Sage Monarch

Things were going exactly according to plan.

Yang Qi first took the legacy in the Aeonic God Temple, making him an expert on the same level as Grand Emperor Ragefire Broilheaven. And that was without the God Legion Seal, the Aeonic God Destroyer, or the Cruiser of Civilization.

He was now strong enough to be able to fight it out with Grand Emperor Ragefire Broilheaven without relying on any magical treasures.

Of course, killing him would be another matter, and that wasn't to mention the fact that he had three other Grand Emperors to back him up. Taking the position of league-lord still wouldn't be an easy task.

As for his collection of three thousand imperial snakecharms, they were probably his most powerful asset, other than the God Legion Seal. Only the full collection of King Immortal-Slayer's legacy medallions would eventually surpass their power. With the primal-chaos elder-snake he could now summon, no amount of primal-chaos paleo-energy could possibly cause a problem for him.

Of course, there were still four hundred talismans that were not on his person. Two hundred were near the passageway to the future world, and two hundred were in the spell formation connecting to the past world. But the spirit of the talismans was fully in Yang Qi's possession, so all it would take would be a thought on his part to summon them to him.

"I can't believe you collected all of King Heaven-Devourer's talismans!" Patriarch Annalist said, his face a mask of fear. "It's terrifying! Upon being resurrected, King Heaven-Devourer must have tried to take control of your destiny. But you suppressed him!? You're the true Lord of our times! Grand Emperors Ragefire Broilheaven and Myriadmagic Heavenspan are like jokes compared to you, and it would be absurd for them to oppose you. In fact, with those three thousand talismans, you could travel the Ancient Road to the Gods and search for a foundation for godly ascension."

"The Ancient Road to the Gods?" Yang Qi shook his head. "No one knows how long that road stretches on for, and it's a very dangerous place. Although I can take care of myself, I'm not sure I could handle that level of difficulty. Besides, I've heard that once you begin to travel the Ancient Road to the Gods, you can't turn back until you reach godly ascension. I have too many other important matters to handle right now."

"True," Patriarch Annalist said, recovering his composure. "So, you said you can heal my cultivation deviation injuries?"

"Yes. I'll do it right now." He circulated his energy arts, and a medicinal aroma instantly filled the area.

A strange expression appeared on Patriarch Annalist's face. "You're really going to heal me, just like that? Aren't you worried I might just leave afterward and not help you deal with the Four Emperors of the Heavenly Court?"

"No, I'm not worried," Yang Qi replied, looking quite indifferent. "My main goal here was to get the rest of King Heaven-Devourer's talismans. You were merely an added perk. After this, you're free to do whatever you feel like. You're an enemy of Grand Emperor Myriadmagic Heavenspan, and that means you're useful no matter what you do. Just keep in mind that, with the full collection of talismans, I could kill one of those Grand Emperors. And that makes me the top figure beneath the legion of gods. In fact, I could probably compete with the gods now. In any case, healing you will be a simple matter."

Patriarch Annalist was silent for a long moment, before finally sighing. "You truly understand what righteousness is, Young Sir. You truly do deserve to be the ultimate Lord of our age. I have no choice but to stick closely to you. I owe you my life, and I'll help you exact vengeance on Grand Emperor Myriadmagic Heavenspan."

Thump!

Yang Qi's hand landed on Patriarch Annalist's head. He called on the true energy of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth and the energy of his Blood of the One God, sending it coursing into Patriarch Annalist's sea of energy.

There, he saw that Patriarch Annalist had a huge reserve of true energy that contained deathless godliness. It seemed to contain traces of the ancient history of countless civilizations, and it was powerful beyond belief.

It was an energy art that was no less powerful than the Aeonic Heaven-Dao Life-Destruction Zen Art.

A moment later, Yang Qi struck at the true energy with his Life-Death Void-Destruction God-Lightning.

C-C-CRACK!

Patriarch Annalist's reserves of true energy were suddenly opened, and he felt as light as a feather. Then his limbs began twitching as his previously cracked and wrinkled skin turned smooth and glossy.

