Chapter 692: Collecting the Ancient City

The news of the Mechanical Race’s betrayal had long since spread throughout the Cosmic Universe.

As the leaders of their respective races, these four beings naturally knew of it as well.

Yet faced with the "gazes" of three powerhouses of the same level, the Mechanical Emperor showed no fear.

"Sovereign, there is no reason to act like this. Who among us has not cooperated with beings from a past Era?"

"As long as it doesn’t threaten the survival of the Cosmic Universe, a mere agreement to provide some life essence is nothing."

"And... these people might not know, but you should know very well that it’s impossible for them to truly threaten the Cosmic Universe."

The Mechanical Emperor’s words would have surprised many people if they were to hear them, from ordinary people to mighty Emperors.

Clearly, the Mechanical Race’s betrayal was not an isolated incident.

According to the Mechanical Emperor, the other races had also done the same.

It was simply the first time such an incident had come to light—at least in recent history.

As long as the Mechanical Emperor promised to pay some compensation to the other Apex Civilizations, no one would take this matter to heart. At the very least, it was far from enough to destroy the universe’s delicate balance.

Of course, these were all a matter for later.

For the time being, the four leaders first had to decide how to deal with the ancient city and the supposed ancient powerhouse who had just been resurrected.

The Mechanical Emperor knew this, and the other leaders knew it as well.

Surprisingly, the person to speak up for him was the Human Ruler.

Knowing that they should not fight at the present moment, he moved the conversation back to the matter at hand.

"Let’s investigate the extraterrestrial battlefield first and find out what is going on."

"If things come to the worst, we can only force our way into it. Although this might lead to its destruction, it’s better than the alternative—giving that person time."

The other consciousnesses stirred, obviously agreeing with the Human Ruler’s judgement.

Indeed. They could not remain passive.

Since that unknown powerhouse had just revived, it was impossible for them to have regained their full strength so quickly. The leaders’ best bet was to take action before the enemy had fully recovered, taking advantage of their weakness.

Having made a decision, none of the four Rank 13 Awakeners needed to communicate any further.

As though they had reached an agreement beforehand, a portion of their consciousness split off, landing outside the extraterrestrial battlefield and taking material form.

Soon, four clones materialized.

Three men. One woman.

Each had their own unique appearance and demeanor.

Their auras only reached the pinnacle of Rank 10, clearly a result of them being clones.

Yet if any Emperor, including the War God, were here, they would be terrifying.

Despite possessing the fundamental strength of Rank 10, the power of these powerhouses far surpassed that of any Emperor.

Each stood on the same level as the "Divine Emperor" who had previously slaughtered their team.

They were all Rank 13 Awakeners, after all. With their vision and knowledge, they could exert power far beyond what their surface realm would suggest.

The four rulers exchanged a quick glance.

Then, without any further hesitation, they stepped into the extraterrestrial battlefield. Since they were only at Rank 10, the place did not react intensely upon their entry.

Although the space around them vibrated, as though wanting to expel them, it ultimately remained stable.

The four leaders moved in unison, approaching the ancient city at a terrifying speed.

Yet just as the ancient city appeared on the horizon only moments later, they all stopped in place.

Not out of their own volition. They were frozen.

They instinctively raised their heads to look at the sky, only to see an enormous tear in the fabric of space.

Then, flashing lightning.

A deafening boom echoed inside their minds before their consciousness suddenly went blank.

It took several moments before their consciousness cleared up and they returned to reality.

By then, both the lightning and the tear in space had long since vanished.

However, the four leaders’ shock had not diminished in the slightest.

Their eyes remained wide open, unable to comprehend the scene they had just become witnesses to.

Their shock was far from over, though.

Not long after they recovered, another extraordinary phenomenon attracted their attention.

A powerful force arose at the center of the ancient city before a figure suddenly materialized above it.

Their features were incomprehensible. It was impossible to judge their gender, age, or even their general appearance.

The only thing one could remember about them was that they were truly massive.

Larger than planets. Larger than galaxies. Seemingly larger than the universe itself.

This was fully demonstrated a mere moment later.

The giant figure stretched out its hand, reaching out to grab the ancient city.

The city, large enough to cover entire civilizations, began to shrink.

Within moments, its outline had turned into a tiny black dot, falling into the figure’s hand and disappearing.

Watching this scene, the four leaders were shocked once more.

Such a level of power should not have been possible to exert within the extraterrestrial battlefield!

No! Even in the Cosmic Universe, such means were extremely rare.

Aside from them, only those creatures who had been unearthed from long-lost Eras could display them.

The expressions of the four leaders rapidly shifted.

The bodies that had come here were merely their clones. Though strong, they were far from able to exert their full power.

As such, they understood.

Most likely, they would be unable to complete their goal today.

In the worst-case scenario, even their clones would be unable to return to their real bodies, causing them to permanently lose a portion of their strength.

Their worst fears soon came true.

After collecting the ancient city, the enormous figure seemed to have sensed something. It suddenly turned to look at them.

The moment their eyes met, an overwhelming pressure fell upon the leaders.

Their bodies trembled instinctively. They felt as though they were facing a high-dimensional being.

Amidst their astonished gazes, the extraterrestrial battlefield began to shatter.