Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)

Because of his completely overbearing performance, Yang Qi was making a lot of new enemies.

However, the talk of him having a Great Sage as his backer caused everyone to bite their tongues. Instead of thinking that he was pushing things too far, they now feared him. Now, nobody would dare to pick a fight with him, and in fact, many people would probably start kissing up to him.

It was simply human nature to bully the weak and fear the strong.

“Y-you're… backed by a Great Sage?” Grand Elder Feat-Virtue stammered, his face turning green. He had previously assumed that Yang Qi was a nobody, a country bumpkin from the anthill that was Yanhaven. He couldn’t possibly have a powerful behind-the-scenes supporter, and was obviously the type of person who could be crushed easily.

But now, in the blink of an eye, the scraggy chicken had turned into a mighty phoenix.

With the backing of a Great Sage, Yang Qi could theoretically found a fifth institute in the Rich-Lush Continent.

“Yes, Grand Elder Feat-Virtue. Little did you know that the Euphoria Godstone you foisted onto me was actually a big help. The power of a Great Sage easily negated the wretch energy, and gave me access to the pure life force quintessence in the stone. That’s how I became a Legendary.”

By this point, Grand Elder Feat-Virtue was completely and utterly crestfallen. “You’re lying! You don’t have any Great Sage backer! It's a bluff! Elders, all of you, help me kill him! A defier of laws and principles like him has to die! He’s actually trying—”

Before he could finish speaking, a spear stabbed into his chest, and began to voraciously gobble up his life force. A moment later, his soul shattered, and his flesh and blood evaporated.

Raging fire engulfed his entire body.

An agonized shriek rang out, until there was nothing left of Grand Elder Feat-Virtue but drifting ash. Yang Qi had killed him right in front of everyone.

What kind of arrogance was this?! What kind of rulebreaking?! This surpassed the Crown Prince in every way. It was just like the ancient saying, submit to me and prosper, or oppose me and perish.

He had cut down a grand elder right in the middle of a huge crowd.

On the one hand, Legendaries were definitely top experts, people who had been referred to as energy warriors in ancient times. They understood magical law, and were considered important people in the institute, similar to patriarchs. They were like mythological figures to all other students, and were the subject of universal envy.

But now, a person like that had perished, killed by Yang Qi. Grand Elder Feat-Virtue, the very man who had presided for so long over the Hall of Feats and Virtue, a person of inimitable fame and majesty, was dead. Further, he was a person who had been personally helped by the Crown Prince.

Yang Qi snorted coldly. “This Grand Elder Feat-Virtue used his public office for personal gain. For years, cries of complaint have risen up regarding his criminal activities. Executing him was the only way to serve justice here in the institute. In fact, if anyone present was ever the victim of Grand Elder Feat-Virtue’s bullying, tell me now, and I’ll report the matter to the chancellor. And I guess we’ll be needing a new Grand Elder Feat-Virtue.”

Up in the air, Patriarchs Wind and Cloud, the Seven Preheaven Masters, and the Three Pure Yang Elders looked down at the ash that was all that remained of Grand Elder Feat-Virtue, and could still hear his dying scream.

Silence reigned.

Ignoring the crowd, Yang Qi looked at Holy Daughter Manyflowers. “As a holy neophyte, I act first and report later. I’ll be providing a statement to the chancellor shortly, in which I recommend that you take over the responsibility of running the Hall of Feats and Virtue.”

Not waiting for a response, he flew up and disappeared into the sea of clouds, where he headed toward the Minorcosm World.

The matter was concluded. And the death of Grand Elder Feat-Virtue was already causing a huge uproar in the institute. Yang Qi had broken the rules in flagrant fashion, and it would definitely cause criticism.

And yet, what he had done was very effective.

“What? Yang Qi treasonously killed Grand Elder Feat-Virtue, right in public? Don’t tell me the grand elders of law enforcement didn't show up!”

**

In a hidden aspect of space-time somewhere in the institute was Master Wind Gentleman from the Gentlemen’s Society. He was in the middle of his personal domain, which flickered with five radiant colors, reflecting the power of the five phases, and absorbed the violent power of the void for multiple kilometers in every direction.

The aspect of space-time he occupied was filled with violent spatial tempests that he traversed with utmost care.

It was really a dangerous location.

Master Wind Gentleman was in the sixth Legendary transformation, making him a Personal-Domain Legendary. When he practiced cultivation, he could absorb the empyrean and baleful energy of heaven and earth, which slowly but surely was pushing him toward the level of a Ghost-God Legendary.

There was another domain in this area, filled with lightning and thunder. Within that domain was someone who looked like a god of lightning, and who was conversing with Master Wind Gentleman.

He was the leader of the Five Lightnings Society, another extremely powerful holy neophyte called Unparalleled Lightning.

These two had received word of the recent events, and were currently in the middle of discussing them.

