The Sun Sovereign's simple remark plunged the meeting room into a state of frozen stillness. The Nine Elders exchanged glances, noticing the stiffness in each other's expressions, their growing sense of apprehension deepening within. They had already learned from the Heavenly Punishment that the Sun Sovereign had emerged and now dwelled in reality, awakening the rationality of the Wind and Thunder Deities. And this newly ascended Sun Sovereign was none other than Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun, the former discarded candidate of the Five Elements Alliance! A thunderbolt of surprise—only these four words could capture the emotions they felt upon hearing the news. The shock was as profound as a dog being elected President of the Free Federation. The young man they once found impetuous and difficult to manage had, step by step, risen to the highest rank, becoming the most powerful half-deity of his age. For the Order of Preservation, it was a welcome development that Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun had not inherited the Sun's essence. Yet for the Nine Elders, the fact that the Sun Sovereign was Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun stirred both concern and trepidation. They have, to varying degrees, suppressed this persistent prodigy and tolerated, even allowed, Car Qinhe's actions. Seeing the elders' stiff expressions, Zhang Yuancheng's dignified face softened into a smile. "Don't be so tense—I'm not that petty. Past matters are settled. Today, I have two announcements. First, the competition for the Sun's Primordial Essence has concluded, yet Order has not emerged victorious. You should know that the Order's half-divine figures have not returned." The Grand Elder, Di Hong, gently exhaled, "We would appreciate it if you could share that information." The Heavenly Judgment had merely relayed the Sun's Sovereign's message, without mentioning the internal developments within the Sun's realm. Zhang Yuancheng continued, "The Sovereign of the Stars has betrayed Order; he has long allied with the forces of Evil and summoned the Night Emperor during the contest for the Sun's Primordial Essence, placing the five Allied Sovereigns and numerous Order half-divines into deep slumber. Now, among the Order's half-divines, only Voxel, the Beauty Goddess, the elder of the Xie family, and I remain." Not long after, the Lord of the Stars and I will face our final duel within the Spiritual Realm, a battle that will determine the fate of the world." Pausing here, he allowed the nine elders time to absorb the news. Indeed, their expressions visibly shifted, filled with astonishment, awe, and growing panic. After a few seconds, the Grand Elder of the Chìhuǒ Clan spoke firmly: "I don't believe it! The Lord of the Stars has no reason to betray the Order-aligned faction. If he were a Fallener, the five Marshals would surely have noticed. Even if Jiang's Master failed to detect it, the other four Marshals would have sensed the signs—especially the Marshal himself, who surely couldn't have missed it." The Elder of the Sword Pavilion nodded slightly: "Even if the Lord of the Stars possesses unparalleled strategic foresight, the Marshal would not have remained unaware for long." Fu Qingxuan's Insight Technique had already attained the power of the rules. No one could accept such a truth. Zhang Yuanqing spoke calmly: "The Lord of the Stars is not a fallen one; he merely endorses the ideals of the evil faction, believing that destruction is the true order." Why has the Emperor rebelled? The nine elders exchanged puzzled glances, deeply astonished. Zhang Yuanqing continued: "In the universe, all things inherently possess dual aspects—life and death. The ultimate end of the universe is destruction, which is the order he upholds. The reasons and mysteries behind this involve the true nature of the sun, moon, stars, and the spiritual realms—details beyond your current understanding. Even I cannot argue that he is wrong. Yet, if he triumphs, Earth will be destroyed, which I cannot allow. Therefore, I must ask that he be sacrificed." The nine elders gazed upon the young face of the Prime Heavenly Sovereign, sensing in it a profound and majestic dignity, and unconsciously came to believe him. This is the inherent authority of the sun's essence. Zhang Yuanqing said, "Your remaining purpose is to inform the government of the truth—that the world is about to be destroyed—and to prepare for stability. I fear the malevolent faction will disseminate late-breaking news, creating panic and sparking social unrest." The nine elders nodded seriously. Master of Jiange reviewed the situation with calm judgment and sighed, "This is entirely expected. I am willing to contribute to humanity and to order." From a rational standpoint, given the course of events thus far, their role has actually been negligible—the Sun Sovereign's defeat and humanity's extinction, or the Sun Sovereign's victory and humanity's survival—either way, their presence has made no significant difference. If their presence doesn't matter, then the Sun Sovereign must certainly be bold enough to strike decisively. On a personal emotional level, when the Primordial Sovereign dared to fight and defeat Cai Qinhel as a Saint, it is even more certain that he will not hesitate to act with mercy now. With Master of Jiange's clear