Chapter 658: Behind the Scene in the Firmament Star, the Disappointing Emperors

"A cataclysmic event that's been going on for the past twelve eras?"

Chu Kuangren mumbled.

An era was equivalent to one hundred and twenty-nine thousand, six hundred years.

Twelve eras meant that more than a million years had passed since it happened.

What kind of cataclysmic event would last until this very day?!

Zi Wuji and the others dared not imagine how long that was. They felt as if they had been exposed to the deepest secret of this world.

"A very, very long time ago, a group of extraterrestrial visitors appeared outside the vicinity of the Firmament Star. These extraterrestrial visitors called themselves the Blood Tribe, and their goal was to invade the Firmament Star and turn us into their slaves."

"For this reason, a war broke out between the Emperors and the Blood Tribe. In the end, the Blood Tribe's forces were successfully halted outside the Firmament Star and not allowed to enter. However, the Emperors paid a great sacrifice for this. Besides losing a large portion of our most elite forces, the Heavenly Dao of the planet was also damaged because of the war, and it deteriorated day by day."

"Hence, fewer and fewer cultivators were able to become Emperors. In an effort to restore itself to its full strength, the Heavenly Dao entered a state of hibernation. After several eras of recuperation, it managed to recover and produce nine Emperor Thrones in one go. That's the real reason why there have been no Emperors since the archaic ancient times."

"As for the Extraterritorial Battlefield, it is a region in space that serves as a frontline for us to battle the Blood Tribe. That region is situated beyond the bounds of the Firmament Star, hence the name."

Great Emperor Hua Xing explained.

Everyone was shocked by what he said. Although Great Emperor Hua Xing did not say too much, the information was enough to have a huge impact on everyone.

Chu Kuangren began to ponder too.

The Blood Tribe started appearing twelve eras ago, so that must be around the time when the Great Panhuman Revolt just ended.

Was it because of the Blood Tribe's invasion that the Emperors could not spare any time to save the Chaos Daoist Celestial, leaving him trapped until this day?

"Are the rest of the Emperors in the Extraterritorial Region?" Chu Kuangren asked.

"Some of them were tasked with guarding the Nine Heavens. The Nine Heavens is an artificial realm that was created by the Emperors to serve as our line of defense against the Blood Tribe's forces."

"As for us, we've come to the Firmament Star this time to set up bases of operations here. Now that the Heavenly Dao has been restored, many Emperors will be produced in succession from now on. We shall provide them guidance from here."

"Another matter, which is the most important one, is that we'll need to watch out for the Gods and Deities that have been sealed here to make sure they won't cause any trouble."

Great Emperor Hua Xing replied.

"Gods... Are they the same as the God of Light?"

Zi Wuji asked curiously.

He felt that he had learned so many things today that he would need some time to digest all of it when he returned home.

"The God of Light is only one of them. Before our war with the Blood Tribe, there was a war that happened between the human cultivators and the Gods, known as the Great Panhuman Revolt. Like the Blood Tribe, the Gods wished to enslave the humans too. However, they were eventually defeated and sealed within the endless void. We fear that with the Heavenly Dao's restoration, these Gods might break their seals and wreak havoc. That is why we've decided to stand guard here."

Great Emperor Hua Xing answered everyone's questions one by one.

Following that, he raised his arm and flung it across the room.

A gigantic map appeared before everyone. There were several places marked on the map that Chu Kuangren knew.

For example, the Ten Great Forbidden Areas, the territories of each great orthodoxy, and more.

It was a map of the whole Firmament Star.

"Alright, let's get down to business and discuss which areas we'll watch over." Great Emperor Hua Xing chuckled.

Chu Kuangren was not sure whether it was an illusion, but he noticed all of the Emperors' eyes lit up with delight upon the appearance of Firmament Star's map.

"The ocean domain belongs to my Scaled Tribe, so I shall watch over the Oceanic Domain," the Scaled Tribe's Emperor, Bei Ming Xuanse said.

"This won't do. There are at least twenty Gods sealed in the Oceanic Domain alone. How can you possibly stand guard over all of them alone? Why don't you let me help? I'll guard over half of the Oceanic Domain for you," one of the Emperors said.

"It's alright. I'll be fine doing it alone."

"No way. How can we possibly allow you to do so much work alone?"

"Taking the Nether Abyss Valley as the center, I shall watch over the four-million-kilometer radius surrounding it."

