Sage Monarch

"Why don't we take a look at Profound Valor and Leaf Dao-Denier?" Yang Qi said. "See how they're doing. Given how strong I've become, I don't have anything to fear from them. And if they try anything funny, I'll instantly be able to tell. Although, it's just as you said: raising a tiger is inviting calamity. Maybe I can use them to unlock some of the secrets of the Mahātmā Jade, but I can't allow them to achieve true success in advancing their energy arts. Some advance preparations will be necessary."

Yang Qi nodded.

The immortal-slaying clone was right that if Profound Valor could somehow successfully cultivate the True-Devil Unspoiled-by-Myriad-Kalpas-and-Tribulations Body using the Mahātmā Jade, it could lead to untold problems.

In fact, there were two huge unknowns.

The first was what would happen to the Great Necropolis's godpower seed when Profound Valor reached the Terrifying level. Would he be able to break free from the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart?

Secondly, if Profound Valor managed to forge a deep connection with the Mahātmā Jade, what if he took it away? In that case, Yang Qi would be giving his enemy a wife and losing soldiers to him as well.

Obviously, he had to consider all of these things in whatever plans he made. Plan first, then take action. Consider all strategies. That was how Yang Qi operated.

If he didn't work like that, he wouldn't have lived to this day. Although he had certainly benefited from luck in his life, much of his success came from well-thought-out plans.

After considering the issues at hand, he came up with a plan for how to deal with Profound Valor. He explained everything to his immortal-slaying clone, who nodded in agreement.

Afterward, the two of them flew through the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart until they were a place of ultimate emptiness and silence. It was a place that thrummed with vital energy fluctuations, almost like a new universe was growing here. It was something the clone had unlocked after reaching the Terrifying level.

He now had access to many more spell formations. Furthermore, the years of cultivation had pushed the clone's psychic scale to three, and it didn't seem like it would stop there.

Profound Valor and Leaf Dao-Denier were imprisoned in this void, held down with immense shackles that made it impossible for them to actually use their energy arts. Almost as soon as he arrived, Yang Qi could sense that there was an incredibly destructive power brewing deep within Profound Valor, simmering, just ready to explode out.

Off to the side, Leaf Dao-Denier looked skinny and emaciated, but that was only a facade. He was actually cultivating an even more impressive energy art than Profound Valor, and his quintessence-blood and vital energy were stronger than ever. Both of them were hiding these facts well, but neither of them could pull the wool over Yang Qi's eyes.

'So strong! Profound Valor's power index is actually at five thousand, and his psychic scale is just on the verge of breaking through to the Terrifying level. The Great Necropolis' godpower seed is transforming as well, allowing the godpower of the necropolis to flow into him. Thankfully, these things can't be hidden from my Wheel of Fate.'

Almost immediately, the two of them caught sight of him approaching. "We're lingering on the verge of death, Yang Qi," said Leaf Dao-Denier. "Can't you just let us go? We're not important to you any longer."

"Lingering on the verge of death?" Yang Qi said. Chuckling coldly, he snapped his fingers.

Pop!

A beam of light shot out and pierced into Leaf Dao-Denier, causing him to seemingly inflate like a balloon, his muscles quickly filling in until he looked like they were made from granite.

Leaf Dao-Denier's power index was actually closing in on four thousand, which was significantly better than before. It wasn't all because of him; obviously, Profound Valor had helped him, in the hopes of making an escape.

Yang Qi laughed. "I think when you said 'lingering on the verge of death', what you really meant was 'stronger than ever'. Right?"

"You!" Leaf Dao-Denier snarled, straining against the chains that bound him. Unfortunately, they were far too strong for him to break. "Yang Qi, you savage! I worked hard to build up all that power, don't tell me you're just going to take it away! I'll swear an oath to never cross you again!"

Profound Valor snorted coldly. "You spineless coward, Leaf Dao-Denier! I helped you improve your cultivation, but when the critical moment comes you instantly start begging for mercy? If we die, we die. It's not a big deal." Looking at Yang Qi, he continued, "What are you up to? Nothing good, I assume."

"You could say that," Yang Qi replied. "I'm here to take you away and perform a little experiment. And don't think that just because you've made a bit of cultivation progress, thanks to that godpower seed, you'll be able to do anything to me. As far as I'm concerned, any progress you've made is pitiful, at best."

With that he waved his hand.

Crack!

The chains broke, freeing Profound Valor.