commitment, the other eight elders could only bow their heads, reluctantly agreeing to surrender their nine-tier rule-based artifacts that secure their status and power. Zhang Yuanqing nodded in satisfaction, and finally turned to Master Miao, smiling and saying, "I nearly forgot to mention a small matter—I am, in fact, the Demon Sovereign!" As soon as the words fell, the serpent procession on Master Miao's head roared in unison, each serpent stretching out fully, the root tendrils beneath his The next instant, he vanished into the beam of light. In the conference room, the Eight Elders lost all expression—the impact of the news was no less powerful than the betrayal of the Grand Master of Taiyuan. "He's mad. A madman's obsession is hard for ordinary people to grasp. Zhao Youqing has been hiding within the spiritual realm. In the real world, his only target is Yuan Shi Tian Zun—whomever stands in his way, he will kill. The King of the Forest remained silent, his expression impassive as he stared at the Master of Pure Yang. Just as the latter's patience began to wane, the Spring God shrugged and said, "Fine. You're mad. I don't have the energy to argue with you." He turned toward the side hall and said, "Fetch my backup phone!" A few seconds later, a tabby cat trotted in with the phone, its steps light and graceful, and gently placed it on the tea table. The King of the Forest picked up the phone and dialed the backup number for Shanhé Yongsheng. The ringing tone continued for a long time, but no one answered on the other end. Frowning, the King of the Forest then dialed the phones of the other protectors. After a series of calls, he discovered that Shanhé Yongsheng, the外科 doctor, and the Shaman had gone silent—while all the others remained reachable. The Master of The King of the Forest frowned. All the half-gods had entered the Sun's realm, and the Grand Guardian of the Night Rose had gone missing. To retaliate against the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign, he would need to seek out high-ranking masters from other powers... The Void Sect could not be reached—they viewed me as their sworn enemy. The Spirit Energy Society was unfamiliar to me, so only the Army Sect remained. The Master of the Yang Sect pondered this. The Army Sect had close ties with the Night Rose, making them the most accessible. Moreover, the Heavenly King of the Army Sect was strong enough that, if he could also connect with the high-ranking masters of the Spirit Energy Society and the Void Sect, the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign would surely be defeated. With this plan settled, the Master of the Yang Sect said: "Arrange a meeting with the Heavenly King of the Army Sect—specifically, I want to see him, except for the King with the Eye of the Demon." We had thought this news was already sensational—yet the second revelation completely shattered Sun Miaomiao and Zhao Chenguang’s worldviews. The Prime Primordial Sovereign is actually the Demon King! How could the Prime Primordial Sovereign be the Demon King? Zhao Chenguang simply couldn’t make sense of it. With a mind full of confusion, he left his grandfather’s courtyard, pulling out his phone, hesitating whether to reach out to his former comrade-in-arms, now the Sovereign of the Sun. Just past the corner of the alley, he spotted Sun Miaomiao standing at the entrance of her senior’s courtyard, holding her phone, her expression not very bright. Zhao Chenguang immediately understood his friend’s feelings, quietly approaching and sighing, “I find it hard to accept this truth as well, but since Grandfather has stated it so clearly, there can be no mistake. There must be some hidden details we’re unaware of. Since the Prime Primordial Sovereign hasn’t mentioned them, we have no need to press for answers. ‘Miaomiao, actually…’ Sun Miaomiao took a deep breath, tucked her phone back into her pocket, and forced a smile, “In "Zhao Chenghuang paused," I mean, actually, Yuan Shiyi's beloveds stretch across the five lakes and four seas—adding you doesn't make much of a difference." Sun Miao Miao instantly broke down, crying, "Don't even think about it!" Zhao Chenghuang fell silent, finding it difficult to offer comfort. At that moment, they spotted another man approaching from the corner—Ling Jun! Ling Jun looked dazed, his steps unsteady, like a gambler who had just come out of a casino, having lost everything. Zhao Chenghuang sighed inwardly—nothing in life is more painful than becoming a close friend of someone who has slept with your cousin or your aunt. So he stepped forward and said, "Ling Jun, life is full of surprises. No one could have imagined that Yuan Shiyi himself is the demon king. This isn't your fault!" As soon as Zhao Chenghuang spoke, Ling Jun broke down, his face turning fierce: "I'm going to kill him! I'm going to kill him right now!" Zhao Chenghuang pressed firmly on his shoulder, his face serious and earnest: "Stay calm. He is now the sovereign of the Sun. Don't say such heated things anymore. Try to think from a different perspective—your most hated father, is he really a fallen one? Isn't that a relief to your heart?" ... Lingjun stared at him, stunned, his body trembling with anger for a long while: "Did I just offend you?" Sun Miao Miao looked at Lingjun with pity, and felt a great sense of balance restored within herself.