Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)

Even as An Yiru took the stone box, Yang Qi quickly scanned it.

[Beep-beep-beep. Beep-beep-beep. Systems scanning. Sealing mark incredibly strong. Power index beyond five thousand and Terrifying will convergence required to open....]

At the moment, Yang Qi wasn’t close to a power index of five thousand, nor did he have Terrifying will. Other than using the Engine of the One God to gain temporary bursts, there was no way he could reach that level. And if he did burn his reserves of godhood, then the imperial-heaven pre-beginning systems would even have to shut down afterward.

The imperial-heaven pre-beginning systems were definitely superior to the strength god systems. Back when he used the strength god systems, he always had to consider whether or not his meridians could sustain the power flows.

But after reaching a certain point, the imperial-heaven pre-beginning systems could directly release power to the outside. If he did that, he could use the Engine of the One God as a powerful weapon. However, it would also reveal his abilities.

After taking the frigid godhood, he was able to push the abilities of the imperial-heaven pre-beginning systems to a higher level. And he had also taken some of the power to help his nascent divinity further its assault on the will of the Great Necropolis.

Eventually, that will completely crumbled, turning into a host of fragments that were swept up with golden light and made part of his own will.

‘Not bad,’ he thought, ‘not bad at all. My psychic scale is increasing. I wonder how long it will be before I finally reach the Terrifying level. Now that I've completely broken down the will of the Great Necropolis, my mind is empty of it. However, as long as I keep absorbing external power, I can definitely acquire more of that will.’

Yang Qi took a few breaths, reveling in the sensation of his consciousness being completely free of any outside will.

Meanwhile, An Yiru looked very pleased with herself now that she had the box. In contrast, Yang Qi didn’t really care at all, aware that it was currently impossible to open. He would simply let her take it back to the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect for the experts there to open. Once he had joined the sect, he would come up with some way to get it.

He really wanted to get those psychic scaling systems, therefore, he would bide his time. He would join the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect and slowly form a new plan. For all he knew, that sect would be the best place to push his will convergence to the Terrifying level.

Seeing Yang Qi’s unconcerned expression, An Yiru inwardly shook her head and thought, ‘This guy really does live up to his word. He took that godhood, converted it to power, and lifted the incense burner. Afterward, he didn’t even so much as glance at the stone box. He really does seem like a potential asset to the sect. I guess I’ll take him back and have Master look into him. See what his story is. He could be a really big boost to our faction and give us an advantage in our struggles against the other factions.’

With such thoughts on her mind, she said, “It looks like I’ll have to ask for Master’s help to open the box. We can worry about it after we get back.”

“In that case, Miss, I’ll go with you. I'm curious to see what the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect is like. Perhaps your sect really will take control of universal fortune and conquer the Immortal Dao Age. Maybe that really is my path to becoming a heaven-god.”

“That’s exactly the right way to look at it,” An Yiru said. “Right now, the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect is focused on building power. However, we’ll soon begin expanding within the Great Necropolis. We’ll conquer our enemies left and right, eventually uniting the universe and creating a sect and kingdom the likes of which has never been seen before. And with the destiny and fortune we will accumulate, godly ascension is definitely a possibility. Back before the Great Necropolis appeared, the Immortal Dao Age was scattered and disunited. The destiny it held was like nothing. But now, things are changing. Even people from the Primeval Age and the Future world have come here in the hopes of conquering it.”

“You lead the way, Miss. I’ll follow.”

They left the chamber and used their whip technique to climb back down the statue. Overall, Yang Qi had benefited quite a bit from this short adventure.

There were obviously other secrets to be had in the cave temple at large, but considering what they had in the form of the stone box, there seemed little need to fool around with such trifles.

Just before leaving, Yang Qi looked back and considered what it would be like if he had enough godpower to clear out the entire temple. If he were able to send everything to the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart, his people would definitely benefit immensely.

Once he was out of the cave temple, true energy poured into him, along with surging universal power. His energy arts seemed to advance to a higher level, and although his power index remained the same, the quality of his true energy made him feel much stronger than before.

With his current power index of three thousand, he could defeat enemies at the level of four thousand. And that wasn’t with the Engine of the One God or any magical treasures, it was all his own power.

