library of heavens chapter 1227 - 1231 / number zero edited scripted

 Chapter 1227: - rohan's Crisis (2)


“It’s like this. The emperor of the rosaat Empire,  sultan, wishes to reconcile with vipin, so he has specially paid a visit to the Combat Master Hall in hopes of making amends. However, vipin happens to be in seclusion at the moment, so it is not convenient for him to meet him. Thus, he hopes to meet you instead,” the combat master said. “He wants to meet me? Tell him that I’m not free!” rohan waved his hand impatiently. 


What he was lacking the most at the moment was time, and he did not want to waste a single second of it. “young master harsh chandela, you cannot simply spend every single second of your life cultivating. You need to relax and wind down from time to time. Even though His Majesty did have a disagreement with vipin in the past, he seems to be earnestly seeking reconciliation this time around. Why don’t you meet him and foster some goodwill with him? 


No matter what, he’s still the emperor of the rosaat Empire. If his attempts at reconciliation fall through, he could possibly resort to underhanded tricks to deal with vipin, and that would only cause vipin more trouble!” the combat master advised. “This… Alright then!” After a moment of hesitation, rohan eventually nodded. 


While the other six of his peers were busy bringing glory to his teacher’s name, he was the only one who was still leeching off their teacher, using his teacher’s cultivation resources. If he added to his teacher’s trouble on top of that, what rights would he have to continue remaining as vipin’s student? Thus, he quickly washed up and switched into a fresh set of clothes before following that combat master to the main hall. Upon seeing rohan,  sultan quickly walked over to welcome him with a bright smile, completely devoid of the airs of an emperor. 


“You must be brother rohan, I have long heard of your name! To be qualified to become vipin’s direct disciple, you must be a man of great talent!” Slightly taken aback by  sultan’s abrupt intimacy, rohan awkwardly replied, “Your Majesty, you’re flattering me…” “Not at all, not at all! There isn’t any point beating around the bush before someone as smart as you, so I’ll just straight to the point. 


As you know, I had a conflict with vipin previously over raja bhadra, so I earnestly wish to make amends and heal the rift between us.” At this point,  sultan raised his hand, and a guard standing behind him walked over and passed a jade container to him. “This is a gift that I have specially prepared for vipin as a token of my sincerity. I hope that you won’t turn down my goodwill!” Glancing at the jade container in his hand, rohan frowned. He slowly pried it open, and a gush of concentrated spiritual energy immediately burst forth from the container. 


Concentrated high-tier spirit stones, five of them! rohan widened his eyes in astonishment. “This…” He knew that his teacher urgently required concentrated high-tier spirit stones, so if he could help his teacher secure these five concentrated hightier spirit stones, he would be doing his teacher a great favor! Noticing rohan’s expression,  sultan’s smile brightened. “brother rohan, aside from the gift for vipin, I have also prepared a present for you, too.” 


He raised his hand once more, and another guard swiftly walked forward and grandly presented another jade container. “I know that brother rohan possesses exceptional talent in fist arts, so I specially paid a visit to the Blacksmith Guild to have them forge a pair of knuckledusters for you! It’s a Saint low-tier weapon, and I believe it should be fitting for you.” As  sultan spoke, the guard opened the jade container. 


Jiya! A powerful aura emanated from the jade container. Lowering his gaze, rohan saw a pair of beautifully-crafted knuckledusters. A brilliant gleam was reflected off them, and one could feel the powerful aura of a Saint low-tier weapon. “This…” rohan’s voice went hoarse, and his body could not help but stiffen in astonishment. To be honest, he had wanted a pair of knuckledusters for some time in order to augment his fist arts. 


However, his teacher had been too busy recently, and he could not bring himself to trouble his teacher at such a moment. As such, he could not hold back his agitation upon seeing  sultan’s gift. rohan hesitated for a brief moment before replying, “I appreciate your goodwill, but I can’t accept these valuable gifts from you.” “brother rohan, there’s no need to hold yourself back. 


It’s my fortune to be acquainted with you, and I hope that these gifts can serve as a token of our friendship for the many years to come. So, I hope that you won’t turn down my goodwill!”  sultan urged with an earnest smile. “I see… Since that’s the case, I’ll humbly accept your gifts. I’ll also relay your goodwill to my teacher.” rohan took the knuckledusters from the jade container and put them on. 


They happened to fit him perfectly. The more he looked at them, the more he found himself liking them. As these knuckledusters had just been forged, they did not have any spirit in them yet. As such, he could use them immediately without having to win the acknowledgement of a weapon spirit. “There’s no need to stand on ceremony,”  sultan replied graciously. 


“Right, that reminds me. There is going to be a family banquet in the royal palace tonight. My younger daughters have long heard of your name, and they have been pestering me for an opportunity to meet you. If it isn’t too much trouble, I would like to invite you to join us in the banquet!” “This…” A hesitant frown emerged on rohan’s forehead. “Since it’s a family banquet, it wouldn’t be good for an outsider like me to join in the commotion…” “It’s fine, it’s fine! 


It isn’t easy for two people to meet in this massive world, and I have already long considered you my brother, so there’s no need to be so formal with me! Actually, I intended to invite vipin over as well, but it’s a pity that vipin is currently in seclusion. brother rohan, it’ll truly be an honor for our rosaat royal family if you would join our family banquet!”  sultan said. “I thank you for your high opinion, but I need to cultivate,” rohan replied. “brother rohan, I know that you are a diligent individual, and I admire your perseverance as well. 


However, you need to take a rest from time to time and recharge yourself! Also, I actually do have a small request to make of brother rohan during the banquet. My sons have been getting rather lazy recently, and that has been a huge headache for me.


