CHAPTER 199: NEW RULER OF BLUE MOON

Seeing the fight at breaking point, A long-forgotten name surfaced in the minds of the oldest beings in the empire.

"Bai Zhenlong."

Once hailed as the White Dragon of the East, Bai Zhenlong had been the strongest Martial Saint under the heavens nearly four centuries ago. He was a living legend, the man who had single-handedly crushed an entire demonic invasion that threatened to swallow three dynasties. His sword, the Heaven Severing Blade, was forged from the bones of an ancient godbeast and tempered in the Sea of Radiant Thunder.

Back then, his strength had reached the limits of mortal understanding. Many believed he had been a step away from divinity itself.

And then, suddenly, he vanished.

Historians called it his "Silent Ascension." The empire spoke of it as a sacred mystery. The Emperor’s bloodline claimed he had passed on willingly to protect the balance of the world.

But now, the truth was clear.

He had not ascended. He had been sealed.

A secret only known to the imperial lineage.

Emperor Yan Jao, still on the ground, gritted his teeth. "Forgive me, Ancestor... I was forced to awaken you."

Bai Zhenlong did not look at him.

Instead, his gaze remained locked on Igaris.

"Hmm... You’ve bonded with the Divine Armament?"

Igaris said nothing.

But the way the weapon shimmered in his hand was answer enough.

Bai Zhenlong’s face remained impassive, but deep within, he felt the ripple of destiny. This youth was not bound by this world’s limitations. His aura carried the smell of broken shackles. Of stars unfamiliar. Of wars not yet written.

Long ago, Bai Zhenlong had chosen to seal himself at the Emperor’s command, fearing his own power would attract cosmic attention. The Celestial Tribunal, an unknowable force in the upper realms, had once marked him for ascending without permission. Rather than risk his people’s annihilation, he chose slumber.

And yet now, he stood awake again, face to face with a youth whose mere existence defied all that the world had come to accept.

"I once vowed fought to protect this empire," Bai Zhenlong murmured, voice distant. "But now I see rot has taken root in its heart. If you wish to claim it, I will not stop you... unless you fail to prove your worth."

He raised his blade once more, this time without wrath, but as a test of truth.

"If you defeat me, the empire is yours to rebuild."

Igaris nodded slowly, his eyes calm and unwavering.

"Then draw your sword, old dragon. Let history make way for the future."

BOOM!

The very first exchange shattered the sky.

A single clash between Igaris’s Divine Spear and Bai Zhenlong’s Heaven Severing Blade caused reality to bend, the clouds twisting into spirals as shockwaves erupted in every direction. Half the capital crumbled in that instant.

The ground beneath the palace gates split apart like dried parchment, cracks spider-webbing outward for miles.

"Whoosh!"

Igaris lunged forward, the Divine Spear rotating like a heavenly drill. Its tip shimmered with celestial force, every thrust magnified fivefold by the Armament’s early-stage synchronization.

Bai Zhenlong remained still until the last moment. Then he stepped sideways, his movement slower than a blink—but perfect.

CLANG!

He redirected the spear with the flat of his blade, then twisted his wrist and unleashed a wave of white energy. It carved open the air, a phantom dragon roaring within it.

Igaris raised his palm.

"Kinetic Redirection!"

The dragon’s breath scattered backward, detonating harmlessly against the far cliffs. Dozens of imperial soldiers were flung into the air by the aftershock, screaming in awe and terror.

"You’ve mastered something strange," Bai Zhenlong muttered, his voice barely audible through the storm. "That is no martial art of this world."

Igaris didn’t respond. He blinked forward using Phantom Shift, appearing directly above the saint with his spear poised downward like a divine punishment.

Bai Zhenlong smirked. "Heaven Severing—First Form!"

His blade rose in a perfect arc, clashing with the spear just before it could pierce his skull. The result was explosive.

"RUMBLE!"

A beam of energy surged up into the sky, splitting the clouds in half and revealing the stars even though it was still day.

Witnesses fell to their knees.

"The stars... they’re showing in the daylight!"

"Is this really a battle between mortals?!"

Shirley clenched her fists from the far hill. "Come on, Igaris... You mustn’t loose. "

Evernight smiled faintly. "Darling Won’t Loose."

Back to the battle—

Bai Zhenlong slid back, the earth splitting behind his heels.

Boom!

Igaris dropped to the ground like a meteor, dust bursting around him. He raised the spear again and spoke, voice clear and resolute.

"You’re impressive, Old Saint. But lets see how far can you go."

He spun it once, and the weapon transformed—twisting into a greatsword pulsing with light.

Bai Zhenlong’s eyes flickered. "So that’s the power of the Ten Thousand Armaments... impressive."

They moved again.

This time, faster.

Only Ascendants or higher could follow the duel now. The battlefield became a whirlwind of weapon clashes and flashing silhouettes. Each impact resounded like a thunderclap in the Sky.

Suddenly, Igaris ducked under a vertical slash and drove his fist into Zhenlong’s chest. "Undead Recovery!" activated instantly, draining the Saint’s lifeforce even if just a fraction.

