Located close to the point where Yao Jun's universe connected with the half-formed universe that served as the location of the competition, there was a large flower-shaped planet. A grand spiraling tower made from vines was located on one of the 18 petals that grew out from the 'flower', and there was currently a meeting underway in the top room of the tower. The room was practically empty, with an oval table surrounded by 18 chairs serving as the only furniture in the room. There were currently 18 humanoid shapes gathered around this table, each of them was just a construct made from Qi, so they were flickering slightly as they were talking to each other.
"...And that's our agreed-upon stance on the war, we will not interfere as long as there is no proof of Sebettu intervention. On to the next topic, the Ascending Dragon competition. I'm sure you've all already heard, but it's become a right mess lately. The unknown cultivator called Yao Jun has not only killed Xiao Yan, but also Peyton and Luosho Li, there are also rumors floating around that he defeated Yuri Jahad at some point, but we can't fully prove them. His beasts are currently engaging in a massacre the likes of which we've rarely seen in the earlier competition, and tacking on all the other kills he's racked up already, he's currently the person with the fourth most kills in the competition's history. The topics for our discussion will be two-fold, whether or not we should push forward the competition and whether or not this Yao Jun should be granted a title now or after the competition."
The words coming from one of the more feminine humanoid shapes sparked a bit of debate among the various figures, who were all ancient Godkings that had led their respective groups for countless years already. At this point in their life, most of them had given up on further cultivation and had started taking an interest in countless other matters, all to keep themselves entertained. A humanoid figure with six arms growing at his side was the first one to speak up, the muttering debate amongst the other figures ending.
"Right, so the first topic is pointless to debate on, no one is going to say anything against pushing the end of the competition closer. Looking at the current state of it, the end should be between Mascheny Materius, Baam Noctris, and this Yao Jun, with the Sebettu maybe finally revealing themselves. As for the second topic, I've heard some whispers from Peyton's old spies that this Yao Jun might have actually shown himself during our previous war against the World Tree clan. Back then he got the title Bloodstained Black and Bloodstained Blade, so how about just giving him those again?"
The one speaking was one of the Merged Heaven clan's two Godkings, the somewhat weaker but more social one. Contrary to what one would expect from someone who had lost the fifth young master of his clan, he was surprisingly nonchalant about Peyton's death. A bit more hushed debate broke out, but it was swiftly interrupted by another feminine humanoid shape slamming her fist into the table, a large crack running down its middle.
"Both of the topics are pointless, we have more important matters to discuss right now, we've already lost four clans and half of one of the surrounding universes to the Sebettu! Push the competition forward, let's end it before we lose too many more of our promising disciples. As for that title or whatever, haven't the cultivators present in the competition already started to use one? Just use that one and let's move on already!"
The woman's tone was aggressive and deep, the Qi that formed her shape flickering so violently that it resembled a blazing inferno. But none of the others scolded her for her aggressive manner, they instead remained silent. The six-armed man who had just spoken up nodded his head, moving the conversation forward.
"Alright, we'll do as Old Willow says, I trust that no one has anything against that? We'll move the competition into its final stages within the next five days, and as for this Yao Jun's title, we'll settle on what the other competitors have chosen, King of Demonic Deities."
--
The massacre didn't last long, hardly over a minute, but in that short span of time, almost ten thousand people ended up dying, their blood staining the pristine snow around the volcano. The corpses were quickly piled up at the bottom of the mountain by Ba-Shei and the others, an offering to the still resting Yao Jun. Yao Jun pat Zhuyin on the back and had her fly down from the mountain, landing in front of Ba-Shei, Du Xiao, Siwang, and Little Thunder.
Yao Jun jumped down from her back, his knees aching slightly when he landed on the ground. Just one minute of rest was far from enough to restore his wounds, but he was able to walk if he just grit his teeth to endure the pain. He walked past the mountain of corpses, straight over to Little Thunder and Ba-Shei, who both bowed their heads when he stopped in front of them. Yao Jun stretched out his arms and placed a palm on each of their heads, softly caressing them.
