Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)

“What do you want, boy?” Yang Qi said. His heart was pounding with anticipation at seeing the wily old fox that was Patriarch Deva reacting with such terror. However, he didn’t let his act slip. “Could it be that you’re scared? Considering how you've insulted me, the Second Devil General, it’s only natural that I’ll wipe out the Deva Dynasty.”

“Just wait a moment,” Patriarch Deva said, brushing off his sleeves as if to remove any evidence that he had been fighting. “There’s no need for this bravado, Second Devil General. I was able to see how strong you are. Furthermore, I was only using thirty percent power. I only needed to confirm that you’re really the Second Devil General. Now that I have, there’s no need for further fighting.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yang Qi growled.

“There’s no need to play dumb, Second Devil General. You can’t beat me in a fight, not considering how strong the destiny of my Deva Dynasty is. Back in the era of the Sovereign Lord, when the legion of gods perished, I survived. And I've been working on my cultivation ever since, creating a flourishing group of loyal disciples. I also have immense reserve powers. Considering you possessed Patriarch Bloodcloak to do business with us, you surely know how strong the Deva Dynasty is. If I fully mobilize all of my forces, I could probably even harm your true self! As for this clone of yours, it would be reduced to ashes!”

“Are you threatening me?” Yang Qi said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Take it as you will,” Patriarch Deva said, feeling very confident in his position. “In any case, we’re not enemies. In fact, we can even work together. I now know that your true self is sealed, although where exactly? And what would happen if we could unseal your true self?”

“You’d do that out of the kindness of your heart?” Yang Qi asked. Patriarch Deva had taken the bait, and now Yang Qi was reeling him in. However, he wouldn’t let his guard down. Continuing to act as he felt the Second Devil General would, he said, “Why should I believe you? This clone of mine is weak, but my true self is more powerful than you can imagine. Aren’t you worried that I’d instantly kill you if you freed me? We devil generals aren’t known for our sense of honor, and we fart on promises and oaths.”

“I'm not worried. Even if your true self did try to take out my Deva Dynasty, it wouldn't be an easy task. I'm only interested in helping you so that I can get stronger. And it's not as if I’ll free your true self without asking for any compensation. What do you say? You help me strengthen my Deva Dynasty, and I’ll give you your freedom.”

Yang Qi smiled broadly. “My true body is imprisoned in the Bastille of the One God. Can you free me from there?”

“What? The Bastille of the One God?” Patriarch Deva’s face flickered, then he said, “It's just as I guessed. The only place the Second Devil General could possibly be imprisoned is of course the Bastille of the One God. Yes, I can help you. The destiny of the Deva Dynasty is strong enough to alter the magical laws of the god world. What do you say?”

“What's your specific plan?” Yang Qi asked. “I was sealed in the Bastille of the One God by the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth and the Sovereign Lord’s Holy and Far-Reaching Consummate Omnicurse. And that was after being seriously injured in a fight with the King of Godmammoths. The only upside is that I gained a bit of understanding regarding the secrets of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth. Once I’m freed, I’ll be invincible in all heaven and earth!”

Of course, he was just setting the stage to be able to use the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth later. And his words made Patriarch Deva feel even more convinced that he really was the Second Devil General.

‘He actually knows some of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth?’ Patriarch Deva thought. ‘Incredible. I have to be very careful in dealing with him. His clone might not be very impressive, but his true self will be terrifying to the extreme. And that’s especially true if he's freed from the Bastille of the One God. Working with him will be like playing with a double-edged sword. It’s going to be hard to keep the upper hand. And I could very well get my dynasty destroyed. Thankfully, I have secrets of my own. If I can get the sealed Second Devil General, then assimilate him, I’ll be able to rise to a higher level and be like the Sovereign Lord himself!’ Patriarch Deva was putting some very vicious plans into motion.

‘At my current level, achieving breakthroughs is extremely difficult. Nowadays, God-Lords like the Lord of Civilization are extremely rare. Even after all my years of cultivation, and with the destiny of the Deva Dynasty to back me, I still can’t rise to a higher level. I have to work with the Second Devil General, then assimilate him! With his devil vitality, I can definitely break through!’

Chuckling in his heart, Patriarch Deva said, “In that case, let’s work together, Second Devil General!”

“What do you mean ‘work together’?” Yang Qi asked, knowing full well that his chance had arrived.

“The Deva Dynasty would love to have you as one of our most important elders. You can even have a share of our destiny. However, you have to teach some of your energy arts to the lower-level disciples. And you need to be ready to fight for the sect at any time. Of course, you'll be required to share any wealth you come across. In short, it’ll be like your previous working arrangement. And it will be purely a matter of profit for both of us. What do you think? As long as you have enough perfect caliber godstones, we can get you anything you need.”

