The Steward Demonic Emperor

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Glancing at the dumbstruck Zhuo Fan, the dragon ancestor turned to Ye Lin, "Leave us, there's something I want to speak to the kid."

The dragon then clawed the air.

Following the wave of heat, the space tore, revealing on the other side a magnificent landscape.

Ye Lin looked at the dazed Zhuo Fan then bowed and left. The tear sealed behind him and this area was once again a searing inferno.

"Just what's going on? What do you mean by that?" Zhuo Fan's brow shook and he felt uneasy.

The dragon ancestor had touched his greatest fear.

The dragon shouted, "Before I answer, you must first be honest with me. Who are you? Why do you have so many great legacies despite being so young?"

Zhuo Fan did not reply. It was his greatest secret, and not something that could be shared.

"Talk, or you'll one day be sorry. Don't say I didn't warn you." The dragon ancestor's roar gave a stern warning.

Sighing, Zhuo Fan felt helpless. He had lost all grounds in this negotiation. Not that it mattered much. Vaulting Kunpeng had him explain himself and now talking to this dragon ancestor wouldn't be much of a difference.

He wanted to know why the dragon ancestor wanted him detached from others, especially Qingcheng…

So he began detailing his two lives, making sure to include his meeting with Kunpeng and his request to find the other sacred beasts.

The dragon ancestor was stunned. He sighed, "Kid, you're really something to have such strange circumstances. You must know that any one of those legacies is a dream come true for others. Yet you took them all for yourself, ha-ha-ha. Congratulations, especially on Nine Serenities' dubious arts, allowing you to come back through grudges. Even I have to show my admiration for such skill."

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Zhuo Fan chuckled and nodded, feeling the same way towards Nine Serenities Sovereign's research.

"However…"

The dragon ancestor changed his tone, his maw perked in a savage grin, "Kid, despite the amazing luck on you, it fails you when you most need it. You've been had by Ol' Kunpeng and now you're stuck with us. Your life is destined to be spent in fear, under constant despair your life might end the next moment."

Zhuo Fan's heart trembled from shock, "W-where did that come from?"

"The ancient period."

With a long sigh, the dragon ancestor released a heat wave and his fiery bulk shook. As he gazed at the sky, he struck a lonely figure, "In the time of the primal chaos, when heaven and earth began to take shape, we were born, graced with five primal abilities. Everywhere we went, the beasts saw us as kings and the humans unable to reach our level. But us, five great sacred beasts, only had interest in each other, to duel and settle once and for all who had supreme dominion over this world. The fights were endless. The disregard for humans was so severe, we saw them as nothing but snacks.

"This is how we spent the next few millions of years, always fighting and never winning, unable to settle on a one ruler. Kunpeng, the old geezer, maybe his gentle Chaos Flame being able to harmonize yin and yang had something to do with it, was slick and cunning. This made him be seen as a friend by the other four sacred beasts from the constant mediating of our conflicts. But he was far from being fit to be the leader of us five great sacred beasts. None of us was any weaker than the other to begin with!"

Zhuo Fan nodded. Sacred beasts were not much different from wild beasts. Unless beaten into submission, it would just not listen. Preaching and smooth-talking was pointless.

"But…"

Dragon ancestor continued, "One day, beyond our knowledge, our carefree days ended. The humans we disregarded so much revealed to have ten strong members. They had deep insights in the workings of the world, creating remarkable arts, arts that held the power to contend with our might. To the point the top three were able to beat us. These ten later on became the ten ancient Sovereigns. Their power was called The Ten Paths to Heaven. They can break the world and seize all!

"Under their guidance, humanity began to comprehend the Dao, beginning to cultivate and grow stronger. Countless experts rose to prominence while the supremacy of the sacred beasts upon the world began to wane. They were driven back to the forests and mountains. Only then did we realize that heaven was impartial. While our might was incredible, our intelligence was not. Be it sacred beasts or spiritual beasts, none could understand the heart's mysteries, blocking our advance. Humanity was weak, but was very sharp too, with the chance to rise to the top. Especially those ten, they have become the peak of this world's power."

