Imperial Edict of the Divine Emperor

As dawn broke, the nascent sun cast its first rays across the Grand Delta Sea. Around Battle God Isle, the waters bore the faint, metallic tang of blood, their normally azure depths now appearing a lurid crimson under the sun’s glare. The occasional bloated corpse floating past served as a grim testament to the ferocity of the previous night’s battle…

During the night, two major combat zones were breached, creating an opening for the Thunder Cannons to unleash their destructive power. While these two salvos didn't inflict fatal damage upon Battle God Isle, and subsequent reinforcements prevented another barrage, the Papal Curia soldiers tasked with neutralizing these Thunder Cannons suffered catastrophic losses. The immense suction force generated by the cannon's firing had, quite literally, desiccated nearly all of them into withered husks!

Now, Papal Curia vessels were scouring the coast, retrieving the bodies to be transported back to Battle God Isle for burial as unnamed heroes. A rough count revealed no fewer than three thousand desiccated corpses already laid out on Battle God Isle's shores. The Pontiff and the monarchs of various nations walked slowly through the grim assemblage, their faces etched with profound sorrow and grief.

Sama, pointing to the bodies, declared with a heavy heart, “Heroes! They are all heroes who fell defending Battle God Isle, and they must receive the respect they deserve!”

Someone immediately chimed in, “Your Supreme Divine Emperor Majesty, your compassion moves me deeply. As you wish, they shall all be given a grand burial!”

Sama gave a slight shake of his imperial robes and walked towards another pile of bodies, habitually taking off his Divine Emperor's crown and slowly caressing it. “My lords, are you still blaming me for not warning you yesterday that Battle God Isle was on the brink, for not allowing you to evacuate beforehand?”

“Ah, Your Majesty, what nonsense are you speaking? Had you forewarned us, wouldn’t that have risked leaking information, giving the Scarlet Army time to prepare? Your wise decision was absolutely the correct one!” Sama had already completed his Enthronement Ceremony, ascending to the revered position of the world’s foremost individual, the Supreme Divine Emperor. Thus, even if the various monarchs harbored displeasure in their hearts, they were obliged to utter such pleasantries.

Sama placed the ring-shaped Divine Emperor's crown back on his head and smiled faintly. “It’s good that none of you blame me. These are indeed troubled times, an era when heroes can prove their worth. In the battles to come against the Scarlet Army, and against the Fiendkind… I earnestly hope you all will work together!”

Having spoken, Sama gazed at the blood-soaked, corpse-strewn landscape before him, which seemed to stretch out like a road. In his heart, he yearned to let out a primal roar!

“Divination God, you were wrong! Not only have I, Sama, survived this tribulation, but I am advancing towards accomplishments that rival Prince’s! Hmph, though the road ahead is arduous, though Francis secretly reported last night that Margaret had defected to the Scarlet Army, and though the Fiendkind are on the verge of launching a counter-attack against humanity, if I, Sama, can overcome my fated death calamity, then what can stop me from defying the heavens!?”

At this moment, Sama’s self-confidence swelled to its absolute peak!

Just then, Ferdinand hurried over, intending to report in a hushed tone. But Sama waved a dismissive hand. “No need to hide it. Speak! Speak loudly, so that all these lords may hear what a brutal battle we won last night, and what formidable foes we vanquished!”

Ferdinand paused, then proclaimed loudly, “Last night, His Supreme Divine Emperor Majesty, with unmatched strategic brilliance, personally slew four Venerables of the Scarlet Army and forced Leiming and the other five Venerables into a panicked retreat! However, our Papal Curia's Battle God of War perished, Alliance Speaker Bairu remains unconscious, and our forces suffered over thirty thousand casualties…” Though his heart bled, Ferdinand, going against his Violet-Blood conscience, continued to flatter, “Your Majesty, recall that when thirteen Thunder Cannons combined their might in ancient times, not even Demon Lord Bonis and five million Fiendkind elites could escape their demise. Yet you, at a nearly negligible cost, defeated the combined assault of the Scarlet Army's nine Venerables. Truly, you are a visionary leader unparalleled in a thousand years!”

