Sage Monarch (Sage Emperor)
chapter-878

It would take time to acquire a billion spell formations. Even though Yang Qi could do things much quicker than the average person, he still couldn’t accomplish something like that in a few short breaths of time.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have a lot of spare time.

In fact, his power double was currently back in the prison on the planet of flowers, just about to go on the mission he had been waiting for.

It was something he needed to go back and handle personally. Thankfully, he could continue dealing with the knowledge-devils as he did, pushing his will to a higher level. If he simply left the knowledge-devils in place, it was entirely possible they could flare up during the middle of fighting.

Swish!

Leaving the treasure storehouse, he headed back to the prison.

With eight of King Immortal-Slayer's legacy medallions, he had even better control of the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart. And considering he knew the exact coordinates of his destination in the Joyflower Palace, it was an easy task to get back.

As soon as he returned, he heard the high-pitched voices of the court eunuchs.

“Hurry up, you swine! The time has come to leave for your latest mission. You pack of useless bastards! Hurry up! If you go any slower, I’ll make sure you die a painful death!”

The eunuchs were already spreading out through the prison area, blades drawn, ready to hack and slash anyone who was too slow.

The prisoners didn’t dare to resist as they were corralled by the eunuchs.

They knew that fighting back would result in horrific consequences. God-generals were essentially slaves with no power, and the court eunuchs were not only more important, but had higher cultivation bases as well.

Yang Qi was being very careful not to cause problems. And he was also trying to decide what exact course of action to take. For example, what if he self-detonated while out on the mission? If he faked his own death, he could slip back into the treasure storehouse and work without worrying about being interrupted.

But he didn't want to sacrifice his power double, as he could still see various uses for it. For example, he might be able to infiltrate the Joyflower Palace with the power double, and have dealings with the flower goddesses. Perhaps he could manipulate them to deal with the future world. He knew that the Flower Goddesses Snowlotus and Jade Nightqueen were interested in making contact with him, and perhaps his power double was the way to do that.

He had already reached the level where he could create a power double that could imitate aspects of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, as well as the Seventy-Two Monarchs Energy Art. Although the power double only had about fifty percent of his cultivation base, he doubted that the flower goddesses would be able to see through him to the truth.

The flower goddesses had power indexes over five hundred, whereas Yang Qi was currently at two hundred eighty. In other words, each of them were roughly double his level. That said, in terms of fighting prowess, he could easily handle them without even using the Myriad Worlds Monarch Chart or his various magical treasures, as long as he relied on his Destabilizing will convergence. The flower goddesses had high cultivation bases, but they only had Stupendous will convergence. Furthermore, they lacked the extensive training Yang Qi had benefited from over the years.

At a certain point, the Five Hegemons of the Heavenly Kingdom hurried over to Yang Qi. They looked very nervous. “Brother, we’re going to be heading into the Exquisite Desert. We're still working together, right?”

“Of course,” Yang Qi replied calmly. “Is the Exquisite Desert supposed to be particularly dangerous or something? The five of you look quite anxious.”

“We’re fine. It’s not that dangerous of a place. However, we definitely need to stick together to stay alive.”

Off to the side, a whip cracked as one of the eunuchs said, “Hurry up and get into formation. Anyone going too slowly will be executed!”

The lashes of the whips caused searing pain, and Yang Qi couldn’t help but hate the eunuchs. In the future, when he destroyed the Joyflower Palace, they would definitely be the first to die. And he would be sure to make sure it was a torturous, painful death.

Soon, all of the god-generals were out in the open and were gathering into squads that headed to the nearest teleportation portals.

Considering all of the prisons on this planet, there were definitely millions and millions of god-generals in total. All of them were Grand Emperors with power indexes between four and six hundred, with some who were even stronger, but concealing their true strength.

Glancing over, Yang Qi caught sight of the highest-ranking of the eunuchs, a stooped old man whose robe dragged along the ground as he walked. He had long eyebrows, and contained immense, sinister power.

