Sage Monarch

"Oh?" Yang Qi opened his Lord's Eye and looked out into the Dark True Void that surrounded his planetary system on all sides. What he saw were passageways that glittered with immortal light, indicating that there were immortals in them. However, they didn't dare to simply enter without invitation.

Considering Yang Qi had routed the fiendslave battalion and sealed the dome of heaven above him, word of his deeds had spread like wildfire.

The other planetary systems had sent word to the heavens above them, asking for direction about what to do. Considering that Yang Qi had single-handedly defeated an entire army of heavenly soldiers and commanders, it was only natural that other immortal worlds would direct the supreme rectors of their mortal collegiums to go pay respects.

"Well, Junior Brother," Eldest Brother said, "who would have thought that the supreme rectors would come to offer their respects so quickly? They must have guessed that you're considering wiping them out. Are you going to see them?"

Yang Qi thought for a moment, then said, "It would be the wrong move to refuse them an audience. The most relevant thing to consider is that all of the planetary systems have an immortal world backing them. And those immortal worlds are all stronger than the Titan Emperor Heaven. If I offend all of them, and they joined forces to besiege us, we wouldn't be able to fight back. The truth is, we're actually very weak right now. True, I'm invincible among the planetary systems of the mortal world, and I could easily destroy them and institute my own mystical network of laws. But honestly, that's not a very realistic goal."

"What if you asked them to form an alliance, with you as the leader?" Eldest Brother said. "Then you could negotiate to split the faith power of the planetary systems with them. Even if you only got one percent of the faith, it would still be a lot. You could also demand that the other planetary systems offer you tribute on a yearly basis, and their top geniuses must join the Sage Monarch Collegium. Eventually, everyone would come to view the Sage Monarch Collegium as the ultimate holy land for cultivation."

"I like that idea, Eldest Brother!" Yang Qi said, smiling approvingly at Eldest Brother. "It really goes to show how experienced you are. As the saying goes, ginger gets spicier the older it is. Alright, I'll summon the supreme rectors and talk things out with them. There are millions upon millions of planetary systems in the mortal world, and there are at least a few thousand in our immediate vicinity. I'm in a solid position right now, so they had better be willing to offer some concessions. If it comes to it, I'll destroy a planetary system or two to prove what I'm capable of. After all, with my kingdom settled in the Hell of Mahānata, I always have a backup in case things go south."

"We definitely have to take advantage of the moment. You made a big impression by devastating the Titan Emperor Heaven's heavenly soldiers and commanders. It would be a big shame not to make use of the capital you've earned."

**

There were several thousand supreme rectors gathered out in the Dark True Void, accompanied by various experts. All of them were looking at the Sage Monarch planetary system, with its dense network of glittering planets and surging immortal power.

They all seemed terrified.

What they found especially noteworthy were the enormous castles that had been erected on the borders of the Dark True Void. They looked ancient, and pulsed with devil energy. Even more terrifying, they swarmed with fiend-devils, including terrifying Demolishers.

Eyes flickering with fear, Supreme Rector Coiling Arc said, "Supreme Rector Megaplexus, what do we do? That Yang Qi must be the son of a suzerain of hell! He's strong on his own, but look at these armies of fiend-devils! And all of them are offering faith to him through prayer. If we could do the same thing, our cultivation bases would advance by leaps and bounds."

Supreme Rector Megaplexus shook his head. "Yang Qi is definitely beyond anything the mortal world has seen before. He's the kind of genius that only existed in the ancient past. This isn't a simple matter of having the bloodline of a god. The fact that he defeated the army from the Titan Emperor Heaven just goes to show that he's invincible in the mortal world."

Supreme Rector Highest Clarity was an old man with a wispy, flowing beard and the demeanor of a transcendent being. Looking a bit disdainful, he snorted coldly and said, "Maybe he's invincible, maybe he isn't. There are plenty of hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the mortal world! I know of certain old-timers who set up kingdoms of their own and refused to ascend. They're the type who wield god items, and can definitely handle immortal worlds. Do you really think Yang Qi did all of that on his own? Considering that we're here to negotiate with him, don't look scared. We come with decrees from the immortal world! We must be bound together in spirit and action. Otherwise, he's going to take us out one by one. I refuse to believe that if we stick together he would dare to offend us. He would never go so far as to invade our planetary systems. Remember, our collegiums are all backed by heavenly worlds!"

