Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)

Yang Qi felt no need to hide from five of these patriarchs. He would strike with lightning speed to lock them down, then force them to submit just as he had with Green Merchant. Soon, he would have six puppets at his command. Although that wouldn’t necessarily have a major effect on Young Master Leaf, it would definitely help Yang Qi’s immortal-slaying clone further his cultivation.

After all, his clone was also a Godmyth. And although he was powerful, he wasn’t anywhere close to Yang Qi’s true self, which meant that his cultivation generally progressed much more quickly and easily.

The faith from six Measureless Gods would definitely allow him to advance by leaps and bounds.

Obviously, the stronger the clone was, the more useful he was to Yang Qi as a trump card. As time passed, the immortal-slaying clone was gradually becoming more and more independent from his true self, making him more and more like an individual.

“Young Master Green, you finally finished your session of cultivation? Why did you call us to a meeting? What? Is this your sister’s bedchamber? Did you finally have your way with her?”

“So, Young Master Green, you’re finally a Measureless God too? Excellent. Not a single one of us seventy-two patriarchs could be considered weak. And thanks to the unique magic Young Master Leaf used to help us all combine our constitutions, it’s only a matter of time before we conquer all of the immortal worlds in existence!”

“Young Master Green, it's great that you succeeded in your recent cultivation. After we catch up here, we can head right over to the imperial dynasty. The dynasty isn’t very happy with our group, but now that Young Master Leaf is gaining enlightenment of the essence of the Tusita Heaven, it won't be long before he can take full control. If those old fogies try to do anything to us then, he can just immediately put an end to them.”

“Good job on taking your sister, Young Master Green. Just like they say, keep the goods within the family!”

“We heard that your sister had benefited from some good fortune recently and was threatening your position. You definitely have to put her in her place. Once you get tired of her, you're going to pass her around to us to enjoy too, right?”

“Exactly, we seventy-two patriarchs are completely united in everything. We share everything.”

“This is great. We seventy-two brethren are all going to become like King Immortal-Slayer himself. We’ll rule over everything, completely invincible and free to take anything we want without the slightest scruple!”

“Years ago, King Immortal-Slayer and his seventy-one brethren ended up getting crushed by the ancient legion of gods. But things are different now. The legion of gods is no more. Some are in hiding, some are in slumber, and the Sovereign Lord has vanished. We seventy-two brethren can become the rulers of everything, the ultimate paragons. We’re the new gods of the heavens!”

As the five powerful auras weighed down on the area, five figures appeared. Clearly, these people were monsters, or worse—the kind of people who even literal monsters would grovel in front of. They were true devils among devils.

The first thing they noticed upon arrival was that Green Merchant was groveling in front of Yang Qi, much to their surprise.

“What’s going on here?”

“Why are you kneeling to this guy, Green Merchant?”

“What luck to meet you people here,” Yang Qi said, taking a step forward. “Sorry to tell you this, but Green Merchant exercises faith in me now. He’s a loyal believer in me, and he lured you here into a trap. Soon, the five of you are going to join him. Either submit of your own volition, or prepare for limitless torment.”

“What?”

The five of them quickly fanned out and surrounded Yang Qi, Green Merchant, and Green Blaze.

“Is this true, Green Merchant?” one of them asked. “Did you really join this guy and betray Young Master Leaf? This isn’t a joking matter! It's a capital offense! We seventy-two brethren are bound together in spirit and action, unparalleled under heaven! How could you possibly do something like this?!”

Without batting an eyelid, Green Merchant said, “Brothers, this is my lord Yang Qi, the same one who’s defeated Young Master Leaf over and over again. In fact, he even took one of King Immortal-Slayer's legacy medallions, leaving Young Master Leaf with only two. Get on your knees and kowtow to him, otherwise not even I will be able to spare you what’s to come.”

“I can’t believe this, Green Merchant. From here on out, you’re not one of us. Prepare to die!”

“Activate the Immortal-Slaying Devil-Subduing Ring!”

WHIZZZ!

In the blink of an eye, an enormous ring filled with immortal-slaying power appeared, and it emanated a killing energy that could shake the heavens and topple the earth. It thrummed with what sounded like clashing metal, tens of thousands of arrows, and millions of weapons.

