“Where do you think you’re going?” Ancient Sage Yan Qing bellowed as his halberd warped into a flowing ray of light, darting in Sovereign Chen Yong’s direction.
At the same time, Zhang Hongtian charged forth, piercing toward Sovereign Chen Yong like a sharp sword.
There was no denying Sovereign Chen Yong’s strength, but his might had severely diminished after the intense battle with the others. In his current weakened state, he knew that he could not afford to simply disregard Ancient Sage Yan Qing and Zhang Hongtian’s attacks anymore, or else he might really meet his end. Thus, he turned around and protected himself with a powerful swing of his saber.
The two sides collided with one another, and all three experts spurted out fresh blood as they were sent flying.
At that moment, they were running on fumes. What was fueling them was just a streak of resolute determination.
Enduring his injuries, Sovereign Chen Yong stood up and coldly spat, “Have no doubt that I’ll exact vengeance for what you have done today…”
It seemed like he suddenly sensed something else, and he quickly turned his sights away from Ancient Sage Yan Qing and Zhang Hongtian. He flicked his saber, and a pitch-black spatial passageway appeared before him. With a leap, he attempted to dash right in.
If he was allowed to slip through the spatial passageway, it would be as good as allowing a fish back into the ocean. It would be nigh impossible to find him once more.
Gritting his teeth furiously, Ancient Sage Yan Qing raised the halberd in an attempt to seal the spatial passageway, only to see the escaping Sovereign Chen Yong coming to an abrupt halt. As if a fish being thrown ashore, no matter how he struggled, he was unable to move.
“Sovereign Chen Yong, why are you in such a rush to leave?” A voice echoed through the air. “As old friends, don’t you think that it’s rude for you to snub us?”
Following which, two towering silhouettes walked over from the depths of the void.
Those two men wore clothes with a similar design to Sovereign Chen Yong’s, just in a different color. They each wore a crown on their head, and the killing intent that they emanated was as black as ink. It was as if they were the manifestation of the netherworld itself.
“Could they be the other two Sovereigns?” Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes on astonishment.
From their clothes and the strength that they emanated, it was apparent that they were the other two Sovereigns plotting to kill Sovereign Chen Yong—Sovereign Chen Ling and Sovereign Chen Xing!
They had also left the otherworldly battlefield to participate in the operation to eliminate Sovereign Chen Yong!
From the looks of it, it seemed like they had been hiding in the vicinity all along. It was just that they did not dare appear until the Spirit God finally departed.
Seeing the other two standing before him, Sovereign Chen Yong spat, “The Spirit God is aware of our actions. If you kill me, there’s no way that she’ll let you get away scot-free!”
He gathered all of his strength and forcefully broke free of his restraints. Raising his saber, he hacked it down with all his might.
Huala!
The might of the saber was tremendous, easily tearing apart the fabric of space. However, it was clear that the severely injured Sovereign Chen Yong was insufficient to put up a fight against the other two Sovereigns.
With a simple flick of his finger, Sovereign Chen Yong blocked the saber and flicked it away.
“Sovereign Chen Yong, there’s no need to be agitated. We only want to have a talk with you. How crude would it be to come to blows over everything? Moreover, isn’t it clear that you would be utterly powerless even if we wanted to kill you? The Spirit God might oppose our action of claiming your life, but having returned to her Spirit God Palace, there is nothing she can do! Besides… the gods have no emotions. You can’t possibly be so naïve as to think that a god would actually stick her neck out for you.” Sovereign Chen Ling’s lips crept up as he gazed down on Sovereign Chen Yong in pity.
“She’s just making use of you to acquire the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn. Do you honestly believe that she actually values you?”
“You…”
Knowing that he would not be able to escape with the other two Sovereigns around, Sovereign Chen Yong calmed himself down and straightened his back. Carrying himself with an inviolable disposition, he coldly said, “I have never mistreated either of you. Why do you want to betray me?”
“Why do we want to betray you?” Hearing those words, Sovereign Chen Ling laughed coldly. “You should ask yourself the same question! Why are you so obedient to the orders of the newly-appointed Spirit God? The past Spirit Gods only required us to tribute master teachers to bestow upon us endless treasures. On the other hand, what has the current Spirit God given us? Furthermore, who are you to stop us from launching an attack on mankind? Do you know what that means? Do you really want our tribesmen to die guarding that godforsaken land?”
