Sage Monarch

Yang Qi could sense that Hailan still wanted to do something to him. However, she didn't touch the destiny of the empire to notify Proud Heaven of his presence.

Considering that she was the empress, she could do that very easily if she wanted to.

If Proud Heaven was alerted to his presence, he would need to flee immediately. And if Proud Heaven found out about the 'back door' in the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart, he would definitely do everything possible to close it up. In fact, he might even uncover the truth about King Immortal-Slayer. Because of that, Yang Qi had to be very careful in how he dealt with Hailan.

As such, he resorted to trickery.

"Well, Yang Qi? Did I get it all right?" Hailan chuckled coldly. "Don't fool yourself. I know how wily and mischievous you are, and that you love fooling people. But you're crazy if you think that'll work on me."

"I'm not fooling you. If I help you reach the half-Annulled level, then the two of us can accomplish a lot together. Yang Voidprime has already joined me. You see, he was tricked, and fell into a trap in which they tried to extract his fateless power. However, I helped him, so now he's on my side. If he dies, his fateless power will instantly be transferred to me, and I'll become a true Fateless One."

"Oh, so that's your plan," Hailan said, looking surprised. "Although, that doesn't have anything to do with me."

Yang Qi sighed. "How can you say that? Yang Voidprime is still your man. Are you really willing to just watch him die?"

"If he dies, he dies. So what? And Proud Heaven's going to die as well."

"You really don't care if Yang Voidprime dies?" Yang Qi shook his head.

"What does his death have to do with me?" she replied. "I'm under Proud Heaven's control right now. And you're trying to con me as well. You've talked a lot here, but you still haven't explained how you're going to help me reach the half-Annulled level. And if it involves me somehow trying to get Yang Voidprime's fateless energy for you, forget about it."

"My plan has nothing to do with fateless energy. Besides, that fateless energy wouldn't do any good for you. No, my plan involves something else entirely. That said, it'll take some work on your part as well." Yang Qi waved his hand, and a golden stream of light emerged, taking the form of an imp, pulsing with a most terrifying aura. "What if I gave you this?"

"What's that?" Hailan's eyes suddenly went wide. "That's the God Legion Seal. That's what fueled your growth, helping you rise from the impure lands to the immortal worlds, then from there to the god world. That's how you founded your kingdom, and without it, you wouldn't be where you are right now. And you're just going to give it to me? You're obviously trying to pull some kind of trick."

"It's not a trick. At least not completely. The Sovereign Lord left this thing behind, and I'm convinced that he's still alive, out there hiding somewhere, watching the god world and waiting for the right moment to return. And because the God Legion Seal is his, he'll definitely use it to track me down. Why do you think I've held back from reaching the half-Annulled level? Did you really think it's because I'm unable to? It's because I've forsaken the God Legion Seal. I don't want it in me, because it'll make it possible for the Sovereign Lord to possess me. However, I don't mind giving it to you. You can assimilate it and push your cultivation base to the most boundless heights. What do you say? You can look at it if you want to."

He tossed it toward her, and the golden imp became a streak of light that landed right on her palm.

Hailan drew on some of her daoist techniques, causing an immense wave of power to wash over the God Legion Seal.

"As the empress, I command the will of the empire to cleanse this thing!" Instantly, the destiny of the empire converged on the God Legion Seal, causing it to shine with dazzling light. Immediately, Hailan could sense the grandeur of the legion of gods, and the immense might of the Sovereign Lord.

A few hours passed, but nothing else happened.

Hailan hadn't yet assimilated it. "Are you really giving me the God Legion Seal, Yang Qi? It's not trapped or anything?"

"Like I said, the God Legion Seal is amazing, and it helped me a lot, but in the end, it still puts me in danger because of the Sovereign Lord. And it will be dangerous for you as well. If you assimilate it, you have a one hundred percent chance of reaching the half-Annulled level. However, later on down the line, the Sovereign Lord will come for you. So you have to be very careful. And now I'll tell you something else: although Proud Heaven devoured King Immortal-Slayer, he didn't get rid of him completely. And that was a big mistake. One day, when the essence of the god world isn't there to watch over Proud Heaven, King Immortal-Slayer is going to make a comeback."

