Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)

It actually wasn't all that suspicious that Yang Qi had purchased so many resources, but hadn’t used them to grow his sect.

After all, it was a common thing to purchase items in one location and sell them somewhere else for a profit. And if he had used those resources to rapidly develop Bloodcloak Island, it would have attracted a lot of unwanted attention.

Now that ‘Patriarch Bloodcloak’ was an Unbounded expert, he would have to deal with other villainous characters of his own level, so it made sense that he would want a stockpile of resources.

Of course, Yang Qi was actually planning for some of those resources to go to Summer Soundfyre and Summer Vastcold. He wanted them to improve the Nacrelight Sageland, and by extension, its destiny.

Thanks to the resources Yang Qi had already sent back, Mother Voidwalker had recovered, and was back at her previous level of power. Summer Soundfyre and Summer Soundfyre were making progress as well, and were very close to the Unbounded level. Of course, Yang Qi wanted to focus on Jadefall first.

Yang Qi was spending so many godstones that not even ten Paramount Gods would be able to match up to his level of wealth. Clearly, he had big plans.

“I understand, Patriarch Bloodcloak. As long as you’re willing to do business, the Deva Consortium is happy to accommodate. For now, I need to go out and handle these matters. In the meantime, you relax here. Incidentally, the Deva Consortium offers a better discount to Unbounded experts. You’re now a truly important customer to us. Women, come attend to the patriarch while I go handle some business!”

The beautiful majordomo A’lian brought in a whole host of other beauties, who danced and sang while Yang Qi feasted in delight.

Of course, it was all an act on the part of Yang Qi. His smile was fake, and he was actually using his identity as a Fateless One to ensure that nothing untoward happened to him while he waited for the Mahātmā Jade.

As he watched the performances being put on by the beautiful women, he waited patiently, his anticipation building regarding what he would do when he got the next piece of jade.

“Patriarch,” A’lian said flirtatiously, “now that you’re in the Unbounded level, you’re really an invincible expert. I really hope you’ll continue doing business with us.”

“Well that's a given,” he replied. “You see, I have the Second Devil General’s treasure trove now. I couldn’t spend all the godnotes even if I tried. And my perfect caliber godstones will never run out. Henceforth, we can do a lot of business together. And I’ll make sure to tell everyone how you lived up to your reputation. With enough godstones, you can buy anything here. Even a piece of the Mahātmā Jade! I just hope I can use the Second Devil General’s sutra to unlock its secrets!”

“Oh, by the way, Patriarch, just what are you going to do with the ten thousand godstones worth of items you’re purchasing? Are you really going to just resell all of them? Oh, another thing. Do any of these Perfect God women interest you? Do you want one of them? I remember hearing rumors that you enjoy drinking the blood of women like this.”

“Now that I have Unbounded will convergence, I’ve gained a lot more enlightenment, and I realize that the brutal dao of devils that I followed in the past is actually completely third-rate. Going forward, I'm going to change my evil ways and walk the orthodox path. That's why I didn’t bother growing my Bloodcloak Assembly. Eventually, I'll even force all my disciples to change their ways as well.”

“What? You've changed that much?” A’lian was visibly taken aback at how much this ‘Patriarch Bloodcloak’ had changed. However, it wasn’t that much of a surprise. Reaching the Unbounded level involved dramatic transformations. Sometimes, an expert who walked the righteous path would transform into a murderous monster as a result. And occasionally, experts from the dao of devils would turn over a new leaf, cast their weapons aside, and become buddhas.

Many people would definitely rejoice to hear that Patriarch Bloodcloak had chosen to become righteous.

A few hours later, Yang Qi suddenly rose to his feet as he sensed an immense power within Ser Temple's mansion.

‘It’s a Paramount God,’ Yang Qi thought, and he wondered who it could be.

A moment later, that Paramount God appeared. It was a young woman who didn’t appear to be older than seventeen or eighteen years old. Her expression was threatening without being angry, and her aura was very intimidating. She was obviously only an early Paramount God, but she was a Paramount God nonetheless. Even in the Sovereign Lord’s Age, Paramount Gods were incredibly powerful and influential.

“My respects, Matriarch Yin Xiu!” everyone said, dropping to their knees in respect. This woman was obviously very important in the Deva Dynasty.

