Sovereign of the Three Realms

At this point, Veluriyam Capital had walked out from the shadow cast by the Vassal Meeting. Normal order and peace had been restored. There was still no news of Emperor Peafowl’s whereabouts, but young lord Zhen’s governance exceeded many people’s expectations, despite the chaos and skepticism in the beginning.

With the passage of time, everyone gradually grew accustomed to having young lord Zhen at the helm. What everyone failed to predict was that the capital would actually be even more prosperous and thriving than in Emperor Peafowl’s era.

Even though many remained skeptical about young lord Zhen’s plans, they mostly agreed that the young lord was a progressive ruler. He was always busy at work and by no means was just putting on a show. The precise location for the academy had been set. Various preparation efforts were under way and a majority of the funds had already arrived.

The information released for the Tiger and Dragon Meet swept the entire human domain up in a storm. Lately, discussions related to the capital had run hot and fierce, and for the first time in a thousand years, it exceeded Pillfire City in popularity.

Though everyone knew that a short term phenomenon didn’t mean much, it was still a good start. The entire capital had always seen Pillfire City as a mountain to conquer. It was a peak that the capital had to scale to become the undisputed champion of the Upper Eight Regions.

Naturally, a large majority of the citizens saw Pillfire City as the enemy. That was why they’d celebrated so fiercely when Jiang Chen defeated Pill King Ji Lang during the duel over the Longevity Pill. Their desire to win over Pillfire was simply too strong. His victory was a much needed boost to the capital’s morale.

Even though the capital lost Emperor Shura and Emperor Vastsea after the incident, it didn’t sink into chaos. Quite the contrary in fact. The incident actually brought even more unity and internal cohesion.

Emperor Petalpluck and Emperor Mountaincrush, both neutral parties during the incident, publicly declared their support for young lord Zhen. They wanted Sacred Peafowl Mountain to continue its rule over Veluriyam Capital. Even Emperor Skysplitter, once siding with Emperor Shura, declared his support for Sacred Peafowl Mountain. Thus, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that the capital was at its most united in a long while.

…...

Emperor Peerless was all smiles in the young lord manor. “Young lord, good news! Many secluded titans of the wandering cultivator world have been asking me about the Tiger and Dragon Meet. From the looks of it, our event seems to be getting more attention than Pillfire City's Pill-Martial Summit!”

“Old Brother Mo, you’ve come at the right time. I still lack some understanding of the wandering world. I’m not worried about a lack of attendees, but rather that we’ll have too many. Perhaps you can help me a little in this matter?” Jiang Chen flashed a grin.

Emperor Peerless nodded. “Precisely what I’m here for. The wandering world is full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons that avoid showing themselves in public. However, that doesn’t mean there’s a lack of experts. Disregarding the ancient hermits, there are six active leaders in the wandering world. They are often called the Six Titans.

“These six are domineering characters who are highly revered in the wandering world.” Emperor Peerless explained patiently.

“Let me guess, you’re one of the great titans?” Jiang Chen laughed.

“Heh. That’s correct. However, I’m actually ranked anywhere between fourth to sixth amongst these six greats.” Emperor Peerless admitted without any hesitation.

“Oh? There are people stronger than you?” Jiang Chen was slightly taken aback.

“Mm. Let me tell you in detail. it’s widely acknowledged that the top three titans are Emperor Everviolet, Emperor Wellspring, and also Emperor Sabledeep. 

“Emperor Everviolet cultivates the Everviolet eye technique and is a master of various eye technique arts. Emperor Wellspring’s original name is Jingzhong Hui. He cultivates the Onestrike Wellspring sword technique. His cultivation is deep beyond comprehension. I once exchanged a few moves with him. Even though there was no clear winner, it was obvious that I’d lose if we fought until the very end. Emperor Wellspring is definitely strong enough to go up against Emperor Pillzenith.” 

“What?” Jiang Chen was taken aback. Emperor Pillzenith and Emperor Peafowl were widely recognized as one of the strongest in the Upper Eight Regions! And Emperor Wellspring could take on cultivators of this caliber? Wasn’t he terrifyingly strong then? Did the wandering cultivator world really hide that amount of perverse strength?

