Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)

Based on the words that had just been exchanged between Lightning Dragonriser and Yang Qi, the top figures in Lightningbolt City could tell that they had just secretly compared strength. And obviously Yang Qi came out on top.

Yang Qi was already coming across as so mysterious and unpredictable that no one present felt confident in being able to keep him in check.

Raising her voice, Wang Juan said, “Today, the Wang Clan is holding a banquet to celebrate the death of Pirate King Deku. Everyone, please cast aside any cares or worries and join together in the celebration! Henceforth, commerce will prosper in the ocean districts, and our city will experience a new boom in prosperity!”

“Don’t be so quick to celebrate,” Lightning Dragonriser said, immediately throwing cold water on Wang Juan.

“What is that supposed to mean, Lightning Dragonriser?” Proud Radiance said, his expression darkening. “You weren’t invited to this banquet, but considering you’re from the Lightning Clan, I suppose that can be tolerated. But if you keep stirring up trouble, that could change!”

“I came here with some news, Proud Radiance,” Lightning Dragonriser casually replied. “The act of killing Pirate King Deku stirred up the wrath of the wretch-god who backed him! And that wretch-god is leading an army here to kill the gods of the Lightningbolt Continent!”

“Hmph! Wretch-gods? Who cares about them? You think the gods of the Lightningbolt Continent are worried about some wretch-god?”

“In that case, let me provide another piece of news that might rile you out of your repose. The wretch-god has the support of a devil church from distant lands, the Hell-Breaking Church. And this wretch-god has a godhood rating of six! A rating of six is more than enough to crush all the gods of the Lightningbolt Continent!”

“What?” Proud Radiance said, shocked. “Why would a famous devil organization like the Hell-Breaking Church want to cause problems for the Lightningbolt Continent? Are you serious about this?”

“Believe me, or don’t, it’s up to you. In any case, I just came here today to relay the news. I already explained matters to the Lightning Clan, and they’re making preparations for what's to come. You see, I got the details from an elder of the House of God Ordainment. I just hope that the Wang Clan can help defend the Lightningbolt Continent and work with the other gods to fight back this wretch-god. And the Proud Clan had better offer some help, too, otherwise the consequences will be too horrible to contemplate.”

“I need to go find out more information about this!” Proud Radiance said, obviously not willing to take Lightning Dragonriser’s words at face value. Turning, he left.

“Is this really happening?” Wang Juan said. “It seems we have some important matters to discuss. I’ll notify my clan seniors immediately. Ladies and gentlemen, the banquet is hereby canceled. Everyone, head back home and prepare for the worst.”

“Let's go. A wretch-god invasion is a big thing.”

“Hurry. The wretch-gods from the deep ocean are terrifying. I've heard they want to lay waste to everything. We have to go all out to defend ourselves. Maybe we should just flee the continent.”

“No, we can’t flee. Where would we go? The Lightningbolt Continent doesn’t have teleportation portals! The best thing to do is stand our ground and fight to the death against the forces of the wretch-god. As long as we stand united, we have a chance!”

“That's right. Although we can’t interfere when the gods fight, we can at least slaughter this wretch-god’s followers. And that will reduce his power!”

A sinister wind was already blowing overhead as the banquet ended and people scattered.

“I apologize, Brother Yang,” Wang Juan said. “Who could have ever guessed that a wretch-god would invade the continent? I invited you to my banquet for nothing. Brother Yang, considering how profound your cultivation base is, and the fact that you defeated Proud Radiance with a single move, you’re obviously going to make a name for yourself on the Lightningbolt Continent. Why not join us in fighting this invasion?”

“What do you know about this wretch-god?” Yang Qi asked. His initial inclination was to not get involved, but if this invasion involved the entire continent, it was likely he would get dragged into it whether he wanted to or not.

Furthermore, he was interested in siding with Lightning Dragonriser and joining the House of God Ordainment, which meant it would make more sense to get on Lightning Dragonriser’s good side. Besides, it was always possible that the battle itself would lead to benefits for him.

And he was very confident in his fighting ability.

“The wretch-god in question is a brutal entity known as the Bloodcorpse God. He established a wretch-god kingdom on an island out in the ocean, where he gathered a host of ruthless believers. Then he recruited the pirates to plunder other islands and locations to bring him tribute or slaves to be new believers. If the Bloodcorpse God is really on the way, he’ll likely reach here by tomorrow, or at the latest, the day after.”

“Oh really?” Yang Qi said. “In that case, I don’t think I can just let him off the hook. I’ll wait until the army arrives, then make a more detailed assessment.”

“His army is definitely going to besiege us,” Wang Juan said. “Our clan will work with the other clans and gods to fight back. When the gods fight, we won’t be able to interfere. But we can kill whatever pirates and believers he brings with him, and defend Lightningbolt City in general.”

