Although these eighteen powerhouses were all Taiyi realm existences, their statuses were not quite the same.
The Heavenly Emperor wielded the treasure of cosmic creation. He was the ancestor who had merged with the Dao of this universe and the lord of the Mortal-Realm Microcosm's Heavenly Court. His strength far surpassed that of the other seventeen Taiyi realm powerhouses.
Below the Heavenly Emperor came the Three Sovereigns.
The Three Sovereigns were the Heavenly, Earth, and Human Sovereigns, each controlling a portion of this universe's authority.
Among them, the Heavenly Sovereign was the "supreme divine spirit" of this universe. It was said that he had been a Taiyi realm existence from birth and had cultivated two Taiyi foundations.
The Earth Sovereign was the "progenitor of all demons" within this microcosm. His strength was nearly equal to the Heavenly Sovereign's, and he had likewise cultivated two Taiyi foundations.
The Human Sovereign was the emperor of this universe's human race. He too had cultivated two Taiyi foundations, and it was said that his power of slaughter surpassed even the other Three Sovereigns.
Although these Three Sovereigns had not opened up an Earth-Immortal World, they controlled part of the universe's authority. So long as the microcosm remained intact, their combat power stood at the very peak among half-step Celestial Immortals.
Most crucially, the Three Sovereigns controlled the three destiny supreme treasures nurtured by this universe.
These three treasures were the Human Emperor Sword, the Earth Emperor's Book, and the Heavenly Emperor Bell.
All three were Taiyi immortal treasures. With them in hand, even Taiyi realm cultivators from the Immortal Domain with two Taiyi foundations would likely be no match for them without powerful treasures to protect themselves.
Beyond the Three Sovereigns, there were also the Four Spirits.
The Four Spirits were the Gouchen Teng