Sage Monarch

'Considering I have some backup in the sect now, I guess I can feel free to do something a bit more impressive.' Yang Qi wasn't surprised at all that Jadefall had already started climbing the ranks; it was all part of his plan anyway. He had known all along that she and her purrling would accomplish shocking things.

Back in the mortal world, the purrling had shown how domineering it could be, and that wouldn't be any different in the god world.

Meanwhile, Elder Brother Yue was struggling to maintain a neutral facial expression. Never could he have guessed that Yang Qi would have the backing of someone as important as a Consummate God. Even the patriarch of his Yue Clan was nothing more than a Greater God who could only hope to one day become a Consummate God.

Furthermore, there was no way that he could ever hope to even be noticed by that patriarch, and wouldn't even be able to get an audience with him if he tried.

'What am I supposed to do now? ' he thought. 'I have to report this matter to the clan. And no matter what, I have to figure out a way to get Yang Qi killed.'

Meanwhile, the woman with the rating of nine said, "What's your contribution to the sect, Yang Qi? I'm curious to see if Junior Sister knows what she's talking about. Are you really worth helping? I can tell how much she cares for you, so I hope you don't let me down."

"Of course I won't let you down, exalted Envoy!" Yang Qi said. He waved his hand and produced a cloth bag, which emanated sounds that resembled thunder. "These are some imperial caliber godstones that I would like to give to the sect. Please take a look, Envoy."

Before he even finished speaking, he was opening the bag. Instantly, flickering light like that of lightning spilled out, filling the area with dazzling brightness. There was also a burst of preheaven vital energy that felt like spring lightning.

"What's this? Are those really imperial caliber godstones?!" One of the envoy's nearly ripped the bag out of Yang Qi's hand and turned it over to pour some godstones out into his hand. They looked almost like śarīras that were pulsing with lightning-like light and thunderous rumbling.

"Completely incredible!" said the woman with the godhood rating of nine. Reaching out, she grabbed one of the pearl-like godstones and looked at it closely, then smiled. "Not bad. Not bad at all. These things are amazing. They really are imperial caliber godstones, and high quality at that. Considering that the vital energy in them is almost on the verge of making god embryos, they're almost holy caliber. Where did you get them?"

"I happened to venture into the surrounding mountains and kill some demonlings. They had this stash in their cave, and while I have to admit I considered keeping them for myself, in the end I decided I should hand them in to the sect." Yang Qi wasn't too worried about coming up with a believable story, as he knew that he wouldn't be investigated either way.

'Are they really imperial caliber godstones?' Elder Brother Yue thought, his eyes wide. 'I heard rumors that he had godstones like that, but I didn't believe they were true. But now... how many merit points will that be worth? You can't even find imperial caliber godstones for sale in the markets. They only show up in the big auctions, and even then, most people are lucky just to catch a glimpse of them.'

"How much are imperial caliber godstones worth in merit points?" asked the woman with the godhood rating of nine.

"This bag is definitely worth fifty merit points at the minimum," one of the other envoys replied.

"Fine, let's stick with fifty. Yang Qi, I hope you don't mind the sect taking advantage of you by offering so few merit points."

"Don't be silly. Fifty is plenty. I would hand those godstones over even if I didn't get any reward." Of course, Yang Qi knew that there was no way the sect would refuse to reward him. Matters such as this were written into the sect rules. In fact, even if he refused to accept the reward, the sect might demand that he do. After all, it would be a bad precedent. If word spread among the disciples that the sect took things without offering rewards, in direct violation of the Great Classic of God Ordainment, it could lead to very bad results.

Yang Qi couldn't help but admire the sect for that.

"Envoys, I also have some gifts for you personally." He gave a meaningful look to some of his subordinate disciples, who brought forth a box he had arranged for just this purpose.

The box opened, and more imperial caliber godstones could be seen inside. However, these had been carved into beads and strung into a bracelet.

"They aren't for the sect," he said. "They're just a little something interesting for you. Jewelry, that's all." He waved his hand and the disciple walked over and handed out the box.

If he handed this box in to the sect, he would get a merit point reward. Instead, he was giving it to the envoys, and in turn, that meant they would owe him a favor. Sometimes, favors could be a lot more valuable than things like merit points, especially if it meant getting help from people like this.

