The Magic Realm. The Mage-Emperor looked warmly at his nephew Rex, now reborn, and smiled, saying, "You defeated Yang Jian, didn't you?" Rex nodded. "Had he not fled so swiftly, I could have killed him. Uncle, my nephew now possesses the strength of a royal magical being—this is all thanks to your grace." The Mage-Emperor chuckled, saying, "I have no sons of my own; you are my only outstanding nephew. No matter what the cost, I will do everything to save you." "I am deeply grateful, Uncle," Rex stepped forward and bowed on one knee, saying, "From now on, I will listen to you more closely and repay your kindness." "The emperor walked over, reached out to assist him, saying, 'There's no need for such formality between us. After all, Uncle will eventually pass the throne to me...' 'Pff...' The emperor's words halted as he looked down. To his shock, a silver cross-shaped short sword was embedded deep into his chest, piercing his heart. The hilt was held firmly by a hand—clearly, it was Rex's right hand. Confused, he asked, 'Rex, why? I saved you. I gave you life. Why do you treat me this way?' Rex's expression transformed into a grim smile. 'Of course I owe you my gratitude, dear uncle. It is precisely because I have died once that I now deeply understand the value of life, the value of time. I can't wait to take your place. You may now rest assured. I will ensure the magical realm is even more splendid under my stewardship." "The Emperor felt his life force rapidly fading, and with reluctance said, 'I never thought... you would kill me for the throne.' Rex pushed the dagger sharply forward and replied, 'I never thought that, either. Honestly, you shouldn't have saved me. In the past, when I was alive, I had indeed thought of it from time to time—but only as a mere thought. It was this rebirth that gave me the courage to take your place. Good journey, Uncle.' As he spoke, a look of pain appeared on the Emperor's face, and he gradually transformed into delicate black ribbons, drifting gently with the breeze. Rex remained in the position of the dagger piercing his uncle until the last thread of black silk had vanished. Then he drew his short sword and murmured, 'The very thing your uncle should have done—was to destroy this dagger, not preserve it. I'm sure when you first plunged it into my father's heart, you never imagined you'd reach this very moment.'" "说完， he tossed the dagger into the black pond beside it, bubbling with steam, where the short sword quickly eroded and melted. He walked up the steps at a steady, unhurried pace, lifted the hem of his robe, and sat upon the throne. At that moment, the main doors opened on either side, and a procession of royal-level magical beings entered one after another to receive their rewards. They came to be honored, and upon seeing that the person seated on the throne was Rex, they all gasped in surprise. Rex scanned each of their faces with a steady gaze and coldly declared, "From this day forward, I am your emperor. You must obey my commands—anyone who dares to defy me shall have their entire clan extinguished." They exchanged glances, then moved in unison to kneel and loudly proclaimed, "Hail, the new emperor!" They all knew clearly that the old emperor must have been killed, otherwise Rex, no matter how brave, would not have dared to sit upon the throne. Reks smiled and immediately issued his first decree after ascending the throne: "Everyone return to your respective planets, organize your forces, and prepare for war against the Celestial Court." ... The Celestial Court's morning assembly was notably dull. After all, this ritual had been maintained for over ten thousand years—whether it was the Jade Emperor or the ministers, few could find fresh inspiration in it. Daily discussions were mostly routine, making any sense of vitality difficult to achieve. Fresh energy only surfaced when new members joined. The Jade Emperor was growing drowsy when suddenly a high-ranking celestial general burst in, shouting, "Your Majesty, there's trouble! The demonic army has advanced upon the heavens, pressing hard with an overwhelming assault!" "What?" The Jade Emperor raised an eyebrow, then turned his gaze to Li Jing. Li Jing stared straight at the general, his expression incredulous: "How is this possible? This is such a significant development—how could I not have been informed? Falsifying military reports is a matter of being beheaded." " Heaven's sovereign spoke with solemnity: 'I have not exaggerated the military situation. The demonic forces began assembling one hour ago and have swiftly taken flight toward the Celestial Realm. Their vanguard has already crossed the boundary region between the Demon Realm and the Heavenly Realm.' The Jade Emperor struck the armrest of his throne: 'Are the demons mad? With just their forces, they dare challenge our Heavenly Court? Have they forgotten the lessons of the ten-thousand-year-old divine-demon war? Is the Demon Sovereign's head crushed under the door? Two months ago, his nephew fell at the hands of Qin Feng—have they completely forgotten that?' Yang Jian, still bearing traces of bruising on his face, stepped forward and said: 'The Demon Sovereign likely raised his army precisely because of that incident.' 'Then he must be a true fool—winning would boost morale, but even if he loses, he still dares to launch an invasion.' At the Emperor's command: 'Marshal Li Jing, lead the Heavenly Army immediately to confront the demons and let them witness the strength of our Heavenly Court.' 'Marshal Li Jing, understood.' "Li Jing hadn't even had time to leave when the second heavenly general rushed in, kneeling single-kneed: 'Your Majesty, our dozen palaces have been attacked by the demonic forces, suffering heavy losses. Large numbers of demons are now flying toward the Heavenly Palace; every palace they pass through has been devastated, and our forces are decimated.'" "Damn it," the Jade Emperor truly grew furious. "I order all personnel of the Heavenly Palace to join the battle, and dispatch messengers to inform the Purple Emperor and the Huangtian Emperor to come forth and join us in confronting the demonic armies." The court ministers were now in a state of panic. In their estimation, the demonic forces had never dared to take such a bold stand—yet they had done precisely that, launching a full-scale invasion against the Heavenly Palace. When the previous contest had concluded, most of the Heavenly Palace's inhabitants—including the heavenly soldiers—had believed the demons to be weak, leading to complacency and negligence in the defensive outposts. It wasn't until the demons arrived in person that any adequate response could be mounted. A vast army of magical beings, resembling a colossal war chariot, crushed everything in its path into ruins with each passing wheel. Dozens of fierce beasts bore a massive throne together, upon which Rex sat, observing with a calm, detached gaze the very scene he had himself orchestrated. His composed face showed no signs of excitement. He knew well that what had just been crushed were merely the small fish and shrimp of the heavenly realm—true, hard-fought battles had yet to begin. As the attackers, however, they held a decisive advantage; thus far, the heavenly court had failed to mount an effective defense, and the smaller units dispatched to respond had been utterly unable to mount even the most basic resistance. The war chariot pressed forward swiftly, and as it approached, a larger contingent of heavenly soldiers came into view—this time, a spark of long-overdue fervor ignited in Rex's eyes.