Orion's mind raced as he stared at the more than 10 million luck points still in his account. He could feel the weight of what was coming, the looming danger, but for now, a solution was at hand.
"I still have more than 10 million luck points!" Orion's eyes gleamed with renewed hope.
Earlier, when Xu Chu had taken down the black-robed man, the system had rewarded Orion with a staggering amount of luck. But now, he needed those points to act as a lifeline. Without hesitation, he called out, "System, open the lottery interface! I want to conduct an emperor-level lottery!"
His voice was sharp, filled with urgency. He knew that keeping those points unused wouldn't help him now. In his mind, he silently prayed that the system wouldn't hand him a legion or another army of soldiers. This time, he needed raw power—a single, unstoppable force.
The familiar, mechanical sound of the system filled his ears:
[Ding! The host selects an emperor-level lottery. The system is drawing...]
Orion felt his heart thumping. Every second felt like an eternity.
[Ding! The lottery is successful! Congratulations, host, for obtaining an exclusive guard: the powerful emperor at the ultimate peak, Void Emperor!]
"Yes!" Orion exclaimed, his voice breaking the tension in the air. Relief washed over him. Not only had he summoned an emperor-level fighter, but the Void Emperor—an ultimate powerhouse. This was the very weapon he needed.
A figure in a black robe appeared before Orion, bowing with deep reverence. "Subordinate Emperor Xu, at your service, my lord."
Orion nodded, sizing up the newly summoned Void Emperor. There was something unnerving yet powerful about him—the way the air around him seemed to ripple as if reality itself bent to his will.
"Void Emperor?" Orion murmured, intrigued.
Without hesitation, Emperor Xu responded, "Yes, my lord."
When Emperor Xu arrived, there had been no disturbance in the air, no fluctuations in the void. He was one with the space around him, perfectly in tune with the ways of the void. It was an impressive display of control.
"Void Emperor, rise. I'll need your strength in the days to come," Orion said, extending his hand.
Emperor Xu stood and, with a solemn voice, pledged, "I am willing to go through fire and water for you, my lord."
The sincerity in his voice wasn't just for show—Orion could feel the weight behind the words. With such a loyal and powerful warrior by his side, a newfound confidence surged within him.
But just as hope began to spark, far across the fantasy realm, on one of the many continents, a disturbance was unfolding.
This world was vast, split into five main continents—East, West, North, South, and Central—each separated by the boundless expanse of the Endless Sea, a stretch of ocean so massive that one continent alone could house tens of thousands of empires. The Endless Sea itself could swallow billions of such continents.
Across these continents, more men in black robes were quietly carrying out their tasks. And then, in the blink of an eye, every one of them stopped.
Far away on the Dongzhou Continent, a jade slip shattered in Chang'an City. In that instant, all of the black-robed figures across the world felt something—a powerful presence, fading from existence.
"What… the commander has fallen?" one of them gasped, disbelief etched across his face. These weren't ordinary men—they were powerful beings from the upper realm. Even though their cultivation was limited in this world, each one of them was a formidable emperor, capable of facing even the most dangerous threats.
"How is this possible?" another murmured in shock. The commander wasn't someone to be trifled with. Even in this restricted state, no one should have been able to challenge him.
But where there was loss, there was ambition. In a different area, one of the men in black robes let out a sinister laugh.
"The commander is dead? Then I shall rise to take his place…"
Each of these figures had their own reactions—shock, disbelief, ambition—but one thing united them. Suddenly, their communication slips lit up, each one glowing with an eerie, supernatural light.
A voice, hoarse and strained, cut through the void: "Return to Da Zhou… kill… protect… the Eucharist… quickly!"
The men in black robes, once silent and cold, were now filled with fiery fervor. This was a direct command—a royal decree. Without hesitation, they all tore open the fabric of reality itself, stepping through the void.
And so, in a matter of breaths, more than a dozen of these black-robed emperors appeared on the Dongzhou Continent, moving with deadly precision. Their next target was clear: Chang'an.
Back in Chang'an, Orion's newfound hope was suddenly crushed under a wave of dread. His guards, including Xu Chu and the others, all stiffened, their eyes scanning the void as if sensing an impending doom.
"Something's wrong…" Emperor Xu's voice was tense, the calmness from earlier gone.
As a master of the void, he could sense the disturbance before anyone else. The black-robed emperors were already making their move.
"Quickly! Into the Lord's protection!" Emperor Xu urged. "We must call back Qinglian Sword Emperor, now!"
Orion's heart raced, his face hardening with the gravity of the situation. He wasted no time. With a sharp breath, he mentally called out to Ye Bai, the Qinglian Sword Emperor, summoning him back to Chang'an.
Luckily, Ye Bai was still nearby. The moment Orion's call reached him, the Qinglian Sword Emperor turned back and raced to his lord's side, ready for the battle to come.
The storm was here, and Orion knew it would take every ounce of strength and every ally he had to survive what was coming.