The Steward Demonic Emperor

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[Steward Zhuo’s master?]

Everyone present was taken aback. Then they started talking amongst themselves in hushed tones.

The members present here were all from the Tianyu Empire, and many from the former seven noble houses. Yet all here, once foe or friend, looked into Zhuo Fan with no results.

Chu Qingcheng’s sudden question had them thinking again.

[With Zhuo Fan’s capacity for power and shrewdness, just where’s his master? That’s what we’d like to know too!]

“Uhm, Edifice Lord Chu, you’re asking the wrong person. All of us are in the dark as well. Steward Zhuo came from the Luo clan, so you’re better off asking them.”

An elder of ex-Sword Marquise Abode pointed to Luo Yunhai on his main seat. The others bobbed their heads, “Yeah, you should be asking the Luo clan. Steward Zhuo is theirs. If they don’t know, no one does.”

Luo Yunhai shrugged, “People, brother Zhuo might have come from the Luo clan, but not even we know how he got all those skills. I believe that all of you, having roamed Tianyu for decades, are far wiser and capable of getting some hints into his background.”

[You think we’d have lost to you so badly if we’d known already?]

Rolling their eyes, the people from Hell Valley, Pill King Hall and many, many others twisted their heads away in annoyance.

Wu Qingqiu’s team frowned.

[Did Zhuo Fan just pop out of a rock or something? There were so many powers in Tianyu yet none figured out his master?]

Luo Yunhai shook his head and cupped his hands, “Sorry, senior brother Wu, brother Zhuo had grown up in the Luo clan just like any ordinary person. Only after the Luo clan was facing disaster did brother Zhuo reveal his talents. Not once had he ever remotely mentioned anything about his master either so we didn’t press the issue either. Even though you came a long way to check on his background, I’m sorry to say that not even we know.”

“How can that be…” Wu Qingqiu was stumped. Chu Qingcheng looked disappointed, hoping to get a trace of Zhuo Fan through them, that maybe…

[We didn’t get anything.]

Ye Lin was calm as a cucumber, though he was smart not to show it, only displaying a vague smile. Zhuo Fan’s master was among the greatest in Sacred Domain, and the oldest. It was obvious they were clueless.

This secret was privy to a very few sacred beasts and himself, a sacred beast inheritor. Others would ever know such a heavy secret.

[Not like they deserve it, humph…]

Ye Lin dangled one leg over the other, looking quite smug.

[The grasp of secrets embodies the gap between people, ha-ha-ha…]

Just as the investigation hit a dead-end, an aged voice said, “Lass Chuchu, why exactly are you looking into Zhuo Fan anyway? Are you perhaps suspecting that the fall of the three sects have something to do with him?”

Chu Qingcheng looked back at the group with hope.

The one to call her that had to be an elder close to her from years back.

“Uncle Jiu!”

Chu Qingcheng turned to Elder Jiu from the ex-Veiled Dragon Pavilion, Godeye Long Jiu. He was the first senior involved with Zhuo Fan in Tianyu. The two grew so close they became brothers.

𝗳𝒓eℯ𝘄𝘦𝚋𝙣ｏ𝚟𝗲Ɩ． 𝑐𝒐𝘮

Godeye Long Jiu had to know something about Zhuo Fan. Chu Qingcheng bowed in joy, “Uncle Jiu, how have you been all these years?”

Godeye Long Jiu smiled, “Ha-ha-ha, still kicking, though aggrieved having heard of brother Zhuo’s passing. If only I had the strength, I would’ve…”

Long Jiu’s eye flashed with bloodthirst. Chu Qingcheng clenched her fists.

[Yeah, they don’t have the power, or they’d have long destroyed the Demon Scheming Sect.]

Wu Qingqiu sighed at the sudden shift in mood, also saddened. As a member of the investigation team, he didn’t come to incite revenge though. So he bowed, “Junior sister Qingcheng sees sir as Uncle Jiu, so I’ll be presumptuous to call sir that as well, despite my inadequacies.”

“Oh, there’s no need for that, young master Wu.” Long Jiu returned the bow. Wu Qingqiu was nice and very polite without any arrogance, he was still a disciple from a superior-three sect, not to mention in the Ethereal Stage. Long Jiu would never take advantage and presume himself his elder.

