Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)

In response to Yang Zhan’s order, all the experts of the Yang Clan, chief elders included, looked over at Yang Qi.

The autumn hunt was a dangerous affair, and although it was possible to come out of it with great gains, it was also possible for clan members to die at the hands of the demonlings they encountered.

However, with an unrivaled expert like Yang Qi with them, they likely didn’t need to fear the demonlings as much.

Not even these beasts could survive in a fight against someone like him.

Yang Zhan knew that his son had numerous remarkable abilities at his disposal, and therefore he said, “Qi'er, how about we go into the deepest parts of the Blackcorpse Mountains to hunt for demonlings?”

“That’s fine,” Yang Qi replied. After all, he could benefit greatly from having a stockpile of demon cores when he finally finished his Hellfire Crucible, and could directly absorb them.

Demon cores were essentially collections of life force quintessence and energy arts, but in order for humans to benefit from them, they needed to be refined. Normally, they would put them into medicinal pills, or insert them into weapons, although some of the large sects and institutes would purchase demon cores, and then use secret methods to draw out their power.

In some respects, demon cores were viewed as a hard currency similar to energy convergence pills. And thus, everyone sought to kill demonlings and take them to earn profit. Locations which traded in demon cores could be found just about everywhere.

“Yang Yang. And you, Yang Tong….” Yang Qi picked out about a dozen of the elite young ones, all of whom had just made breakthroughs into the fifth phase. “Now that we’ve established some new clan rules, we need to set up some law enforcement methods. Why don’t you act as our new law enforcement team? If anyone refuses to comply with the newly established rules, then punish them with impunity. Imprisonment, beating, and execution are all accepted forms of punishment. Without rules, nothing good can be accomplished. As for me, I will act as the chief elder in charge of law enforcement.”

When the experts of the Yang Clan heard his words, their hearts went cold.

“Also, Eldest Brother and Second Brother, why don’t the two of you head the Ministry of Rites and Etiquette and the Ministry of Finance and Property respectively. That way you two can oversee all of the ceremonial rites and financial aspects of the clan.” All of this was another big blow to Yang Xingshi and Dowager Yan. Yang Qi technically had low seniority in the clan, and yet was obviously the most influential person in it. With such power at his disposal, and with the cold corpse of Yang Shi still laying there off to the side, who would dare to speak a single word of defiance?

“If any member of the clan violates any rules, or breaches etiquette, you two can decide how to punish them, and then report the matter to father. Of course, you will have the law enforcement team at your disposal to enforce the verdict. Furthermore, all wealth, troops, and other valuables that have been accumulated in the subsidiary branches will be returned to the clan headquarters. Father, I hope that you can come up with a plan for how to do that.”

The Yang Clan had more than a dozen subsidiary branches, each of which was like a small clan unto itself. Such clans would all have at least a hundred clan members, plus soldiers and servants. Anyone who gathered all of the wealth of so many clans together would have ultimate power over the lives of over ten thousand people.

After all, the people who had come to the autumn hunt were only the elite members of the branches, and numbered around two hundred people.

Yang Qi had just established a law enforcement team, as well as the Ministry of Rites and Etiquette and the Ministry of Finance and Property. Clearly, he was not pulling any punches. There was no question that he was putting all of the power of the clan into the hands of the clan lord.

As for Yang Zhan, he looked on in amazement at how decisively his son was taking matters into his own hands. He definitely didn’t seem like an eighteen-year-old.

Looking around, Yang Qi could see that many of the elites of the clan were looking very discouraged, and even outraged, although none of them dared to speak up. Obviously, they thought that he was already abusing his power.

After all, he had just declared his intention to seize all of the wealth in the clan. The fact that they weren’t rioting was actually admirable.

“Let it be known,” he said, “that the Ministry of Rites and Etiquette and the Ministry of Finance and Property have not been established to punish the clan.

“Those ministries are actually a gift to all members of the clan. Any clan member under thirty has a great opportunity during the autumn hunt. Whoever brings back the most demon cores will be given a month of cultivation time using the clan’s Chiliocosm Mirror, and will also receive an influx of true energy from me.”

Yang Qi’s words immediately caused an uproar.

“What? Chiliocosm Mirror? Isn’t that a legendary treasure from the Chen Clan?” Even Yang Xingshi was bowled over. Many of the chief elders were visibly excited; with cultivation bases like theirs, they had a much deeper understanding of life than the young ones, and knew exactly how amazing the Chiliocosm Mirror was. It could completely remove the very real chance of experiencing dangerous cultivation deviation.

One of the reasons that the cultivation of energy arts was such a slow process was that extreme caution had to be exercised. The slightest energy spasm could end a person’s life, and therefore, detailed study of a new technique was required before one could begin to cultivate it. Sometimes that process took ten years. Only when one was absolutely familiar and comfortable with a technique could the true cultivation and training begin.

