C19: Emperor’s Coronation

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Sovereign Summit buzzed with tension in the weeks following the Grand Conclave. Lin Xiao’s victory over three Immortal Emperors had solidified his status, but not everyone accepted the newcomer’s rapid rise. The Eternal Grind Sect’s influence expanded rapidly as more clans and sects submitted or were absorbed.

Lin Xiao spent his days refining the stolen laws from the conclave battles. Red and black lightning now carried golden imperial patterns that pulsed across his skin during cultivation. His high ponytail had grown longer and more striking, the strands occasionally igniting with chaotic flames when he circulated the Chaos Emperor Scripture at full power.

Su Mei coordinated the integration of new territories. Murong Xue trained the elite guards. Fairy Luo Qing managed intelligence networks. Princess Yan Zi strengthened alliances through her Vermillion Phoenix Clan connections. Two additional talented women – a silver-haired ice cultivator named Bing Yue and a seductive shadow user named Mei Ling – had joined his inner circle after proving themselves in recent skirmishes.

The group operated like a well-oiled machine. No wasted words. Only results.

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A major challenge arrived sooner than expected.

The Ancient Dragon Sovereign Clan, one of the oldest and most powerful forces in the Central Domain and a core pillar of the Nine Emperor Alliance, publicly denounced Lin Xiao as a chaotic threat that must be eliminated. They mobilized a massive punitive force led by their Ancestor Long Huang, a late-stage Immortal Emperor known as the Dragon Sovereign.

Their war declaration reached Lin Xiao while he was reviewing maps in the command hall.

“They claim I disturb the natural order,” he said flatly. “We move immediately. Full assault on their ancestral floating continent.”

The Eternal Grind fleet, now numbering over two hundred ships and reinforced by allied forces, set course for the Dragon Sovereign Clan’s territory.

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The ancestral continent was a massive landmass shaped like a coiling dragon, protected by supreme formations and ancient bloodline arrays. When the Eternal Grind fleet arrived, the sky turned golden as thousands of Dragon Clan experts rose to meet them.

Ancestor Long Huang hovered at the front, his body surrounded by nine golden immortal dragons. His voice boomed across the heavens.

“Lin Xiao! Your slaughter ends here. Today the Dragon Sovereign Clan will end your madness and reclaim order for the Central Domain!”

Lin Xiao stepped off the flagship into empty air. His black and gold robes billowed as red and black lightning erupted around him, forming multiple coiling dragons that roared in challenge.

“No more talk,” he said. “Fight.”

The war exploded across the sky and ground.

Dragon Clan experts unleashed bloodline techniques that summoned real dragon phantoms. The Eternal Grind forces countered with chaotic lightning formations and coordinated assaults. Su Mei, Murong Xue, Luo Qing, Yan Zi, Bing Yue, and Mei Ling each led divisions, their combined strength matching the enemy’s elite units.

Lin Xiao targeted the heart of the enemy force.

He clashed directly with Ancestor Long Huang. The Dragon Sovereign’s attacks carried overwhelming physical power and ancient bloodline suppression. Each fist strike created dragon roars that shattered mountains.

Lin Xiao met every blow with the Chaos Emperor Scripture. Red and black lightning dragons collided with golden ones in continuous explosions. The battle devastated large sections of the ancestral continent.

After hundreds of moves, Ancestor Long Huang began burning his blood essence to gain the upper hand. Lin Xiao responded by pushing the Chaos Emperor Scripture into a new stage. Golden imperial light mixed with his red and black lightning, creating a terrifying tri-colored aura.

He broke through the Dragon Sovereign’s defenses, severed one of the ancestor’s arms, and drove his hand into the old expert’s chest.

【Emperor-Level Plunder Executed】
【+3,450,000 Immortal Points】
【Full breakthrough to Early Immortal Emperor Realm!】
【Dragon Sovereign Bloodline integrated. Chaos Emperor Scripture fully mastered.】

Power surged through Lin Xiao like a tidal wave. His wounds closed instantly. The lightning around him evolved into true Emperor Chaos Lightning, and a faint crown of golden-red energy formed above his head for a brief moment.

With his new strength, he tore through the remaining Dragon Clan experts. The battle ended in a decisive victory. The Ancient Dragon Sovereign Clan submitted after their ancestor fell, swearing allegiance to the Eternal Grind Sect.

Lin Xiao claimed their vast resources, bloodline techniques, and ancestral treasures. He absorbed the Dragon Sovereign Bloodline, further strengthening his foundation.

Back on the flagship, he sat on the central throne as his six women attended him. The dual cultivation session that night was particularly intense, merging the new dragon bloodline with their own energies and elevating everyone’s cultivation.

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【Central Domain Overlord Quest – Completed!】
【Reward: True Immortal Emperor Breakthrough Assistance + Hidden Emperor Realm Coordinates】
【New Main Quest Unlocked: “Ascend Beyond” – Break through to the Divine Realm within one year.】

Lin Xiao felt the pull of the next realm growing stronger. The Immortal Realm, while vast, no longer satisfied his grind. He spent the following month consolidating power across the Central Domain. More forces submitted voluntarily. His Eternal Grind Sect became one of the dominant powers, rivaling even the Nine Emperor Alliance.

During this period, he publicly executed a group of spies from the remaining resistant factions, sending a clear message. No mercy for betrayal.

On the final day of the month, Lin Xiao gathered his core group on the highest peak of his new headquarters.

“The Immortal Realm has been ground under my feet,” he declared. “It is time to move to the next stage.”

He activated the Hidden Emperor Realm Coordinates and the breakthrough assistance from the System. A massive golden ascension gate opened in the sky above the continent, far more powerful and stable than the one that had brought him from the Lower World.

Lin Xiao stepped forward first, followed by his six women and his most loyal elite forces.

As they entered the gate, his final words echoed across the Immortal Realm:

“I rose from nothing. I will continue rising. Anyone who stands in my path will be erased.”

The gate closed behind them with a brilliant flash.

The transition was far more violent than the previous ascension. Laws shattered and reformed around them. Time seemed to stretch and compress. When the light finally faded, Lin Xiao and his group stood on a divine platform floating amid endless primordial clouds.

The air was thick with divine energy so pure it felt alive. Distant divine mountains towered into infinity, and massive divine beasts flew through the skies. This was the **Divine Realm** — where true gods and divine sovereigns reigned.

Lin Xiao’s body underwent another transformation. His cultivation stabilized at the early Divine Ascension Stage. The red and black lightning had evolved into Divine Chaos Lightning, and golden imperial patterns now permanently marked parts of his skin and robes.

His high ponytail flowed longer and more majestically, strands glowing with divine light.

Su Mei, Murong Xue, Luo Qing, Yan Zi, Bing Yue, and Mei Ling also broke through significantly, their auras now carrying divine traces.

【System Notification】
【Eternal Grind System fully upgraded to Divine Version.】
【New Functions: Divine Plunder, Fate Manipulation (Limited), Divine Harem Synergy.】
【Main Quest: “Divine Dominion” – Establish a major divine force and reach Divine Sovereign Realm within 3 years.】

Before they could fully adjust, a patrol of divine guards in radiant armor approached on divine steeds.

“New ascenders from the Immortal Realm?” the captain sneered. “Submit your tribute and register under the Divine Sun Empire. Refuse and be executed as intruders.”

Lin Xiao’s eyes flashed with familiar cold ruthlessness.

The grind had entered a new stage.

He stepped forward, Divine Chaos Lightning crackling violently around him.

“Wrong greeting,” he said. “Kneel.”

The Divine Realm’s conquest had begun.

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