 So, I hope that you can teach them a lesson and make them understand that there’s a world far greater than the one that they see, and that they shouldn’t get complacent with what they have!” “This…” rohan was conflicted for a moment before eventually nodding. “Alright then.” No matter what, the other party did give him a new pair of knuckledusters, so it was only right for him to return the favor. 


Furthermore, this was an opportunity for him to further his teacher’s reputation. With these thoughts in mind, his hesitation in accepting  sultan’s invitation was alleviated. All six of his departed seniors and juniors were all outstanding individuals, bound for great heights in the future. Living under their shadows, he had been under extreme pressure in recent days. He strongly craved for a chance to prove himself as well, and this family banquet was the perfect opportunity for him to do so. 


Seeing that rohan had made up his mind, Division Head dasharat decided not to say anything else. In any case, he did not think that any harm would come to rohan under  sultan’s care. Before long, the duo was already well on their way to the royal palace. By the time they arrived at the royal palace, the family banquet had already started. Countless princes and princesses walked in and out the area, chatting harmoniously with one another. 


As expected of the princesses of a Conferred Empire, they were all outstanding beauties. Sitting among them, rohan could not help but feel his heart beating in nervousness. While their beauty was nowhere on par with renu, roma, and the others, it was still inevitable that a seventeen-year-old young man like him would find it hard to keep his cool before their charming smiles and alluring gestures. At this moment, a young man walked over and greeted him. 


“harsh chandela…” “You are…” rohan frowned. From the other party’s dress-up, he could tell that the young man was a prince as well. However, his standing within the royal family did not seem to be particularly high, especially considering how  sultan neglected to introduce him. “I am yash, the 77th Prince of the rosaat Empire,” the young man replied with a bitter smile. “I have met vipin on two separate occasions, so we can be considered acquaintances of one another.” 


If vipin was there, he would have recognized the other party as none other than the young man he had met at the entrance of the Terpsichore Guild and Blacksmith Guild, yash! Who knew that he was actually a prince of the rosaat Empire? However, this also explained how he could afford to pay a concentrated high-tier spirit stone for an Exclusive Dance from aakansha Yan. “A friend of my teacher? Pardon my rudeness. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” rohan quickly got to his feet and clasped his fist. 


“There’s no need to be so polite,” yash replied with a smile. The duo chatted for a while. In between their conversation, a few princesses dropped by and offered him a drink. Drunk on the atmosphere, rohan delightfully accepted their toast and drunk a fair bit. Before long, he found his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, and with a clumsy stagger, he collapsed to the ground.


 yash hurriedly rushed up to check on rohan, but at this moment,  sultan suddenly appeared. With a sharp glint in his eyes, he bellowed, “Men, lock him in the underground prison and make sure to seal off all news about this matter!” “Yes!” A couple of guards quickly stepped forward to bind the unconscious rohan before dragging him away. Astonished by the sudden turn of events, yash asked, “Father, what is going on?” “This is none of your business!”  sultan waved his hand impatiently. 


“But… he’s vipin’s student! vipin is a genius who has succeeded in crashing our rosaat Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, and to apprehend his student like this…” yash exclaimed anxiously, only to be interjected halfway through his words. “Enough! Who do you think you are as to lecture me? If you dare speak another word of this matter, don’t blame me for being heartless!” Paying no heed to yash’s advice,  sultan walked away with a livid look on his face. 


As the 77th Prince who had come from one of the many concubines in the royal palace, yash’s standing was not high. In order to gain his father’s favor, he had worked diligently, successfully became a 7-star blacksmith, and advanced his cultivation to Embryonic Soul realm despite his young age… He had thought that he could win the respect of others through his hard work, but who knew that he would only end up being poisoned by others as well, resulting in the impairment of his soul?


 It was then that he realized that there was no such thing as kinship within the royal family. There were only relationships of convenience. Thus, he fell into degeneracy, frequenting brothels to comfort himself in the intimate embrace of women. It might have appeared as if he had given up on himself, but it was actually all a ruse. If he had not put up a useless front, the other princes who were vying for power would have viewed him as a threat and gotten rid of him. 


Furthermore, he had realized that his father was not oblivious to the viciousness of his fellow brothers, choosing only to turn a blind eye to them. This had caused the final shred of expectations he had from kinship to freeze over like a winter’s river. He had thought that his acquaintance with vipin might be able to change his father’s low opinion of him, but who would have thought that his father would actually capture the latter’s direct disciple! Having met vipin twice, yash knew how protective the young man was of those around him.


 If something really happened to rohan, that young man could very well turn the entire rosaat into a living hell! This won’t do! I must inform vipin of this matter this instant… If there is any misunderstanding between Father and him, they should hash it out before things get out of control… yash clenched his fists tightly and made up his mind. 


He had witnessed the incredible prowess that vipin possessed with his own eyes, and he instinctively knew that the latter was the type of person that one should never make an enemy of. He had no idea why his father had chosen to capture rohan, but from the looks of it, it seemed like there was nothing he could say that would change his father’s mind. Since that was the case, he could only deal with this matter from vipin’s side, and hopefully, it still would not be too late to resolve the conflict between them peacefully. 


Thus, yash discreetly took his leave from the banquet and returned to his accommodation. He swiftly changed his clothes before sneaking out of the royal palace to rush to the Combat Master Hall. A combat master stood in yash’s way and asked, “Who are you looking for?” “I am vipin’s acquaintance, and I have some urgent matters for him!” yash replied anxiously as he passed a name scroll over. “You are vipin’s acquaintance? Give me a moment.” Noting the anxious look on yash’s face and hearing that this was a matter relating to vipin, the combat master did not dare to waste any time. 