Wu Qingqiu smiled, “Uncle Jiu is too kind. It’s only natural to treat seniors as such. Moreover, I also noticed sir has been referring to Zhuo Fan as brother. I would be very grateful if Uncle Jiu would be willing to answer some questions.”

“Young master Wu, please ask away.” Long Jiu bowed as Wu Qingqiu did.

Wu Qingqiu nodded, “Uncle Jiu, to be quite honest, we suspect the culprit in the destruction of the three sects to have come from outside our lands, or someone taking revenge for what happened to Zhuo Fan a year ago. Thus I ask for everyone’s help, in telling us if Zhuo Fan had been close to anyone in Tianyu besides you all. As far as I know, his skills did not come from the Demon Scheming Sect, so where could they come from?”

“Are you implying that his master took revenge?” Long Jiu cried out.

The others jumped, perking their ears to not miss a thing.

[It has to be! To train an abomination like Zhuo Fan, the power achieving this must be a force to be reckoned with.]

They had begun to have an inkling just how great his background was.

It was not like just any average power could just ruin three sects in western lands overnight.

The ones to rejoice the most were the ex-houses.

[Thank god Zhuo Fan won in the fight for Tianyu. If he lost at our hands, then Tianyu would’ve been plunged into hell.]

When it destroyed the Demon Scheming Sect, of western lands’ nine sects, ruining Tianyu would’ve been child’s play if they thought about it.

[So that’s why he was so obnoxious. I always felt it off. His backing explains it. Demon Scheming Sect never figured it out so that’s why they’re now six feet under.]

[That’s what you get for messing with someone stronger than you thinking you’re better. So easy when you have no clue who’s behind him… ]

Everyone sighed. Only Long Jiu pondered, “Brother Zhuo’s master, hmm, well he did mention it once, though I’m not sure if it was real or not…”

“Really, who?” Wu Qingqiu lit up.

Long Jiu was grave, “Overlord Nine Serenities!”

Ugh!

Wu Qingqiu’s group was stunned.

[Overlord Nine Serenities? Is there someone like that in western lands?]

Ye Lin almost did a spit take.

[Is that a reference to Nine Serenities Sovereign? Elder brother, are you toying with these yokels for not knowing about the ten sovereigns?]

Everyone around looked perplexed.

“Uncle Jiu, uhm, Overlord Nine Serenities does sound great, but I’m ashamed to say I’ve never heard of him. Who is he, where does he come from?” Wu Qingqiu asked.

Long Jiu shook his head, “I don’t know. He just dropped that full of smiles, so I always thought it was a joke. Now that you’re asking about his master, it feels like it might be true.”

“Overlord Nine Serenities…”

Wu Qingqiu’s eyes shone, “Who is he? No one in the entire world with any amount of name to himself or power knows such a person. Do any of you know?”

Wu Qingqiu turned to the rest, only to see them stumped.

Wu Qingqiu frowned. He came to know more about Zhuo Fan and got a clue, only to have more questions left unanswered.

[Overlord Nine Serenities, what the hell is that anyway? Sounds as grand as the best in the central area, Invincible Sword, but never heard of him.

Ye Lin played dumb while his senior brother was getting nowhere.

“Why don’t you go ask Devil Mountain?” A girl spoke.

Wu Qingqiu’s team turned to Lei Yuting, Luo clan’s shadow corps captain. Lei Yuting continued, “When the Luo clan was stationed in Blackwind Mountain, Zhuo Fan took me to set up the arrays around it. I overheard him say something about creating a second Devil Mountain here. Maybe that’s where his master is.”

Wu Qingqiu had found a direction at long last, though his hopeful look was met with equally lost gazes.

Wu Qingqiu’s face twitched.

[No point asking about Devil Mountain then. Where the hell is that even?]

[The more we dig, the more secretive Zhuo Fan’s background is. All I got for my questions are more questions.]

Where should they go next?

Wu Qingqiu sighed.

[Brother Zhuo, did you really pop out of thin air? Why can’t we find anything about you…]