The Great Ruler (Web Novel)

In the ancestral land of the Ice Spirit Clan.

The hall was filled with singing and dancing, which was accompanied by flute music. Numerous powerhouses from the Ice Spirit Clan were gathered in the hall. Their boundless spiritual energy pulsed, causing the space to ripple.

However, among these powerhouses, the four figures that were leading the festivities at the front of the hall were undoubtedly the focus of the day. Every word they spoke and action they made brought an indescribable feeling of pressure to the numerous powerhouses in the hall.

An elder in a blue robe was sitting at the central forefront seat. His face gave off an azure glow and he exuded a daunting chilling aura with every move that he made.

Frost formed continuously in the surrounding space. Any spiritual energy that gathered around him would instantly transform into dazzlingly colorful crystal fragments due to this daunting chilling aura.

Whenever the spiritual energy was frozen into ice, the elder would draw in a breath, then swallow the ice into his body. At this moment, the boundless spiritual energy seemed to be surging in his eyes.

"Ancestor's Icy Netherworld Divine Art is reaching perfection!" While the elder displayed his domineering absorption technique, numerous high-ranking members of the Ice Spirit Clan began praising him in the hall.

This elder was the most powerful man in the Ice Spirit Clan, and he was a true-blue Heavenly Sovereign, who was known as the Ice Spirit Ancestor. He had a domineering reputation in the Great Thousand World and was the strongest and sturdiest pillar for the Ice Spirit Clan.

The Ice Spirit Ancestor smiled in response to the flattery. "With my old pal, Snow Demon, my Icy Netherworld Divine Art is nothing."

When he said this, he turned his smiling gaze towards the three seats that were below him. On the seat at his right-hand side was an elder with a white beard and a head of white hair. He resembled a deity.

When he heard the Ice Spirit Ancestor's laughter, he shook his head and smiled. "Brother Ice Spirit, I cannot hold a candle to your Icy Netherworld Divine Art."

As a flashing light could be seen in the eyes of the white-haired elder. Apparently, he did not mean exactly what he had just said.

Everyone could tell this from his expression, but no one felt offended by it, as this elder was also a renowned figure in the Great Thousand World. Everyone knew him as the Snow Demon Old Man, and he had been friends with Ice Spirit Ancestor for many years. His strength was on par with the Ice Spirit Ancestor, but neither of the two was stronger than the other.

"Haha… You two old fellows clearly wish to suppress each other, yet you still act in such a hypocritical manner." While the humble exchange was going on between the Ice Spirit Ancestor and the Snow Demon Old Man, mocking laughter emerged from the side.

Any ordinary being, who dared to speak in such manner, would have been turned into dust at this time, yet the Ice Spirit Ancestor and the Snow Demon Old Man merely chuckled when they heard this, while they turned their gazes towards the one who had just spoken. The speaker was a tall, burly old man in a black robe. His purple-gold eyes glowed and his voice was loud and clear, as if a dragon was roaring.

As he sat there, he exuded an oppression that could strike fear into anyone's heart. He gave one the impression that he was an ultimate and ferocious dragon.

"After all these years, the tongue of the Dragon Sovereign is still as sharp as ever." The Ice Spirit Ancestor laughed, as he did not mind the burly black-robed old man's mocking tone.

This was because this black-robed old man was a grand elder in the Dragon Clan of the Great Thousand World. He had a well-known reputation for his great power, and his actual body was a real dragon with a pure bloodline!

His existence was also comparable to a Heavenly Sovereign! He was known as the Dragon Sovereign!

The Dragon Sovereign pursed his lips and said, "You old fellows have only reached the Heavenly Sovereign level after cultivating for many years. Compared to the War Emperor, such cultivation is as good as cultivating a dog."

The Ice Spirit Ancestor and the Snow Demon Old Man smiled bitterly and shook their heads when they heard the Dragon Sovereign's vicious words. Then, their somewhat envious gazes were cast towards a figure, who was sitting at the far left. He was smiling at them.

That figure wore a golden robe and had a majestic and imposing demeanor. In contrast to the Ice Spirit Ancestor and the rest, he looked slightly younger and had a handsome and well-defined profile.

