Sovereign of the Ashes

While Fuhai was entangled in the Yao Clan’s complicated web of factions, the newly risen Torch Dragon also had deep ties with the shamans, in addition to the Dragon Clan.

The shamans of the Immortal Realm were fundamentally different from the magi of the Magus World’s ancient era.

According to legend, the Immortal Realm had risen into a top-tier civilization after Pangu split heaven and earth.[1]

The shamans were considered the truest inheritors of Pangu’s bloodline in this civilization.

The great shamans did not cultivate primordial spirit—they tempered only their physical bodies.[2]

At their peak, their raw strength rivalled that of so-called “Immortals” and “Buddhas”.

At present, most of the shamans in Primordial World were gathered near the infamous Reincarnation Underworld.

That region was steeped in Yin energy, with dark, oppressive forces saturating every inch of it.

For Torch Dragon, however, it was the perfect environment for growth.

Over more than a hundred thousand years of cultivation, Torch Dragon had built strong ties with the shamans in that region.

By nature, the shamans tended to be reclusive and set in their ways. But given enough time, even they could warm up to others.

Once their trust was earned, these physically formidable beings would fight without hesitation when it mattered most!

Torch Dragon was an overlord-level being, so the powerful shamans he had befriended were naturally no ordinary figures either.

If the Dragon Clan of Primordial World were to mobilize on a large scale, Torch Dragon would almost certainly have brought along a force of shamans as well.

The Dragon Clan was known to be wealthy within Primordial World.

The shamans, by contrast, were famously poor.

In fact, the Dragon Clan might not even have to dip into their treasure hoards. Simply offering a contract for an external war would have been enough to draw the shamans in, with plenty of volunteers eager to join.

Since they were bound to the Great Primordial Land, the shamans’ growth had long lagged behind that of the Buddhist, Daoist, and Yao factions—groups that had profited massively from campaigns beyond their borders.

Relying on the soul energy processed through the Reincarnation Underworld was enough to sustain them, but not enough to make them thrive.

In recent years, the younger generation of shamans had grown increasingly eager to step beyond their borders and explore the wider world.

That ambition, however, had begun to clash with the more conservative views of their elders.

When the Torch Dragon suggested reaching out to Fuhai and the shaman experts, Yazi agreed without much hesitation.

With Qiuniu gone and his whereabouts unknown, Yazi now stood as the de facto leader of the Dragon Clan in the Immortal Realm.[3]

Even Azure Dragon, one of the Four Divine Beasts, sometimes follows his orders.

Yazi had truly changed a lot. The bloodthirsty, battle-hungry dragon he once was had learned to weigh situations and think in terms of gains and losses.

He knew how difficult it was for the Dragon Clan to reproduce. On top of that, every dragon, even those of mixed blood, took immense effort to raise.

If too many dragons fell in the Clash of Civilizations, it would be a devastating blow to their race.

The Yao Clan, on the other hand, thrived on sheer numbers. The shamans also had strong reproductive capacity.

Bringing both into the war would help ease the pressure on the Dragon Clan and minimize their losses.

Once Yazi gave the order, the gathered overlord-level dragon beasts quickly dispersed, each heading off to make preparations.

As leaders of their respective forces, their commands would travel downward without delay. Before long, the Dragon Clan of the Immortal Realm would be fully mobilized.

***

As the dragons began to move, events were unfolding on the Magus Civilization’s side as well.

Klopp arrived at the outskirts of the Mordora Star Domain.

Not long ago, this place had been the site of a brutal clash, where overlords fought at full force and entire legions were caught in the crossfire.

What remained now was a wreck. This once modest medium-sized star domain had been reduced to a wasteland by the aftermath of that battle.

Even now, the ruins were saturated with lingering negative energies.

After arriving, Klopp immediately summoned Feylis and several other Rank Six powerhouses for questioning.

“You let the Amenkha Pharaoh get away?” Klopp asked, his brows knitting slightly.

“Yes,” Feylis replied. “They had already set up a large-scale teleportation array at the core of the star domain. The Amenkha Empire’s elite legions were fully prepared to retreat.”

“What about Baxia and the others?” Klopp asked.

There were no longer any overlord-level energy fluctuations in the star domain. The only presence Klopp could still sense was Bhaal, the Rank Seven Dragon Warlock still stationed at the heart of it.

“Baxia and Avril have already led most of the sea race legions in pursuit of that Amenkha force,” Feylis reported. “Only Master Bhaal remained behind. He has been seriously injured and is currently recovering.”

Her answer made Klopp frown deeper.

Noticing his grim expression, Feylis hesitated, then added, “Their pursuit likely has something to do with the Amenkha Pharaoh abducting White Stella and the others.”

“Baxia’s daughters and son, along with two dragonkin from the Immortal Realm, were all taken by that Rank Eight Amenkha Pharaoh,” she explained.

“Huh? Seriously?” Klopp paused, his expression shifting into something harder to read.

It was not quite anger, but definitely not relief either... It was just... strange.

Feylis had not interacted with this knight overlord much before, so she had no way of telling what he was really thinking.

At Klopp’s level, the loss of a few Rank Five or Rank Six combatants did not mean much in the grand scheme of the Clash of Civilizations.

To him, sacrificing a handful to secure a larger victory was a trade well worth making.

He was not overly concerned about Baxia chasing after the Amenkha Pharaoh either.

According to the intelligence he had received, this Pharaoh was only an early-stage Rank Eight.

Even if Baxia could not defeat her, his defensive abilities were more than enough to ensure a safe retreat.

Klopp had taken part in the siege of the Eighth Pharaoh, so he knew exactly how formidable Baxia’s defenses were and just how deep his reserves of Overlord Soul ran.

Unlike Klopp, who only possessed a relatively full reserve of Overlord Soul due to his recent advancement to Rank Seven, Baxia had never truly been pushed to the brink in the first place.

For most of his existence, he had been slumbering in the Boundless South Sea of Magus World, nurtured by the plane’s will and tempered by its laws.

It was easy to imagine just how solid his foundation had become!

Of course, Baxia alone was no match for the Amenkha Pharaoh. But he had a bunch of siblings to rely on.

Chaofeng of the Arriba Chamber of Commerce had recently begun strengthening trade ties with the Magus Civilization, while cutting off what little remained of their exchanges with the Gallant Federation.

That shift was likely tied to Baxia’s situation.

Chaofeng was Baxia’s third older brother, which made him the paternal uncle of White Stella and the others.

At the thought that the Dragon Clan of the Immortal Realm might soon mobilize on a large scale, Klopp found his mood lifting considerably.

Translator’s Notes:

1. Pangu is the primordial ancestor in Chinese mythology who separated heaven and earth and created the human world. Pangu Breaking the Sky is a Chinese folk myth and legend, originating from the work Sanwu Liji from the Three Kingdoms period.