Sage Monarch

When Yang Qi heard the words "on your knees", he very nearly laughed. After all, people who told him to get on his knees always ended up dead. In some ways, those words were like a curse.

"Are you going to submit, or am I going to have to force you?" Zilin said. "I won't go as easy on you this time. Trust me, you'll really end up suffering. When I used my Dream Butterfly Energy Art on you last time, I only drew on about ten percent of my full power. Considering the current circumstances, though, I'm more than willing to use a sledgehammer to smash a nut. You won't even have a chance to fight back."

He flicked open his fan, revealing the scene he had just mentioned a moment ago. It depicted a god-king crushing devils beneath his feet. He had devils gripped in his hands and in his mouth, and the other devils were all being burned alive.

Obviously, it was not an image created by men, but rather by a god. From the power fluctuations coming off of it, Yang Qi could tell that it would easily be able to open the sealing mark on the altar, but would be destroyed in the process.

"Actually, I'm very curious to see how strong you people are," Yang Qi said. Considering his improvements thanks to the strength god systems, and his personal transformations, he was actually curious to see what Zilin and his fellows were capable of.

Even as the words left Yang Qi's mouth, he sent three swords flying out, all of them backed by the sword dao of King Life-Killer.

"What? You really want us to kill you?" Zilin was visibly taken aback to see Yang Qi attacking them. He was also angry, though he wasn't the kind of person to let it show on his face.

He flicked his fan, sending out a stream of butterflies to slam into the incoming sword energy, and subsequently wipe it out of existence.

Zilin's fighting seemed almost like dancing, yet it was filled with intense energy and powerful killing intent. His energy was like strands of silk that spread out to completely lock Yang Qi down.

As for Yang Qi, being able to back his sword technique with the strength god systems made them vastly more powerful than before. Every slash of his sword would destroy the effects of the Dream Butterfly Energy Art, and cause powerful shockwaves to spread out in all directions.

The other consorts present were visibly stunned, having never even considered that Yang Qi could be this strong. It wasn't necessarily that his attacks were exquisitely complex, but rather that they were filled with indescribable power. In fact, most people wouldn't even be able to block his attacks without being cut to pieces.

A slight frown could be seen on Zilin's face, as he was somewhat confused by how much power was flowing from Yang Qi's heart. It was almost as if he had the body of a human, but the heart of a god.

'There's something fishy about this guy's heart,' he thought. 'That's the source of all this power, so what exactly is going on?'

His arms swished through the air in front of him, and butterflies swirled out to cover him. Then the butterflies dispersed, and he was nowhere to be seen, as if he himself had turned into one of them.

'Did he actually just turn into a butterfly?' Yang Qi thought. He had no idea where Zilin was. Obviously, the man's energy arts had reached the point of perfection, surpassing Yang Qi's in every way. A moment later, Zilin reappeared, having been revealed by the God Legion Paradise as he closed in for another attack.

"Your heart is the key, isn't it!" he said. "That's the source of your power. Thankfully, I happen to cultivate a consummate technique called the God-King's Heart-Devastating Palm, which is perfectly suited to deal with you. Let's see if you can survive the complete destruction of your heart!"

Even as his words rang out, Zilin's palm reached out toward Yang Qi's chest. Instantly, a powerful resonance was created that made Yang Qi feel like his heart was about to explode.

Yang Qi didn't panic, but instead called on the Hand of the One God to protect himself. The two palms met, and...

POP!

Yang Qi remained in place while Zilin staggered back several paces, his energy and blood trembling and his face a bit flushed.

"Such power!" he exclaimed. "Unfortunately, it's not your power. If I'm not mistaken, you have a god item in you that absorbs external power and converts it into something you can use. Sadly for you, that power will eventually run out. So let's see how long you can last before you revert to your previous state."

Zilin was obviously a very perceptive and astute fighter.

'Very cunning,' Yang Qi thought, and he couldn't help but admire how quickly Zilin had picked up on his weaknesses. After all, if the Engine of the One God really did run out of power, then he would have only his own true energy to rely on.

Technically speaking, Yang Qi could probably last for months on what he had taken so far. However, it was always possible that Zilin could call more experts from the Joyflower Palace, for example, Eunuch Sunflower.

They fought back and forth for a considerable time, going from palm techniques to swords, then finger strikes, fists, and legs. All sorts of magical laws and daoist techniques were used.

With the power from the Engine of the One God, Yang Qi was evenly matched with Zilin, and the ferocity of their fighting made it impossible for the other consorts to interfere. They actually huddled by the altar, doing their best to stand up to the shockwaves and power fluctuations.

As the battle went on, Yang Qi felt more and more comfortable wielding such immense power.

Considering how strong this opponent was, it was the perfect chance to utilize certain abilities that he wasn't perfectly familiar with, gaining real experience with them. He could correct errors and misunderstandings, pushing his energy arts to new levels of perfection.

BOOM!

At a certain point, he unleashed a fist strike that caused immense pressure to weigh down from above, causing everything to sink down.

However, Zilin didn't seem worried, and continued his dance-like combat, looking just as much a delicate beauty as he always had. Waving his hand, he unleashed a move that almost looked like calligraphy.

In fact, a magical symbol appeared, which was none other than the word for 'dream'!

Something like a flowing tide rushed forth, and Yang Qi suddenly felt slightly dizzy and confused, as if he were in a dream. Even his true energy turned sluggish.

'What ability is this?' he thought, drawing deeply on the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth to try to gain some clarity. It was as if he were completely surrounded by mist, to the point where he couldn't even see Zilin. Not even the Lord's Eye could pierce it, which was quite a shock.

"You should be proud," Zilin said in his gentle voice. "You actually forced me to use my Magnificent Dream Heart-Sutra." Yang Qi almost felt like he was about to fall asleep, and the godliness inside him began slowing down as well.

"Magnificent Dream Heart-Sutra. One dream that lasts a thousand years. The world is a dream, and life is as cold as autumn." Zilin's Magnificent Dream Heart-Sutra had nothing to do with energy arts, but rather was all about will. It could reach out and take control of the psychic aspects of any physical entity.

In the blink of an eye, Yang Qi's nascent divinity was caught up in the dream of a god, a dream that would last a thousand years.

'Quite a freakish technique!' Yang Qi thought. 'Is it really time to call on my ultimate trump card? But if I do, not only will it not kill Zilin, but he'll also realize that I have a God Legion Seal. And if he tells the empress, my cover will be blown and chaos will result!'

At the moment, Zilin still had no idea that Yang Qi was a god-general prisoner, but had assumed he was from some outside organization. And the effect was enhanced by how Yang Qi had changed his appearance. If he had simply taken the godhood and made his escape, he could continue trying to rise through the ranks of the god-generals without anyone being the wiser.

But if his God Legion Seal were revealed, there was no doubt that he would be investigated. And Leaf Dao-Denier would definitely reveal more information about him. The Dao Defense League would be in trouble, and his subordinates would be in great danger. Obviously, that was not an ideal situation.

'What do I do? How do I break free from this Magnificent Dream Heart-Sutra?'

After all, he had already drawn on the power of his God Legion Paradise and the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart.