Nine gates.

At the bottom of the ocean that separated the Grand Quan continent from the three other continents, there stood a massive castle that spanned several kilometers. The castle was surrounded by a large amount of spires and towers, with every inch of the castle built out of blue stone that gave off a faint glow.

There was currently a man walking through the castle with hurried steps, heading towards the center of the castle. The man was completely covered in a black robe that obscured his features, but if one looked closely, one would see that he did not have a head, only a mass of black smoke.

He walked past several servants and soldiers, but they were not humans. The servants and soldiers all had a humanoid shape, but they were covered in deep blue scales, with six slits on their neck as well as webbing between their fingers.

The man continued walking until he reached a long hallway, a dark golden carpet covering the floor. The hallway was covered in torches that were lit with a blue flame that released no heat. There were no servants or soldiers standing in this hallway, making it eerily quiet. The man drew a deep breath before heading down the hallway and opening the grand door at the end of it.

The grand door led into a massive and empty hall, the roof so high above that it was almost hard to see. The walls were covered in engravings, but the engravings had long been covered in deep scratches that made it impossible to see what they were.

"Why are you in such a hurry Little Chao?"

At the very center of the hall stood a simple throne constructed out off black stones, seemingly carved out of a single large rock. An old man covered in white hair sat on the throne, his golden robe dirty and tattered, showing off an emancipated body that looked like someone had just covered a skeleton with skin. The voice had come from this old man.

The old man's body was covered in chains that were covered in glowing runes. The chains came out from the ground and pierced into the body of the old man. The chains then entwined around his body, before they returned to the floor, preventing the old man from moving any part of his body.

"Sir. One of my men just used his divination and found out that four of the God Gate holders have gathered together and started traveling together."

The man kneeled down in front of the throne, not even daring to raise his head and look at the old man. He was afraid that the old man would punish him for not preventing the God Gate holders from gathering together.

"Of course they have. They always group up and travel together, growing alongside each other, slowly gaining power and growing as close as real family. That is how the cycle always goes."

The old man responded with a chuckle, not bothered in the slightest, his words surprising the kneeling man. It was only four of the God Gates that had gathered together, it was nothing to worry about.

"There is no need to worry, Little Chao. I will not let the cycle repeat itself once more, I will break the cycle and finally allow it to end. They have gathered four of them, but the final five are already under my control."

The old man could feel the worry of the kneeling man, so he let out another chuckle. The God Gate holders were only scary when all nine gathered together, only when all nine gathered together would the cycle be able to repeat itself.

"You mean?"

The kneeling man finally raised his head, his voice fill with excitement and disbelief.

"Yes. They may have the Demon, Sword, Illusion, and Ghost God's Gates. But I have the Human, Element, Destruction, Shield, and All God's Gates. The nine will never meet up, and the cycle will end."

The old man tried to nod his head as he spoke, but the chains digging into his neck and skull prevented him from moving, resulting in him only creating a rattling noise. He already had the five last God Gates under his control, so why would he worry about only four of them gathering together.

Even if the four remaining God Gates turned out to end up slightly troublesome, he would still not care. He had spent countless years luring all nine God Gates to this planet, to his prison. He would not allow anything to go wrong when he was so close to victory.

"That's wonderful news Sir!"

"Tell me, has that ocean dweller answered our calls?"

The old man did not continue the topic about the God Gates, instead asking about something else that was on his mind. If they could get that ocean dweller on their side, all the water on the planet would be on their side.

"Im afraid not sir. She said that the mountain god moving and leaving the Guanyu continent did not mean that she would move. She is content with having things stay as they are."

The kneeling man lowered his head and responded in a low voice. She was simply too stubborn, refusing to help them move against the people holding the God Gates. With her on their side, they could slowly start gathering the other ones of her kind. They would no longer have to rely on humans to do their work.

"What a shame, I was hoping that she would foster the same hatred as the mountain dweller did."

The old man spoke with a slight sigh, seemingly disappointed, but the white hair covering his entire body made it impossible to read his expression.

"Do you have any other orders for me sir?"

"That Guo clan that you found, keep working with them. If we utilize them proficiently, we might be able to gather all nine gates."

The old man responded after a short moment of silence. He was trapped here in this castle, chained to his throne, and the various sea dwellers and other races that worked for him in the castle were forbidden from leaving.

Once they tried to leave, the castle would activate and they would be turned to dust, with not even their souls being spared. Because of this, they were forced to utilize the various races and clans that lived on the surface.

"Yes sir!"

The kneeling man gave a strong nod before standing up and leaving the massive hall, leaving behind the old man.