Su Chen floated in the air, his expression calm and relaxed. However, his will was rapidly spreading and expanding through the general region.

His will seemed vast and boundless, and it spread like the ocean waves. Its imposing nature stirred up an instinctual reaction to bow and worship in everyone nearby.

In the face of such an overwhelmingly powerful will, everyone immediately felt as if they couldn’t even resist it.

They hadn’t even felt like this in front of a Desolate Beast, but now, it was emanating from a human.

How could everyone not be stunned by this scene?

The onlookers below gazed up at Su Chen before they all fell to one knee, incapable of resisting the urge to worship any longer.

“Husband!” Gu Qingluo shouted as she gazed at Su Chen in shock.

A moment later, the mighty will retracted back into Su Chen as it all disappeared. As the pressure on those nearby lifted, they let out a collective sigh of relief.

Su Chen glanced down at everyone below and said with a slight smile, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you all.”

Zhu Xianyao flew over. “Husband, something about you seems different.”

Su Chen replied, “How astute of you. Yes, I have ascended.”

A...... Ascended?

Aren’t you an Ultimate Emperor Realm cultivator? How could you ascend further?

Soon, however, everyone understood.

Gu Qingluo leapt into his arms. “You’ve broken past the Golden Pill realm?”

Su Chen nodded faintly.

He had indeed done so, pioneering a brand-new cultivation realm in the process.

Even though he had relied on the soul fragment to accomplish this, this result was also partially due to how stable his own foundation was.

Su Chen had been constantly searching for a way to ascend beyond the Golden Pill stage and reach new heights in his immortal cultivation path.

He had already mapped out a hypothetical route forward based off of his experiences with cultivating Origin Energy, but he had always lacked the right conditions to properly ascend.

And that soul fragment had fulfilled the final missing requirement.

In that moment, Su Chen had used the soul fragment in an inconceivable way. Currently, it was floating in Su Chen’s sea of knowledge, where it had been shaped into a golden idol.

This golden idol was the physical manifestation of Su Chen’s consciousness. After he absorbed the divine soul fragment, he had gained a measure of divinity.

Just like how divine power could be converted into immortal energy, the soul fragment had, in some sense, been converted into Su Chen’s new consciousness.

Even though this idol was still in an infant stage, it already possessed an incredible amount of power.

This was the main reason why his will had become so imposing. Even Li Wuyi, an Ultimate Emperor Realm cultivator, couldn’t withstand the pressure of Su Chen’s will. While he and the others were extremely loyal to Su Chen, they still had their own pride as emperors. As such, they would only bow to him when greeting him rather than kneeling. This time, however, they had broken that unspoken rule.

Upon hearing that Su Chen had reached a new realm, Gu Qingluo curiously asked, “What are you planning on calling this realm?”

After a moment’s thought, Su Chen replied, “Since I birthed a new soul by combining my immortal energy with the divine soul fragment, I will call it the Nascent Soul realm.”

“Nascent Soul......” Gu Qingluo murmured, turning the name over a few times before finally nodding. “That is a good name. Even if the soul is just an infant today, it will mature in the future. I can only imagine where Husband’s future will conclude.”

Su Chen laughed. “That’s precisely right. But I expect that raising this Nascent Soul will be the main focus of this cultivation realm. Ascending higher will likely be even more difficult than before.”

“Husband, are you already thinking about the next cultivation realm?” Zhu Xianyao asked, slightly shocked.

Su Chen replied with an air of vicissitude, “The path of cultivation changes constantly, but some things always remain the same. All roads lead home, as they say.”

Of course, he was implying that he was indeed already making plans for ascending into the next realm.

He was in no hurry at this moment.

But since he had truly broken through, then it was only natural that his strength would increase by another level yet again. The others really wanted to witness just how strong he had become.

However, he had already been pretty much invincible on this side of the Origin Realm even before ascending. The only difference now was that he would now steamroll his opponents even harder. No one dared to ask Su Chen to show off his new power a little. After all, he was already the figurehead of the human race. How could they ask him to perform for them?

Su Chen, meanwhile, muttered, “I’ve ascended...... Well, it just so happens that now is probably a good time for me to take care of some of the tasks that I’ve been putting off. All of you, please wait here for me. I’ll return in a moment after claiming a head for myself.”

After saying this, he instantly disappeared.

Everyone was bemused by what he had said.

Was there anyone that the current Su Chen couldn’t kill even if he wanted to?

Why had he waited all the way until now to make a move?

At Gullan Castle.

A large group of Ravager women were dancing and singing, performing in front of the throne. Danba sat on the throne, but he seemed to be deep in thought about something else entirely as he showed no reaction to the sensual show being put on before him.

Gurr strode towards Danba, pushing his way through the women and knocking them to the ground. He then knelt in front of Danba. “Mighty leader, I, Gurr, have returned.”

Danba didn’t even look at him. “Speak.”

“I’ve successfully spread the rumor that Su Chen is planning on restoring the Gu Clan to their former glory. Unfortunately, it will take some time for this rumor to fully propagate and stir up waves amongst the Seven Kingdoms. Furthermore, the Boundless Sect has begun intensifying their hunt for worshippers, and they are even beginning to influence our territory.”

When Gurr’s report reached this point, he raised his head and said, “Your Majesty, the humans are growing more and more arrogant with each passing day. They don’t believe in the gods, and they refuse to let us believe in them as well. But if we don’t worship the gods and receive power from them, then how will we fight back against the humans?”

Danba was not surprised by his subordinate’s questions. “It’s true that the humans are growing stronger. If they didn’t act arrogantly, then they would be misusing their newfound power.”

Gurr hesitantly said, “But Your Majesty, I don’t understand. Why......”