A smile hung at the corner of his lips. His elegance made him the most dazzling existence in the entire hall.

The beauties from the Ice Spirit Clan could not help but look at him with yearning. They could not stop peering at the golden-robed man with their slightly blushed cheeks. Apparently, they were smitten by his elegance.

Compared to those old freaks, like the Ice Spirit Ancestor and the rest, this golden-robed man was clearly in his prime. Although this golden-robed man was the last to start his cultivation journey, there was no contempt in the eyes of the sharp-tongued Dragon Sovereign when he looked at him. Instead, there was a great wariness.

This was because not only had the man before him attained the Heavenly Sovereign level at such a young age, but he had remained undefeated, despite having traveled far and wide to challenge others over the recent years.

Hence, he had been crowned the War Emperor in this Great Thousand World of tyranny and peerless mightiness. In fact, if it was a one on one battle, none of the people here, including the Ice Spirit Ancestor, the Snow Demon Old Man, and the Dragon Sovereign, could defeat him easily.

"The War Emperor has superb talent. It is likely that he will attain the Divine Heavenly Sovereign level soon. This is not something that old fellows like us can match." The Snow Demon Old Man sighed with envy.

The Ice Spirit Ancestor and the Dragon Sovereign felt the same way. The Heavenly Sovereign in the Great Thousand World was split into three grades, which were the Spiritual, God, and Divine grades. All of them were currently at the Spiritual Heavenly Sovereign level.

The War Emperor smiled and said, "The Divine Grade is indeed my goal. I believe I can reach that level."

As he spoke, he sounded extremely determined. It was as if he had great confidence in himself, and a faint arrogance was revealed in his demeanor. However, no one could refute such arrogance. Instead, they believed that he was indeed capable of doing so.

Shoo!

Just as the tension amid the atmosphere in the hall heightened, a ray shot into the hall from the outside. Eventually, it transformed into a little ice bird that landed on the shoulder of the Ice Spirit Ancestor before it started to chirp incessantly.

Upon hearing the chirps from the little ice bird, the Ice Spirit Ancestor, who was smiling before, frowned immediately, while exuding an invisible oppression. The joyous atmosphere in the hall then turned into complete silence as numerous powerhouses of the Ice Spirit Clan looked at their ancestor with fear and respect.

The only ones who were not affected by the Ice Spirit Ancestor's oppression were the three Heavenly Sovereigns, the War Emperor, Dragon Sovereign, and the Snow Demon Old Man.

"What is it?" asked the Snow Demon Old Man.

The Ice Spirit Ancestor snorted. "An arrogant fellow from the lower planes is having delusions that he can borrow the Ice Spirit Tablet from our clan to revive his wife. Does he not know that the Ice Spirit Tablet is the supreme treasure of my clan? The tablet gets damaged with each use, so how could we lend it to an outsider?"

He then added, "I have rejected his request repeatedly, but not only has this fellow refused to back off, but he even dared to barge into the ancestral land of our Ice Spirit Clan! Such arrogance!"

The Ice Spirit Ancestor was raging by the time he finished his sentence, and a daunting icy aura rose around him, while the entire hall was ringing with the sound of things being frozen.

"Barge into the Ancestral land? This person from the lower planes is indeed arrogant!" the Snow Demon Old Man said, while he and the rest exchanged gazes before they all let out a chuckle.

The Great Thousand World was the gathering point of the many lower planes. Hence, the powerhouses from the Great Thousand World looked upon those from the lower planes with contempt.

Hence, they found it funny when they heard that a reckless fellow from the lower planes had tried to break into the ancestral land of the Ice Spirit Clan. With the Ice Spirit Ancestor guarding the Ice Spirit Clan, no one could break through, even a Heavenly Sovereign!

The Ice Spirit Ancestor wore a dark expression as he suddenly swung his sleeve and an ice mirror formed before him. An ancient ice tablet was towering quietly within the mirror.

"I want to see who in our clan would marry such a rough man." As the Ice Spirit Ancestor flicked his finger, a beam of chilling light landed on the Ice Spirit Tablet.

Instantly, the light flickered on the tablet, gathering all of the surroundings' cold aura around it. Then, a beautiful figure slowly emerged from the Ice Spirit Tablet.

