Sage Monarch

In a completely unexpected turn of events, Yang Qi had been ambushed by the Lord of the Sword Dao in the middle of the Halls of Heaven. Thankfully, he had acquired another piece of the Mahātmā Jade, boosting his psyche and allowing him to think like the True Devil. Were it not for that, he likely would have been badly injured.

But things hadn't turned out like that.

And while there was still one piece left in the Central Dynasty, he had certainly reached a minor level of completion in terms of his collection.

His psychic scale had reached the level of seventy billion, improving his control of the God Legion Seal to a point that not even the Lord of the Sword Dao, with his rating of a hundred billion, was anything for him to fear.

As long as he could get the final piece of jade, he was sure he could break through to the level of a hundred billion. When that happened, he would be in the half-Annulled level, making him like people such as King Immortal-Slayer, the Sovereign Lord, and the True Devil.

Looking every bit the lonely wanderer, the Lord of the Sword Dao said, "Who could ever have guessed that after all this time, someone else would show up in the Halls of Heaven? It's been a long time since there's been a visitor here."

Yang Qi was stabilizing the power of the Mahātmā Jade and simultaneously absorbing the flowing power of the Halls of Heaven. Inside him, the trumpeting of the King of Godmammoths could be heard in his God Legion Paradise as a teleportation portal opened and allowed the destiny of the Sage Monarch Empire to pour into him.

With the fifty million sage monarch magistrates he had, his empire was strong and constantly expanding. It was now roughly half as big as either the Invincible Dynasty or the Chiliocosm Dynasty, although it was still in its initial stages of growth. In four or five years, it would reach the level of seventy to eighty percent. It was a speed the likes of which the god world had never seen before.

And that was with Yang Qi trying to keep a relatively low profile. If he pulled in the two marshals, Yang Primal-Chaos and Dugu Sheji, the destiny of his empire would be much different, and he would be in a position to contend with the other two dynasties much sooner.

In other words, with the destiny he could tap into, he had absolutely no need to fear the Lord of the Sword Dao.

Not daring to bandy words, Yang Qi directly asked, "Why did you ambush me, Lord of the Sword Dao? I'm just here to get some treasure."

Sighing lonesomely, he replied, "You have the God Legion Seal, which means you can help me leave the Halls of Heaven. Because of the destruction wrought upon this hall by the Mahātmā Jade, I can stay here safely. But if I try traveling about outside of it, the innumerable spell formations of the Halls of Heaven will cause me endless trouble. It's better to just stay put. Isn't the God Legion Seal reason enough for me to attack you?"

"It is," Yang Qi said with a nod. "The God Legion Seal could cause rivers of blood to flow in the blink of an eye. To get it, fathers would slaughter sons, and even bring about an end to all human life. Unfortunately, Lord of the Sword Dao, you're not strong enough to kill me."

"You're right. I'm not. Unexpectedly, you've fused the God Legion Seal with the Mahātmā Jade. And you have the blood of the King of Godmammoths, monarch godhood, and an enormous empire to fill you with destiny. Meanwhile, I have nothing. No empire, no anything. I'm no match for you."

Although the Lord of the Sword Dao seemed like a truly lonely wanderer, he had obviously seen through Yang Qi to his core, and understood everything about him.

Yet to Yang Qi's surprise, he couldn't read the Lord of the Sword Dao at all, which meant the man's psychic scale was definitely at least at the level of a hundred billion. That was when the psychic scale converged on itself and pushed one into an entirely different state of existence.

That was why he had been able to attack Yang Qi so unexpectedly. Long story short, his psyche was immeasurably close to the Annulled level, which was a terrifying thought. However, Yang Qi had still been able to detect the attack at the last moment, which meant the Lord of the Sword Dao couldn't kill him. Of course, neither could he kill the Lord of the Sword Dao.

"What exactly do you want?" Yang Qi said. "For me to take you out to the god world? How about you join me in looting some of the treasure troves here? You can be one of the cofounders of my empire. I'll appoint you as a grand elder, and even give you a share of the destiny. And you won't have to do a thing other than stand guard over the empire."