“Slay Immortals. Subdue Devils. Heaven and Earth Resonance!” The five young patriarchs all attacked at the same time, moving along with the spell formation to combine yin and yang, unify the five elements, arrange the six directions, gather the seven stars, rotate the eight elements, and summon the nine palaces of heaven!

This was an attack that even a Chaos God would flee from.

“What insignificant crap,” Yang Qi said. Suddenly, the whir of blades went silent and was replaced by cracking sounds as the ring disappeared, as if it had been sucked into a black hole.

“Creation! Destruction! Reincarnation! Aeon! Immortality!”

Yang Qi launched five fist strikes, causing five booms to ring out as the five patriarchs were sent flying.

Five massive mouthfuls of blood were coughed up.

Five experts had been vanquished with a single attack.

“Be bound!” Yang Qi said, hardly looking at them. Magical laws descended, becoming chains that bound them up like glutinous rice dumplings. As they were trussed up, looks of fear played out on their faces.

“Hell Scourge!” Yang Qi said, then handed a long whip to Green Merchant. “Lash these five until they acknowledge allegiance to me.”

“Yes sir!”

Green Merchant took the whip with a shiver. After all, he’d suffered enough to know exactly how terrifying it was.

“You're going to beat us, Green Merchant? Fine, do it! I'm a Courageous One, so it doesn’t matter how you beat me, I won’t show a lick of fear. You could kill me a hundred times over! A thousand!” He laughed heartily. “Yang Qi, you won’t stop tangling with us and Young Master Leaf, will you? Just because you got this scum Green Merchant to work for you doesn’t mean you can force the rest of us to do the same. I'm a Courageous One. Do you know what that means? I’ll never submit to anyone. Ever!”

“Begin,” Yang Qi said coolly.

Whack-whack-whack! Whack-whack-whack!

In Green Merchant's hands, the whip descended onto the Courageous One like a thunderstorm, who immediately began screaming as a result. At first, he shouted defiantly, but eventually his voice began to wear down until finally, he looked like a limp rooster.

“I submit!” he shrieked like a dying pig. “Stop beating me! I can’t take this. I’ll acknowledge allegiance. I’ll give all of my faith to you. I renounce Young Master Leaf! That whip is just too horrible.”

Only then did Green Merchant withhold the lash.

“I thought you were a Courageous One,” Yang Qi said. “I guess the whip really is too much for you. Now, repeat after me. ‘The bastard Young Master Leaf will soon die at the hands of my lord Yang Qi.’ Say the words and you’ll become my believer.”

“You!” the Courageous One growled, his eyes widening. But then Green Merchant lifted the whip again. “I’ll say it!” he screamed. “I’ll say it. The bastard Young Master Leaf will soon die at the hands of my lord Yang Qi. Yang Qi is my lord, unparalleled under heaven!”

In response, the other four patriarchs began shouting in fury. “You piece of trash! Are you really a Courageous One? You can’t even handle a little whip! What a spineless coward!”

Whack-whack-whack!

Green Blaze took the whip and began lashing them, provoking agonized shrieks. In the blink of an eye, they descended into the torturous depths of hell.

They didn't last long.

“I submit! I acknowledge allegiance!”

“What whip is that? No wonder the Courageous One couldn’t handle it!”

“Milord, I acknowledge allegiance! Please don’t beat me. Release me from this pain!”

“The bastard Young Master Leaf will soon die at the hands of my lord Yang Qi! Forgive me!”

“Stop,” Yang Qi said coldly, and the reprieve from the whip caused the four patriarchs to feel like they had ascended to the halls of heaven.

“This is the Hell Scourge, which the boundless Sovereign Lord would use to punish disgraced gods. Even gods would feel pain from the strike of this whip, let alone you people. Now, open your souls and let me in.”

Soon, Yang Qi had five new believers, giving him access to even more incredible faith power.

In the Heaven Beyond Heaven, his immortal-slaying clone sat in a godrelic spell formation, surrounded by god grass and god fruits that he was refining with true flame. Six streams of faith power flowed around him, causing his power to surge mightily.

Heavenly tribulation formed above him, and golden light began shining out from him.

Crack!