qian Chenzi, standing by, his face changed drastically. Without a word, he waved his sleeve, rolled up Yao Die, and headed towards the domain gate. His speed was so fast that Mu Tian, who was beside him, didn't even have time to react.
Since Yao Die joined the Heavenly Dao Sect, the sect had bestowed upon her a Heaven-Shading Jade. This allowed her to conceal nearly ten percent of her aura, significantly delaying her ascension tribulation. This also led her to become more active in imperial affairs, though she dared not overstep due to Yao Die's influence.
Following the three through the domain gate were many court officials, all of whom had cultivated to the Extreme Realm.
"National Preceptor, what exactly was that golden light just now? Why did we have to leave?" Mu Tian couldn't help but ask Qian Chenzi after passing through the domain gate.
Before entering the domain gate, he had personally witnessed with his divine sense a Wood Clan monarch-level cultivator being corroded by that gray-black gas without any resistance, his body beginning to decay and transform into a grotesque creature.
Most importantly, he noticed that the clan member's consciousness vanished completely within two seconds of the gray-black gas invading. His dantian, meanwhile, was like a balloon filled with liquid, on the verge of exploding at any moment.
"That golden light was the supreme treasure of our Heavenly Dao Sect, the 'Kunlun Mirror,' the foremost spiritual artifact in these Ten Directions Heavens. For some unknown reason, the artifact spirit released all the malevolent energy within the spiritual energy. Had we been a moment later, we likely wouldn't have been able to leave," Qian Chenzi said, looking back at the domain gate with lingering fear.
Malevolent energy?
Mu Tian was stunned.
They had not come into contact with high-level spiritual artifacts, so they were unaware of how terrifying the malevolent energy contained within such artifacts could be. However, as a quasi-emperor, he had encountered malevolent energy on many occasions.
"Master, what do we do now?" Yao Die separated from Qian Chenzi's embrace and looked at him.
"We cannot return to the First Star Domain. The accumulated malevolent energy from countless years within the Kunlun Mirror is enough to obliterate the consciousness of all beings in an entire star domain. This malevolent energy cannot dissipate for tens of thousands of years."
"Little Die, since you have embarked on the Emperor's Path, there is no turning back. Therefore, your imperial palace will be rebuilt here in the Second Star Domain."
Qian Chenzi spoke with deep worry. The anomaly of the Kunlun Mirror, with the near-total release of malevolent energy, implied that all cultivators within the Heavenly Dao Sect would perish in this calamity, yet he didn't even know the basic reason. Had they encountered a formidable enemy, or was the artifact spirit intending to harvest them?
As prominent figures of the Heavenly Dao Sect, they couldn't possibly be unaware of their predicament. However, they were also gambling, gambling that the artifact spirit couldn't complete its objective in a short period and harvest them.
"This..." Yao Die's expression turned grim. She glanced at the shifting eyes of the accompanying ministers, feeling a surge of inexplicable anger.
The resources of the First Star Domain were incomparable to those of the Second Star Domain.
Not to mention that the spiritual energy of the First Star Domain was tens of thousands of times denser, nor that it allowed the Wood Clan to quickly comprehend the laws of life. Simply put, the Wood Clan's accumulation of tens of millions of years far surpassed the total resources of the Second Star Domain!
Moreover, this incident occurred so suddenly. Ninety-nine percent of the Wood Clan remained in the First Star Domain. Now, let alone embarking on the Emperor's Path, it was uncertain whether her own Futian Empire could maintain its throne.
It was important to remember that these ministers had been forced into submission. They harbored little loyalty. The reason Yao Die dared to employ them and allow them to hold official positions was not only because she needed their subordinate forces but also because Yao Die believed the strength of the Wood Clan could completely suppress them.
But now... what could she use to suppress them?
Mu Tian's expression was equally grim. Besides his own strength, his most powerful trump card was the twenty million monarch-level soldiers he personally commanded. However, those twenty million soldiers who had once expanded the empire with him were likely already in dire straits.
They were aware of the terrifying military strength of the Ten Directions Empire in the conquest of the Emperor's Path.
"What? Already reluctant to part with it?" Qian Chenzi said with a smile.
"The Emperor's Path has always been won by the strong; it is not a matter of how many soldiers one has. As long as we have enough strong individuals in the Extreme Realm, even if the opponent has a hundred million monarch cultivators, what does it matter?"
A newly ascended Extreme Realm expert, even facing thousands or tens of thousands of monarchs, would still perish under his laws!
However, after this accident, the remaining number of Extreme Realm experts was less than two hundred, which was still a considerable gap compared to the combat power of the Ten Directions Empire. After all, news from the front lines indicated that each legion of the Ten Directions Empire had over ten Extreme Realm experts!
"Master, besides the over thirty million monarch-level soldiers, the number of Extreme Realm experts in the Ten Directions Empire is no less than ours," Yao Die furrowed her brows, a hint of regret surfacing for accepting the Heavenly Dao's Emperor's Path mission so early.
When she first embarked on the Emperor's Path, she had instantly completed three missions. This was because the previous three universes had been completely controlled by her Futian Empire, and it would take less than ten days for her to grasp the fourth universe entirely.
"Haha, my disciple, rest assured. Although our Heavenly Dao Sect has encountered some changes, it is only temporary. Furthermore, now that our Heavenly Dao Sect has emerged, the other five hidden forces will inevitably follow suit. My disciple, embark on your Emperor's Path with confidence. Believe me, it will not be long before these hidden forces, under my persuasion, will provide you with the utmost support."
Qian Chenzi laughed heartily. As the leader of the six hidden forces, his words were not without merit.
Once other factions emerged, Yao Die would instantly have tens of thousands of usable Extreme Realm experts at her disposal. How could the Ten Directions Empire, with only one or two hundred Extreme Realm experts, possibly contend with them?
Whether it was Yao Die or Mu Tian, they felt considerably relieved after hearing Qian Chenzi's words. As for the ministers, their demeanor also became much more restrained.
Indeed, with the Heavenly Dao Sect backing her, and by extension, the six hidden forces behind Yao Die, what could these ministers use to contend with her? What could they use to resist?
With Qian Chenzi's guarantee, Yao Die instantly regained her confidence and began arranging the reconstruction of the imperial palace. Qian Chenzi, on the other hand, remained at the edge of the domain gate, utilizing spatial laws to set up some sealing formations nearby, preventing any beings corrupted by the malevolent energy from passing through the domain gate and causing unnecessary trouble.