Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)

Two top experts, the purrling and the Second Devil General, were clashing. The purrling was using its same old tactics, and the trapped Second Devil General was unleashing a host of deadly devil arts. The latter looked like doomsday, a horde of devils, and the transformations of the sun and moon. It was as if the world of devils had come to the world of men.

Yet the purrling didn’t seem to care at all. Its expression was cold as it spat out bubble after bubble. And although the Second Devil General’s devil energy could pop the bubbles, the purrling would simply make more. In the end, the Second Devil General was crushed as if by an enormous mountain.

The Second Devil General howled with rage.

“Thousand Devil Slaughter!”

All of a sudden, millions upon millions of arms appeared in the Everlit Godlamp, holding a host of devil items as they attacked the bubbles with furious fervor.

“What animal is this? It's so strong! Is this the infant form of the King of Godmammoths?!” The Second Devil General wanted to drag the purrling into the lamp with him.

But the purrling just sat there, dignified, dealing with all of the Second Devil General’s attacks the same way: with bubbles. Despite the fact that the purrling was right in front of him, the Second Devil General might as well have been worlds away.

He finally resorted to one of his most powerful attacks, the Thousand Devil Slaughter, which popped all of the bubbles. Then he reached out to grab the purrling.

Sadly, it didn't work. A bubble appeared that was the color of porcelain, and when it surrounded the Second Devil General, it almost looked like a godspore. And he was powerless to break through it.

Purr....

The purrling purred again, but this time it was talking to Yang Qi. “This is an almighty entity from ancient times. Thankfully, he’s trapped in that lamp, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to keep him suppressed. My bubbles can prevent him from using his most deadly techniques, or a lot of people would be dead. The House of God Ordainment and the Sage Monarch Society would be destroyed in the blink of an eye.”

“I was careless,” Yang Qi replied. “Many thanks, Exalted Purrling. Now that you have him locked down, I can do some things to get him more under control.”

The purrling shrank the bubble down until it was the size of a fist. At this point, it really was a porcelain godspore, except that inside was the Everlit Godlamp and the sealed Second Devil General.

That said, they could still hear his voice.

“What is that thing, boy? I can’t believe it sealed me like this. I'm the Second Devil General! How could you have something like that? Wait, is it the reincarnation of the Demon Master?” The Second Devil General was terrified. The truth was that he had plenty of trump cards that he’d been holding in reserve, but none of them were working.

If he had been able to escape, he would have been able to destroy everyone in the House of God Ordainment, with the possible exception of Yang Qi.

Sadly, the purrling was around to stop him.

Thankfully, Yang Qi had immediately asked about the purrling as soon as he arrived in the Cruiser of Civilization. At least he had correctly calculated that the purrling would be able to deal with the Second Devil General.

At the moment, the Second Devil General was really in a tragic situation. He was trapped in a lamp that was secured in a purrling bubble. He couldn’t do anything to Yang Qi, not even make a suicidal attack against him.

He could only wait as Yang Qi gained further control of the lamp and became its full master.

Of course, that wasn't going to be an easy task. At the current rate, it would take him thousands of years to accomplish that task. It would probably be easier to just become a late Paramount God.

“The Second Devil General can’t be taken lightly,” Yang Qi said. “And it won’t be easy to take his piece of the Mahātmā Jade. Yang Immortal-Slayer, can you consult with King Immortal-Slayer and see if he can provide assistance? If he has time, it would really help me deal with the Second Devil General.”

“Alright,” Yang Immortal-Slayer replied, immediately reaching out to contact King Immortal-Slayer.

Meanwhile, Yang Qi took out a host of Deathless God-Lord Pills. “I found these in the Bastille of the One God. They were concocted by the Lord of Radiance and Light, and they can provide a huge boost to your psyche and godhood. It should raise all of you to the level of Paramount Gods!”

“Great!”

Yang Qi flicked his sleeve and sent out a host of pills. Along with them came numerous items from the seventy-two monarchs, forming a small heap on the ground. The quality of these items were far superior to anything he had acquired from the Deva Dynasty, and it caused a loud cheer among everyone present.

As soon as they consumed the pills, dramatic transformations began to take place in them.

Godhood everywhere began improving, and energy surged as breakthroughs occurred. Yang Zhan was the first to become a Paramount God, then Brahma.

