Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Hewis Empire

A low hum suddenly surged as eleven colossal teleportation arrays flared to life. At that moment, a tall, slender man with two azure horns sprouting from his head appeared in a flash from the stone courtyard. He glanced toward the radiant teleportation array with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. “They’ve come from Hell!” he murmured.

“The cost of traveling from Hell to the Material Plane is astronomical,” the tall man stepped forward, bowing respectfully toward the teleportation array. “Only the mightiest of Hell’s denizens can make such a journey. But I wonder, what purpose would such powerful beings have in the Okarun Plane? Could they be returning heroes who once ventured out from here?”

As the misty glow within the teleportation array gradually dissipated, more than a hundred figures materialized. Most appeared to be young men and women, their faces alight with eager curiosity as they surveyed their surroundings. Some extended their divine senses, probing quietly. At their forefront stood Qian Kun and Gaia, accompanied by their son Hevis, daughter-in-law Youya, and granddaughter Delara.

“Hm? Most are lesser deities, a few of saintly realm strength, and about a dozen mid-level gods,” the tall man whispered to himself, scrutinizing Qian Kun’s group. “But the black-robed youth and the cold woman leading them… I cannot discern their strength. They must be high-ranking gods.”

Thoughts swirling, the tall man bowed deeply to Qian Kun. “My lord!”

“You must be the Guardian of the Okarun Plane,” Qian Kun said calmly, casting a glance at the tall figure.

The man responded with a respectful nod. “Yes, my lord. I am indeed the Guardian of the Okarun Plane. My name is Bien.”

“Bien, remember this: you have never seen us,” Qian Kun said coolly. As he spoke, his gaze flickered, emanating an invisible ripple that enveloped Bien.

Immediately, Bien’s expression dulled, and he muttered to himself in a daze, “Never seen… saw nothing…”

“Qian Kun, what is this…” Gaia asked, puzzled, “We’ve only come briefly to the Material Plane. Why conceal our presence?”

“To avoid unnecessary trouble,” Qian Kun replied nonchalantly. With a wave, he and Gaia led over a hundred younger companions away from Mount Wisel. Drawing upon his water deity power, Qian Kun conjured a swirling mist cloud to envelop them. From high above, they departed the Mist Forest, quietly entering the human realm of the Mist Continent, evading the attention of the saintly and godly powers of the Okarun Plane.

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The Mist Continent was vast beyond measure, spanning hundreds of millions of miles. Such an expanse was trivial in Hell, but compared to Yulan Continent, it was thousands, even tens of thousands of times larger, with a population numbering in the trillions. The continent was dotted with countless empires, kingdoms, and alliances, so many that no one could traverse it in a lifetime.

Months later, in the eastern part of the Mist Continent, the long-warring and chaotic Twenty-Eight Kingdoms suddenly announced their unification into the Hevis Empire. With twenty-eight provinces, the empire wasted no time and launched a series of aggressive campaigns against surrounding kingdoms and duchies. Like a rising tide, the Hevis Empire doubled its territory in just two or three months, stretching its borders to meet three other great empires.

These three empires were no mere petty states like the O'Brien Empire on Yulan Continent. Each spanned vast territories, led by numerous god-level warriors. The youngest had a history of several thousand years, while the oldest had endured for fifty thousand years.

Yet, within just half a month after Hevis’s expansion, the royal families of these three empires renounced their imperial titles and accepted vassalage under the Hevis Empire.

This news shook the political landscape of eastern Mist Continent. The Hevis Empire had swollen overnight into the most formidable power in the region—both the youngest and fastest-growing empire in its long history.

Its rapid rise alarmed neighboring empires, kingdoms, and alliances, fearing that Hevis might next consume them all.

Yet, to their surprise, the Hevis Empire halted its expansion and spent over a century focusing solely on internal development, never initiating hostilities. It became the richest and most commercially prosperous empire in eastern Mist Continent. Its people took great pride in their imperial identity.

Though the empire pursued peaceful growth, no one dared challenge its authority, especially the saintly and god-level elites who fully understood the empire’s profound strength.

The royal families absorbed into the Hevis Empire maintained high status, with many members holding key military and political positions. Yet, none harbored disloyalty; their allegiance to the Hevis throne was unwavering.

The empire’s founding emperor was none other than Hevis, Qian Kun’s son. After nearly a century of rule, he had forged a powerful and thriving empire before passing the throne to his only son, the twenty-one-year-old Klin. Hevis had fathered Klin with a concubine after arriving in the Okarun Plane decades earlier. Klin was Qian Kun’s sole grandson.

As for the hundred-plus younger followers who came with Qian Kun to Okarun, they were all descendants of Delara.

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The imperial capital, Hevis City, was built from nothing and, after more than a century of continuous planning and expansion, had grown into the largest and most prosperous city in eastern Mist Continent, home to millions.

The imperial palace occupied roughly one-tenth of the city’s area. Only one-third housed the emperor, concubines, and palace maids, while the remaining two-thirds resembled a vast, tranquil estate. Here resided dozens of the younger generation who had come with Qian Kun, mostly powerful mid-level gods, including Qian Kun and Gaia themselves.

Inside a quiet chamber of the independent castle where Qian Kun and Gaia lived, Qian Kun sat in meditation, holding a diamond-shaped red crystal that emitted a faint, misty glow. This red crystal was one of the three supreme divine relics bestowed by the highest gods of life, its mysteries of life’s laws profound and arcane. News of the red diamond and the other two supreme relics had long spread throughout Hell. Qian Kun had recently acquired this one from the couple Brody.

“This red diamond truly lives up to its status as a supreme divine relic from the God of Life. The life principles it contains are extraordinarily subtle,” Qian Kun exhaled softly, opening his eyes before pocketing the crystal and rising from his seat.

Outside, Gaia, noticing Qian Kun’s slow pace, hurriedly chided, “Qian Kun, today is our grandson’s enthronement day. Can you hurry up? Don’t make us late—the ceremony will be over soon.”

“It’s just a coronation. What’s the big deal?” Qian Kun replied with a resigned glance but still followed her out of the castle.

Klin’s enthronement was indeed grand. Envoys from nearly every nation and faction in eastern Mist Continent gathered to congratulate the new emperor of the Hevis Empire. Ministers, generals, and many saintly elites assembled within the palace to witness the magnificent ceremony.

Though Qian Kun and Gaia did not appear openly, they observed the proceedings from a concealed vantage above the palace.