Boom.
Boundless thunderclouds descended.
An eighth-tier Great Emperor, Lei Jiang, appeared.
Just by sensing the aura emanating from Lei Jiang, Emperor Qingmu knew who had arrived.
Lei Jiang, the eighth-tier Great Emperor under City Lord Chen of the Realm of Life and Death.
During this period, in the Eastern Domain, everyone knew their name.
"Senior Lei Jiang," Emperor Qingmu said with utmost respect.
Under the thunderclouds, Qingmu revealed himself.
His voice boomed like thunder, "I require your seventh-tier world."
"What?"
Emperor Qingmu was startled.
He hurriedly said, "Senior, the Qingmu Realm has already joined under the Dragon King's banner, with a promise of a hundred years..."
"Are you handing it over or not?"
Lei Jiang's tone was icy.
Boundless thunderclouds converged, as if a vast sea of lightning was brewing at the peak of chaos.
No extra words, just the question of whether you would hand it over.
Emperor Qingmu's expression turned grim. He was also a Great Emperor, and moreover, a World Lord.
He said sternly, "Senior may not regard a junior like me, but the Dragon King..."
Crack.
The vast sea of lightning began to churn.
Serpentine thunder dragons coiled within the thunderclouds, their oppressive might overwhelming.
"Hand it over, or die." Lei Jiang had no time for pleasantries.
The City Lord was in a critical condition and urgently needed complete worlds.
"..."
Qingmu's expression was downcast.
A communication stone within his world suddenly shattered.
That was the Dragon King's guarantee.
The Dragon King would always leave a communication stone as proof for each tax collected from a world.
This was also a form of indirect protection.
Lei Jiang sensed it but did not stop it.
"Senior,"
Qingmu spoke again, bowing his head, "Junior has already notified the Dragon King. Perhaps... we could discuss this after the Dragon King's people arrive?"
"Heh."
Lei Jiang chuckled.
His cold laughter sent a very bad premonition through Qingmu: "Do you think our Realm of Life and Death fears the Chaotic race?"
"In this corner of the East, our Realm of Life and Death holds a third of the control."
"The City Lord may not care, but you must understand that if you don't, there is only one consequence..."
Boom.
Boundless thunderclouds churned.
Thick bolts of lightning, like roaring electric dragons, descended from the sky.
"Senior..." Emperor Qingmu's pupils contracted.
He was attacking already?
Too fast.
Qingmu had thought he could stall for some time.
Once the Dragon King sent people, this matter would surely be resolved.
Since they had collected protection fees, the Chaotic Beasts would also intervene to stop this, for the sake of their reputation.
But Lei Jiang's attack was too sudden.
He attacked the moment he decided.
"Defend!"
Emperor Qingmu's voice was a desperate cry.
Beside him, several sixth-tier Heavenly Emperors, who had long been trembling, quickly moved to protect the world.
Their Great Daos were all within the world.
If the world was destroyed, they would not fare well either and would be implicated.
Rumble.
The boundless lightning churned and struck the Qingmu Realm's barrier.
Huge cracks appeared.
Many spread like a spider's web.
This was the power of an eighth-tier being.
Qingmu and the others mobilized their Great Dao universes, defending with great difficulty.
But even so, it was only a matter of time before the world was broken.
"Senior,"
Emperor Qingmu's expression was filled with sorrow. "My Qingmu Realm has not offended the City Lord. Why do you attack my Qingmu Realm?"
"..."
His confusion remained unanswered.
Rumble.
All he received was more lightning covering him.
Lei Jiang's voice, cold and clear, resounded, "It seems you only remember the Chaotic race and have forgotten our Realm of Life and Death. Today, I will remind you."
"Kill."
Lei Jiang raised his hand and struck down.
A colossal monument of lightning plummeted from the sky.
With a 'boom,' the monument directly smashed into the Qingmu Realm.
A mere seventh-tier world, with only one World Lord.
Even among seventh-tier worlds, the Qingmu Realm was a very weak existence.
Without three seventh-tier beings, it was impossible to stop the assault of an eighth-tier expert.
Chirp.
In the chaos, nine incomparably massive suns blazed.
The cry of Emperor Jinwu echoed, "Fellow Daoist Lei Jiang, please hold your hand."
Qingmu looked east: "Senior Lei Jiang, Emperor Jinwu has arrived. Please stop first..."
Boom.
The dense lightning did not cease in the slightest.
Instead, it became even more ferocious.
The Qingmu Realm was breached.
Fierce bolts of lightning, like divine punishment, surged into the Qingmu Realm.
The entire world was being torn apart.
"Those who do not obey the City Lord's order shall die."
Lei Jiang's voice was icy. "The City Lord wanting your world was giving you face."
"Since you are so unappreciative, then die."
"Thunderfire."
Crack.
Within the boundless thunderclouds, fire suddenly appeared.
The lightning was so dense that it sparked flames.
Boom.
The flames directly drilled into the Great Dao universe of the Qingmu Realm.
In an instant, the Great Dao universe ignited.
"Ah..."
Qingmu cried out in agony, "I am willing to hand over the world! Please spare the Qingmu Realm, Senior."
At this moment, he was finally terrified.
And he also understood one thing.
In the East, the Chaotic race did not have absolute authority.
There were two other factions that remained neutral.
Although they did not interfere, when their dignity was challenged, they would strike without hesitation.
Qingmu was afraid.
"It's too late."
Lei Jiang's tone was cold. Why hadn't he thought of this earlier?
Boom.
The boundless lightning tore the Qingmu Realm apart.
Emperor Qingmu's screams echoed as his Great Dao power was shattered by the lightning.
The beings within the realm suffered heavy casualties.
In the blink of an eye, a complete seventh-tier Great World was crippled.
"Lei Jiang."
From a distance, Emperor Jinwu was getting closer.
He was not far from this location, having been stationed nearby.
As soon as he received the news, he rushed over and witnessed the scene before him.
Jinwu was furious. "How dare you engage in such slaughter? Do you intend to provoke a war between the Realm of Life and Death and my Chaotic race?"
"Heh heh."
Lei Jiang's tone was icy. "So what if there's a war?"
He did not care.
Jinwu was an eighth-tier, and so was he.
The City Lord was currently in a precarious state, and the lives of the three of them were still in the City Lord's hands.
Even if another war were to erupt, he would not care.
Chirp.
Jinwu's rage soared.
Lei Jiang glanced at Jinwu again and sneered, "Whatever the City Lord wants, you had best not obstruct, otherwise... we will fight."
Boom.
Lei Jiang directly rode the lightning and departed.
He disdained this broken seventh-tier Great World before him.
What the City Lord wanted was a complete world, a world whose Great Dao universe still existed.
And the Great Dao universe of the Qingmu Realm had already been ignited by him.
...
At the same time Lei Jiang annihilated the Qingmu Realm.
In the Eastern Domain, a total of nine seventh-tier Great Worlds were simultaneously attacked.
None of these nine Great Worlds were willing to hand over their complete worlds.
What they received in return was destruction.
Except for the Immortal Emperors, all the Great Emperors of the Realm of Life and Death had come out, sweeping across the land.
This act sent shockwaves through the East.
Buzz.
The Dragon King's colossal body stretched out in the chaos.
His eyes, as brilliant as the sun, fixed on the Demon Realm. "City Lord Chen, what are you doing?"
"..."
Silence.
Chen Fan's condition was not right, and he did not appear.
An Immortal Emperor stepped out of the Demon Realm and met the Dragon King's gaze. "Nothing much. The City Lord wants a few seventh-tier worlds. Since no one is willing to hand them over voluntarily, we will take them ourselves."