As mentioned before, Blood Asura Holy Land was incredibly forceful in their approach towards others, and there was no such thing as an influence who was friendly with them.
They were either subordinates or future subordinates, and this exact attitude made them a great deal of enemies and a bad reputation.
Immortal Blood Asura never cared for these things before. After all, regardless of what they said, these people still had to face him and his people with respect and fear, unable to retaliate.
But today, the negative emotions towards his Holy Land exploded.
Damien's matter was a blatant abuse of power, and it finally happened in the public eye, in a setting where Immortal Blood Asura held no power.
Criticisms rained down like a natural disaster, filling the atrium with a cacophony of sound as the remaining Holy Lands used the matter as an excuse to bring the arrogant group down a peg.
It was a bit childish considering the status of these people, but it was definitely an entertaining sight to see.
Aside from the influences closely associated with Blood Asura Holy Land and the Holy Land's members themselves, whose faces were painted black in rage and shame, the younger generation was filled with laughter and snickers as this unexpected scene panned out.
Immortal Blood Asura's blood was practically boiling.
Eating losses to Damien over and over again was already unacceptable, but now even his peers were humiliating him?!
He was on the verge of losing his patience, and just as his final straw snapped…
CRASH!
A loud sound reverberated from the sky above the atrium.
When those present looked up, they saw the barrier protecting Luxurion shattering as several hundred unidentified beings invaded the space.
"Be careful! Everyone get ready for combat!" Luciel yelled, immediately quelling the ongoing arguments and drawing attention to the threat at hand.
The group descended intentionally and landed on the ground below without interruption.
Nobody was willing to move early.
Because most of these people were Demigods and Supremes, beings of unbelievable strength.
They were led by a man who just looked like he was born to be a villain.
A man whose face was already very familiar to Damien.
"Saint Emperor!" He muttered under his breath.
The Saint Emperor smilingly landed on the atrium floor and gazed around the room, his eyes pausing for a moment on Damien before continuing.
"Hello, all. I am known as the Saint Emperor, or rather I believe your universe refers to me as the Blight Emperor."
His introduction was enough to put everyone on edge.
When it came to Nox Demigods, the Blight Emperor was known as the most terrifying one, because he was both powerful and not afraid to utilize every loophole possible to involve himself in conflicts where his interference should've been impossible.
What was a man like that doing here?!
No, it was obvious why he'd break into Luxurion. The real question was: what was going to happen now?
The Saint Emperor smiled as he felt the fear filling the atmosphere.
"Worry not, I have not come to fight. This time, my presence is only a means of suppression."
Before anyone could react, the shadows behind him spread through the atrium and raised their weapons, releasing their terrifying auras on the universe's experts.
'Damn!' Lucifer thought to himself.
'They really aren't here to fight. This is a warning and a show of strength. But…for what reason?'
If he immobilized the experts, did he want to target the younger generation?
But if he did so, did he think the experts would still care for their lives so cautiously?
The Saint Emperor didn't let his audience wait too long before he answered their suspicions, making way for a group of young men and women who were hidden within the crowd of shadows previously.
"I'm sure some of you are already acquainted, but I may as well make an introduction regardless."
"These are the geniuses my race is most proud of, led by my son. Today, we have come to give them a bit of worldly experience."
His words were clearly dripping in sarcasm and provocation.
The first four geniuses were one thing, but the last one was the Saint King himself!
This was a Nox Being who'd previously beaten Su Ren and usurped his position as the universe's number one, a loss the universe would never forget.
The Saint King looked down on the universe's geniuses contemptuously as he spoke.
"I am only here because Lord Father thinks there is someone worthy here, but I do not believe him. If the trash in this room is your universe's best, I should be ashamed of my brethren for taking so long to destroy you."
His words were harsh and elicited several provoked growls, but nobody moved.
"Haa, there is no point in acting here. Face my juniors first. If you can defeat them, perhaps you'll be able to last a few blows under my hand."
The Saint King crossed his arms and took a seat on an ornate chair he summoned from his spatial ring. Meanwhile, the four geniuses who came with him stepped forward, taking out their weapons and pointing them at the crowd.
"I am Luxiya."
"I am Haren."
"I am Haryda."
"I am Palak."
""Who dares to compete with us?!""
They introduced themselves powerfully and flared their auras, sending their challenge loud and clear.
Luciel glanced between the geniuses and the Saint Emperor before letting out a sigh.
In the end, it couldn't be avoided.
If they succeeded, their future plans would go much smoother, but if they failed, they'd lose momentum before they even began their counterattack!
"Go. Show them the power of our Grand Heavens Boundary."
His words weren't many, but they instantly motivated the young men and women in the crowd.
Four people jumped out to face the Nox geniuses before the rest.
Three of them were Rose, Ruyue, and Elena, who were eager to test their power and compete to see who was the best.
The last was a miscellaneous genius from a Holy Land in Hephaestus.
The four duos faced each other with their weapons raised and their bodies readied for combat.
As Luciel said, it was time for Grand Heavens Boundary to prove itself!
***
While tensions increased immensely in Luxurion, a great calamity was taking place elsewhere.
BOOOOOOOM!
A pulse of formless mana tore through a beautiful jungle, destroying billions of kilometers of land and obliterating all life that was present there.
In the next instant, the realm regrew itself and the resident fauna reappeared as if the apocalypse never overtook it.
Still, the ground was covered in strange patterns caused by the stress of constant destruction and reconstruction on a grand scale.
This area that could be considered a sub-universe of its own, yet it was being destroyed tens of times every hour…
…all due to the presence of a single being.
In the center of that land, perched atop the tallest mountain, was a being so large its shadow was painted in the clouds.
That being was coiled up around itself and breathing calmly, hibernating, however, there was a massive bloody wound on the side of its body that created a stark contrast from its otherwise peaceful appearance.
Every time a drop of blood fell from that wound, the mana it carried burst into the realm and destroyed it in full.
This being was clearly dying.
But at the rate it was going, it would definitely take the sub-universe with it to the afterlife!
