Sage Monarch

Upon hearing Yang Qi brazenly state his intent to kill them, Grand Emperor Myriadmagic Heavenspan chuckled coldly and said, "You really are completely insane, Yang Qi. Maybe you did turn the four suzerains, and maybe you did recruit Patriarch Annalist. But you're still at a disadvantage. Why don't we just talk this situation out? Negotiate. There's no need to get into a life-or-death battle."

"No negotiation," Yang Qi said, shaking his head firmly. "I'll give you a few choices. One. Leave the Dao Defense League and never come back. Two. Willingly hand over the position of league-lord to me, then offer me your full allegiance. Three. Die. Now pick."

"Damn you!" Grand Emperor Ragefire Broilheaven growled. "If you want to die, I can make that happen. It seems you really don't know about our ace in the hole. Did you really think you could gain the upper ground with a measly little force like that?"

The way he spoke with complete and utter confidence caused many of the old-timers to perk up. They knew that Grand Emperor Ragefire Broilheaven was a prodigy of cultivation, and if he claimed to have a trump card that would give him the advantage in this situation there was no reason to disbelieve him. But what exactly was this secret weapon?

"Don't try to wow me with your supposed trump card, Grand Emperor," Yang Qi said coolly. "I know all about it. You see, I've already discussed things with the dao of heaven, which told me everything about the age in which we live, and provided me with its own inherent enlightenment. And soon, when I reach godly ascension, I'll surpass the dao of heaven. Anyway, I know that you're working with Eldest Brother Secundus, and you've been assimilating a beast king that you acquired from the Ancient Road to the Gods. That beast king originally came from the god world, and still has scraps of life force on it, which you've been assimilating and turning into raw power. Because of how I seized destiny, you started having trouble, but with Eldest Brother Secundus, an Eternal One, and Leaf Dao-Denier, a Fortuned One, you finally succeeded. You created a dozen minor beast kings, each of which is roughly as strong as your true self. You four emperors got six total, while Leaf Dao-Denier and Eldest Brother Secundus each got three. At the end of the day, that puts my force of six up against your force of seventeen."

"No, eighteen!" Leaf Dao-Denier said coldly.

"Wrong. You don't count. As far as I'm concerned, you're nothing but an ant."

"You!" Leaf Dao-Denier exclaimed, so angry and astonished he nearly vomited blood. Moments ago, he had been completely and utterly confident in his position, only to have Yang Qi blurt out all of their secrets without a hint of fear in his eyes.

He was far too familiar with Yang Qi, and knew that he liked to plan things out to the last detail before making his move. And whatever plans he did make, they were designed to push his opponent into the most hopeless and helpless situation possible.

Leaf Dao-Denier feared virtually no one in existence. But having suffered at Yang Qi's hands so many times, he couldn't help but be terrified of him.

When the Four Emperors of the Heavenly Court heard Yang Qi describe their secret weapon in every detail, their faces drained of blood and they began to sweat. They had previously assumed that when they unexpectedly brought out their trump card, Yang Qi would have no choice but to die. Instead, he revealed their secrets before they could.

There were few things more terrifying than to have one's enemy see through one's plans so easily.

At this point, Yang Qi looked to the side and shouted, "Stop with the spying, Eldest Brother Secundus! Show yourself! I'm going to get rid of all my enemies today and establish my power once and for all. Do you clowns really think that you can do anything to me? I said, show yourself!"

RIP!

Eldest Brother Secundus stepped through a rift, clad in beast hide, his bone cudgel in hand.

"I never would have guessed that you would become this strong, Yang Qi. You actually communicated with the dao of heaven and learned everything about us?" He brandished his cudgel, and booming sounds rumbled out, almost as if he intended to destroy the dao of heaven himself. He sighed. "Sadly, you've overlooked something. Strength is strength. Once you reach a certain level, even the dao of heaven will be forced to submit to someone strong enough. But so what if you know about our work with the beast king and the twelve clones of the emperors? Knowing about that doesn't mean you can fight back. We have so many people on our side that nothing in the world could be stronger. Not even a Lesser God could hurt us. So what exactly are you going to do? Where are you going to get the power to deal with us?"

"That's right!" Grand Emperor Ragefire Broilheaven shouted. "This brat is just blowing hot air! You think that seventeen people as strong as us can't deal with you? So what if you know about our plan? You're still going to die!"

BOOM!

Two beast king clones appeared above his head, howling with rage. At the same time, Grand Emperor Ragefire Broilheaven unleashed the power of his own cultivation base.

Everyone else in the temple backed up warily.

In the blink of an eye, Grand Emperor Ragefire Broilheaven had become a force of three, with fighting prowess that virtually no one under heaven could oppose.

"You're dead, Yang Qi!" Leaf Dao-Denier shouted. "Just as Eldest Brother Secundus said, you seem tough on the outside, but you're really weak. There's no way you can stand up to us." Three beast king clones popped into existence around Leaf Dao-Denier, all of them pulsing with power equivalent to the Grand Emperors.

The other Grand Emperors followed suit, as did Eldest Brother Secundus, and it caused immense pressure to weigh down on the Heaven-Dao Operation God-Temple.

The old-timers were so rooted in place that they couldn't leave even if they wanted to.

Everyone present was visibly terrified, with the exception of Yang Qi, who simply stood there, looking like a reef that could withstand thousands of years of pounding waves.

"You people really are pig-headed. Did you really think that, considering I knew about your beast king clones, I would just stand around waiting to be killed? Ai. If you'd just acknowledged allegiance to me, you could've achieved an incredible cultivation base, along with many other benefits. You might even have become true gods. Instead… well, you're going to die and become puppets for me to command."

Looking around with a sigh, he continued, "Elders, dharmarajas, and anyone else who is loyal to me, please leave the Heaven-Dao Operation God-Temple. I'm going to put an end to these people, and I'll be the new league-lord when it's over. The Four Emperors of the Heavenly Court are going to be nothing but history soon. I hereby summon Chaos God tribulation! The rage of the legion of gods, straight from the Ancient Road to the Gods. The fire of the god world, the punishment of the gods!"

BOOM!

A projection of the Ancient Road to the Gods suddenly appeared in the Heaven-Dao Operation God-Temple, surging with lava, fire, and bolts of lightning the size of immortal worlds.

Deathless godliness and the power of the god world formed heavenly palaces, weapons, hulking gods, and other personifications of fury.

The old-timers present sensed the immense powers at play, which in fact pushed them away and forced them to leave the battlefield. Within moments, the only people left behind were Yang Qi, Patriarch Annalist, the four suzerains of hell, the four Grand Emperors, Eldest Brother Secundus and Leaf Dao-Denier.

"Aaaiiiieee!"

A shrill scream ripped through the air as one of the dharmarajas was ripped to shreds during the process. It was none other than Emperor Tusita.

He had been working with Leaf Dao-Denier to plot against Yang Qi, but unfortunately, Yang Qi found out. And in the moment that the heavenly tribulation appeared, Yang Qi ensured that its rage was directed at him, killing him in an instant.

An old-timer from a thirty-third ranked immortal world who had lived for a hundred million years perished, just like that. Now there were no longer nine dharmarajas, but eight.

"Heavenly tribulation. God tribulation! The wrath of gods! That's from the Ancient Road to the Gods! Supposedly, this tribulation would only come when the most consummate experts in the Primeval Age would subjugate the dao of heaven and step onto the Ancient Road to the Gods!"

"How could god tribulation like this be here?!"

"Also, how did he lock down the Heaven-Dao Operation God-Temple?"

"Damnation. I can't get out? Don't tell me we're being forced to face this tribulation with him!"

"Dammit. I can't believe those four fiend-devils turned traitor. It's their fault we're in this position. We were supposed to have Yang Qi locked down with our spell formation. But their betrayal has turned everything around."

Raising his voice above everyone else, Eldest Brother Secundus said, "Calm down, everyone. That god tribulation isn't going to harm us. Stick together and take advantage of the tribulation to kill him." In response, the four emperors and Leaf Dao-Denier all stuck closely together.

"You're right," Grand Emperor Ragefire Broilheaven said. "The god tribulation is here for Yang Qi, and it will be the perfect chance to strike at him. As long as we stick together, we won't be harmed, not even by an actual god."

Yet again, a projection of the Rage God appeared behind him.

"Oh really?" Yang Qi said, walking slowly toward them through the frenzy of the god tribulation, inexorably absorbing it into himself.

There was no god tribulation that could truly cause problems for him. Everyone present could sense him growing stronger by the moment. Being immersed in scorching, hellish fire was like a refreshing bath to Yang Qi, and the process was pushing his cultivation base into the ninth division.

RUMBLE!

He reached out, and before Grand Emperor Ragefire Broilheaven knew what was happening, it was as if an ancient godmammoth was bearing down on him. To everyone else, it looked as though time shattered, and the past, future, and fate itself had turned into a deadly waterfall that smashed into him.

RIP!

A single blow sent Grand Emperor Ragefire Broilheaven flying backward.