Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)

Yang Qi had noticed from the get-go that Goddess Jade Egret had particularly long and shapely legs.

That said, he wasn’t interested in them because they were attractive. He could tell that she cultivated some boundless leg technique with them, which was why they were so perfect. They were legs that could captivate the soul, and at the same time, take one’s life.

Upon seeing how casually Yang Qi caught the speeding invitation card, Goddess Jade Egret reacted with visible surprise.

“Excellent kung fu. You definitely qualify to attend the leader’s banquet. The two of you can come with me.”

“I'm curious to see who else will be in attendance,” Yang Qi said.

“Invitations were sent to the leaders of the Brilliant Radiance Society, Preheaven Society, Honorable Glory Society... in fact, the leaders of several dozen of the societies got them. There will even be some venerable elder kings in attendance. In fact, you and Jadefall will be the only people in attendance who aren’t Consummate Gods.” She looked at Yang Qi. “Unfortunately, since I extended you an invitation at the last minute, there won’t be a seat for you. You’ll have to stand at Jadefall’s side.”

“What?!” Jadefall said, her eyes widening.

“It's fine,” Yang Qi said. “That won’t be a problem.”

They entered Mount Dragon Head, which was filled with endless palaces and mansion grottos, and had countless streams of powerful vital energy going this way and that. Yang Qi secretly tried to absorb some of that vital energy, only to completely fail.

“This is the ultimate foundation of the Dragon Society,” Goddess Jade Egret said with a smile. “Mount Dragon Head, which contains the animadestiny vital energy of an ancient dragon patriarch. Of course, other than members of the Dragon Society, no one can actually absorb that vital energy.” It was almost as though Goddess Jade Egret knew that Yang Qi had surreptitiously tried to do just that. “Once someone becomes a member of the Dragon Society, our esteemed leader will provide that person with a dragon seed, which can be used in cultivation to absorb the vital energy of the dragon patriarch. The result is that one’s every move and action is filled with immense power, making our members the bane of wretch-devils. Furthermore, we can destroy all cultivation obstacles, and negate any sort of curse or damnification.”

“When you put it that way, Goddess Jade Egret,” Jadefall remarked, “it makes it seem like you want to recruit us into the Dragon Society.”

“We would love to have you in the Dragon Society! There are countless disciples who wish they could join, but can’t get in.”

“Unfortunately, we have no interest in joining,” Jadefall said coolly.

Goddess Jade Egret didn’t seem to get angry in response. Smiling, she led the way through the corridors, all of which were decorated with lanterns and colored banners, and were filled with disciples. The disciples were all very well-disciplined, and nobody spoke loudly as they went about their business.

‘This Dragon Floret is supposedly very impressive,’ Yang Qi thought. ‘But how impressive, I wonder? Is he a peak Consummate God? Does he have mid Paramount will convergence? Or late?’

Eventually, an immense golden palace appeared in front of them, dazzling and luxurious.

It also pulsed with immense energy. Using the Son of Heaven's Horoscopy, Yang Qi identified multiple auras, some of which were like mighty pillars, some of which were dense and incisive, and some that resembled twisting dragons.

There was one that was mightier than the others, like a pillar that could prop up heaven and earth, and seemed completely and utterly invincible.

Without question, that one belonged to Dragon Floret.

After entering the golden palace, Yang Qi caught sight of a sprawling square, within which dozens of tables had been set up, one table per guest. The figures seated at the tables were all leaders of powerful factions in the sect, who were flanked by attendants that were all Greater Gods. It was obvious that this banquet was only being attended by the most important people in the House of God Ordainment.

As for the leaders, they were all Consummate Gods.

In the seat of honor was a young man clad in golden garments embroidered with numerous golden dragons. He was handsome, but at the same time, extremely dignified. And he was surrounded by an energy field that created a spatial void behind him, within which it was just barely possible to make out the image of a lurking dragon, ready to lunge out with land-shaking, mountain-rocking force.

‘An illusory nascent divinity?’ Yang Qi thought. It was obvious that this person’s true nascent divinity was concealed in the god kingdom behind him. Of course, he was none other than the leader of the Dragon Society, Dragon Floret.

Nodding, Dragon Floret said, “Jadefall, you’re here. Please, have a seat....”

“Many thanks for your invitation,” she said. There was only one open seat, so she walked over and sat down.

As for Yang Qi, he remained standing at her side. Considering that all of the leaders present were Consummate Gods, and had Greater Gods as attendants, the fact that Yang Qi was a mere Lesser God really did make him stand out in a bad way.

That said, the attendees actually weren’t focused on him so much as they were on the purrling.

The purrling made a few purring sounds that Yang Qi interpreted to mean, “These people aren’t worth crap. They couldn’t possibly compare to me.”

