Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 1761: Plans to Retaliate

Other than the Fourth Pharaoh, who could truly stand as the pillar of the Amenkha Empire?

The Second Pharaoh slowly swept his gaze across the chamber before it finally settled on the Tenth Pharaoh.

Nicknamed Little Tenth by the Ninth Pharaoh, the Tenth Pharaoh was widely regarded as the most outstanding prodigy of the Amenkha Empire’s younger generation.

In less than a hundred thousand years, she had advanced all the way to Rank Eight.

Such speed was exceedingly rare in the long history of the Amenkha Empire.

However, many believed the Tenth Pharaoh’s rise had relied on shortcuts.

Her advancement was considered too rapid, with foundations that were thought to be comparatively shallow.

Moreover, she was infamous throughout the Amenkha Empire for her eccentric behavior and blatant disregard for ancient traditions.

According to the empire’s long-standing practices, self-sealing cultivation involved flaying an opponent’s skin, which served both as a trophy and as a binding seal.

Yet in her youth, the Tenth Pharaoh found such skin-made seals grotesque and crude. She rejected this primitive method outright and instead developed her own approach, creating what she called “Sealing Robe”.

The very fact that she had created an entirely new self-sealing method was proof of her exceptional talent.

It was precisely this achievement that earned the Second Pharaoh’s respect.

Within the Pharaohs’ Temple, the six assembled Pharaohs each occupied a corner of the chamber.

Aside from the Tenth Pharaoh, who wore a gray dress, the other five were completely wrapped in grayish-white “bandages”, exuding an aura of malevolence and deathly dread.

In truth, the physical differences between Amenkha Empire beings and Magus World humans were not particularly striking. The Amenkhans were simply taller overall, and by Magus World standards, the Tenth Pharaoh could even be considered a beauty.

Yet the unique customs, ancient traditions, and cultivation methods of the Amenkha Empire had gradually turned its people into increasingly monstrous beings.

Among the six Pharaohs present, five were unmistakably terrifying creatures.

Only the Tenth Pharaoh seemed untouched by this transformation, standing out as a clear anomaly.

It was no wonder she inspired so much resentment within the Amenkha Empire.

She was simply different.

This was likely the first time the Tenth Pharaoh had attended such an impromptu gathering at the Pharaohs’ Temple.

With only Rank Eight entities present, the meeting effectively represented the highest level of authority within the Amenkha Empire, one capable of shaping the empire’s destiny and future course.

The other five Pharaohs present wore solemn, heavy expressions. Only the Tenth Pharaoh appeared relaxed enough to fiddle with her sharp, gray nails.

Familiar with her temperament, none of the others reprimanded her. After casting her a glance, the Second Pharaoh announced, “The Eighth Pharaoh has fallen. He previously oversaw affairs related to the Magus Civilization.”

With those words, the Second Pharaoh fell silent.

The other five Pharaohs were struck by a mix of shock, fury, and disbelief.

Yet none expressed grief for the Eighth Pharaoh’s death. The Amenkha Empire was not a civilization that valued sentiment or openly displayed mourning.

The Tenth Pharaoh paused mid-motion. That was when the tip of one of her long, sharp nails chipped.

“Useless! Not even capable of something so trivial!” she snapped, crushing a pair of scissor-like tools in her hand.

A shrill scream burst from the bone scissors, within which the soul of a peak Rank Six creature had been sealed.

That soul had been the Tenth Pharaoh’s favorite plaything for nearly a century, yet she destroyed it without hesitation.

An overlord’s nails were not easily damaged, let alone by a soul that no longer possessed a physical body.

It was obvious that the Tenth Pharaoh was venting her irritation on the unfortunate soul trapped within the bone scissors. Though eerily beautiful, she also had a volatile temper.

There were no saints in the Amenkha Empire. Tyranny and slaughter were simply the norm among the powerful of this top-tier civilization.

The destruction of an insignificant soul did nothing to disrupt the proceedings of the Pharaohs’ Temple.

At last, the Fifth Pharaoh spoke, openly declaring her intent to exact vengeance upon the Magus Civilization!

The Seventh Pharaoh immediately voiced his support.

Enduring a blow without retaliation was not in the nature of the Amenkha Empire.

Under normal circumstances, the death of even a single Rank Seven Pharaoh would be enough to enrage the entire empire, let alone a Rank Eight Pharaoh ranked among the top ten.

There were only so many Rank Eight beings within the Amenkha Empire.

The sudden loss of even one was enough to make even a top-tier civilization flinch!

The statements made by the two Pharaohs had already made the prevailing sentiment of the meeting clear.

No one present raised an objection.

The Second Pharaoh remained silent. After a long pause, he finally turned his gaze toward the Fourth Pharaoh, who had yet to speak.

With both the First and Third Pharaohs absent, the Second Pharaoh placed great weight on the Fourth Pharaoh’s position. He was a younger figure whom the Second Pharaoh regarded highly.

The Fourth Pharaoh did not disappoint.

Under the Second Pharaoh’s gaze, he paused briefly before speaking. “I also agree that we should retaliate against the Magus Civilization. However... I believe we must avoid fighting on two fronts at the same time.”

“The Magus Civilization lies extremely far from our Amenkha Empire. Dispatching a large expeditionary force to their star domains would require tens of thousands of years merely for the journey.

“Even if we employ spatial techniques to shorten the distance as much as possible, it would still take several thousand years to reach the borders of the Magus Civilization. Moreover, relying on such methods would severely limit the size of the force we could deploy, making it unlikely to inflict any meaningful damage,” the Fourth Pharaoh explained calmly.

“Are we supposed to do nothing after the Eighth Pharaoh died in the Magus Civilization’s territory? How are we to account for the loss of the Amenkha Empire’s prestige?” the Fifth Pharaoh protested.

The Fourth Pharaoh remained unruffled by the Fifth Pharaoh’s outburst and continued in the same measured tone.

“I propose two alternatives. The first is to move against the Grand Cosmic World. That large-sized world was once our vassal, yet it has grown increasingly defiant in recent years. It has shown many signs of collusion with the Magus World, and there are even sizable Magus Civilization legions stationed there as garrisons.”

He continued, “The second option is to dispatch an elite assassination force, led by an overlord and supported by Rank Six entities, to carry out a proportional retaliation against the Magus Civilization.

“I’ve heard that the Magus Civilization is currently engaged in war with the top-tier technological power known as the Gallant Federation. With our strength, we should be able to seize an opportunity to eliminate a single overlord-level existence from the Magus Civilization and withdraw without suffering losses.”