Sovereign Chen Yong was taken aback. He did not expect that to be the reason behind the betrayal. With a cold harrumph, he spat, “You dare to question the commands of the Spirit God?”
He had thought that Sovereign Chen Ling’s betrayal was because of the latter being forced to assume a secondary position in the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. Who would have thought that the dissatisfactions actually originated from the Spirit God!
The reason that the Spirit God had stopped them from launching an attack was because she did not wish to see harm come to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe or mankind. The tables were gradually turning, especially with Zhang Xuan’s appearance. Yet, Sovereign Chen Ling actually thought of her actions as a limitation?
“Of course not. Who am I to question the judgement of the Spirit God? However, if you meet your end, I will be the strongest Otherworldly Demon Emperor of the Spirit Tribe. I will become the very oracle of the Spirit God, and my words will become her decree! The Spirit God might be powerful, but traversing across the dimension barrier is no easy feat. Even the gods suffer a tremendous backlash trying to do so. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been forced to recuperate in the Master Teacher Continent for half a year!” Sovereign Chen Ling sneered coldly.
“Rest assured! After you meet your end, I’ll report to the Spirit God that you were killed by the Hundred Schools of Philosophers and Master Teacher Pavilion. I rushed over as quickly as I could, but it was already too late by then. Before your death, you passed your position as the highest leader of the Spirit Tribe over to me, instructing me to lead the entire Spirit Tribe. I’ll use your life to fuel the Spirit Tribe’s motivation and unite them against mankind!”
“You…” Sovereign Chen Yong glared at Sovereign Chen Ling coldly.
That fellow had already planned out everything!
He had been thinking that his subordinates would exact vengeance for him if Sovereign Chen Ling and the others killed him, but from the looks of it, all along, Sovereign Chen Ling had been planning to pin everything on the Hundred Schools of Philosophers and the Master Teacher Pavilion. Not only would he be spared from the backlash, he would also be able to provoke the resentment of the Spirit Tribe and use them to further his ambitions!
Hearing those words, Ancient Sage Yan Qing’s face warped in horror. “Sovereign Chen Ling, have you forgotten the promise you made me?”
He had thought that killing Sovereign Chen Yong would inflict severe damage upon the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, causing them to scatter apart and possibly descend into anarchy. Yet, contrary to his expectations, the belligerent faction was not that of Sovereign Chen Yong but Sovereign Chen Ling!
If Sovereign Chen Yong died, it was likely that the situation would run out of control!
“Don’t worry, I’ll surely abide by my promise. However, whether you’ll really get three hundred years or not, that is something that we will have to discuss further…” Sovereign Chen Ling laughed heartily.
If it was mankind that had obtained the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn, the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe would probably have had to lie low for some time. However, since the ultimate treasure had been obtained by the Spirit God, and the Ancient Sages of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers and Master Teacher Pavilion had sustained severe injuries…
Was it not the ideal chance for their Spirit Tribe to launch a counterattack?
“What do you mean by that?” Ancient Sage Yan Qing roared furiously as he raised his halberd menacingly.
The other Ancient Sages also swiftly grouped together, fearing that the two Sovereigns would make a move on them.
Just a single Sovereign Chen Yong was enough to wreck their forces. If the other Sovereigns made a move on them, they would truly be in a perilous situation.
Seeing the wary look on Ancient Sage Yan Qing’s face, Sovereign Chen Ling knew that if he said the wrong things at this moment, there was a good chance that the Hundred Schools of Philosophers would go all out to drag him down with them even at the cost of their lives. “I don’t mean anything by that. Since we are allies, there’s no way I’d make a move on you. If I did, I would suffer a backlash from the vow I made. Rest assured, we’ll discuss the future plans between our races once I’m done getting rid of him!”
He knew that the most important thing at hand was not to fall out with mankind but to kill Sovereign Chen Yong and consolidate his power.
Only when he had the entire Otherworldly Demonic Tribe under his control would he be qualified to consider whether they should battle or respect the agreement.
With an eerie smile, he turned toward Sovereign Chen Yong and said, “Farewell. You have been a difficult opponent to deal with, but it’s time for you to meet your end!”
With a cold harrumph, he raised his palm and thrust it forward.
It was as if someone had flipped the world upside down. A strength powerful to the extremity crushed the surrounding space, compressing everything in its way to Sovereign Chen Yong.
