The cosmos warped around him and rocks hurtled in every direction. A passage had opened within the barrier. Despite the surging chaos, a cosmic god could still safely navigate it.

Before Tianming's return, Mushan Feng and other regular cosmic gods had already verified it. Currently, an army of a billion cosmic gods under Mushan Feng’s command was watching over the passage's entrance, refraining from any reckless maneuvers.

The Flameyellow Pentaphase Army erupted in excitement at the sight of the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb. Stepping out from the tomb, Tianming looked at the passage entrance in the distance, and found that it resembled a broken, circular gate. Inside was a tempest of chaos, roiling with flying debris, space fragments, and violent astral storms. Traces of sword qi permeated the space.

"This is definitely the work of man..."

No one capable of such a feat could be simple. Tianming felt as if a vast net was closing in, and he knew he was the target. Dual forces converged, exerting immense pressure. There was no hiding from the massive net that eclipsed the sky.

However, he had the means to be confident. With the support of both the sky plunderers and a ten-billion-strong flameyellow army, he wasn't the least bit intimidated. Standing at his back were billions upon billions of flameyellow descendants.

"Emperor." Mushan Feng greeted Tianming as soon as he saw him. Years had passed since they last met, and he had grown to a towering height of over 20,000 meters. This was a clear sign the cosmic-god blood from the Flameyellow Coffin had unlocked new potential. Given enough time, he was sure to surpass the five imperial-star elders.

Tianming stood alongside him before the passage, his eyes fixed on the raging storm ahead.

"What's the situation with the Eightpart Pantheons right now?" He knew Tianming wouldn't have come all this way without a good reason and a plan. Thanks to Yin Chen, they had the edge in intelligence over the Eightpart Pantheons, regardless of the Heavenly Dao's influence. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Tinaming stared into the depths of the passage, his gaze dark and unreadable.

"I have two updates."

"Please, go on," Mushan Feng said respectfully.

"First, Moran has surfaced on Wondrium Imperius." Tianming said.

"Then... wouldn't that mean she's going to...?" A shiver ran across Mushan Feng’s scalp at the very idea.

"It's not that simple. The people are terrified of her. Instead of submitting, they’ve attacked her instead," Tianming said, his voice deep.

"What's the situation now?" Mushan Feng asked.

"It's a stalemate. She’s lurking in the shadows, slowly eroding the wonderians from within. Panic is sweeping across the star and people are fleeing in droves. The higher ups, however, insist that Little Fish isn't the real Tian Jiu and are now mobilizing their entire force to take her down."

The news surprised Tianming. He had assumed that once Moran returned to Wondrium Imperius and truly let loose, everything would be smooth sailing for her. On the contrary, the wonderians had long since abandoned their faith in their ancestor. They valued their own identities over some grand, unified transcendence.

"Even with the passage open, the wonderians will be too preoccupied with their own mess to deal with us. On the battlefield, wonderians remain a formidable challenge, especially since they act as a shield for the other factions. Without their involvement, the pressure on us is much lighter," said Mushan Feng.

In the end, it seemed that Tian Jiu actually did them a favor.

"That’s how it looks for now, but things could still go either way. Let's not get our hopes up just yet," Tianming said solemnly.

"What about the other seven factions?" Standing off to the side, Zi Zhen casually threw out the question.

Tianming’s expression remained stony as he said, "The devas are still an uncertainty. As for the chaos umbrals, they're backed by the Realm of Chaos. That's an imperial-class world that exists in both the Realms of Order and Chaos. While they answer to Imperator Long, they're generally unable to deploy forces within the Realm of Order due to their unique situation."

"Which leaves us with five factions," said Zi Zhen.

"At the forefront are the ashuran infinite beastmasters, followed by the other four factions: Sundown's beastmasters, Starfall's totemancers, Sin's primalwingers, and Virtue's specters." Mushan Feng nodded and said ruefully, "Even without the wonderians, we're still up against five factions which span across all races."

"There's no news from the wonderians and devas. The ashuras see the passage as a prime opportunity. They were already worried they'd be no match for me if things continued to drag on. After the secret meeting between the five factions, they decided to head straight to the Primordial Sands to settle the score without the wonderians or the devas." Tianming sneered.

This was the news that Yin Chen had just relayed. Their secret meeting had only just concluded. Naturally, representatives from the wonderians and devas were present, and after a heated debate, the devas managed to reach a consensus with the other pantheons. For now, the wonderians and devas were only committing a limited number of experts for support.

"The wonderians' hesitation is understandable given their crisis, but if the devas refuse to step up, aren't they setting themselves against the rest of the Eightpart Pantheons?"

"Yes, but Imperator Yin knows what he’s doing. He’s giving himself room to maneuver. I'll speak to him when the time is right." Tianming nodded. He wasn't worried about the devas. Thanks to his own rapid growth, Xi Xi essentially held their very lifeline in its hands.

"In other words, we only have to worry about these five factions for the time being," said Mushan Feng.

"That's right," Tianming replied.

"What's their opening? It seems to be giving you quite a headache. They’re coming after Ling'er, aren't they?" Seeing the icy look on Tianming’s face, Zi Zhen knew something was wrong.

"She's a target, but as long as we guard this passage, they can't touch her," Tianming said.

Looking at the passage once more, he realized with grim certainty that it was destined to be a battlefield. It was essentially a narrow canyon, and whoever seized it would hold the decisive advantage.

"Are there any other openings?" Zi Zhen asked.

"Could it be the flameyellow descendants from the fortuna-class worlds of the Upper Star Ruin?" Mushan Feng frowned.

Tianming nodded slowly. "In the past, I was too weak so I used the imperial star as a deterrent. They had everything to lose, whereas I had nothing. That's why they didn't strike at the flameyellow descendants.

"But now that they’ve committed to a fight to the death, they're prepared for my retaliation. I could certainly strike their maniverse-class and fortuna-class worlds, but if we sink into mutual destruction, neither side will walk away from the wreckage. The legacy of Flameyellow rests on its people. They finally broke free from their heavenly shackles and earned a fair chance. If we lose them, our entire revival will be meaningless."

Furthermore, flameyellow descendants like Long Xing and Long Qian were important components of Tianming's Galactic Emperorship. It was their unwavering faith that bolstered him at all times.