Obviously, having an expert like this, who would provide an inherent boost in destiny, would make his empire even more stable. Not even the patriarchs of the House of the Invincible, Proud Heaven, Yang Voidprime, or Yang Chiliocosm would be able to cause problems for him then.

Right now, Yang Qi only had to fear people with psychic scales of a hundred billion or more. That meant people like Yang Chiliocosm, Yang Voidprime, and Proud Heaven. The Dugu Clan had their nine patriarchs, and although they all weren't at the level of a hundred billion, there were two who had indeed reached that level. And the others weren't far behind.

All of them were terrifying individuals and hardened killers who could inflict major destruction on Yang Qi's empire if they so chose.

Yang Qi didn't really have anyone who could counter forces such as that. Not even he himself counted in that regard. But if he could get the Lord of the Sword Dao on his side, it would change everything. The three other empires wouldn't dare to attack him, and he could bide his time in peace, slowly emptying out the Halls of Heaven and building up a destiny superior to any of the other groups.

"No," the Lord of the Sword Dao said. "You're trying to recruit me? It won't happen. The God Legion Seal is the most horrifying thing in existence. In the past, the Sovereign Lord used it to control me. His thoughts governed my life or death, and he could even monitor my mind. It was a life worse than death. If I work with you, help you grow your empire with the riches of the Halls of Heaven, you'll just become the next Sovereign Lord. Eventually, you'll subjugate me with the God Legion Seal, and I'll yet again be trapped."

"I guarantee that I won't do that," Yang Qi said quickly.

"The only thing I trust is my own sword. I don't trust the guarantees of anyone. If the Sovereign Lord were to be resurrected, and he made a promise to me, I'd spit on it. So what makes you think I'll trust you?" The Lord of the Sword Dao was making it very plain that he wouldn't work with Yang Qi.

Yang Qi could sense his resolve, and knew that people as strong as him didn't waste words. Besides, if he was the Lord of the Sword Dao, he would make the same decision. The God Legion Seal was just too dangerous. Working with Yang Qi would just be heading toward the path of subjugation.

But Yang Qi had to have him!

If he couldn't be convinced, he would have to be subjugated!

Time was of the essence, and his empire was on the line. There was definitely war on the horizon. When empires arose, it always happened along with blood and fire.

When people made cultivation progress, they had to pass through tribulations, and it was the same with empires. Other forces could attack an empire, but if the people held firm and fought back, their hearts would grow more resolute. They would have infinite faith in their country, and develop a sense of belonging. When that happened, the empire would become truly powerful.

The Chiliocosm Dynasty, Invincible Dynasty, and Central Dynasty had all experienced such things, which was why they were considered unparalleled under heaven. All of their people had a strong sense of belonging, which led to powerful destiny, and the willingness to sacrifice themselves for their country.

Yang Qi's empire hadn't yet reached that state, as it hadn't had a chance to experience warfare. But war would come eventually. That was why Yang Qi had come to the Halls of Heaven, to ensure that he was as prepared as possible.

"I can see the killing intent in your eyes, young one," the Lord of the Sword Dao said. "You're extremely ambitious, aren't you? You're thinking of trying to subjugate me. Turn me into your servant. You just began building your empire, and need to temper it in the flames and blood of war. You need me to be able to stand at the true peak of the god world. I've seen far too many ambitious people like you. I guess that means I need to kill you. That's the only way to put an end to thoughts such as yours."

Yang Qi smiled. "Even if I didn't subjugate you, Lord of the Sword Dao, you wouldn't just let me walk out of here. I'm your only way out of the Halls of Heaven. Am I right? You could say we're two peas in a pod. The main difference is that you were once subjugated by the God Legion Seal, yet your golden throne is nowhere to be found inside. How did you free yourself from it? Mind explaining?"

"It's not just me. You'll find that all of the ancient God-Lords died and were born again. That's how we got free. That's how we were able to appear once again as this new age dawns." He looked down and tapped the blade of his sword. "Anyone who was once controlled by the God Legion Seal will hate you down to their bones. You'll eventually face the wrath of the countless God-Lords. Well, you might. It depends on whether or not I cut you down right here and now!"