Villain: After Slacking Off, The Protagonist Collapse

If it weren't for the current circumstances, the Demon Emperor would have slapped Du Guxiong to death.

Repeated setbacks had nearly exhausted the foundation of the Ancient Desolate Demon Domain. Their core forces were dwindling, with only two Quasi-Emperors remaining and fewer than ten experts in the Saint Realm.

"Investigate how the Primordial Holy Land learned of this information. Find out if the Void Temple is involved!"

The Void Temple was a renowned intelligence organization, known for its omniscience and mastery of secrets unknown to others. No one could discern how they acquired their information, but their capabilities were undeniable.

Several leaks in the past had led to failures, forcing the Demon Emperor to focus on the possibility that the Void Temple had disclosed their plans.

"Understood! I will uncover the truth and give the Demon Emperor a satisfactory answer!" Du Guxiong, too, found the situation peculiar.

It felt as if their every move had been exposed to some omniscient eye, making him determined to investigate how their secrets were being revealed.

The Heavenly Fiend Formation incident had heightened the vigilance of various factions. They constantly monitored their surroundings, fearing a repeat of the Yin-Yang Holy Land's disgrace, which had become the subject of ridicule among the powers.

With such a cautionary tale, no one wanted to follow in their footsteps.

In just one month, tensions between the Heavenly Fox Clan and the ancient imperial clan had escalated further. The situation resembled previous patterns, with factions refocusing their attention on the Southern Region.

Everyone was curious to see how it would end—whether the Heavenly Fox Clan would yield, choose to remain neutral, or align with the Primordial Holy Land. Another possibility loomed: an all-out war between the two sides.

Boom!

Thunder rumbled across the heavens, accompanied by deafening roars that shook the skies. This phenomenon had persisted for some time.

The vast firmament trembled, laws surged, and the great Dao manifested as if a long-sealed barrier was being undone, heralding a transformation in the world.

These changes were unmistakable. The manifestation of the great Dao and an increase in spiritual energy had made cultivation noticeably easier. The fluctuations in the heavens and earth, combined with the stirrings of the great Dao, gave rise to countless rumors.

A grand era of contention was on the horizon—a rare epoch that came once every hundred thousand years.

—

At the Banished Immortal Peak, Jiang Chen stood atop a pavilion, gazing at the boiling sea of clouds before him. In a low voice, he muttered, "The grand era is approaching. The age of contention is about to begin."

"This timing is much earlier than expected!"

In the original trajectory, the age of contention wouldn't have appeared for another century, but now it seemed to be arriving a full hundred years ahead of schedule.

With the age of contention came the opening of the Emperor's Path, the manifestation of the Immortal Domain, and the awakening of a nightmare that would encompass the entire Nine Heavens Realm.

A new and unprecedented era was beginning.

The Emperor's Path would open, and countless geniuses would dominate the lands, while ancient monsters, who had slumbered for ages, would emerge one after another to seize the ultimate opportunity.

The manifestation of the Immortal Domain would bring about the revival of forbidden zones, the awakening of the ancient supremes, and even the reappearance of emperors from bygone eras.

These figures, driven by their lifelong obsessions, would strive to glimpse the elusive path to ascension.

However, the revival of the forbidden zones was far from good news. The emergence of ancient supremes turned the Nine Heavens Realm into a hunting ground, with mortals as prey. In this era, order would collapse.

Saints would be reduced to the status of pigs and dogs, and Quasi-Emperors would be akin to ferocious tigers—mere food in the eyes of the ancient emperors.

Countless beings would perish like ants, with entire starfields crumbling in an instant. An uncountable number of lives would become blood sacrifices, devoured by these entities.

"The fall of countless powerful beings and the destruction of immortal forces have returned vast amounts of energy to the heavens and earth, accelerating the arrival of this grand era," Jiang Chen mused with a frown.

The early arrival of the era puzzled him, but the recent spate of fallen experts and destroyed immortal forces was undeniably unusual.

In just ten years, the number of powerful beings who had fallen was comparable to the totals from tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of years.

Energy, after all, was conserved. Cultivators drew energy from the heavens and earth, weakening it. Conversely, the fall of cultivators returned energy to the world, replenishing it.

The mass deaths of strong individuals had rapidly replenished the heavens, advancing the era that should have been a century away.

"If another immortal force were to be annihilated, it's possible the Emperor's Path would open immediately!" Jiang Chen exhaled deeply.

The early arrival of the Emperor's Path was unexpected, but he remained composed. Even with the path open, proving one's Dao wouldn't happen instantly.

The nurturing of the Heavenly Heart Imprint required time—fifty years, to be precise. That was more than enough time for Jiang Chen to advance his cultivation.

"The changes in the heavens and earth are advantageous for me as well," he murmured. "It's about time to step into the Saint King Realm."

Jiang Chen had already reached the pinnacle of the Saint Realm's ninth stage. After dual cultivation with Ziqing Yan during her Dao inquiry, he had achieved perfection in all aspects. Breaking through to the Saint King Realm was now only a matter of choice.

Suddenly, the void rippled as the Holy Master of the Primordial Holy Land emerged, her slender figure drawing attention. Dressed in a white robe that fluttered gracefully in the wind, her ethereal presence exuded an air of transcendent elegance.

"Are you preparing to break through?" Dongfang Mingyue glanced at Jiang Chen, sensing the surging aura he struggled to contain. Her eyes flickered with a faint light as she spoke softly.

She could feel that Jiang Chen was on the verge of stepping into the Saint King Realm. This realization left her marveling at his astonishing cultivation speed.

In just a few short years, Jiang Chen had traversed a gap that others couldn't bridge in a lifetime. From the Saint Realm to the Saint King Realm, it had taken him only a few years—a feat that was nothing short of extraordinary.

Because of his extraordinary talent, ordinary prodigies at this stage would require at least a century, if not several centuries, to reach his level.

"Mm," Jiang Chen replied, his tone laced with helplessness. "I can't suppress it any longer, nor do I wish to wait."

"I had initially planned to hold off until the Heavenly Fox Clan and the ancient imperial clan tore each other apart, using the chaos as leverage. But now, I have no choice."

Jiang Chen had been capable of breaking through some time ago, but the brewing conflict between the Heavenly Fox Clan and the ancient imperial clan had made him suppress his realm.

He hoped to wait for their confrontation, then ascend at the critical moment to intimidate them both. However, with no definitive clash in sight and time slipping away, he could no longer afford to wait. The grand era waits for no one.

"They might be waiting too," the Holy Master of the Primordial Holy Land remarked softly.

Despite the ancient imperial clan's aggressive posturing, they hadn't taken any decisive action—a peculiar move.

Perhaps they were also aware that Jiang Chen was on the verge of stepping into the Saint King Realm. If they provoked a confrontation now, Jiang Chen could seize the opportunity to strike back.

"It doesn't matter," Jiang Chen said. "Whether there's a heavenly tribulation or not makes little difference."

"As long as the Heavenly Fox Clan doesn't submit to the ancient imperial clan, even if the latter tries to forcibly annex them, we'll have a way to counter it. It just means losing one method of deterrence."

A heavenly tribulation would have been ideal, as it could deter certain actions. Without it, however, Jiang Chen was confident his perfected Great Primordial Dao Body would suffice to intimidate the ancient imperial clan..