Sage Monarch

"Hmph! Who cares about the Endless Mourning Finger Technique? My World Tribulation Finger of Lamenting Gods will still crush you!" Bright Tideflow suddenly split into a host of projections that blurred forth to attack Yang Qi again.

"Azure Dragon Devours the Sun!"

"White Tiger Eyes the Moon!"

"Vermillion Bird Bathes in Fire!"

"Black Turtle Splashes in the Sea!"

Four finger attacks bore down on Yang Qi from four directions, as four spirit beasts from the god world appeared.

Yang Qi was surrounded, making flight impossible. Of course, he had no intention of fleeing. Instead, he swept his own finger out to meet the four attacks.

"Part in Life; Separate in Death!"

A mournful dirge echoed out, like commemorating the parting of death, causing everyone who heard it to feel grief in their hearts. "What joy be there in life? What bitterness be there in death…." [1]

This move of Part in Life; Separate in Death seemed to contain all of the vicissitudes under heaven and the ultimate meaning of mourning. As Yang Qi's finger attack sent vital energy surging out, it smashed into Bright Tideflow's attack, destroying all four of the spirit creatures.

"Endless Mourning, Uninterrupted and Perpetual!" Yang Qi wasn't showing any mercy as he threw out another attack from the Endless Mourning Finger Technique, sending an endless stream of mournful energy straight at Bright Tideflow.

Howling, Bright Tideflow threw caution to the wind and sent his palm flying toward Yang Qi's chest, unexpectedly resorting to a technique of mutual injury.

Everyone else looked on, anxious to see how things would play out. For one thing, it was quite a shock that Yang Qi might actually kill Bright Tideflow. But on the other hand, it seemed highly likely that Bright Tideflow's palm strike would seriously injure Yang Qi. And if that happened, the Demonfolk experts would definitely pounce on him. They had no intention of letting him escape with his life.

"Hmph!" Yang Qi didn't alter his Endless Mourning, Uninterrupted and Perpetual move at all. However, a profound glow suddenly sprang up around him almost like a shell, which completely stopped the momentum of the incoming palm.

POP!

Yang Qi's finger reached Bright Tideflow's forehead and the man's head exploded. Meanwhile, the palm smashed into Yang Qi's defensive shell, shattering it, but not actually touching Yang Qi.

"That was the Battle Armor Energy Art of King Wilds-Horn!"

Almost everyone present realized what they were looking at: the suit of armor that had originally been utilized by King Wilds-Horn, one of the famous seventy-two brethren.

As for Bright Tideflow, after his head exploded, his body flopped backward over and over until it finally ceased moving further out in the primal-chaos paleo-energy. There, it twitched and wriggled a bit as a new head sprouted out from the stump of his neck. Although he was alive, he had clearly suffered grievous injuries to his vital energy.

"You have my respect," Bright Tideflow said. "In fact, you're the first person I've ever respected. Thankfully, I cultivate the Nine Deaths Profound Art, which means that I can actually survive a death blow from the Endless Mourning Finger Technique. How could I ever have guessed that my effort to kill you would end with me being so badly hurt? And I didn't even injure you. Years ago, King Wilds-Horn devastated the god world with his energy arts, and was so strong that not even Lord Greatpower, a Consummate God, could defeat him. The fact that you've cultivated his energy arts to this level is nothing less than astonishing." [2]

Yang Qi nodded. "Well said, sir. Your finger technique is also unparalleled in heaven and earth. I have to say that this little exchange taught me a thing or two."

"In that case, I won't cause any more problems for you," Bright Tideflow said. "In fact, perhaps the two of us should work together to get into the Great Necropolis. It seems to me that even true gods would have difficulty inside. And it also begs the question of what has occurred in the Ancient Road to the Gods that the necropolis would be used to block the entrance." Raising his voice, he said, "Everyone else from the Bright King World, I hereby order you to stay neutral. Don't cause any problems for people from the Dao Defense League, got it?"

"Yes sir!" replied his followers.

At least one faction from the Primeval Age was no longer going to be a problem for Yang Qi. Yang Qi nodded, glad to have rid himself of a formidable opponent.

Meanwhile, Grand Emperor Myriadmagic Heavenspan and the others were all gnashing their teeth in frustration. Earlier, they had been very pleased to see Yang Qi already clashing with the experts from the past. Unfortunately, it had ended with weapons of war turning into gifts of jade and silk, and perhaps, even friendship. It was definitely not the desired outcome for Yang Qi's enemies.

They had hoped to launch a sneak attack in the middle of the fight, but had never even been given the chance.

Expression flickering, Patriarch Hell-Crusher thought, 'This Yang Qi has very high energy arts and cultivation base. He's definitely head and shoulders above the rest, and he's just a mere ninth division Chaos God. Yet he's as strong as a consummate patriarch on the ninth stair of the Deathless Heavenly Stairway. I don't think even I could beat him. As long as he stays alive, the Dao Defense League is going to be impossible to take down. And why do I get the sensation that he has something I need?'

The atmosphere was very tense.

The fact that Yang Qi had easily defeated Bright Tideflow caused fear to rise up in the hearts of many members of the Demon League and the ancient experts. Many of the latter group were starting to think that their time would be better spent exploring the Great Necropolis than trying to kill him.

Unfortunately, the people from the Demon League were too much at odds with him.

