Sage Monarch

This was the very core of the Hanging Mountain, a place where only the Holy Mother, the August Patriarch, the grand elders, the chiefs of the Demonfolk, and other extremely important people would gather for meetings.

Of course, Yang Qi was now a famous person in the Hanging Mountain. After his blood-drenched performance in the training competition, and his later feat of killing Chief Lion, his mere name made most disciples weak in the knees.

Therefore, no one even considered blocking his way as he went along with Yan Wubing.

However, Yang Qi was in no mood to pay attention to how people were looking at him. All of his attention was focused on the throne that stood equally as high as the August Patriarch, and the young woman sitting on it.

She actually looked younger than Yang Qi, as if she were only sixteen years old or so. She wore an ornamental thumb ring, and her hair was bound with hoops of gold.

Her aura was that of a Demi-Immortal, as if she were one with all heaven and earth, a supreme entity of all creation.

To Yang Qi, she seemed so incredibly powerful that a single breath from her could eradicate the entire starry sky.

She was obviously not an 'energy warrior' but rather, a 'half-immortal'. This 'sixteen-year-old' young woman was the Holy Mother of the Hanging Mountain.

And apparently, she was also Yang Qi's mother.

"Qi'er!" she said, rising to her feet, her eyes flashing with excitement. However, she maintained propriety, and sat back down calmly. "I'm your mother. Twenty years ago, I gave birth to you in the Rich-Lush Continent. I didn't want you to get tangled up in the infighting here in the Hanging Mountain, so I entrusted you to Yang Zhan. I'd planned to come get you myself, but you grew up much faster than I'd ever anticipated. I hope life wasn't too rough on you these past years."

"It was rough, but not too rough. And in fact, it was a blessing. Living a difficult life can make a person strong." Yang Qi's heart was pounding with excitement because of what was happening, but somehow he managed to keep his expression placid. After all, August Patriarch Mammoth Heaven was there, as were many other Demonfolk. "I took first place in the training competition recently, and during the process, killed some weak nobodies. Hopefully I didn't cause any problems for you, Mother."

"How impudent!" August Patriarch Mammoth Heaven roared angrily, leaping to his feet. "Yang Qi, perhaps I could accept that you killed two of my sons. After all, deaths are to be expected in the immortal world training competition. But do you really have to go so far as to insult them after they're dead?"

Looking over at the August Patriarch, the Holy Mother said, "Why are you so angry because two people died, Mammoth Heaven? I heard that you planned to personally kill my son Qi'er in retaliation. Well, he's here, so why don't you follow through? Try to kill him, and see what happens!"

Waving her hand, she wrapped up Yang Qi with a swirl of wind, and pulled him over to stand beneath her throne. As soon as her aura contacted him, he could sense the nature of her blood. Despite the fact that his blood was changing into the Blood of the One God, there were substructural aspects that remained the same. And right now, his blood was telling him that this person really was his mother. There was absolutely no question about it.

It was almost like a dream. He had assumed that finding his mother would have been some long and difficult quest, filled with impossible tasks and unexpected situations.

Not waiting for a response from the August Patriarch, the Holy Mother turned to Yang Qi and said, "Don't worry, Qi'er. You're with me now, and nobody in heaven or earth will be able to harm you." The tenderness and love in her eyes couldn't have been clearer.

"Many thanks, Mother. Although, don't worry, I can take care of myself. Even if this August Patriarch Mammoth Heaven tried to kill me, I'd be able to handle myself." Yang Qi was a 'big shot' now, and definitely not the emotional child he had been in the past, so he continued to keep his expression calm and confident.

"Grandstander!" one of the Epic Saga megamammoth elders shouted. "Maybe you took first place in that competition, but don't think that means you can insult the August Patriarch. Doing that is a crime here in the Hanging Mountain, and we'll punish you in the cruelest fashion if we have to."

Suddenly, blazing, holy light erupted from the Holy Mother's eyes, and slammed into the megamammoth elder. "Who the hell do you think you are? I'm having a chat with the August Patriarch, so mind your own business!"

Before the elder could react, he was thrown backward, blood spraying out of his mouth, and his eyes flashing with terror.

"Holy Mother!" Mammoth Heaven shouted, his true energy surging. "Did you come here to pick a fight with us Mammothfolk?"

The Holy Mother sat down slowly onto her throne, and then spoke in a very calm and light tone. "I'm not picking a fight. I'm warning you. If you do anything to my son, Mammoth Heaven, well, you know the level of my cultivation base. I was a Tyrant Demi-Immortal before, but in my session of secluded cultivation, I became a Prime Demi-Immortal! You really think you're a match for me? If it weren't for the fact that the Immortal World Assembly would disapprove, I'd just kill you right now and wipe out all of your Mammothfolk. Well, what are you waiting for? Do it! Try to kill my son!"

"Prime Demi-Immortal?! You really broke through?" Shivering, the August Patriarch settled back down onto his throne, looking deeply shaken. Waving his hand, he said, "Mammothfolk, hear my command!"

"Sir!" the Epic Saga elders said, stepping forward respectfully.

"Henceforth, there is no grudge between the Mammothfolk and Yang Qi. As of this moment, the deaths of Mammoth Force and Mammoth Manyvoids are written off." From the nature of his order, August Patriarch Mammoth Heaven was revealing that he was in the weak position.

"August Patriarch!"

"August Patriarch…."

