"Judging from this Yang Cheng's record, his strength is likely already comparable to that of an ordinary Insight God."
Someone frowned. "It'll be hard to deal with him—especially within the Wasteland Realm."
"No matter how hard, we have to deal with him," said Daoist Qingteng coldly. "Don't forget, he still holds the formula for the Earth Spirit Heart Pill."
"This matter must be planned carefully," another said.
The members of the Eternal Society immediately began a detailed discussion.
At the same time—
In the Wasteland Realm, inside the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy, a beautiful woman from the Danbao Chamber of Commerce said in a frosty tone, "That Yang Cheng is far too arrogant. Just because he discovered some special refining method, he thinks he can manipulate our Danbao Chamber of Commerce."
Another man, Alchemist Yu, chuckled. "The man grew up in the Wasteland Realm. And he's what—the Crown Prince of Great Zhou? He's probably never seen the true darkness of the heavens. He still thinks people will follow Great Zhou's so-called laws."
The woman sneered. "Ridiculous. The profit behind the Heavenly Profound Spirit Pill could easily be counted in hundreds of millions of divine stones. With stakes that high, forget Great Zhou's laws—even the will of the Wasteland Realm itself couldn't protect him."
"Perhaps we should try negotiating with him again?" Yu suggested.
"There's no need," the woman said sharply. "We've already approached him several times, but he's always acted self-centered and dismissive. Now, gather our men immediately. If he still refuses to cooperate, arrest all his friends and family. If he doesn't yield then—use them to send a message…"
Before she could finish, a subordinate hurried inside.
"Elder Sun!" the subordinate said, his expression tense. "The President has sent an urgent order—you are forbidden from acting against Master Yang in any way."
"What?"
The woman, Elder Sun, stood up abruptly. "What is the President thinking? If we don't suppress him, are we supposed to let him control us?"
"It's not just us," the subordinate replied. "Every major faction that descended into the Wasteland Realm has received the same warning from their upper echelons."
Elder Sun's eyes flickered with confusion. "That doesn't make sense. What on earth happened?"
The subordinate spoke in a low tone. "Because the President received word—just last night, Master Hu of the Tianjiang Dao Academy and his guardian both died."
Elder Sun's pupils shrank violently. "Impossible! They were perfectly fine yesterday afternoon—how could they both die overnight? Did they leave the Wasteland Realm and fall elsewhere?"
"No," the subordinate said gravely. "They died here, in the Wasteland Realm."
"That's impossible!" Elder Sun exclaimed, her face paling. "How could anyone in the Wasteland Realm be strong enough to kill them? They were both half-gods!"
"Yet the fact remains—they're dead," the subordinate said. "The one who killed the guardian was Huang Gang, and the one who killed Master Hu… was Yang Cheng."
Elder Sun swallowed hard, her hands trembling. "Alchemist Yu, from this moment on, you are not to offend Master Yang or anyone connected to him. As for our cooperation, we'll proceed slowly—and with full respect."
"Yes," Alchemist Yu said quickly, his voice subdued. He was just as terrified.
Thankfully, he hadn't acted yet—or the consequences would have been unimaginable.
The turbulence within the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy gradually settled.
But in another corner of the Wasteland Realm, an even greater storm was brewing.
Western Luo.
Ouyang Qin sat across from a middle-aged man. Behind her stood Ouyang Yi, and behind the man stood Hushu'er.
That man was none other than the Emperor of Western Luo—Gu Lieyan.
Ouyang Qin spoke calmly. "Your Majesty of Western Luo, the Ouyang clan has decided to fully support Western Luo in eradicating Great Zhou."
Gu Lieyan leaned back slightly, his eyes sharp. "The strength of the Ouyang clan is beyond question. But I must ask—why has your clan made such a drastic decision?"
Ouyang Qin replied steadily, "The appearance of someone like Yang Cheng in the Wasteland Realm is anything but ordinary. It's clear that he is the Heaven's Mandate Child of this realm."
"To deal with a man of destiny like that, the first step is to destroy his luck. Striking down or crippling Great Zhou is the best way to do it."