"I still remember that small tiger that tried to take a bit of my shoulder, and I still remember that little snake that had my own shadow smack me so hard that it felt like my arms were going to fall. Compared to back then, you've really grown quite a bit. It must've been hard, but good job."
Little Thunder had been at his side from the very beginning, and Ba-Shei was the fourth beast to ever join him. But even so, he found that he praised them quite rarely, so he figured that now was a good time to do so. Ba-Shei and Little Thunder lowered their heads even further, Yao Jun turning his head to look at the three others.
"Of course, I haven't forgotten you guys either, you've all grown splendidly. I couldn't go as far as I have without you, so thank you."
Demonic beasts were the source of Yao Jun's strength, each of the beasts present here was a portion of his strength, so his words weren't just empty flattery. Zhuyin and the others also lowered their heads, Siwang using his stinger to point at the pile of corpses.
"There is no need for such words, we are proud just to be given the chance to follow you. Please, take these corpses, consider them an offering from us to congratulate you on becoming an Earthly Deity."
Yao Jun turned his head to look at the literal mountain of corpses that were piled up next to him. The mountain was visible even from far away, so the frozen wasteland had been mostly evacuated now, the other competitors afraid that they might get dragged into the bloody storm. Yao Jun didn't look at the mountain for too long before shaking his head.
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"No, I won't take them. Don't bother arguing with me, it won't help, I won't take the spoils of your battle from you. You'll also require an insane amount of energy to become stronger or to evolve now that you've become Earthly Deities, so you should take them all. Especially the three of you, I know you want to become Divine Beasts like the rest, so you'll not only require the right blood, but also a ridiculous amount of energy."
The last of Yao Jun's sentence was directed at Little Thunder, Du Xiao, and Siwang, the only three of his Demonic beasts that weren't actually Divine Beasts. The Hydra Yong Bo also couldn't really be considered a Divine Beast, but he was in a class of his own thanks to his race's special ability to evolve infinitely. Zhuyin and the others looked like they wanted to protest, but they were quickly shot down by a look from Yao Jun, all of them giving up with a sigh.
"Thank you, we'll be sure to put them to good use. We'll return to keep an eye on the war, but please call on us should anything arise."
The large gate once again opened behind Yao Jun, the corpses vanishing into it as Ba-Shei and the others flew back into it. They could reach Yao Jun's side in less than a second if anything should happen, so they weren't too worried about leaving him here. As the corpses entered his God Gate, Yao Jun also quickly sifted through their interspatial rings and took out anything that would be useful to him, popping some of the better pills he found to speed up his healing process.
The gate didn't vanish after Zhuyin and the others stepped into it, giving the gray-haired and blue-eyed human form of Sirius enough time to step out of the gate and walk up to Yao Jun. Yao Jun looked at Sirius, who was respectfully waiting for Yao Jun to talk.
"Tell me, Sirius, what are your true feelings on following me? You were simply handed to me back then, so you never really got a say in the matter."
Sirius was handed to Li Yang by Sword Empyrean Heng Jiang, a friend of the previous person who supposedly held the Demon God's Gate. Or as Yao Jun guessed now, likely someone who once carried a fragment of the Supreme Law of Demons. Sirius hesitated for a short moment, but relented upon seeing Yao Jun's honest gaze.
"In truth, I was rather annoyed at first. I was enjoying myself in peace inside that tower but was then suddenly forced to accept becoming one of your followers. I won't lie, there was a time or two where I hoped that you might die so that I could regain my freedom. But you never died, you kept on surviving and moving forward. No matter how wounded you were, no matter how bleak things looked, you would always move forward with a steadfast gaze and determined steps, always staying true to yourself. Now I am thankful that I was given to you, you have not only given me freedom, but also let me see the greater universe, and a goal to strive after. So please, no matter what path you end up going down, allow me to accompany you and see it out to the end."
Sirius kneeled down in front of Yao Jun and lowered his head respectfully, having poured out his entire heart. Divine Beasts were proud beings who few people would ever see bow or willingly follow someone, but it had already become a common occurrence for Yao Jun. Yao Jun smiled and nodded his head, placing his hand on top of Sirius' head and ruffling his hair.