He quickly took the name scroll and headed in. Not too long later, the combat master returned with a fatty behind him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, yash. I am mohan, vipin’s butler. May I know the reason behind your visit?” mohan greeted with a warm smile. Noting that the person who had come out was not vipin, yash panicked. 


“Pardon me, Butler Sun, but I really do have an urgent matter that I need to report to vipin about, so I must trouble you to inform him of my visit…” “yash, our young master is currently in seclusion, so I fear that it’ll be inconvenient to interrupt him at this crucial juncture,” mohan replied with a conflicted frown. “If you really do have an urgent matter for our young master, you can feel free to inform me. 


I’ll have it relayed to our young master as soon as he’s out of his seclusion!” “This…” Hearing mohan’s words, yash hesitated for a moment. From the looks of it, it seemed like he would not be able to meet vipin immediately, so he swiftly set up an isolation barrier and said, “To be honest with you, vipin’s direct disciple, rohan, has been captured by my father…” “Young Master rohan has been captured?” 


mohan was taken aback for a moment before his eyes slowly narrowed menacingly.


 ------oOo------


 Chapter 1228: - Castrate That Emperor (1)


Others might not have been aware of the sentiments that vipin had for his students, but having followed him since Tianxuan Kingdom, mohan could not have understood any clearer. For aakash, he single-handedly faced an entire Conferred Kingdom. For renu and roma, he was willing to threaten the powers that had taken them away. For vani, he was willing to put himself in danger. 


It could be said that for his students, there was nothing that he would not do! If something really happened to rohan, he could already foresee vipin charging straight into the rosaat royal palace and wreaking havoc, not resting until he turned the entire place upside down! “What should I do?” mohan frowned in anxiety. Although it was said that vipin was in seclusion, mohan knew that he had gone somewhere very far away, and it would be difficult for him to return any time soon. 


If mohan allowed anything to happen to rohan during this period, there was no way vipin would ever forgive him! After asking for the details of the matter, mohan clasped his fist and bade farewell. “yash, thank you for your notice. I am deeply grateful to you for your tip. I’ll report this matter to our Young Master this instant!” After which, he turned around and left. Not too long later, he arrived at Division Head dasharat’s residence.


 “… That is the entire matter.” mohan swiftly filled Division Head dasharat on the happenings before requesting, “Division Head dasharat, I hope that you can dispatch some men to follow me to the royal palace to save Young Master rohan!” “You want to march to the royal palace to save harsh chandela?” Division Head dasharat frowned. “This is no light matter. This is a matter that concerns the relationship among the Combat Master Hall, Master Teacher Pavilion, and the regional monarchy.


 While I can dispatch some combat masters to demand for harsh chandela’s release, such an action could easily escalate the conflict! It’ll be safer if we report this matter to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters and have them mediate for us!” “Report it to the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters?” A deep frown emerged between mohan’s brows. At this point, they did not even know what condition rohan was in. 


A single day delayed meant an additional day of danger for the latter! If they were to settle this matter through bureaucracy, who could guarantee that rohan would still be alive by the time any concrete action was taken? At this point, mohan could not help but recall the torture he had been put through by raja bhadra, and an involuntary shudder ran through his body. 


“Combat masters are effectively the soldiers of the Master Teacher Pavilion, so there’s a strict regimentation that we have to follow. In order to mobilize our men, we will need a decree from the hall master himself! I apologize, but there is really nothing I can do about this matter. However, there should be no cause for worry. No matter what, harsh chandela is vipin’s student, so  sultan should not go too far,” Division Head dasharat consoled. It was not that he did not want to help mohan, but the potential consequences that could arise from dispatching combat masters to confront the regional monarchy were simply too great. 


A division head like him was not qualified to bear the responsibility of the outcome. If Hall Master jagdish had been around, he might have been qualified to make such a call. However, as luck would have it, Hall Master jagdish was not around either. If matters were to go awry, putting aside his position as a division head, he might even be stripped of his identity as a combat master! 


The Combat Master Hall wielded immense power, so it was of paramount importance that the utmost caution was taken in its mobilization. Otherwise, the Combat Master Hall would only be viewed as a threat by the regional power, and this would cause the leadership of the Master Teacher Pavilion to be questioned. Seeing that Division Head dasharat was reluctant to make a move, mohan’s face turned livid. 


“Since you aren’t willing to save Young Master rohan, I’ll think of a way myself!” Leaving those words behind, mohan flung his sleeves furiously and left. After leaving Division Head dasharat’s residence, he headed straight to the accommodation that the Combat Master Hall had prepared for the poison masters. “Benefactor!” Upon seeing mohan, elder manish and the others from the Poison Hall hurriedly greeted him with grateful smiles on their faces.


 If not for the middle-aged man before them, they could have been tortured to death in raja bhadra’s hands. They also would not have been able to become upstanding combat masters, able to walk in the light without being shunned by others either. The other party had not only given them a second life, he had also changed their fate as well.


 “Un. Actually, I have a matter that I require your help with.” Without any hesitation, mohan dove straight to the topic at hand. With his current strength, there was no way he could barge into the royal palace single-handedly and save rohan. Thus, he had to gather all the power he could tap into. For some inconceivable reason, these poison masters were extremely respectful to him, even going to the extent of pledging their loyalty to him again and again. 


As such, they were the first group that he thought of seeking help from. “Benefactor, feel free to speak! As long as it’s within our means, we’ll have it accomplished regardless of the cost!” the poison masters replied resoundingly without the slightest hint of hesitation in their voices. After cultivating the poison art that their founder had left for them, their cultivation had really improved by leaps and bounds. 