“You’re Patriarch Bloodcloak?” said the young woman. A throne appeared and she sat down on it.

“Yes,” Yang Qi said with a nod. Now that ‘Patriarch Bloodcloak’ was an Unbounded expert, he had a much higher status, and thus didn’t need to bow and scrape. “Are you here to talk business, Matriarch?”

“That’s right,” she replied. “Now that you’re in the Unbounded level, you’re a very important person, and thus, you qualify to talk to me. I won’t beat around the bush. I have the piece of the Mahātmā Jade that you want to purchase. It’ll cost you fifteen hundred perfect caliber godstones. Hand over the godstones, and this jade is yours.”

“What? You have it on you?”

Yang Qi really would never have guessed that things would be this easy. However, there was a big downside. He didn’t sense any fluctuations of the Mahātmā Jade coming from this Matriarch Yin Xiu. That meant that either she didn't actually have it on her, or she was using some sort of warding magic to keep it sealed.

“I have fifteen hundred perfect caliber godstones right here. You can count them if you want.” He handed over a magical treasure bag filled with godstones. For now, he wasn't worried that she would go back on her word. If she was a Perfect God, it was possible she might be considering scamming him. But he had Unbounded will convergence, which would make that extremely hard. Furthermore, he could then spread word that the Deva Dynasty cheated people, which would be a big blow to their reputation.

After counting the godstones, Matriarch Yin Xiu looked up and said, “Yes, there are fifteen hundred. Excellent. Well, since you’ve paid the asking price, here’s the Mahātmā Jade.”

She produced a box that contained two items. One was a golden sphere that was a minor god kingdom filled with the resources he had requested earlier. The other was a piece of jade sealed with a paper talisman. The jade wasn’t emanating any sort of fluctuations at all.

‘It looks like the Mahātmā Jade,’ he thought, ‘but it seems to have been completely sealed. Until I get my hands on it, I won’t be able to confirm whether it’s real or not.’

“Is it real?” he asked, looking directly at Matriarch Yin Xiu.

“The Deva Consortium doesn't sell forgeries,” she replied. “But considering you've never seen a piece of the Mahātmā Jade, there’s no way you’d be able to tell if it's real or not just by looking. Don’t you have some technique to assess it? If you have the divine abilities of the Second Devil General, as well as Unbounded will convergence, you’re surely aware of some profound secrets in this regard.”

“The Mahātmā Jade has passed through the hands of numerous experts throughout the years, but sadly, it's never been in the hands of a true expert from the dao of devils. In any case, yes, I know how to assess it.” Taking the piece of jade into his hands, he could confirm that it was indeed tightly sealed. However, it was sealed in such a way that most people wouldn’t even be able to identify the specific technique. And not even Paramount Gods would be able to break through that seal. Therefore, nobody who bought jade would be able to use it.

Based on what Yang Qi could sense, not only did the seal make the jade impossible to access, but it was so powerful that whoever had put it in place could use it to retrieve the jade with a thought.

No wonder they were so willing to sell it. Perhaps the leadership of the Deva Dynasty were interested in seeing what Yang Qi was capable of.

If he really did have a way to unlock the jade’s secrets, then they could use the seal to retrieve it instantly.

“Take care of that jade,” Matriarch Yin Xiu said coolly. “Our business is concluded here. If you ever find that you can't do anything with the Mahātmā Jade, you can sell it back to us for half of what you paid for it. Understand? Those are the longstanding rules of the Deva Consortium, and we can't change them. We only pay fifty percent on returns.”

“I knew that. Don't worry. Even though other Paramount Gods from the dao of devils have never succeeded in unlocking its secrets, I will. And now, I’ll take my leave.”

“Forgive me for not escorting you off,” Matriarch Yin Xiu said.

Yang Qi turned and vanished.

After he was gone, Ser Temple approached and said, “Matriarch, are you really going to let him just take that piece of the Mahātmā Jade? It's on the same level as the God Legion Seal! And how do you know he can even keep it safe?”

“Don’t worry. Patriarch Deva himself put a sealing mark on it. He can retrieve it with a mere thought any time he wishes. And we leaders want to see exactly what this Patriarch Bloodcloak is capable of. Who knows. There might be more profit to be made from all of this.”