Zhenlong staggered, but his power increased in response. "Heaven Severing—Final Form."

"Buzzz!"

His blade lit up, the entire world falling silent for a heartbeat.

Then he slashed.

The attack wasn’t aimed at Igaris, but at the very world around them. It was a cut that threatened to end the battle entirely, to split the capital itself.

But Igaris raised his transformed weapon.

"Space-time Domain."

The space-time was instantly locked, and the Saint was unable to move momentarily.

His sword devoured the light, swallowed the saint’s divine strike, and converted it into a torrent of black-and-gold energy that spiraled into its core.

He appeared behind Bai Zhenlong the next instant.

Slash.

A single, clean strike along the Saint’s back. Not fatal. Not cruel. Just decisive.

Zhenlong staggered forward, then fell to one knee. His blade struck the ground beside him.

Silence.

All around them, even the wind stopped.

Igaris didn’t press further. He stood still, the Divine Armament reverting to its neutral form in his grasp.

Bai Zhenlong looked up slowly. "Sigh... Looks like these old bones can’t keep up anymore. You win, brat. But if you ever become Tyrant of this World, I will stop you. And Don’t forget, you have already angered a few Martiak Gods in the Heavens. "

Igaris smiled. "They can’t come down, could they? They will be just clowns in the upper realm."

Gasps echoed across the city. Shocked gasps, awed gasps. The kind that marked history being written.

The Martial Saint lowered his head.

"Brat, You’re too bold to challenge the heavens. Nevertheless, for four centuries... no one has ever made me kneel."

He bowed properly this time. "Blue Moon Empire is no longer mine to defend."

And so, before the gathered armies and stunned populace, Igaris stepped past the fallen Saint and walked toward the shattered gates of the palace.

The new ruler had taken over..

---

News spread fast.

In the Crimson Lotus Empire:

Within the imperial pagoda that pierced the heavens, Empress Xian Yue crushed her jade teacup, eyes glowing like twin rubies.

"The Blue Moon... fell?" she whispered.

An elder minister stammered, "Your Majesty, he... he defeated Bai Zhenlong. The Saint acknowledged defeat. The capital was overtaken. Igaris Vance is now sitting on the imperial throne."

Silence lingered like a guillotine’s shadow.

The Empress slowly stood. "That boy... Who’s child he?"

"We don’t know yet, Your Majesty. Witnesses say he now carries the ten thousand Divine Armaments and commands hundreds of thousands Divine Creatures."

A long silence, then the Empress murmured:

"Send an envoy. No... send the Scarlet Flame Princess. She will test him herself. If he is truly worthy, I want him... as either an ally or ashes."

---

In the Duskveil Dynasty

A kingdom of secrets, ruled from the shadows.

High Chancellor Leng Rui bowed before a figure seated behind a beaded curtain. His voice was cold and measured.

"Reports confirm it. The Blue Moon Empire has fallen. The boy... no, the man named Igaris now holds their Divine Throne."

From behind the curtain came a soft chuckle, like silk brushing steel.

"I knew the stars were shifting. Prepare the Seers. The future has been rewritten, and I want to see what name lies beneath the ink."

"Should we treat him as an enemy?" Leng Rui asked.

A pause. Then the voice answered:

"No. Not yet. If he truly has Divine Creatures and devours realms... perhaps we will let him burn our enemies first."

---

In the Eternal Glacier Empire

Beneath the frozen peaks, Emperor Xuan Wu of the Eternal Glacier was training alone when the news reached him.

A single punch from him shattered an entire iceberg.

"So... Bai Zhenlong fell." He clenched his fist. "The era of saints is ending."

"Your Majesty," said a court elder, "should we intervene?"

"No," the emperor said, turning toward the open sky. "Let the boy grow. Let him challenge the heavens. If he dares threaten the Eternal North, then I shall greet him with my spear at the gates."

---

In the Thousand Sun Empire...

Inside the radiant Hall of Light, Supreme Priest-King Aruta raised his arms as golden scripture floated around him.

"The prophecy changes," he proclaimed before his priests.

A young acolyte asked, "Is he the Child of Calamity?"

The Priest-King’s gaze narrowed.

"No. He is something worse. He is the one who bends fate itself. The Divine Path has been disrupted."

"Should we send crusaders?" asked one of the elders.

"No," Aruta replied. "We shall watch. And if he dares approach our holy grounds, we will decide then whether he is a devil or a god."

---

In the Smaller Kingdoms and Sects

The fall of Blue Moon Empire sent shockwaves through the smaller realms like lightning through brittle glass.

The Ironfang Duchy immediately pledged allegiance to Igaris, sending gifts and virgins in golden carriages.

The Poison Sect called for an emergency Grand Council, fearing the new ruler would come for them because of their personal Vendetta.

The Kingdom of Liao went into lockdown, fearing invasion.

The wandering sects, rogue Martial Warriors, and young geniuses across the continent began to whisper a new name in awe and dread:

"Overlord Igaris."