This was especially so for elder manish, who had recently made a breakthrough to Saint 3-dan. The improvement in his cultivation was one thing, but more importantly, his comprehension and grasp over poison had also reached greater heights. As long as he had a sufficiently potent poison in hand, he would be able to kill even a Primordial Spirit realm expert easily! “There’s no need to agree to my request so quickly. You can make your decision after listening to their story.” 


mohan was slightly surprised by the poison masters’ unhesitating response to his request, but knowing the dangers in this mission, he did not want to force them into it. “It’s like this. Young Master rohan has been captured by the emperor of rosaat Empire, so I would like to seek your help in saving him!” mohan swiftly went through everything that he had heard from yash.


 “You want us to break into the rosaat royal palace to save harsh chandela?” “That dog of an emperor! I knew that he is a snake just by seeing how adamantly he protected raja bhadra!” “To dare make a move against harsh chandela, that bastard is clearly disrespecting our great benefactor! Tell us, how do you want us to do it?” “Shall we have the entire rosaat royal palace poisoned to death? I think they at least deserve this much for their insolence!” mohan’s words induced an impassioned uproar amid the crowd from the Poison Hall. There was not a single word of refusal from them. 


Any matter concerning to their benefactor was more important than their own lives. Besides, they were not master teachers either, so rules and the sort meant very little to them. “Good!” Seeing the poison masters agreeing heartily to his request, mohan could not help but feel deeply touched inside. Ever since his first meeting with these poison masters, they had already treated him with the utmost respect. And now, they were even willing to brave such grave danger just to complete the task he had asked of them. This was probably what they call personal charisma! 


They were not even that respectful to someone as formidable as the Young Master, but they regarded him as if he was their savior. It seemed like his splendor and valiance had not gone unnoticed in the eyes of the world after all! “Let’s quickly discuss a strategy before making our move!” Seeing the authority that he wielded amid the poison masters, mohan puffed his chest up and waved his hand grandly. 


Even though they had many poison masters on their side, one must not forget that they were going up against the royal family of a Conferred Empire! It would be a gross mistake if they thought that they could achieve victory just by charging over recklessly. If they did so, they could very well be subdued before they even got to rohan. Thus, there was a need to strategize in advance. 


“Back then, when raja bhadra purged our Poison Hall, he did it in the middle of the night, when everyone was resting…” elder manish narrowed his eyes menacingly. Even though he had already decided to submit to the Combat Master Hall, that did not mean that he could forgive the rosaat Empire royal family for destroying his home and purging his kin and friends. While raja bhadra was the one who had supervised the operation, there was no way that  sultan, as the emperor of rosaat Empire, would have been oblivious to it.


 In order to mobilize the troops required to destroy their Poison Hall, raja bhadra had definitely received  sultan’s approval. As such, the poison masters were also filled with hostility against  sultan as well. In consideration of the effort their benefactor had put into giving them a fresh start, they had been planning to put their grudges aside and live their lives in peace.


 However, seeing how even the bastard emperor dared to make a move against their benefactor, they could not hold themselves back anymore. A poison master stepped forward and said, “Back then, raja bhadra gave us a lot of medicinal herbs to concoct the Scattering Breeze Powder. Making a rough calculation, we have enough to concoct ten whole tons of it! “We refused to comply by raja bhadra’s orders to concoct the Scattering Breeze Powder back then, but we still kept his medicinal herbs in our storage rings. 


In the past few days, we have been studying the new poison cultivation technique diligently, and we tried our hand at concocting the Scattering Breeze Powder as well. The results were not too bad—we have managed to concoct a fair bit of it, and it all reached Supreme grade! If you intend to break harsh chandela out of the royal palace, I think that we can use it.” “Scattering Breeze Powder? 


Supreme grade?” mohan was confused. He knew nothing about poison at all, so naturally, that name did not ring a bell with him. However, as their ‘benefactor’, how could he possibly appear ignorant before the poison masters? Thus, he asked with a frown. “How much of it do you have?” The security of a Conferred Empire royal palace was bound to be extremely tight. In order for their operation to be successful, they would need to have a massive amount of poison on hand. 


“Benefactor, you don’t have to worry about the quantity. We have almost 500 jin 1 ready,” the poison master replied with a chuckle. After learning the poison cultivation technique their founder had left for them, they had been wanting to find a way to put their newfound understanding of poison to the test. However, due to the lack of other medicinal herbs available, they could only concoct the Scattering Breeze Powder.


 As a result, they had ended up concocting a large quantity of it. “500 jin?” mohan’s lips twitched in astonishment. Even if he did not have much of an understanding of poison, he could still roughly fathom the significance of 500 jin of poison. On average, just a few grams of poison was sufficient to kill a large group of experts, so 500 jin of it… He shuddered just imagining the sheer devastation it could bring. “The Scattering Breeze Powder is colorless and odorless, and it drifts along with the wind. 


As long as we scatter it throughout the royal palace in the middle of the night, we should be able to knock out the guards and successfully rescue harsh chandela!” elder manish said. “Good, it’s settled then! We’ll move later tonight.” mohan had never been one to fear anything. Since everything was ready, there was no reason to hesitate anymore. After refining various details of their plans and confirming once more that there were no major issues, they swiftly returned to their rooms to condition themselves for the imminent operation. Very soon, it was the Zi hour 2 . 


Under mohan’s lead, the poison masters left the Combat Master Hall quietly. As the poison masters had already been taken into the Combat Master Hall, and they were moving under the lead of vipin’s butler, the sentries of the Combat Master Hall did not think much of their departure. Flitting through the night, they soon arrived at the side of the royal palace where the wind was blowing from. 


The group did encounter a few patrolling guards and sentries of the royal palace along the way, but they were all swiftly knocked out by the poison masters before they could manage to do anything. elder manish took a swift look around the area before confirming the ideal location. “Alright, let’s release the poison here. The wind isn’t strong tonight, but as long as we release the poison from a high enough altitude, we should be able to cover the entire royal palace.” 


