Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)

“We need to take things slowly but surely. And don't forget, the halls of heaven are completely empty except for the will of the Sovereign Lord. The House of the Invincible is different. There are patriarchs keeping watch constantly.” Truth be told, Yang Qi was tempted to agree with the Second Devil General, as he sorely wanted that piece of the Mahātmā Jade.

Furthermore, he could sense that his collection was nearly complete. Once he got all the pieces and combined the jade with the God Legion Seal, he would be so mighty that he might surpass the Sovereign Lord.

Of course, he couldn't combine them on his own. But with the Great Necropolis, he could. The Great Necropolis was powerful enough to bury anything and everything, and was what had led to the ultimate downfall of the Sovereign Lord.

For that reason, Yang Qi knew that he had to get back into the Great Necropolis.

“What exactly are you waiting for?” the Second Devil General asked, frowning.

“I’m waiting to get a better handle on our current situation. Right now, we’re not even close to the higher echelons of power. You think being a chief of police is worth anything? Besides, the destiny is stronger in the depths of the sect. It would be too easy to alert the enemy to our presence. You were imprisoned for billions of years, Second Devil General. Why are you suddenly being so impatient?”

“It's because I was imprisoned for so long that I’m impatient!” the Second Devil General snapped back. “But everything you said makes sense. Fine, I’ll keep waiting.”

“Smart decision.” As their conversation played out, Yang Qi and the Second Devil General were flying out of the territory of the House of the Invincible.

Normally speaking, if a Paramount God tried to fly from one end of the House of the Invincible to the other, it could take hundreds or even thousands of years. But the Second Devil General was a mighty figure who, in a single breath, could pass by millions upon millions of worlds. And of course, the House of the Invincible was only a drop of water in the ocean compared to the god world as a whole.

Once they were outside the net of destiny, both the Second Devil General and Yang Qi felt a bit more relaxed. Things were so strictly monitored inside the sect that they couldn't use all of their divine abilities.

Now, it was a waiting game.

Hours passed, until eventually, they saw five figures flying in their direction. Leading the group was an old man. He was tall and muscular, but had a slightly hunched back. And there was a flicker of confusion in his eyes. This was the Master of Yang Qi’s four agents, Dugu Hong.

“Master, these are two consummate experts we recruited to help us take down Dugu Nimou.”

“Where exactly are these ‘consummate’ experts?” Dugu Hong asked, looking around with eagle eyes.

“We’re right here,” Yang Qi said, stepping forward with hands clasped behind his back. “Second Devil General, why don’t you take the lead here?”

“Hmph!” Snorting coldly, the Second Devil General waved his hand, causing devil clouds to roil out in all directions. It was as if a world of devils had arrived. The pitch black of countless hells erupted, instantly engulfing Dugu Hong.

The old man’s face fell, and then he burst into motion, becoming a lightning-like streak that shot up into the air. Unfortunately, as soon as he hit the devil energy, he was sent tumbling back down.

RUMBLE!

The Second Devil General reached out and grabbed Dugu Hong by the neck, immobilizing him.

“Y-you... who are you?” Dugu Hong stammered.

Voice cold, the Second Devil General said, “You sent your apprentices into the Bastille of the One God to look for me, didn’t you? You said that because I was injured, you could assimilate me to help you recover from your injuries. Well, I'm here, and I'm curious to see how you plan on assimilating me.”

So shocked that he looked like he might pass out, Dugu Hong said, “Y-you’re... y-you’re the ancient Second Devil General? Subordinate of the True Devil? His strongest follower?”

The Second Devil General really had been considered the strongest, as the First Devil General was a mahātmā who was adept at manipulating the workings of heaven, but not necessarily at battle.

The Second Devil General had a fiendish reputation and, similar to the Lord of Radiance and Light, was virtually invincible. He had shocked millions upon millions of worlds, and shaken the legion of gods. There were many legends about him, and all of them spoke of him as being the fiercest of fiend-devils. Now he was free, and although his cultivation base wasn’t back to normal, on a substructural level he was so mighty that any god that encountered him would piss their pants in terror.

