Sage Monarch

After Jadefall openly laid bare the junior pontiff's plan, quite a few people present suddenly looked very awkward. Obviously, everyone knew what the junior pontiff was planning, but they had all been working hard to put on a pretense of propriety. But now, Jadefall's casually spoken words made them all seem like common hoodlums.

The truth was that the dinner had been set up for exactly the reasons Jadefall had said.

But then Yang Qi went and shattered the banquet table, not only putting an end to the illusion, but also putting on a display of might.

"I'm very disappointed in you two," the junior pontiff said after a moment. Shaking his head and trying to look sad, he said, "I never would've thought that you would be so petty and suspicious. I guess that's what I should expect from people like you. You've really hurt my feelings, you know. Originally I had a good impression of you, but unfortunately, I really can't let your insults go unanswered. You've openly profaned the dignity of the Genesis Sanctum."

"Can you stop the jabbering?" Jadefall said coolly. "Other people might fear the Genesis Sanctum, but not us. It was really infantile thinking on your part to assume that this dinner trick would be enough to get you what you want. If people found out about all this, I don't see how the Genesis Sanctum could possibly win popular support. I suggest we just call things even here. Otherwise, news could spread, and the Woodfern Couple Palace will use it as an excuse to make a move on you."

Tossing aside all concern over face, the junior pontiff growled, "If the Woodfern Couple Palace wants a fight, they can have it. I've been planning to deal with them anyway. As for your trifling little sect, I'll wipe it out if I have to. If word spreads about what happened today, your Will Manifestation Heaven Sect will be cleansed with blood. Here's what's going to happen. You, and you. You two are going to be my concubines. As for your junior sectlord, he can leave alive if he crawls out on his hands and knees. Think this through well. In the end, you aren't going to be leaving here. At the moment, you're in a location as dangerous as a dragon's pool or a tiger's den."

"As dangerous as a dragon's pool or a tiger's den?" Yang Qi said, looking completely calm and unruffled as he sat there. "Do you really think you can do anything to me with this pitiful force?"

The junior pontiff burst out laughing. "Pitiful force? Every single person here is a veteran of numerous battles. Unit 1, please introduce yourselves to this junior sectlord."

"Yes sir!"

RUMBLE!

A burly man stepped forward, clad in god-skin armor that included a helmet. Reaching up and opening the helmet, he revealed a face that was a mass of terrifying scars.

"Listen up, boy," he said. "Back on the Ancient Road to the Gods, I was known as Patriarch Scarface."

Leaning over, Zi Qiong explained, "Patriarch Scarface is known as a top expert who once challenged the leaders of several dozen superpower sects to combat. None of them could deal with him. He was considered the most powerful bandit on the Ancient Road to the Gods, until the executors caught up with him. Everyone said he was killed, but apparently he joined the Genesis Sanctum."

One by one, all of the other soldiers stepped forward, opened their helmets and stated their names. All of them were despotic figures from the Ancient Road to the Gods who had once been considered invincible fighters.

When they were finished with the introductions, Jadefall said, "Thanks for proving that you really are a pitiful force. My purrling could wipe you all out with a single bubble. Don't believe me?"

Very serious expressions suddenly appeared on the faces of everyone present. By now, word about the pink little purrling had spread to all of the sects, and everyone had heard about how a single bubble had caused the sectlord of the Void-Trampling Immortal School to beg for mercy.

"It's just an infant godling, that's all," the junior pontiff said. "Eunuch Chen, go over and take that thing!"

"Yes sir, Junior Pontiff!" said the old man in white. Then he turned into a blur of motion that moved with such speed no one could track his movement.

Swish!

All of a sudden, his hand was closing in on the purrling!

Purr!

The purrling swelled up as if in anger, making it look completely different from moments before. Then an enormous bubble flew out of its mouth.

"Aaaiiiieee!"

The white-garbed Eunuch Chen was now hanging in the middle of the bubble, his energy arts completely useless, a look of horror on his face.

"Be broken!" he shouted, unleashing immense true energy and godpower.

It did nothing.

Purr....

With a purr, the purrling caused the bubble to start shrinking.