Some cruel individuals would force others to practice a form of cultivation and watch to see if they experienced cultivation deviation. However, that was a dao of devils that was prohibited in the Rich-Lush Continent.

Anyone who was found to be performing human experiments would be condemned by both the Sage Ancestor Dynasty and the four institutes.

“Yes, the Chiliocosm Mirror. I have it right here.” Yang Zhan pulled out the mirror, which had been crafted from jade of the Nine Heavens God. The mere sight of that mirror caused all eyes present to widen.

One of the chief elders even gasped. “If I’d had that mirror years ago, my cultivation would have progressed much more smoothly.”

By this point, everyone was rolling up their sleeves in anticipation of beginning the hunt. The chance to cultivate with the Chiliocosm Mirror was just too enticing.

“Very well, let’s head into the mountains.”

With that, the group of roughly two hundred Yang Clan experts broke up into teams and began to head into the depths of the Blackcorpse Mountains, dashing through the trees with more agility than a troupe of monkeys.

Whatever demonlings they encountered, they killed; it was like an armageddon had been unleashed on the mountains.

As for Yang Qi, he floated up into the air and watched the clan members spreading out into the forest. He didn’t participate in the fighting, but rather, oversaw from a high vantage point. That way, if any of the young clan members encountered a particularly fierce demonling, he could interfere with a blast of sword energy.

After that happened a few dozen times, the Yang Clan experts were coming to view him as some sort of god or spirit.

At one point, Dowager Yan sat down on a tree to rest, having just dispatched a seventh phase demonling with her dragon-headed walking stick. Looking up at Yang Qi floating in the air high above the forest, she couldn’t help but sigh. “What do you think Yang Xingshi? Is there really no way to deal with that little punk Yang Qi?”

Masters of Energy could normally speed through the air as though flying.

But to do what Yang Qi was so calmly doing, to hover indefinitely, was simply unheard of. His true energy was clearly at least ten times abundant as their, or maybe even a hundred times.

Even more shocking, Yang Qi could use his true energy to attack enemies ten thousand paces away.

Currently, a group of young clan members on the front lines had encountered a particularly fierce demonling, an enormous boar that was several times larger than an ordinary ox. It was completely covered in fire, and could even breathe flame.

“Not good!” someone shouted. “That’s an eighth phase demonling, a redflame fireboar!”

Redflame fireboars were a rare type of demonling that normally lived in lava pits in the depths of the earth. Because they naturally absorbed the quintessence of fire that existed in their habitat, they were perfect for people who cultivated fire-type true energy.

After receiving some nasty burns, the young clan members began to retreat. One of them was nearly killed by a sea of flames.

At that point, Yang Qi, who was fully one hundred thousand paces away, flicked his finger, sending a stream of sword energy shooting out. In the blink of an eye, it reached the beast and wrapped it up until it couldn’t move.

“What?” Yang Xingshi blurted, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull.

Off to the side, Dowager Yan felt like she was about to have a heart attack.

“Dowager Yan, how far can you shoot your true energy?” he asked.

Sounding dazed, she replied, “If I go all out, I could maybe shoot it eight thousand paces. After that, it becomes so weak it couldn’t hurt a fly, and eventually just fades away.”

When it came to the range of true energy, most people could achieve a range of a hundred paces. Top experts could possibly reach a thousand, and true Masters of Energy could unleash it even further.

But Yang Qi had just killed an eighth phase demonling that was a hundred thousand paces away. Not even a top expert like Yang Xingshi could even dream of doing something like that.

“And he’s only in the eighth phase.” Yang Xingshi seemed both pleased and angered at the same time. “He’s going to be in the ninth phase soon. How powerful will he be then?”

“You’re right, he’s only eighth phase….” Dowager Yan shivered. “He’s going to be completely terrifying when he's a Master of Energy.”

“At the moment, he's already invincible within the Energy Arts level. After he breaks through, I'm afraid not even a Lifeseizer could stop him. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?”

At this point, Dowager Yan resorted to projecting her voice by means of a special energy art. “He restructured the clan and demoted the council of chief elders. He’s got some ruthless ambitions…. He's a daemon just like his mother. He's definitely going to bring disaster to the clan.”

All of a sudden, a voice spoke into her ears, rumbling like thunder, accompanied by a flow of true energy that caused her to cough up a mouthful of blood.

“Hmph. Ruthless ambitions? Bring disaster to the clan?” High up in the air, Yang Qi was looking down at her. “Dowager Yan, I know you still haven’t accepted your fate. But don't forget that I'm watching you. I'm watching every little move you make. And your life is in my hands.”

Yang Qi had actually heard the words she had transmitted to Yang Xingshi, and then used his own energy arts to transmit a booming message into their ears. None of the other clan members heard his words. Only Yang Xingshi and Dowager Yan, and both of them were shaken to the core.