"Boss, are you hurt?"
After the battle ended, Drake Liu, Bella Bai, Silver Xiu, and the others hurried over.
"I'm fine!"
Ian Song waved his hand dismissively.
"Lord Chu, you're truly mighty! After this battle, I bet everyone under the heavens will know your name!" Silver Xiu said flatteringly.
"That's right!"
Drake Liu nodded in full agreement. "Among the younger generation, aside from Ao Tian and Feng Jiu, no one can compete with you!"
Ian Song smiled, then looked at Silver Xiu. "How heavy were your losses?"
"Sigh!"
Silver Xiu let out a heavy sigh. "Aside from myself, only a handful of guards escaped—the rest all died!"
Earlier, there had been several hundred Dragonfolk in this manor, but now fewer than ten remained—over ninety-nine percent perished in the battle.
Tragically, they weren't killed by the enemy, but died as collateral damage from the shockwaves of Ian Song's battle.
"Don't worry. I'll avenge them!"
As he spoke, a fierce killing intent flashed in Ian Song's eyes.
"Lord Chu!"
Silver Xiu hesitated, wanting to speak.
"Go ahead," Ian Song said.
"Is Lord Chu planning to take revenge on the Ji Clan?" Silver Xiu asked.
"They dared to attack me so brazenly. Of course I won't let them off!" Ian Song said coldly.
"Exactly—an eye for an eye, blood for blood!" Drake Liu agreed emphatically.
A worried look appeared on Silver Xiu's face. "Lord Chu, as you know, the Central Domain is covered by an Ancient Super-Formation, and the Ji Clan's patriarch, Jasper Ji, is the current Left Grand Chancellor. With his official seal, he can draw on at least sixty percent of the formation's power—at that point, his strength would rival an ordinary god. So please, Lord Chu, think carefully before acting!"
"Is it really that powerful?" Drake Liu was shocked, but also a little skeptical.
"I wouldn't dare speak carelessly!" Silver Xiu said gravely.
Ian Song mused, "If drawing sixty percent of the formation's power lets someone rival an ordinary god, then wouldn't the emperor, who can mobilize the entire formation, be even stronger?"
"Much more than that!"
Silver Xiu shook his head, his expression growing even more serious. "The emperor of the Central Empire can not only mobilize the full power of the formation, but also draw on the strength of all the empire's citizens. If he does, even high-tier gods wouldn't dare confront him head-on!"
Once a living being becomes a god, their power basically stops growing, but there are still differences in strength among gods.
So, gods are generally divided into three tiers: low-tier, mid-tier, and high-tier gods.
According to Ian Song's estimation, low-tier gods are about as strong as mid-stage Human Immortals, mid-tier gods match late-stage Human Immortals, and high-tier gods are roughly equivalent to early Earth Immortals.
However, according to Silver Xiu, there aren't many high-tier gods among the races—Humanity seems to have only one.
The Dragonfolk have no more than three high-tier gods.
The True Dragon Clan and the Heavenly Phoenix Clan have more, with five high-tier gods each.
Ian Song's normal strength is a bit weaker than a high-tier god, but stronger than a mid-tier god. If he activates the ninth and strongest stage of his Nine Stellar Transformations, he should be able to defeat a high-tier god.
Originally, Ian Song planned to go after the Ji Clan that very night, but after hearing Silver Xiu's warning, he held back—not out of fear, but because he didn't want to reveal his trump cards too early. Otherwise, when the Creation Sky Monolith descends, all the major powers might target him at once!
Besides, he didn't want to become irreconcilable enemies with the Central Empire's emperor.
All grudges would be settled slowly after the Creation Sky Monolith arrived.
The manor was now a ruin—no one could live here anymore.
Fortunately, the Dragonfolk had another residence in the Imperial Capital, so everyone moved there.
Several days passed in a flash.
Although the great battle that night was over, its shockwaves lingered. Every elite who witnessed it secretly sent news of the battle back to their own race by covert means.
Thus, the name Evan Chu began to spread among the various races.
Meanwhile, all the factions leaving the capital took this news with them. It won't be long before the name Evan Chu is famous throughout the Central Domain.
At the same time, the Ji Clan's attitude was rather intriguing—they remained silent, as if those who attacked Ian Song that night weren't sent by their family at all.
During this period, Ian Song accepted an invitation from Prince Rowan Vance.
Prince Rowan tactfully relayed the Central Empire emperor's intentions, asking if Ian was interested in becoming an official.
Naturally, Ian refused. Having once been an emperor himself, how could he possibly kneel and bow to someone else?
However, through indirect probing, Ian finally learned from Prince Rowan the reasons behind the old dynasty's collapse.
Before this, Ian had always wondered—if the Ancient Super-Formation covering the Central Domain was so powerful, how did the previous dynasty fall?
There were several reasons.
First, after years of rule, the old dynasty's bureaucracy had become utterly corrupt; officials colluded and the people of the Central Domain suffered greatly.
The thoughts of the Central Domain's residents serve as the energy source for the Ancient Super-Formation.
If the residents feel gratitude toward the empire, the formation grows stronger; but if they feel resentment, its power weakens.
The most crucial reason is that only by borrowing the strength of most Central Domain residents can the emperor reach high-tier god level.
If the entire Central Domain's population is dissatisfied with the empire and emperor, why would they lend him their strength?
Unable to borrow the residents' strength, and with the formation weakened by their dissatisfaction, the Radiant Emperor could only wield ordinary god-level power in the final battle.
The second reason for the old dynasty's downfall is that the current Central Empire had already bought off most of the old dynasty's high officials.
Even when the rebel army stormed the capital, only about ten thousand fought for the old emperor.
Thus, the old dynasty was destroyed swiftly and decisively.
Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the Radiant Emperor hid a fragment of his soul inside the Treasure Vault's key, waiting for a chance at rebirth.
The current Central Empire is much smarter.
They cleverly made Central Domain residents into upper-class citizens, while those from the other nine regions became lower-class. This alone gave Central Domain residents a strong sense of honor and pride.
At the same time, the identity-token system not only helps the empire control the population, but also gives residents a chance to profit off those from the other nine regions—making everyone more grateful for imperial policy.
Over the years, Central Domain residents have become extremely loyal to the empire, strengthening the formation and leaving no chance for the old dynasty's remnants to rise again.
Back to the main story.
That day, Ian Song emerged from cultivation in the Divine Temple and received word that Blood Demon prodigies were requesting an audience.