Obviously, Patriarch Deva was eyeing Yang Qi’s wealth.

Yang Qi burst out laughing. “That works perfectly. Of all the things I lack, wealth isn’t one of them. Luckily, my true self was sealed inside a massive treasure storehouse, filled with endless perfect caliber godstones and ancient godnotes. If you want a partner, Patriarch Deva, you've found the right person. With my support, your Deva Dynasty’s destiny is going to become a hundred times as strong as before.”

“Are you serious?” Patriarch Deva said. “You really have an endless supply of godnotes and perfect caliber godstones?”

“What. You think I'm lying?” Yang Qi laughed coldly. Waving his hand, he summoned ten thousand perfect caliber godstones, forming a pile that glittered as brightly as the halls of heaven.

Patriarch Deva stared at them blankly, fully convinced that Yang Qi was indeed a clone of the Second Devil General. After a long moment, he burst out laughing. “Incredible! From this moment forward, we're working together, Second Devil General. Amazing things are definitely just around the corner. With you as a member of the Deva Dynasty, we’ll be able to gobble up all the other sects in existence!”

“What do you mean?” Yang Qi said coolly. “The Deva Dynasty is already pretty impressive. Don’t tell me there are other sects out there that are more powerful. I assumed this age was withering into decay, and that there weren’t any truly consummate masters out there.”

“You’re wrong about that. The god world is huge, and it's filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers. You definitely can’t afford to let your guard down. There aren’t many old-timers with cultivation bases similar to mine, but they do exist. For instance, the Dragonfolk from the Nine Dragons Court, or the Sumeru Temple, which is a buddhist school. All of them are on par with me and my dynasty, and occasionally clash with us. Of course, compared to the ancient halls of heaven, we’re little more than ants.”

“Oh? Well, in order to free myself, I need to cultivate an energy art that requires massive amounts of destiny. The destiny of your Deva Dynasty is impressive, but it alone won’t suffice. So I'm going to need your help to get even more destiny. Whether it’s a buddhist school or a lair of Dragonfolk, I need to devour them all! Devils will destroy the world of men!” With that, he burst out laughing.

At the same time, he erupted with devil energy, provoking a smile from Patriarch Deva.

“Exactly how much cash can you come up with, Second Devil General?” Patriarch Deva asked.

“Tens of millions of perfect caliber godstones,” he replied. “Why? I imagine your Deva Dynasty has a similar amount in reserve, right?”

“Tens of millions?!” Patriarch Deva said, his eyes going wide. “Do you know what you could accomplish with that many perfect caliber godstones? Do you know what you could purchase? Do you know how many experts you could develop?”

“Of course I know,” Yang Qi replied loftily. “In a moment, I'm going to open the floodgates. Although, I need you to help me find more pieces of the Mahātmā Jade.”

“You can actually assimilate the Mahātmā Jade?” Patriarch Deva said in surprise.

“Of course. And with enough pieces of the Mahātmā Jade put together, I can resurrect the slumbering will of the True Devil to conquer the god world and unify the cosmos. The age of the True Devil is coming. After all, the Sovereign Lord doesn’t exist anymore.”

‘This guy is crazy!’ Patriarch Deva thought. ‘Although, it's an opportunity for me. Once he puts all the pieces of the Mahātmā Jade together, I can take advantage of the situation....’

Patriarch Deva knew that rewards come only with risk; therefore, he planned to use the Second Devil General to further his own ends.

“Alright. Give me that destiny, and I’ll give you my wealth. It’s the perfect arrangement.”

The two of them shook hands.

As it happened, Yang Qi could sense an immense influx of destiny, vastly superior to that of the House of God Ordainment.

“Please, Second Devil General. I would like to formally invite you into the Deva Dynasty to serve as a vassal chief elder king. You can go about whatever business you need to, and we can get you any resources you require.”

“Here are a million perfect caliber godstones. For now, focus on finding more pieces of the Mahātmā Jade. Furthermore, I have another list of items I need.” He handed over the list with the godstones.

Patriarch Deva was fully convinced that he was really dealing with the Second Devil General. After all, who else in existence could provide so many perfect caliber godstones?

A moment later, Yang Qi and Patriarch Deva vanished.

The plan was working!

Yang Qi was very pleased with how things were going. Soon, he would send the destiny of the Deva Dynasty into the House of God Ordainment. After the martial-god soldier-kings awoke, he would capture the crown prince, destroy the Eternal-Life God-Dynasty and Nacrelight Sageland, and consider taking on the Deva Dynasty. And now, he could also use the Deva Dynasty to get more information about the Proud Clan.