It was the sixth day of the first month of the year. In Mt. Dao Excellence outside the northern Wei Kingdom's capital, there was a large number of troops stationed perennially. Be it royalty or nobility, no one would dare act heedlessly at Mt. Dao Excellence.
And at that moment, a black-robed middle-aged man was having a stroll up the staircase from the foot of Mt. Dao Excellence. The guards of Mt. Dao Excellence greeted him respectfully.
"Sect Master."
"Sect Master."
All of them were extremely polite.
The middle-aged man was the sect master of the number one sect in the world, Red Lotus Fiend Sect. He was Xiahou Lie, ranked third on the Heaven roll.
Xiahou Lie could obviously fly but he was piously taking one step after another. He walked from the foot of the mountain to its summit. The summit was rather cold and desolate. There was only wild grass and gravel, as well as a tiny compound in the distance. The compound had a wooden hut, surrounded by a wooden fence. There were no guards there.
On the summit, Xiahou Lie stood outside the compound and said politely, "Grandfather."
"Lie'er, come on in." An old voice sounded.
Only then did Xiahou Lie push open the wooden door into the tiny yard. He saw the door to the wooden hut open automatically. Sitting cross-legged inside was a silver-haired elder. He opened his eyes, looking at Xiahou Lie through his disheveled hair. Despite the simplicity of the action, Xiahou Lie could not help but feel stifled. The entire yard carried an air of sabers at his throat. It left him afraid.
The silver-haired elder in front of him filled him with adulation and admiration.
"Grandfather." Xiahou Lie was extremely respectful.
The elder in front of him was ranked first on the God roll—Fiendlord Xiahou Zhen!
He was the strongest person in the world! He founded the Red Lotus Fiend Sect and single handedly turned the sect into the best sect in the world. He even established the Wei Kingdom, strengthening it over time.
"The Chu Kingdom has always had deep roots. God of War Li Ruji was nurtured from a young age and he was extremely talented. He eventually reached first on the God roll. As for my grandfather, he led a poor life in his youth. He only began cultivating at thirty years of age. He lacked money, so he stole it! He lacked natural treasures, so he stole them too! He lacked powerful manuals, so he stole those! He domineered and swept through the land. He managed to grasp the essence of the various manuals and the sect he established eventually became the best in the world. He even surpassed Li Ruji, becoming first on the God roll! If not for Li Ruji's powerful body, he would have been cleaved to death by Grandfather long ago. My Wei Kingdom is growing in strength and it won't be long before we will destroy the Chu and Yan Kingdoms. The world will be unified!" Xiahou Lie was extremely reverential to his grandfather.
Because of his grandfather, the Xiahou lineage shined.
His grandfather made all the sects of the world tremble. Many experts dreaded him and gave him the name Fiendlord.
"Lie'er, what might be the reason you came here?" The dreadful Fiendlord Xiahou Zhen was smiling.
"Grandfather, Taishu Chen was ordered to head to Chu Kingdom but on the night of the twenty-sixth last month, the night in which the late King Chu passed away, there was a covert battle for the throne in Sovereign Capital. However, Taishu Chen vanished that night," Xiahou Lie said immediately. "Men in Sovereign Capital have done their best to search for him but he is nowhere to be found! The only thing we can confirm is that, not far from Taishu Chen's residence, there was a scuffle. The surrounding yard walls cracked and crumbled from the scuffle. This is the only thing discovered, what appears to be Taishu Chen's battleground."
"Vanished? On the twenty-sixth last month?" The silver-haired elder frowned and said. "It's already the sixth. It's been about ten days!"
"Yes, it's been ten days. If he's alive, we haven't seen him. If he's dead, there's no corpse." Xiahou Lie said worriedly. "Grandfather, could it be that Taishu Chen is really dead?"
"He must be dead." The silver-haired elder nodded slightly.
Xiahou Lie was also feeling vexed and anxious.
A mighty expert like Taishu Chen was a powerhouse of their Wei Kingdom. The loss of him pained Xiahou Lie's heart.
He already suspected that Taishu Chen might be dead but he could not help but consult his grandfather.
"Interesting." The silver-haired elder suddenly smiled. "Taishu Chen created 'Skyhawk Nine Swoops,' a flying technique that is great for escaping. Even if Li Ruji himself were to take action, there is only a ten to twenty percent chance of him being able to stop Taishu Chen from fleeing. According to my original calculations, even if he were to die under Li Ruji's hand, Taishu Chen would be able to struggle with all his might, inflicting damage to the surrounding area. With Sovereign Capital being so densely packed, the collateral damage would spread up to a kilometer, causing countless deaths. Such news would absolutely be known to all. Lie'er, are you telling me that all we know is that there was a scuffle not far from Taishu Chen's residence?"