Their goal was to deal with the rosaat royal family, and they had no intention of harming innocent civilians in the midst of their operation. Thus, they had to choose the location where they would release the poison from carefully as well. “Un.” The other poison masters also nodded in agreement as they swiftly took their positions in the air. Hu la! They scattered poison powder from their hands, and it dispersed into the night sky. The Supreme Scattering Breeze Powder drifted along with the night wind as it slowly descended upon the oblivious royal palace. While the royal palace was guarded by many formations, those were only activated in the face of an enemy assault. 


Not even the royal family of a Conferred Empire could afford to keep their defensive formations constantly activated. Not to mention, the Scattering Breeze Powder could also seep through one’s pores, making it nigh impossible to guard against. It was precisely due to the nature of this poison that the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe managed to catch the Master Teacher Pavilion and Combat Master Hall by surprise back then and lay claim to innumerable lives. 


A poison that could incapacitate even the wary Combat Master Hall, how could the sleeping royal palace possibly be able to withstand it? As the poison powder scattered further and further, the group gradually saw the guards of the royal palace losing consciousness and collapsing to the ground one after another. 


The Scattering Breeze Powder only robbed a cultivator of their fighting prowess temporarily, it would not cause any significant damage to them. While the Supreme Scattering Breeze Powder boasted a greater potency, it would only increase its effective duration by several hours. Roughly fifteen minutes later, elder manish roughly scanned the area with his Spiritual Perception before nodding. 


“They have all passed out. It’s time to strike. Let’s go get that dog of an emperor now!” “That’s right. Let’s capture and castrate that dog of an emperor first!” mohan uttered viciously as he gazed coldly upon the royal palace. 


------oOo------ 


Chapter 1229: - Castrate That Emperor (2)


Inside the royal palace… Seated behind a table,  sultan gazed down on a kneeling black-robed man and asked impassively, “How is it? Has that fellow submitted yet?” The black-robed man clasped his fist and reported, “Your Majesty, even though that brat is young, he has quite the backbone. Our brothers have attempted to use all kinds of torture to pry open his mouth, but as if a mute, he simply won’t talk!”


 “Backbone? Hah! I have seen plenty of people with backbone in my lifetime, but before me, whatever backbone they have will be shattered into smithereens!”  sultan sneered coldly. “That’s true… but Your Majesty, what do you want us to get out of him?” the black-robed man asked doubtfully.  sultan had only asked them to torture the young man to get him to talk, but he had not said exactly what he wanted to get out of the young man. Faced with such a bizarre order, he was not too sure how he should proceed. 


“You don’t have to worry about it at the moment. You just have to torture him until whatever spirit he has in him is broken so that he submits unconditionally to me. As for the rest, I’ll deal with it personally!”  sultan waved his hand casually. “Yes, Your Majesty!” The black-robed man nodded before taking his leave. As soon as the black-robed man departed from the hall, a vicious glint surfaced in  sultan’s eyes. 


As long as he could get wear down rohan’s spirit, he would be able to use the soul art that Vicious had imparted to him to take the young man’s soul hostage. By then, he would be able to do whatever he wanted! Rising from his throne, he began making his way out of the hall as well. However, soon after walking out of the entrance, he saw the black-robed man whom he had just spoken to a moment ago lying on the ground motionless, seemingly having passed out. 


“Hmm?”  sultan’s eyes widened in alarm as he began driving his zhenqi furiously. He was a Half-Leaving Aperture realm expert, and the strength he wielded was no joke. ‘Hula hula!’ Massive surges of zhenqi were pumped through his meridians, ready to bring death upon anyone who dared make a move against him. To be able to knock out his subordinate at the entrance of the main hall without alarming him, there was no doubt that the one who had made a move was a true expert! 


He warily scanned his surroundings as he walked over to his subordinate, intending to check on the wounds on the latter so that he would be able to verify the identity of the assailant through that. At this moment, however, a feeling of weakness abruptly consumed him, causing his body to stagger weakly. His eyes narrowed in alarm as he exclaimed, “This is… Supreme Scattering Breeze Powder!” 


This sensation was very familiar to him. It was the poison that the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe had used for their invasion twenty years ago. Those who came into contact with the poison would immediately be consumed with a feeling of weakness, and even Half-Leaving Aperture realm experts were not spared from it. This poison was the reason for his capture back then. 


He could still remember the excruciating torture that the Qingtian Emperor had put him through, and eventually, he had been left with no choice but to offer his soul to the latter and become the latter’s puppet. Fortunately, I still have the antidote with me,  sultan thought as he flicked his wrist to whip out a jade bottle. Suppressing the intense dizziness in his head, he popped out a pill and swiftly ate it. 


He was not like the combat masters, who could still move and battle on their sheer willpower even in the face of abnormal conditions. It was true that he was at Half-Leaving Aperture realm, but that was actually the result of consuming countless precious medicinal herbs. In terms of true fighting prowess, he might not have been on par with an average Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle cultivator, let alone combat masters. The pill swiftly dissolved in his mouth before entering his bloodstream to course through his veins. 


He thought that he would swiftly recover his fighting prowess, but after waiting for some time, the feeling of weakness still did not subside. On the contrary, it seemed to be growing more and more powerful. It was as if he had consumed a fake antidote. What’s going on?  sultan’s face darkened. He had received the antidote from the Qingtian Emperor himself. It should have made him impervious to the effects of the Scattering Breeze Powder, so why would he still feel so powerless even after consuming it? 


Perplexed,  sultan was just about to pop out a few more pills to consume when he suddenly heard a cold voice behind him. “Don’t bother. The Supreme Scattering Breeze Powder was concocted using the poison cultivation technique we have learned from the founder. Its potency is at least five times stronger than the original, so the antidote you have won’t work at all.” 