"Let's go," Yang Qi said.

RUMBLE!

The moment Profound Valor was free, he launched a fist strike directly at Yang Qi. It was an incredibly powerful move that caused a projection of the Great Necropolis to appear behind him. "Bury Gods. Bury Heaven. Bury Immortals. Bury Humans!"

This was a fist strike that could cut down Terrifying experts, and it caused the power of the Great Necropolis to roil out into the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart. Almost instantly, Profound Valor seemed like an exalted god.

However, Yang Qi met the attack with a mundane fist strike of his own, which slammed right into Profound Valor's chest.

Gong!

Profound Valor bounced up into the air like a rubber ball, blood spraying out of his mouth, then fell back down and slammed into the ground. He struggled to rise, looking like a beaten dog, but Yang Qi kicked him down again. Then Yang Qi reached out, grabbed him by the neck, and carried him away.

Seeing all of this, Leaf Dao-Denier felt like his heart was freezing over. "Do I still have a chance? No. Even if you get stronger, you're still going to die eventually. I curse you, Yang Qi! I curse you to die a horrible death!"

Around that time, Emperor Heart-Celestial appeared, flanked by Eldest Brother, An Yiru and others.

"Now that you've recovered," Emperor Heart-Celestial said, "the time has come to extract your Fortuned blood again. This is really going to help our subordinates."

Grabbing Leaf Dao-Denier, he produced a long needle and stabbed it into him, beginning the extraction process. Leaf Dao-Denier squealed like the fat pig he had become.

Tossing Profound Valor down in front of the Mahātmā Jade, Yang Qi said, "Well, what do you think, Profound Valor? Do you really believe you have what it takes to fight me?"

"Kill me if you want. Torture me, even. But if you think you can use me as an experiment to help you cultivate some devil art, you're wrong! Come on, torment me! Bring out that Hell Scourge of yours. I don't care! It'll just be training for my will! I've already pushed my godpower seed to a higher level and am now at one with the Great Necropolis. As long as it remains, I'll remain. You can't do anything to me. Even if you seal me as tightly as you can, you can't stop me from building up more godpower."

"Oh really?" Yang Qi's hand clamped onto Profound Valor's head, and he unleashed a powerful gravitational force.

Instantly, the force locked onto the godpower seed in Profound Valor's sea of consciousness. However, no matter how he pulled at it, it didn't move.

And just as he prepared to exert further effort, boundless godpower from the Great Necropolis poured into Profound Valor, fusing him even more fully with the godpower seed and making Profound Valor himself turn as hard as stone.

Only after Yang Qi stopped trying to take the seed did Profound Valor's body return to its flesh and blood state.

No matter what Yang Qi tried, he failed. Every effort to forcibly remove the godpower seed resulted in the power of the Great Necropolis resisting him.

Furthermore, if he struck Profound Valor and injured him, the same power would heal him. It reminded him of the True-Devil Unspoiled-by-Myriad-Kalpas-and-Tribulations Body. The only attack that could truly harm him would be one that was similarly backed by the power of the Great Necropolis.

Inheritors could kill Inheritors, but unfortunately, Yang Qi was not an Inheritor. Supposedly, there were Inheritor disciples in the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect, but they had all gone out for training and hadn't been seen for years.

"Well, what do you think, Yang Qi?" Profound Valor said. "You can't do anything to me! You'll never be able to kill me!"

"He really doesn't know what's good for him, does he?" Yang Qi said to the clone. Then he gave the clone a nod. Instantly, the clone grabbed Profound Valor by the top of his head and sent godpower of the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart rushing into him to seal the Great Necropolis seed. Instantly, the seed began fighting back. But because they weren't trying to extract it, the effort worked and the seed was sealed.

That said, the clone was secretly amazed at how much effort it took. Even with the Engine of the One God and the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart, it was like wrestling a huge dragon under control.

"You're going to cultivate this technique whether you want to or not!"

Yang Qi thrust his palm out and hit Profound Valor's abdomen above his dantian region, sending some tribulation energy right into him. He was directly forcing him to cultivate the technique and develop the True-Devil Unspoiled-by-Myriad-Kalpas-and-Tribulations Body.

Profound Valor's true energy fought back, but it wasn't capable of standing up to the technique. Instantly, the power of tribulations began to fill him.

One tribulation. Two tribulations.

Soon, Profound Valor reached the level of ten tribulations, but he still wasn't anywhere even close to stopping.