Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)
chapter-296

After hearing Jiang Fan’s story, many in the crowd began to whisper among themselves about the fiendish monster that was Yang Qi.

“I never could have guessed that Yang Qi was this diabolical. Even back when he was a puny outer campus student, he actually dared to kill Chu Tiange! And then he arranged for Song Haishan and Gu Fenxian to be killed too.”

“That’s nothing. The key here is that he slaughtered a bunch of conclave students. And do you know who Elder Brother Huang Hou is? He’s an invincible Space-Void Legendary! Yang Qi actually kidnapped him and used him as a weapon against the Crown Prince.”

“Thankfully the Crown Prince is a blessed person, and managed to recover. If he hadn't, Yang Qi might have gotten away with all this.”

“He actually colluded with people from other institutes to murder our future chancellor! That’s definitely worthy of the death penalty.”

“Yeah, but I heard he’s backed by someone really powerful.”

“It doesn’t matter. The evidence is iron-clad! He’s dead!”

Technically speaking, Yang Qi had betrayed the institute. It was true that he could claim he was justified in his actions. After all, the Crown Prince really had been working with the House of Shadowblight. And Jiang Fan, Chu Tiange, and everyone else he had killed had been out to kill him as well, so in the end, it was really self-defense.

But the Hall of Law Enforcement was out in full force, chomping at the bit to denounce him. And Grand Elder Law-Chief wasn’t even listening to his explanations.

At this point, Ghost Emperor Yama chuckled and once again leaned over to Yang Qi. “Listen, brat, you’re in a sticky situation here. The whole institute has it out for you! Tell me how to use the Infernal Deity Spear, and I’ll save you. I’ll wipe out the entire Demi-Immortal Institute if you want.”

“Yeah right,” Yang Qi said. “They can’t do anything to me.”

“So, what do you have to say for yourself, Yang Qi?” Grand Elder Law-Chief said. “You’ve committed high crimes, too many to even list out. Trying to refute the accusations would be pointless. Henceforth, you will be known as the greatest traitor the Demi-Immortal Institute has ever seen.”

“That’s all the evidence you have?” Yang Qi said. Instead of offering more explanations, he simply looked at all of the grand elders and smiled coldly. “I'm afraid that’s not going to be enough to sentence me to death. Besides, your evidence….”

All of a sudden, he blurred into motion, causing everything in the area to vibrate.

In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Jiang Fan and the other ‘witnesses’.

“What do you think you’re doing, Yang Qi?” Jiang Fan shouted.

“You think that because the sealing marks I put in you were neutralized, you can escape punishment? That’s a joke if I've ever heard one.”

Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam! BAM!

Before anyone could say anything else, massive force entered the bodies of Jiang Fan and the other ‘witnesses’ and detonated them. In the blink of an eye, they became clouds of bloody mist, with even their souls having been destroyed.

Yang Qi had ended their lives without even moving a muscle. Face expressionless, he said, “Evidence? How come I don’t see any? The witnesses just committed suicide! Apparently, they were too guilty about being forced to slander me. Plagued by their consciences, they simply ended their own lives.”

The speed with which Yang Qi had just cut them down was such that not even the Never-Dying Legendary grand elders could do anything to stop him. In fact, it would likely have been impossible for a Great Sage to do anything.

He had fully mastered the use of his Angel Wings, and was now in the Five-Phases Transformation. With the added benefit of his elemental fays, he could move so quickly that with a single move, he could probably destroy an entire city before anyone could stop him.

The initial reaction to what had just occurred was deathly silence. But after a moment passed, people began to regain their composure and exchanged awkward glances.

“What gall! Freakish hellion!” Grand Elder Law-Chief shouted. Immediately, he and the other grand elders spread out to surround Yang Qi.

“Are you outright rebelling, Yang Qi? Do you have any respect for the laws and rules?” one of the grand elders shouted. “You are simply throwing yourself into eternal damnation! Do you understand? This is an abyss you’ll never escape from!”

“Monster! Hellion! Kill him! He’s gone crazy!” Patriarchs Wind and Cloud, the Seven Preheaven Masters, and the Three Pure Yang Elders all drew their weapons and circulated their true energy, joining the ring to surround Yang Qi.

Taking a step forward, Grand Elder Law-Chief said, “You have only one choice here, Yang Qi. Drop to your knees and wait to be arrested. If you don't, you’re dead! The Demi-Immortal Institute has rules, you know! You’ve crossed the bottom line!”