“You want to know why I cooperated with them if I knew that this day would eventually come, right?”

Gurr lowered his head. “I don’t dare doubt your actions.”

Danba indifferently replied, “You can doubt me if you want. How could an ant possibly understand how an eagle thinks?”

Gurr’s face turned red. “But, Your Majesty...... the humans now pose a significant threat to us. I’m afraid that spreading a few rumors won’t resolve the issues we are facing.”

“Don’t worry. With the gods present, they can’t kill us,” Danba replied dismissively.

“But the humans are saying that the gods will enslave us when they return......”

“Hm?” Danba interrupted as he meaningfully gazed at Gurr with an intense look in his eyes.

This was the first time that he had ever revealed such an expression of anger in front of Gurr, causing Gurr to tremble involuntarily.

For just a moment, he saw a vicious streak flash through Danba’s eyes.

Danba, however, quickly retracted his gaze and calmly said, “You fool...... even if it were true, is there a difference between being enslaved by the humans and being enslaved by the gods? But if we worship the gods, then we can at least obtain their protection. What can those humans possibly give us?”

Gurr helplessly lowered his head. “You’re right, Your Majesty. But......”

“But what?”

Gurr hesitated a moment, then steeled his resolve and forged onwards. “We Ravagers value our freedom above all else, and we refuse to be made subordinate to anyone else. Your Majesty, I still prefer our ruler to be one of our kind. The gods are existences far above us, and all they care about is securing their faith. There is no real incentive for them to care about our affairs.”

“Is that so,” Danba sighed. “That does make sense.”

Gurr was delighted to hear this. “Does that mean that you’re willing to listen to my advice, Your Majesty?”

Danba calmly replied, “You make so much sense that I simply can’t keep you around anymore.”

What?

Gurr was stunned by Danba’s words.

Then, an indescribable pressure burst forth from Danba. Gurr stared at him in shock, unable to believe what was taking place before his very eyes.

Danba’s figure slowly expanded to fill his entire vision.

“Agh...... gh......” Gurr clutched at his chest as he fought to breathe.

He wanted to say something, but he toppled to the ground before he could choke the words out.

His eyes were still wide with disbelief.

He never would have imagined that his own ruler would actually attack him......

“What a pity......” Danba glanced coldly down at Gurr’s corpse.

His feelings were anything but sincere.

Then, he dismissively waved his hand. “Take him away.”

But there was no response.

Hm?

Danba squinted his eyes ever so slightly.

He spun around, scanning his surroundings.

The dancing women had disappeared at some point, and his surroundings were now deathly still.

Danba confidently called out, “Your spatial isolation techniques are quite impressive, Brother Su. Since you’re here, why not come out and say hello?”

Su Chen seemingly stepped out of thin air.

Pity briefly flickered through Su Chen’s eyes as he glanced at the corpse on the ground. “He served as your trusted general for so many years. Killing him must have been a shame.”

Danba calmly replied, “Gurr ignored my commands and infiltrated human territory in an attempt to stir up chaos and incite war between our two races. He deserved nothing better.”

“He was probably just thinking of the Ravagers’ best interests,” Su Chen said with a regretful sigh.

“Oh?” Danba seemed to be amused by Su Chen’s words. “His death should have smoothed our relationship, but instead, you’re feeling sympathetic for him?”

Su Chen nodded. “At least he was a Ravager, a native of the Origin Realm. As for you...... I don’t even know what you are anymore.”

Danba remained expressionless. “What are you talking about?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about, but I just don’t know what you’re after...... In fact, I don’t even know who you are. Right now, what I want to know is, when did you become Danba?”

Upon hearing this, Danba’s expression darkened.

He gazed at Su Chen for some time before suddenly bursting into laughter. “So you eventually discovered the truth, did you? Well, that’s not exactly surprising. My recent actions really have not been befitting of my status as the Ravagers’ leader. But it sounds like you think my will descended some time ago to take over this shell. You’re wrong!”

“You’re wrong!”

“You’re wrong!”

“You’re wrong!”

As these words echoed throughout the palace, Danba’s face contorted as he began to unleash a shockingly powerful aura.

Danba’s body began to grow in size as his aura surged. By now, the light radiating from his body was so intense that it was impossible to directly look at him anymore. The majesty of a god filled the sky.

Danba’s voice thundered, “There was no takeover. From the very beginning, I have been Danba, and Danba has been me! I am the Lord of Storms, Akru’Danba!”

Su Chen let out a long sigh.

So it was as he had suspected. Divine will had descended upon Danba when he was born, creating a Ravager genius.

Compared to the Human Ancestor, however, this Lord of Storms seemed to be much more restricted in his actions. For instance, Danba had not fully awakened his memories as a god from the very beginning. He had just been a smart Ravager with no knowledge of how to inherit the immense power of the gods.

This wasn’t because the Lord of Storms wasn’t powerful enough, but rather because the cracks in the Barrier had been too small back then. Furthermore, he did not have the help of the Human Ancestor.

Even so, this Lord of Storms had managed to successfully infiltrate the Origin Realm with a projection of his will.

And because he was the projection of a god, he naturally did not care about the fate of the Ravagers.

All he had ever considered was how the gods would fare.

The only thing left that Su Chen didn’t understand was......

He asked, “If you are the incarnation of the Lord of Storms, then why didn’t you kill me before? Why would you get so close to me? And what have you been doing over these past few years?”

“Kill you?” The Lord of Storms chuckled disdainfully before saying, “You overestimate your abilities, Su Chen. While I admit that you are quite capable, did you really think that you could prevent the gods from returning all on your own? No, your struggle is futile. My goal was never you from the very beginning!”

“Not me?” Su Chen was taken aback.

Suddenly, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

He cried out, “So you’re searching for him!”