‘Well, look at him,’ Yang Qi thought. From what he could tell, this eunuch probably had a power index beyond a thousand, putting him on a similar level as the flower goddesses. But why would someone with a cultivation base like that be willing to serve as a eunuch? Was he a masochist? Or was the empress just so ridiculously strong that not even people like this could defy her?

“That’s one of the three eunuch-kings of the Joyflower Palace,” Flower Mildcloud explained. “Eunuch Sunflower. He's a very mysterious figure, to the point where not even I'm sure about his background. He's been following the empress for years, and was one of the ones who helped her build the Joyflower Palace into what it is today. She truly trusts him, making him very different from the other eunuchs or the male consorts. There are billions of eunuchs in the Joyflower Palace, but he’s one of the three most powerful!”

“Quite the eunuch,” Yang Qi nodded.

Eunuch Sunflower looked around for a moment, then said, “You god-generals are all slaves of the Joyflower Palace, and will either accomplish the mission given to you or die trying. Your current assignment is to enter a mysterious location in the Great Necropolis known as the Exquisite Desert. It is a desert left behind by the great Exquisite God of ancient times, and contains boundless godhood somewhere inside. Unfortunately, exploring it will be no easy task. If you find the location of the godhood, report it immediately! He who does so will no longer be a god-general or slave, and will instead become a consort of either one of the ten flower goddesses, or one of the sect’s eldresses. Either way, it will be a significant advancement for you.”

Eunuch Sunflower flicked his sleeve, and something like music drifted out, settling onto the heads of everyone present in the form of a halo that made them feel restricted and constantly watched.

‘It’s a primeval god skill!’ Yang Qi thought. ‘A halo of restriction!’

Yang Qi’s Eternal Heavenly Aria could provide blessings of primeval god skills. However, this eunuch’s god skill was obviously something he had stumbled across, and wasn't anything close to what Yang Qi was capable of.

“You may now enter the teleportation portal and go to the Exquisite Desert to begin your search. Once you find the object of your search, use the halo of restriction to lock it down, understand? You should also be aware that there are plenty of treasures in the depths of the Exquisite Desert. If you find them, you absolutely, positively must not take them for your own. You must hand them over. Any that violate this stipulation will be executed without fail!”

Cracking whips, the other eunuchs shouted, “Did all of you hear that? Answer now, unless you want to die!”

None of the god-generals dared to act defiantly, and quickly voiced their affirmation.

At that point, the teleportation portals activated, and they swarmed into them.

It took about two hours for everyone to pass through the portals, whereupon Eunuch Tian turned to Eunuch Sunflower and bowed formally. “Exalted Eunuch Sunflower, the Exquisite Desert is a very dangerous place. I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone we sent there ends up getting killed. I doubt they’ll actually find the location of the godhood.”

Eunuch Sunflower dismissively waved his hand. “It's hard to say. The Exquisite Desert is a strange place in which the level of one’s cultivation base isn’t necessarily important. It’s more about destiny and fate. Those with the proper fate, even if they have a low cultivation base, will be given the right opportunities. Those without the proper fate, even if they have a spectacular cultivation base, might end up trapped and dead. That’s why we're throwing all of this cannon fodder out first. Who knows how we might benefit as a result. Listen well. Strength isn’t the most important thing in the world; sometimes it can be a detriment. Only those with the proper fate can truly come out on top.”

Another eunuch asked, “Then what if one of those damned slaves actually does have the proper fate, but then slips out of our control?”

Eunuch Sunflower snorted coldly. “I've already placed a halo of restriction on all of them, giving them no choice but to follow orders. Besides, all of them have Myriad Transformations Energy Pearls in them as well. If they leave the Joyflower Palace, they’ll lose access to the Myriad Flowers True Energy, at which point their meridians will explode and their souls will slip into death!

“Very well, you all have your assignments. Go to your posts and report to me as soon as you get updates. The empress is currently still in that danger zone trying to get some godhood. If she succeeds, she’ll definitely have hope of reaching the Deathless Throne. And once that happens, we all have the chance of getting into the god world. Understand? Keep your spirits high! You're all lowly eunuchs, but if you prove your worth, the Joyflower Palace will never abandon you!”