Sage Monarch

“Yang Qi. It's really you…?”

Now that he was standing right in front of them, the entire group could see exactly who it was they were dealing with. Ignoring them, Yang Qi called out, “Blightczar Manyrivers. Go wipe out all of the rest of the evildoers from the House of Shadowblight.”

“Yes, Milord.”

It didn’t matter that Blightczar Manyrivers was one of the top leaders of the House of Shadowblight. He didn’t hesitate or show any mercy. Soon, screams rose up into the air from all areas.

There were other Legendaries in the House of Shadowblight, but apparently, none of them were present today. Therefore, it took Blightczar Manyrivers little effort to take the lives of the disciples present.

Of course, even if there had been Legendaries present, unless they were in the third transformation, they would have been little challenge to deal with.

Only at this point did Yang Qi turn his attention to the members of the Crown Prince Society.

“Is there anything you people have to say for yourselves?” Yang Qi said. “Now's your chance. If you wait any longer you’ll have to speak your final words in hell.”

“What? You’re going to kill us?” Lei Tao said angrily. “You’ve really got some gall, Yang Qi. We're students at the Demi-Immortal Institute too. Killing fellow students is a capital offense. Not even the chancellor could change that.”

“Oh really? Weren’t you just planning to kill me and my entire clan? Wouldn’t it be pretty stupid and dangerous of me to leave you alive? Tell me where the Crown Prince is hiding. I’ll pass the information to the Shroud-Heaven Alliance so that they can track him down and kill him.”

“You want to know where the Crown Prince is?” Lei Tao replied. “Keep dreaming! I'm completely loyal. I won't give you any information even if you kill me.”

“Enough, Lei Tao,” Huang Hou said. “Yang Qi, you need to look out for your own best interests here. He's right. Killing us would be a big mistake. You would become public enemy number one in the Rich-Lush Continent, and would heap humiliation onto the Demi-Immortal Institute. You must understand all of that, right?”

“What do you mean? You were all killed by the House of Shadowblight. Their houselord lured you here into a trap, and the whole lot of you ended up killing each other in the resulting fight. The House of Shadowblight has long since been working with the Hanging Mountain. They’re a patsy of Young Master Shroud-Heaven, so it’s little wonder they hoped to get information out of you regarding the Crown Prince’s hiding place. Everybody is talking about the situation, you know. If the Crown Prince perishes, then I’ll be the next leader of the holy neophytes. In other words, the Demi-Immortal Institute will be under my control. What do you think? Good plan?”

“Hellion!” Qu Ling said, her eyes flashing with rage. “You're a freakish hellion, that’s all! You’re not even human, you treacherous scum. Heaven will punish you for this!”

“Shut your mouth!” Yang Qi growled. “You wanted to kill my family, and you were colluding with heretical wretch-devils. Do you have any explanation at all for that?”

Huang Hou snorted coldly. “This is all meaningless. You really think you're a match for us, Yang Qi? Don’t kid yourself. Look, I'm a Space-Void Legendary, and I'm far stronger than that piece of trash Blightczar Manyrivers. I guess you don’t realize how powerful holy neophytes from the Demi-Immortal Institute are. I’ll tell you this: if I wanted to, I could just leave this place right here and now.”

“Leave right here and now?” Yang Qi chuckled coldly. “If you could, you would have already. Look, I'm done with this bullcrap. Tell me where the Crown Prince is. If you do, I’ll let you live and you can all go back to the Demi-Immortal Institute and live happily ever after. But if you refuse, I'm not going to go easy on you. I’ll bury you all on this island.”

The only reason Yang Qi hadn’t attacked with full force already was that he was hoping to get information about the Crown Prince.

If he could figure out where the Crown Prince was hiding, he really could inform the Shroud-Heaven Alliance, or even the Hanging Mountain. They would definitely pay a handsome sum for information like that.

If he could profit by getting someone to slay his enemy for him, it would really be killing two birds with one stone.

Yang Qi already hated everyone from the Crown Prince Society. And considering they had been hatching a vicious plan to wipe out his clan, that meant that they had crossed the bottom line.

At this point, Lei Tao couldn’t hold it in any longer and shouted, “Have a death wish?!” 

Without any hesitation, he unleashed his Grand Thunderclap Swordplay. Even as his sword slashed toward Yang Qi, he said, “Elder Brother Huang Hou, get out of here! I’ll buy you some time. That way, even if he kills the rest of us, you can avenge our deaths. From now on, this guy is an enemy of our entire institute! This disgraceful traitor will be hunted down until he’s dead! He won't be able to hide anywhere in the world!”

Lightning flashed and thunder boomed as Lei Tao attacked in deadly fashion, sending a massive river of sword energy surging toward Yang Qi’s throat, filled with seemingly infinite variations.

“Go!” Lei Tao repeated. “Get out of here!”

