Proofreader: Papatonks

“Give up?”

Zhao Chen frowned, his eyes filled with resentment. He stared at them and let out a creepy laughter, “Surrender, is it? Ha! Never gonna happen. Once I heal, I will come back for each and every last one of you. The last thing you’ll see is me, ha-ha-ha…”

The Sword Emperor sneered, “Demonic Emperor, we have you surrounded and you still think of fleeing? Just hand over the cultivation method you got from the Nether Sea and we can forget about this…”

“Cultivation method? I just knew it. The only reason all of you got together is over something to gain, just like last time.”

Zhao Chen shook his head, “Well too bad. I’m not my master, and you won’t ever catch me, ha-ha-ha…”

Zhao Chen released black energy as he laughed.

The Sword Emperor made a sign and cut with his finger, “You won’t get the chance to flee!”

Whoosh~

A blinding white light flashed across the sky, severing the black energy. They watched as it revealed no one inside. Zhao Chen was gone just like that.

“What… just happened?”

The Sword Emperor stared hard at Zhuo Fan, “Steward Zhuo, you’re of a brilliant mind and have been by the Demonic Emperor’s side the longest. What was that?”

Zhuo Fan frowned, “The Demonic Emperor must’ve had an escape ready outside of my knowledge. What’s certain is that his act was a distraction. He can’t just vanish. There must be a tunnel around here somewhere.”

“Yes, Steward Zhuo is right! Find it!”

The Sword Emperor shouted and everyone began searching. Zhuo Fan looked around as well.

It took them a whole six hours before the Enchanting Empress cried in excitement, “Come quick! I found it!”

In a hidden bush, a deep hole was hidden.

“I’ll take the lead, you follow.”

The Sword Emperor went on without fear, but Zhuo Fan raised a hand.

He said, “Don’t bother. He’s been gone for six hours. We won’t catch him.”

“We at least have a trail now.”

“You think he’d leave a clue behind after what happened to him?” Zhuo Fan raised an eyebrow.

The others frowned, looking dark. The Wraith Emperor said, “The Demonic Emperor has to die before he gets us instead!”

The others’ hearts sank.

One had to be ruthless to remove all needless trouble, especially with such a powerful expert around. He had to be removed at once.

“Steward Zhuo, what do you think? Zhao Chen is sure to take his first revenge on you!” The Enchanting Empress asked.

The other turned to him.

Zhuo Fan used his smarts to get the Eight Emperors to respect him. His opinion mattered.

Zhuo Fan smiled, “He can’t run anyway.”

“What does that mean?”

“We can’t use this tunnel to find him, but think of his situation. With him badly wounded, no matter how well he hides his tracks, he’ll need to heal. And with his cultivation method, he needs…”

“People!”

The Enchanting Empress lit up, “We just need to keep a close eye on the people in every area. The moment many are missing, then that’s where he must be.”

Zhuo Fan nodded, “That’s the idea.”

They all nodded with smiles.

[Steward Zhuo is brilliant. It’s good he’s weak, or he’d be the strongest among us, with none his match.]

“Let’s split up and search while paying attention to the population.” The Sword Emperor proposed and the others agreed, scattering.

Only Zhuo Fan was left behind with a smirk…

A strict inspection began across the Eight Emperors’ lands. With Zhao Chen missing and the five Emperors’ support, Zhuo Fan took over all of Demonic Emperor’s lands affairs. Every elite of the Luo clan got sent to grab all the power, taking it over.

All now listened to Zhuo Fan’s orders.

A month went by in peace, when shocking news came from the border between the Demonic Emperor and Enchanting Empress’ lands.

A whole city was gone.

The five Emperors shuddered and rushed to inspect. Zhuo Fan was going someplace else…

Rustle~

Five miles from Devil Mountain, in a valley overgrown with fauna, a frail figure struggled to walk through the damp forest with shaky steps, barely reaching a cave.

The man shook the water off him and took a deep breath in excitement. His gaunt finger rubbed a ring, filled with satisfaction.

“I just knew you’d come here.”

The man shuddered at the voice, looking forward to seeing someone leaning on the cave wall and enjoying tea, “Zhuo Fan?”

“Yes, Demonic Emperor sir.” Zhuo Fan sneered.

The gaunt figure’s messy hair blew to the side and revealed a raging expression. He was looking far thinner now, but with a thicker black energy around him, just like a monster.

“How did you find me? I left no trace to this hideout.”

“Easy.”

Zhuo Fan smiled, “Didn’t you use to come here in your younger days? You’d start crying after every beating you got, hiding from the world. Yet someone was always by your side.”

Zhao Chen gasped in fright, “H-how do you know about that?”

Zhuo Fan smiled and sipped his tea.

Zhao Chen grew dark then mocked, “Steward Zhuo, you’re alone?”

“Why yes, have you seen anyone around here?”

“Ha-ha-ha, how ridiculous. Where did your crafty mind go? You actually came alone to find me? You’re nothing but a bug. You found me but now you’ll die here.”

“Do I need to tell anyone? You can’t kill me, ha-ha-ha…” Zhuo Fan said.

Zhao Chen gnashed his teeth, “I can’t? Humph, I kept you alive for so long because of your talent. But now you’ll pay for your betrayal!”

“Devil Palm!”

Zhao Chen struck with a ten meter large black palm. The eerie pressure bore on Zhuo Fan, making the entire cave tremble along with the mountain.

Zhuo Fan merely waved it off.

Whoosh~

The black palm vanished.

Zhao Chen jerked and the black dragon came out this time, his Imperial Mark.

Zhuo Fan flicked.

With a muffled sound, the dragon was sent flying into Zhao Chen and forcing the latter a dozen steps back. He coughed blood and shuddered from the wounds.

“H-how? Y-you’re at Qi Condensation Stage!”

“Wrong, I’m at peak Emperor stage, like you.”

Zhuo Fan sipped his tea.

Zhao Chen’s eye twitched, “Peak Emperor… no! There’s no way you could disregard my attack if that were so. I’m one of the mighty Eight Emperors!”

Zhuo Fan snickered, “But since you asked instead, I’ll tell you. Be it the Wraith Art or Devil Palm, they all stem from my teaching you. Breaking them can’t be easier.”

Zhao Chen’s mind shuddered, looking at Zhuo Fan like he saw a ghost, “W-who the hell are you?”