"When his destiny collapses, we can then subdue Yang Cheng. Once we have him under our control, we can use him as a conduit to grasp the heavenly fate of the Wasteland Realm itself."
"At that point, no matter how much we invest now, our returns will be a hundredfold, even a thousandfold greater."
Gu Lieyan nodded slowly, his tone calm but his eyes gleaming with ambition. "If that's the case, then Western Luo would be more than glad to cooperate with the Ouyang clan."
He was a man of grand ambitions himself. If Western Luo could destroy Great Zhou under his rule, it would be the greatest accomplishment in the empire's history—one that would etch his name in legend.
"Then strike without hesitation," Ouyang Qin said evenly. "This time, the Ouyang clan will dispatch its true elite assassins. The Marquis Champion of Great Zhou, Qin Xuanjia, and Yun Liyue will all be targeted for assassination. In addition, many of the noble clans within Great Zhou have already joined forces with us. They'll create chaos from within."
"When that happens, Great Zhou will lose its leadership. Once the nation faces both internal rebellion and external invasion, its downfall will be inevitable."
Gu Lieyan's excitement was barely contained. His pulse quickened as he rose from his seat.
"Your Majesty," Hushu'er said eagerly, "please grant this minister another chance to lead the army against Great Zhou!"
"No," Gu Lieyan declared, his tone resolute. "This time, I shall personally lead the campaign!"
His words carried the confidence and arrogance of an emperor who believed destiny itself favored him.
Behind Ouyang Qin, Ouyang Yi's face lit up with barely restrained excitement.
Once Great Zhou was crushed or heavily wounded, Yang Cheng would be nothing.
He could already picture himself stepping on Yang Cheng's back, forcing him to kneel and beg for mercy—seeing him humiliated beneath his feet.
And so, war erupted without warning.
None of the nations in the Wasteland Realm expected Western Luo to launch a sudden, all-out assault on Great Zhou.
A 2,000,000-strong army marched from Western Luo, thundering toward Mozhou, the western border of Great Zhou.
At the same time, rebel armies appeared across Great Zhou.
In what felt like a single night, the entire balance of the realm shifted.
Only yesterday, Great Zhou had been thriving, showing signs of prosperity greater than any era before.
But after one night, dark omens of ruin loomed over the empire.
Other nations—such as the Great Yan Empire and the Great Zhao Empire—seized the opportunity and struck as well, launching joint invasions on multiple fronts.
For the first time in centuries, Great Zhou stood on the brink of collapse.
In the imperial capital of Fengtian City, chaos reigned.
Emperor Qian Yuan was still deep within Tianyuan Abyss, unable to return in time.
Thus, Empress Dowager Meng once again stepped out of retirement to oversee the empire's defense.
Inside Tranquil Longevity Palace, numerous imperial princes, nobles, and high ministers had gathered, their expressions heavy with dread.
"Have we contacted the Skyfeather Empire?" the Empress Dowager asked calmly.
"We have," replied Grand Secretariat Head Xu Yan, bowing deeply. "But the Skyfeather Empire has declared they will not send troops to help us resist Great Yan."
He hesitated, then added grimly, "And it's not just them. Our other allied nations have either declared neutrality—or worse, joined in the siege against us."
"These fools!" barked Prince Duan, the Royal Clan Patriarch, slamming his fist on the table. "Do they really think this will be enough to destroy Great Zhou? Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, I say we have nothing to fear. These countries aren't truly united. As long as we hold out against their first wave, their alliance will fall apart on its own."
But Empress Dowager Meng's expression didn't soften.
Hold out against the first wave? That was easier said than done.
And what if they couldn't?
Moreover, she could sense a dark hand manipulating everything from behind the scenes. The speed and precision of the attacks, the timing of the internal rebellions—it was too well-coordinated.
She feared that whoever was behind this wasn't done yet.
Still, she didn't voice that worry aloud. It wasn't the time to shake morale.
"For now, that's our only choice," she said at last. "Also, send men to Tianyuan Abyss. Tell His Majesty to return as quickly as possible to take command of the situation."
Meanwhile, far away within the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy, Yang Cheng was still in the alchemy chamber, completely unaware that the empire of Great Zhou stood on the edge of disaster.