The news that Jiu You was not dead, and had reappeared to serve the ruler of the Shifang Empire, swept through the entire Shifang world like a storm.
Who would have thought that the once legendary Great Emperor Jiu You had not perished in that heavenly tribulation? After all, countless powerful figures had gathered to witness Jiu You's tribulation back then.
These onlookers were no ordinary cultivators; their strength was at least at the Monarch realm. Therefore, those who witnessed it back then, if nothing unexpected happened, were almost all still alive today, or perhaps had advanced further to become supreme overlords of a cosmic domain.
"Jiu You is not dead? How is this possible! Old woman personally saw him turn to ashes under that heavenly tribulation! No, I must go there myself, or I won't have peace of mind!" On a lush green planet in a distant second cosmic domain, inside a grand main hall, a beautiful middle-aged woman straightened up upon hearing the news...
"Jiu You is still alive? What should we do?"
"What to do? Old Fang, from the moment he failed his tribulation, it was destined that he could not become a Great Emperor. Besides, when the news of his death spread, we didn't immediately pledge allegiance to others. We even protected his clan for a year. We've been more than generous to him."
"That's true, but he was kind to us after all."
"Kindness? What is that worth? He is no longer the Jiu You of the past. We are now serving different masters! If we meet, we will be enemies unto death!"
In a third cosmic domain, on an ancient battlefield, several generals gathered and whispered amongst themselves, their voices filled with scoffing mockery and the melancholy of time's passage.
"Jiu You, I knew you wouldn't die so easily! However, your strength must have greatly diminished, or you wouldn't have watched helplessly as we tortured your clansmen. You cut off my imperial path with a single sword back then, and it would have been better for you to die. Since you didn't, I will surely make you realize there are things in this world more terrifying than death!"
In the first cosmic domain, atop a golden celestial palace, a middle-aged man in royal attire gazed at the ever-changing starry sky, sword shadows flashing in his eyes.
"Father, what has angered you so?" Just then, boundless petals descended from the sky, carrying a faint fragrance. A pretty, girl-next-door appeared before the middle-aged man.
"It's nothing, just an old friend from the past has reappeared. Your father was a little overwhelmed upon hearing his news." The middle-aged man looked at his daughter, but even as he spoke, a hint of apprehension could be seen deep within his pupils.
Indeed, he showed apprehension towards his own daughter.
"Father is talking about Jiu You, isn't he? I know. I've heard that he cut off Father's hope of becoming emperor with a single sword after ascending the imperial path, and then made Father lose all ambition, forcing him to return to Grandfather and be content as a crown prince."
The little girl seemed oblivious to her father's displeased expression, nor did she realize that her words were like a knife twisting and turning in his heart.
"Yes, but fortunately, your father gave birth to such a good daughter as you. In just a few hundred years, you've transformed a dilapidated planet left by your grandfather into a supreme empire." The middle-aged man couldn't help but jest with a smile. DaFeng Novel Network
Indeed, the little girl before him was the ruler of the Futian Empire, Yao Die. And the middle-aged man was Yao Die's father, and once the most dazzling prodigy of the Muwu clan, Mu Tian!
"This is also thanks to the immense resources Father left me. Now that the Heavenly Dao has opened fifteen years ago, without Father's words back then, no matter how hard I tried, it would have been useless."
Indeed, everyone knew of Yao Die's terrifying power, but few knew that all her achievements were built upon her father Mu Tian. Thousands of years ago, Mu Tian took over the Muwu clan. His first act upon taking office was to gather a million-strong army from an unknown source and sweep through their star domain. Within a mere five hundred years, they had annexed over a thousand star domains in the first cosmic domain! This officially initiated the Muwu clan's colonial era.
Surprisingly, after colonizing over eleven hundred star domains, Mu Tian stopped expanding outwards and entered a period of consolidation lasting over a thousand years. During this period, the overall strength of the Muwu clan underwent a seismic shift. The most apparent change was in the Muwu army; in just a millennium, their numbers grew from one million to thirteen billion, with every soldier reaching above the Moon realm!
Then, with the unanimous consent of the Elder Council, Mu Tian directly launched a campaign of conquest, and in less than two hundred years, he had gained control of all three thousand star domains in the first cosmic domain.
It could be said that Yao Die's prestige was highest in the second to fifth cosmic domains. However, in this first cosmic domain, Yao Die was ultimately just a princess.
Thinking back to those times, just as Mu Tian was full of ambition, preparing to march into the second cosmic domain, the Elder Council unanimously vetoed his plans and stripped him of his military command, reducing him to a mere clan heir without real power.
Mu Tian knew that the Elder Council feared his power would diminish their own influence. Thus, Mu Tian could only reluctantly accept. Even though he could mobilize all the armies without the Elder Council's approval, he hadn't done so back then. He knew that while the Muwu clan had accumulated resources for thousands of years, their foundation was still insufficient. If internal strife broke out, the Muwu clan might never recover.
It was during this period that Yao Die was born...
"Father, Xiao Die sincerely thanks you for your guidance. I've also heard about the feud between Jiu You and Father. Therefore, I hope Father will come out of seclusion once more!" Yao Die looked at her father. Since the last incident, her father hadn't shown such anger in a long time. If not for Jiu You's reappearance, Yao Die would have suspected her father had become indifferent to everything.
Regarding Mu Tian, Yao Die had grown up under the indoctrination of countless clan members, making Mu Tian her lifelong idol. It was precisely for this reason that, even though her talent was not as great as others in the clan, she gained Mu Tian's great favor. At the opening of the Heavenly Dao, he bestowed all the clan's resources upon Yao Die, allowing her to reach a position that others could only gaze upon at the game's inception.
And Yao Die did not disappoint him. In just fifteen years, with the help of the Heavenly Dao, her strength advanced from the peak of the Sun realm to the peak of the Monarch realm. So, when Yao Die began to reveal her ambitions, he unhesitatingly handed over all the forces he had privately managed in the second to fifth cosmic domains to her. It was through this that Yao Die rose rapidly. Recently, she broke through to the Extreme realm, her prestige soaring while also revealing her ruthless side.
"I know what you're thinking. If Jiu You steps into the fifth cosmic domain, I will take action."
Mu Tian turned and left...