"Yes. The scuffle did not result in a great commotion. Nor did it affect the residents," replied Xiahou Lie.
"Interesting. Very interesting," said the silver-haired elder with a smile. "From the looks of it, Li Ruji has made another breakthrough in strength. It far exceeds my expectations. That is the only way he could rapidly kill Taishu Chen without causing a commotion."
"Li Ruji's strength has improved that tremendously?" Xiahou Lie was alarmed. "Grandfather, is… is that true?"
"For Taishu Chen to disappear for no apparent reason at such a critical juncture, he is either dead or captured alive," said the silver-haired elder with a smile. "The residents around were not implicated and there was no message left behind. Therefore, he must have been killed quickly with no means to retaliate. Hahaha… for Li Ruji's strength to improve so tremendously before my death, it's truly a joyous matter. A joyous matter!"
"Joyous matter?" Xiahou Lie's expression turned a little awkward.
However, the silver-haired elder's eyes flashed with a burning glint.
"I have cultivated for more than four hundred years. My end is coming soon." The silver-haired elder looked at the distant mountains and sky, as well as the distant Wei Kingdom's capital which he could see at a glance. "I have defeated everyone in the God roll one after another. I am invincible; yet, I'm unable to shatter the void and ascend as the legends speak of. I'm unwilling to accept it. Truly unwilling."
"I really wish to shatter the void and see what lies beyond those limits. I want to see where I would ascend to after my ascension."
"It is truly a joyous matter that Li Ruji's strength has increased tremendously. I have finally found a match!"
"A powerful opponent might allow me to finally shatter the void and ascend before my end comes."
The silver-haired elder's eyes were burning. "When I master the 'Ancient Black Fiendbody,' I can go to Sovereign Capital. There, I will battle Li Ruji! When the time comes, I would also have cultivated a body formulation, allowing me to have a good fight with him. One of us will live and one of us will die."
"Grandfather, your strength is far above Li Ruji's. He only managed to survive your previous encounter because of his body," said Xiahou Lie immediately.
"If his strength has improved tremendously, he should be a threat to me," said the silver-haired elder. "If there's no threat, hmph! My mastering of the Ancient Black Fiendbody will correct my previous flawas. I'll be able to kill him in passing!"
Xiahou Lie also began to anticipate it. "Grandfather, when will you master the Ancient Black Fiendbody?"
"It won't take long," answered the silver-haired elder. "I will definitely master it in a few years."
"Once Li Ruji is dead, the Chu Kingdom's demise will soon follow." Xiahou Lie turned excited.
"Li Ruji…" The silver-haired elder's eyes were filled with anticipation. "I hope you will not disappoint me when the time comes!"
During the afternoon on the sixth day of the first month of the year in Sovereign Capital.
A carriage surrounded by numerous guards arrived outside Qin Yun's manor.
"Halt." The Zhou Mountain Sword Sect disciples at the entrance immediately stopped them.
"What insolence!" The guards beside the carriage bellowed immediately.
The horse carriage came to a halt.
The carriage's curtains pulled open. Inside was a yellow-robed man. He smiled at the Zhou Mountain Sword Sect disciple and instructed, "Tell your Elder Meng that Li Cheng is here to meet him."
"Li Cheng?" The two Zhou Mountain Sword Sect disciples were perplexed.
Who was he? They had never heard of him.
Their Elder was not someone anyone could meet.
"Are you blind? He is our Chu Kingdom's Son of Heaven." An old eunuch stared at them and reproached them.
"The Chu Kingdom's Son of Heaven?"
The two disciples jumped in fright. Seriously? However, it was unlikely anyone would dare to come to their Elder's manor pretending to be King Chu.
"I'll pass the message." A disciple immediately rushed into the manor.
Inside the manor.
"Why are you panicking?" Dong Wan could not help but berate him when he saw the disciple running so quickly.
"Uncle-Master, King Chu is here," said the disciple immediately. "He's outside. Apparently, he wants to meet Elder Meng."
"King Chu?" Dong Wan was alarmed. "His Majesty did not enter directly?"
As the king of the Chu Kingdom, if he were to head to any household, the owner of that household would likely have been awaiting his arrival! Why would he only pass the message after he arrived?