Sovereign of the Ashes

Pyreling World was a pyro-attribute plane with an extreme, blistering environment.

It was a relatively resource-rich low-level world, home to five Pyremperors.

The creatures living here thrive in lava flows and volcanic regions, building a surprisingly advanced civilization on their homeplane.

Pyrelings were the dominant species of this world. They were so numerous that the entire plane was named after them.

Four of the five Pyremperors were members of this very species.

The Pyreling lineage was very diverse. They were technically insects, but most looked like massive lizards instead. They were anything but weak though.

On average, a Pyreling stood two to three meters tall, giving them a much more robust physique than an ordinary human from Magus World.

Those with rare bloodlines or who undergo special evolutionary changes could grow to five, ten, or even over twenty meters in size.

Almost all Pyrelings are born with tough lava armor capable of withstanding brutal blows.

Unlike the insectoid creatures of White Sand World, who live under the absolute control of their queen, Pyrelings had evolved to a higher degree of independence.

While their colonies still produced leaders similar to queens, each Pyreling had a notable degree of self-awareness and maintained concepts of family and mating.

Over countless generations, they have built an impressive civilization—one of underground cities, volcanic settlements, and communities clustered around lava lakes.

Despite their rugged and savage appearance, Pyrelings had shown great skill in architecture.

The tunnel structures they constructed were sturdy, varied, and practical. In times of war, they doubled as reliable defensive fortifications.

The Pyrelings as a whole could be described as expansionist, and they are also naturally warlike.

Grimm discovered the coordinates of Pyreling World by chance, thanks to a space-time turbulence. Because of that, their understanding of Pyreling World was still pretty shallow.

They only knew it was a low-level, pyro elemental plane with relatively strong laws, making it a fairly prosperous low-level world.

Beyond that, there was little detailed information available.

In truth, Pyreling World had five subordinate planes: two low-level planes and three microplanes.

Only one of these microplanes was close to Pyreling World, and many of its native species lived there.

The other four planes were complete planes in nearby star domains that Pyreling World conquered over the last several tens of thousands of years.

Unfortunately for them, Pyreling World had not developed advanced interstellar travel technology, nor had they built large-scale military transport platforms. Their cultivation system also showed no major breakthroughs in spatial laws.

Otherwise, given their war potential and inherent strength, Pyreling World could have expanded its power through external plunder and growth in a very short time.

Aside from the Pyrelings, this world was also home to a large number of other pyro elemental species.

Most of them were creatures of flesh and blood, with elementals being relatively rare.

Under the collective leadership of the five Pyremperors, Pyreling World had been relatively peaceful and stable in recent years.

Although the nations of this world harbored rivalries and resentment toward one another, they maintained a facade of harmony on the surface.

The last major war in Pyreling World happened three thousand years ago.

Back then, the combined forces of four Pyremperors invaded and conquered a low-level plane that had produced two Rank Four beings.

That war involved about eighty percent of Pyreling World’s total power.

Most low-ranking Pyrelings and flame creatures today knew little about that conflict, but the great nations of Pyreling World immortalized it on ancient stone steles for future generations to revere.

The heroic actions of the four Pyremperors had since been glorified and even deified over time.

There was also a notable event when one Rank Four Pyremperor died. That had happened during their first clash with another low-level plane of similar strength.

At that time, Pyreling World had only two Pyremperors. After a brutal war that left one dead and the other badly injured, Pyreling World embarked on the path of rapid growth it enjoyed today.

***

The Boiling Sea, northeastern region of Pyreling World...

At the bottom of the abyss beneath the Boiling Sea, the oldest, strongest, and most law-attuned Pyremperor suddenly opened its eyes.

This Pyremperor, known as Void Eater, took the form of a massive black insect with a slender horn, four pairs of heavy elytra, and countless glowing red compound eyes.

This Rank Five powerhouse had once struck fear and caused devastating casualties across several planes surrounding Pyreling World.

It was also currently the only Rank Five Pyremperor in the world.

When a unique spatial marker from a distant star domain brushed against Pyreling World, this ancient being, who was deeply connected to the plane itself, sensed something wrong.

“Where are Violet Radiance and Ghost Slayer?” its deep voice rumbled at the bottom of the Boiling Sea.

“They are both resting in their divine nations. The Ivory Bone is harvesting souls on the Snowfield Plane, one of our subordinate worlds,” came a respectful reply.

“Summon them all, and call for the guardian too!” Void Eater ordered.

“Right away.” After a moment of hesitation, the voice asked, “Should we also notify the Blue Lotus?”

Blue Lotus was the only non-Pyreling in this world to ever break through to Rank Four.

This Pyremperor’s true form was an extremely rare fire lotus born from a sea of molten lava. It was a plant-type lifeform with a natural fire-absorbing body—the exact opposite of normal plant creatures that feared flames.

“Summon it too. I have a feeling something bad is coming,” Void Eater said.

Rank Five beings deeply bonded with their homeplane could sometimes sense things from its feedback.

This Pyremperor’s perception of Pyreling World far surpassed that of any guardian born in this era.

Yet, it was still a step too late.

Just as it called for the Pyremperors to assemble, and while Ivory Bone was still away in another plane, disaster struck!

The apocalyptic catastrophe of Pyreling World had arrived!

The first to break into Pyreling World was a dark-skinned burly man, swinging his massive axe like a wild beast.