The matriarch looked up at the grand dao again after hearing Worldkeeper. She didn’t notice anything and said: “What’s different?”

The matriarch had only seen the Heaven’s Will once so she was not a match for his keen insight. 

“The power, the grand dao, and the laws of the heaven and earth.” The true god slowly explained: “There is something lacking about them or maybe they’re resonating with something. In short, there is something different about this gathering compared to the past.”

“Worldkeeper, quite keen you are.” Li Qiye smiled and said: “This generation is definitely different from the rest of the generations and even all of the lost epochs. This is completely unprecedented, this epoch will be special because of this generation.” 

“We’re at the pinnacle of the epoch?” The true god was surprised.

“No, we still haven’t reached the maximum point just yet.” Li Qiye shook his head: “But this epoch will be different because of me, Li Qiye. It isn’t the pinnacle but it will shine even brighter! It will be able to reach the end of the world and shine brilliantly. Future generations won’t be able to reach this height again!”

Li Qiye seemed to be boasting but Worldkeeper and the matriarch felt that this was a matter of course. They knew that His Excellency has been preparing for this through the long years. No one had ever planned something as thorough as him in the past.

Worldkeeper had participated in the immortal war before with Li Qiye. He was aware that Li Qiye’s ace cards were terrible beyond imagination. This was the reason why the guy was able to stand strong through the ages.

“The throne is mine in this generation but for me, the Heaven’s Will itself is only a decorative piece.” He grinned and said slowly.

“The Heaven’s Will is only decoration!?” The matriarch was stunned to hear such a bold statement. She naturally knew how heaven-defying he was but this sentence still shocked her all the same.

The Heaven’s Will might not be everything to an emperor but it was their invincible power and strongest backing. Outsiders would never believe Li Qiye but the two people here understood that this was the truth.

“There are other things above the Heaven’s Will?” The true god had to ask.

“Maybe, maybe not. There’s no good definition for this. But as you know, there is a time period greater than a generation, the epochs.”

The true god carefully contemplated this answer because he knew what an epoch was.

An epoch was a time period consisted of many generations and eras.

History consisted of many generations belonging to the emperors or an era such as the Desolace Expansion Era before the Emperors Era. All of them were part of an epoch.

Thus, this particular epoch consisted of the Desolate Era all the way to the current Emperors Era.

Some believed that the Desolate Era was indeed the start of this epoch. Alas, no one could really verify this claim and know the true start of this epoch.

“Then what kind of power are you looking for?” The normally calm matriarch found herself out of character.

Li Qiye smiled and shook his head: “Qingfeng, your view on the end of the world is too simple. That last battle won’t be so easy. The Heaven’s Will alone is not enough. Otherwise, so many Immortal Emperors and Immortal Monarchs would have advanced in waves. So many brilliant emperors and unbeatable giants have fallen. Some unstoppable camps and alliances lost all the same.”

“This war is merciless and the competition for Heaven’s Will is nothing in comparison, only a game between children, not worth mentioning.” He sighed at this point.

“I know you can be the last one smiling, Your Excellency. You have so many hidden cards and the ultimate move is enough to destroy everything.” The matriarch said.

Li Qiye shook his head: “I do have many hidden cards but they are only effective against living beings. They could threaten many existences like burial grounds and emperors. Even above the nine heavens, I still have enough to oppose the emperors and monarchs. However, at the end of the world, these hidden cards are ineffective.”

“Then what about the ultimate move?” The true god felt like asking.

He was referring to the crystal pillar that Li Qiye used to threaten the Crystalfowl Immortal Mine.

“That thing can only be used as a threat.” Li Qiye gently shook his head: “It doesn’t matter how powerful it is since when it is used, everything is done for. Even in the most desperate situation, I still can’t use it since it means the end of all. It is used for a gamble, to see who has the better mental fortitude and dao heart.”

Having said that, he looked at the flowing grand dao and said: “Because of this, I need real power. With real power, I can be the last one smiling instead of just playing the threatening game. That’s why the current power of the Heaven’s Will is rather insignificant in comparison.”

The true god and the matriarch were quiet. Despite their own substantial power, they couldn’t imagine the level of forces Li Qiye was referring to. They have seen emperors and knew how strong they were, especially when emperors became crazy with their Heaven’s Will. However, Li Qiye was chasing a power where the Heaven’s Will would only play a minor role. It had exceeded their imagination.

“What a shame that I won’t be able to see your invincible style.” The true god said with a tinge of emotion.

Li Qiye chuckled and stared at the horizon: “Not being able to see is a good thing. Victory will be a bright universe while defeat… we shouldn’t think about it.”

The other two merely listened and didn’t dare to imagine any further. They were veterans and understood that this level of war was much crueler compared to their own experiences.

***

The near formation of the Heaven’s Will excited all cultivators in the nine worlds. They have finally waited till this moment and were more than eager to try.

In a short time, each world debated about the top candidates for Immortal Emperor. Of course, their lists were different because the nine worlds weren’t connected just yet. These geniuses haven’t fought against each other just yet so everyone only talked about their own world.

In Mortal Emperor, the top candidates were Fiercest and Long Aotian. Many were very optimistic about Fiercest. Of course, Long Aotian had his fair share of supporters because of Soaring Immortal.

Though many people in Mortal Emperor were happy, this atmosphere didn’t last for long. For some cultivators in the Grand Sea, a disaster was coming.

“Boom!” A loud explosion resounded across the Grand Sea. A thick black pillar descended from the sky and looked just like a tornado.

It carried an unstoppable power of the storm that instantly tore the sky apart and rushed for the location of a great power.

This great power reigned over thirteen smaller sects so it was quite powerful. They had produced many Godkings in the past.

“We’re under attack, get  ready!” The ancestors here were shocked and shouted.

“Clang, clang, clang.” The warning bells sounded everywhere and the sect readied its defensive barriers.

“Boom!” However, these barriers were useless before this black tornado and collapsed instantly like a dried branch.

“Kill!” Every member of the sect mustered all of their strength to attack. Some ancestors even burned their own blood to unleash their strongest attack.

“Rumble!” The world shook and their effort was for naught. Their attempt was insignificant before the black tornado and all the attacks were broken.

“Ah!” In a short time, miserable screams echoed everywhere. All the disciples were pulled into the tornado and got pulverized into mists of blood. Even the ancestors couldn’t escape.