Immediately, the furious megamammoth elders prepared to offer opposing opinions.

"I didn't ask for a debate!" August Patriarch Mammoth Heaven shouted. Glaring over at the Holy Mother and Yang Qi, he said, "The two of you are tough, I'll give you that. But if you're too unyielding, you might eventually break. Good luck on being this rude and unreasonable all the time."

"Worry about your own business," the Holy Mother said with a faint smile. "A wise man submits to the circumstances, Mammoth Heaven, and you're a smart fellow. I just hope you're not merely feigning compliance. And by the way, if anything happens to my son in the future, I'm going to hold the Mammothfolk responsible."

Mammoth Heaven snorted coldly. "Your son has offended too many people, so don't even think of blaming us Mammothfolk for every little thing that happens to him. Otherwise we're going to end up at a very deadly standoff." With that, August Patriarch Mammoth Heaven turned and vanished.

"Let's go, Qi'er. We have a lot to talk about." With that, the Holy Mother left and took Yang Qi with her.

Yang Qi's vision blurred momentarily, and then he found himself in a divine mountain somewhere beyond heaven. It was as smooth as crystal, and as lovely as jade. In fact, it was like a continent of jade, filled with jade trees and even an ocean made from liquid jade. And it was filled with dazzling light, without even a single shadow present.

"Qi'er, this is Profound Femina Mountain, and that sea of jade is the Jasper Lake, which contains true water from an immortal world. Cultivate with that, and you can achieve rapid progress. Although, it looks to me like you don't need such help." Eventually they reached a palace at the top of the mountain. As they entered, Yan Wubing remained outside, where he stood respectfully and unmoving.

"Do you have anything else to report, Yan Wubing?" the Holy Mother said.

"Yes, Holy Mother. It's all thanks to help from the young master that I gained enlightenment of certain matters pertaining to the primeval infernal deities. I've made significant cultivation progress since then, and have already reached out to communicate with the heart of heaven. I seem to be just on the verge of a breakthrough to the Demi-Immortal level. All I need is a suitable place to go into seclusion."

"Oh? That's wonderful!" The Holy Mother truly looked delighted. "In that case, you'll be the third Demi-Immortal here in the Hanging Mountain. And you'll be a very powerful asset to my side of the mountain. Qi'er, what good fortune did you come across? According to Yan Wubing, you have power that not even Demi-Immortals could contend with. Is that true?"

"Yes, it's true," Yang Qi replied. "Mother, it would probably be best if you refrain from making contact with it personally. You see, in their glory, the legion of gods left a sealing mark on me."

"A God Legion Seal?! Do those things really exist?" She waved her hand, and a field of light settled onto Yang Qi, which turned him completely transparent in her eyes. There, right in his forehead, was the God Legion Seal.

The light she had summoned began to seep into his forehead, as if to probe at his deepest secrets. However, that was when a golden glow spread out, as bright as an exploding sun. The Holy Mother was shaken, and quickly floated backward, simultaneously entering another aspect of the void, along with her throne.

Eventually, the golden light faded away, and she stepped out of the void, her face flush and her eyes glittering.

"Qi'er, not even I, a Prime Demi-Immortal, am strong enough to defend against that power. If I hadn't prepared my Preheaven Quintuple Retreat ahead of time, I would have been seriously injured just now."

"You definitely shouldn't try to touch it, Mother," Yang Qi said. "I can't control it fully, and it's very dangerous. The power of the legion of gods cannot be blasphemed against."

"No wonder you weren't afraid of Mammoth Heaven. Yan Wubing said you might have the power of the legion of gods, and as it turns out, it's true." She sighed. "With a son like this, what else could I ask for?"

"Mother, is it true that my birth father was a banished immortal?" Yang Qi asked. "And that he left for the immortal world later?"

"Don't even mention him!" the Holy Mother said angrily, but after a moment, her expression softened. "He's the most vicious, cruel man in the world. He's your father, yes, but nothing more. Back when I met him, I had the ancient and rare Profound Infernal Matriarch Body. He was the one who gave me the Red-Dust Spectral-Dream Heart-Sutra, which at first seemed like an amazing gift. Unfortunately, when I cultivated the technique to the ultimate level, he stole my Profound Infernal Essence, and the Myriad Matriarchs Energy. I was essentially crippled after that, which was when I gave birth to you. Luckily, I had recently encountered other good fortune, and later restored my energy arts because of it. Qi'er, I want you to promise that you'll track down that man and kill him!"

"What?" Yang Qi said, visibly surprised.

Yan Wubing cleared his throat. "Young Master, it's true. He's really the coldest and most ruthless man you'll ever meet. I saw all of these things with my own eyes. The Holy Mother worked tirelessly to develop that Profound Infernal Matriarch Body, a physique type that draws on the blood of the Profound Infernal God, and can give birth to a myriad of living things, even the cosmos itself. Unfortunately, your birth father stole virtually all of the Holy Mother's essence. In fact, what he did almost killed you, Young Master."

1. The mountain here is not any reference to "real-life" mythology, but the Jasper Lake is. It's a lake in Mount Kunlun where the Queen Mother of the West lived, and would hold banquets in which she treated her guests to immortal peaches that would ripen every 3,000 years. There are numerous ways to translate the name of the lake, some more accurate than others, such as the Lake of Gems, Mother-of-Pearl Lake or Jade Lake. If you're interested in learning more, .