Sage Monarch

"Right, of course," said the elder with the godhood rating of six, nodding his head obsequiously. "Although, I worry about what will happen if the brat doesn't fall for it. He's obviously got a lot of restraint. What if he's on guard and realizes what we're trying to do?"

"Then we'll have to switch tactics. Lend someone a knife and have them do our dirty work for us." Meng Guo grinned coldly.

"What?" the elder blurted. "You mean have him killed? I thought you just wanted to have him arrested and sentenced to death, then use his life as a bargaining chip when dealing with Jadefall. What good would it do to kill him?"

"Fool!" Meng Guo cursed. "Who said anything about killing him? What I meant was that we could find some other disciple to provoke Yang Qi. Then we kill that disciple and blame it on Yang Qi. We can even conjure up some false evidence. Slowly but surely, we'll put him in a deadly situation he can't possibly escape from!"

"Hmm. That is a pretty good idea." The elder thought for a moment. "According to our recent investigation, Yang Qi actually has a grudge with someone from the Yue Clan. It's Yue Tianlin, a former foreman from the mines. He and Yang Qi had a bit of an altercation, but since then, Yue Tianlin has become a Lesser God and an elite disciple. Why not use him?"

"That's fine. If the victim was a mere Quasi-God, it would be easy for Jadefall to pull a few strings and get Yang Qi off the hook. But if he's convicted of killing an elite disciple, it's a high crime. Actual gods are the pride and joy of the House of God Ordainment." Meng Guo smiled.

"The downside is that there are some pretty impressive people in the Yue Clan, people who might figure out that we're trying to frame Yang Qi. For example, they have that genius Yue Zifeng." The elder was clearly taking the time to think the matter through carefully.

"Yue Zifeng? You think he can compare to my lord? My lord is one of the most powerful people in the House of God Ordainment, and on par with the junior houselord. The junior houselord has an interest in the Jadefall, but is currently in seclusion working on some boundless technique. Once he's out, he could cause problems, so we need to take care of this matter as quickly as possible. I'll handle the Yue Clan and make sure they don't cause any problems. In fact, even if they find out we're responsible, they won't dare to implicate anyone other than Yang Qi. This whole thing will only benefit us."

"Right. I'm just trying to think of how to draw the snake out of its hole. How do we get Yue Tianlin into a no-win situation? Maybe bewitch him into challenging Yang Qi to a duel? That way there won't be any questions about how he got killed. Or we could assassinate him. I have some friends from the dao of devils who'll do that kind of thing for the right price. We obviously can't do it ourselves."

"That works. It seems to me you can handle the details. That said, the people from the Preheaven Society have been watching this Yang Qi, so be careful. Don't let them beat us to the punch."

"That goes without saying. The Preheaven Society? Hmph! They put on a big front, but Wang Xiantian made a big blunder recently. He lost a huge amount of face, so their prestige is lower than it's ever been."

"Okay, so we have our plan set. You handle the details. And remember, my lord will reward you handsomely for this!" Meng Guo pulled out a bag filled with a collection of godnotes. "Here's fifty thousand godnotes. That's a huge amount, more than enough to hire experts from the dao of devils."

"Many thanks for your generosity. Many thanks!"

After discussing a few final details, they parted ways.

Yang Qi watched them disappear, a thoughtful expression on his face. He had hoped to handle this entire situation right there and then. However, now he realized that these two were just pawns in a larger scheme. Clearly, there was someone far more powerful plotting against him.

Whoever that person was, they clearly weren't someone that Yang Qi could handle in combat. More than ever, he needed to get stronger and form his monarch godhood. And he probably needed to find a way to meet Jadefall, and also see how his other friends and family were doing.

Over a year had passed, and Yang Qi hadn't seen any of them. The time was approaching for a reunion.

**

It was evening, and the moon had already risen. God kingdoms had suns and moons, unlike the god world in general, which only had light and dark. Because of that, god kingdoms were considered very luxurious. Already, nightlife activities were underway. The House of God Ordainment wasn't a boring place that focused only on cultivation; people liked to have a good time as well.

In this god kingdom, there was the Scripture Pavilion, Missions Sanctuary, Treasures Pavilion, Armory, Thrall Camp, Alchemy Wing, and other such "branches of government". In addition to that, there were cities where one could wine and dine, or visit private enterprises set up by important disciples. There were even gambling halls, brothels, and bars, all of which thrived.

After all, godly ascension wasn't just about bitter cultivation. Sometimes, enjoying oneself was a way to hone one's temperament. In fact, there were even people who tempered their will by means of gambling.

After all, gambling involved relying on luck. By winning and losing, it was possible to assess one's own luck, then possibly grasp at strands of destiny to gain better control of oneself. It was no rarity for disciples to gain enlightenment during sessions of gambling.

There were many paths that led to godly ascension.