Hearing those words,  sultan quickly turned his head around, only to see a bunch of bizarre-dressed individuals walking over. elder manish knew that this operation would have great implications, so he had all the poison masters switch into their normal clothing so as to indicate that they had conducted this operation in their capacity as individuals and not combat masters. Their Supreme Scattering Breeze Powder was concocted using the unique poison cultivation technique that their founder had imparted to them, which had enhanced its potency manyfold. 


This had rendered ordinary antidotes ineffective against it. If it was not for this, would they have dared to barge into the royal palace? “You scoundrels, do you know who you are standing before? How dare you assault me, the emperor of the rosaat Empire? Just on the ground of this crime itself, I can have you—as well as all of your kin, friends, and everyone related to you—executed…”  sultan bellowed furiously. But before he could finish his words, another furious voice had already interjected. 


“Execute us? Try it then!” Following which,  sultan suddenly saw a massive meatball charging in his direction. Peng! A fist struck his eye squarely, send him flying headfirst into a pillar. The impact from the collision caused blood to bleed profusely down his face. “You…” Struggling weakly to his feet,  sultan shot a hostile glare at the fatty who had just made a move against him, only to pale upon recognizing the latter. “You are… vipin’s butler, mohan?” 


It was due to abducting this fellow that raja bhadra had nearly been killed.  sultan had conducted an investigation into mohan as well, allowing him to recognize the latter with just a look. “That’s right! It’s me, your Grandpa mohan!” mohan sneered coldly before turning to the elder beside him. “elder manish, do you have a dagger?” “Here you go!” elder manish obediently took out a dagger and passed it over to mohan as he asked doubtfully, “Benefactor, what are you planning to do with it?” 


“This dog actually dared to capture rohan… I’m going to castrate him to get even with him!” mohan spat through gritted teeth. “Castrate?” The faces of elder manish and the others twitched. Everyone in the royal palace had only been knocked out temporarily—the Supreme Scattering Breeze Powder would not harm their cultivation or life at all. This was also their primary intention in hopes of minimizing the repercussions from the operation. 


This way, even if the Master Teacher Pavilion investigated the matter, they might at least still be able to justify their actions… As long as things did not get out of hand, vipin would be able to clean up their mess once he returned. But if they castrated the emperor… that would really be a huge matter. That would be equivalent to attempting to assassinate on the emperor, and once news spread, not even vipin would be able to cover them! Glaring at  sultan coldly, mohan harrumphed. 


“Help me hold him tightly. If I don’t make this dog pay the price for his actions, my surname won’t be Sun!” Ever since he had begun following the old master, he had never suffered such grievances before! First, raja bhadra captured him for no reason, and now,  sultan even held rohan hostage… The heck, did you really think that you can climb over our heads so easily? 


If I don’t teach you a lesson, won’t everyone think that they can bully us? “Yes!” A few poison masters rushed forward to hold down  sultan’s limbs. Seeing that mohan was serious about the matter,  sultan’s face turned ghastly pale, and he began screaming at the top of his lungs. “What are you doing? I am the emperor of the rosaat Empire! You won’t get away scot-free for doing this to me! You will pay with your lives! 


The Master Teacher Pavilion will never allow such an incident to pass…” He was the emperor of a Conferred Empire, the man who dictated the fates of countless lives. There was no way he could withstand the humiliation of being castrated by another! “Master Teacher Pavilion? Humph! If the Master Teacher Pavilion was really interested in interfering in this matter, they would have long rid the world of a poisonous tumor like you!” mohan harrumphed coldly. 


“Take off his pants!” Heeding mohan’s command, a poison master quickly rushed forward to pull down  sultan’s pants. However, elder manish suddenly walked over at this moment and said, “Benefactor, let’s not dirty our hands with his filthy blood. That would be a great discredit to you!” Hearing elder manish pleading on his behalf,  sultan heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s indeed a little disgusting…” mohan nodded as his movements came to a halt. “What do you suggest we do then?”


 It was only in the heat of the moment that he wanted to castrate  sultan. elder manish’s words had brought rationality back to him, and he swiftly realized the possible implications of the matter. As such, he could only reluctantly drop the idea. “How about this instead?” elder manish hesitated for a moment before flicking out a jade bottle. He took out a pill from it and passed it  sultan. 


“Eat it!” “Eat it?” Staring at the pill in his hand,  sultan hesitated. However, the other poison masters were not as good-tempered as elder manish as to allow  sultan to take his time. They held  sultan’s hand firmly and forced the pill into his mouth. mohan turned to elder manish and asked, “What is it?” “Benefactor, it’s a kind of poison. Its consumption will cause it to drop off by itself without having the need for you to castrate him personally. 


Furthermore, the poison alters his genes to make it a permanent condition. In other words, even if he consumes the Grand Intermittence Pill, he will still be unable to regrow it. Not only is this method cleaner, it also resolves the problem once and for all! Two birds with one stone, don’t you agree?” elder manish said. “Drop off by itself?”  sultan nearly blacked out upon hearing those words. 


He was just thanking the heavens a moment ago for having mercy on him when he was suddenly fed with such a vicious pill. Choked up with frustration, his face flushed crimson, and he spurted a mouthful of blood. Amid the uncontrollable shivering of his body, he felt an abrupt coldness in his lower body, as if something had really dropped off. “My…” Unable to take the trauma,  sultan’s eyes rolled up, and he passed out on the spot. “Wow… the poison sure is potent!” 


