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The Sword Emperor gave them a cold glare, “Zhao Chen cultivated it and went insane. We all saw how that went. It must be that we struck just as he trained, driving him mad and the cultivation method backlashing. Having others interrupt our cultivation would destroy us as well.”

“What do you propose, Sword Emperor? Do you plan on killing everyone that knows about it, even Zhuo Fan?” The Wraith Emperor added.

The Sword Emperor shook his head, “I have no suggestion. It’d be easy to kill Zhuo Fan, but then the Luo clan will know. We can kill the Luo clan, but then the Demonic Emperor’s lands would be without a head, succumbing to chaos and drawing the Sacred Mountains’ attention. Furthermore, the Sacred Mountains intend to replace the Eight Emperors. So could we remove them as well? It’s more than clear how impossible it is.”

“Then how should we handle it?”

“From Zhao Chen’s cultivation, training in Nether Script has two problems. One is time, needing a long and undisturbed period of cultivation. That means we need to enter seclusion, where no one can find us. Then the second is resources that contradicts the first. We need to find a populated area and that would mean leaving trails that would expose us, just like it did to Zhao Chen.”

“Should we wage war like Zhao Chen?”

The Wraith Emperor proposed, “We can fake conflict and use the war to gather materials.”

They all nodded.

[Great idea! It had to be a genius who came up with this grand idea. Oh, that was Demonic Emperor’s aide, Zhuo Fan.]

The Enchanting Empress shook her head, “No, while no one else knows, Zhuo Fan will. But like the Sword Emperor said, taking him out will lead to drawing the Sacred Mountains attention. And they warned us not to repeat the past, Zhuo Fan did it because he threatened the 6th Sacred Mountain. We don’t have that leverage.”

“What now?”

The Wraith Emperor frowned, “This won’t do and neither would that. Are we just going to not use this top cultivation method?”

The Sword Emperor smiled, “Only a fool would do that. It all depends whether you are willing to give up your status.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like I said, we need solitude for this art, with only us knowing about it. Even from each other. Everyone is aware of our little tricks. We part today, never to contact each other again, so that we don’t frame each other and ruin ourselves.”

They all raised an eyebrow, nodding, “Alright, then what about materials?”

“We’re Eight Emperors with large domains. We can just take from all of them.”

“All of them?”

The Enchanting Empress shook, “With so many people missing, it will catch the attention of the Sacred Mountains.”

The Sword Emperor sneered, “This is what I want to warn you about. Do you have the gall to abandon your status as one of the Eight Emperors?”

“What?”

“Yes, there will be widespread panic as people go missing en masse. It’s impossible for us to remain as the Eight Emperors. Losing the public’s support, you will never be obeyed even with superior strength. Who in the world will stick to a man-eating devil?”

The Sword Emperor’s eyes shone with malice, laughing, “It’s not pleasant, I know, but we need to become devils to train in this script. Be it righteousness or demonic, we all seek the path to the Sovereign Stage, the great Dao. A few millions should be enough. Once we step on the Sovereign Stage, what need do we have of being the Eight Emperors? We can even disregard the Sacred Mountains. The Sacred Domain will be ours.”

The Sword Emperor painted a pretty and enticing picture.

The others’ gazes turned savage as well, nodding.

They thus made copies of it and each went to their sects without looking back.

Like they said, the Eight Emperors were now no more, but soon they would be the Five Sovereigns. They would meet next only as the rulers of the world, ha-ha-ha…

Whoosh~

Zhuo Fan appeared where Zhao Chen disintegrated, grinning.

“Fool, the geezers bought it. They will soon join you. The five thousand years long grudge is coming to a close, ha-ha-ha…”

He then vanished as well.

A month later, on the renovated Devil Mountain, Li Jingtian rushed to Zhuo Fan with a smile, “Steward Zhuo, it’s just as you said. Those five Emperors’ domains are in a panic. Scores of people are missing overnight. Everything is in chaos. The Ruby Cloud Sect and the other sects have closed off from the mortal affairs. No one could get an audience with any of the Eight Emperors. They are headless and panicking, he-he-he.”

“They learned from Zhao Chen and think the best way to train is by running away. Now that the leaders are gone, we can take all of their lands.”

Zhuo Fan ordered, “Elder Li, go! Ready the men, uh, wait there’s no war. Just go take over. The Luo clan is more than experienced in dealing with local thugs.”

Li Jingtian slapped his chest in confidence, “Steward Zhuo, In one, no, half a month, we’ll give you all of the Eight Emperors’ lands. Once the dragons are ready, we’ll be on equal footing with the SacredMountains, he-he-he.”

Zhuo Fan nodded.

Qiu Yanhai flashed before the two.

“Old Qiu, what’s wrong?” Li Jingtian patted his shoulder.

Qiu Yanhai rolled his eyes, bowing to Zhuo Fan and reporting, “Steward Zhuo, there are three youths from the Sacred Mountains demanding an audience. They’re waiting for the Luo clan.”

“Three?”

Zhuo Fan asked, “What stage?”

“Peak Emperors.”

“Oh, they must be here to replace some of the Eight Emperors.” Zhuo Fan guessed, “The Sacred Mountains are worried they can’t restrain the mortals so they sent three of them from the start. With the Gambling Emperor and Falcon Emperor dead, two spots are vacant. The Demonic Emperor is gone, but no one knows it, while the five remaining Emperors will never come out. That leaves youths taking over the positions.”

“Humph, we finally got the old fools to shirk their status and now the Sacred Mountains came to spoil it. I’ll go take their heads!”

Li Jingtian raged and stomped, but Zhuo Fan stopped him, “Elder Li, it’s fine. They’re nothing but ignorant whelps. A few words from me and they will be in my control. Killing them will ruin things instead.”

“Uh, really?”

Li Jingtian blinked, “But Steward Zhuo, those superior Sacred Mountains young masters are so obnoxious in their arrogance. They don’t know anything about our world, yet they plan on ruling us. They won’t just give their lands to us. Won’t it be hard?”

“Hard? No such thing. It’s like taking candy from a baby, ha-ha-ha…”

Zhuo Fan laughed, “You said it yourself, they don’t know anything and act arrogant. Then we will stroke their egos, giving them a little something. While the true power will be with the Luo clan, which is seasoned in handling the lands.”

The three raised an eyebrow then cracked up…

Zhuo Fan went to the Luo clan with Qiu Yanhai to see the young masters.

Entering the main hall, they saw two youths taking the main seats and grimacing at each sip of tea. Another sat below, dangling his legs in boredom.

[Entitled pricks at their finest. They take the main seat in another’s house and ignore everyone.]

Zhuo Fan restrained a smile, bowing, “Oh, guests from the Sacred Mountains, forgive my delay!”

“Do you have any idea how long we’ve waited? You’re too damn slow!” The youth in the main seat sneered.

Zhuo Fan nodded, “It’s my mistake. It is my fault for being born with only two legs and unable to greet you on time.”

“Ha-ha-ha, elder brother, hear that? Can you imagine a person with four legs? That was hilarious!”

The man in the main seat cracked up with the others joining him.

The tense mood was gone in a blink.

Luo Yunchang and the girls listened in from outside and giggled, “The Sacred Mountains sent paupers for the Eight Emperors. Zhuo Fan was clearly sarcastic, yet they laughed. The scorn flew right over them.”

“By sending these fools to be Eight Emperors, the Sacred Mountains show their utter disregard for human lives beneath their feet. And they expect them to control the Sacred Domain?” Murong Xue lamented over the people’s fate, being at the mercy of fools…