"Great Dao Reconvergence; Shatter the True Empyrean!" Yang Qi poured more true energy into Patriarch Annalist, stabilizing him, purifying him, and revealing hidden injuries. It was all thanks to the marvelous capabilities of the Heaven and Earth Furnace.

Yang Qi reigned in his energy arts, looking as calm as if nothing had just happened.

"Alright, Patriarch Annalist, I've healed you and filled you back up with true energy. All of the various aspects of history and civilization that filled you were combined in my Heaven and Earth Furnace. Now you should be stronger than ever, and before long you'll experience another breakthrough, too. At that point, you should be strong enough to hold your own against Grand Emperor Myriadmagic Heavenspan!"

Patriarch Annalist leaped to his feet, his face full of joy. As he circulated his energy arts and formed his personal kingdom around him, scenes from history flashed by. It was as if he were the patriarch of all the epic sagas of the past, or the annalist that recorded all civilizations.

After a moment, he settled his energy arts, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply to Yang Qi.

"Many thanks to you, Young Sir." He was utterly and thoroughly convinced that he had made the right decision. During the healing process, he had sensed the incredible power of Yang Qi's true energy, and he knew that trying to oppose him would lead only to death.

"Rise," Yang Qi said, sending out a gentle stream of true energy to pull Patriarch Annalist to his feet. "Unfortunately, if you join the Dao Defense League, the only open position available would be elder king. Given the level of your cultivation base, you should be able to compete for the position of league-lord, but for now that wouldn't be wise. Don't worry. I'll be the league-lord soon, and I'll give you a high rank. After all, many of the other leaders will perish in the struggles to come."

"Many thanks, Young Sir," Patriarch Annalist said. "Where will we go now?"

"The Eight Tribes Heaven. There's another treasure that I need to get my hands on. Once I have it, not even the Four Emperors of the Heavenly Court will be able to cause problems for me."

With that, he turned and flew off into the primal-chaos with a speed the likes of which few people had ever seen.

However, he suddenly stopped in place a moment later.

"What, Young Sir?" Patriarch Annalist said anxiously. "Why did you stop?"

"I just sensed something. I think I'm about to hook a very big fish." He smiled faintly. "Excellent. Perfect. A very big fish indeed."

He had just sensed the aura of Sectlord Nine Yangs.

Sectlord Nine Yangs hadn't been seen in the Dao Defense League for some time now. He didn't even show up for the big contest to select the league-lord and other leaders. Many people assumed that, because of how strong Yang Qi had become lately, he had simply fled before the appointed duel.

And of course, no one had any idea that he had actually acknowledged allegiance to Yang Qi and was now loyal to him.

Within the Heaven-Dao Operation God-Temple, Sectlord Nine Yangs faced the grim stares of numerous old-timers, including the Emissary of Darkness and Gloom, Wave Charm. And of course, Grand Emperor Ragefire Broilheaven was the most intimidating of all.

"Sectlord Nine Yangs," he said, "do you really want to end up dead, with your entire clan wiped out?"

"No, League-Lord!" he said, his eyes wide as if with fear. "I still have some time before my duel with Yang Qi. But his cultivation base is invincible, and he's the Emissary of Radiance and Light! I'm no match for him now. League-Lord, please, you have to take charge here!"

Grand Emperor Ragefire Broilheaven chuckled loudly. "Take charge? Of course I'll take charge! Yang Qi is throwing his weight around as the Emissary of Radiance and Light and is disrespecting me, the league-lord. He has no sense of propriety. Don't worry, I won't let you die at his hands. However, you really do need to advance your cultivation, otherwise you won't be a match for him."

Sectlord Nine Yangs dropped down onto one knee. "League-Lord, please, help me improve my cultivation base. As long as you can help me defeat Yang Qi, I'll go through hell and high water for you. I'll serve you faithfully. I'll do anything! Take on any task! I can even offer all of the former disciples of the Nine Yangs God Sect to you for use as an army."

"Yeah right," Wave Charm said. "You think the league-lord cares about your paltry forces? If you really provide faithful service to him, he'll reward you. Right now, Yang Qi is the biggest threat to his authority. Get rid of him, and the Dao Defense League will truly be united."