The Shepherd. Yang Manifestation. Yang Memory. Yang Celestial. Yang Annalist. Yang Doom.... With the Deathless God-Lord Pill, their godhood erupted like fire when oil was thrown onto it.

Next, Jadefall and Yang Immortal-Slayer both became Paramount Gods.

It took a day, but all of Yang Qi’s close friends and family successfully broke through.

RUMBLE!

Suddenly, a manifestation of will appeared in the Cruiser of Civilization that surpassed the Second Devil General. It was a tall, imposing figure who was none other than King Immortal-Slayer.

Yang Qi instantly noticed that King Immortal-Slayer’s will had changed significantly. He was stronger and tougher, just as one would expect of someone considered a peer of the Sovereign Lord.

“It's been some time, Yang Qi, and your cultivation base has improved dramatically,” King Immortal-Slayer said, nodding in admiration. “Not bad. Not bad at all. And it seems it won’t be long before you reach an even higher level.”

Knowing that King Immortal-Slayer’s time was very limited, Yang Qi immediately got to business, saying, “Oh exalted King Immortal-Slayer, I’ve prepared a bit of a gift for you. Take a look at what's sealed in this bubble.”

“King Immortal-Slayer!” the Second Devil General blurted. “It's really King Immortal-Slayer! I can't believe you’ve been resurrected! What animal was it that sealed me?”

“Is this...?” King Immortal-Slayer’s eyes widened with shock. “The Second Devil General? Subordinate of the True Devil?!”

“Yes, it is. Exalted King Immortal-Slayer, this is the Second Devil General, who served the True Devil. It's impossible to say how many enemies he killed in the past. In any case, he was sealed for hundreds of millions of years by the Lord of Radiance and Light, and now he’s spluttering on the verge of death. Unfortunately, on a fundamental level, I'm not a match for him. Thankfully, the Exalted Purrling was able to seal him. I know you need a lot of power to escape from your predicament, King Immortal-Slayer. Perhaps if I use my Sagely Sacrifice on the Second Devil General, it can help you.”

King Immortal-Slayer suddenly burst out laughing. “Heaven is really helping me. There are few gods who could help me, but this Second Devil General is different. Although he wasn’t on my level back in the day, he was roughly as strong as some of my brethren. And on a substructural level, he’s already half a step into the Annulled level. This will definitely help in my escape effort!”

In the face of King Immortal-Slayer, the Second Devil General was no longer arrogant and condescending. He was an almighty individual from the past, but he definitely couldn’t compare to King Immortal-Slayer! “What do you think you're doing, King Immortal-Slayer?

“We worked together to fight the Sovereign Lord!” the Second Devil General blubbered. “We fought in the halls of heaven, unleashing incredible destruction. Don’t tell me you've forgotten! I heard this boy mention you’re cultivating the arts of the Great Necropolis! You’re making a huge mistake! Don’t let yourself slip into cultivation deviation!”

“You’re right, Second Devil General. We did fight the Sovereign Lord together. But that doesn’t mean we were allies. You were on the side of hell, and the dao of devils. I and my seventy-one brethren were in the camp of monarchs. The True Devil tried to conquer us, but we always fought back, and never surrendered. So... no. I'm not going to make any sort of deal with you. And I'm not cultivating the arts of the Great Necropolis, I'm trapped inside it, held prisoner by ambitious fools who are trying to assimilate me. These people are very dangerous, and they’re working on a plan that, if it succeeds, will bring about the destruction of all living beings in the god world. They’ll burn the entire god world in their effort to transcend it. You're going to help me, Second Devil General.”

“Help you? How, King Immortal-Slayer?”

“Simple. I'm going to release you and let Yang Qi use the Sagely Sacrifice on you. With the talisman I’ll give him, all of your power can be sent into my true self. Once I'm back at my previous level of strength, their plan won’t be so easily accomplished.”

“What? You want me to sacrifice myself to help you? I might’ve been imprisoned for a long time, King Immortal-Slayer, but I didn’t lose my mind. Other people might fear you, but not me. Killing me isn’t going to be a simple task for you. I have all sorts of devil arts I can’t use while I'm trapped in here. Remember, not even the Lord of Radiance and Light could handle me. I admit that, long ago, you were stronger than him. But things have changed. Do you really want to compete with me in strength?”

Apparently, the Second Devil General was convinced that King Immortal-Slayer was only putting on a show of strength.