Tresha was not an idiot, and Rellia was not weak.

  The man ruled an empire, a powerful one at that, and he was extremely strong himself as a proud Domain Realm cultivator. But it was not like he was chasing the skirt of a mortal woman or some Body Tempering cultivator. No, this was a true Second Stage Immortal, and one that was strong, even at a glance to someone with eyes and senses as powerful as his.

  So he did not seek her out forcefully, nor by trying to push her, blackmail her, or coerce her into entering his bed. No, he tried it the way a normal mortal man with some standing would. Of course, he tried to court a woman with similar standing. He was nice. He was kind. He did his best to come up with what he thought were the best lines possible.

  Of course, that was likely where he differed from those immortals who were not leaders of mighty empires. His lines of courtship were not very playful or highly thought out. While they were kind, they were simple even if not forceful or coercive.

  Things like, join me at my side as I rule this empire, and sentiments of that nature. Truth be told, just that position alone could get him with almost any woman on planet Acuva and adding that line into the mix could get him almost any woman in the universe.

  At least any woman below a certain level of standing and power.

  None of which applied to Rellia.

  To make matters worse, she was without a doubt not interested, and that was where the problem began. Instead of taking her initial rejection as a firm no, the emperor was persistent in his efforts and pursuit of a woman he found most beautiful. This was, of course, coming from a man who had countless concubines and already possessed a large collection of heirs.

  This was not to say the man was filled with lust. It was simply an action befitting his position as an emperor. He had certain traditions and rules to abide by. A man of his strength could not simply ignore all of his duties, not unless he wanted to deal with a revolting empire.

  Of course, one of those duties was not necessarily a chore to him like the others. This duty was to ensure the royal family spread far and wide, so that should disaster strike, the royal line would survive.

  He made sure that was reality.

  So while he had concubines, he had no wife.

  He hoped Rellia would change that.

  She did not.

  Now Rellia, like most Infernals, especially one of significant strength, preferred to silence problems with her spear.

  She did not wield the Eternal Flame, nor did she have a clan to back her up. But she was an Infernal, and for most Infernals, that alone was more than enough reason to start a war.

  Rellia was not in any clan, but that did not mean she was alone in this world. There were plenty of people willing to back her up should she call for help.

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  Needless to say, Rellia did indeed make one such call.

  And the Herlash Empire, a century later, was still stuck in a succession feud to decide the next emperor to this day.

  News of what happened that day spread all over Acuva and beyond, and now any force of note made sure to keep tabs on the woman as best as they could.

  So word of her return was duly noted. Not just by directly interested parties like the Kingdom of Three, Herlash, and the Blashifa Clan, but by almost anyone of note.

  All in all, practically the entire planet, or at least those with the strength and connections to obtain such information, knew of Rellia’s arrival. In the weeks that followed, everyone prepared for that arrival in their own way.

  Some prepared for war to their dying breath.

  Some sheltered as if a simple storm were passing through.

  Others searched for a reason why Rellia might return after such a long time.

  And then there were those who did nothing.

  Like the Shattered Peak Sect, who could not care less whether Infernals were present on the planet or not.

  They were a lofty sect, and this branch on planet Acuva was headed by a single Domain Realm cultivator. But that was the thing.

  That was just one branch.

  They were one of the few powers with presence not just on planet Acuva, nor just in the galaxy, nor even the universe it dwelled in. No. They were a proper Multiverse-level organization, headed by a true monster of the Dominion Realm.

  So while forces like Herlash could contend with any power in their current universe, that was only when the current universe was taken into account.

  Forces like the Shattered Peak Sect, who spread their roots and “peaks” across many places, were not to be compared to an empire like Herlash.

  The only reason they even heard about Rellia’s visit and paid it any mind was because of the Kingdom of Three.

  The King’s daughter was one of their disciples, and a fairly important one at that.

  There were even talks of transporting her to another branch a few centuries from now.

  Anyway, while they would not dare go to war with Infernals, that did not mean they had to scurry away simply because one approached.

  Though it was interesting to consider how they would react if their disciple’s father told them the full scope of why that Infernal might be approaching.

  Would they dare to simply ignore her?

  Ignore Raizen?

  If that disciple came and begged for support should a war arise, would they stand by her?

  Or would they cut her loose the second the Infernals turned their gaze in their direction?

  Of course this was all happenstance and the future wasn’t certain as of yet. Especially not when Rellia or even the members of Raizen’s clan were aware of all these other reactions to Rellia’s approach.

  In fact, the members of the Clan, particularly Lidaz, Frian and Lirian, were much more concerned about something else.

  The group from the High Flame Clan had finally reached their gates, and they carried quite the pompous air about them.

  Three of them approached, two in the Qi Refinement Realm and one in the Core Formation Realm. The High Flame Sect knew that there was an Immortal among the group who they expected to be a runaway clan, but there were certain rules and politics these sects played by.

  If they themselves didn’t approach with a Nascent Soul cultivator much less an Immortal one, then this runaway clan or any other force for that matter should respond with a similar level.

  This way they would be allowed to push within a certain extent because no one wanted the reputation of using your cultivation to bully others. At least not sects who had an outward reputation to maintain and disciples to recruit.

  There would of course be a line they couldn’t cross and even pushing too much could itself be a crossed line, but as long as they played the game beneath a certain level, then the other side would play the same game.

  These were unwritten rules of engagement and pretty much an understanding that most factions had.

  But…Raizen and his people were not ‘most’ factions.

  For one, all Qi Refinement cultivators in the clan had long reached the Core Formation and the clan wasn’t really in the business of accepting a host of new members…so if they thought they would be greeted by someone of their level as they approached the entrance to Raizen’s new stronghold…

  They had another thing coming.