Sage Monarch

Arrogance. Rampant and unbridled arrogance.

The hubris of the Immortal-Slayer's Sect was fully on display as they made it clear they wanted to abduct Yang Qi from the Nine Yangs God Sect and take him to their headquarters. It was no invitation, but outright abduction.

The animalistic young man looked over at Yang Qi with shining eyes, and spoke yet again in his booming voice, "Get out here and come with us. We'll give you incredible glory and incomparable rewards!"

Unbeknownst to anyone present, the young man was actually targeting Yang Qi with some sort of soul enchantment.

Without any warning, Yang Qi snorted coldly, the sound echoing out like a peal of thunder.

Crack!

The vicious young man staggered backward, caught completely by surprise. The enchantment technique he had just used was a secret magic that no one had ever been able to resist when he used it on them.

He was an expert among experts, a Shattered God! Otherwise, why would he have been selected to come kidnap someone from another sect? He had originally assumed that his soul enchantment art would cause the target to simply walk straight into his arms. After all, this 'Dragon Proudheaven' was nothing more than a Dao-Demolisher ant. It should have been a simple thing to capture him.

Instead, the moment his soul enchantment technique entered Yang Qi, he felt something like an explosion, then his own soul very nearly collapsed. It felt like his brain had been hit with an enormous sledgehammer, and as he staggered backward he even coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"What's going on here?" his companions said, clustering around him.

"He has only himself to blame!" Yang Qi said, chuckling coldly. "He used a soul enchantment art to try to force me to join him. I bet he never guessed that a Chaos God elder from the Dragonfolk gave me a special gem that protects my nascent divinity and my mind. Trying to use a soul enchantment on me is just pure masochism!"

Upon hearing Yang Qi's words, the elders in the temple hall erupted into a fury.

That was especially true of Paragon Elders Yang Cauldron and Yang Rainbow, both of them Shattered Gods who were so angry that blue veins bulged out on their necks and faces.

"This is outrageous insolence! What shame and humiliation! How dare you bully our Nine Yangs God Sect like this, right out in the open. Is this how you ask for help from a doctor? We're going to report this to the Dao Defense League legislative assembly! They'll definitely levy sanctions on you!"

The vicious young man struggled to his feet, spat out some blood, and said, "Sanctions?! I'd love to see somebody try to enforce sanctions on the Immortal-Slayer's Sect!"

Apparently, he relied on some sort of medicinal aids in his cultivation, because he recovered immediately and took a step forward, moving with such blinding speed that it was hard to track his movement as he blurred toward Yang Qi.

In response, Paragon Elders Yang Cauldron and Yang Rainbow jumped in his way and unleashed attacks to try to stop him.

"What incredible gall!"

"Evil creature!"

Who could ever have guessed that this young man from the Immortal-Slayer's Sect would be so domineering and dauntless, and would use outright force to get what he wanted?

"You people think you can stop me? You half-baked eggheads! How dare you stand up to the Immortal-Slayer's Sect! If you don't get out of my way this instant, the seventy-two patriarchs of my sect will destroy the entire Nine Yangs God Sect down to the chickens and dogs!"

Two enormous arms suddenly appeared behind the young man's back, the hands of which performed a complex incantation gesture.

"Seal of the Monarch. Fist of the Hegemon. Palm of the Celestial. Energy of the Terrestrial!"

A profoundly rare and powerful divine ability was being unleashed!

Wham! Bam!

Yang Cauldron and Yang Rainbow were both sent tumbling violently away.

Both of them were fourth division Shattered Gods, yet this animalistic young man had sent them flying seemingly without effort. The difference between their power levels was obvious. In terms of strength, the two of them just couldn't compare.

It was similar to how not even a trillion low-level immortals working together could possibly match up to Yang Qi.

"This is bad. How dare you!"

"Traitor! How dare you try to kidnap Young Sir Dragon Proudheaven. The Nine Yangs God Sect won't ever let this go. Your Immortal-Slayer's Sect will feel our wrath!"

The two paragon elders could tell that Yang Qi was about to be taken away, and they were so furious they nearly suffered internal injuries from the rage. They simply couldn't believe how much the Immortal-Slayer's Sect looked down on rules and laws.

They were essentially a scourge to the Dao Defense League as a whole.

"Not willing to accept it? Well what are you going to do about it? Our seventy-two patriarchs are all exalted figures from the Tusita Heaven! Are you going to offend the Tusita Heaven? We can talk about it after I take this healer of yours."

The vicious young man lunged forward again, sending out a field of energy to cover Yang Qi. "Alright brat, I know you have a lot of treasures. But now you're going to give them all to me! Don't worry, I'll take care of them for you. Going forward, you're a slave of the Immortal-Slayer's Sect; you'll do everything we say, making us rich in the process. Eventually, we'll ransom you back to the Dragonfolk elders and make even more profit. You're really quite valuable, aren't you?"

Laughing maniacally, he spread his fingers out like a huge net.

Yet even as the net descended, Yang Qi suddenly vanished.

Left in his place were eight dragons, all of them howling as if to unleash the rage of the dragon world itself.

RUMBLE!

The raging dragons destroyed the net of five fingers, then slammed into the vicious young man, sending him flying backward, head over heels.

