"A ruler of a world?"
Fang Han laughed when he heard the Great Harmony King and the Great Summer King promise him such a grand reward. "The celestial race truly lives up to its name—the most exalted and domineering beings under heaven. But empty promises don't impress me. I only believe in what's already in my hands."
He swept his gaze over the seven Divine Kings trapped before him.
"You're all prisoners. I've already taken the Sun and Moon Essence Wheels from you, and your bodies are full of priceless treasures. Hundreds of billions of pills, at least. I'm currently dirt-poor, and you expect me to let you go now? Keep dreaming."
The Great Harmony King grew furious, though his voice remained icy and controlled.
"Fang Han, do you know how vast the army is that our celestial race has prepared to invade the Profound Yellow World? You don't. Eighty billion soldiers. Eighty billion—can your imagination even grasp that number?"
He continued, voice echoing like divine thunder.
"You think you can stop us? The only reason we haven't arrived in full force already is that traversing space-time consumes immense power. As of now, the Profound Yellow World has already fallen. Once we use that world as a foothold, we will march straight into the Immortal Realm!"
"The Immortal Realm?" Fang Han frowned. "Entering it is no simple task. One must reach the Tenth Layer of the Longevity Realm, comprehend the laws of space, time, life, death, reincarnation… Only then can one rip open the Immortal Gate. You're saying your entire race wants to enter the Immortal Realm?"
He suddenly sensed there were secrets worth extracting here.
The Great Summer King answered:
"You know nothing. Ascension isn't the only path. The Profound Yellow World lies closer to the Immortal Realm than any other world. There are countless time-spaces, countless stars, billions of worlds across the universe—but the Profound Yellow World is unique. It is the closest to the Immortal Realm.
"In ancient times, the World Tree—Jianmu—pierced through the heavens and connected directly to the Immortal Realm. Because of that, the barrier between the Profound Yellow World and the Immortal Realm is thinner than anywhere else."
He leaned forward, voice deepening.
"If one can tear open that barrier, one can bring entire groups of people into the Immortal Realm. And once inside? Cultivation there is unimaginable. Reaching the Longevity Realm is easier than reaching the Divine Ability Realm here. You know the Yellow Springs Emperor, don't you? Do you know how he died?"
Fang Han stiffened.
"He perished attempting ascension. Not because he failed—but because he tried to bring too many people with him. The Immortal Realm's laws struck him down. Only those who reach the Tenth Layer of the Longevity Realm and endure the Void God Thunder may enter. Bringing mortals is a crime punishable by death. You didn't know this, did you?"
"And only our celestial race—once we occupy the Profound Yellow World—can bring you into the Immortal Realm. Only we can grant you eternal life."
Fang Han's mind churned like a stormy sea.
So many secrets.
So much he had never heard—not even from Yama.
The Profound Yellow World was the closest point to the Immortal Realm.
Ascension here was easier than in any starry sky.
The Yellow Springs Emperor died because he tried to ascend with others.
And the celestial race wanted not just to enter the Immortal Realm—
but to claim it.
"Interesting," Fang Han thought. "But far too distant. Ten thousand years from now is meaningless. My only goal is reaching the Longevity Realm and becoming a great ancient titan."
Outwardly, he only sneered.
All seven Divine Kings glared at him.
"Hmph! You overestimate yourself," the Great Summer King growled. "You think you can kill us? We are the celestial race—born rulers of the universe. Your Avici Demonic Qi may suppress us, but it cannot truly harm us."
He laughed wildly.
"Do you think we're like those two weakling Divine Monarchs you killed before? We are Divine Kings. We have already forged a True God Seed. It is anchored in the void. Through it, we draw power from the Virtual God Realm. Even if you grind our bodies to dust, you cannot kill us. We are just one step from immortality."
Indeed, the seven Divine Kings, though wrapped in suffocating Avici Qi, glowed with divine radiance. Fang Han could not break them down.
They were trapped—
but not dying.
"True God Seeds…" Fang Han narrowed his eyes.
Inside each Divine King was a spinning seed, absorbing an unseen power from beyond space-time—restoring their bodies faster than his suppression could drain them. Even the Yellow Springs Diagram couldn't block that power.
They were like Fang Han himself, back when he had relied on the World Tree to draw Immortal Qi within the Taoyuan Immortal Mansion.
The Divine Kings drew power not from the Immortal Realm—but from their own domain:
the Virtual God Realm.
A mysterious sacred dimension.
Not equal to the Immortal Realm, but still one of the universe's rarest spaces.
As long as they possessed True God Seeds, Fang Han could not kill them—
not without Longevity-level strength.
The Divine Kings were terrifying.
So what of the Divine Emperors above them?
Fang Han's eyes gleamed.
"So Divine Kings produce their own supernatural fruit… then let's see what your fruit looks like."
His brow split open as a streak of emerald light shot out—manifesting into a sapling within the Yellow Springs Diagram.
The World Tree.
Even as a sapling, it absorbed Immortal Qi from cracks in the void, nourishing itself.
In ancient times, even Divine Kings were absorbed by the fully grown World Tree and condensed into Longevity Fruits. The ancient tree was the natural nemesis of the celestial race.
Even as a seedling, in Fang Han's hands, it was more than enough.
"What—what is that!?"
All seven Divine Kings roared in terror.
"The World Tree! But—it's only a sapling… It shouldn't exist! Our ancients shattered it! Its trunk supports our homeland, the Virtual God Realm!"
Fang Han smiled coldly.
"You all die now."
No more questions. More secrets would only complicate things.
He unleashed his Golden Core's full pressure, locking the seven Divine Kings motionless. The World Tree's roots split into seven tendrils, stabbing into each Divine King's body.
Their screams echoed like pigs being slaughtered.
"Fang Han! You oppose the celestial race—you will not end well! We will build a God Realm, superior to the Immortal Realm itself! You cannot stop us. Your fate is sealed—death! Only death!"
The Great Harmony King shriveled like a corpse, skin sticking to bone, still raving:
"We will stand above the Immortals—above heaven itself!"
Fang Han shivered.
To transcend the Immortal Realm itself…
To create a God Realm…
The celestial race's ambition was madness—
and terrifying.