The Steward Demonic Emperor

Bang!

In a damp and dark hall, lit only by a few torches on the sides, the shrieks of specters sent chills on one's spine.

In the center of it all sat a table, two meters long and one meter wide, shaking and creaking as a middle-aged man slammed hard.

"Say that again! You just got trashed around by a mere laborer?" The buffed man stared at the trio, "This is an outrage, an insult!"

Third Young Master Han and Second Young Master Han's eyes met, but it was the former who spoke, "Father, laborer Zhuo Fan is far more than he seems. I even doubt if there's anyone that can oppose him among his peers."

"Sect Leader, I can attest to this, having bore witness to Second Young Master's crushing defeat." Elder Mo bowed.

The big man flicked his sleeve and roared, "All I'm hearing are excuses. You lost, and not just to anyone, but a lower three sect's disciple. You threw away all my honor. Tell me, son, how should you be dealt with?"

"I… trust father's judgment." Second Young Master Han lowered his pained face.

The hard man said, "Since you can't take a single hit, that makes one of your hands useless. Should I relieve you of it?"

"Father, please, don't make second brother handicapped!" Third Young Master Han was nervous.

The man eyed him with an icy glare, "For those about to enter the Ethereal Stage, the body has lost its use. A mere arm will be nothing more than decoration. While I can let you keep it, you will have to endure 49 days on the burning pillar. You decide!"

Third Young Master Han was ashen, looking at his second brother in worry.

[49 days under scorching heat?] It was akin to being burned alive.

Third Young Master Han cupped his hands to plead some more, but Second Young Master Han stepped in.

"Father, I choose the burning pillar." Second Young Master Han bowed.

The man nodded, appeased, "That's how my son should act. A man must take responsibility for his failures."

"Wait!"

A glum-faced youth entered. Elder Mo bowed at once, "Eldest young master!"

The youth nodded and addressed the tough man, "Father, brother failed because the gap between them was too great. It's not his fault."

"But he lost to a lower three sect's disciple. Even lower than that, a laborer…"

"What of it?"

The youth showed no fear in face of his father's mask of rage, "A hero can come from anywhere. Strength is all that matters, not status. Losing to the strong is no dishonor, and with the approaching Double Dragon Gathering, punishing second brother will harm his performance. We will then become the last among the middle three sects and the Demon Scheming Sect's target. Elder Mo was clear on his strength and father knows he has the qualities of a middle three sect's genius. Status isn't everything."

The towering man relinquished a nod.

"In view of Double Dragon Gathering fast approaching, the punishment shall be postponed. Further evaluation will be given in light of your performance at the gathering."

"Thank you, father!" Second Young Master Han cupped his hands.

The man nodded and left through a side door, pausing just before leaving, "Eldest, what is your opinion of this sudden laborer from the Demon Scheming Sect?"

"A worthy opponent turning the boring Double Dragon Gathering into something interesting, ha-ha-ha…" The youth snickered.

The man nodded and left, "I have no hope of you getting us in the superior three sects, but the least you can do is maintain our position. In case the Demon Scheming Sect does have the power to rise above its station, we'd better let others take the fall."

"Father is clearer than anyone on what this laborer signifies." The youth grinned and turned to his brothers…

In a valley, a youth flashed in the open. He wore a blue robe, his eyes delicate and his aura strong.

Taking a deep breath to collect himself, he laughed before the stone door, "Junior brother, I'm out of seclusion. What are you waiting for? Double Dragon Gathering waits for no man."

"Senior brother, you're a fine talent coming out so soon. You aren't called the best talent in western lands for nothing." A sigh came from beyond, "Senior brother, I just need a little more time, and I will catch up."

The senior brother chuckled, "Is that how a junior brother acts, teasing your senior brother? I'm not that shameless to call myself the best talent in western lands with you around."

"Why, senior brother has been in the Ethereal Stage for years while little old me just entered. Senior brother, please don't jest." A chuckle replied.

The senior brother shook his head and waited.

Six hours later…

Senior brother's patience was running thin when rumbling came from beyond the door. Waves upon waves of energy shot out, spiking the temperature in the valley. The grass and trees dried up and then ignited.

Even senior brother felt tense from the sense of his innards boiling.

He set his eyes on the closed stone door and sweated, "J-junior brother's innate flame? He finally fused it with his soul, yet it holds such power. This freak, ha-ha-ha, I bet he just stole my best talent in western lands title."

Senior brother was sullen from a sense of loss…

Meanwhile, in a deep and eerie forest, around twenty riders rested beneath the shade of a large tree, their mighty auras scaring animals away.

Whoosh!

Something black flashed and a vicious-looking man barked, "Where's Yan Mo? Where'd he run off to?"

"Oh, Elder Qing Ya." A lovely woman mocked, "Senior brother Yan Mo found it so boring here so he wanders about. He'll meet us at the Double Dragon Gathering."

"He's at it again, running away by himself?"

The elder was outraged, "His goddamned rash behavior will get him killed one of these days. What if he comes after the Double Dragon Gathering ends? What then?"

The woman shrugged, "It's fine, senior brother Yan Mo will never miss it. He's not a child."

"Who'd believe that with his track record?"

The elder spat, "Every damn time we have to visit other sects, he slips away. We meet some trouble? He slips away. He's got not one honorable streak in him.

"But this is Double Dragon Gathering, once every few centuries. It affects the future of the sect yet he slips anyway." The elder held his aching head.

The woman grinned. Then, a cold voice came, "Elder Qing Ya, brother Yan won't be late."

"How do you know?"

"I just do." The man continued, "Because brother Yan won't let the chance of meeting the best talent in western lands go. He will come, ha-ha-ha…."

The men looked at each other and nodded.

In the meantime, Mystical Heaven Sect's group reached a bustling town with many trinkets on display. The lively mood had these disciples gawking from being stuck in the sect all their lives.

But in a noisy tavern, a red-haired youth with a creepy smile set his eyes on the charming group of beauties on the street…