Sage Monarch

Seeing that he had been exposed, Yang Qi simply stood there and said, "It's nice to find you in good health, Senior!"

This devil was a terrifyingly powerful creature, but he was still bound in place. Also, Yang Qi could always draw on the God Legion Seal and detonate the lamp in a final suicidal blast.

"I asked you a question, boy," the devil general said. "Who are you? And how do you have the power of the Mahātmā Jade?"

Smiling, Yang Qi launched into a fabricated tale. "I am a successor of the true dao of devils, so of course I have the power of the Mahātmā Jade on me. Senior, I'm actually wondering who you are. You must be some devil patriarch, am I right? I hereby offer greetings, Patriarch! There were rumors that a senior member of the dao of devils was sealed in the depths of the Bastille of the One God, so I came here on a rescue mission. You must be that very person mentioned in the stories!"

The devil general chuckled coldly. "Enough! Drop the act, boy. I'm not interested in your lies. The Everlit Godlamp just flared to life. Was that you? The fact that you could do that means you're definitely not from the dao of devils. But you couldn't have faked the aura of the Mahātmā Jade. So who exactly are you?"

"Senior, I really am from the dao of devils!" Yang Qi said indignantly. "And I came here to rescue you."

"Hmph! You think you can just refuse to answer the question? I can still get the answers I seek! I'll reveal all the details of your life! Myriad Devils Projected Display!"

The wailing of ghosts and weeping of gods rang out, and the devil embryo twitched as countless streams of energy erupted, forming something like a river of fate. At the same time, countless images stirred, as if all the details of Yang Qi's life were about to be put on display.

This devil general was trying to force out the details of Yang Qi's fate, using an invincible ability that few people could resist. However, although the river of fate appeared, no details about Yang Qi appeared on it.

"Projected Display!" the devil general shouted, and the river of fate erupted with power, sending shockwaves out everywhere. Yet not a single image of Yang Qi appeared.

'What? This person doesn't exist in the river of fate?' The devil general looked on in shock as the river faded away.

Staring at Yang Qi, the devil general said, "No one can escape the power of my Myriad Devils Project Display. It seems there's more to you than meets the eye. There are only two explanations for why you wouldn't appear in the river of fate. The first is that you're using some sort of incredible daoist technique to hide yourself. However, I'm unaware of any technique that could do such a thing. And that means that the second possibility, however unlikely, is the only explanation. You're a Fateless One. People like you are rarities among rarities, yet here you are."

Smiling obsequiously, Yang Qi said, "Senior, I'm not really sure what you're talking about. I'm just a servant of the dao of devils. How could I possibly be one of these... what did you call them? Fateless Ones?" The truth was that Yang Qi was completely shocked that this old devil was so astute. It seemed impossible to hide anything from him.

"Don't try to double-deal with me, boy," the devil general said. "I think you know exactly who I am. I'm the Second Devil General, top subordinate of the boundless True Devil! You might think you can hide the truth from me, but I already detected the aura of the Mahātmā Jade on you. And the fact that you're a Fateless One makes you even more formidable. Sadly, you haven't reached your full potential yet. You came to me because you sensed this piece of the Mahātmā Jade that I have, and were hoping to take it. That was a very vicious move just now. You activated the power of the Everlit Godlamp, then tried to summon the Mahātmā Jade to you. Listen, child, how about you just free me and become my apprentice? As a follower of the Second Devil General, you can join me in conquering the god world. The Sovereign Lord. The True Devil. The Wretch God. The Demon Master. King Immortal-Slayer. They've all perished. But I remain. The Second Devil General. The most powerful expert in the god world!"

"You're the most powerful expert in the god world?" Yang Qi said. By now, he realized he couldn't pull the wool over the eyes of the Second Devil General.

He had convinced Patriarch Deva that he himself was the Second Devil General, but now he had actually run across the very person he had been impersonating. It really was a good example of karma at work.

Thankfully, the Second Devil General was still restrained, and had the Everlit Godlamp suppressing him. He could hardly move, and that meant that Yang Qi had a good chance of escaping. Furthermore, the situation wasn't completely hopeless. Yang Qi could sense that the Second Devil General feared the power of the lamp, and therefore, there was still a chance to crush him.

