Sage Monarch

"It's already obvious how things are going to play out here," Yang Qi said. "But if you really want to keep fighting, I'll give you time to think it over. After all, I have plenty of time on my hands. Buddha Detestation, Buddha Lady, and all the rest of you six. Go prepare your kingdoms for migration to the most recent minor god world I created. Got it?"

"Yes sir...."

The six experts he had just subjugated quickly flew off to follow his orders.

"You!"

The remaining twenty-two experts were so angry their hearts nearly exploded from rage. For Yang Qi to do this was really raking the firewood from beneath their kettle.

All six of those old-timers had kingdoms of their own, and the destiny they provided was a big boost to the alliance. Now that they were going to move their kingdoms, the alliance would suffer a major blow.

Furthermore, the boost in destiny Yang Qi would receive wasn't anything to take lightly. And it would also have a big negative effect on the thinking of the leaders of the remaining twenty-two kingdoms.

For these six to leave the alliance right now was like a big hole opening up in a massive dike. Once water started flowing out, it would be impossible to patch the hole.

Unfortunately for the remaining old-timers, there was nothing they could do about the situation. They didn't own those kingdoms, thus they had no say in the matter.

Within moments, the six old-timers had reached their kingdoms and were passing out orders.

RUMBLE!

A mass migration was underway.

Six enormous kingdoms were moving into the latest minor god world Yang Qi had created. At the same time, his sage monarch magistrates entered those kingdoms to establish a better system of order.

As a result, the overall destiny of the twenty-eight-kingdom alliance was crumbling.

Word started spreading immediately, and of course, it struck fear into the hearts of the people of the other kingdoms. That, in turn, had a negative effect on the destiny, which began collapsing even faster than before.

As a result, the power of the Dragon Compendium started seeping inside. Yang Qi was slowly gaining control.

He was winning a victory without shedding any blood by eroding the foundation of the alliance itself.

The remaining twenty-eight old-timers had extremely unsightly expressions on their faces. They knew there were already some of their subordinates who were thinking of joining Yang Qi.

RUMBLE!

Big bang explosions occurred on Yang Qi's side as the power of the Halls of Heaven detonated primal-chaos paleo-energy, causing preheaven treasures to emerge and pour into the six new Dragonfolk kingdoms.

The other dragon kingdoms could only look on in envy.

Shortly thereafter, defectors appeared, leaders from other nations who ran to Yang Qi's side, where the sage monarch magistrates would take care of them.

Seeing this, the twenty-two old-timers were even angrier than before.

"Anyone who tries to defect from my kingdom will be slaughtered! Send the army in to crush the rebels!" Many such orders were sent out via projection and a bloodbath immediately ensued.

Seeing this, Yang Qi raised his voice and said, "Any who join me will be rewarded. Show faith in me, and offer your prayers, and you can come to the Sage Monarch Empire. I'll teleport you out, and nothing will be able to stop me. On my side, no one will suppress you, and you'll have freedom of thought and action."

Everyone could hear his words clearly, and they knew he controlled the balance of power in the Myriad Dragons Lair.

Instantly, numerous dissenters began praying in their hearts, saying things such as, 'I'm willing to join the Sage Monarch Empire!'

Moments later, they were teleported into the minor god world, where the sage monarch magistrates took charge of them.

Chaos was engulfing the alliance! No one could restore control, as no one could control the thoughts of the citizens.

The dragon kingdoms were rapidly emptying, while Yang Qi was opening more minor god worlds for the influx of people.

The preheaven treasures popping into being were like huge chunks of meat being dangled in front of starving people.

Yang Qi's Sage Monarch Empire was experiencing a rapid increase in destiny, and the net of law was expanding and growing stronger. The sage monarch magistrates were proliferating, and the Dragonfolk old-timers could sense his psychic scale and godhood rating rising.

"We're finished...."

They knew that there was nothing they could do now. Yang Qi was winning a victory without shedding blood, simply by destroying their alliance.

They wanted to rush out and forcibly control the situation, but it wasn't as if they could control the thoughts of their people. Freedom of thought couldn't be removed except by means of one thing: the God Legion Seal.

That fact made it obvious how mighty the Sovereign Lord had been, as well as how savage and mad he was. He had controlled people's hearts and minds, which was almost unimaginable. And even though Yang Qi could use the seal to monitor the thoughts of those he had subjugated, he actually wasn't even sure how it all worked.

The twenty-two experts watched helplessly as more people deserted them.

"Bah!" Paragon-King Sage Dragon said. "Well played, Yang Qi. You planned things out perfectly. What a pity. If we'd planned things out better, perhaps attacking you when you first seized the Dragon Compendium, things might not have turned out this way. We should've strangled you before you started growing."

"That's exactly right," Yang Qi said. "If you had teamed up on me in the very beginning, I never would've been able to build this empire of mine. But it's too late now."

"A single slip may cause everlasting pain, regret won't bring the past back again." Paragon-King Sage Dragon shook his head regretfully. "I really never could have imagined you'd become this strong. I suppose that's fate. That said, Yang Qi, it's still not going to be easy for you to subjugate us. Look, I'm willing to work for you. But I won't accept you using the God Legion Seal on me. I'd rather die!"

Yang Qi laughed coldly. "You're really counting your chickens before they're hatched, Paragon-King Sage Dragon. Even if you die, your soul will remain stuck inside the Myriad Dragons Lair. I could just use the power of the lair to bring you back. You see, this place is like the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart, which I gained complete control over many years ago. Considering the threat you pose, I think I'll just kill you all, harvest your power and essence, then remake you in a more loyal form."

What he said was completely true.

1. I'm leaving out a passage that likens the twenty-two experts to the Last Emperor of China, a.k.a. Puyi. It's an analogy that makes sense to Chinese readers, but seems extremely out-of-place in a fantasy setting.