Sovereign of the Ashes

Before long, a spectacular scene unfolded across the Astral Realm.

Golden light flooded the starry sky as hundreds of millions of Buddhist disciples, led by several sages, chased after the fleeing Tenth Pharaoh.

The sight of a Rank Eight overlord being pursued in such a miserable state was certainly rare.

As she fled, the Tenth Pharaoh quickly regrouped with the two monster kings under her command, along with what little remained of the Amenkha Empire’s vanguard legion.

After being surrounded and ruthlessly attacked by the Immortal Realm’s Dragon Clan and its vast army, the Amenkha Empire’s vanguard legion had already suffered devastating losses. Those who remained were little more than a scattered band of defeated soldiers.

And now, they had run straight into these Buddhist cultivators. Their luck could hardly have been worse!

The two monster kings had yet to recover from their injuries. When they saw the Tenth Pharaoh flying toward them with an enormous sea of oppressive golden light close behind, they froze where they stood.

Enveloped in boundless death energy, the Tenth Pharaoh saw the two dimwitted creatures still standing there and snapped, “What are you spacing out for? Run!”

Her shout finally jolted the two idiots back to their senses.

The two overlord-level monster kings immediately turned and fled alongside her.

The ones who would truly suffer, however, were the remnants of the army under the Tenth Pharaoh’s command. After this battle, who knew how many of them would still be alive?

Upon seeing the remnants of the Amenkha Empire, the Buddhist cultivators became even more excited.

Was there any target more suitable for their “salvation” and purification than these creatures of death and darkness?

Countless Buddhist swastikas swept across the sky as the disciples began chanting their sutras.

Buddhist treasures and artifacts appeared one after another.

In an instant, golden Dharma light filled the starry sky, clearing away every trace of death and darkness it touched.

In truth, with the Tenth Pharaoh’s strength, she was capable of turning around and fighting this group of Buddhist cultivators who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

After all, the opposing side had only one Rank Eight and four Rank Seven beings.

If the Tenth Pharaoh activated her Sealing Robe and joined forces with the two monster kings, they could still hold their own for a short while.

At the very least, they would not have been forced to flee in such a miserable state.

Unfortunately, this was the Magus Civilization’s home territory.

The Magus Civilization had already secured an overwhelming advantage on the main battlefield. Meanwhile, the Immortal Realm’s Dragon Clan was still searching everywhere for her.

If the Tenth Pharaoh stopped now to fight the Buddhist cultivators head-on, the battle would not end anytime soon.

Before either side could determine a victor, the Magus Civilization’s vast armies would likely converge from every direction and completely cut off her escape.

By then, getting away would be far more difficult.

Moreover, in battles between overlords and clashes between civilizations, momentum often played a decisive role.

At this moment, the Buddhist cultivators chasing her were advancing with overwhelming momentum, while the Tenth Pharaoh had been driven into a miserable retreat.

Already on the run and at a clear disadvantage, it was difficult for her to muster the resolve to turn around and make a desperate counterattack.

The remnants of the Amenkha Empire’s vanguard legion were even more unfortunate. They had originally been resting and recovering in this shadowy region, probably unaware of what was happening.

Before they could even make sense of the situation, they were thrown into chaos and routed.

Then, still just as bewildered, they were “purified” by the Buddhist cultivators.

Countless souls of undead creatures and monsters were laid to rest beneath the chanting of the Buddhist monks.

“Was coming to the Magus Civilization’s battlefield a mistake? Why has my luck been so terrible ever since I arrived here?” the Tenth Pharaoh grumbled as she fled within a vast cloud of death energy.

At least she had not completely abandoned her subordinates.

Within the cloud of death surrounding her were quite a few soldiers of the Amenkha Empire whom she had casually swept up while fleeing.

Thanks to her, they had avoided being completely surrounded and wiped out by the Buddhist Army, which had only just arrived on the battlefield and was still surging forward with overwhelming momentum.

Behind the Tenth Pharaoh, the Rhinoceros Beetle Monster King seemed to have overheard her grumbling and muttered something under its breath.

However, its muttering soon turned into a blood-curdling scream. The cry was so miserable that the Tenth Pharaoh had no choice but to turn around and pull it out of danger.

The one responsible for the Rhinoceros Beetle Monster King’s cry of agony was none other than the Lamp-Bearing Buddha, who was pursuing them closely from behind!

The Lamp-Bearing Buddha was cunning and experienced. Having survived for so long, his ability to judge the situation was naturally exceptional.

He had already realised that if the Tenth Pharaoh was determined to flee, there was no way they could force her to stay.

The Tenth Pharaoh was not foolish enough to wait until the Buddhist monks had surrounded her with a Grand Eighteen Arhats Formation before trying to escape.

With her Rank Eight life level, stopping her was nearly impossible. The two Rank Seven monster kings fleeing behind her, however, were another matter entirely.

