"The Kui Ox Clan congratulates Great Emperor Thunder Shadow! From this day forward, our clan shall follow the Great Emperor's lead and obey all commands!"
From the southwest, a thunderous voice boomed out — it was a Demon King from the same clan as the ox-headed Demon Emperor, hastily pledging his loyalty. His own Demon Emperor had fallen, which ought to have been a blood debt, but for the Demon Race, only the strong were worthy of allegiance and devotion. A dead Demon Emperor was not worth a second thought.
"The Ice Frog Clan congratulates Great Emperor Thunder Shadow! May the Great Emperor unify the Myriad Demon Realm for ten thousand generations! Ribbit!" Another voice rang out from the northeast.
"The Snow Weasel Clan congratulates Great Emperor Thunder Shadow..."
This time from the southeast...
One voice after another rose in succession as numerous Demon Emperors and Demon Kings spoke their congratulations.
It was not only the Demon Race — even the human sects had their Open Heaven realm experts offering their regards.
This truly was a case of one leopard attaining the Dao, and congratulations pouring in from every direction.
A mere Fifth-Order Demon Emperor — the human race might not think much of that on its own. Weren't there already plenty of Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth-Order Open Heaven masters across the various battlefields?
A Great Emperor alone was nothing remarkable either. Every Universe World had its own Great Emperors, and those Great Emperors might have wielded some measure of power in their own domains, but cast into the vast void, they were merely a drop in the ocean.
But combine the title of Great Emperor with the Myriad Demon Realm, and the implications became something else entirely. Especially since this Thunder Shadow Great Emperor was a member of the Demon Race!
The human race knew all too well what the Star Boundary's current generation of Great Emperors looked like. Never mind the world-renowned Yang Kai — even people like Zhan Wuhen, Duan Hongchen, and Mo Huang had become famous in their own right, shining on one battlefield after another as they slaughtered Ink Clan powerhouses.
When they had advanced to the Open Heaven realm, they had been only Sixth-Order. But now? Most had already reached the Eighth Order, with only two or three still lingering at the Seventh-Order. It wouldn't be long before they crossed that threshold as well.
And how much time had that taken?
At most, less than two thousand years.
Two thousand years — an ordinary person might advance from the Sixth-Order to the Seventh-Order in that span? But reaching the Eighth Order? That would be a fool's dream. No amount of resources could make it happen — refining those resources alone required an enormous amount of time.
What they relied on was their title as Great Emperors, along with the nourishment provided by the Star Boundary World Tree's sub-trees. This drastically shortened their cultivation period, allowing these Great Emperors born of the Star Boundary to create miracle after miracle.
Unfortunately, every world had its limits. The Star Boundary's Heaven and Earth bottle was already saturated, and the position of Great Emperor was fixed — each seat occupied by a single holder. As long as the existing Great Emperors didn't die, no more could possibly be born, and no one else could enjoy the nourishment of the sub-trees.
Perhaps the Star Boundary's capacity would continue to grow, but that would require the slow accumulation of vast stretches of time, along with fierce competition.
In the beginning, the Star Boundary's bottleneck could accommodate only ten Great Emperors. Now there were already twelve.
And now, beyond the Star Boundary, there was another world — the Myriad Demon Realm!
The Myriad Demon Realm had produced its very first Great Emperor born of the Demon Race. Though only a Fifth-Order Demon Emperor, anyone could see that this Thunder Shadow-titled Demon Emperor would inevitably grow at a speed beyond what ordinary beings could hope to match.
If it had advanced through the human race's Open Heaven method, a Fifth-Order would peak at the Seventh-Order at most. But it had advanced through the ancient Demon Race method, refining its own inner core — meaning it could potentially achieve the Eighth Order, or even the Ninth Order!
If it truly reached the Ninth Order as a Demon Emperor, with the Demon Race's fearsome physical prowess, perhaps very few Ninth-Order Open Heaven masters would be its match.
Such a rising star — which human would dare not take it seriously? Moreover, since it was the sole Great Emperor of the Myriad Demon Realm, the entire universe could be considered its territory. Those who wished to make a living under its watchful eye would naturally need to curry its favor.
In an instant, many turned their gazes toward Qinghong Pavilion.
It was widely known that this Demon Emperor shared a deep bond with a woman from Qinghong Pavilion. The Demon Race might be difficult to deal with, but humans were far easier to get along with. If they could use Qinghong Pavilion to forge a connection with Great Emperor Thunder Shadow, the benefits for their respective sects would be enormous.
Currently, those establishing sects in the Myriad Demon Realm were all small and mid-sized factions. The major powers had already set down roots in the Star Boundary. Given the modest scale of these lesser factions, none of them could afford to ignore the influence of a Great Emperor.
Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night. Various factions hurriedly began plotting to contact Qinghong Pavilion. In the blink of an eye, Qinghong Pavilion — previously of no particular note — had become the center of all attention in the Myriad Demon Realm.
Stars and moon filled the sky, the heavens clear and bright.
The Heavenly Tribulation had passed, and the tribulation clouds had dissipated. But the newly ascended Thunder Shadow Great Emperor had already sunk into deep slumber. The series of battles earlier that night had utterly exhausted it, not to mention the fact that it had to endure the power of the Heavenly Tribulation throughout each fight.
Though it had now achieved Fifth-Order Demon Emperor, its mind and spirit were thoroughly spent.
Two figures swept over together — Qin Xue and her husband, who had been watching over it the entire time. From a distance they could hear its faint snoring, and the couple immediately halted, exchanged a glance, and smiled wryly.
At this pivotal moment when the Myriad Demon Realm was being reshaped, the shadow leopard — the very catalyst behind it all — was enjoying a rare moment of peace. It was truly exasperating.
"Husband, you should head back first. Don't let Shuang'er and the pavilion worry," Qin Xue transmitted softly. "I'll stay and watch over it."
Hou Qinghai nodded. "Very well."