“The Demi-Immortal Institute has a bottom line?” Without any warning, Yang Qi made a move.

BOOOOM!

He launched a fist strike that caused thousands of vortexes to spring up out of nowhere, which belched spatial tempests everywhere. Instantly, the space in the area was ripped to shreds, and all of the Legendary grand elders who had surrounded him were thrown violently to the ground.

Patriarchs Wind and Cloud were left coughing up blood.

As for the Seven Preheaven Masters and the Three Pure Yang Elders, they were like chickens who had been caught up by an exploding case of gunpowder. Their clothing was ripped to shreds, and they were splattered with blood. A single fist strike from Yang Qi had crushed all of these previously overbearing grand elders.

The grand elders from the Hall of Law Enforcement were in a similar state.

Even the most grandiose of their number, Grand Elder Law-Chief, looked like he had been struck by a volley of lightning, and coughed up three successive mouthfuls of blood. Thankfully, his energy arts were profound enough that he managed to stay hovering in the air instead of slamming into the ground.

However, what happened next was like a true nightmare to him.

A hand thrust forth and grabbed him by the neck, making him look very much like a bedraggled duck.

Yang Qi’s grip was so tight that he couldn’t even struggle. “Y-Yang Qi… you’re… so strong. How? Do you really dare to break the laws of the Demi-Immortal Institute?”

“Laws? Back in the Inter-Institutional Martial Arts Competition, the Crown Prince went crazy and even stole the prize, and you people just looked on. He even tried to kill me. Where were you then? Why didn’t you jump out and start talking about laws back there? You want to talk about laws? You think I'm an idiot?”

Yang Qi was actually completely calm and collected. He was now strong enough that he didn’t care at all about the Demi-Immortal Institute. Other than the mysterious chancellor, no one here could do anything to him. Besides, he still had the God Legion Seal and Ghost Emperor Yama. If he really had to, he could give the Infernal Deity Spear technique to Ghost Emperor Yama and have him raze the institute to the ground.

It was a bit annoying to have Ghost Emperor Yama shadowing him, but the upside was that he might turn out to be useful. Of course, he was like a double-edged blade that could cut both ways, and could be very dangerous if used incorrectly.

Off to the side, Ghost Emperor Yama chuckled and said, “Nice job, brat. Very vicious. I like it. You’re decisive, and not willing to let yourself get boxed in. You're already starting to behave like a big shot.”

“Think this through, Yang Qi!” Grand Elder Law-Chief managed to say. “The chancellor won’t let you get away with this. You’re flagrantly violating the rules!”

Yang Qi laughed out loud. “The Crown Prince can break the rules, and so can I! The time has come to put an end to your so-called Hall of Law Enforcement. Now that I'm back, we’re going to shuffle things up a bit here in the institute. You people have been bedeviled, and don't deserve to talk about laws and justice. In fact, I hereby sentence all of you to death. And I'm going to start with you, Grand Elder Law-Chief. Let’s see if the chancellor tries to step in.”

With that, Yang Qi prepared to send out a stream of true energy and kill Grand Elder Law-Chief.

He was an immensely important figure in the institute, but Yang Qi wanted him dead, and therefore, he would die.

If the chancellor tried to step in, then Yang Qi would go all out. He would cause rivers of blood to flow as he destroyed the institute.

“Stay your hand!”

All of a sudden, the sea of clouds opened up, and a pillar of light appeared, within which was the entrance to the Minorcosm World. Then, a beam of light shot out to create a golden bridge, and a group of experts strode out.

These were people who never appeared in public. They were Half Sages, all of them just as strong as the Crown Prince had been back before his breakthrough. From their auras, it seemed like they were just on the verge of becoming Great Sages.

These were none other than the prime elders!

They were like retired emperors, all of them so old that they would be considered a generation senior to the chancellor himself.

They were mysterious figures who wielded immense power in the institute, and resided in that most unique of dimensions in the institute, the Minorcosm World. No one in the world had access to resources better than them.

Generally speaking, they were all descendants of previous chancellors, and were strong enough to cause problems for the current chancellor if they wanted. According to rumors, some of the prime elders had actually reached the Great Sage level, although it was impossible for anyone to know whether that was true or not. Shockingly, the prime elders were actually being led by the chancellor himself.

Next to the chancellor was a burly man with chiseled features and a perfect physique, making him seem like a majestic mountain.

This man was a Great Sage.

He was obviously on the same level as the chancellor himself, and yet, his aura did not conform with that of the Demi-Immortal Institute.