“There’s no need to frighten him. And leave the sealing to me. If you try using your devil seal on him, it will be detected by the destiny of the sect, and will alert our enemies.” Without further fanfare, Yang Qi walked forward and latched his hand onto Dugu Hong’s head. Dugu Hong shivered as the power of the God Legion Seal sank into him.

At this point, Yang Qi’s cultivation base actually surpassed that of Dugu Hong. And he was being assisted by the Second Devil General! Because of that, Dugu Hong didn't stand a chance. Of course, Yang Qi could have handled him alone, but it would probably have involved many rounds of fighting. And Dugu Hong would have been further injured in the process.

Instead, Yang Qi was taking control of him before anything like that could happen.

Dugu Hong’s face went slack, and the Second Devil General clasped his hands behind his back, reined in his devil energy, and said, “I helped you rope in another expert, boy. Yet again your destiny will get stronger.”

Looking at Dugu Hong, Yang Qi said, “He’s nothing impressive. Dugu Hong, now that the process is over, you understand what’s going on. And I’ve already transmitted my plan directly into your sea of consciousness. What do you think? Second Devil General, hurry up and help heal his injuries. Extrude the chaotic true energy, and I’ll pour some restorative vital energy into him.

“Who do you think I am, boy? Hired labor?” The Second Devil General wasn’t pleased at all. However, he knew that Yang Qi had a master plan at work, and it would benefit himself.

He waved his hand, and Dugu Hong’s energy and blood started flowing rapidly, producing an incisive blade nimbus that spun in the Second Devil General’s direction.

“How impudent, you worthless piece of crap!” The Second Devil General chuckled coldly and flicked his finger, causing the blade nimbus to shatter. “The Grand-Chiliocosm God-Blade Incantation? The consummate art of the old Lord of the Chiliocosm? Don’t tell me he's been resurrected. Or did he just never die?”

Yang Qi could tell that the Second Devil General had learned something from what he’d just seen, but wasn’t inclined to press for details. Drawing on the aura of the Everlit Godlamp, he sent out a spark of flame into Dugu Hong, replenishing his vital energy. Before long, the man was back in top shape, and in fact, had made some cultivation progress.

Assessing Dugu Hong, Yang Qi nodded and said, “Not bad. Not bad at all. Now, there’s no time to lose. We're going to head to where Dugu Nimou does business with the House of the Chiliocosm, and rob him blind. I’ll also subjugate some people and have them blame him. That way, Dugu Nimou will have no way out.”

“Alright, let’s go,” Dugu Hong said. Truth be told, he was very pleased with how things were going, considering that he was going to get revenge on Dugu Nimou.

“The place where he does business with the House of the Chiliocosm is a great distance away, but I can lead the way.”

“There’s no need,” Yang Qi said. “I took the information from your mind a moment ago. Second Devil General, here’s the map. You take the lead.”

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.

Without bothering to waste words, the Second Devil General flew off over the glittering ocean. The ocean here looked different than anything Yang Qi had seen before. For one thing, the waves were wild and immense, so tall that they could touch the empyrean winds in the sky.

“This place is called the Wild Ocean. In the depths of the water, the godly might is wild and chaotic, so only Paramount Gods can come here. However, there are Demonfolk here, which makes it a profitable place to do business.”

They flew over the ocean until they came to a place filled with islands, all of which were covered with god kingdoms and strange peoples. And of course, there was plenty of fighting over everything from resources to godnotes to godstones.

It was very similar to the Heaven-Wretch Continent.

Of course, the Heaven-Wretch Continent was far smaller than this. Truth be told, although everyone said the Heaven-Wretch Continent was where the Wretch God had perished, Yang Qi had looked into the matter and couldn't find any conclusive evidence to prove that. For all he knew, it was just a place with strong wretch energy.

“Look, up ahead!” Dugu Hong pointed, and they saw a huge continent, atop which was a sprawling city with crystal walls protecting it from the wild winds.