Yu Xuan followed silently as Ximen Juesheng led him through the doorway.

The moment he stepped inside.

The world changed.

The space beyond was vast, layered in luminous geometries and structured light.

Floating platforms drifted in patterned formation, while streams flowed like rivers beneath transparent floors.

Every inch of the realm was aesthetically precise – crafted, not grown.

It was beautiful.

Beautiful in a way that felt deliberate.

Yu Xuan’s eyes flickered with curiosity.

He did not realize something far more terrifying.

But Ximen Juesheng did.

The Human Emperor’s gaze swept across the grand assembly as his eyes narrowed.

’...This is far more than expected.’

Nearly twenty percent of the sealed beings in this entire realm had gathered here.

That number alone exceeded one hundred thousand.

And he had only personally invited about a thousand.

The rest...

Had come on their own.

His grip tightened subtly around the Human Destiny Spear.

’Good thing I secured that from Hundun,’ he thought.

Among the gathered figures, he even spotted Changhe Daojun, Lord of the Eternal River – an existence who usually only manifested when the full scale war commenced.

This was no longer a quiet weapon making session.

This was a convergence.

After a brief, silent exchange with Jiyx through secret communication, Ximen Juesheng decisively altered his plan.

He led Yu Xuan away from the main gathering and into a concealed subspace chamber shielded by concealment arrays.

He did not want the boy exposed to so many ancient gazes for even a breath longer.

Some attention was beneficial while some was not.

Meanwhile.

The Eternal Supreme, the Grand Void Emperor, and Jian Chen quietly dispersed into different directions, meeting with ancient acquaintances whose relationships spanned eras of bloodshed.

Only after securing Yu Xuan did the Human Emperor re-enter the grand assembly.

But this time he did not appear as a middle-aged cultivator.

He arrived in full glory.

Imperial robes woven from condensed destiny shimmered around him.

The Human Destiny Spear rested upright in his hand.

His bearing transformed.

The weight of Humanity itself seemed to descend in the surrounding area.

Pressure radiated outward like invisible tides.

Conversations paused.

Eyes turned.

Space itself acknowledged him.

"...Many are here without permission."

His voice was calm.

But ominous.

The surrounding pressure intensified.

Light bent slightly around his figure.

Even primordial dragons narrowed their eyes.

The atmosphere shifted from spectacle.

To confrontation.

Because when the Human Emperor spoke like that.

It meant politics had begun.

And politics among legends...

Was only war.

***

Changhe Daojun tilted his head slightly.

"Man, calm down," he said lazily.

"There’s really no need to enter war mode."

His green eyes glimmered.

"But I assure you we will go to war in some time. Let the challenger awaken his Supreme Will first and from what I hear... Lord Hundun is even preparing a Future Blessing Ceremony."

The Human Emperor’s eyes narrowed.

There was absolutely no reason for this bastard to reveal that information aloud.

The moment those words left Changhe Daojun’s mouth.

Voices erupted one after another.

"Lord Hundun is performing that ceremony?"

"Until now only a dozen beings were ever qualified..."

"The probability of reaching Immortal-tier strength skyrockets after that rite."

"Yes, but no one has ever come close to killing that being even with it."

"Still... the times we nearly succeeded were always after a Future Blessing."

"So is Lord Hundun staking this much on the challenger?"

"Then what is the Human Emperor planning?"

"Don’t tell me he’s allied with the Architects?"

"There’s no way. Their innate superemacy would never allow cooperation with Humans."

"I see the Monkey King, but where is the Jade Emperor?"

"Even if the Jade Emperor is from that branch of Celestial, do you think he would associate with the Architects?"

"I think today your brain cells have gone on holiday."

"You idiot! I am a Pure Soul entity, I don’t have brain cells to rot!"

"Are you picking a fight?!"

The atmosphere thickened.

Ximen Juesheng’s aura did not flare further.

But the pressure became denser.

"Changhe Daojun, you speak too freely." the Human Emperor said calmly.

"I merely dislike boring gatherings and don’t you think a little information would be helpful for everyone." Changhe Daojun smiled.

"You are mistaking this for entertainment."

"And you mistaking this inevitability for secrecy," Changhe Daojun replied lightly.

A low chuckle followed.

"I too am rather curious about this weapon you are trying to create," muttered the Ancient Heavenly Demon God Mara.

He stood with four powerful arms folded across his chest, purple-black skin.

His very face seemed dangerous enough to fracture focus and disturb enlightenment itself.

"Do you believe, that the current weapon for the challenger is lacking? The one refined by Changhe Daojun himself?" Mara continued, his eyes narrowing toward the Human Emperor.

The implication was obvious.

If a new weapon was forged.

Then the previous one was insufficient.

And if it was insufficient.

Then someone’s judgment was flawed.

Mara’s lips curled.

If the one who ultimately freed them from this sealed realm were Human.

The karmic tides would tilt violently toward Humanity.

And the relationship between Humans and Heavenly Demons...

Had never been pleasant.

Golden radiance flickered nearby.

"Though the affairs of the Human race are not my concern," said the Supreme Heavenly God Shen calmly, his face obscured by layers of sacred golden light.

"I support the creation of this weapon."

His voice carried absolute clarity.

Heavenly Demons and Heavenly Gods were eternal opposites.

If Mara chose to oppose.

Shen would choose endorsement.

Not necessarily because he cared.

But because opposition was instinct.

Mara’s expression twisted.

Killing intent spilled outward in dense waves, corroding the air.

"Mara!" shouted Prime Architect Jiyx sharply, triangular head flaring.

"Know where you stand."

The space around them tightened.

This was the Architect’s domain.

"Tsk."

Mara clicked his tongue, suppressing his aura.

He had no desire to antagonize the Architects directly.

Not here. Not while sealed.

"I am merely here to observe," he said coldly.

"A new weapon is always interesting."

Just then a staff tapped lightly against the air as if it were ground.

"I’m here to watch a new weapon being built too," said Sun Wukong casually, tilting his head back to look at the sky.

His golden eyes gleamed with amusement.