"Junior Pontiff," Eunuch Chen screamed, "help me! Save me! No. Wait. Get out of here, Junior Pontiff! You can't deal with this thing. It'll kill you. Hurry and inform the pontiff. You... AIIIEE—"

Purr. Purr....

More bubbles flew out of the purrling's mouth, instantly capturing the dozens of intimidating warriors who had, just moments ago, revealed that they were despotic, famed figures from the Ancient Road to the Gods.

None of them stood any chance of evading the bubbles. Not even fleeing outside of the three realms or five phases would do them any good. All of them were trapped.

Screams rang out as a scene from hell played out. Within the bubbles, the soldiers' armor was melted into nothing, and they began writhing as they beat against the bubbles, trying to free themselves. It was all to no avail.

"Save us, Junior Pontiff! Hurry, save us!"

But the junior pontiff did nothing except stare at the purrling and prepare to flee for his life. Before, he had assumed that the story of the purrling vanquishing the leader of the Void-Trampling Immortal School was an exaggeration. Little did he know that the purrling was actually far more terrifying than the stories revealed.

'Just what exactly is that thing?'

He had spent years building up the forces of his Unit 1, only to have them defeated in the blink of an eye by a handful of bubbles. They were being slaughtered like pigs or dogs! What kind of entity could possibly be strong enough to do that?

Was this thing an infant version of the king of the godmammoths?

Supposedly, the king of the godmammoths was the most powerful godling ever created by the Sovereign Lord. He had been created to suppress hells, but had long since disappeared along with the Sovereign Lord. How could he be present here?

Even more ridiculous, this purrling looked more like a pig than an elephant. And it certainly didn't have a trunk. It was bright pink, constantly purred, and never ate food.

If it ate, that would be a different matter, as it would prove that it used energy and power. But the fact that it didn't eat seemed to indicate that it didn't need energy to operate. And that only made it even more terrifying.

One by one, the cultivators in the bubbles died. Although Yang Qi was confident he could have dealt with them on his own, it would have taken some work. And with the junior pontiff in the mix, he would eventually have been forced to retreat. But a few bubbles from the purrling instantly took care of them. What was this thing?

'Could it handle someone on the level of the Shepherd?' he thought. 'Wouldn't something that strong be considered invincible on the Ancient Road to the Gods?'

Purr. Purr....

After spitting out the bubbles, the purrling stretched lazily. No one had any idea what it was thinking, as it didn't seem inclined to make a move on the junior pontiff.

Meanwhile, the junior pontiff was trembling in fear. Eunuch Chen was his personal steward, a man with an incredibly high cultivation base and all sorts of secret weapons at his disposal. He was the kind of person who could evade all sorts of attacks, and had a host of clones he could use to protect himself.

In fact, he had been called "Master of a Thousand Clones".

Yet a single bubble had been enough to do him in. His final words had been a warning to go and seek help from the pontiff himself. However, the junior pontiff couldn't quite bring himself to simply flee in terror.

Thankfully for him, Jadefall didn't attack him, but instead, coldly said, "Well, Junior Pontiff, now you know how terrifying my purrling is; you aren't even close to being a match for it. Our Will Manifestation Heaven Sect isn't interested in insulting you, so let's just pretend that none of today's events ever happened."

WHOOSH!

The junior pontiff suddenly vanished, and in the same moment, the entire hall they were in trembled, and black smoke began pouring into it. At the same time, the floor fell away, revealing a bottomless pit.

Maniacal laughter rang out. "Maybe I can't do anything to you, but I can still use a spell formation to trap you. Please enjoy the Destructionless Nine Revolutions God Formation!"

Purr....

Another bubble emerged. This time, it surrounded Yang Qi, Jadefall, and Zi Qiong, making them impervious to all attacks.

"Your purrling is really strong," the junior pontiff said. "But how long can it hold out? You can't just stay trapped in my formation forever, you know!"

However, the purrling seemed to be intentionally making fun of him as it spat out another bubble, which expanded to encompass the entire area. A moment later, the dining room became visible again, and a spell formation could be seen within the second bubble, pulsing with black smoke.

"Damn you!" the junior pontiff howled, then vanished without a trace, obviously terrified at the prospect of being stuck inside a bubble.