Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)

King Immortal-Slayer had left a back door open, allowing Yang Qi to sneak right into the Deathless Heaven Empire without anyone being the wiser.

The truth was that if Proud Heaven hadn’t integrated the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart into his empire’s destiny, it would have been much more difficult for Yang Qi to sneak inside. His immense aura definitely would have provoked a reaction, one that Proud Heaven would almost certainly notice. But now, despite the fact that he had defenses that not even half-Annulled experts could easily bypass, he had created a huge weakness for himself that not even he was aware of.

After all, it had all been done by King Immortal-Slayer, who was even beyond the level of the King of Godmammoths. The King of Godmammoths had never been able to free himself from the fetters put in place by the Sovereign Lord, whereas King Immortal-Slayer had directly contended with him.

After sneaking inside, Yang Qi didn’t dare do anything other than observe the workings of the destiny around him.

The population of the empire was immense, and political affairs seemed to be in order. Of course, the reason for that wasn’t because Proud Heaven had suddenly become skilled in governing, but rather because he had dispersed all of the interest groups, which inherently made the empire stronger.

It also had to do with the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart.

There was more than one reason why Proud Heaven had integrated it into his destiny. The first was to provide stronger defenses, keeping out half-Annulled enemies and the destruction they could bring with them.

The second reason was to improve the political climate of the empire. Because the chart was his, he could control everything inside it by mere thought alone. In other words, having it integrated into his empire meant he would be able to constantly monitor everything. He would always be directly tied into the most fundamental circumstances of his empire.

If rancorous energy developed, he would know about, and able to deal with it.

For instance, if the government officials in some location used their power to tyrannize the people, the rancorous energy would come to Proud Heaven’s attention, and he could pacify that area.

This could be considered an effective way to run a nation.

In fact, in certain ancient civilizations, they had a name for this technique: the Son of Heaven’s Horoscopy.

With it, the Son of Heaven could stand in the imperial palace and gaze out over his lands, looking for any rancorous energy that resulted from deficient government officials.

However, there was a weakness with this type of government. It turned the emperor into an emergency response unit, going around putting out fires as they popped up. Yang Qi didn’t need to use such an inefficient system, as he had his sage monarch magistrates. Furthermore, all of his citizens were sages and mahātmās, which meant that his empire was completely unified. Because of that, rancorous energy could never even develop there.

From what he could see around him now, he knew that Proud Heaven’s empire would only flourish for a few tens of thousands of years. Eventually, Proud Heaven would tire of managing things so directly, and the empire would get so big that he wouldn’t be able to keep up even if he wanted to.

Yang Qi’s method was much better. He had created a virtuous cycle in which the larger his empire got, the more sage monarch magistrates he could create. The increases in destiny kept up with his governing ability.

As time went on, his empire would eventually surpass Proud Heaven’s Deathless Heaven Empire. Not even the essence of the god world could help Proud Heaven stop that.

Yang Qi could see the influence of the god world in the empire around him. It was producing all sorts of preheaven resources, which were being used to advance the interests of the empire.

It was obvious that after a few tens of thousands of years passed, Proud Heaven would bring the fight to Yang Qi. The situation was delicate now. If the balance was disturbed, it would definitely lead to full-scale war.

‘Where’s Hailan? She can’t be with Proud Heaven. Now that he got what he wants, he’s probably focusing on his own cultivation. And Hailan is going to be off somewhere causing trouble of her own.’ Yang Qi began prowling through the empire, observing his surroundings and assessing the energy.

Before long, he sensed two immense sources of energy. One was mighty, like a pillar that could prop up heaven and dominate everything in creation. The other was softer, but at the same time more sinister, the type that one would expect to belong to a second in command.

Obviously, the former was Proud Heaven, and the latter was Hailan.

Proud Heaven was in the depths of his empire, working on his cultivation in unison with the essence of the god world.

As for Hailan, she was also in cultivation, trying to get into the half-Annulled level.

‘Be revealed.’ Yang Qi’s will caused a shadowy projection to appear, depicting Hailan in her palace, a vicious expression on her face as she gathered energy to herself. As her will trembled, she murmured, “I'm going to make you pay, Proud Heaven!”

Yang Qi waved his hand, tapping into the imperceptible energy that King Immortal-Slayer had left behind, causing it to cover the palace and ensure that Proud Heaven’s will wouldn’t detect what was going on inside. He would simply assume that Hailan was working on her cultivation.