The beautiful figure had her eyes tightly shut. Her long hair gave off an azure glow, and her expression was as cold as ice. She was an extreme beauty, who exuded a faint coldness.

The beautiful figure drew shocked gazes as she surfaced before the people in the hall. Upon seeing her, the various branch clan leaders of the Ice Spirit Clan frowned. Eventually, they shook their heads towards the Ice Spirit Ancestor, indicating that this woman was not one of the members of the clan.

"Eh? She's not from our clan?" The Ice Spirit Ancestor was stunned as he asked in astonishment, "Then... How did her soul fragment emerge from the Ice Spirit Tablet? Only those with the royal bloodline of our clan are able to do this."

The various branch clan leaders looked at each other for several silent moments. Then, someone finally said, "Our ancestral archives stated that there was once a branch of royals, who broke away from our Ice Spirit Clan. As there was no news from them for a long time since, it was thought that they had been wiped out. This lady might belong to that branch."

Upon hearing this, the Ice Spirit Ancestor nodded, then said coldly, "Since they have already broken away from the clan, they can forget about borrowing the Ice Spirit Tablet!"

"Heh heh, this soul fragment is indeed quite extraordinary. If you find it troublesome, please grant it to me. I'll definitely keep it for you," said the War Emperor, while his eyes suddenly brightened up as he looked at the beautiful figure in the Ice Spirit Tablet.

The Ice Spirit Ancestor was slightly stunned at first, but as he soon recalled that the War Emperor was someone who appreciates beauty, he waved his hand immediately and said with a smile, "If you are interested, I can give this soul fragment to you after the intruder is dealt with."

After all, he figured that, if a mere soul fragment could create a closer tie with the War Emperor, it was a worthwhile deal.

The War Emperor chuckled upon hearing this. "Thank you in advance. If you need my help, please feel free to ask for it."

The Snow Demon Old Man and the Dragon Sovereign, who were standing at the side, also nodded, indicating that they would also lend a helping hand. After all, the Ice Spirit Clan was mighty, and it would be beneficial if they shared a closer relationship.

The Ice Spirit Ancestor grinned upon seeing this. "Thank you for your good intentions, but this rowdy man is unworthy of your attention. Simply watching as you sit behind would be a great help."

As he finished his sentence, he looked at the various branch leaders of the Ice Spirit Clan with his cold eyes. He then smiled without any warmth and said, "Activate the great array. I want to see what sort of guts this man from the lower planes has to dare to break into our ancestral land!"

"Understood!" Numerous powerhouses from the Ice Spirit Clan in the hall responded in unison immediately.

They then beamed into countless light figures and shot forth. Instantaneously, a daunting spiritual energy soared into the sky, spreading layers of icy halos.

The cold aura was as vast as the sea as it froze the domain at the entrance to the ancestral land. Countless figures stood in the air, their spiritual energies combining into an inescapable net that shrouded the entire area.

An icy lotus rose behind them. The Ice Spirit Ancestor was sitting on it, his cold eyes glaring at the entrance of the ancestral land.

At this time, all of their defenses had been fully activated. The Heaven and Earth plunged into silence, while a bitter coldness infiltrated the space.

Those powerhouses of the Ice Spirit Clan locked their gazes on the entrance. As the coldness shrouded the area, the Ice Spirit Ancestor suddenly squinted his eyes, while his razor-sharp gaze shot towards the entrance of the ancestral land. At the same time, the space rippled violently.

"He really dared to come! What a reckless fool!" said the Ice Spirit Ancestor, rage filling his voice.

The cold aura unfurled as someone's faint footsteps could be heard. They were walking through the air!

Countless powerhouses of the Ice Spirit Clan gathered their gazes in that direction before they saw a figure slowly emerge from the boundless cold aura. The figure stood tall and straight, while his aura was unfathomable, like the deep abyss.

Lightning spread throughout the space as he wielded his Lightning Emperor Staff. With a nonchalant expression, he stood in front of the many powerhouses from the Ice Spirit Clan.

Soon after this, a voice echoed within the ancestral land, "Lin Dong from the Martial Border is here to borrow the Ice Spirit Tablet!"