The Lamp-Bearing Buddha had already set his sights on the Rhinoceros Beetle Monster King.

After pursuing them for some time, he noticed that both the Tenth Pharaoh and the two monster kings seemed to be injured.

Across the sturdy scales of the two monster kings, he could even see bite marks left behind by the dragons of the Immortal Realm.

The most striking feature of the Rhinoceros Beetle Monster King, and the part of its body where the power of the laws was most heavily concentrated, was undoubtedly the single horn on its head.

That horn alone contained at least half of the essence of this Rank Seven monster king’s entire body.

Even in its unrefined state, the horn was already comparable to a world-class secret treasure.

“Amitabha. Watch as this old monk subdues this monster!”

The Lamp-Bearing Buddha reached into his monastic robe and produced twelve Sea-Calming Pearls.

A brilliant flash of light followed. Then came the Rhinoceros Beetle Monster King’s agonised howl.

The Lamp-Bearing Buddha’s attack had been aimed directly at its single horn.

The Sea-Calming Pearls truly lived up to their reputation as legendary treasures of the Immortal Realm Civilization, renowned since the ancient era of the Great Investiture of the Gods.

They were the very treasures that had once driven a wedge between Zhao Gongming of the Daoist faction and the Lamp-Bearing Buddha.

The Rhinoceros Beetle Monster King’s horn was indeed the hardest part of its body and the weapon containing the densest concentration of law power.

But sometimes, the strongest point was also the most vulnerable.

When the twelve Sea-Calming Pearls struck the base of the Rhinoceros Beetle Monster King’s horn, a large crack spread outward from the point of impact.

That was what had caused the Monster King to let out such a miserable howl.

The Tenth Pharaoh turned back to see what had happened and immediately yelled, “You bald donkey! Come at me if you have a problem! Why are you picking on my pet instead?!”

The Lamp-Bearing Buddha, the Rank Eight being who shamelessly attacked an injured Rank Seven monster, remained completely unfazed by her insult.

Pressing his palms together, he replied with a solemn and serene expression, “Amitabha. In that case, benefactor, please stay for a moment and exchange a few moves with this old monk. What say you?”

The Tenth Pharaoh glanced at Fahai, the Dragon-Subduing Arhat, the Tiger-Subduing Arhat, the Bodhisattva of the Moon, and the other Buddhist powerhouses gathered behind the Lamp-Bearing Buddha.

She could not help but roll her eyes.

The Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Subduing Arhats ranked among the strongest Arhats of the Buddhist faction.

With the two of them serving as the formation eyes, along with sixteen additional Rank Six Arhats to complete the Grand Eighteen Arhats Formation, there was a real possibility that the Tenth Pharaoh could be killed here.

Fahai, another Rank Seven sage of the Buddhist faction, was clearly no easier to deal with.

After all, he was the one who had detected the Tenth Pharaoh despite her being in her sealed state.

In fact, Fahai might be an even greater headache than either the Dragon-Subduing Arhat or Tiger-Subduing Arhat alone!

Moreover, throughout the pursuit, Fahai had remained the closest on the Tenth Pharaoh’s heels.

It was almost as though, aside from her, there were no other “evil beings” nearby worthy of his attention.

Only the Bodhisattva of the Moon seemed somewhat easier to deal with. She remained far behind, continuously bestowing the blessings upon the Buddhist cultivators.

However, given the current condition of the two monster kings under the Tenth Pharaoh’s command, they were clearly no match for this group of Immortal Realm powerhouses in peak condition.

Thus, the Tenth Pharaoh ignored the Lamp-Bearing Buddha’s invitation and continued fleeing with her two subordinates.

The Lamp-Bearing Buddha was not surprised.

“Since you are unwilling to accept this monk’s suggestion, I shall have no choice but to act once more.”

With that, he reached into his robe and drew out a white jade ruler, an acquired spiritual treasure known as the Ruler of the Universe!

Among the Lamp-Bearing Buddha’s countless treasures, three were particularly famous: the Glazed Lamp, the Ruler of the Universe, and the Sea-Calming Pearls.

The Glazed Lamp was his most cherished treasure and possessed tremendous destructive power. After countless years of refinement, it had reached the level of a high-tier world-class secret treasure.

The Ruler of the Universe, meanwhile, was a top-grade middle-tier world-class treasure he had obtained from the Treasure-Distributing Cliff after listening to the Dao Ancestor preach at the Purple Cloud Temple long ago.

The moment the Lamp-Bearing Buddha drew the Ruler of the Universe, a razor-sharp aura swept across the surrounding starry sky.

Sensing the approaching danger, the Rhinoceros Beetle Monster King let out another distressed cry.

The Lamp-Bearing Buddha wasted no time. He raised the Ruler of the Universe and swung it directly toward the Rhinoceros Beetle Monster King’s horn.

Feeling the terrifying force bearing down from behind, the Tenth Pharaoh turned around and cursed, “You old codger!”ℯ