Follow the path of Dao from infancy Chapter 1884 Chapter 504: Emerging from Seclusion, Competing for the Crown! (Part 2)

A faint smile played on the lips of the Yama Emperor.

Within the Ten Thousand Clans, certain Emperors harbor these very notions, making them hesitant to spend effort on forging rivalries or joining such battles, as they chase after even loftier peaks.

"As they strike at the Three Domains, let's seize this chance to hunt down those scattered pieces of Reincarnation from long ago. Should we manage to restore the Gate of Reincarnation, our return will be possible again!"

The Punishment Bone Emperor creased his brow, urging all to remember the core priorities.

With a sidelong look at him, the Poison Emperor remarked, "And what then, if we do go back? That place holds no room for us anymore, not unless the Gate of Reincarnation pulls this world into the fold too."

"First, we must crush these pests, and then the Ten Clans ought to band together to bargain with this realm's Heavenly Dao."

The Yama Emperor murmured in a low voice, his gaze sharpening with a chilling, perilous light.

"Yes, the hour has come to collect the shards of Reincarnation. It's been ages since I caught the aroma of my old homeland."

A trace of nostalgia flickered in the eyes of the Emperor from the Evil Realm Clan. Even as an Emperor who had long cast off mortal bonds, the deep-seated yearnings etched into the Divine Soul endured unaltered.

...

As diverse realms and clans geared up with fierce determination, the expected onslaught from the Ancient Demons was slated for centuries ahead, yet within under ten years, dire reports arrived from the frontiers: the Ancient Demon Army had launched its invasion.

Northern Domain, Gusu Emperor Star.

Su Family, inside the Light Emperor Hall.

Su Zhenyuan eyed the heads of other prominent clans from the Northern Domain; rivals to their Su Family included the Lin Family, the Jiang Family, and over a dozen additional groups of somewhat lesser might.

"A huge raid by Ancient Demons has just hammered the borders, spearheaded by an Emperor, and the frontmost barrier has fallen already!"

The Qin Family's Clan Leader blurted out in alarm.

Upon hearing the alert, the top warriors his Qin Family had posted at the border were wiped out, among them numerous grandsons—each a powerhouse at the Immortal King level.

The hall's air hung thick with strain, heavy enough to squeeze out moisture.

Gloom, displeasure, worry, and unease etched across the features of every clan's representatives.

Under an Emperor's command, the bulwark that had endured for tens of thousands of years crumbled in but a single clash.

An Emperor had been stationed there too, yet the invading Ancient Demon King clan sent two Emperors against him, and now that defender waged war deep in the Exotic Realm, his fate hanging in the balance.

The Ancient Demons surged with savage force; fresh whispers from the Eastern Domain had reached them lately, and witnessing the demons' aggressive posture now, dread and unease gripped all, evoking the apocalypse of a hundred thousand years past—but this wave struck faster and fiercer still.

"Calm yourselves, everyone. Our Lin Family ancestor has set out to at least stall this Emperor from the Pupil Curse Clan, and the outcome of the fight rests with us now."

Breaking the heavy quiet, the Lin Family Patriarch uttered in a steady tone.

Though turmoil churned inside him, he projected composure on the surface, for his Lin Family, together with the Su Family and Jiang Family, served as the Northern Domain's anchors of stability; should they falter, the rest would plunge into deeper panic.

"That's right, my Jiang Family's ancestor has stirred from slumber and marched to the fray as well."

Next to him, the Jiang Family Clan Leader added in a gentle voice, dressed in martial attire that lent her a bold and vibrant air, her crimson locks billowing behind the helm like vivid scarlet feathers.

"Clan Leader Su, hasn't your family ancestor been locked in combat in the Eastern Domain? With the Northern Domain crumbling like this, shouldn't you call him back without delay?"

One Clan Leader turned to Su Zhenyuan, unable to hold back the question.

Su Zhenyuan's face grew somber. As calamity loomed over the Northern Domain, their Su Family ancestor had committed to aiding the Eastern Domain and couldn't pivot to home fires, leaving the Su Family open to pointed barbs.

"The ancestor remains in the thick of it; I've dispatched word to him already, and he'll come back as soon as the skirmish wraps up."

Su Zhenyuan drew in a sharp breath and declared icily, "My Su Family ancestor may be absent from the Northern Domain, but before he left, he placed this region under the watch of the Lin Family ancestor and the Jiang Family ancestor. Moreover, everyone! Whenever it comes to felling Ancient Demons and defending the True Realm's Ten Thousand Races, isn't every front just another battlefield?!"

His closing words rang with authority as he scanned the assembly.

In that instant, upholding the greater cause, his forceful presence left those clans nursing quiet grudges and minor resentments speechless.

After all, the Northern Domain teetered on the brink, and they now sought reinforcements from afar.

If aiding the Eastern Domain spelled trouble for the Su Family, then why expect other domains to rush to the Northern Domain's side?

"Just so; my family ancestor made it clear that the Ancient Demon Emperors fall to them—no matter their numbers, that's not our worry. We simply hold the Northern Domain and tend to our duties!"

The Lin Family Patriarch declared, not merely to smooth things for Su Zhenyuan, but relaying the ancestor's direct orders relayed earlier, clearly anticipating the backlash the Su Family would face from their Sovereign's absence in the Northern Domain.

Upon the Lin Family Patriarch's statement, the others ceased glaring at Su Zhenyuan. In the end, those were the Lin Family ancestor's own directives, and with that affirmed, their role boiled down to securing the Northern Domain.

"Still no True King picked out? Word is, other domains are under siege too—if we don't band together, we'll get picked off one after another, just like a hundred thousand years back!"

A clan leader demanded with growing impatience.

The Ten Thousand Clans' armies stood poised to rally at once, yet they awaited a True King to command them.

Should a True King now guide the Ten Thousand Clans' troops to bolster the Northern Domain, the burden on them would lighten immensely.

Truth be told, the Eastern Domain couldn't lean solely on its own houses, since threats loomed over other domains too, barring them from sending aid.

Besides, amid such chaos and peril, human treachery shone starkly; clans beyond the top hundred might huddle behind the mighty ones for safety, but once the True King Commander emerged, the Ten Thousand Clans' legions would merge as one, compelling even them to commit forces. These mandates came from the Emperors themselves, enforced by Heavenly Dao Laws—far sturdier and more potent than mere rallying cries.