The Steward Demonic Emperor

Proofreader: Papatonks

Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar…

With every star shining down on earth, Zhuo Fan’s hands shifted and changed locations. Each time he was brought hundreds of miles away from Shangguan Feiyun, now over five hundred miles out of Flying Cloud City.

Shangguan Feiyun’s team were like flies drawn to the glorious light, always in pursuit yet always coming short. This short delay was compounded with each transfer, making the gap over fifty kilometers wide.

But the men could only grit their teeth and keep at it. They were like a bunch of fools made to chase something that was not there for another’s amusement.

So after the fourth light came, Shangguan Feiyun had had enough, his rage exploding, “To hell with it! Is this bastard playing fetch with us? Humph, let him try it again. I won’t budge an inch. At worst, I’ll just end his son and settle it with Gu Yifan later. He can’t run forever, not while he’s in central area!”

“Sword King Feiyun, enough nonsense. All that matters is the Soaring Sword. So long as the sword is out of reach, we can’t harm a hair on his son. What if he snaps and just throws it in some dark hole forever? What then?”

Baili Jingwei gave him a warning look, then he turned to the ten array masters keeping up with them, “Grandmasters, you’re among the best array experts in the empire. Have you managed to glean anything into the array after all this time?”

The ten experts shared looks and hesitated. Finally one spoke, “Prime Minister, at first we understood little about this star array, but we now have begun to notice things. Normal teleportation arrays uses ley lines to travel, shortening the distance between points. All that needed was to break these paths and the transfer will halt. With star teleportation arrays, they follow the heaven way, using star power to connect heaven and earth, thus unbreakable. It’s far beyond any ley line teleportation array there is.”

“I don’t give a damn about his skill in arrays, or how better he is than you. I just want to know how do we get to the part where we catch him!”

Baili Jingwei’s face twitched in annoyance, “If he keeps flashing around, won’t it go on forever? While he’s rested, we’ll be weary running all over to catch him.”

“Uh, not likely. Prime Minister can rest assured.”

The array master pointed at the sky, explaining, “The world’s forces are in balance, governed by its own laws. These can never be breached by any mortals. The star array is sublime, but it can’t escape following the world’s nature. It will end. Judging by what we’ve seen so far, he has borrowed the power of six of the seven stars in the Big Dipper in order, catering to the arrays he set on the ground below. By our reckoning, the next one should be the last, the power of the stars will have been used up through Alkaid. This star, having correlated with the previous location, will be shedding its light on this earth right over there!”

The array master pointed to some random bush hundreds of miles away with a stuck up nose.

[He-he-he, see that? That’s called specializing. With just a little time watching a new array, I can already surmise it’s process. This is the awesome power of a 11th grade array mas-]

Pa!

He didn’t get to gloat for long as a sharp slap sent him spinning, his mind included.

Coming around at some point, he was face to face with an irate Baili Jingwei.

Flinching, the array masters looked dumbfounded, even wronged.

[What did we do now? Why’s Prime Minister angry with us? How are we in the wrong?]

Baili Jingwei spat through gnashed teeth, “You bunch of old decrepit fools, why the hell didn’t you say it earlier? Giving me such a drawn out and useless explanation instead of just pointing to the guy’s destination. Humph, ignorant wastes! Sword King Feiyun, let’s go, we have to keep him there the moment he lands.”

“Right!”

Shangguan Feiyun followed after Baili Jingwei with Gu Santong in his grip. There they would lay in ambush for the moment Zhuo Fan came. They were finally one step ahead.

“Prime Minister Baili, all the array grandmasters you brought seems to have atrophied brains with how slow they are.”

“What can you do when they spent their lives in scrolls about arrays yet missing the workings of the world. They can’t read the mood at all. I do find them valuable for that, but also vexed. Be it alchemists or array masters, they all wish to reach the apex in their fields and for that they study and study some more, in isolation from the rest of the world. They’re like pedantic scholars.”

“True, all known great alchemists and array masters have simple minds.”

Shangguan Feiyun nodded, then his eyebrow twitched, “Yet the kid’s the exception. He’s got great alchemy skills yet he’s slipperier than a snake. How did he get so good in alchemy when all he’s done was focus on mind games?”

Baili Jingwei’s brow shook as he nodded, “He really is the weirdest aberrant I’ve seen. Baffling everyone yet instilling in them great danger.”

Shangguan Feiyun’s eyes flashed. As the two talked, Danqing Shen was content to just carry Baili Jingwei in silence.

[Mediocrity breeds no hatred and envy, while brilliance draws danger. Boy… ]

Whoosh~

The figures dashed through the air and Baili Jingwei’s group reached the bush just as the last light came down from the heavens above just like that array master predicted.

Zhuo Fan and Shangguan Qingyan faded in behind the light.

“Ha-ha-ha, the old coot was right. The kid is coming here!” Shangguan Feiyun laughed with Gu Santong in hand, looking smugh, “Let’s see how you run now! Grandmaster Gu, I’ve come to deliver your son, ha-ha-ha…”

Shangguan Qingyan gasped at Shangguan Feiyun’s vile expression, “How are they so fast now? We just stopped and they already caught up!”

“They must’ve noticed the array’s process. Quite normal when you have ten array masters in tow.”

Zhuo Fan watched as the enemy was looking at him like a piece of meat to gorge on. Other than that, his face was flat, his hands steady as the signs flowed, “Not that it makes a difference. Alkaid!”

Hum~

The pillar of light exploded in a blinding light that turned night into day in an instant.

The violent surge spread everywhere, including Shangguan Feiyun’s group. They were forced to a halt and gasping for breath as they covered their eyes from the light.

Baili Jingwei covered his face but let only a slit to see the smirking Zhuo Fan behind the curtain of light. He shouted at the array masters, “Just what is this? They array’s power is too strong for even a Genesis Stage expert to get close!”

“Prime Minister, we don’t know at the moment. We need to observe for longer!”

“Screw you!”

The array masters were covering their eyes as well and their response only made Baili Jingwei angry.

[These old geezers always mess up when I need them most!]

Zhuo Fan laughed, “Ha-ha-ha, Prime Minister sir, of course they don’t know. But I can give them a tip. The name of the array is Big Dipper Flinging Array. The crux of it isn’t the seven stars but the Dipper, get it?”

Whoosh~

Giving a most annoying smile, the two were gone along with their pillar of light, leaving behind his last solemn words, “Thank you, Prime Minister, for looking after my wretched son. If you still feel the need to have the Soaring Sword, I ask that you raise him big and strong for when I’ll be coming to take him back, ha-ha-ha…”

Whoosh!

The seven stars up above sported faint lines between them, connecting each one.

With one last flash, Big Dipper shone brighter and shot a ray of light like a shooting star, splitting the sky in two.

At the end of the ray was none other than North Star. Right after, one last pillar of light smashed onto earth, shaking it hard.

This time, however, there was no chase. It was just too far away, needing days for even Genesis Stage experts to catch up.

Zhuo Fan had just gotten away from right under their noses.

Looking at the sparkling light, everyone had a dull gaze.

The entire force of the manor had been running around in circles for the better part of the night, yet they had nothing to show for it. All they had been doing was ending up as the butt of another’s joke. The worst part was he was only in the Radiant Stage…

Humiliation did not even begin to describe the utter shame and crushing defeat.

It was not reduced to Flying Cloud manor’s disgrace, but it included Baili Jingwei’s, Sword Star Empire’s and the Nine Sword Kings’.

Baili Jingwei held his head and sighed.

The great sage of the empire had been led by the nose all night long…