The Pontiff heard this and secretly chuckled, yet maintained only a faint smile on his face. He didn’t forget to mention Du Chen’s contributions. “Alas, last night was truly thanks to Du Chen’s Divine Cult. All you monarchs, please remember that Du Chen’s Divine Cult suffered immense losses last night. One entire combat zone of masters was annihilated, and the officers from two other zones are still pursuing Margaret, with no news yet received… And Francis himself, exhausted to the point of collapse, has entered seclusion for recovery. All of this, mind you, was to save your very lives!”

Immediately, a fresh tide of praises erupted. However, how much of Du Chen’s good deeds they would truly remember, only a genius could possibly predict…

Sama gestured for silence, as the body of the Battle God of War had now been brought in. The unfortunate Battle God of War, who had perpetually worn heavy armor, meant Du Chen had never even seen his true face. And last night, he had been desiccated into a husk by the Thunder Cannon. Now, only a skeletal figure remained, a mere bag of bones, making identification impossible. To Du Chen, the Battle God of War had truly lived an obscure life and met a pitiful, ignominious end!

Sama bent down, gently stroking his old subordinate’s corpse, tears silently streaming down his face. Naturally, the monarchs resumed their chorus of flattery.

“Such compassion, Your Majesty!”

“To serve a leader like the Supreme Divine Emperor, the Battle God of War can surely rest in peace…”

“Battle God of War, my old friend, may you rest well!”

As everyone was either flattering or feigning sorrow, the Pontiff suddenly stiffened and collapsed onto the Battle God of War’s corpse, muttering a single phrase, “Divination God, you were right, I was wrong, I, Sama, truly…”

The monarchs froze in bewilderment, but Sama IX was already motionless, slumped over his subordinate's body!

Ferdinand stepped forward and patted Sama, his expression abruptly twisting into horror. “Your Majesty… dead!?”

…

The Pontiff was dead! And he had died inexplicably, without any warning signs, leaving no one able to uncover the cause!

This was the first news Du Chen heard after fully assimilating the power of the Seventh Hexagram and mastering the Indestructible Golden Body. He and Liana exchanged a look, then shared a bitter smile. “Chaos. The great turmoil of the world is about to begin…”

Indeed, the Pontiff’s sudden death on the very day of his enthronement—a shocking event—ignited the largest-scale period of unrest in the history of the Fallen Gods Era. Within a mere two months, the world’s political landscape shifted dramatically, spiraling into a chaos beyond anyone’s control!

First, the Scarlet Army: after their defeat at Battle God Isle, they suddenly vanished without a trace, never to be seen again. When news of Margaret’s defection to the Scarlet Army spread, some, indignant, mustered tens of thousands of troops to attack Water's Embrace Lake. Yet, once their scouts infiltrated Water's Embrace Lake, they discovered the place deserted, not a soul in sight!

Next, the Saint Baton Family, one of the Five Families of Fallen Gods, abruptly splintered. The internal reasons remained unknown, but rumors across the Three Continents claimed that Susanna had found an exceedingly handsome male concubine. Under his instigation and support, she launched a coup, assassinating Family Head Lombaton! With the head of one of the five families murdered, the other four were immediately enraged, jointly dispatching troops to crush Susanna. However, that cunning vixen, using unknown methods, had already transported away the core forces of the Saint Baton Clan under her control. No one knew where they had gone…

But not long after, while the main forces of the Five Families of Fallen Gods and the Papal Curia's elite were still hot on Susanna’s trail across the Aethelgard Continent, that sly vixen suddenly appeared with her forces from the southern tip of the Azure Heaven Continent. With her very first move, she annihilated two small nations, transforming herself from Madam Susanna into Queen Susanna!

With the heavens vast and the earth distant, the Five Families of Fallen Gods were temporarily powerless against Susanna. However, the two small nations Susanna had eradicated happened to be vassal states of Reno. Lionheart King Alonso, upon hearing the news, let out three cold laughs. With Arthur, who had once again inexplicably advanced in power, as his vanguard, the Crazy Lion Banner pointed, and within three days, Susanna’s capital was breached. For three more days, a massive slaughter ensued, leaving the Saint Baton Clan’s foundation decimated, their corpses strewn across the land, and wails of agony echoing through the air! For a time, the old lion’s fearsome reputation shook the Three Continents, ensuring everyone remembered that the pride of Skylands was still formidable!

But just then, Reno’s ancient foe, the Sober Empire, seized the opportunity to invade Reno’s territory. The Lionheart King, having prepared for this, immediately turned his forces back to engage in battle. A full-scale war erupted between the two most powerful empires of Skylands, and the outcome was…

The outcome defied all human expectations. Just as the battle raged fiercely, Crown Prince Arthur, wielding the peak power of his suddenly acquired Fourteenth Trigram abilities, plunged into the Sober Empire’s central army, on the verge of slaying the Sober monarch, the young Martial Venerable Hook. It was then that Demon Lord Bonis descended upon the mortal realm! Preceded by his nine Nether King Beasts, he personally led his Netherbeast Legion to throw the battlefield into disarray, delivering a fatal blow to both empires. Arthur, overconfident in challenging Bonis, was beaten to the point of vomiting blood and fleeing in utter disgrace by the Demon Lord, who wielded the five great elements. He barely escaped with his life!

The Violet-Bloods, after a millennium of planning, had finally taken the most crucial step towards reclaiming the light of day. It is said that after the Netherbeast Legion shattered the battle formations of the two great empires, Bonis wept openly, crying as he organized his kin to occupy territories and establish a new Violet-Blood nation, mobilizing the Undead legion to slaughter the Red-Bloods and expand his power!

Now, on the Azure Heaven Continent, Reno, the Sober Empire, and the Fiendkind stood as three coexisting powers. The Fiendkind were the strongest, Reno was at a disadvantage, and the Sober Empire’s monarch, severely wounded by Arthur, was incapacitated, dragging his entire nation into decline. The empire could only barely sustain itself under the shadow of the Fiendkind Undead…

All these events unfolded within a mere two months. During this period, Du Chen, though eager to involve himself in the unfolding chaos, found himself hampered by a willing spirit but insufficient strength…

On that day, the Requiem Death Knights and Xue Ji were captured, and Phil and Merlinta pursued them. However, neither the pursuers nor the pursued ever returned, vanishing without a trace! Water’s Embrace Lake was empty, and even if Du Chen worried for Xue Ji, he had no way to find her. Moreover, trouble was now knocking at his own door!

The Pontiff was dead. So what was the most important matter to address next? Investigating the cause of death? Arranging the funeral? Or finding a way to soothe the public and conceal the Pontiff’s sudden demise? None of these. There was only one single, paramount issue: who would become the new Pontiff, and subsequently, the Supreme Divine Emperor!

The monarchs of humanity seemed as if possessed, each staring at the empty Divine Emperor's throne. They dragged Du Chen and several other Godfathers of the Papal Curia, forcing them to remain on Battle God Isle for endless days of meetings. “What? Attack Water's Embrace Lake to punish Margaret and the Scarlet Army? No, we must hold a meeting first! Susanna splitting the Saint Baton Clan? Pfft, that’s an internal matter for the Five Families of Fallen Gods, let's meet first! Heavens, the Fiendkind have appeared… Er, we’ll discuss it after the meeting!”

Meetings, meetings… The meetings lasted for two full months, with only one agenda item: who would lead humanity? Yet, for two entire months, no conclusion was reached!

Today, the meeting continued at the pinnacle of the Crystal Tower on Hot Spring Mountain!

Du Chen, Bairu (who insisted on attending in a wheelchair, his entire body swathed in bandages), and Ferdinand – these three Godfathers occupied the main seats. Du Chen, whose prestige among humanity was soaring thanks to his “eradication of Thornwood Valley,” his “pivotal role in protecting Battle God Isle,” and his status as “one of the military’s nine Commanders,” was respectfully invited to sit between the three Godfathers. Also present at the meeting were Eminences from over a dozen nations, totaling more than a hundred individuals. All the monarchs attending this meeting were contenders hoping to inherit the Divine Emperor's throne.

Du Chen, arms crossed, coldly scanned the boisterous conference room. His gaze paused on Annie for a moment, then slowly averted. Annie was attending this meeting on behalf of Elder Yonker, seated directly opposite Du Chen.

Sensing Du Chen’s chilling gaze, the monarchs’ voices noticeably subsided. They uniformly turned their eyes towards Du Chen.

Du Chen offered a faint smile. “What are you all looking at me for? Continue, please! This is only the 97th meeting; the Fiendkind are still far from reaching us. You all can certainly ‘deliberate’ until the 970th meeting, if you wish!”