"Thank you for being honest, I feel relieved after hearing how you truly feel. And since you want to follow me into the future, let me give you a gift that should suit you."
The gate behind Yao Jun trembled slightly, two items flying out of it and floating in front of him. One was a metallic tower that was strangely wide while the other was a granite wall covered in minuscule runes, the tower and wall connecting into a single whole. These were the fragments that had been within Luosho Li's body, the fragments of the Supreme Law of Defense.
Yao Jun found that the two fragments were rather similar to both the law of water and the law of wind, so he was thinking about whether or not he should give them to Yong Bo or Sirius. In the end, it had been Sirius who had been with him longer so Yao Jun decided that it was best to give them to him.
Sirius looked at the two fragments with somewhat trembling eyes, he knew that Little Gray had received a fragment he had yet to absorb, but he hadn't expected that he too would be graced with fragments of his own so soon. Sirius wanted to say something, but faced with Yao Jun's earnest gaze he could only lower his head once more.
"Thank you, I won't betray this trust you placed in me."
The two fragments flew over to Sirius, floating in front of his face. But just like Little Gray, he didn't absorb them yet, they didn't want to risk anything happening now that they were keeping an eye on the unfolding war with the World Tree clan. Yao Jun shook his head, a casual smile on his lips.
"Don't worry about any of that, just live your life however you please, that's all I ask."
--
While Yao Jun was handing over the two fragments to Sirius, the ships of the Merged Heaven clan arrived on the battlefield where the war would take place, Yun Yantian and Guo Luo standing on the front of one of the ships and overlooking the speartip-shaped planet. Looking at the planet, Yun Yantian couldn't help but click his tongue.
"Damn, that thing's really fucking massive, no wonder they brought so many soldiers here."
The planet was far larger than anything Yun Yantian had ever seen before, it seemed to tower above everything. Guo Luo also looked at the planet with a shocked gaze, a green-haired and brown-eyed woman at her side speaking up for them.
"That's known as God Piercer planet, it's the second-largest planet in the universe and has been the site of countless wars over the years. Several large clans and sects have drawn their last breaths on that planet, some believe that the sheer number of final curses uttered on the planet have resulted in it becoming haunted and cursed. Others believe that the planet is home to the god of death, coming for all those that pray to him."
Guo Luo and Yun Yantian turned to look at the woman, Sasha Keyes, someone who could be considered something of a friend they had made while in the clan. She came from a small planet governed by a religious tribal system, so she had apparently read up on a lot of books once she was picked up by the sect. Yun Yantian leaned on the edge of the ship, a playful smile on his lips as he gazed at the planet.
"A god of death, huh? I know someone who could be called that, but I hardly think he'd come if I were to pray to him. What about you?"
Sasha copied Yun Yantian's motions, leaning on the side of the ship and gazing at the planet. She then used her left hand to tap the three tattoos on her neck, one of a sword, one of a shield, and one of a feathered scepter.
"These are the only Gods I believe in, the Warrior, the Guardian, and the Healer. They've protected my tribesmen for centuries, and I pray that they'll protect us in the upcoming battles."
--
While Guo Luo and Yun Yantian were talking with Sasha, a meeting was taking place on one of the larger ships in their fleet, the ship housing the various sect leaders that had come on the orders of the Merged Heaven clan. The meeting took place in a cabin that was decorated using jade and gold sculptures, some depicting Demonic beasts and some depicting flowers. The cabin even had a small fountain that was constantly flowing with a sweet-smelling wine, cups placed at the side so that people could drink from it.
26 people were currently seated around a square table placed at the center of the room, each of them somewhat pale and nervous now that the war was so close. A man with black hair, blue eyes, and sideburns made from what seemed to be frozen sand, placed down a jade bead and let out a deep sigh, some sweat running down his forehead.
"They've sent over the final orders, we start the battle tomorrow. When the battle enters its most heated state, the various sects and clans will work together to raise a grand array to surround the entire planet. We'll completely cut the planet off from the rest of the universe and take the chance to wipe out the World Tree clan in one fell swoop. Prepare the troops."