Library of Heaven’s Path

Sovereign Chen Xing had always taken a neutral position, choosing to side with no one. However, this time, he had paired up with Sovereign Chen Ling in order to assassinate Sovereign Chen Yong. This had already infringed on Sovereign Chen Yong’s bottom line.

His original intention had been to deal with Sovereign Chen Ling first before confronting Sovereign Chen Xing, but the abrupt turn of events had made it impossible for his initial plans to come to fruition. Yet, who would have thought that Sovereign Chen Xing would suddenly arrive just when everything was starting to settle down?

Just as everyone was eyeing Sovereign Chen Xing warily, fearing that he would start something, Sovereign Chen Xing suddenly kneeled onto the floor and cried out, “I have come to make up for my sins, Sovereign Chen Yong. This is the lower body of Sovereign Vicious. I gathered it as an apology for my earlier foolishness!”

With a flick of his wrist, two skeletal legs materialized in front of Sovereign Chen Xing. They emanated incredibly powerful auras.

They were the two feet of Vicious.

To think that they had actually been in Sovereign Chen Xing’s possession all along!

“Defecting as soon as you see that things aren’t going your way? How convenient!” Ancient Sage Allfire scoffed derisively.

He had always had a fiery temper, and he could not stand seeing prideless individuals who switched sides conveniently to latch onto whoever was more powerful.

Despite Ancient Sage Allfire’s ridicule, Sovereign Chen Xing’s head remained firmly lowered as he echoed his words once more. “I’m willing to accept any punishment that you have for me, Sovereign Chen Yong!”

Given that he was still severely injured from the surprise assault that Sovereign Chen Yong had launched on him back at the Temple of Confucius, the loss of his ally, Sovereign Chen Ling, was a huge blow to him.

Furthermore, he knew that he was the next target on the hit list. Even if Sovereign Chen Yong died at that moment, his successor and allies would make sure to hunt him down to exact vengeance.

“Even with the huge commotion going on in the capital, you remained safely out of sight. You were waiting for the result of the battle in order to find out who you should be sucking up to next, weren’t you?” Zhang Xuan remarked with a hint of disdain in his voice.

The fight that had transpired earlier had rattled the entire capital. As one of the three Sovereigns, there was no way that Sovereign Chen Xing would have been unaware of the happenings.

Yet, he had chosen not to appear until the very end, when Sovereign Chen Ling was dead through and through. Very clearly, he had only ever intended to appear once everything had died down.

If Sovereign Chen Ling had been the one to survive, most likely, he would have run over with the exact same treasure in order to beg for mercy.

“I have always been the weakest of the Three Sovereigns. This is the only way that I can ensure the survival of my lineage!” Sovereign Chen Xing replied with his head lowered.

Sovereign Chen Yong shook his head silently. He turned to Liu Yang and asked, “How do you think he should be dealt with?”

Such a question could be said to be a test to assess the capability of his successor.

“He colluded with Sovereign Chen Ling to assassinate you, Your Majesty. That is a blatant violation of the rules that have upheld the peace among our Spirit Tribe for many years. Even if you are willing to forgive him, Your Majesty, the fact that he has placed the safety of our entire tribe at stake warrants punishment. We cannot allow such a thing to pass by so easily!” Liu Yang shook his head. “Otherwise, this incident will diminish the legitimacy of our rules and encourage others to follow his behavior. My view is that we should have him killed, just like Sovereign Chen Ling!”

Rules were mere words. What gave power and legitimacy to the rules was their enforcement.

Each time a rule failed to be enforced, the legitimacy behind it would be diminished. Without rules to hold the masses in place, how were the Sovereigns going to establish their dominance over the entire Spirit Tribe?

Some might even attempt to question the legitimacy of the Three Sovereigns’ rule!

Not expecting that things would turn out this way even after he had offered Vicious’ lower body, Sovereign Chen Xing’s face paled in fear. “Sovereign Chen Yong, I beg you to spare my life… I was beguiled by Sovereign Chen Ling…”

“As a Blood Reincarnation realm cultivator and one of the Three Sovereigns, do you truly expect me to believe that you were beguiled by another?” Liu Yang spat contemptuously. “Do you think that the world will accept such a reason?”

As one of the Three Sovereigns, how could Sovereign Chen Xing be shaken by another person so easily?

If that was truly the case, the many years that he had spent cultivating would have been in vain!

Ultimately, all he gave were mere excuses.

The situation was very simple. Sovereign Chen Ling had invited him to make a move, and he had been attracted by the potential benefits that he stood to gain should the operation succeed. After all, if Sovereign Chen Yong die, he would be able to acquire a portion of the authority and resources that Sovereign Chen Yong possessed.

It was just that he had bet on the wrong side and lost, thus resulting in the current circumstances.

“I’ll abide by the will of the new Sovereign Chen Yong,” Sovereign Chen Yong said as he heaved a sigh of relief. He was gladdened by the fact that his successor was not an indecisive individual.