Someone spoke in a sarcastic, singsong tone: “Ha, Marshal Francis, that’s not quite right. To repel external threats, one must first pacify internal affairs. If we don’t first elect a New God, how can we possibly unite against the Fiendkind? So no matter how many meetings… we must hold them!”

“Ah, it’s King Sa'ar of the Moran Empire. Your words indeed have merit. Then, please, tell us who you believe would make a suitable New Divine Emperor?”

“I believe…”

Before King Sa'ar could name his candidate, King Lanning stood up. “I, Bargnar, will interject first. Whoever becomes the Divine Emperor must face Demon Lord Bonis’s vast army. Therefore, the new Divine Emperor must possess sufficient strategic military capabilities. I have spoken!” He glanced at King Sa'ar, thinking, ‘You old geezer who’s never seen a battlefield, don’t even think of nominating yourself, heh. Among those present, only a handful of monarchs, myself included, have actually been on the battlefield…’

“Hmph, King Lanning’s words aren’t entirely correct either. What the Divine Emperor needs isn’t merely strategic military prowess…”

With one word leading to another, the monarchs began to squabble once more!

Du Chen watched them, rubbing the tip of his nose, thinking, ‘They’re mad. These monarchs have truly gone mad over the Divine Emperor's throne! Half of the Azure Heaven Continent has already fallen into the hands of the Fiendkind, turning into a paradise for The Undead, yet you still cannot unite… It’s true, none of them are from Skylands; the Fiendkind haven’t reached their doorsteps yet, so they’ll absolutely never be in a hurry!’

As he mused, Du Chen glanced at Liana beside him, conveying his thoughts with his eyes: “Brother, these Old Bastards are squabbling endlessly. What do you think we should do to deal with them!?”

Liana pouted, sending her message back telepathically with a hint of grievance: “Brother, ah, I’ve exhausted every method I could think of these past few days, but human ambition is just too damn terrifying… Forget it, let’s go with the ‘hard’ approach again!” Hmm? Why did she say ‘again’? Liana blinked her large eyes in confusion!

“Go hard? Alright then!” Du Chen suddenly slapped the table and rose to his feet, fuming, “Squabble! Squabble! Squabble! Will you ever finish!? The Fiendkind have returned to the Three Continents, and all of humanity hangs by a thread! If you don’t wish to be rulers of fallen nations, then produce a result today!”

The monarchs lazily eyed Du Chen. Someone drawled, “Marshal Francis, since you’re so eager, why don’t you nominate someone first? Then we can publicly deliberate and decide!”

Nominate? Du Chen thought to himself, ‘Who hasn’t been nominated in the past two months? Ferdinand was first eliminated because “a dean cannot hold other positions.” Bairu, “his body riddled with scars, has already proven his incompetence.” As for Du Chen himself, he is “too young to command respect.” Even the venerable Elder Zigurd was rejected because “a former dean resuming the Pontiff’s role would be suspected of authoritarianism and tyranny!”’

In short, with the Pontiff’s death, there was no longer any authority among humanity capable of silencing the masses with a single word. Everyone refused to acknowledge anyone else’s superiority!

Just as Du Chen pondered that there would be no outcome anyway, and he might as well point to anyone to let them become the target of public scorn, *CRASH!* The grand gate of the conference room was kicked open. Mars, the Battle God, stormed in, wielding a massive axe. He glared around at everyone, raising his axe as he roared, “You damn good-for-nothing lot! My Old One has been dead for two months, have you bastards found out the cause of death yet? Do you even know who to seek revenge from!?”

The monarchs’ faces immediately blanched. King Sa'ar angrily retorted, “Marshal Mas, mind your language!”

*BOOM!* Mas brought his axe down, shattering King Sa'ar’s table. Pointing a finger at him, he cursed, “You damn well shut up! I’ve got half a million Papal Curia troops outside, and if you damn well refuse to submit, I’ll go and obliterate your nation right now!”

King Sa'ar trembled with rage, but dared not speak further. He sat down shakily, thinking, ‘A brute, a mere brute. I disdain to argue with such a boor!’

Mas, still holding his axe, surveyed the gathered monarchs, then suddenly burst into loud sobs. “The Old One is dead, and you heartless lot are still holding meetings…”

Du Chen sighed inwardly. With the Pontiff's death, perhaps only Mas truly grieved. He stood up, patted Mas, and asked, “Eldest Brother Mas, weren’t you ordered to return to Holy Mountain on the eve of the Scarlet Army’s attack? Why are you suddenly back!?”