"Impossible! That's the Eight Tribes Godfist. All eight! How is that even possible? Someone from the dragon world actually cultivated all eight energy arts that make up the Eight Tribes Godfist?! That true energy is incredible!"

As the vicious young man landed on his feet and staggered backward, he watched as his defensive shields were destroyed and the fist strike entered his body. Immediately, his face flickered with incomparable dread. "The eight tribes combined? According to the legends, only the ancestor of all dragons from the legion of gods ever did that!"

Crack! Snap!

The Eight Tribes Godfist raged through him, flinging him onto his back on the ground, where blood oozed out of him in rivers.

The power of dragons pulsed as Yang Qi appeared, the projection of an enormous true dragon swirling in the air behind him. "How repulsive you are, boy! You dare to threaten a child of the Dragonfolk? Who the hell gives a crap about the Tusita Heaven? Our Eight Tribes Heaven will come to settle accounts with you sooner or later. Now screw off!"

The pulsing dragon power on display was so intense that Yang Cauldron and Yang Rainbow prostrated themselves on the ground and didn't dare even move. 'It's true! Dragon Proudheaven really is from the Dragonfolk, and he has the backing of some almighty figure! That's the projection of a true dragon! It even has traces of deathless godliness! That aura is so strong!'

"You just wait!" the vicious young man growled. "I'm not going to let you Dragonfolk off the hook. You old codger!" Finally convinced that he couldn't turn the situation to his favor, he turned and fled in a streak of light.

His companions all burst into motion, following him like a flock of birds scattering into the forest.

The true dragon projection behind Yang Qi faded away.

"Good job!" said Yang Qi's immortal-slaying clone from his place within the Cruiser of Civilization. He gave a nod of approval to the photonic computer he stood in front of. "Who would have guessed that once the genetic systems were powered up, they could create such a realistic projection of a true dragon? That was such an incredible illusion!"

[Beep-beep-beep.] The photonic computer then began making its report. [With sufficient power expenditure, false images of the Dragonfolk can be created. Seventh division Measureless Gods are possible. Unfortunately, the illusion contains no true fighting prowess.]

"Maybe it was only an illusion, but it was more than enough. Everyone was scared out of their minds. It seems my identity as Young Sir Dragon Proudheaven has been firmly established. I'll definitely be venerated by the Nine Yangs God Sect now. As long as nothing unexpected happens, I imagine I'll be visited by someone even more powerful from within the sect. I'll be given even more authority, which will make it easier to heal even more important experts."

The photonic computer didn't respond to his musings, but instead continued with various normal operations.

"Computer, can you tell the ups and downs of being a ninth division Godmyth? I want to know all the details about that level of cultivation, and all the other levels too, in fact. Use this god crystal to power the calculations!" With the addition of the god crystal, the photonic computer was capable of even faster processing speeds.

[Beep-beep-beep. Beep-beep-beep.] Soon, the emotionless voice of the photonic computer rang out again.

[The first division is the Seer God level, in which one can see virtual godpower.]

[The second division is the Tempered God level, in which one tempers the virtual godpower.]

[Third is the Incarnated God level, which involves taking virtual godpower and creating a mental incarnation.]

[Fourth is the Shattered God level, in which you shatter the virtual godpower and enter another state.]

[The fifth division is the Nirvanic God level, which alludes to nirvanic rebirth. After being shattered, the virtual godpower is reborn, leading to an entirely new and mysterious state.]

[Sixth is the Revisionist God level. This involves revising one's dao and gaining an understanding of the profound correlations between heaven and the gods.]

[Seventh is the Measureless God level. 'Measureless' refers to the vast expanse, grand energies, boundless majesty, and that which is primeval. The measureless heaven is great, wild, and ancient. In this level, the virtual godpower becomes the great energy of the vast expanse, like the wilds of primeval times.]

[The eighth division is the Buddha God level. Buddhas are serious, weighty, and profoundly meaningful, the consummate expression of morality. The name of the level implies wisdom without limit.]

[The ninth division is the Chaos God level. The dao of primordial chaos involves being enlightened regarding the dome of heaven. There is no higher aspect of the Godmyth level. Afterward is the Deathless Throne. Of course, to reach that higher level requires much preparation and cannot be achieved casually.]

In addition to the spoken analysis, there were all sorts of images on the screens to provide further detail to Yang Qi.

Already, new enlightenment was brewing in his mind.

"I want an analysis of the Deathless Throne! Show me the power of the legion of gods! Calculate!"

The response from the photonic computer was a bit different this time.

[Sorry. Cannot perform calculations regarding the legion of gods. Power insufficient. Photonic computers incomplete. More fragments of the Cruiser of Civilization are required. More power is required.]

"Find more fragments? Forget that. I can hardly provide enough power for this one piece. What would I do with more of them?" Shaking his head, Yang Qi returned his thoughts to the matters at hand.

1. Regarding this particular explanation of 'Revisionist God', there is some wordplay here so complex I think it would take a few paragraphs to fully explain. The actual character associated with this level is Qian as in "Qian Kun" which I talk about . Again, my process for coming up with the interpretation of "revisionist" is kind of complicated, but suffice to say the fact that "heaven" is mentioned in the explanation is because "qian" is a synonym for heaven.