Chapter 138: Taking Action Directly

Earth was indeed conducting research on all races simultaneously, just as it appeared on the surface. Over the past six months, they had not fully mastered any single race, but Earth had long since thoroughly studied the Protoss. Subsequently, after acquiring the power of the Undead, Uchiha Madara, the second most powerful figure on Earth, had already integrated both forces into his own body.

With those two powers combined with his own native Earth-based techniques, Madara could surpass the upper echelons of the Otsutsuki clan. The exact extent of his strength was unknown, but it was certainly beyond what the Eight Great Races could match.

Madara flew out of Earth and arrived alone at the honeycomb-shaped planet. The Rinnegan in his eyes had evolved once more; they had shifted from green to cyan, with nine tomoe swirling within them. These eyes did not even need to be activated to appear extraordinary. As he flew into the honeycomb planet, the pedestrians on the street were stunned.

"That's... Uchiha Madara from Earth!" someone shouted.

"Did you see? The color of his Rinnegan has changed; it was green just half a year ago," an observant onlooker noted.

"Half a year ago, the genjutsu from his green Rinnegan could make the Omni-King fall victim to it. Now that it has turned cyan, it must be even more powerful!"

"But the Eight Races haven't been stagnant either. After acquiring Earth's power systems, they have all taken a leap forward. Earth is, after all, still too young," others remarked, skeptical of Earth's position.

This conference was, in essence, intended to define Earth's status. Initially, the Eight Races welcomed Earth and honored them as the leaders of the coalition because Earth could compensate for their lack of top-tier strength. However, they had not expected Earth’s power systems to be so easily obtained—especially since Orochimaru had voluntarily made them public—which stirred hidden agendas within them. If they could use Earth's power systems to further their own strength and reach the pinnacle, why would they continue to defer to Earth? They could lead the coalition themselves.

Secondly, Earth had only just stepped into the cosmic era. It was a brand-new race, and while the history of Earth itself and the involvement of the Otsutsuki clan had granted its people immense top-tier power, it remained to be seen whether this was just a facade. Whether they truly possessed the qualifications to stand as equals with the Eight Races could not be proven by Madara’s fight with the Omni-King alone. Every race had to acknowledge them before Earth could become the ninth race of the universe. The Eight Great Races had all earned their positions through raw strength.

Inside the conference hall, the Protoss King and the others were still bickering. The Protoss King, arms crossed, his purple armor shimmering, tapped the conference table and said, "Let me introduce you to the subordinate behind me—Protoss Yi. Are you not going to pay your respects to the Kings of each race?"

Protoss Yi, standing behind him in red armor, remained calm. He placed one hand over his chest, turned slightly toward the gathered leaders, and said, "Yi greets the Kings." His demeanor was polite yet maintained a subtle air of formidable power.

The Omni-King remained silent, merely tapping his finger on the table. A subordinate behind him, wearing a crown inscribed with the character "First," immediately stepped forward and said, "I am Quan Xian; I greet the Kings of each race."

The Snake-Head King rolled his eyes and said, "Enough. Arguing about these things is useless. We must remember that our true opponent is still Earth." Everyone wanted to lead the coalition, but Earth had to be pushed aside first before it could be their turn. Earth was powerful, and whether they could actually defeat them in battle remained to be seen.

The Protoss King suddenly said, "Earth is a new race, after all."

The Omni-King replied indifferently, "If any accidents occur, I suggest we join forces."

The Snake-Head King and the other rulers nodded in agreement, including the Majin race, who had previously been optimistic about Earth. Being optimistic did not mean they would simply hand over their authority. The Eight Races had dealt with each other for a long time; Earth had suddenly emerged, inserting itself into their ranks and siphoning off their interests. If they had no choice, they would accept it, but they would not let any opportunity pass them by. For instance, if things went awry, they would have all eight of their subordinates join forces against Uchiha Madara. It might be considered shameless, but it would ensure their interests remained intact; everything else was secondary.

Madara had already arrived in front of the building housing the conference. He stood on the ground, looking up at the structure. A guard saw him and jogged over, saying, "Lord Madara of Earth, the others are in the conference room on the twenty-third floor." The guard looked behind Madara, confused—he had come alone? Where was the King of Earth? For such an important meeting...

Madara ignored the guard entirely. He didn't move, but his gaze sharpened as he looked toward the twenty-third floor. The ground suddenly trembled, and massive chunks of earth began to float into the air.

The guard screamed in terror, "Lord Madara of Earth, what are you doing?!"

It was clear that Lord Madara had not come with peaceful intentions. Others nearby noticed and were struck with astonishment, stopping to watch the spectacle. A joint security force from the various races saw Madara preparing to attack and quickly shouted, "Uchiha Madara of the Earth race, stop!" They rushed toward him, but they were nowhere near as fast as Madara.

In their shocked eyes, all the floating earth coalesced into a beam of light, shooting through the windows and into the twenty-third floor.

Madara had made his move. Inside the conference room on the twenty-third floor, the Eight Kings and their subordinates were still discussing how to strip Earth of its qualifications when a barrage of earth debris smashed through the windows, shattering the room.

"What is happening?!"

It was too sudden. Since Madara had acted personally, none of the Eight Kings or their subordinates had sensed it coming. They were all struck by the debris and blasted out through the opposite side of the building.

Madara remained expressionless. He flew through the twenty-third floor, emerged on the other side, and hovered in the air. He looked down at the Eight Kings and their subordinates, who were being driven toward the ground by the debris, and muttered, "Orochimaru told me not to ruin the peace, but since a fight is inevitable, I might as well beat them into submission all at once to save time."

That was his original intention for acting directly.

He formed hand seals, and cyan energy erupted from his body, coalescing into an energy giant—his Susanoo. Madara sat cross-legged on the head of the Susanoo, controlling the giant to stomp downward, its massive feet perfectly pinning the Eight Kings and their subordinates.

"Watch out!"

Amidst the panicked cries of the Eight Kings and their followers, the energy giant slammed them into the ground, burying them deep into the earth and creating a massive crater.

"Sage Art: Yin Release Lightning Dispatch!"

Upon landing, the energy giant unleashed bolts of lightning into the crater. Cyan lightning raged, deepening and widening the pit further. That was not all; the energy giant unleashed the Protoss's "Protoss Fist" and the Undead's "Undead Assault" in quick succession.

To the onlookers, it appeared as though the energy giant was launching a violent, relentless assault on the crater, causing it to grow ever larger and deeper, until the energy giant itself was nearly obscured from view...

After a long while, the energy giant finally leaped out of the crater. The energy dissipated, revealing Madara.

The surrounding security forces swarmed the area, surrounding him. Some began to drive away the crowd of onlookers, while others looked at Madara with trembling voices. "Earth's Uchiha... Uchiha Madara, you... you... you must surrender..."

Madara did not even glance at the security forces. He looked down at the ground, a realization dawning on him. He intended to use one final strike to bring the matter to a definitive end.