"Yes," said another of the supreme rectors. "As we all know, we're here with decrees from the immortal worlds above. The purpose of today's visit is to negotiate with Yang Qi and make sure he doesn't invade our planetary systems. We're in a weak position, and he's the vicious and merciless type who will slaughter people like scything flax. There's no way any of us can fight him. Remember when he rebelled? He destroyed the supreme rector of the Titan Emperor Collegium and nailed him to a pillar, where he experiences burning torture day and night. Then he purged the entire planetary system. That said, we can't allow ourselves to be intimidated by him."

"You're absolutely right, Supreme Rector Crapemyrtle. We can't let ourselves be intimidated, and we can't let ourselves get forced into any unfair agreements. We definitely can't allow the Sage Monarch planetary system to continue expanding. Ladies and gentlemen, we have to trust each other. I know some of us are old enemies, but this is an important matter. Forget about grudges for the moment. Let's work out a peace agreement before worrying about other things. This Yang Qi is as ambitious as a wolf, and obviously wants to conquer the mortal world. Since we represent the planetary systems closest to him, we'll obviously be first on his list of targets. If he attacks us, we won't have anywhere to run to."

The various supreme rectors nodded, all of them aware that they needed to present a unified front.

Buzzzz.

A space-time wormhole suddenly opened up in front of them, filled with an army of fiend-devils who were all blessed by primeval god skills.

Bugle calls rang out and war drums beat, causing everything to tremble. The atmosphere immediately changed, and the supreme rectors and their expert followers felt fear rising in their hearts.

After all, the fiend-devils in the wormhole were all Demolishers, with auras far higher than anyone present.

This was like a force from an immortal world! Usually, planetary systems would only have one or two individuals like this. Large planetary systems might have ten, and enormous ones would have no more than a hundred.

But here, they were facing thousands! Not even the largest planetary systems, the ones which were a hundred times larger than the Titan Emperor planetary system, could match up to that.

A few of the supreme rectors were from such places, and as of this moment even they realized that Yang Qi was definitely not someone to trifle with.

Few of them had actually witnessed the battle between Yang Qi and the immortal world, and had assumed that many of the stories were exaggerated. But the sight of a whole host of fiend-devil Demolishers ensured that they were fully aware of the truth.

None of them could possibly fight against something like this.

At this point, Yang Qi's voice drifted out from the depths of the wormhole. "Welcome, Supreme Rectors. It's always wonderful to have neighbors come for a visit. Come in, come in. Please note that we just had a big war with the immortal world above, and the entire planetary system is in a bit of a mess. There are still many issues to handle after the fighting. I couldn't find any suitable place to have a meeting, so instead I created a new spatial dimension just for today. Please, come!"

One of the Demolisher fiend-devils stepped forward, a three-thousand-meter-tall infernal with golden skin and spiraling horns. From his aura it was obvious he cultivated a godly-class energy art.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "please step into the space-time wormhole."

The mere sight of him caused everyone present to shiver.

One of the supreme rectors, hoping to put on a brave face, cleared his throat and said, "Come on, let's go!"

The other rectors exchanged meaningful glances, then entered the wormhole.

In the middle of the Sage Monarch planetary system, Yang Qi was waiting for them on an immense plane of existence that was cut off from everything else, a temple dedicated to the legion of gods. Obviously, he didn't want these outsiders spying on the work that was going on in the planetary system.

Although he didn't fear the supreme rectors on their own, he knew that they were all backed by immortal worlds. He could sense the wills of immortals on them, and knew that there would be people spying through their eyes.

The immortal worlds wouldn't just let their top leaders walk right into a trap. After all, if Yang Qi just killed them all, it would be devastating to the planetary systems they came from.

Numerous thrones were set up in the temple, arranged in a circle around a larger throne in which Yang Qi sat.

Strangely, no matter where the other thrones were placed, those who sat in them could only see Yang Qi sitting directly in front of them. It was almost as if his back didn't exist.