“Logically speaking,” Unparalleled Lightning said, “the chancellor should have killed him. Instead, he let him go, and even promoted him to holy neophyte. An entire day has passed, and no one from the law enforcement team has done anything. The chancellor must have told them to hold back. It seems Grand Elder Feat-Virtue died for nothing.”

“So what do you think?” Master Wind Gentleman said, a grave look on his face. “Does Yang Qi really have the backing of a Great Sage? But who? Could it be the chancellor of another institute? Or perhaps the emperor of the Sage Ancestor Dynasty?” Great Sages were not to be taken lightly. In fact, neither of these two had the backing of someone like that.

“I’d say there's an eighty to ninety percent chance he does. However, we still need to look into the matter more closely. Don’t forget, he has the Grand Emperor's Pagoda. It takes an unimaginable level of true energy to use that thing, and he can. He can definitely fight people above his current level. He decimated the Seven Preheaven Masters, and cut the Crown Prince Society down a notch, which benefits us.”

“It doesn’t matter how we thwart the Crown Prince Society now. Once the Crown Prince returns, they’ll be as insufferably arrogant as ever.” Master Wind Gentleman frowned. “He said he would be back in five years, but based on my information, I’d say it’ll be a year and a half at most. When that happens, he’ll wipe out everyone. We won’t stand a chance against him once he’s a Great Sage.”

“So what do we do? Don’t tell me we need to join forces with Yang Qi.”

“Let’s wait and see. Yang Qi is powerful, but it’s not like that Great Sage can keep watch over him constantly. And if the Crown Prince becomes a Great Sage, he might crush that backer, and kill Yang Qi. Let’s see how much Yang Qi progresses in his cultivation over the next few months. That said, we might as well start getting an idea of his attitude. Why don’t the two of us go offer formal congratulations to him for becoming a holy neophyte?”

“Sure. That sounds like a good idea.”

**

Deep in the Minorcosm World was an enormous palace which currently echoed with a thunderous roar.

“Damnation! Bloody damnation! I can’t believe he killed a Legendary grand elder! He’s treating the laws of the Demi-Immortal Institute like trash! If the Hall of Law Enforcement doesn’t do something, how could we expect anyone to listen to us in the future? How could the Demi-Immortal Institute continue to function?”

The plaque outside of this enormous temple had only two characters: Law Enforcement.

The grand elders from this place were fierce and terrifying, and could kill people like harvesting wheat. Anyone who heard their name, be they followers of evil, or students of righteousness, would be filled with incredible fear.

It was hard to say how many traitors to the Demi-Immortal Institute had been executed by them throughout the years.

But now, every member of the Hall of Law Enforcement was simmering in discontent. Moments ago, they had been given a message from the chancellor, specifically instructing them not to hold Yang Qi accountable for killing Grand Elder Feat-Virtue.

“The chancellor said that he’s backed by a Great Sage, and I’d say that whoever it is, there's a high likelihood he surpasses even the chancellor. Are you going to go punish someone like that? Are you just looking to get killed, or have the Demi-Immortal Institute overthrown?”

At this point, the message-bearer continued to speak. “Grand Elders of the Hall of Law Enforcement, I understand that you abhor wickedness, but now is not the time to let your emotions affect your decision-making. Wait patiently and see how the situation develops.”

“What about the rules, though?” someone asked.

“We have rules to inflict severe punishment on those who are not strong enough to break them. When the rules come into conflict with someone strong enough, the rules get shattered, and the old way is done away with. When that happens, it means the time has come for new rules. That’s just how life works. Grand Elders, you represent the old way. I've been sent here today to tell you that, until the Crown Prince emerges from seclusion and fights it out with Yang Qi, you are to ignore anything that Yang Qi does. If you don’t, you’ll probably end up dead. Understand?”

The owner of this mysterious voice was the person most trusted by the chancellor. Therefore, although everyone in the Hall of Law Enforcement virtually trembled with rage, there was nothing they could do.

The owner of the mysterious voice chuckled, then vanished without a trace. ‘Yang Qi. Ah, Yang Qi. Who are you exactly? I'm starting to get very curious.’

At that point, the Hall of Law Enforcement went silent. In the end, the threat of a Great Sage was enough to crush anything and everything.

**

Somewhere in the Minorcosm World, Yang Qi sat in the middle of an enormous mansion. Although it looked like it was made from jade and jewels, it was actually made from immortal energy. It was a location where he could rest completely at ease, or focus fully on cultivation, all without worrying about anyone disturbing him.

This dimensional mansion was the type that only holy neophytes could occupy.

At the moment, Holy Daughter Manyflowers was with him. “Yang Qi, do you really have the backing of a Great Sage? You should have quit while you were ahead today. Killing Grand Elder Feat-Virtue is going to arouse public anger.”

“Public anger? Don’t worry. What I did today won’t just arouse public anger, it’ll arouse fear too. I needed to show people that I'm absolutely confident in myself. Give it a few more days, and the other societies will be coming to offer expressions of goodwill.”