The Steward Demonic Emperor

Proofreader: Papatonks

“Qingcheng, don’t do this. Zhuo Fan’s gone. He’s not here…”

Chu Qingcheng was frantic in her search and cried even as Shui Ruohua and Dan’er hugged her, tearing up at her pain.

The others shook their heads.

[This is called being obsessed…]

Chu Qingcheng did not listen to reason, shaking her head and pointing at the flashing ring with joy, “Senior sister, he’s still alive and here too. Just look, only we have this pair of rings, and they only react when the other is around. This is his keepsake. He’s definitely here…”

Chu Qingcheng was desperate in convincing everyone of this reality, but they only saw it as her lying to herself, wanting to believe with every fiber that Zhuo Fan was in this world.

“Qingcheng, I may not know that ring, but we have scanned this place for a hundred miles around yet there’s no one here but us.”

Elder Du soothed.

Chu Qingcheng bit her lip, not giving up, “No, he’s close by. It’s just that you can’t find him. No one can find him with his skills. Only I, as his wife, know in my being that he is here…”

“That’s enough, Chu Qingcheng!”

Elder Ou shouted in anger, a vein popping on his forehead, “We’re Genesis Stage experts, yet you’re saying we can’t even find some brat? We can find something as small as an ant, let alone him. Since we did not find him, then he isn’t here. How long are you going to continue this crazy act?”

Glaring at him, Chu Qingcheng still called out Zhuo Fan’s name, “Zhuo Fan, it’s me, your wife! Please come to me…”

“Don’t just stand there, take her away!” Elder Ou’s patience was at an end as he stared at Wu Qingqiu.

Bobbing his head, he went to Chu Qingcheng with a sigh, “Junior sister Qingcheng, there’s something off about the ring, I’m sure of it. Zhuo Fan is gone now and there’s no way he can be here. Let’s just get you back to Double Dragon Manor and get some rest.”

“No, the ring never lied to me! He’s here!”

Struggling with all she had, Chu Qingcheng kept crying out, “Zhuo Fan…”

In his sealed space, Zhuo Fan gnashed his teeth and shut his eyes, even though tears gathered at the corners.

He knew he shouldn’t have met her, because he could not take the parting…

“Qingcheng.”

The heart prevailed in the end and Zhuo Fan spoke in a low tone.

All shuddered at the heavy tone, unable to overcome their shock. Chu Qingcheng was overjoyed, “Zhuo Fan, is it really you? I knew you’re alive!”

“Is Zhuo Fan actually alive?”

The elders looked around frantically, “With him alive, the case of the sects’ destruction has a solution!”

Yet no amount of searching helped.

A laughter came then, “Ha-ha-ha, three imps trying to scan with your souls in face of yours truly? How pitiful!”

With a whoosh, black thunderflame erupted from that space, as high as a kilometer and spreading for miles and miles.

The black thunderflame took the shape of a giant with golden eyes, the flame within like two erupting volcanoes.

The sheer dread coming off him slammed into the three Genesis Stage elders. They shuddered and felt like mere insects that could be stomped at any time.

“T-this…”

All craned their necks to watch the black fire giant, feeling their knees going soft at its power.

Ye Lin fared no better despite knowing the truth behind it. He gulped.

[What is this? Did the Nine Serenities Sovereign descend?]

This power was at the level of his master and only the ten sovereigns wielded it.

[Everyone knows Nine Serenities Sovereign is missing so how can he suddenly be in the mortal domain?]

Ye Lin was too shocked to make any sense of it.

When a sacred beast inheritor was scared, much couldn’t be said about the rest, looking white as paper and gasping for breath.

The three Genesis Stage elders were overcome with fear, looking at the huge face gazing at them with scorn, “Ha-ha-ha, weren’t you great before, you weaklings? Did the cat get your tongue?”

“S-senior…”

Elder Du’s shaky voice barely got a word out as he bowed, “May I know who senior is?”

The two golden balls of fire flashed as he cackled, “Ha-ha-ha, mistaking respect for fear. I’ve heard this saying many times, but weren’t you three pipsqueaks, shouting about wanting to see me? You won’t believe it until you see it, right? Well, here I am, do you believe it now?”

“Overlord Nine Serenities?”

Sss~

The elders gasped in shock. Elder Ou, who had analyzed Overlord Nine Serenities’ power just now almost soiled his pants.

The sheer power rolling off this giant was enough to rob them of all of their courage.

They knew now Universal Righteous Sect’s demise wasn’t made by borrowing power, but by unquestionable might.

Overlord Nine Serenities had never been seen before, but now they felt it all too well, the destructive power he wielded.

The trio fell to their knees on the spot, “Senior, please forgive our foolish words of ignorance!”

“Ha-ha-ha, brats, do you take me for someone as petty as you?”

The black giant mocked, “The missy has gone against your words and contradicted you, yet you wanted to attack a helpless woman? Humph, who knows how pissed off I’d be over the last three hundred millenium if I were as petty as you.”

Sss~

Gasping for the third time, they all looked in shock.

[Oh hell, three hundred damn thousand years?! What the hell is he? Even the oldest sect in western lands is barely ten thousand years old, but this guy is three hundred times that?]

𝘧𝓇𝗲e𝑤𝑒𝙗noѵ𝒆𝚕. 𝒄o𝓶

[For crying out loud, he’s an old freak through and through. What Invincible Sword, he’s nothing to this guy. No wonder he’s so amazing and overpowered.]

[Wonder what stage he’s at. Definitely above Genesis Stage.]

The trio broke out in sweat, scared to death from even moving.

Ignoring them, the black giant stared down at Chu Qingcheng with a sigh. He waved and a flickering ring floated down, “Qingcheng, may I call you that? Is this what you were looking for?”

The ring rested in Chu Qingcheng’s palm, staring at the keepsake belonging to Zhuo Fan.

“This is Zhuo Fan’s…”

Chu Qingcheng looked at the giant, wanting to ask more but too afraid to know the truth.

The giant spoke, “Child, forget about him. He won’t be coming back.”

Chu Qingcheng’s fists shook.

“I had founded Devil Mountain three hundred thousand years ago, when no one could stand up to me!”

Recalling ancient memories, the black giant spoke, “But after two hundred thousand years, I grew tired, focusing on understanding Dao and entered seclusion, vanishing from the world. As it happened, in my rare travels in between across the world, I have met with disciples worthy of note. Zhuo Fan is one such disciple.

“To understand Dao, one must live in the world then rise above it. Most disciples do not roam the lands, but Zhuo Fan was still young and so I let him go before taking him back to dwell on the experiences. I thought the skills I passed on to him were enough to safeguard him. But never have I imagined he’d be tricked by some rotten people. This is life, this is fate…

The black giant sighed in mourning.

The elders broke out in sweat.

[It’s obvious now that it was revenge, but it’s not like we can do anything to him either.]

[Didn’t you hear him? He was already at the top of the world three hundred thousand years ago, stopping all infighting before withdrawing. He’s on a different level than our petty wars.]

[All of western lands’ power won’t be enough to even scratch him!]

[Not to mention Devil Mountain isn’t made up of one man. There’s still plenty of disciples. If they come out, what would happen to the world?]

The elders were scared to death. Looking into this case any further would poke the hornet’s nest.

[Not even the Invincible Sword would be so stupid…]