In the Fifth Heaven, the once-prosperous Skywave City now lay in ruins.
Though the battle between Emperor Lords ten years earlier had not directly reached this place, the plundering of resources and collapse of order that followed
had stripped this once-great neutral trading city of its former vitality.
Inside the City Lord's Mansion, the current city lord, Venerable Lan Cang, sat in the seat of honor with a troubled expression.
Below him were the patriarchs of several major lineages in the city and the heads of its principal merchant associations,
all at the peak of the heavenly emperor realm or the early emperor venerable stage.
"The Seventh Heaven has sent people again."
Venerable Lan Cang sighed.
"This time, it is Venerable Bone-Eater, a subordinate of Black Baleful Emperor Lord, accompanied by three late-stage Emperor Venerables. His demands are forceful:
Skywave City must assemble three thousand cultivators at the heavenly emperor realm or above within one month and surrender half its stockpiled resources
to join the Seventh Heaven's army in its campaign against the Purple Cloud Palace in the Fourth Heaven."
"What? They want more people? More resources?"
A red-faced patriarch slammed the table and sprang to his feet.
"Ten years ago, Star River Emperor Lord and the others came and stripped a layer of skin off us. They also forcibly conscripted many of our people as cannon fodder. Fewer than one in ten returned alive!
The Purple Cloud Palace collects resources now too, but at least it leaves us some breathing room, maintains order, and does not slaughter innocents indiscriminately.
And now the Seventh Heaven shows up and demands that we empty our coffers and march to our deaths?"
"Exactly!" another merchant association head said indignantly.
"Palace Master Lin of the Purple Cloud Palace could already slay three Emperor Lords