Sage Monarch

Leaf Dao-Denier was completely confident that Yang Qi couldn't escape, and it prompted a hearty chuckle on his part as he contemplated how wonderful it was to be toying with him this way. He was already thinking about what it would be like to get Yang Qi's God Legion Seal and other treasures, then kill him. Of course, before killing him, he would make sure to vent his fury as much as possible.

"Ah, Yang Qi. I bet you never could have guessed that a day like this would come."

Leaf Dao-Denier waved his finger, causing the main door of his palace to slam shut. Meanwhile, the three Grand Emperors were present, and when they saw Yang Qi they couldn't help but react with delight.

"Back when you dominated Grand Emperor Ragefire Broilheaven and forced us to flee, we had no choice but to start working with the Demonfolk. But did you ever think you would meet a fate like this?"

In the face of this seemingly deadly situation, Yang Qi didn't seem worried at all. Instead, he seemed perfectly calm and collected. "You people really think you've won?"

To see Yang Qi acting this way caused Leaf Dao-Denier to frown. He knew that Yang Qi was full of secrets, but had been convinced that he had nothing left to rely on. Yet he still didn't seem the least bit afraid. In fact, he seemed like he was having fun. All of a sudden, Leaf Dao-Denier's confidence began draining away.

But then he reminded himself of all the amazing gains he had made recently, and how he was superior to everyone else in the world. There was also the fact that there was no way Yang Qi could possibly have kept up with him recently in terms of cultivation. Therefore, he couldn't allow Yang Qi to pull some sort of trick.

Waving his hand, he sealed the senses of the Grand Emperors and used an ability to lock down the area so that no one would enter. Having taken these precautions, he looked at Yang Qi and said, "Give me the God Legion Seal."

"Is that what you want, Leaf Dao-Denier?" Yang Qi said, settling down into a seated position. "I know that you're not happy about being a consort. Your cultivation base has improved, but at the same time, Empress Joyflower has placed warding spells on you that make it impossible for you to flee. Am I right?"

"So you know about that, huh? Well, who cares? Those warding spells can't keep me locked down forever." Leaf Dao-Denier walked forward aggressively and extended his finger, which began glittering with scintillating light. "This is my Thousand Poisons Torture Finger. It wasn't easy to cultivate it; it involved assimilating countless painful types of residual energy that resulted from the most horrific torture methods in the prisons here. But I can use it to make you wish you could die. Trust me, once I start tormenting you, you'll tell me everything I want to know."

"Hold on a second," Yang Qi said, waving his hand dismissively. "What if I told you I could undo those warding spells? Look, the two of us have had our differences, but it's not as if there's any major grudge between us. Did one of us kill the other's father? Or take the other's wife? No. The way things are, you're going to be Empress Joyflower's prisoner for the rest of your life. So why don't the two of us join forces? I can remove your restrictions, then we can work together to take down the empress. What do you say?"

Leaf Dao-Denier stopped moving, and his eyes glittered brightly as he considered Yang Qi's words. Everything Yang Qi had said was true. Empress Joyflower had indeed placed warding spells on him. Although she had also helped him with his cultivation, in the end, she had him completely under her control. He had fantasized about somehow removing the warding spells without her realizing it, then getting strong enough that, one day, during their dual cultivation, he would catch her off guard and kill her. Then he would take over and rule everything under heaven.

But even he realized that that was simply wishful thinking. So Yang Qi's offer hit very close to home. What if he did join forces with Yang Qi?

Suddenly, he shook his head. In his mind, Yang Qi was the kind of person who was full of all sorts of plots and schemes, loving nothing better than to lay traps for his enemies at every turn.

"You're scared, aren't you Yang Qi?" he said, smiling casually. "You're saying all of this because you're scared. Of me!" He burst out laughing for a moment, then continued, "Fine, let's work together. But first, you need to undo the warding spells."

"What?" Yang Qi said, feigning surprise. "Are you sure, Leaf Dao-Denier? We haven't even negotiated at all, and you're asking me to undo the warding spells? Are you joking or something? You're not going to make any other demands of me? You're just going to trust me?"

"Trust you?" He chuckled again. "I trust that I'm going to torture you. That's what I trust. I don't care what crafty tricks you have planned, Yang Qi, I'm going to torture you until you're on the verge of death. Then, when you beg me to be my slave, I'll let you undo the warding spells and we can talk about working together."

Yang Qi snorted. "Aren't you worried I might blow myself up? Either kill you as a result, or make sure you end up with nothing?"

"Self-detonation? Go ahead! Do it! Blow yourself up! Afterward, I'll just take the God Legion Seal, King Immortal-Slayer's legacy medallions, and everything else you have. Besides, I know that the only way you could undo the warding spells on me is to use the God Legion Seal. Once I get the God Legion Seal, I can just do it myself."