And considering that he was here all by himself, it seemed like the perfect situation to gang up on him.

In fact, one of the demon experts stepped forward, snorted coldly, and said, "Hmph! Look, he's all on his own! Let's just kill him! With him gone, we'll have nothing to fear from the Dao Defense League. Ladies and gentlemen from the Primeval Age, remember, as long as we work together, we can definitely kill him. If we do, we can take King Immortal-Slayer's legacy medallions and the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart. With the chart, we can teleport anywhere we want with ease, which should make it much easier to explore the Great Necropolis and also get on the Ancient Road to the Gods. If we can reach the god world, there will surely be endless legacies of deathlessness to take."

This person seemed particularly adept with words. He was extremely slim, with a sharp face, and there was a faint projection of a huge snake behind him. Obviously, he was one of the Snakefolk. And from his energy fluctuations, he was on at least the sixth or seventh stair of the Deathless Heavenly Stairway.

Only people who were on the ninth stair were considered to be in the Grand Emperor level, and this man's cultivation base was very close to that. However, he stood toward the back, apparently under the assumption that Yang Qi couldn't reach him.

In his hand was a sword that was a powerful god item. Its tip was as forked as his own snake tongue, and his name was Patriarch Ninecurves Snakeking. He was famous among the Demonfolk for his sinister nature.

"Why don't you come out and say those things to my face?" Yang Qi said. "Do you really think you'll get other people to fight for you, allowing you to jump in at the end to take advantage of the situation? Come on, Patriarch Ninecurves Snakeking, show me how good you are with that sword."

"Who would possibly agree to fight you one on one?" Ninecurves Snakeking said with a sinister chuckle. "You have King Immortal-Slayer's legacy medallions, and everybody wants those. Fighting you en masse is our best chance at winning."

"I guess you're under the impression that hiding in the back will keep you safe from me," Yang Qi said. Suddenly, he extended his palm and sent a blast of sword energy shooting out.

In response, two experts at the Grand Emperor level stepped out to protect Patriarch Ninecurves Snakeking. These two were particularly adept at defensive measures, considering that they were Turtlefolk. One of them was named Turtle Emperor Azure Sky and the other was Turtle God Yellow Sky, and the true energy they unleashed resembled a turtle shell that flew forth to stop the sword energy.

However, Yang Qi waved his hand, causing the sword energy to spiral, and said, "The lifekilling spirit, the ashen heaven; cut down gods, the dense earth; my dao of destruction, shattering primal-chaos; gather the monarchs, dispel primordial chaos…."

An enormous figure appeared within the sword energy, seven thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven swords at his side. It was none other than a projection of King Life-Killer, one of the seventy-two monarchs. He had been a deadly killer, and now Yang Qi was using his sword technique, every move of which was filled with heaven-shaking, earth-toppling power.

RUUUUUUUUMBLE!

The sword energy slashed through the turtle shell, much to the shock of the two turtle emperors, who couldn't even react before the attack was right in front of Patriarch Ninecurves Snakeking.

The snake patriarch threw his sword out to block the attack, but it did no good. His sword shattered and the sword light cast out by Yang Qi stabbed into him, provoking an agonized shriek.

As everyone looked on, blood oozed out of his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and he keeled over, completely dead.

The group couldn't have been more shocked at this result. Despite being safe in his group from the Demon League and having powerful experts to shield him, he was still killed by Yang Qi, who hadn't even taken a step forward.

'What incredible energy arts! He used King Mourn-Parting's finger technique, King Wilds-Horn's defensive energy arts, and King Life-Killer's sword skill. Does he really have the energy arts of all seventy-two of the ancient monarchs? All seventy-two of those arts put together would be enough to kill a Paramount God!'

Already, many of the experts from the Primeval Age were thinking about the legends from the god world regarding the power of the seventy-two monarchs.

1. Wow. Looking up these lyrics about life and death led me down a rabbit hole that led, yet again, to the teachings of Zhuangzi. As it turns out, it's a poetic turn of the phrase that originates from Zhuangzi's eponymous book. Specifically, it's taken from this passage (English translation by James Legge): "When Zhuangzi's wife died, Huizi went to condole with him, and, finding him squatted on the ground, drumming on the basin, and singing, said to him, 'When a wife has lived with her husband, and brought up children, and then dies in her old age, not to wail for her is enough. When you go on to drum on this basin and sing, is it not an excessive (and strange) demonstration?' Zhuangzi replied, 'It is not so. When she first died, was it possible for me to be singular and not affected by the event? But I reflected on the commencement of her being. She had not yet been born to life; not only had she no life, but she had no bodily form; not only had she no bodily form, but she had no breath. During the intermingling of the waste and dark chaos, there ensued a change, and there was breath; another change, and there was the bodily form; another change, and there came birth and life. There is now a change again, and she is dead. The relation between these things is like the procession of the four seasons from spring to autumn, from winter to summer. There now she lies with her face up, sleeping in the Great Chamber; and if I were to fall sobbing and going on to wail for her, I should think that I did not understand what was appointed (for all). I therefore restrained myself!'"

2. The Nine Deaths Profound Art was actually mentioned in chapters 712 and 713, when Yang Qi claimed to cultivate it. That was a trick, of course. In 712 it said that the technique was real, but had long since "disappeared from use".