Chapter 60: The Descent of the Ruler of the Council

As the date of the All-Races Tournament drew closer, unprecedented activity began to spread throughout the Central Empire.

Cultivators arrived from every corner of the world.

From distant continents and remote islands rarely visited by outsiders, and even from the depths of the seas, creatures and cultivators emerged—beings whose very existence was unknown to most of the world's inhabitants.

Everyone was heading toward the Central Empire.

The event taking place this time was not merely an ordinary tournament between a group of young geniuses.

It was an occasion where the great powers would gather to showcase the new generation of their heirs to the world.

The true competition revolved around a single question:

Which power would produce the strongest generation?

For that reason, the spectators were not limited to the young participants.

The rulers of the great empires, the elders of ancient sects, the leaders of mighty clans, and even some ancient cultivators who had vanished from the world for thousands of years had come.

The Central Empire was well aware of the magnitude of this event.

Therefore, it ordered the construction of a colossal structure in the heart of the capital.

The arena was so enormous that tens of thousands of cultivators could stand within it without making the place feel crowded.

Massive stands rose around it, while an elevated platform had been reserved for the rulers.

At the center of the arena, special platforms had been prepared for the competitors.

Above the arena, enormous defensive formations had been engraved, capable of absorbing attacks that might exceed the strength of the participants.

Merely looking at this structure was enough to make one understand the message the Central Empire wished to convey:

This tournament represented the prestige of the entire world.

Two Months Later...

The great powers began arriving.

The first to arrive was the delegation of the Heavenly Council.

Above the arena, space suddenly rippled.

Then, a dazzling white spatial gate appeared.

A magnificent procession of holy knights emerged from it.

Their white armor gleamed beneath the sunlight, and they carried the banners of the Heavenly Council.

Behind them appeared an old man.

His hair was pure white, and his long beard was equally white. His face bore the wrinkles of countless years.

Despite his relatively ordinary appearance, his aura alone was enough to make many cultivators instinctively retreat.

Whispers rose throughout the crowd.

"That's the Leader of the Heavenly Council!"

"I didn't expect him to come personally."

"That means the Council is taking the tournament seriously."

"Look at the holy knights behind him!"

"Every one of them looks stronger than any cultivator I've ever seen in my entire life."

Walking beside the Leader of the Council was a middle-aged man.

He wore a strange priestly robe that concealed his entire body except for his head.

His black hair was streaked with strands of gray, while a black blindfold covered his eyes. Engraved upon it were symbols of the sun, moon, and stars.

His face was handsome, but his aura made everyone feel a strange sensation they could not explain.

One of the elders in the audience muttered:

"Who is that man?"

The person beside him replied:

"I don't know... but don't try using your spiritual sense to investigate him."

"Why?"

"Because I tried."

He swallowed hard.

"And I couldn't see anything."

Behind the two men appeared the younger generation of the Heavenly Council.

Five youths in their twenties.

Three men and two women.

Arrogance was clearly visible on their faces.

The audience immediately began discussing them.

"Are those the geniuses of the Heavenly Council?"

"They look so young."

"Young? Can't you sense their auras?"

"How strong do you think they are?"

One person answered:

"At least hundreds of times stronger than me."

Then a sixth person appeared.

But she was not a participant.

She was Lunaria Foyd, the Holy Daughter of the Heavenly Council.

She was an exceptionally beautiful young woman with long black hair and blue eyes. Her features bore a striking resemblance to Lilian.

However, her expression was calm and indifferent.

Her eyes scanned the audience as though she were searching for someone in particular.

Then she stopped.

A gentle smile appeared on her face.

She had found the person she wanted to see.

Selena was enthusiastically waving at her from the stands, sitting beside her mother, Lilian, and her father, Valer.

Selena called out loudly:

"Sister!"

Lunaria smiled.

Then she turned toward the old man and said:

"Master, I'll go see my family, if you don't mind."

The old man turned toward her.

Then he smiled gently.

"Go."

Lunaria gave a slight bow.

Then she flew into the air.

Lunaria landed directly in front of her family.

She had barely touched the ground when Selena rushed toward her and hugged her tightly.

"Sister!"

Lunaria laughed.

Then she patted her head.

"You haven't changed at all, have you, you little troublemaker?"

Selena laughed.

"And you took so long to come!"

"I was busy."

"That's not an excuse!"

Lunaria laughed again.

Then Selena released her.

Lunaria turned toward her parents.

"Mother... Father... I'm happy to see you."

Lilian smiled and embraced her.

"My dear..."

Mother and daughter remained locked in a silent embrace for several moments.

Then Lunaria stepped back and hugged her father.

Valer smiled.

"My beautiful princess."

Lunaria laughed.

"I missed you both."

Selena watched them happily.

But Lilian...

She was different.

Although she was smiling, there was a hint of worry in her eyes.

As if she could sense that something was about to happen.

Lunaria noticed it.

"Mother, are you alright?"

Lilian answered quickly:

"Of course."

But Lunaria was not entirely convinced.

Suddenly...

Space rippled above the arena.

A massive golden gate appeared.

A group of women emerged from it.

At the front was a mature woman of extraordinary beauty.

Her black hair was styled into an elegant bun, and her eyes were radiant yellow.

Her aura was immensely imposing, and her features carried the dignity of someone accustomed to commanding millions.

The crowd erupted in excitement.

"It's the Empress!"

"Empress of Ur!"

"Titania!"

"Empress Titania has arrived!"

Empress Titania entered the arena accompanied by two mature women wearing armor and five young girls.

The Empress walked toward the rulers' platform.

Then she gracefully sat in the seat at the far left.

The two women accompanying her remained standing behind her.

One of the rulers watched her and said:

"Empress of Ur has attended personally."

Another replied:

"That confirms the tournament is more important than we expected."

A short while later...

Space rippled once again.

A blue spatial rift appeared.

Another group emerged.

They belonged to the Association for the Protection of Races.

At the front stood an old man with white hair and a short white beard.

His features were unexpectedly gentle.

Behind him was a middle-aged woman wearing light armor and carrying a greatsword on her back.

Behind them were five young people.

Three men and two women.

One of the young men was Leon.

The moment he entered the arena...

He felt something.

He turned toward the audience.

His eyes widened.

He had seen his family.

And he had seen his elder sister, whom he had not seen in a long time.

He approached the old man and said:

"Master, may I go see my family?"

The old man smiled.

"Go."

Leon immediately flew toward his family.

The other great powers continued arriving.

Gates of different colors appeared throughout the arena.

The Infinite Races Guild arrived.

Then the Heavenly Serpent Empire.

Then the Barbarian Empire.

Then other sects, clans, and empires.

With every arrival, the arena became increasingly noisy.

"Look! That's the Heavenly Serpent Empire!"

"Is that man their ruler?"

"Yes."

"I heard he killed an Immortal Emperor with his bare hands."

"Is that true?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to find out."

Someone else laughed.

"Where is the Council Clan?"

Silence fell for a moment.

Then someone said:

"They haven't arrived yet."

Another person looked toward the rulers' platform.

"There's one empty seat."

An elder said:

"That seat is reserved for the Council Clan."

"Then will Azrael come personally?"

"Who knows?"

Whispers began spreading.

"Will he appear?"

"Perhaps he'll send someone else."

"But the Heavenly Council wants to see him."

"The Central Empire does too."

"If Azrael appears here, the entire world will see him."

Minutes passed.

Then ten minutes.

Then even longer.

Yet the seat remained empty.

Tension began spreading.

One of the rulers said irritably:

"They're late."

Another replied:

"Perhaps they're doing it deliberately."

"You think they're trying to display their strength?"

"If so, it's a dangerous move."

The audience was beginning to lose patience as well.

"Where are they?"

"Will the Council Clan even arrive?"

"Perhaps they're afraid to face the great powers."

One cultivator laughed.

But an elder beside him said:

"Don't laugh."

"Why?"

"Because the Rain Empire said the same thing."

The man's expression froze.

He swallowed hard.

Finally...

One of the rulers exploded in anger.

"The Council Clan!"

His voice echoed throughout the arena.

"This is disrespectful!"

Everyone turned toward him.

"How dare you make us wait?!"

Then something strange happened.

The sky darkened.

The sun stopped casting its light.

The brightness vanished.

Absolute silence descended upon the arena.

Everyone raised their heads.

The ruler who had been shouting froze.

"What is this?"

One of the elders said:

"No one move."

Another said:

"This isn't a natural phenomenon."