He extended his finger again and began reaching it toward Yang Qi.

"Wait," Yang Qi said. "You think you're going to get my God Legion Seal? If I self-detonate, the force from the seal will not only destroy Joyflower Palace, it will shake the entire Great Necropolis. Experts from all over will converge on this spot to investigate the cause, and will you be able to fight them all? Did you really think that little taiji seal of yours could lock down the God Legion Seal?"

Leaf Dao-Denier's finger stopped moving, and he looked at Yang Qi with an expression of surprise. He knew full well that Yang Qi wasn't exaggerating. And although Leaf Dao-Denier was mad with arrogance, not even he was confident in forcibly keeping the God Legion Seal under control.

There were myths from the god world which said that, if the God Legion Seal got out of control and exploded, the results would be unthinkable. The Joyflower Palace wouldn't be able to contain the force of such a detonation, and once word leaked about what was going on, and the aura of the gods spread, it would cause a disaster of the most epic proportions.

Never in his wildest dreams could Leaf Dao-Denier have guessed that Yang Qi would threaten something like this.

His confidence draining even further, he tried to decide what to do. It was an incredibly vicious move on Yang Qi's part, and if he did it, there was no way Leaf Dao-Denier would end up with the God Legion Seal.

"Very savage," Leaf Dao-Denier said. He smiled and pulled his hand back. "Is all of this really necessary, Yang Qi? Considering how far you've pushed your cultivation base, it would be a real pity if you self-detonated. After all, the worst that would happen to me is that I simply wouldn't get the God Legion Seal. In contrast, you would be dead."

Yang Qi burst out laughing. "So, Leaf Dao-Denier, you're hesitating to shoot the rat for fear of breaking the vases. Fine. I guess I need to change tactics. I'm going to undo those warding spells, then we can work together to take down Empress Joyflower. What do you say?"

"What?" Leaf Dao-Denier said, his eyes flashing. "Are you serious?"

"Of course not!" Yang Qi laughed.

"Damn you!" Leaf Dao-Denier shouted, furious at being toyed with. "I don't care what you say, Yang Qi, I won't ever believe a word that comes out of your mouth. You animal! You think you can play games with me? Fine. The torture is going to start now, so go ahead and self-detonate if that's what you want to do. Except I don't believe you will. A person like you would never resort to suicide. You want to live more than anyone I've ever known!"

Without any hesitation, he shoved his finger toward Yang Qi to begin the torment.

However, as soon as the finger touched Yang Qi, he suddenly exploded, as if he were a balloon filled with gunpowder. Empyrean energy buffeted Leaf Dao-Denier, energy that contained the full power of the Seventy-Two Monarchs Energy Art.

Whack!

Leaf Dao-Denier was caught completely off guard and was sent staggering back, blood spraying out of his mouth.

Meanwhile, Yang Qi's voice echoed in the area, "I was just toying with you, Leaf Dao-Denier. You see, I'm just a power double. Didn't you notice? Ah, what a pity. The real reason I wasted so much time here was that I wanted to make sure you understand that it doesn't matter what good fortune you come across, you'll never be a match for me. You'll never be anything other than my defeated opponent. Incidentally, I have another power double back with the two flower goddesses. Think well about the proposal I just made. If you're willing to work with me, then I really can undo those warding spells, and we really can strike a deadly blow on Empress Joyflower. The Joyflower Palace took the Dao Defense League from me. Therefore, it's doomed to be destroyed. Remember, Leaf Dao-Denier… you'll never be a match for me. Even a power double of mine can play you like a fiddle."

Leaf Dao-Denier watched as the power double faded out of existence, and knew that he had been completely fooled. He had taken a monumental risk, all just to get a power double. And then, that power double had toyed with him to his extreme detriment.

Meanwhile, the explosion removed the warding spells that had been keeping the Grand Emperors in the dark. When they looked around and saw the destruction, and Leaf Dao-Denier coughing up blood, they were shocked to the core. Rushing forward, Grand Emperor Myriadmagic Heavenspan said, "Young Sir, what just happened? What's going on?"

However, his brown-nosing tone only got him a slap in the face, which knocked him to the ground. Before he and the other Grand Emperors realized what was happening, Leaf Dao-Denier had knocked them all down and was trampling them with a rain of kicks and stomps.

"Aiya! Spare us, Young Sir!"

"What did we do wrong?"

"Don't treat us like this, we're your loyal servants!"

Of course, despite the venomous hatred they felt in their hearts, they didn't dare to fight back, lest they end up dead.

"I'll never rest until you're dead, Yang Qi!" Leaf Dao-Denier howled. "How dare you trick me! How dare you!"

But then he thought about Yang Qi's offer….