Yang Qi was telling the truth. However, it was bait, or more precisely, a trap. Yang Qi had long since abandoned the God Legion Seal, choosing to become stronger on his own merits instead. And he was just waiting to see if Hailan would actually devour the seal.

"Based on all that, it seems you really are telling the truth," she said.

"Given how intelligent you are, I don't think you're the kind of person who would fall for tricks. What do you think? Take the poison, or not? It's up to you. Either way, I don't want it anymore. I don't want the karma. You can give it to someone else, or even just throw it away. I don't care. From now on, I don't want to have anything to do with the Sovereign Lord."

"Oh? Don't worry, I won't be giving this to anyone else." She laughed. "I can accept karma like this, if that's what it takes to reach the half-Annulled level. If Proud Heaven can devour King Immortal-Slayer, then I can devour the Sovereign Lord, assuming he comes for me. By the way, what about the Halls of Heaven? Why not give them to me as well?"

"I already gave them to someone else," Yang Qi replied coldly. Hailan was obviously fishing for information, but he wasn't going to give it to her. "As for who it is, you'll have to find out on your own."

She chuckled coldly. "You think I don't know who it is? It's obviously the Invincible Dugu."

"Good guess," Yang Qi replied. "You're right, I gave them to the Invincible Dugu. The Invincible Dynasty is now linked with my Sage Monarch Empire. I'm giving them the resources they need to solidify their empire and grow their destiny."

"I guessed that some time ago," she said with a sneer. "Seems to me you're getting nervous. You can't reach the half-Annulled level, so you're working with the Invincible Dugu. Sadly, that's asking a tiger for its skin. Maybe he was your Master in the impure lands, but personal relationships like that don't matter when you reach our level. You're plotting against him, aren't you? To him, the Halls of Heaven are poison, and even though he knows it, he can't help himself. Well played, Yang Qi. You're in such danger that you're grasping at whatever straws lay about. You're even going so far as to get rid of the Halls of Heaven and the God Legion Seal. What about the Mahātmā Jade? Are you getting rid of that as well? Are you really going to rely solely on yourself to achieve your breakthroughs?"

"I am. Once I free myself from everything else, I'll be strong on my own merits. And that means you have a chance to take the God Legion Seal. Are you going to assimilate it or not?"

"I am. Unlike you, I don't feel the need to give up on everything. And did you really think I'm scared of the Sovereign Lord? He's half-Annulled, but not truly half-Annulled. And I have a chance to reach the true half-Annulled level."

"And what about the two of us working together against Proud Heaven, with the God Legion Seal being my down payment."

"Down payment? All you're doing is giving me a catastrophe in the waiting. In any case, yes, I'll work with you. But first, I need to be in the half-Annulled level. There's no time to waste."

"Alright, I'll help you," Yang Qi said.

"No thanks. I'm not going to fall for your tricks. I'll assimilate the God Legion Seal on my own, without any 'help' from you. Watch."

She waved her hand, and a stream of vital energy flew out. "Out-of-Body Incarnation: Soul of the Ancestor God!"

All of a sudden, a mighty figure appeared behind her, which reached out and grabbed the God Legion Seal, instantly causing it to melt.

"The legendary Soul of the Ancestor God?!" he said, shocked.

"That's right. The Soul of the Ancestor God is the actual soul of the ancestor of all gods, which existed before the god world came to be. The ancestor of all gods isn't a person, but rather a conglomeration of vital energy. Although it didn't exist at the ultimate beginning, after encountering certain almighty entities, that vital energy turned into a god. And this is the Soul of the Ancestor God!" Hailan threw her head back and laughed. "I bet you never guessed this would happen, did you, Yang Qi?"