In the stands, Lilian looked toward the sky nervously.

Lunaria noticed.

She thought her mother was frightened.

So she took her hand.

"Mother, don't worry."

Lilian looked at her.

She did not answer.

Her eyes remained fixed upon the sky.

Then...

Everyone heard a sound.

Crack.

It was followed by more.

Crack...

Crack...

Then cracks appeared across the sky.

This was not a metaphor.

The sky itself began cracking like glass.

One of the cultivators shouted:

"The sky!"

Then...

It shattered.

Behind it appeared an endless cosmic expanse.

Galaxies.

Stars.

Cosmic darkness.

Then a massive cloud made entirely of flames emerged from the breach.

It began descending slowly.

The instant it appeared...

The temperature of the arena rose violently.

Some of the stones began melting.

The audience screamed.

"The heat!"

"It's burning me!"

The rulers immediately intervened.

Their auras spread out to protect the audience.

Yet even some of them looked serious.

One of the rulers said:

"What is this aura?"

Another answered:

"It's not the aura of an ordinary person."

The flaming cloud descended until it reached the center of the arena.

Then it stopped.

The flames began to fade.

Seven figures appeared.

At the front stood a tall man.

He was nearly two meters tall.

His physique was muscular, and his skin was slightly pale.

But what made everyone freeze was his appearance.

Two long black horns protruded from either side of his head.

His eyes were dark purple, with vertical slits.

As for his expression...

It was completely indifferent.

Whispers began spreading.

"The horns..."

"That emblem..."

"The clothing..."

"They're from the Council Clan!"

Then someone shouted:

"It's Azrael!"

"Azrael Netherval!"

"The Ruler of the Council Clan!"

The name spread throughout the arena like wildfire.

But the woman standing beside him did not tolerate it.

She was Agnes, Queen of the Flames of Hell.

The moment she heard the people uttering Azrael's name...

Her aura erupted.

The temperature rose to terrifying levels.

The stones beneath the audience's feet began melting.

She shouted in a thunderous voice:

"How dare you!"

The entire arena fell silent.

"How dare you, you lowly ants, utter the Ruler's name with your filthy tongues?!"

The arena trembled.

Even the expressions of some of the rulers changed.

As for Azrael...

He did not even turn toward her.

As though the matter had nothing to do with him.

He simply stepped forward.

Then he began walking through the air.

One step.

Then another.

Until he reached the rulers' platform.

Everyone watched him.

No one spoke.

The rulers sat in silence.

Azrael looked at the seat reserved for him.

His dark purple eyes narrowed slightly.

Then...

The seat turned to dust.

Fwoosh!

In its place appeared a magnificent throne.

Azrael sat upon it.

Then he looked across the entire arena.

His voice carried absolute arrogance:

"Not just any seat is worthy of this great one's presence."

Silence.

Then whispers began.

"He's arrogant..."

"He destroyed a seat reserved specifically for him!"

"In front of all the rulers!"

One person said:

"He's gone too far."

But another elder replied:

"You haven't seen what he did to the Rain Empire."

The man swallowed hard.

As for Titania...

She stared at him with interest.

She thought to herself:

So this is Azrael Netherval...

On the other side, the Leader of the Heavenly Council watched him without changing his expression.

But the man beside him with the black blindfold...

Tilted his head slightly.

As if he were trying to perceive something that no one else could.

As for Lilian...

She had completely frozen.

Lunaria noticed.

"Mother?"

She did not answer.

Lilian stared at the man sitting upon the throne.

For the first time since arriving at the tournament...

True fear appeared in her eyes.

As for Selena...

She stared at Azrael in astonishment.

Then whispered:

"So... that's Azrael?"

Elsewhere in the stands, Leon was also watching the scene.

He felt something strange.

Something he could not explain.

Meanwhile, Gaya and Agnes...

Stood behind Azrael.

Gaya smiled calmly.

Agnes, however, still carried murderous fury toward anyone who dared disrespect her master.

And thus...

For the first time before all the great powers of the world, Azrael Netherval appeared publicly.

He had not merely arrived late.

He had descended from the heavens themselves.

And he had sat upon a throne created before the eyes of all the rulers.

At that moment, everyone realized one thing:

The All-Races Tournament was no longer merely a tournament.

It had begun.