Yang Qi had never been to any of the cities, as he usually spent his nights working on cultivation, reading, or relaxing. He didn't need stimulation to achieve breakthroughs.

Yang Qi was currently sitting on a lonely mountain peak connected to the Scripture Pavilion, using a communication talisman to send messages to his friends and family.

"All of you, come for a visit...."

He got immediate responses, and about two hours later, the first person appeared, flying up to meet him on the mountain.

It was Sword Seventeen.

He looked very impressive, and pulsed with sword energy that seemed incomparably sharp. It seemed as though an attack from him could devastate any obstacle. Even more impressive, he had reached godly ascension.

"Yang Qi!" he said. Laughing, he rushed forward and embraced him. "Junior Brother! It's been an entire year, how have you been?"

"Fine. More than fine. You've actually reached godly ascension! I can't say I'm surprised." Gazing inside Sword Seventeen, he saw that his godhood was a sword pellet containing the ultimate core truths of the dao of the sword. His godhood rating was only three, but his fighting prowess was so astounding that he could definitely cut down that elder from the Missions Sanctuary with a godhood rating of six.

After all, Sword Seventeen was an Ascendant! In the god world, Ascendants were always terrifying individuals!

"Look, I have something for you." Yang Qi handed him a sword pellet from the Pill-King's temple ruins.

Sword Seventeen's eyes glittered as he took it and popped it in his mouth. He didn't feel any need for excessive pleasantries when dealing with Yang Qi, having followed him from the impure lands up to the immortal worlds. They had been together in the Titan Emperor Heaven, Brahman Immortal World, Dao Defense League, Great Necropolis, and the Ancient Road to the Gods. Now here they were in the god world. Few people understood Yang Qi as well as him.

Around this time, laughter rang out as another figure blurred onto the scene. "We're all gods, Yang Qi. And of course you should've expected that. Although, to be honest, I'm surprised you haven't reached godly ascension yet."

It was the Shepherd.

The Shepherd was even more impressive. His godhood was like an enormous vortex, constantly absorbing external power. Apparently, he had begun cultivating some very impressive divine ability, as his godhood rating had blown through eight and nine and was already at ten. He was a Common God!

Clearly, he fit right in here in the House of God Ordainment.

The Shepherd had been a king of hell, so without Yang Qi's help, he would never have made much headway.

"Oh really?" Smiling faintly, Yang Qi waved his hand, whereupon the Shepherd's face fell. In fact, he was so shocked he looked almost like a zombie. Yang Qi clapped his hands together loudly to awaken him from his reverie.

"Th-that... that... th-that's... Paramount will! You actually achieved enlightenment of Paramount will convergence? But you haven't reached godly ascension! This...."

The Shepherd was mumbling to himself out of shock. However, his voice soon took on a tinge of excitement. Laughing out loud, he said, "I knew you were extraordinary, Yang Qi. That's why I was curious as to why you haven't reached godly ascension yet. But now it makes sense. You're forming monarch godhood! Other than some freaks in ancient times, no one has ever done this before! You're turning a legend into reality! But if the House of God Ordainment finds out...."

"They would arrest me and experiment on me." Yang Qi smiled. "How about you, Shepherd? As the apprentice of a Greater God, you have a very high position in the sect."

"That's right. I'm an apprentice of the Greater Devil-Exterminating God, who helps me cultivate the Devil-Exterminating God Art. He has a violent temper, but loves being brown-nosed. And he hates devils with a passion. Before I finished forming my godhood, I slaughtered a Lesser God devil, and even assassinated a pontifex of a major devil church. That earned my Master's respect. Furthermore, during the last disciples' convention, I crushed the opposition and earned him a lot of face. He's worked hard to help me with my cultivation, and I've benefited a lot from it." The Shepherd went on to explain some more details of what he had been up to in the last year. Then he said, "But when did you start forming monarch godhood? If you finish it, you'll be so strong that not even my master, the Greater Devil-Exterminating God, would be a match for you."

"He probably couldn't beat me even now," Yang Qi said. "However, there are a lot of hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the House of God Ordainment. In a massive sect like this, it's usually better to keep a low profile."

"That's right," boomed another voice. "You're so strong you're heaven-defying! It's better to keep a low profile."

"Brahma!" Yang Qi said. "It's you!"

1. Yue Zifeng: Zi has many definitions, including "son, child, small thing, the first earthly branch, the title viscount, etc." Feng means "wind".

2. There's an implied cultural thing here that bears mentioning. In Chinese culture, it's expected that the receiver of a gift will refuse the gift at least one time, and sometimes many times, before finally accepting it. The fact that Sword Seventeen just took it without saying "no, you shouldn't have" or something along those lines might seem disrespectful. However, the subsequent explanation emphasizes the fact that he knows Yang Qi doesn't care about those kinds of things, especially with someone like Sword Seventeen.