“How could I not return?” Mas cried, wiping his eyes. “I—I heard the Old One died and wanted to rush back immediately! But that cunning mind, Shadow, said: ‘With the Old One dead, the world will surely devolve into chaos over the matter of the New Divine Emperor. We must lay the groundwork for the Old One’s chosen successor to ascend safely, so we must be fully prepared before returning…’”

The monarchs’ expressions collectively changed. “Marshal Mas, His Divine Emperor Majesty designated a successor!?”

“Quickly, tell us! Who did His Majesty name as his successor!?”

Others, anticipating it couldn't be themselves, preemptively struck. Bargnar was one of them. He sneered, “His Majesty is dead, and there’s no written imperial edict. You, Mas, can claim it’s anyone you want!” The implication was clear: Mas’s words were untrustworthy. Everyone should note that no matter who he named, they would collectively oppose it. Whether that person was the true successor or not, they would simply accuse Mas of forging the imperial edict and scheme to eliminate the genuine heir!

As soon as Bargnar spoke, all those present, being seasoned political veterans, immediately understood. They exchanged knowing glances and nodded. “What King Lanning said is reasonable, Marshal Mas. First, state the name, then we can all discuss it further!”

“Discuss your mother’s roll!” Mas erupted in fury, unleashing a torrent of curses. “That old bastard Shadow was right! You bastards are definitely going to make trouble for the Old One’s designated successor, preventing him from ascending safely… Hmph!”

Mas suddenly roared, ripping off his battle armor and leaping onto a table, bare-chested. He pointed at Bairu and Ferdinand. “Starting with you two—are you still Godfathers of the Papal Curia? Will you still heed the Old One’s last will!? Will you still recognize the successor designated by the Old One!?”

Ferdinand and Bairu exchanged a glance, then nodded in unison, proclaiming, “His Majesty’s last will, we shall obey even unto death!”

“Good!” Mas brandished his great axe, glaring furiously at Bargnar, whose opposition had been the strongest. “Do you or do you not recognize the successor designated by the Old One!?”

Bargnar stared at Mas’s great axe and sneered coldly, “I’ve already said…”

“You damn well said nothing! Now listen to me! These past two months, Shadow and I secretly moved three hundred thousand troops to your Lanning borders, and activated all our spies within Lanning to incite rebellion among Lanning’s princes! Do you damn well believe it or not, if you dare utter one more word of nonsense to me today, I’ll chop you down on the spot and splinter your Lanning into pieces!”

Bargnar was stunned into silence!

Mas then turned his wrath towards King Sa'ar. “Old Bastard, you listen to me clearly! Your only son, the sole heir of your Sa'ar Empire, has been kidnapped by me!! If you don’t want your line to end, then damn well kneel before the New Divine Emperor!”

“You, you… How is the Holy Church any different from bandits!?”

“I am a damn bandit!” Mas roared to the heavens, his presence overwhelming. He pointed at the assembly and thundered, “Listen up, all of you! This time, I’ve brought five hundred thousand troops, which, combined with the original three hundred thousand on Battle God Isle, makes a total of eight hundred thousand troops right behind your backs…” He then grinned ferociously. “Dare to disobey, and I’ll slaughter your entire family!”

In an instant, the conference room fell silent…

Liana cast a look at Du Chen, her meaning clear: “Francis, your ‘hardness’ isn’t quite enough! See? If you were as ‘hard’ as Mas, this matter would have been resolved ages ago…”

Du Chen watched Mas with amusement, thinking, ‘Alas, even brutes have their uses. Only someone like Mas could possibly bring this matter to a close today!’

Seeing everyone subdued, Mas smirked triumphantly and bellowed, “Kneel! Receive the Old One’s Imperial Edict!”

With heavy thuds, everyone in the conference room knelt in the manner of saluting the Divine Emperor. Mas slowly declared, “By the Imperial Edict of Supreme Divine Emperor Sama: ‘Whosoever possesses the Prince’s Amethyst Relic shall ascend as the New Divine Emperor!’”

Du Chen abruptly shot to his feet, pointing at his own nose, and asked incredulously, “The New Divine Emperor… is me!?”