He then assigned them to their respective positions. With two hundred Divine Summoning Talismans and eighty-six Divine Beast Summoning Talismans, Ian could summon a total of two hundred eighty-six peak sixteenth-layer Ancestral Immortals to fight for him.
Ian himself went to the front lines. But there are plenty of old fossils still slumbering in the Immortal World.
He was prepared to face the Ancestral Immortals. After all, among the Three Thousand Immortal Worlds, Langya Immortal World once ranked in the top hundred. Even though it's declined, its hidden foundation is still terrifying.
The battle was about to begin. So Ian guesses that there are at least two hundred old fossils sleeping in the Immortal World.
Ian's gaze was firm as steel. If all those old fossils were peak sixteenth-layer Ancestral Immortals, things would be manageable.
He would protect everything he cared about. But among them are also seventeenth-layer and eighteenth-layer Ancestral Immortals.
No matter what, he would not retreat. A single seventeenth-layer Ancestral Immortal can hold off at least ten Divines.
He would fight to the last breath. If there are ten seventeenth-layer Ancestral Immortals among those old fossils, that would tie up a hundred Divines and leave only a hundred eighty-six left, putting Ian at a disadvantage in numbers.
The curtain rose on the final battle. Besides, the Divines and Divine Beasts he summons can only fight for a quarter of an hour.
The fate of the Immortal Kingdom would be decided. If the old fossils can just hold them off for a quarter of an hour, even if they don't kill them, victory will still go to the old fossils.
Ian stood at the front, ready to face everything. And that's not even counting the eighteenth-layer Ancestral Immortals.
No matter what happened, he would not fall. Ian once discussed the eighteenth-layer Ancestral Immortals in depth with Master Heaven-Secrets and Hannah Murong.
This was his battle, and he would win. According to Master Heaven-Secrets, eighteenth-layer Ancestral Immortals are the strongest beings possible in the Immortal World. Even the Heavenly Dao can't suppress them much, so their power is overwhelming.
The End of Chapter 1846. It's said that even fifty peak sixteenth-layer Ancestral Immortals working together couldn't defeat a single eighteenth-layer Ancestral Immortal.
Right now, Hannah Murong has only sensed two eighteenth-layer Ancestral Immortal auras, but who knows how many more might appear in the coming months?
Inside, the night was long. Still, Master Heaven-Secrets once said that the number of eighteenth-layer Ancestral Immortals won't exceed five.
The next day, Ian left Hannah's residence. If that number is ever exceeded, even the Heavenly Dao wouldn't tolerate them—either driving them out or destroying them.
He summoned all the Divine-level beings. So if we're talking about five eighteenth-layer Ancestral Immortals, Ian would need to prepare at least three hundred Divines just to pin them down.
The Divine-level beings appeared one after another, their auras earth-shaking. Which means, these two hundred eighty-six talismans are nowhere near enough.
Ian gave each one a Substitute Life Talisman. So, it's time to keep drawing from the lottery.
"Meow-Meow, let's do another thousand Big Lottery draws!"
This time, Ian drew three hundred and three Divine Summoning and Divine Beast Talismans. Added to his previous stash, he could now summon five hundred eighty-nine Divine-level beings.
Still not enough!
"Meow-Meow, give me two thousand more draws!"
One after another, the lottery results kept ringing in Ian's ears.
This time the results were a bit worse. He got five hundred and seven Divine-level summoning talismans, pushing his total past a thousand, to one thousand ninety-six.
Five hundred Divine-level beings to handle five eighteenth-layer Ancestral Immortals.
Two hundred Divine-level beings for ten seventeenth-layer Ancestral Immortals.
The remaining three hundred plus Divine-level beings could easily crush the rest of the sixteenth-layer Ancestral Immortals.
But Ian still wasn't at ease. After all, he still had over 1.4 trillion Prestige.
So, gritting his teeth, he went for four thousand more Big Lottery draws.
That brought his total Divine-level summoning talismans to over two thousand one hundred.
As for Substitute Life Talismans, he drew over a hundred more.
Even if he got killed a hundred times, he wouldn't truly die.
With so many Substitute Life Talismans, he needed to make sure his own people were safe.
So, he left his bedchamber and went to Hannah Murong's residence.
Although they were husband and wife in name, they hadn't truly been a couple.
"Why are you here?"
Hannah Murong asked coolly.
"Keep these two talismans on you. Remember, keep them close to your body!" Ian took out two Substitute Life Talismans and handed them to Hannah.
"Alright."
Hannah Murong nodded, not even asking what kind of talismans they were.
"I'll be going then!"
Ian smiled at her and was about to turn and leave.
"Wait."
Hannah suddenly called out, a hint of shyness appearing on her cold, beautiful face.
"Is there something else?"
Ian looked at her suspiciously.
Hannah raised her head: "Didn't you say our child would inherit the Immortal Kingdom one day?"
Ian was taken aback, looking at Hannah in surprise. "What do you mean?"
Hannah's cheeks flushed slightly. She looked away, then said quietly, "Then tonight... why don't you stay?"
Ian was stunned.
"Ah! That might not be appropriate," Ian hesitated.
"In that case, just leave!"
The shyness on Hannah's face vanished instantly, her cold demeanor returning. Ian almost wondered if he'd imagined her earlier bashfulness.
Ian took a deep breath and said, "Alright then, I'll be leaving!"
Hearing this, Hannah's eyes flashed with anger. "Get out! From now on, you're forbidden from stepping into my bedchamber again!"
Ian suddenly burst out laughing in a teasing tone. With one stride, he appeared beside Hannah, reached out, and wrapped his arm around her soft waist, chuckling, "My Empress, are you angry now?"
Hannah instantly realized she'd been played by Ian.
Bang!
Ian was instantly sent flying.
The next moment, Ian climbed up from the ground, rubbing his chest and complaining, "Empress, are you trying to murder your own husband? Our son isn't even born yet! If you kill me, what'll happen to him?"
Hearing Ian's cheeky words, Hannah couldn't help but feel something stir inside, but she still snapped, "Shut up! If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll really kill you!"
Ian grinned, because Hannah's threats sounded so weak.
So, thick-skinned as ever, Ian walked up to Hannah again and wrapped his arm around her waist.
Bang!
Ian was sent flying once more, but this time Hannah's slap was light and didn't hurt at all.
Undeterred, Ian went up again, wrapped his arm around Hannah's waist, and this time, she didn't slap him away. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Through the thin fabric, Ian could feel Hannah's delicate skin. With a gentle tug, he pulled her into his embrace, lifted her chin, and kissed her cherry lips.
Hannah's body stiffened for a moment, but soon melted in his arms.
After a deep kiss, Ian bent down, picked up the blushing Empress, and carried her to the bed. No matter how strong a woman is, she's still a woman—meant to be conquered by a man.
Being able to win over a powerful woman like Hannah Murong, Ian couldn't help feeling proud.
The next morning, Ian walked out of Hannah's bedchamber, feeling refreshed and in high spirits. He went straight to Master Heaven-Secrets and gave him one Substitute Life Talisman.
Afterwards, he visited his two masters, Ancestor Martin and Ancestor Cyrus, as well as his martial uncle Ancestor Grimm, giving each of them two Substitute Life Talismans.
Of course, he didn't forget Gideon Skyreach and his wives—they all received their share of Substitute Life Talismans. With the final battle against the ancient monsters looming just months away, Ian was determined to take every precaution.