Within a vast, shadowy hall, tiers of black stone seats stood in two rows. At its very center, thirty-two black thrones stretched out to either side in an arc. Currents of black mist surged over the thrones, their swirling darkness exuding a chilling, sinister aura. Even a Heavenly Sovereign would likely have been cowed by that presence upon entering.
Just as the Great Thousand World had the Great Thousand Palace, the Extraterritorial Evil Clan had a similar organization: the Myriad Demon Hall. Any member of the Extraterritorial Evil Clan who ascended to Demon Emperor was eligible to join it. Thus, countless members cultivated tirelessly, all striving to secure a seat in the Myriad Demon Hall.
The highest positions in the Myriad Demon Hall belonged, naturally, to the leaders of the thirty-two clans. This time, however, many of the black stone seats that were usually filled stood empty. Even among the thirty-two most important thrones, one was vacant-the seat that had once belonged to Heavenly Demon Emperor Slaying Heaven.
After Heavenly Demon Emperor Slaying Heaven died, the new leader of the Blade Demon Clan was reasonably powerful, but still fell far short of the other leaders of the thirty-two clans. Naturally, he was unqualified to sit among them and could only retreat to a corner, placed on equal footing with the second-rate clans they had once looked down upon.
Such was the brutal competition within the Extraterritorial Evil Clan. Though Heavenly Demon Emperor Slaying Heaven had rendered them considerable service, the Blade Demon Clan had swiftly been stripped of its supreme standing upon his death. Unless it produced another late Saint Grade Heavenly Demon Emperor, it would scarcely ever regain its former position.
Seated at the very center of the thirty-two thrones was the Saint Heavenly Demon Emperor, who had once