In some unknown location in the Fifth Star Ring, there was a spirit mine where a huge lid covered the sky, cutting the place off from the outside. It also prevented any fluctuations inside from being detected.0

The swamp inside was full of craters, which had been created during the battle between Xu Qing and the Imperial Sovereign. In addition, there were innumerable minor world bubbles that had been blasted open.0

Xu Qing hovered in midair, his face pale, his body covered in bloody wounds. He wasn’t paying attention to any of that, though. He was looking at the decapitated body of the Imperial Sovereign. He quickly performed a one-handed incantation gesture, all while keeping his guard up in case something else happened. If anything even slightly unusual occurred, he would unleash another sword attack.0

He kept watching until the Imperial Sovereign’s energy was gone and his corpse started fading away. Only when it was clear that he had been completely wiped out of existence did Xu Qing start to feel more at ease.0

It had not been an easy fight. Perhaps it was because he was in a different star ring where things were different than where he had grown up. Regardless, Xu Qing was fairly certain after what he had experienced in this fight that the Imperial Sovereign he had just killed was stronger than the Imperial Sovereigns from the holy lands.0

I can think of three reasons. First, the guy I just fought is special in some way. Two, the Fifth Star Ring is a much more dangerous place than I expected, and thus, all Imperial Sovereigns are more complicated than I’m used to. Three, the Imperial Sovereigns from the holy lands lived comfortable lives and didn’t have a...1