This level of power was no exaggeration.
One must understand that the energy Lu Xing now wielded was no longer just Honkai energy.
Whether it was the golden energy that constituted his shell or the "blood" that flowed ceaselessly within his body, it was all the most primordial form of Honkai energy:
Imaginary Energy!
The Honkai energy that surged into his body through [Imaginary Link] had to be further compressed and converted into Imaginary Energy that was "adapted" to the Emperor's body before it could be used.
Not only that.
Lu Xing could use Imaginary Energy, but that didn't mean he could only use Imaginary Energy. The greatest change that fusing with the core of [Shenhuo] had provided him, and the most crucial factor in his advancement to the high-tier "Dharma-Ending-class," was his dominant control over all kinds of energy.
Whether it was absorbing the nuclear energy produced by a civilization.
Or directly devouring the "seawater" while in the Quantum Sea, neither was a difficult task for the current Lu Xing.
To be able to fight in any environment.
This was the greatest enhancement Lu Xing had gained after his advancement.
He would set aside the use of Imaginary Energy for now. While simultaneously maintaining four large Honkai energy rifts wasn't difficult, well...
Some fellows.
Seemed to think he hadn't noticed them sneakily eating—
That's right.
Lu Xing was talking about the Thousand-Person Herrscher individuals he had captured.
Aside from those sealed in ice, the strongest one among them, the one who had previously communicated with the Black Temple, was also taking the opportunity to frantically absorb Honkai energy.
This was its final struggle.
Relying on energy casually created by another, it was clearly impossible to defeat the creator himself. The Thousand-Person Herrscher couldn't possibly fail to understand this. But since it was death either way, it might as well seize the time to absorb more energy.
Not to defeat the terrifying Black Emperor's true body before it.
But...
To try every possible means to transmit this intelligence to its other individuals!
The Thousand-Person Herrscher could indeed share knowledge, experiences, and even processing power, but that was on the premise that no one could sever this "sharing"!
Lu Xing hadn't really done much.
He had merely placed a [Mind Steel Seal] on the Thousand-Person Herrscher when he appeared on the Antarctic continent. The effort the latter was currently expending was precisely to break through the [Mind Steel Seal] the Emperor had left behind.
However.
The gap between the two made the barrier of this Mind Steel Seal far more insurmountable than a natural chasm.
"As a 'colleague'."
"I really can't bear to continue watching your meaningless struggle."
Lu Xing sighed softly.
Without any visible action from him, the 501 Thousand-Person Herrscher individuals (cores) that had been captured by the legion all dissipated as their shells disintegrated, flowing rapidly towards the Divine Halo behind Lu Xing!
"Thud!"
A somewhat dim, hand-shaped insignia quietly emerged on the last blank face of the Honkai Crystal.
At the same time.
The final translucent, grayish-white ribbon of light slowly drifted up from the bottom of the Divine Halo.
With the demise of more than half of the Thousand-Person Herrscher, Lu Xing had successfully grasped the final authority: the Authority of Domination.
However—
"A bit weak."
That's right. Although it was more or less as expected, the Authority of Domination wielded by the Thousand-Person Herrscher was certainly not enough to satisfy Lu Xing. Although the Herrscher's "name" was the same, the authority they commanded would change depending on the civilization's level of development and the state of the Honkai at the time.
Just like the "Authority of Binding" he had inherited from Odin.
That ability was far more than just a little stronger than the Herrscher of Binding that was about to appear in the Previous Era.
The "Authority of Domination" was the exact opposite example.
For Lu Xing, who had already mastered eleven authorities, more weakened authorities held no value. It was even less appealing than the Current Era's "Authority of Domination," which could "plunder" the authorities of other Herrschers.
"Since the names are the same."
"Then this thing... should still have the potential to be strengthened."
The authority was now his.
Although it didn't improve his combat power and its functionality fell short of expectations, it still satisfied Lu Xing's requirements to some extent:
"Holder detected fusing with Herrscher Core."
"Based on the Herrscher Core's type, your skill [Species Iteration] has advanced to [Myriad]."
The instant the new Herrscher core fused, the Emperor's avatars, scattered across the world and even in outer space, swiftly melted and reforged into dark-gold spheres engraved with silver patterns. Then, through portals adhering closely to the spheres, they instantly vanished to various corners of the universe.
That's right.
As his tier rose once again, Lu Xing's perspective had broadened, and his "sense of insecurity" had become even more pronounced. The solar system alone was clearly no longer safe. He now had the ability to destroy a star; an opponent who could defeat him... should have no trouble destroying a galaxy in one go, right?
Encountering such an opponent.
Leaving his avatars within the solar system would be an extremely dangerous act.
Thus, upon obtaining the "Authority of Domination," Lu Xing immediately combined it with the "Authority of Sentience" and the "Authority of the Void," flinging the spheres that housed his consciousness to the furthest boundaries his perception could reach!
This way...
It should be a little safer.
"Next."
The new legions had been restored to their prime.
Lu Xing's third act after his return was to strengthen them:
Although the legions had never focused much on numbers, they had still "recruited" a good number of wild Honkai Beasts over the past half-year, significantly boosting their low-tier combat power.
After the Mechanical Species joined, their mid-tier combat power, which was already an advantage, was once again greatly enhanced.
Now.
All the problems were concentrated in their top-tier combat power.
The addition of Xiao Zi and her two followers was equivalent to adding a strong Herrscher and two Judgement-class Honkai Beasts.
However, because Xiao Zi had given the [Core of Death] to him, her combat power had now declined significantly, only a notch stronger than her two followers.
On the old legion's side.
Aside from Cheche, there wasn't a single top-tier combatant worth mentioning.
Sheshe, who had painstakingly returned to Judgement-class, had been stuck in an Emperor-class form ever since the eastern sea battle. If calculated purely on frontal combat power, Sheshe was now so weak she was on par with Pontos.
Therefore...
A vast spiritual force simultaneously locked onto the legion's high command.
For the planet's interior, Lu Xing's current power was simply too strong. Even his basic moves like [Civilization Impact] (roughly equivalent to a charge) and [God Fist Pulverizer] (roughly equivalent to a spin), if unleashed with his full power, probably had the ability to "scour" a continent. It certainly couldn't be sunk, but merely leveling it seemed to pose no difficulty at all.
The part that was too strong...
Would all be shared with his retainers through the ability of a [Monarch]!