Chapter 303 - The Asura Empress
In the great sea of stars, the clusters of lights, and the void of endless expanse, the whole universe churned, revolved, and spiraled like the whirlpool that forms after the unplugging of the water-filled sink.
Star among stars, realm upon realms, and heaven upon heavens, the myriad worlds, slowly but surely, inched closer on a forward path of collision and funneled down the path of extinction.
Everything came from nothingness, and so too, everything shall eventually return to nothingness. To be reset and reborn, delete and recreate, the world will start anew.
The end after the beginning. And a new beginning after the end.
In the Nine Divine Heavens that exist outside the boundary of the universe and mortality, immortals quietly observed the divine shift in the Lower World, unperturbed by its eventual end as if it had nothing to do with them.
However, they could not be more wrong.
…
Somewhere in the Asura Divine Heaven, atop a mountain of bones with rivers of blood flowing beneath, a fairy of fair skin, garbed in a feathered black dress, sat upon the crimson throne with her eyes closed, and chin rested on the back of her hand.
Hundreds of black-armored soldiers quietly stood in formation at the bottom of the bone mountain, each with a cultivation level that could rain terror on the mortal world.
They were Immortal Kings.
However, not a single person dared to disturb the silence of the one sitting on the crimson throne, not even when the world outside is at war.
That person stood at the zenith of the Nine Divine Heavens, an Immortal Emperor with the power and authority to rule over an entire Divine Heaven.
She was none other than the Asura Empress who once usurped the imperial throne from the Asura Emperor, becoming the new Immortal Emperor ruling over the Asura Divine Heaven.
Nevertheless, not a single soul knew the events that led to the Asura Emperor\'s death.
Suddenly, the person\'s eyes snapped open, and a lofty pressure descended the world as her sharp crimson eyes seemingly penetrated deep into the void.
Shortly after, the Asura Empress retracted her gaze with a puzzled frown.
"What seems to be troubling your imperial majesty\'s mind? Please allow your subordinates to share in your woes," an Immortal King inquired respectfully with a cupped fist.
"I sense a disturbance in the..." the Asura Empress briefly paused before continuing, "Nine Divine Heavens. The unshakeable world of immortals has been affected by the chaotic whirlpool of destruction of the mortal plane."
"What?"
The hundreds of Asura Immortal Kings were shocked.
The Nine Divine Heaven that was thought to be safe from the chaotic whirlpool of destruction eventually got caught by its waves and dragged into its inescapable spiral of destruction.
They knew such a day would come, but they were shocked nonetheless when they found out.
"It was brief, but this Empress also detected the aura of the Asura Empyrean Arts amid the disturbance," the Asura Empress added.
When that was said, the Asura Immortal Kings\' shock disappeared as they strangely expressed traces of feverish excitement and fighting spirit.
Apart from the Asura Empress, only one other person could have learned the Asura Empyrean Arts; the previous Asura Emperor!
\'Asura Emperor has returned!\' Asura Immortal Kings thought.
The Asura Empress swept a brief yet indifferent glance at the Asura Immortal Kings below and thought that even if she could order their bodies, she could not order their hearts.
They had sworn their eternal loyalty to the Asura Emperor.
No one was truly on her side.
The Asura Empress suddenly stood up from her imperial throne and cast a solemn gaze over the Immortal Kings, immediately grabbing their full attention.
"Our Asura Divine Heaven has always been known to be the strongest of the Nine Divine Heavens. Due to this glory, we have incurred countless envy from the other eight Divine Heavens."
"And for ten thousand years, I had suspected that my husband, the Asura Emperor\'s disappearance had something to do with the other eight Immortal Emperors. But we could never do anything because we weren\'t confident without the Asura Emperor."
"Now that my husband has shown us a sign of his return, it\'s time to settle the scores. Prepare the troops! And ready the tools of war! The day the Asura Emperor returns is the day we wave the banners of war on the eight Immortal Emperors and claim true hegemony of the Nine Divine Heavens!" the Asura Empress commanded with an inviolable aura and majesty.
"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty!"
Shortly after the Immortal Kings left the bone mountain, the Asura Empress slumped back on her crimson throne with a trace of fatigue.
It was too late to turn back now.
She had already done everything she could to reach this point—all for the sake of a divine text she once read in the imperial tomb of past asuras.
\'Sever the karmic ties, shatter the throne of heavenly order, slay the nine heavens, and the world shall witness the birth of an asura god,\' the Asura Empress recalled.
…
…
…
Albion chased after the fleeing Heavenly Tribulation in the void of endless expanse. He quickly felt a strange sense of familiarity in the surrounding void, prompting him to pause in his tracks in the next instance abruptly.
The abundance of divine energy in the region did not make his mind scream with excitement, but one that rang with alarm bells.
It was the chaotic time and space region that connected to the Nine Divine Heavens.
\'Oh, hell naw! I ain\'t ready to come to this place!\' Albion cried.
The Nine Divine Heavens had countless beings much stronger than him, not to mention the Asura Emperor had countless enemies due to his merciless nature as a follower of the Asura Path.
He immediately turned around and fled back whence he came as fast as possible, disappearing in a blinding speed of light.
The spatial rift that closed at the end of the path was ripped open once more by a wave of Albion\'s hand before vanishing shortly after he entered.
He came, he saw, and...he left.
Not long after, the brief ripple of lightning and fire attracted powerful void beasts over, but nothing out of the ordinary was found.