Chapter 23: The Supreme Founder''s Plight


    "You gotta be kidding me. When you need support the world ignores you, but when you just wanna die, they send legions to back you up? What nonsense is this?" Harun inwardly scolded all serpents of the Highest Heavens. Unlike the other ns which were scattered across the 33 Heavens, all main branches of the serpent n lived in seclusion within the Highest Heaven, clouded by an ancient formation even Monarchs couldn''t peer through.


    ording to Jiyan, a Dao Emperor''s all-out attack was the minimum requirement to break that formation. A theory no one could prove, because after the Serpent Emperor''s defeat and his n''s retreat into the Serpent Domain, from the Heaven Warding Emperor to Agiri, no Dao Emperor ever attempted to breach the Serpent Domain''s formationleaving the remnant rulers of the Immemorial Era in peace.


    In the 3.5 million years following their defeat, members of the Devouring Serpents and their subordinate ns rarely left the Serpent Domain. But whenever they did, their deeds shocked the world. Most infamous among them was their contemporary n master, Lord Sv. Unlike lesser lines, the noble and hegemonic ns didn''t have family names. There was only one Golden Crow n, one Phoenix n, one Empyrean n, and of course, one Devouring Serpent n.


    Born within the second Cosmic Cycle of Agiri''s reign, wielding Heterochromatic Double Pupils, Sv reached the Empyrean Monarch Realm in 30,000 years,pleted his Internal Heaven in 100,000, and with the cultivation of a peak-level Monarch, defeated the Empyrean n''s elders to challenge Agiri in battle.


    Although the sh resulted in Sv''s defeat, he managed the unthinkable feat of slicing off Agiri''s left arm. And over 3.5 million years following the Serpent Emperor''s defeat, the Golden Crow Ancestor aside, Sv remains the only non-Emperor able to fight tooth and nails with a sitting Dao Emperor. And this...was nearly 900,000 years ago!


    Dark-green clouds gathered above the imperial pce, blending to form the illusory shape of a monstrous serpent with bulky arms and massive wed hands. Though that illusory serpent remained 300 meters tall, it gave the misconception that with a thought, it could extend to cover all across the Highest Heaven.


    From this domineering image, a middle-aged man dropped, dressed in a ck robe embroidered with a coiling serpent and phoenix, bright-red phoenix feathers hovered around him, contrasting with the serpent image above his head. Once he made his entrance, members of the Phoenix n felt the bitter taste of shame cover their tongues. Their eyes trembled with rage, but they dared not make any rash move.


    "The ruling line of the Devouring Serpent n sessfully inherited the blood of the Phoenix Empress and wield two crushing Divine Powers. Giving them a distinct advantage over other hegemonic ns," Harun recalled. Regardless of parentage, celestials could only wield one Divine Power. The Devouring Serpents were the exception to this rule, and could assimte one extra Divine Power in their lifeor start out with two if their parents came from different ns.


    As the Devouring Serpent blood overpowered all others, intermarriage with their subordinate ns enabled the former to assimte many Divine Powers. Making most of the Devouring Serpent nsmen start out with two. Still, the ruling line''sbination remained by far the strongest.


    Dropping at Harun''s right, Sv ignored all others to focus his orange and green Double Pupils on Harun. For a second, while Sv''s eyes observed him with scrutiny, Harun felt an ufortable silence settle in. Then the unthinkable urred. Sv sped his hands in greetings and kneeled toward Harun.


    "No no no no no! Don''t you dare!" Harun inwardly screamed, but to no avail. The words he feared still left Sv''s lips.


    "Greetings n master, greetings Son of Heaven, please forgive your humble servant for arrivingte to your rescue!" Sv eximed, making the eyes of all deities on the scene almost pop out of their sockets.


    "Rescue my ass! You are killing me!" Harun wanted to say, but forced himself to restrain the wordsinstead helping Sv up. And as confusion settled in the officials and deities'' eyes, Sv swept them with his Double Pupils:


    "Taking advantage of my Devouring Serpent n''s seclusion, you worthless pieces of trash, scums from the lowest reaches, dared bare your filthy fangs at my n''s reincarnated sovereign?


    The nerve!" Sv bellowed and stretched out his hands. Above his head, a rainbow-colored whirlpool formed, and from it emerged the picture of an idylld where billions of men and women lived in harmony, worshiping mighty idols representing Sv!


    "A seven-colored Internal Heaven" the deities realized in awe. Monarchs'' Internal Heavens could have seven colors, seven grades, each several times more terrifying than the other. For those that remembered his name, that Sv possessed aplete Internal Heaven of the highest grade wasn''t surprising. But faced with the pressure of that seven-colored Internal Heaven, even Monarchs could feel their legs tremble.


    Worst, unlike the weaker officials, Monarchs could feel a Divine Authority take shape within Sv''s Heaven, proof that he''d already taken half-a-step into the Dao Emperor Realm!


    But while this ancient god''s deterrence suppressed legions of officials, the system''s voice thundered in Harun''s mind.


    "Bullshit! What reincarnated n sovereign? Masterfuledian. Can a man be more shameless? He obviously wants to use the g of righteousness to take control of your eyes! If you believe him, you won''t even know how you die!" The system warned, speaking the words on Harun''s lips.


    Indeed, Harun wasn''t so nave as to think that just because he possessed Sovereign Pupils, the Devouring Serpent n would bow to him. How could a man who dared challenge a sitting emperor be so willing to bow to a "boy?"


    No, this was just an act to give Harun a sense of belonging and lead him into a fiery pit. And indeed, the system and Harun were both correct. While some members of the Devouring Serpent n could potentially submit to Harun, Sv didn''t belong to their ranks. For once he took the eyes, there was no need to wait for the ancestor''s return. He''d instantly be...the new Serpent Emperor.