"A four-million-kilometer radius around the Nether Abyss Valley? Sheesh, someone's a little too ambitious here. I'll only allow you to take two million kilometers at most."

"This area seems good. Seeing that spiritual qi is abundant there, I bet it will produce countless treasures now that the Heavenly Dao has been restored. Ahem— no, I mean, the God sealed here is quite powerful. It's one of the Malicious Gods too, so I shall stand guard over it for all of you."

The crowd of Emperors was discussing fervently on which region they would guard over. Only Chu Kuangren and the other new Emperors stood aside, looking at them weirdly.

That was because those Emperors did not look like they were setting out to complete a mission. Instead, it looked like they were... splitting territories?!

That was right. They were just splitting the territories of the Firmament Star among themselves!

The more Chu Kuangren observed, the more he felt that way too. He thought to himself, 'These Emperors are just here to split up the territories in Firmament Star?'

"Brother Chu, I suppose the Black Heaven Sect is your orthodoxy, right? The region you're in is not good. It already has three Gods sealed within the three and a half million kilometers of your area. Why don't you let me take over for you?"

At this time, an elegant man in white clothes said to Chu Kuangren.

"Hmph, Brother Bai, didn't you mention earlier that you'd handle the areas around the Floating Frost Mountains? Why have you changed your decision to the Black Heaven Sect? Brother Chu, my cultivation level is higher than his, so you can rest assured that I'll do a good job watching over your area."

"Stop messing around you two. Both of you have your own territories to watch over, so I shall handle the areas around the Black Heaven Sect."

A few Emperors quarreled incessantly around Chu Kuangren, as if they were offering to help ease Chu Kuangren's burden of guarding over his area.

Murong Xuan and Lan Yu started to think it was weird the more they watched on.

It was a few moments later that a mocking expression appeared on Chu Kuangren's face. He had seemingly understood something.

"Everyone, the Black Heaven Sect is my orthodoxy, so please, you can stop worrying about it. Lan Yu, Murong Xuan, let's go."

Chu Kuangren uttered lightly and was about to leave with those two.

"Please hold on, Brother Chu. The Gods that are sealed near your area are not to be messed with. If anything happens, I'm afraid a new Emperor like you won't be able to handle it. Let me deal with it for you."

That elegant man in white clothes said eagerly.

"Thank you for your offer, but I'm fine on my own."

"Brother Chu, I suggest you consider my offer."

The man in white clothes suddenly said with a grim expression.

Murong Xuan and Lan Yu got even more confused.

What were these Emperors up to?!

Why were they so hung up on guarding the Black Heaven Sect? Was there somewhere they had their eye on? Was it the Gods that were sealed there?

"Everyone, I hate to say it, but there's no need to beat around the bush anymore. Why don't we be honest with each other that the reason you guys have come to the Firmament Star is for its resources, am I right?" Chu Kuangren chuckled.

The Emperors' eyes slightly flickered as silence befell the room.

"What resources are there in Firmament Star that you guys are so interested in?"

A puzzled Zi Wuji asked.

"Well, just because there's nothing now doesn't necessarily mean the same in the future. With the Heavenly Dao restored, the spiritual qi in this world will become more abundant. Since Firmament Star is the source of Heavenly Dao, its advantages aren't something an artificial realm like the Nine Heavens can compete against. As time goes by, many Opportunities of Fortune and treasures will undoubtedly show up."

"Everyone, although I don't doubt your intentions of coming to the Firmament Star to guard over the places where the Gods have been sealed, I believe you're here mainly for the treasures and Opportunities of Fortune that will show up. Besides, the places that you're quarreling over are places with an abundance of spiritual qi because only these places will have a higher chance of producing better quality treasures."

"As for why a few of you are so obsessed over my Black Heaven Sect, it's probably because it's a Godly Phoenix's habitat. Since divine beasts are favored by the heavens, the Godly Phoenix is destined for great luck. Hence, her habitat is the best location one could ever hope for since it has a very high chance of producing incredible treasures."

"Am I wrong, everyone?"

Chu Kuangren chuckled.

There was a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

So these were what they called Emperors?

From what the Chaos Daoist Celestial told him, Chu Kuangren learned of the great deeds of the past humans, who had given their lives in the fight for freedom against the Gods.

To him, those past humans were the true Emperors.

As for the so-called Emperors before him...

Quarreling for personal gain in the name of guarding humans against the Gods, and cowering for fear that their true intentions would be exposed.

Hmph, he could not even stand to be around them for another second.