Proofreader: Papatonks

Bang!

He Xiaofeng slammed hard into the ground, his body broken in every way. Worse, his soul was severely injured, needing a decade to pull himself together. But now, he didn’t have any strength left in him, just like a bug.

Even a Foundation Establishment Stage could slap him into the beyond.

Hu~

Zhuo Fan drifted down, looking down at his victim with a sinister smile.

He Xiaofeng was trembling in fear, “Y-you’re not human! You’re a monster, spiritual beast, or a dragon! I’m a Saint, the strongest human. How can you destroy my Sacred Body without even an Imperial Mark?”

“Ha-ha-ha, you’re right, though a bit off.”

Zhuo Fan shook his head, “I’m half beast, but not a dragon or spiritual beast. The Sacred beast Decimating Dragon Ancestor remolded my body with his scale, making it unbreakable. This right hand comes from a Soaring Qilin leg. In the Nether Sea, I gained guidance from the Tyrant Emperor. I hardly need to use anything to deal with an early Saint bigot like you. My foundation is leagues above you.”

[What?!]

He Xiaofeng gaped, “You have so many ancient experts behind you. Just who are you?”

“Former Demonic Emperor Zhuo Yifan, current Luo clan’s steward, Zhuo Fan.”

Zhuo Fan smiled, “As for the process of my second coming, I’ll leave that a secret.”

Gulp.

He Xiaofeng stammered, “Demonic Emperor Zhuo Yifan, I heard he got Nine Serenities Sovereign’s cultivation method and that’s why you could avoid that calamity?”

“Right, but it was too late.”

“What are you doing?” He Xiaofeng shuddered in fear.

Zhuo Fan snickered, “What, you ask? Isn’t it obvious? I just spilled my greatest secrets and shouldn’t you offer the same consideration?”

“C-consideration?”

“Right, show some consideration by sharing as well.”

Zhuo Fan smirked, raising a hand that oozed black energy, placing it on his head, “I lay my heart open to you, so you must die. Since dead men tell no tales. Bye, sir Saint. Wish you great fortune to be born in the Sacred Mountains again, unlike me, to come from the bottom rung. Though I don’t mind, since my base birth allowed me to send you, of lofty birth, to reincarnate, ha-ha-ha.”

“N-no, don’t… agh…”

Wails of pain shuddered the forest as black energy spread out. When Zhuo Fan stood, he was surrounded by dust and rags taken by the wind.

Zhuo Fan eased a breath, “A Saint sure has a strong cultivation. It’s good that I’ve not used Demon Transformation Art for a while. I’ll need a few days to consolidate. I’d rather avoid ending up like the traitor Zhao Chen, ha-ha-ha…”

Whoosh~

Zhuo Fan’s ear twitched at the sound and vanished.

[You came just in time to report to the 6th Sacred Mountain, humph.]

Whoosh~

The Enchanting Empress landed and looked around, “Strange, I just saw Saint’s Sacred Body around here. Where is he?”

“Master!”

Ruby Cloud Sect disciples arrived as well, “We’ve looked around but there’s no sign of anyone.

The Enchanting Empress nodded and hesitated, “Is the battle over, and so they scattered? There’s not a body around, so that means the one taking Qingcheng couldn’t be stopped by a Saint? Won’t it mean they have a Saint as well?”

The Enchanting Empress stepped on something that caught her attention, the dust as well as bits of familiar clothing.

“This…”

The Enchanting Empress cried out in utter shock, “This is the Saint’s clothing! What is it doing here? Did he get killed?”

Sss~

The Enchanting Empress gasped in fear. Her knees softened and slumped to the ground shellshocked.

“This is really bad! The 6th Sacred Mountain’s young lord died in the Ruby Cloud Sect’s domain. Then the lord will take it out on me. Disciples, gather everyone around at once. We’ll report to the 6th Sacred Mountains!”

Two weeks later, on the 6th Sacred Mountain, in a quaint and huge study, a middle-aged man with twin mustaches held dust and scraps of clothing in his hand with red eyes.

The man exploded with a vicious aura, pulverizing his desk and everything in the room. The shivering Enchanting Empress was sent flying and coughed blood.

“Who did this? Why was my son the only one to suffer in the Eight Emperors’ lands?”

The middle-aged man roared, snapping his bloodshot eyes on the Enchanting Empress, flashing in her face and grabbing her hair. He howled in her ear, “Enchanting Empress, explain yourself! What happened? Why did my son suffer in your sect?”

“Mountain Lord, young lord’s fate had nothing to do with me. We didn’t do it.”

“Of course I know that, so stop wasting my time. You don’t have what it takes!”

Bam!

The Enchanting Empress got thrown into a wall as the man raged, “I’m asking you who killed my son in your sect’s domain? You better have an answer or I’ll wipe the Ruby Cloud Sect from the Sacred Domain!”

“Mountain Lord, we will investigate this and report to you!”

The Enchanting Empress kneeled again in terror.

The middle-aged man held his head with grief, “Feng’er, you suffered so much, not even leaving a body behind. Feng’er, I thought Chu Qingcheng would be great for you in understanding Sovereign Stage. But now I shall never see you again. What of your disciple then? What happened to her? If she’s devastated, I can allow her entrance into the Sacred Mountain as a widow.”

“Uh, she…” Enchanting Empress stammered.

The man turned frosty, “What about her? Hasn’t she been getting close to Feng’er? Doesn’t she care if he died? Humph, absurd, a Sacred Mountain young lord shows his care and she doesn’t want it? She just doesn’t know her own fortune. Fine, since there’s nothing there, I’ll still allow her on Sacred Mountain as my daughter-in-law, for being with Feng’er for so long. But better have her clean her act as a devastated widow. That’s the only way to move me and allow her in without raising suspicion to the other mountains. Did I make myself clear?”

“Mountain Lord, th-that’s beside the point.” The Enchanting Empress’s face shook hard.

The man gave her a long look, “Not the point, then what is it? I’m not asking her to truly feel for my son, just act like it to fool others. What’s so hard about that? How did you teach her all these years to not manage a disciple?”

“No, Mountain Lord, I do know how to manage my disciples and guide them after so many years together, but…”

“What?”

“But she has to be present first…”

The man went blank, his grief all but lost, “What’s that supposed to mean? You’re not saying…”

The Enchanting Empress lowered her head.

“She was actually so in love with Feng’er that she took her life?” The man’s mind went wild with guesses.

The Enchanting Empress blinked, lost.

[Took her life? Qingcheng and your son barely know each other. Aren’t you overestimating your son’s charm here?]

The Enchanting Empress’ silence made the man angrier, “You’re such a disappointment. How could you not watch your disciple? We’ve been raising this prize pig for a century. Even with my son gone, she shouldn’t have been harmed. Damn hag, give me back my prize pig!”

The man clutched the Enchanting Empress’ neck with fury in his eyes.

He cared more for Chu Qingcheng than for his son.

“M-m-mountain Lord, listen to me. Qingcheng… is fine.”

The Enchanting Empress’ hoarse voice barely got through.

The guy perked up and let her go, “Then what was that about? I thought…”

“She isn’t here because someone took her!” Enchanting Empress said.

The man’s face shook, then he clutched the Enchanting Empress’s neck again, but even tighter…