However, before his sword energy could reach its target, Yang Qi’s true energy surged out, forming a long spear that moved with such incredible speed it was almost invisible. Lei Tao couldn’t even react; the spear slashed his head off his shoulders, sending it flying up into the air, where it burst into flames. “It was you who stole that life force springwa—”

Before he could finish speaking, his head exploded.

And then, his true energy was all absorbed by the Infernal Deity Spear.

Lei Tao, conclave student of the Demi-Immortal Institute, had perished. He had been cut down with absolute impunity by Yang Qi. Not even in Lei Tao’s most bizarre dreams could he have guessed that Yang Qi would actually kill him. In fact, that was why he had attacked him to begin with.

“That’s what trash like you gets for opposing me.” Yang Qi had killed Chu Tiange, Huang Hong, Gu Fenxian and Song Haishan, all of whom were students of the Demi-Immortal Institute. And he hadn’t felt the least bit sorry about any of their deaths. Now he was a Legendary, so considering that these people had all been conspiring to exterminate him and his clan, then he would make sure they all perished.

Even as Lei Tao’s blood continued to splatter onto the ground, Yang Qi said, “The rest of you really think you're going to buy time for your Elder Brother Huang Hou to escape?” Pointing his spear at Huang Hou, he said, “Talk. Where is the Crown Prince? I know you're loyal to him. But the only person in control of your life right now is you. If you don’t tell me what I want to know, you’ll never see the sun rise again in your life.”

Voice hoarse and trembling, Huang Hou said, “Y-you… you actually killed Lei Tao? What gall. I can’t believe you dared to kill a conclave student from the Demi-Imm—”

“I'm looking forward to killing a holy neophyte too, one who doesn’t understand what’s good for him. But hopefully, you won’t be that person.” The Nightfall Symphony began to thrum from Yang Qi’s spear, causing the air in the area to distort.

“Do you really think you’re going to get us to reveal the Crown Prince’s secrets?” Huang Hou’s eyes blazed with bright light. “I'd do anything for the Crown Prince. I won’t help you even if it means I have to die. Everyone, attack him!”

“Attack!” the other students shouted.

“Fine. If you people want to die, I’ll accommodate you. Worse than dogs or chickens! Everyone from the Crown Prince Society deserves to die!” Yang Qi suddenly vanished.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang! Bang!! BANG!!!

The students flanking Huang Hou exploded one after another, decimated by the Infernal Deity Spear, and their life force sucked away. Not even Xie Feng was an exception. He was the leader of the conclave students, and yet a massive red hole opened up in his forehead, and he was transformed into nothing but dust.

In the last moment before he died, he screamed, “You killed all of us!? The Demi-Immortal Institute will never let this stand….”

Huang Hou shouted in rage, but before he could do anything, the Grand Emperor's Pagoda appeared above him, its true energy enveloping him and making it impossible to do anything other than watch his comrades being cut down.

Before even three breaths of time passed, the conclave students of the Crown Prince Society were all dead. Some were Nonary Lifeseizers, some were Septenary. Normally, if even one such person died, it would cause a huge uproar. And yet, here a whole group of them fell at Yang Qi’s hands.

It could only be imagined how such news would rock the Rich-Lush Continent if it got out.

Yang Qi hadn’t given the matter a second thought. When necessary, he had no taboos, and would kill enemies like cutting down wheat. He didn’t care about the rules or the consequences, not any more than the Crown Prince himself.

He was now a Legendary with the Grand Emperor's Pagoda and the God Legion Seal. Although he couldn’t control the golden imp, it had saved his life on numerous occasions.

Therefore, if someone wanted to kill him and his clan, he would kill them without mercy.

“You just cut people down like a fiend-devil, Yang Qi! There’s no way you’ll be able to explain yourself out of the situation!” Unfortunately for Huang Hou, the terrifying power of the Grand Emperor's Pagoda was so incredible that he could do nothing to free himself. He was surrounded by spatial tempests, locking him securely in place. After all, the pagoda had been forged by Grand Emperor Rich-Lush, and not even someone in the third Legendary transformation could rival it.

“Considering how many I've already killed, do you think I’ll hesitate to do it again? You know, the chancellor of the Demi-Immortal Institute is loyal to the Crown Prince. Sadly, he didn't account for my God Legion Seal.” Yang Qi didn’t really care whether Huang Hou understood what he was talking about or not. “I stole the Grand Emperor's Pagoda to show him that I will always be better than the Crown Prince.”

Entering the Grand Emperor's Pagoda, he stood in front of Huang Hou. “Well, you were right. You really are a lot stronger than Blightczar Manyrivers. Unfortunately, that's still not enough for you to deal with me. I defeated Manyrivers before I was even a Legendary, so dealing with you now will be easier than ever. So, tell me where the Crown Prince is. Or you can just go to hell. Literally.”

With that, he pointed the Infernal Deity Spear at Huang Hou’s forehead.