All along, he had been worried about the repercussions of quelling Sovereign Chen Ling and Sovereign Chen Xing, so he had opted to get along with them peacefully, despite being vaguely aware of the malicious intentions that they were likely to harbor toward him. Had he been more decisive in dealing with Sovereign Chen Ling and Sovereign Chen Xing, none of this would have happened in the first place.

Knowing that his successor was unlikely to follow in his footsteps comforted him greatly.

Liu Yang nodded and turned to Ancient Sage Mo Ling and Ancient Sage Allfire. “May I trouble the two of you to make a move in my stead? I’ll repay this favor in the future!”

Boom!

Seeing that the verdict had been made, Sovereign Chen Xing decisively turned tail and ran.

Before he could get very far, a massive inferno descended from the sky, blocking his path, and right behind him, Ancient Sage Mo Ling and Ancient Sage Allfire were hot on his tail.

It took less than ten minutes for the two experts to slay Sovereign Chen Xing.

In the first place, Sovereign Chen Xing was the weakest of the Three Sovereigns, and he had yet to recover from the injuries that he had sustained at the Temple of Confucius. There was no way that he could have stood a chance against the collaboration of the two powerful Blood Reincarnation realm Ancient Sages.

“Young Master…” Seeing that the problem concerning Sovereign Chen Xing had finally been resolved, Sovereign Chen Yong finally turned his gaze to Zhang Xuan. “I’ll have Yang Liu lead the tribesmen toward a peaceful coexistence with mankind. I implore you to show mercy to my tribesmen…”

In truth, what he was most worried about was not the other two Sovereigns but Zhang Xuan.

Given the rate at which Zhang Xuan was growing, he was bound to become another Kong shi in due course. By then, the Spirit Tribe would be completely helpless toward him.

If he willed it, the Spirit Tribe could disappear from history.

Perhaps, Zhang Xuan might still spare the Spirit Tribe while Sovereign Chen Yong was still alive in view of the ties between them. However, once he was gone, there would be nothing left to stop Zhang Xuan from making a move on the Spirit Tribe.

Furthermore, the successor that he had chosen was simply too weak. If Zhang Xuan bore malicious intentions toward him, it would really be the end.

Thus, as long as Zhang Xuan was around, the Spirit Tribe would have to lie low.

The fact that the fate of the entire Spirit Tribe could be dictated by the will of a single man left Sovereign Chen Yong feeling deeply helpless and indignant, but it was impossible to change the situation. No matter how he felt about the issue, he knew that he had no choice but to accept the current situation.

“Rest assured, I don’t intend to make a move on the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe as long as your tribesmen keep themselves in line,” Zhang Xuan said.

To be honest, Zhang Xuan had already achieved his goal of resolving the threat of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe once and for all.

Due to his impartation, Little Tribulation had become a frightening adversity for the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. It could be foreseen that the number of Saint 9-dan experts in their ranks would become fewer and fewer, and before long, they would no longer pose a threat to mankind.

Not to mention, the newly-appointed Sovereign Chen Yong was his own student! With this, he would be able to dictate the politics of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and swiftly quell any factions who wished to bring harm to mankind.

Since the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was no longer a threat, there was no need to go to the extremes. Instead, their existence would prevent mankind from becoming too complacent and falling into depravity, thus ensuring the continued prosperity of mankind.

“Thank you, Young Master!” Knowing that Zhang Xuan would hold true to his promise, Sovereign Chen Yong heaved a sigh of relief. He quickly turned to his successor and said, “Hurry up and thank the young master for his benevolence!”

Liu Yang quickly kneeled down. “Thank you, Zhang shi!”

“Enough. There’s no need to employ such means on me—I won’t renege on the promises that I’ve made. Now, tell me, how can I contact Ruoxin?” Zhang Xuan asked.

Since the matter regarding the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had finally been resolved, it was time for him to deal with his private affairs.

“If you wish to contact the Spirit God, you have to set up an altar on Thousandleaf Mountain,” Sovereign Chen Yong explained.

“Thousandleaf Mountain?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

He had heard of that mountain the first time that he went to the otherworldly battlefield. It was the tallest mountain over there, piercing tens of thousands of meters into the sky.

“Indeed. This mountain is closest to the heavens, so it’s easier to reach the deities by holding rituals there,” Sovereign Chen Yong explained. “Yang Liu, I’ve already imparted the way to conduct the ritual to you. Take the young master there with me. I’ll preside over the ritual.”

“Alright!” Liu Yang nodded. He turned to the side to issue some instructions to a nearby Sempiternal realm cultivator before picking Sovereign Chen Yong up. After which, he turned to Zhang Xuan and ushered him respectfully. “This way please!”

“Un!”

Just like that, the group began setting off under Liu Yang’s lead.

Ancient Sage Mo Ling and Ancient Sage Allfire hesitated for a brief moment before choosing to follow along.