Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)

It only took a month for news of the fourth empire to spread far and wide.

Of course, it only took three days for the members of the other three dynasties to become aware of the situation.

Immediately, numerous meetings were called.

After all, none of the leaders of the other three dynasties wanted a fourth power to contend with. It signified that there was going to be even more competition for the resources and destiny to be had in the god world. As a result, all three dynasties were thinking about ways to get rid of this interloper.

That said, none of them dared to take action blithely. The Lord of the Sword Dao had presided over the ceremony, which was a shocking matter that had astonished everyone who heard of the details.

No one dared to face the wrath of the Lord of the Sword Dao. Not even the leader of the House of the Chiliocosm would dare to face up against the energy of the Lord of the Sword Dao.

The Lord of the Sword Dao hadn’t been seen for billions of years, but it was a given that, now that he was back, his dao of the sword was as incisive as ever. That, coupled with the destiny of the Sage Monarch Empire, was enough to dominate everything around them. He would have been impressive enough on his own, but as the guardian of the empire, boosted by its destiny, he was even more formidable. In fact, the arrangement was a virtuous cycle that improved his cultivation base and made him virtually unstoppable.

That said, it also made his cultivation base dependent on Yang Qi, which gave Yang Qi even more control over him.

It had always been this way throughout history. An emperor gave his ministers power and control, but it could all be stripped away from them in an instant.

It was the same with the Lord of the Sword Dao. Everything about him was now bestowed by Yang Qi. The net of law created by destiny covered everything and was beyond compare.

**

For now, Yang Qi was simply waiting.

He knew that after the announcement was made, it would cause a commotion in the god world in ways that even he couldn’t even predict. People were streaming to join him, even experts from confucian and buddhist schools. Individuals similar to Patriarch Deva from tiny locations would come, seeking refuge within his borders, and hoping to get their hands on some resources.

Resources were all-important.

Intentionally or otherwise, news had spread about Yang Qi having access to treasure troves from the halls of heaven, which only made him more attractive to even more people.

Of course, it was little surprise that some of the newcomers were actually spies from the other dynasties.

Sadly for them, once they entered the Everlasting Aegis, the net of law would sense them. Then the sage monarch magistrates would make special arrangements for them, using those opportunities to brainwash them and turn them into double agents. In the end, the other three dynasties were harming their own interests with their spies.

Yang Qi spent a lot of effort adjusting the structure of his dynasty, ensuring that the destiny flowed in the most perfect way possible. As a result, he was starting to unlock the deepest secrets of karmic recompense.

Karmic recompense was the highest manifestation of a system of destiny.

And now, it was appearing in the world.

For example, if someone dared to violate the moral principles or general laws of the empire, for instance by committing murder, the empire's destiny could punish them instantly, reducing them to nothing but ash. It was only karmic recompense that could lead to long-term stability. And it was only because of karmic recompense that people wouldn’t dare to commit harmful acts.

In the end, destiny would seep into the hearts and minds of all the citizens, and ensure that they didn’t even consider doing anything to violate the law.

That was the ultimate goal.

The destiny of the empire could ordain gods and inflict karmic recompense, leading to peaceful thoughts in the minds of all. If the people of the empire never had harmful thoughts, it would lead to the empire being invincible in any battle they fought.

Of course, right now, Yang Qi’s destiny and karmic recompense hadn’t reached that level. But it was on the way.

That said, none of the other empires could even come close to doing such things. Their empires were huge, and their destiny was scattered and difficult to manage.

Yang Qi looked at the destiny of his empire; it was like a white pillar of jade, supporting the four corners of the universe. At this point, his empire was clearly equal to the Invincible and Chiliocosm Dynasties. He couldn't help but nod in satisfaction. His foundation was solid, and if some situation arose in which he was backed into a corner, he could always have Yang Primal-Chaos and Dugu Sheji come join him. That would not only strengthen him, but it would also weaken the other two dynasties. And his destiny would improve as a result.

For now, he would hold back, though. With those two in their positions in the armed forces of their respective dynasties, he had a great way to get new information.

