Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)

“Aeonic God Psalter, huh?”

A power double of Yang Qi sat in a study in the depths of the Heaven-Devil Medicine Hall, surrounded by heaps of ancient books and scrolls. Anyone who could see him would assume he was in the middle of a session of cultivation.

Meanwhile, his true self was in the Cruiser of Civilization, examining the treasure map that was the Aeonic God Psalter.

It was now obvious that it was a fragment of a larger piece, but it still contained all sorts of profound information. Supposedly, those who entered the map could get access to a boundless legacy.

It was said that whoever acquired the Aeonic God Psalter could directly ascend to the Deathless Throne.

Upon spreading the map out, an enormous star chart was visible, filled with mysterious immortal worlds that included those of the thirty-third rank. In fact, Yang Qi saw the Tusita Heaven, the Eight Tribes Heaven, the Unrestrained Heaven, and the Mourn-Parting Heaven. And deep within it all was some sort of ancient path, piercing its way through the universe.

It was a road that stretched through the aeons.

Along the path were what looked like lighthouses, designed to lead the way in a certain direction. Looking closer, he saw that the path the road followed actually spelled out some sort of ancient energy art. There were magical symbols on it that began to twist and move, and when they sensed his true energy they formed scriptures right in front of him.

It was a godly-class energy art!

‘Aeonic Heaven-Dao Life-Destruction Zen Art? Combine seven parts into one to create the ultimate compendium? Every fragment of the treasure map has one technique? And this is one of them. If I can piece together the full map and complete this boundless art, I can access the godly treasure hoard and enter the deathless world.’

Yang Qi took the energy art and focused its power, and a stream of true energy appeared which turned into the shape of gate behind him. It was an aspect of the energy art called the Aeon Portal.

‘Incredible. This Aeonic Heaven-Dao Life-Destruction Zen Art isn’t as good as the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, but it’s still incredible. It surpasses the Eight Tribes Godfist and the Cardinal Grand Brahma Five Phases Energy Arts, that's for sure. This must be the consummate technique of a Paramount God. Entities like that are second only to the Sovereign Lord.’ He shook his head. ‘What a pity it’s not complete. This is only one part out of seven. With the complete art, the Aeon Portal could be used to absorb preheaven power from all sorts of universal planes of existence and make me almost unbeatable in battle. No wonder this treasure map is the subject of such envy. And Confucian Daoless handed it over to me in public, with so many people watching? What a malicious move! I refuse to believe he's so kind-hearted. I don’t usually make mistakes in judging people, and I can tell this guy is ambitious and disloyal. He’s definitely plotting against me. Well, let’s see how he tries to play things. If I kill him now, people would accuse me of being ruthless and unjust.’

Yang Qi’s distrust of Confucian Daoless continued to grow, and he was convinced that there was more to him than met the eye. They had only just met, but the man seemed so impressed by dragon energy that he had immediately kowtowed and offered up his treasure map, seemingly for no reason. It was simply far too suspicious.

Besides, with his fateless dao fruit, Yang Qi could sense matters of fate. And his Wheel of Fate bolstered those abilities. That revealed to him some dark energy on Confucian Daoless, as well as the sensation that the man was condescending and hateful. He was obviously the kind of person who would slip a knife into Yang Qi’s back at the earliest possible moment.

Yang Qi intended to turn the tables on him. He would wait to see exactly which faction he worked for, and what other treasures he might possess. Then he would make a move.

With that, he sent the Aeonic Heaven-Dao Life-Destruction Zen Art down to the leaders of the Sage Monarch Heaven. Although it was only one-seventh of the full art, it was still full of profound secrets and incredible potential. He had one now, and it was likely that he would gain more pieces in the future. In the end, it could become one of the key assets of his people.

After all, only Yang Qi could cultivate the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth. Back when Ghost Emperor Yama had attempted to cultivate even a tiny part of it, he had very nearly experienced cultivation deviation.

Outside of the study, a voice rang out, “Master, I'm back!”

Tidying up quickly, Yang Qi’s power double laughed and said, “Wonderful, Confucian Daoless. Come in!”

Confucian Daoless hurried in and offered a very formal and exaggerated salute, the kind that made him seem like the most respectful of students. Maintaining the bow, he said, “Master, I saw my parents off. Now I can focus fully on studying with you, sir. Did you benefit at all yet from studying the Aeonic God Psalter?”

“You know, you’re a very wise person!” Yang Qi said loftily. “Of all the Godmyths I've encountered, you’re the first to take me as Master. The truth is that they all think I’m a Demolisher, but the fact is that my cultivation base is so beyond them that they can’t even assess it. They’re as short-sighted as rats!”

“Oh, how’s that, Master? Don't tell me that you’re not a Demolisher after all? Are you really in the Godmyth level? Are you hiding your true strength?” Confucian Daoless was inwardly shocked, and was suddenly starting to wonder if he had put himself in a dangerous situation.