Dragon ancestor sighed, "By the way, kid, don't you have Patriarch Blood Demon's Blood Infant in you as well? That's borrowed power, something that will never get you to the top. Do you know why Patriarch Blood Demon was stuck in the Saint Stage and the Sovereigns avoided him?"

"Uhm, isn't it because he was a show off and ended up being killed before reaching the Sovereign Stage?" Zhuo Fan asked.

Dragon ancestor laughed at his answer, mocking, "Even you're giving credence to rumors, kid? An outstanding expert will treasure his life the higher he rises. With how cultivation takes ages to advance, who would show off? Knowing he was in the Saint Stage, no matter how strong, he'd be suicidal going against a Sovereign."

Startled, Zhuo Fan pondered a bit before nodding.

[True, if I were in Patriarch Blood Demon's stead, getting to the Sovereign Stage was a much better option than to flex.]

"Then why…"

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Dragon ancestor spoke, "The Ten Paths to Heaven are finite and all accounted for. For one to rise, another had to fall. This is why the Patriarch Blood Demon always lived on edge, challenging the Sovereigns, which ended up being his downfall as well. As an ex Demonic Emperor of the Sacred Domain, you should have a broader horizon. Haven't you ever noticed that all the arts and skills in the world have their roots going back to these ten paths?"

Trembling, Zhuo Fan was in a state of shock.

[That means…]

"Precisely!"

Dragon ancestor's eyes flashes, "As long as the ten Sovereigns live, even if humanity cultivates, it will never reach higher. This is a world constant, it's balance. It places a limit on the number of ultimate experts at one time to maintain it. The Ten Paths to Heaven are in balance. That's why one can only rise when another has fallen. Everything revolves around them."

Stunned, Zhuo Fan clenched his fists in denial, "Doesn't that mean that all cultivators are stuck in the Saint Stage?"

"Not necessarily."

Dragon ancestor shook his head, "I already said, if one falls, another may rise. Humanity cultivates to comprehend the Dao, to the point of reaching the peak and seeing the nature of the world. Only most cultivators' insight falls in line with the ten paths, thus cutting off your future. But by gaining insight in a path outside of these ten, then you'll be a fully fledged Sovereign in your own right. Then, as heaven wills it, with the rise of one, another has to fall."

"When Patriarch Blood Demon challenged the Sovereigns, he did it in belief that his blood path was outside of theirs, a new path that allowed him to dethrone one of the ten Sovereigns. He was mistaken, unfortunate, as the blood-, no, demonic blood path fell under Nine Serenities' path. This bound him to the Saint Stage for the rest of his life. His Blood Infant was amazing, yes, but it was only a skill, while his cultivation could never reach the height of power the ten Sovereigns enjoyed."

Zhuo Fan nodded.

[This explains why after years and years, there was no other Sovereign appearing besides the ten ancient Sovereigns. The requirements are too high. Even if the ten Sovereigns weren't there, one must first comprehend their path to become its patriarch before rising into the Sovereign Stage.]

In a meritorious world such as this, hardly anyone had such qualifications.

[My master, Elder Yuan, has a high chance of comprehending the heart path. A shame his aptitude lacks, stunting his cultivation stage despite his deep insight.]

Zhuo Fan shook his head and sighed.

[The road to the Sovereign Stage is beyond difficult.]

Dragon ancestor looked at him hard then smiled, "Ha-ha-ha, kid, you think that's hard? Wrong again, for us, the five great sacred beasts and the ten Sovereigns, the Sovereign Stage is in the past. What all of us really care about is that even in the Sovereign Stage, we're all nothing but the world's toys, under constant threat and unable to dominate the world in the truest sense. The Ten Paths to Heaven might look unflinching, but they aren't without dangers. They are at risk of being replaced. That is why we wanted to strive for a higher stage. This is what brought the next series of great events. It even included your fate."

Trembling, Zhuo Fan's expression turned heavy as he frowned, waiting for the explanation…