Sage Monarch

It was obvious to the old-timers present that Yang Qi was proposing a small alliance with the people present. Considering how strong this junior sectlord was, he clearly wanted his sect to be the leader of this proposed new faction.

Earlier, it was unlikely that the sect leaders would have agreed to anything like this. But after the show Yang Qi had just put on, that wasn't necessarily a foregone conclusion anymore.

Furthermore, it was likely that, without such an alliance, many of the sects present wouldn't last through the assembly. That was especially true if more Great Necropolis savages showed up from worlds ranked two thousand or higher. Things were developing rapidly, and the old-timers knew that the coming days were going to bring countless dangers, as well as plenty of bloody fighting.

That said, it wasn't going to be easy for them to accept the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect as their leader. There were already two enormous organizations to deal with, the Genesis Sanctum and the Woodfern Couple Palace. If they stuck with the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect, they wouldn't be officials who followed someone else's rise from a lower rank to that of emperor. Instead, they would be considered rebels that opposed the other two major sects, and would likely end up getting purged.

The old-timers could tell that a new genius had appeared in the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect, but unfortunately, that sect still wasn't strong enough to defy the other two major sects.

In response to Yang Qi's suggestion, everyone sat there silently.

Looking around, Yang Qi knew what they were thinking.

These old-timers were all wily old foxes, and there was no way they would throw their support behind the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect, considering how much more room for improvement it had.

A very awkward atmosphere immediately developed.

At the same time, Yang Qi's eyes glittered as he looked around, apparently trying to come up with a way to further establish his might.

Before anything else could happen, though, a new voice filled the hall. "Sādhu, sādhu! Compassion cometh from Buddha! I can't believe you're still alive, young friend! Considering the level of your cultivation base, your bravery, and your immense righteousness, you surely deserve to be the league-lord of this alliance. Apparently, the Woodfern Couple Palace and the Genesis Sanctum have invited the locals from the Great Necropolis here, but unfortunately, they're shortsighted and understand little of the world. In their haughtiness, they think they're invincible, when in fact they're little more than frogs in a well. Being born in the Great Necropolis, the locals are both mighty and numerous. I've heard that there may be experts from three thousandth ranked immortal worlds coming, one of whom is in the mid Terrifying level. As long as you can stand up to someone like that, young friend, then my Dharma Sect will definitely support your bid to lead the alliance!"

Yang Qi's jaw dropped as a bald-headed monk appeared at the entrance of the hall, flanked by a host of other monks. All of them had clearly gained enlightenment of the immense compassion of the buddhist schools and possessed immensely powerful divine abilities.

Also entering the hall with them were a scattered group of random cultivators.

Obviously, they were rogue cultivators who had decided to join the buddhist schools. The buddhist schools were a very important force on the Ancient Road to the Gods, and were a loose group that produced incredible experts.

Of course, the person who had just spoken was none other than Archmonk Dharma Treasury, who Yang Qi had dealt with in the past and had a very good impression of. They had worked in good faith with each other during their time together in the Hell of Sages and Mahātmās, and Yang Qi had even saved his life. From all of that, Yang Qi had come to the conclusion that he was definitely not the kind of vicious and sinister person who put on a show of loyalty but harbored evil in his heart.

"Grandmaster Dharma Treasury!" Yang Qi said in delight. "I can't believe that you're still alive!"

"I should be the one asking how it happened. You are the one who is truly benevolent and righteous. In the moment when I was sure to be killed by the Shepherd, you saved me. After leaving that deadly situation, I assumed you had sacrificed yourself to save me. How could I ever have guessed that you were actually alive? It is truly correct to say that compassion cometh from Buddha...." Hurrying over, Dharma Treasury reached out and clasped Yang Qi's shoulder. "As long as you're alive, that's what matters. Compassion cometh from Buddha...."

Already, he was starting to repeat himself....

"Compassion cometh from Buddha," said another of the experts from the buddhist school, a zen master whose eyes shone with mercy and kindness. Saluting Yang Qi, he said, "Many thanks to you, young friend. I heard of how you rescued my Junior Brother in the Hell of Sages and Mahātmās. Had you not, I would've been overwhelmed with pain. You truly are benevolent and righteous, to be so willing to sacrifice your own life in the depths of hell. Please, accept the formal greetings of the Dharma Sect."

With that, all of the other monks clasped hands and offered Yang Qi their formal, respectful greetings.

Yang Qi returned their salute. "I wouldn't dare to accept such praise. I just happened to slip through the Shepherd's grasp and escape. To be honest, I had no idea that Grandmaster Dharma Treasury had also escaped. It was all just a big fluke."

"Young friend," Dharma Treasury said, "not only did you escape from the Shepherd, but you also succeeded in cultivating an incredible energy art. You're obviously much stronger than before. That said, the situation today is nothing to take lightly. The allied savages are powerful and overbearing, and already very aggressive to everyone from the Ancient Road to the Gods. I'm afraid blood will fall like rain soon...."