“Oh, no, not that. I really am a ninth stage Dao-Demolisher. But I'm a lot stronger than that level. You see, I cultivate an incredibly powerful ability that keeps my level suppressed. Otherwise, I would already be a sixth or seventh division Godmyth.” Yang Qi laughed heartily. “Truth be told, once I actually reach the Godmyth level, I’ll be able to dominate the many heavens and have a completely invincible cultivation base!”

‘What a braggart!’ Confucian Daoless thought, his heart filling with killing intent. He managed to keep himself under control, though, and respectfully said, “Master, it's only natural that you're completely invincible and powerful. You’ve got people buzzing around you all the time, and you’re constantly having to heal people. I bet you have a huge amount of income in the form of magical treasures and the like.”

“Well, that’s a given. Alright, enough chit-chat. It was a great service of you to give me this piece of the Aeonic God Psalter. Obviously, I want to reward you in kind. Why don’t you tell me about any enlightenment you got during your own studies of it?”

“Unfortunately, I’m something of an idiot and didn't gain a bit of enlightenment. Maybe that thing just isn’t destined to work for me!”

“Really? You didn’t get any benefits from it at all? I managed to get something called the Aeonic Heaven-Dao Life-Destruction Zen Art. Here, you can have it. It’s only one seventh of the full art, but as long as I give you some true energy to help, you’ll advance by leaps and bounds with it. Once I find the other parts of the treasure map, we can improve on the art and eventually combine all seven parts. At that point, you can use the Aeon Portal to devour just about anything!”

It was now Yang Qi’s turn to cast out some bait. Waving his hand, he sent some true energy and will into Confucian Daoless.

Confucian Daoless shivered and quickly began absorbing it, whereupon he found that it really was a pure expression of true energy along with a powerful cultivation technique. “Many thanks, Master! This is beyond belief! I can't believe I had that treasure map for so many years and didn’t get enlightenment like this.”

Although he spoke praise and compliments, he was actually starting to fear Yang Qi. ‘This guy is so strong! I can’t believe he actually unlocked such profound secrets from the Aeonic God Psalter. Young Master Leaf gave that to me, and not even he was able to do the same thing. I have to report this matter to Young Master Leaf. He’ll definitely reward me for it!’

“Very well, you're dismissed. Work on that technique, and you’ll rise to the highest heights! As long as you work hard enough, you’ll definitely get strong enough to reach the Incarnated God level. I need to keep seeking enlightenment from the Aeonic God Psalter. I’ll be in seclusion for a month. Feel free to do as you wish, as long as you don’t cause any trouble.”

“Yes sir!” said Confucian Daoless, and he hurried out.

Looking over his shoulder, he flew out, heading toward the depths of the universe, where he suddenly created a host of clones that all shot in different directions. Of course, he vanished along with the clones.

After he was certain he wasn’t being followed, he breathed a sigh of relief. Settling down, he waited for a while until a burst of energy descended that resolved into a clone of Young Master Leaf.

“What is it? Did you already get that dirty swine Dragon Proudheaven to come out of hiding?”

“Master, he’s in seclusion working with the Aeonic God Psalter. That swine is really something else!” Grinding his teeth, he continued, “He actually gained enlightenment of a technique called the Aeonic Heaven-Dao Life-Destruction Zen Art. And he can make something called an Aeon Portal. How did he possibly remove the godwarding items on the treasure map?!”

“What?” Young Master Leaf blurted. “Dammit! I underestimated him again! I had the Aeonic God Psalter for years, and I knew it had secrets hidden inside, but I wasn’t sure how to unlock them. The will of the legion of gods protects it, and I assumed you had to have a large collection of King Immortal-Slayer’s legacy medallions to access them. How did he do it so quickly?”

“Master, I can transfer the art to you!” Without any hesitation, Confucian Daoless did just that.

Young Master Leaf frowned briefly, then his face lit up with enlightenment. “So, the Aeonic Heaven-Dao Life-Destruction Zen Art. Miraculous! You did well. Very well. My cultivation base is going to reach a much higher level now! That Dragon Proudheaven is really looking to get killed, isn't he? You need to hurry up and figure out a way to get him out into the open. Once I get my hands on him, I’ll find out exactly what other secrets he's keeping!”

“Yes, Master. He's going to be in seclusion for a month. I haven’t been able to confirm what type of cultivation he practices exactly, but I did confirm that he’s in ninth stage Dao-Demolishing.” Confucian Daoless chuckled. “He’s a real fool to act so tough with such a low cultivation base. But he said that if he reaches the Godmyth level, he’ll be completely invincible. I'm worried that not even you would be able to handle him then.”

“Don’t worry,” Young Master Leaf said. “As long as you lure him into the open, I’ll be fine. The truth is that I have two more pieces of the Aeonic God Psalter. Once I capture him, I’ll force him to tell me how to unlock the godwardings! In fact, why don’t you use those other pieces as bait! Now that he has one piece of the map, he’ll definitely want the others!”

“Good idea, Master. I’ll get right on it!” Confucian Daoless turned to leave.

“Hold on!” Young Master Leaf said. “You deserve a reward for your success so far. Take a bit of immortal-slaying power. I’ve been working on this bit for some time. Absorb it, and you’ll be much stronger!”

With that, he sent a bit of power into Confucian Daoless.