Sadly, the purrling couldn't actually speak. However, considering its power and cultivation base, it seemed possible for it to eventually learn to communicate like humans. Perhaps it just believed itself to be too refined to do that. Perhaps it viewed speaking in the human tongue as too debasing, similar to how humans would view speaking with dogs to be debasing.

After Jadefall sat, Dragon Floret casually waved his hand in greeting to his guests. “Ladies and gentlemen, the reason I came out of seclusion isn’t because I achieved the breakthrough I sought. However, I did gain some significant enlightenment. I trust all of you know which enlightenment I was seeking?”

“Pray tell,” said one of the guests, a man in a long white robe who glowed with a faint but brilliant radiance. He had a lonely look that seemed to come from being an amazing expert.

He was none other than the leader of the Brilliant Radiance Society, an organization that was a clear rival of the Dragon Society.

“The answer has to do with why I invited Jadefall to this gathering,” Dragon Floret said. “You see, all of us here today are either late Consummate Gods, or at the peak of that level. For us, breaking through and reaching a higher level of enlightenment is a very difficult thing, if not impossible. In many ways, the only path to success is by acquiring some unique and unusual asset.”

The next person to speak was the dour-faced Wang Xiantian, leader of the Preheaven Society. “Presumably you’re talking about some sort of divine creature like that purrling.”

The glare in his eye showed that he hadn’t forgotten his previous humiliation at the hand of the purrling. From what Yang Qi could tell, this man was sinister, vicious, and adept at crafty plots and machinations. Although, he couldn’t match up to Dragon Floret in that regard.

“That's right, I'm talking about the purrling,” Dragon Floret said. “No amount of research on my part provided any information about it. And there were even members of the senior generation who are similarly stumped. The bubbles created by the purling are completely invincible, and can destroy anything inside them. The god world has never before seen anything like it. It’s definitely a perfect level of power. As long as I can acquire some of its blood to make into a medicinal pill, I wouldn’t have any problem breaking through to the Perfect level, and also developing Unbounded will convergence.”

“It's really that miraculous?” said the leader of the Brilliant Radiance Society. Obviously, the idea of a breakthrough was something all of them found very enticing.

“Absolutely. I was told this fact by one of the Paramount God old-timers. In fact, it was none other than Patriarch Deva!”

Many of the leaders were shocked.

“What? Patriarch Deva?”

“You’ve met Patriarch Deva? He's one of the top patriarchs, an old-timer who was around during the time of the Sovereign Lord. He remains hidden in a secret and chaotic flow of space-time, in the depths of his own god kingdom. He never makes public appearances, and generally speaking, only Paramount Gods even have the chance to meet him and get some advice. How did you get an audience with him?”

“That's classified,” Dragon Floret said, sounding very pleased with himself. “That said, Patriarch Deva was very interested in the purrling, and he even gave me a talisman specially designed to capture it and take its blood.”

“So” said the leader of the Brilliant Radiance Society, “it was after meeting Patriarch Deva that you decided to throw this banquet and carry out the plan he suggested?”

“That’s right. I invited Jadefall here for the specific purpose of asking her to give me some of the purrling’s blood. Hopefully, she’ll give us all a share, even herself. Well, Jadefall, what do you say?”

WHACK!

Slapping the table, Jadefall shot to her feet. “You invited me here because you're after my purrling? Listen carefully: that’s never going to happen!”

The purrling had emerged from the porcelain godspore she had borne for many years, so how could she possibly allow others to tap into its power?

“We’re not asking for a handout, Jadefall,” Dragon Floret said. “With the blood of the purrling, I can guarantee you that at least ten people here will become Perfect Gods. And it’s likely some would even reach the Unbounded level. That would be a huge benefit to the sect, don’t you think?”

“A benefit to the sect?” Jadefall said coldly. “More like a benefit to you! I’ll take my leave now.”

“Don’t be in such a hurry!” Dragon Floret said, and he gave a meaningful look to some of his subordinates, who quickly closed all of the exit doors.

“What’s the meaning of this, Dragon Floret? Are you really going to defy all the laws and principles of the sect, and attack me right here in the god kingdom? You're still a disciple of the House of God Ordainment. Your Dragon Society may be powerful, but don’t forget that the Mystery Society keeps an eye out for rebellious behavior.” Jadefall wasn’t actually worried at all about the situation. With Yang Qi at her side, she was confident that any danger could be resolved.

“No, no, it's not like that,” Dragon Floret said, wagging his finger. “I would never make a move on you. I always follow the rules. I simply wanted to give everyone a chance to vote on the matter. Don’t tell me you really won’t consider the good of the sect?”