"How are things with the fiend-devils?" Yang Qi asked.

"The fiend-devils split into two major factions, one of them loyal to the Shepherd. The other fell under the leadership of a very mysterious entity, someone incredibly powerful who has cowed too many fiend-devils to count. At first, the two factions were at odds. However, based on my information, the Shepherd and the mysterious entity were unable to resolve their standoff via fighting, so they agreed to join forces and destroy the Executors of the Ancient Road before resuming their quarrel."

"A mysterious entity?" Yang Qi said, his eyes flickering with surprise. It was definitely unexpected that some extremely powerful and mysterious entity had appeared on the scene to contend with the Shepherd. Yang Qi knew full well that he wasn't on the same level as the Shepherd right now. He would need to improve his Purrfect God Art, reach the Grand Emperor level, and develop a Terrifying will convergence first. Only then would he be in the position to fight the Shepherd.

As for who that mysterious figure might be, he already had a few possible suspects. One would be the person from the Primeval Age with another part of the God Legion Seal. A second suspect would be Proud Heaven. However, if it wasn't one of those two, then where could this person have come from?

He shook his head. It was obviously pointless to speculate at this point; he would just need to be flexible. When soldiers come, send a general to stop them. When flood waters come, use earth to block them. Worst case scenario, he could always lead his people to retreat into the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart.

Meanwhile, the conversation that had just played out left the entire audience stunned once again. Archmonk Dharma Treasury was widely famed as being a top expert, but apparently, Yang Qi had saved his life when the two of them were on a mission together in the Hell of Sages and Mahātmās, fighting the Shepherd.

Everyone knew that the Shepherd was a mid Terrifying expert that could defeat all lesser opponents with hardly any effort at all. He could definitely vie with the emperor of the Executors of the Ancient Road, as well as the leaders of the Genesis Sanctum and the Woodfern Couple Palace. Yet a person like that had been unable to kill Yang Qi?

Where had this Yang Qi come from?

Many of the old-timers present would always act pragmatically, and do whatever seemed best based on the circumstances. Although no one had been willing to side with the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect before, now they were starting to wonder if they should change their minds. Apparently, the Dharma Sect was willing to support Yang Qi's bid for leadership. Perhaps supporting Yang Qi would be a smart thing to do right now.

Yang Qi could see that people were now starting to hesitate about their decision. In fact, he could already sense destiny shifting as their minds changed. However, he wasn't in any hurry.

Destiny was similar to popularity. As one's reputation increased, and they affected the hearts of others, destiny would transform. Faith was similar, although it contained karma and could be very harmful, even dragging people onto the dao of devils.

Because of that, destiny was much safer to work with.

"Grandmasters," Yang Qi said, "please, have a seat. I have a few questions I was hoping to get your opinion on." The monks from the Dharma Sect accepted his invitation, and as they sat down, they immediately noticed the purrling in Jadefall's arms. Of course, they were also privy to the rumors that had been spreading about it.

"Grandmasters," Yang Qi asked, "considering how experienced and knowledgeable you are, do you have any idea what this purrling actually is?"

The grandmaster monks exchanged awkward glances before one of them said, "I'm ashamed to say that our buddhist scriptures and records contain no information to indicate what your purrling is. I'm afraid not even Buddha himself had any knowledge of it."

Purr. Purr....

The purrling lay in Jadefall's arms, its legs sticking up into the air and wiggling back and forth. It was very cute, and didn't seem bothered at all to be in the presence of so many powerful experts. In fact, it almost seemed to view them as mere mortals.

Yang Qi was always keeping an eye on it, watching its every motion and movement, and using what he saw to further his understanding and enlightenment.

The creature was definitely unusual, and Yang Qi had the feeling that even if he observed it for millions upon millions of years, he would never fully understand it. That said, he felt stirred by watching it, and inside of him, his true energy continued swirling into the shape of a bubble.

Meanwhile, word was spreading about Yang Qi making such a scene and gathering such a large group of friends. Deep in the Woodfern Couple Palace, a large group of young women were strolling through a garden, gazing at the flowers. The group seemed to be clustered around one young woman in particular, in the same way women in the mortal world might cluster around the empress.

The woman in question had a countenance like a flower and a face like the moon. She didn't seem at all like someone from the mortal world, but rather like a goddess from the god world. Her every move seemed to conform to the dao of heaven, making her seem completely pure and unaffected by the energy of the world around her.

The other women present were by no means ordinary. They were the successors of other important sects, all of which were led by females. Considering how important the Woodfern Couple Palace was on the Ancient Road to the Gods, it was only natural that they would recruit other sects to join their cause. Such sects considered their position a huge honor, and would serve the Woodfern Couple Palace with unswerving loyalty.

Suddenly, a young woman rushed over.

"Junior Empress," she said, kneeling and holding out a jade amulet. "Something big just happened. We invited the pontifex of the Sackcloth Cathedral to the assembly, one of the natives of the Great Necropolis. But a scuffle broke out in the main hall and he was killed!"