Throughout the vast expanse, all the cultivators worthy of note, those at the peak of the King Class, those who were stuck in that stage, unable to understand the reason behind their limitation, behind their inability to advance forward, for thousands of years, stuck on a treadmill moving in place, and worried about the looming approach of death coming to claim their lives.
They struggled and struggled some more, to wriggle into the next step, the Emperor's Rank. However, of those in that rank not more than a dozen exist to this day and most of them are key figures of the vast expanse.
An Emperor Rank even if a low-ranked one can gain enough recognition to be treated as a king wherever in the Vast Expanse they go.
Because those of the Emperor Rank are all leaders and powerful kings.
Every King Class Cultivator wishes to achieve this rank, not only for the prestige it brings, but also for the extension of one's mortal life.