"Er...." The other envoys looked at their leader, the woman with the godhood rating of nine. Although it wasn't against the rules to accept gifts, they weren't sure if they should accept such an incredible gift right in the open.

"It's fine, take them," the leader said. "Even if word spreads, we can count on Junior Sister Jadefall to smooth things over. She's like the sun climbing in the sky. Before long, she'll be so important that no one would ever dare to offend her."

The envoys accepted the gift. A bracelet made of imperial caliber godstones could be used to power a huge spell formation, and would make anyone who wore it incredibly stronger.

The envoys' attitude toward Yang Qi changed as soon as they accepted the gifts. One of them even said, "Yang Qi, do you want to leave this place? These mines are virtually barren. They produce shoddy and normal godstones, but hardly ever produce greater godstones. With the fifty merit points you just earned, why not go work at the Scripture Pavilion? What do you say?"

"Work at the Scripture Pavilion?" Yang Qi couldn't help but feel a bit excited. According to the Great Classic of God Ordainment, the Scripture Pavilion was basically a storehouse for ancient records and secret documents. Any official disciple would love to have a position there. First of all, it would give them easy access to the books and records there. Second, disciples who wanted to borrow books from the pavilion had to pay merit points for the honor. Third, there were ancient scrolls in the depths of the pavilion that could very well contain immense good fortune.

It would be considered a windfall for any official disciple to work in the Scripture Pavilion. It was almost on par with being picked as an apprentice by an important person in the sect. Best of all, there was no danger involved.

Although there were benefits that came with being a foreman at the mines, it was a very dangerous job, whether because of the infighting or the demonlings.

And there was no way the opportunities in the mines could surpass the opportunities in the Scripture Pavilion. After all, the Scripture Pavilion was a common destination for very important people, including the top disciples. And they would always come with gifts when they wanted to come inside to study.

Of course, there were other positions that were superior to the Scripture Pavilion. There was the Administration Vault, the Spirit Medicine Warehouse, the Spirit Pill Repository, and other such places. The disciples who worked in places like those received indescribable benefits.

And there were even disciples who could use thralls, which meant their cultivation bases would rise rapidly.

"Many thanks for the advice, Envoy," Yang Qi said with a smile. "I agree."

"In that case," said the leader, "we'll take the fifty merit points and give you a jade medallion instead. Take it and go check in at the Scripture Pavilion. As for matters here, don't worry, we'll send another official disciple to take over your position."

"Yes sir!" Yang Qi said with a salute.

"Very well, the inspection is over. You've all done very well." Before leaving, the leader looked deeply into Yang Qi's eyes and said, "You need to reach godly ascension as quickly as possible. Understand? Don't disappoint Junior Sister Jadefall. I can tell that she cares about you, except that she's already vastly beyond you. She's a god, and you are not, which means that your paths will soon separate. And there's no shortage of disciples seeking to woo her."

With that, she led the envoys toward the teleportation portal.

Yang Qi's eyes glittered as she left. Of course, he didn't take her words to heart. Obviously, she had no idea of the details of his relationship with Jadefall or the truth about the difference between their cultivation levels. And she had no idea how terrifying Yang Qi really was.

With the jade medallion, Yang Qi could go to the Scripture Pavilion. However, he would still secretly keep an eye on the mines. After all, he had his business deal with the Demonfolk. And if he simply left, it was a given that Elder Brother Yue would end up taking over.

After the envoys were gone, Elder Brother Yue finally exploded. "You villain, Yang Qi! If I were you, I wouldn't celebrate yet. You'll get your comeuppance one of these days."

"Is that so? I guess we'll have to just wait and see." Turning, Yang Qi left, taking many of the disciples with him.

Back on his mountain peak, he called over Zhang Jufang and Cherry. "I'm leaving, and the sect will send a new disciple to take over my position. Make sure he's nothing but a puppet, got it? Keep carrying on according to my plans. And now, I'll make you even stronger than before. Be seated."

"Yes sir!"

As they sat down, Yang Qi extended his hands. "Unrivaled God-King; Heaven-Toppling God-Dao; Invincible Sun and Moon; Yin-Yang Transformation!"

Something like a burning sun appeared in his left hand, shining with a dazzling golden light. And in his left hand was a moon, stark and glowing. When he sent them into his two followers, they were blessed and anointed with godpower.