The most important city in the Lightningbolt Continent was Lightningbolt City, which was located right on the shore.

Of course, being located so close to the water made it easy to conduct business. Most clans had a lot of wealth stashed away in the city, which meant that if the city were to be sacked by the wretch-god, the clans would suffer grievously. And of course, the wretch-god would benefit immensely.

Based on Yang Qi’s estimation, the population of Lightningbolt City was probably over a hundred million.

In other words, if the wretch-god sacked the city, he would end up killing a hundred million mid Terrifying experts! It was something that would be completely unthinkable in the mortal world. In the Immortal Dao Age, there were only a few hundred mid Terrifying experts total. The sacrifice of a hundred million mid Terrifying experts would be enough to found a new age, or completely transform the dao of heaven.

‘Fuck,’ thought Yang Qi. ‘In the god world, a slaughter like this counts for almost nothing. The average citizens are in the mid Terrifying level, although I'm sure there are quite a few peak Terrifying experts. With a sacrifice like that, the Shepherd could easily become a wretch-god.’

“Brother Yang Qi,” said Lightning Dragonriser, “if you’re going to help us, then I suggest that we head out on the water tonight and launch a sneak attack on the wretch-god’s army. What do you say? They’re definitely out there right now. If we can kill his Quasi-God believers, it would leave his army leaderless and take a lot of pressure off of Lightningbolt City. And we could probably get some loot in the process.”

“Alright,” Yang Qi said. “I’ll follow your lead. But first I need to head back and confer with my compatriots. Once you finalize your plan, Brother Lightning, just get in touch with me.” He gave a meaningful look to Brahma and Jadefall, who nodded in return.

“That’s fine. I’ll send you a message later tonight.” Lightning Dragonriser took out a paper talisman that glittered as if it were filled with lightning. “This is a messaging talisman from the Lightning Clan. If you ever run into trouble, you can use it to find people from the Lightning Clan to help you.”

Yang Qi took the talisman and hurried off.

A short time later, he was back at the inn, where he found that everyone had made their breakthroughs and were making adjustments to their cultivation with his Sage Monarch Grand Magic.

His immortal-slaying clone was surrounded by pulsing immortal-slaying power, and was now in the peak Terrifying level. Furthermore, his senses were now so advanced that he could summon an illusory projection of the final of King Immortal-Slayer's legacy medallions.

Seeing Yang Qi approaching, the clone burst into hearty laughter. “I'm in the peak Terrifying level, Yang Qi. Now I can vaguely sense the will of King Immortal-Slayer, and even interact with it.”

“Is that so?” Yang Qi said. Reaching out, he put his hand on the clone, causing the God Legion Seal to appear in the clone's sea of consciousness. And there, it was possible to detect the presence of an immense will struggling with the clone’s, a will that bore the aura of King Immortal-Slayer.

“I understand,” Yang Qi said, a serious expression on his face. “These are some effects left behind by King Immortal-Slayer. When King Immortal-Slayer’s will entered the Great Necropolis, he knew that he had an immense opportunity. If he could use the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart to control the necropolis, he would be unparalleled under heaven. Not only would he restore his previous glory, but he could make the necropolis a part of him and become a paragon in the god world! I wonder who ended up winning, him or Proud Heaven.”

“Can Proud Heaven really compare to King Immortal-Slayer?” a few people murmured.

“You absolutely, positively cannot underestimate Proud Heaven!” Yang Qi replied. “His enlightenment of the Ten Universes divine ability is absolutely spectacular. Furthermore, I suspect that he has the support of some powerful gods. And I recently confirmed that Proud Heaven is indeed connected to the Proud Clan of the god world, an extremely important organization.”

“I've reached the peak Terrifying level as well,” Proud World said. “I can unleash my godpower externally. As a Quasi-God, I can finally hold my head high in the god world. Who would’ve guessed that the Proud Clan would be so important here? But maybe I can take over the clan and become the new ruler. Wait. No. I'm going to destroy it. Wipe it out of existence!”

Laughing, Doom said, “Wipe out the entire Proud Clan? Brutal! But I say forget it.” He had also achieved a breakthrough, thus entering a particularly mysterious state.

All of the people present had risen to the heights of the mortal world, so all they needed was the right resources and they were like fish in water. They could have achieved their breakthroughs normally, but Yang Qi had still baptized them with his God Legion Seal, making them even more compatible with the vital energy and essence of the god world.

“A wretch-god is about to invade this continent, but in the end, it could be a great opportunity for us. Furthermore, my intention is to join the House of God Ordainment, and ultimately get all of you in as well. We should fit in splendidly there.”

With that, Yang Qi began elaborating on his plan.