As soon as he was out of the cave temple, he sent all of his resources into the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart for safekeeping, including the Engine of the One God, his pieces of the Cruiser of Civilization, King Heaven-Devourer’s talismans, and all of the other magical treasures he had collected. Even the God Legion Seal. The only things he kept were his own true energy and constitution. He even used a profound, hellish technique from the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth to completely transform himself.

It was a necessary step to ensure that his identity remained a secret even from Terrifying experts.

Meanwhile, he followed An Yiru as she flew along for an indeterminable period of time, passing through numerous planes of existence and enormous pathways, until they finally reached a glowing, resplendent world, a mighty, domineering place that abounded with sagelight and porcelain radiance. The outside resembled crystalline sections that reflected everything around them, making the place seem as amazing as a kingdom of gods.

Countless experts flew about, all of them wearing robes that were clearly the uniform of the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect. There was obviously a strict ranking system, with even the weakest members of the sect being Grand Emperors that had power indexes in the hundreds. Yang Qi couldn’t even spot a single person with an index below one hundred.

“Take him away,” someone said. “Another thrall! Excellent!”

Upon hearing these words, Yang Qi looked over and saw a group of people gathered around a cage that held an expert with a power index of over two thousand. Despite his strength, and his visible anger, he was tightly sealed and could do nothing to escape.

There were other cages nearby with top experts imprisoned as thralls being lugged into the sect.

At a certain point, some of the people in the area noticed An Yiru’s arrival and hurried over to formally receive her. “Greetings, Eldest Sister An Yiru! What were you doing out of the sect this time?”

From the respectful way they treated her, Yang Qi could see that she had a very high standing in the sect as a chief disciple. Not only did no one ask why she was bringing him into the sect, but instead, they all offered her formal greetings.

“That’s on a need-to-know basis,” An Yiru said coldly. “Where did all these prisoners come from?”

“That one over there is the sectlord of the Profound Void Energy Sect,” one of the disciples said. “And the others are geniuses that worked for them. We defeated their sect and took them all captive to serve as thralls. Elder Brother Gu Yue is going to test them to see if they’re fit to be sent to his branch of the sect.”

An Yiru snorted angrily. “What a splendid idea on the part of Gu Yue,” she said sarcastically. “His branch already has plenty of new recruits. They just took in an Inheritor, didn’t they? What do they need even more reinforcements for? It almost seems like they’re trying to build an army or something.”

The other disciples didn’t dare to comment on her words. Obviously, they didn’t rank very high, and knew it would be foolish to try to get involved in a struggle between two chief disciples. One wrong word could lead to a swift death.

Looking over at the sectlord of the Profound Void Energy Sect, An Yiru shook her head and said, “What a piece of trash. Why would I even want a thrall like that? You're all dismissed.”

“Yes, yes,” the disciples said, breathing sighs of relief as they hurried away.

Yang Qi was already getting a sense of how powerful the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect was. Although he had dealt with the Martial Tyrant Cadre and the Immortal House of Supreme Preeminence, they definitely hadn't been as impressive as this.

After passing through the crystal barrier that formed the outer defenses of the sect, Yang Qi immediately felt godly might weighing down on him. Although it couldn't compare to what he had felt in the cave temple earlier, it was obvious that ordinary Grand Emperors couldn't easily fly around. It actually reminded him of his virtual god world in the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart.

“Mysterious, eh?” An Yiru said. “You see, the Will Manifestation Heaven Sect was built on a Will Manifestation Heaven Crystal that was originally crafted by a Paramount God known as the Lord of Will Manifestation. It’s a virtual god world, meaning that practicing cultivation here is one one-thousandth as beneficial as being in the true god world. It's obviously far beyond any so-called ‘blessed land’ that exists anywhere else. Now, I'm going to go take you to see my Master. If you get accepted as a disciple, you'll become very important very quickly.

“Er...” Yang Qi said. “And what happens if your Master doesn’t like me. I become a thrall?”

An Yiru laughed. “We aren’t a heretical sect of wretch-devils. Of course we wage war and take prisoners, but we never treat invited guests with treachery. If Master doesn’t take a liking to you, you can still be a part of the sect. You’ll just have to start as an outer sect disciple. Worst case scenario, you’ll be sent out into the Immortal Dao Age to recruit followers and build the glory of the sect.”

“Oh, so that’s how it works,” Yang Qi said. He nodded. “Just what I would expect of a famous orthodox sect.”