Watching as  sultan’s pants were dyed crimson by the fresh blood flowing from his crotch area, mohan could not help but direct a look of admiration toward elder manish. No wonder poison masters were so deeply feared on the Master Teacher Continent! Their means were truly fearsome, a living nightmare for all cultivators! mohan waved his hand impassively and instructed, “Wake him up and get rohan’s location out of him!” ‘Yes!” Two poison masters stepped forward to deal with  sultan, and it did not take too long for them to uncover rohan’s location from his mouth. 


The means of the poison masters were simply too frightening. The myriad of effects that their poisons had could have the most steadfast of minds crumbling in just a few moments, let alone a spoiled emperor. The group swiftly rushed over to the place where  sultan had pointed out, only to be find a feeble rohan. He had been severely tortured to the point that it seemed like he was about to breathe his last. 


“Young Master rohan!” mohan quickly rushed forward to feed him a few recovery pills that vipin had given him previously. Perhaps his previous capture had given vipin a shock, but for fear that mohan and the others would find themselves faced with lifethreatening situations in the future, he had decided to leave them with a few pills for in times of need. Even after consuming the pills, it took some time before rohan regained his consciousness. 


When he saw the arrested  sultan held firmly by the poison masters, a burst of rage swiftly ignited within him, blazing into an inferno in an instant. He had truly thought that the other party had invited him out of goodwill, wanting to reconcile the differences he had with his teacher. Yet, from the start to the end, that fellow had been planning to hold him hostage to threaten his teacher! Unforgivable! Never in his life had he felt so enraged by anyone’s action. 


“You bastard, I’ll kill you!” Roaring furiously, rohan sent a kick straight toward  sultan. Peng!  sultan crashed forcefully into the wall, and the powerful impact had him coughing out huge mouthfuls of blood. “These are the knuckledusters you have given me. Allow me to return them to you right now!” Putting on the knuckledusters, rohan charged up to  sultan and smashed his fist into the latter. Peng!  sultan’s chest immediately sunk in.


 His ribcage had been shattered. rohan raised his fist once more and send another blow toward  sultan, and at that moment, elder manish’s eyes suddenly narrowed in horror. “This is bad. H-h-he… is dead!” “Dead?” Taken aback, rohan quickly took a closer look, only to see that a horrified look had been permanently plastered onto  sultan’s face. Unknowingly, the latter had breathed his last.


 “Things have really gone in the worst direction…” Gazing at the dead emperor before their eyes, everyone’s face paled. Even mohan could not help but stiffen at that sight. 


------oOo------ 


Chapter 1230: - Flee


No matter how much of a dastard  sultan was, he was still the emperor of the rosaat Empire. They could teach him a lesson, they could place him in a state of living hell, but if they killed him, that would be a huge matter. “This is really bad…” elder manish was horrified by the situation as well. As much as he wanted to exact vengeance for his dead comrades, he knew that the death of an emperor would surely draw the intervention of the Master Teacher Pavilion. 


None of them would be able to escape unscathed. Even if he was guilty of a crime, he should be put through an official trial of the Master Teacher Pavilion before being sentenced. To kill an emperor of a Conferred Empire so abruptly was no different from challenging the selfdeterminism of the country. “I’ll take responsibility for what I have done. I am the one who killed him, so I’ll bear the burden for doing so alone!”


 rohan clenched his fists tightly as he spoke. “How do you want to take responsibility for it?” mohan snapped. “You aren’t just an individual now! You represent the Young Master as well!” “I…” rohan fell silent. Indeed, even if he claimed that he was solely responsible for this matter, his teacher would still be inevitably implicated in this matter. From the moment he became his teacher’s direct disciple, his fate had become intricately linked with his teacher’s, not to be severed by anything. “What do I do then?”


 rohan asked in panic. No matter how high his cultivation was, he was still only a seventeen-yearold child. He might have persevered through the pain and bore of cultivation, but he had no idea what he should do in a situation like this. “I don’t know either!” mohan pinched his glabella in frustration. If only the Old Master was there, he would be able to use his strength and standing to resolve this issue easily.


 In fact, even if it was the Young Master, given his sharp wits and incredible means, he might be able to salvage the situation, too. But none of them were around at the moment… and in the face of such a hopeless situation, he had no idea what he could do either. There was no way they could suppress the news regarding the death of an emperor of a Conferred Empire. 


Unable to find a solution, mohan eventually sighed deeply and said, “Let’s return to the Combat Master Hall first and find a way to contact the Young Master!” “It seems like there’s no other choice at this point,” elder manish said. elder manish and the others knew that the Young Master of their benefactor was a 7-star master teacher who had successfully crashed the rosaat Empire Master Teacher Pavilion.


 At this point, they could only bank on that young man. Thus, the group quickly departed from the royal palace and returned to the Combat Master Hall. Shortly after they left, in a corner of the royal palace, a figure struggled for a while in an attempt to rise to his feet, but the overwhelming weakness he felt prevented him from making any large movements. “This is really a huge matter. I must report this to the Master Teacher Pavilion as soon as possible!”


 After recuperating for roughly six hours, the figure finally felt the effects of the poison dulling. He quickly rose to his feet and left the royal palace. It was already daybreak by the time he returned to the Master Teacher Pavilion. At this point, he had already changed his clothes. He was actually a 7-star master teacher! This was the man whom, under vipin’s advice, adarsh had dispatched to follow  sultan to keep a close eye on the latter’s movements! 


He had concealed himself in the depths of the royal palace to find evidence of  sultan’s wrongdoings, but who would have thought that he would end up witnessing rohan’s assassination of the emperor! To make things worse, he had not been able to move at all due to the poison, so he had been unable to stop them! 


