Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)

“Stow it, Second Devil General,” Yang Qi said. “The best thing is to face reality. After all of the billions of years that have passed, for all you know, they could be stronger than you. Considering they built this immense sect with its shocking destiny, you have no idea what they’re capable of.

“I'm going to rely on you to groom these four agents of mine. I want them as close to the peak level as possible. That shouldn’t be any trouble for you. The higher their rank, the more control they’ll have of the destiny here, and the easier it will be to take control.”

“I know all that. But remember, getting them to the peak of the Paramount God level isn't going to be easy. Not even you have broken through. The best thing would be to go to the Myriad Dragons Lair and take out some of the patriarchs there. With their flesh and blood in my hands, helping these four break through would be a lot more realistic.”

“You're always going on about the Myriad Dragons Lair, aren’t you? Is there some sort of treasure there that you want? Something you've been dreaming of getting your hands on?”

The Second Devil General snorted. “What treasure could compare to the Myriad Dragons Lair itself? It’s the most precious treasure the Dragonfolk have. Well, to be precise it’s actually the Dragon Compendium, which forms the core of the Myriad Dragons Lair. If I want to get back to my previous level of strength, sacrificing that book might be the key. Otherwise, I might not make any progress even if a hundred million years passes.”

“Dragon Compendium?” Yang Qi said. He had never heard of such a book.

“That book appeared before the god world even existed. According to the stories, it contains profound secrets about the genes of Dragonfolk. You see, before it appeared in primal-chaos, the only things that existed were primeval godworms and primal-chaos elder-snakes. But then the Dragon Compendium appeared and absorbed the genetic material of countless ancient beasts that existed in primal-chaos. And that was how the first dragon came to be. To this day, nobody knows where it came from. Later, the Sovereign Lord wanted to exterminate the Dragonfolk, but the Dragon Compendium saved them. One of their patriarchs took the book to the Demon Master, who then offered them his protection. Although, not even the Demon Master was able to understand all the secrets of the book.”

“The Demon Master didn’t understand it, but you will?” Yang Qi said. “You aren’t trying to pull a fast one on me, are you?”

“Rewards come only with risk!” the Second Devil General replied. “You have the God Legion Seal and the Mahātmā Jade, and you combined them. You could definitely unlock the secrets of the Dragon Compendium. That's why I’m willing to help you get it, as long as you agree to my demands. After all, the Dragon Compendium is in the middle of the Myriad Dragons Lair. If we go there, you can achieve your breakthrough, and I’ll benefit as well. That said, we should probably get into the House of the Invincible first. I'm interested in tapping into their destiny and seeing how it feels. As a devil, destiny like that is surely going to be wonderful.”

“Be careful in absorbing it. If you attract attention, both of us will be in big trouble.”

“How dare you talk to me like that, boy!” the Second Devil General snapped angrily. However, there was nothing he could actually do in retaliation.

“Enough, enough. The four of you need to take us into the House of the Invincible now. With you leading the way, there shouldn’t be any major backlash from the destiny.”

“Don't worry, milord,” one of them said. “We're nobility in the House of the Invincible, with our own fiefdoms and kingdoms. We’re nothing like the commoners. If you want a position in one of our governments, it would be easy to do, much less just keep you safe.”

“We just hope that you can help us climb through the ranks too,” another said.

“Lead the way,” Yang Qi said, flicking the sleeve of his God Legion Battle Robe. The four experts summoned an enormous flying ship that they used to enter the territory of the House of the Invincible. From what Yang Qi could tell, the net of destiny was so strong that it would be impossible for anyone to slip in unnoticed.

Thankfully, they were being led by his four agents, who could bring them in as guests. After all, it wasn’t uncommon at all for powerful people to bring in guests to visit.

As they entered the depths of the House of the Invincible, Yang Qi looked around and saw flourishing continents everywhere. Compared to this area, the border regions were virtually impoverished.

Deep in the House of the Invincible there were numerous continents, each of which was just as flourishing as the entire Deva Dynasty. People lived in peace, and the destiny was immense. As for the government officials, they used their power and authority to make sure that all regulations were enforced down to the letter.

However, when Yang Qi examined the situation closely, he saw that there was chaos in the destiny. It wasn’t pure, which indicated that there was infighting and corruption here. That said, it was sufficient enough to maintain a peaceful equilibrium.

That didn’t necessarily mean that the incorruptible officials outnumbered the corrupt ones. Truth be told, all of the officials were corrupt in some way. However, the extent of their corruption wasn’t such that it aroused public wrath. There were unwritten rules to it all, and the officials followed them.

‘What a pity. If I were in charge here, the destiny would improve by several times over. It's so sad to see the wastage here.’ Yang Qi shook his head, yet he couldn’t help but drool over this place. If he had access to the destiny of this place, he would easily be able to assimilate the Everlit Godlamp and become a peak Paramount God.

The ship sailed on, deeper and deeper into the House of the Invincible.

Eventually, Yang Qi realized that they were flying along special pathways that ordinary people couldn’t use, which went to show how important his four agents were.

In the House of the Invincible, late Paramount Gods were considered honored nobility, so it was a given they would have special privileges. He could even see destiny flowing into them, making them seem as if they benefited from the protection of heaven and earth.

The nobility were protected by good fortune and could never be harmed.

It was like how, in the mortal world, some government officials would receive protection from the spirits, making them impervious to sorcery. In the House of the Invincible, that type of arrangement was even more prevalent. Thanks to the protection they received, these four experts would never fall victim to any expert from the dao of devils.

‘I got really lucky to subjugate them in the Bastille of the One God. Otherwise, it would’ve been very hard to get into the House of the Invincible.’

The truth was that immense destiny existed in the Bastille of the One God, and Yang Qi was able to tap into it, which was what made him so strong there.

They passed through countless countries, dimensions, cities, and the like, giving Yang Qi a much better idea of how immense the House of the Invincible was.

And it didn’t exist in a state of martial law. There was truly centralized state power at play, and the destiny made it impossible for any factions to rise up in opposition. After all, the leaders of the sect could easily deprive their subordinates of the destiny, and make their godhood vanish.

That was the power of the net of law.

No place that Yang Qi had ever seen was as complex and tightly controlled as here.

It was truly a terrifying organization.

A perfect system.

After flying along for several hours, they saw an immense mountain rising up in front of them, made up entirely of a rare type of godjade that could produce illusions which could dazzle the mind. It was called illusionary godjade, and although it couldn't compare to the Mahātmā Jade, people who practice their cultivation here would develop incredible powers of illusion.

Back in the Deva Dynasty, even a tiny piece of illusionary godjade would be extremely expensive. Yet here was a mountain made from the stuff.

“Milord, this is the mountain we occupy. Unfortunately, although we’re nobility, it’ll be hard to advance further in rank. We’d first need to improve our cultivation bases, then provide offerings to the sect. Upon returning from the Bastille of the One God, we were punished for failing our mission.”

“Milord, can you work out a plan for us? Our Master was recently injured, and because of that, his position in the court suffered a huge blow.”