She took a deep breath, causing countless streams of energy to enter her, along with numerous preheaven medicinal ingredients.

Resources were the key to everything.

She wasn’t like Yang Voidprime, who had so many advantages. And if stepping into the half-Annulled level was such a simple task, wouldn’t the world be filled with half-Annulled experts? Even Yang Qi had only accomplished it by devouring the Wretch God.

‘Why?’ she thought. ‘Why am I unable to reach the half-Annulled level? I'm already the empress of the Deathless Heaven Empire, which is the top empire in existence. I can tap into destiny that no one else can. Shouldn’t that be enough to fuel a breakthrough? Don’t tell me I’ll have to take over as the ultimate leader of the Deathless Heaven Empire.’

No matter how Hailan shifted the flows of power within her, she couldn’t break through, and was starting to get angry. Her eyes glittered like those of a fox or wolf, making it seem like she was filled with sinister plots and killing intent.

‘Maybe I need to find some help in dealing with Proud Heaven.’

But where exactly would she get such help?

Her eyes flashed as she considered what vicious plans could be hatched.

‘Maybe if I devour Yang Qi, I could achieve the breakthrough.’

Even as Hailan was lost in thought, a voice suddenly rang out. “What atrocities are you considering committing, Hailan? You really want to take down Proud Heaven, don’t you?”

Shocked, she rose to her feet and looked around her meditation chamber, only to find it completely empty. No one was inside with her.

“Who’s there?” she hissed.

“Keep your voice down,” the voice said. “Otherwise you might attract attention. You want to deal with Proud Heaven, right? Then why not work with me?” All of a sudden, a shadowy figure appeared in front of her, which resolved into Yang Qi.

Hailan’s expression immediately turned extremely sharp. “So, it’s you, Yang Qi. How did you get in here? Proud Heaven connected his empire’s destiny with the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart, yet you still managed to get inside. Not even half-Annulled experts should be able to do that.”

“Why don’t you take a guess how I got here?” Yang Qi said with a smile. “By the way, don’t get any ideas. I wouldn’t have come if I wasn’t certain you couldn't do anything to me. And if you try, you’ll lose your shot at dealing with Proud Heaven. Look, I just want to talk, that’s all.” From the glitter in her eyes, he could tell that she really wanted to lunge forward and devour him.

“I know what’s going on,” she said, a cold, calculating smile appearing on her face. “You got in because of the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart, didn’t you? Proud Heaven devoured King Immortal-Slayer, but the latter isn’t actually gone. And you have a clone, Yang Immortal-Slayer, who’s actually the apprentice of King Immortal-Slayer. You were given something that lets you slip right past the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart. Am I right?”

“I'm very impressed,” Yang Qi said. And he really had to admire Hailan’s way of thinking. Of course, it only made him want to subjugate her even more, and turn her into a useful servant. “You live up to your reputation as a profound schemer. Back in the impure lands, your will projection caused me some serious grief, and your true self seems to be even more impressive. You hit the nail on the head. Well, since you know the truth, are you going to go report it to Proud Heaven?”

“That depends on you,” she said, her smile widening. “You’re Proud Heaven’s archenemy, Yang Qi. And now I'm his empress. You tell me. Should I help you?”

Yang Qi laughed. “Honest people do not resort to insinuation, Hailan. I came here to offer you help in dealing with Proud Heaven. You hate him down to your guts, and I feel the same. So why shouldn't we work together? By the way, I already told Yang Voidprime about how Proud Heaven humiliated you.”

“What? Yang Voidprime knows?” Hailan was clearly shocked, but she recovered her composure quickly. “I should turn that moron into a puppet. I can't believe he went with the High Priestess to go talk to the King of Godmammoths and the Demon Master. He’s like a lamb in the tiger’s den. How could things possibly turn out well for him?”

Hailan was making a lot of good guesses, but that didn’t mean she would ever guess Yang Qi was already in the half-Annulled level.

“You don’t seem surprised at all. I suppose you anticipated this.” Yang Qi waved his hand dismissively. “Let's get to the point here. Are we going to work together? I need an agent next to Proud Heaven, and if you agree to join me, I can help you reach the half-Annulled level.”

“What?!” Hailan couldn’t help but be moved. However, she chuckled coldly. “That sounds completely and utterly preposterous. You’re not even in the half-Annulled level, so how could you possibly help me break through? Have you gone insane? Or am I the crazy one for even taking you seriously?”