“That’s right. There’s no need to be surprised." Emperor Peerless was calm beyond measure. “The reality is, the Upper Eight Regions is full of supreme cultivators of this caliber. Just because Veluriyam Capital and Pillfire City are the strongest factions doesn’t mean that the strongest cultivator must come from these two factions. The lifespan of powerful experts is simply too long. Some who haven’t surfaced for a while are forgotten by the world at large.”

Jiang Chen was dumbfounded. He wasn’t actually certain that Emperor Peafowl was the strongest in Veluriyam Capital. He’d never thought about or questioned this before. He just naturally assumed that Emperor Peafowl was the strongest.

“Alright, let’s continue with Emperor Sabledeep then.” Jiang Chen didn’t want to dwell on matters for too long and decided to change the subject. 

“Emperor Sabledeep is the most scholarly amongst the six titans. He’s a powerful expert who indulges in books and scrolls. He has a group of loyal followers due to his scholarly disposition. Emperor Wellspring once said that he had little confidence in his ability to take down Emperor Sabledeep, even with his most powerful techniques.”

“Hmm… The wandering cultivator world is truly filled with enigmatic heroes.” Jiang Chen sighed.

“Mm. Those three are strongest among the six titans.” Emperor Peerless was a proud and accomplished person, but even he had to agree with this fact.

“What about the other two?” Jiang Chen quickly added.

“As for the other two, we’re roughly equals in strength. Emperor Reliance, whose original name is Li Ningyi, is the only female among us. Emperor Inferno is slightly younger than all of us, but his cultivation is by no means weaker than mine. Many say that he’ll one day catch up to the top three. All six titans hold great influence in the wandering world.”

“The great titans of the wandering world…” Jiang Chen muttered. “Can you also tell me about their personalities?”

“Personalities?” Emperor Peerless didn’t rush to answer. “Well, powerful experts of the wandering world are often less sociable and prefer solidarity. Emperor Everviolet is very enigmatic and cold. He isn’t particularly fond of other wandering cultivators either. Emperor Wellspring is completely devoted to sword dao. He lives by the sword and dies by the sword, and is completely disinterested in matters unrelated to martial dao. Emperor Sabledeep pursues the knowledge and intricacies of life and death itself. The common folk will find it very difficult to hold a conversation with him. Emperor Inferno is very brash and unapologetic. He lives and dies by his own heart, and prefers not to be tied down by anything in life. Emperor Reliance is a kind and wise woman. However, never judge her by appearance alone. Those who do so come to regret it.”  

Emperor Peerless had given his impression of these emperors and gave Jiang Chen a rough understanding. 

“Other than the six titans, there are many other powerful experts in the wandering world, right?”

“There are others who’ve broken through to great emperor, but none can compete with the six great titans. The others often challenge the six titans to gain fame, but none have ever succeeded. There’s an unsaid rule in the wandering world that one must defeat a great titan, or they’ll forever be seen as inferior.” 

“Haha! That’s interesting! There’s only so many places with the six titans. Their lives would be much easier if it’d been the twelve or eighteen great titans.” Jiang Chen quipped.

“If it’d been the twelve or eighteen great titans, our legitimacy would’ve lessened.” Emperor Peerless said with a straight face.

Jiang Chen had gotten a rough understanding of the structure of the peak of the wandering world. There were other great emperors, but none could compare to the six great titans. 

“Young lord, even though the public calls us the six great titans, it’s unlikely that we’re the strongest in the wandering cultivator world. As I’ve mentioned, it’s likely that there are hidden ancient masters that are stronger than all of us.”  

Jiang Chen nodded. “We shan’t bother with the hidden masters. It’s more productive to take the active emperors into account. By the way Old Brother Mo, did any of the six titans inquire about the Tiger and Dragon Meet?” 

“Yes. Emperor Springwell asked me about it.” Emperor Peerless answered bluntly.

“What about the others?” Jiang Chen was a little disappointed.

“Young lord, the titans of the wandering world are proud and lofty. They might not show it even if they’re interested. The Pinecrane Pill might not pique their interest, but I can guarantee that they’ll be extremely curious about the mysterious expert from Myriad Abyss Island. By my estimations, at least two or three titans will be attending the event.

“Emperor Wellspring will definitely come, as will Emperor Inferno. If nothing goes awry, Emperor Reliance might come as well. However, I can’t give any guarantees for Emperor Everviolet or Emperor Sabledeep.”

Counting Emperor Peerless, a total of four titans would be present if three more came. The Tiger and Dragon Meet would absolutely be a success if that was the case.