"Oh exalted Second Devil General, what if I told you that King Immortal-Slayer is still alive? Would you still call yourself the top expert in the god world?"

The Second Devil General shivered. "What?! King Immortal-Slayer lives? Have you seen him personally? How is that even possible? The Sovereign Lord and the King of Godmammoths personally crushed him into dust. Nobody could have saved him! How could he still be alive?"

"Oh exalted Second Devil General, I've personally met King Immortal-Slayer. One of my friends is his apprentice. But you don't have to take my word for it. Why don't I just use one of the exalted King Immortal-Slayer's own techniques to prove it?" For now, Yang Qi only had the reputation of King Immortal-Slayer to try to keep the Second Devil General in check.

A moment passed, then the Second Devil General threw his head back and laughed heartily. "He's still alive? Well, that's fine. I was just thinking that it would be very lonely to be alive with no rivals. If I appeared as an invincible force in the god world, but all my old friends were gone, then what would be the point of anything? Now that I know King Immortal-Slayer is alive, I can go find him. Then, with the full legacy of the True Devil at my command, the two of us can finally see who is superior."

'The Second Devil General isn't even afraid of King Immortal-Slayer? What do I do now?' Yang Qi was already trying to come up with a backup plan.

"If you thought you could scare me with talk of King Immortal-Slayer, boy, then you're plain wrong. I don't care if he's alive or not. I'm not afraid of him. I fought with the Sovereign Lord and wasn't afraid! You think I'll suddenly start getting scared now? I'll give you an opportunity here. Get on your knees and accept me as your Master. I won't cause problems for you. If you can strengthen the power of the lamp, you can also suppress it. So crush the lamp and give me your current pieces of the Mahātmā Jade. I'll release their true power, then convert the Everlit Godlamp into a devil weapon of ultimate darkness. With that added strength, no one will be able to stand in my path."

Secretly smiling, Yang Qi said, "You're mistaken, Senior. I don't have any pieces of the Mahātmā Jade."

"Hand them over!" the Second Devil General said, obviously not believing him. "The Mahātmā Jade does nothing in your hands, and in the end, it will absorb you. Even if you do cultivate the True-Devil Unspoiled-by-Myriad-Kalpas-and-Tribulations Body, it won't do you any good. I followed the True Devil for years, and was there when the countless sages and mahātmās converged their will to create that jade. The purpose was to fight the God Legion Seal, and there's no way you can tap into its true potential. It will only suck away at you until you die. In fact, taking it from you will be saving you from calamity."

"I really don't have any pieces of the Mahātmā Jade. Oh exalted Second Devil General, you've really misread the situation."

"If you're going to be like this, I'll just take it by force!" The Second Devil General reached out toward Yang Qi.

Yang Qi knew he couldn't dodge this move, and in the blink of an eye, he sensed the vital energy of the Mahātmā Jade stirring within him. It even felt as if the memories of the jade that existed in his sea of consciousness were about to fly out of him.

Thankfully, he had fully assimilated all of the pieces of jade, which made them a part of his thoughts, impossible to take away.

'Soul Stabilization! Mahātmā Convergence!' Yang Qi secretly used the connection between the God Legion Seal and the Mahātmā to suppress the devilish power running through him and stabilize his soul.

"Hmm?" When the Second Devil General came away empty-handed, he was obviously surprised. "You've already assimilated your pieces of the Mahātmā Jade! They're part of your soul and mind! But how did you do it? Not even the ancient True Devil could've done that! Impossible. Inconceivable! Am I hallucinating?"

"I'm serious. I don't have any pieces of the Mahātmā Jade. They all belong to King Immortal-Slayer! He used a divine ability from the dao of devils to unlock some of their secrets. Then he imprinted some of their energy into my soul and sea of consciousness. That's why I'm virtually invincible. By the way, I'm really not a Fateless One. King Immortal-Slayer hid my fate, that's all."

"What? King Immortal-Slayer did something like that? Was he really born again after the catastrophe? What cultivation level has he reached? Does he really have the other pieces of the Mahātmā Jade?" Slowly but surely, Yang Qi was pulling the wool over the Second Devil General's eyes.