Although the other three dynasties didn’t dare to make any open moves in the month that passed, countless meetings were held, and various plans were devised. Yang Qi got almost immediate reports on many of those secret meetings, although it was harder when it came to the Central Dynasty.

He had subjugated Proud Mindtravel, but unfortunately, the man wasn’t even a God-Lord, so the information he had access to was limited.

RUMBLE!

All of a sudden, Yang Qi realized a dramatic transformation was occurring to the flows of destiny, which seemed to indicate that the other three dynasties had joined forces. Although he had speculated that something like this would happen, it was still something of a shock.

Moments later, he received messages from both Yang Primal-Chaos and Dugu Sheji.

“Milord, Proud Central issued invitation cards to the top members of the other two dynasties, inviting them to the Central Dynasty for an assembly. It’s highly likely that the Sage Monarch Empire is going to be targeted by a new alliance!”

“Milord, you have to make preparations. I'll be attending the meeting in which the patriarchs make the final decision. I won’t be able to do anything to stop it from happening. Please, forgive me for that.”

“Don't worry. You’ve done nothing wrong. In fact, quite the opposite. That said, I think I'm finally going to make my move, and head into the Central Dynasty. You two just wait for me to arrive. This chaotic moment is the perfect time to sneak in there.”

How could Yang Qi not take advantage of this moment? There was no better opportunity to sneak into the Central Dynasty and look around for the Mahātmā Jade. If he could get that final piece, he could make his final major leap in power. And at that point, he wouldn’t need to be afraid of anyone.

His psychic scale was already at ninety billion, which meant he could hold his own against numerous top patriarchs. But unfortunately, he couldn’t come out on top of someone with a psychic scale of a hundred billion. Proud Central was just beyond him, and it was the same with the treacherous and deadly Proud Heaven.

With the three other dynasties on the move, the Sage Monarch Empire was in extreme danger, and could very easily be strangled out of existence. It was a moment to act with extreme caution.

Therefore, he simply had to get the final piece of the jade.

Of course, getting the jade didn’t mean that he would simply reach a psychic scale of a hundred billion, and that was all. For all he knew, completing the jade might push him to the level of hundreds of billions. Furthermore, the mutual opposition and attraction of the Mahātmā Jade and the God Legion Seal could lead to dramatic transformations that he had no clue about right now.

Another thing to consider was that, once he was strong enough, he would be able to take full control of the halls of heaven.

A whole chain reaction of results was going to occur.

It was entirely possible that he would step into the half-Annulled level, and become a mighty entity like King Immortal-Slayer or the Sovereign Lord.

It all rested on the final piece of the Mahātmā Jade. Without that piece of jade, any sense of security or accomplishment was a sham.

Yang Qi was also aware that the final piece of the jade contained profound secrets, and possibly traps. Getting it wasn’t going to be easy.

However, that didn’t make him any less certain that he had to get it. If anything, it only made him more certain.

RUMBLE!

All of a sudden, he blurred into motion, vanishing from sight.

Shortly thereafter, he was in the depths of the House of the Invincible. After all, he was still technically a viceroy there, and had subjugated quite a few of its people.

Slipping secretly into the armed forces, he found Dugu Sheji, upon whom he concealed himself in the form of a jade pendant.

Dugu Sheji then flew out to a location where numerous top experts were converging. All of them were elite members of the imperial house, or other old-timers. And they all had psychic scales of over thirty billion. There were about a hundred of them in total.

Whoosh.

Nine vortexes appeared overhead, and everyone dropped to their knees, joining voices to say, “Our respects, Patriarchs!”

Those nine vortexes contained the top figures of the House of the Invincible, the nine patriarchs who ran everything. No one even knew exactly where they normally stayed.

Yang Qi also spotted the emperor, whose psychic scale was at the level of eighty billion. Although he couldn’t measure up to Yang Qi himself, he was still very impressive.

Yang Qi nodded. ‘The collective leadership of the House of the Invincible is still a bit superior to my Sage Monarch Empire.’