Sovereign of the Ashes

Invading and conquering a medium-sized plane was a rare opportunity that few powerhouses of the Magus Civilization could only dream of encountering.

Despite the boundless expanse of the Astral Realm, which had birthed countless races and civilizations, worlds governed by a complete set of laws were exceedingly rare.

Among them, small and microplanes were common, but medium-sized planes and beyond were a rarity.

Over hundreds of thousands of years, the Magus Civilization had expanded continuously, conquering nearly all the world civilizations within its reach.

Only those worlds with extremely hidden coordinates or those situated in peculiar spaces had eluded capture and remain undiscovered by the Magus Civilization for now.

The nature of the Magus Worlds meant that any foreign planes appearing near Magus Civilization often faced grim prospects.

The Verdant Wilderness World was a low-level dendro elemental plane that Lorianne discovered long ago.

According to the spatial coordinates of the Astral Realm, this dendro elemental plane lay on the edge of the Magus Civilization's controlled star domain.

It was similar to the Viridian Venom Flame World that Sein once helped conquer, although they were located in different directions within the Astral Realm.

Since the Wild Gorilla World was currently at war with Verdant Wilderness World, Lorianne and the other Magus World mages deduced that it must be relatively close to Verdant Wilderness World.

This assumption was based on the primitive methods the Wild Gorilla World used to breach the space rift of Verdant Wilderness World, suggesting that their spatial knowledge was not particularly advanced, and hence their overall civilization level was likely not very high.

This was one of the key reasons why Feylis and others were interested in this medium-sized realm.

Of course, the primary allure was the potential wealth and resources that conquest could bring.

Due to the Magus Civilization's relentless expansion, suitable conquest targets in the surrounding star domains had dwindled over the last several millennia.

The recent Neisse Star Domain war provided a feast for the Magus Civilization.

However, only entities like Steel City, the Marmett Union Alliance, and the Pyro Secret Society truly benefited from this conflict.

Other top forces and numerous smaller and medium-sized factions within the Magus World merely got a spoonful of the soup. Some probably did not even get a sip of it.

A newly discovered medium-sized plane was enough to draw the attention of many in the Magus World, particularly those of Rank Four and above.

Even top-tier forces like the Pyro Secret Society, which boasted powerhouses of Rank Seven or above, find these medium-sized worlds incredibly appealing—not to mention those with even less influence.

To the Pyro Secret Society, there was no such thing as having "too many star domains and planes under its control".

Despite having a peak Rank Seven leader, the Pyro Secret Society was considered to have a relatively shallow foundation compared to other top-tier forces.

After all, it only ascended to the top ranks tens of thousands of years ago, whereas other powers had established themselves for over a hundred thousand years or more.

To date, the Pyro Secret Society directly controlled only about a thousand complete planes. Including a few of its vassal planes among the Magus Alliance, their dominion was modest.

The discovery of the medium-sized Wild Gorilla World represented a significant prize.

It was a cake too large for just a few Rank Four mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring and the Verdant Flame Faction to consume alone.

Hence, proper distribution of benefits was crucial.

Nonetheless, it was expected that the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring and the Verdant Flame Faction would secure the lion's share of the spoils.

Their early arrival at the Verdant Wilderness World was a strategic move by Feylis and others to assert their authority.

In the Magus World, where power respected power, even the mightiest adhered to a general code of rules and ethics.

***

With Lorianne's advance notice, Sein adopted a more low-key and cautious demeanor over the next year.

When the Magus Civilization Army finally arrived at Verdant Wilderness World a year later, Sein was determined to avoid any mishaps at this critical juncture.

This low-profile approach was not just a personal strategy for Sein; the Emerald Forest also became much more subdued over the nearly year-long preparation.

Following Lorianne's instructions, the Green Spikefur King scaled back its visibility significantly.

It even withdrew its defensive line from the forest's outskirts, allowing the legions of wild gorillas to advance to the middle and outer periphery of the Emerald Forest.

Unbeknownst to the wild gorillas, which relentlessly sought to penetrate deeper into the forest, a large spatial gate had already been established deep within the lush greenery.

The native creatures of Verdant Wilderness World, including the guardian and Verdant Wilderness God, might have sensed the peculiar spatial turbulence emanating from Emerald Forest.

However, preoccupied with the relentless assault from the four otherworldly Gorilla Gods, they found themselves unable to investigate the situation within Emerald Forest.

Seven months after Lorianne's last communication with Sein, the large spatial gate that had been clandestinely constructed began to emit a distinctive energy wave.

"Is this the low-level plane? It's really quite small," Feylis remarked as she emerged with some difficulty from the other end of the gate. Clad in a dark green magic robe, she appeared to be squeezing through a narrow passageway.

Feylis' body was wrapped in a cloak of colorful elemental halos.

These halos were reacting to the native laws of Verdant Wilderness World, giving off a brilliant glow.

Sein could not understand what was happening; he could only feel a powerful aura overwhelming him.

Grandmaster Feylis had an extremely approachable demeanor during her faction's gathering back then, however, the Rank Six mage's presence seemed akin to a colossal leviathan right now.

At this moment, the green earring given to Sein by Lorianne flashed.

Lorianne's elemental clone materialized beside Sein and moved to assist Feylis, who was struggling to enter this plane.

Sein quickly joined in, grabbing onto Feylis' other arm.

Despite the formidable pressure surrounding Feylis during her descent, Sein felt no overwhelming force when he touched her.

He surmised that Feylis was probably restraining her power to protect him.

Without such caution, the mere elemental force field unconsciously emitted by a Rank Six powerhouse could easily reduce a Rank Two creature to dust.