“Elder An, you are finally here! aalim arrived early in the morning, and he’s currently fuming…” As soon as the 7-star master teacher walked into the Master Teacher Pavilion, another master teacher quickly rushed up to report the matter to him. “aalim?” Elder An frowned. “He’s the quasi 8-star master teacher from the Qianchong Empire Master Teacher Pavilion dispatched by the headquarters when Pavilion Master chandran reported the matter concerning vipin’s pavilion crashing back then,” the master teacher explained. 


“Quasi 8-star master teacher?” Elder An narrowed his eyes in shock. There were two tiers in between 7-star master teacher and 8-star master teacher, namely half 8-star and quasi 8-star. Those whose cultivation had reached True Leaving Aperture realm would be qualified to attain the title of half 8-star master teacher, but only those who had reached Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle could be called a quasi 8-star master teacher!


 Since aalim was a quasi 8-star master teacher, there was no doubt that his cultivation had already reached Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle, just a step away from Saint 6-dan. Saint 6-dan was known as the Grand Dominion realm. At this cultivation realm, a cultivator would be able to create their own Dominion, wielding absolute control over everything within its area. In other words, they were undefeatable within their own Dominion! The master teacher nodded. 


“That’s right!” He came at a timely moment. I should just report the matter to him and allow him to decide how it should be dealt with, Elder An thought with a nod. The death of the monarch of the rosaat Empire was already a matter that had exceeded his jurisdiction. At times like this, it would be best for him to just report the matter and allow a senior master teacher to decide on a course of action. 


Following behind the master teacher, it did not take long for Elder An to arrive at the main hall of the Master Teacher Pavilion. Before he could even enter the room, he could already hear a displeased voice sounding from within. “Pavilion Master chandran, Vice Pavilion Master Tian, and so many 7- star master teachers have been killed, but instead of finding the murderer, all of you are idling around here instead! 


Have you all forgotten your responsibilities as master teachers, or have the years of loftiness made you all indolent fools? You lot are really reprehensible! It’s really about time to reorganize your rosaat branch! Where’s aadarsh? Didn’t Pavilion Master chandran put him temporarily in-charge? Where is he?” Upon walking into the room, Elder An saw an elder pacing around the room, reprimanding a group of elders from the rosaat Empire Master Teacher Pavilion. 


That elder was probably aalim. On the other hand, the group of elders had their heads lowered humbly, not even daring to breathe loudly. The other party had arrived as an envoy dispatched from the headquarters, and he was a quasi 8-star master teacher at that. Who would dare talk back to him? Furthermore, his rage was justified.


 The rosaat Empire Master Teacher Pavilion had ten thousand years of history behind it, but their pavilion master and vice pavilion master had ended up dying abruptly along with seven other 7-star master teachers. On top of that, a twenty-year-old young man even managed to crash their pavilion. This was truly a great discredit to the reputation of the Master Teacher Pavilion. 


“Vice Pavilion Master aadarsh is currently in seclusion,” one of the elders replied. “In seclusion? After such a huge mishap has occurred, as the person incharge of this Master Teacher Pavilion, he has the gall to go into seclusion?” Upon hearing those words, aalim nearly erupted on the spot. 


To actually be able to go into seclusion when the branch was facing a huge crisis… was the rosaat Empire Master Teacher Pavilion filled with nothing but dimwits? “Bring him to me right now! Also, get that vipin who crashed this Master Teacher Pavilion here as well!” aalim flung his sleeves furiously and harrumphed. “You want us… to bring vipin over too?” 


“Everything that has happened in your branch recently seems to be related to him. I want to see just what kind of formidable figure he is to be able to make a Conferred Empire Master Teacher Pavilion such a mess!” aalim harrumphed coldly. He had specially investigated the matter before coming over, and the conflict seemed to have originated from raja bhadra capturing a butler named mohan. After which, the conflict had escalated further and further, eventually resulting in a pavilion crashing. 


To cause such a huge ruckus within just a couple of days after entering rosaat, he really wanted to see just what kind of incredible figure that vipin was. “Yes…” An elder nodded before quickly leaving the room. At this point, Elder An stepped forward and reported, “aalim, I am Elder An aadarsh. I have a matter that I would like to report to you!” “I have heard of you. You are one of the more senior elders of the rosaat Empire Master Teacher Pavilion. Feel free to speak!”



 aalim nodded. “It’s like this… Last night, the emperor of the rosaat Empire,  sultan, had one of vipin’s direct disciples, rohan, imprisoned. Later in the night, his butler, mohan, led a group of remnants from the Poison Hall to the royal palace and poisoned all the guards there in order to save rohan. In the midst of doing so, they even had  sultan… killed!” Elder An swiftly went through everything that he had witnessed. “You said that they had  sultan killed?  sultan is dead?” aalim widened his eyes in shock. 


“That’s right!” Elder An nodded grimly. “Who’s the one who made the killing move?” aalim asked anxiously. “It’s vipin’s direct disciple, rohan. He killed  sultan with a single punch!” Elder An said. “This… How could he kill the emperor of a Conferred Empire so easily? He’s really taking our Master Teacher Pavilion too lightly!” aalim roared with a livid face. 


The Master Teacher Pavilion was in charge of maintaining order within the region so as to ensure peace for the populace. While that vipin was admittedly an incredible genius, the rosaat Empire did not seem to have had a single day of peace ever since his arrival. In fact, his student even ended up killing the emperor. How was the Master Teacher Pavilion supposed to account for all of this to the populace? 


This was truly unforgivable! “Bring vipin and that direct disciple of his to me this very instant!” aalim spat through gritted teeth. “Yes!” Hearing aalim’s instructions, a group of elders immediately left the main hall. Not too long later, they returned with a fatty behind them. The fatty clasped his fist and introduced himself with an attitude that was neither too humble nor arrogant.


 “Paying respects to aalim. I am vipin’s butler, mohan.” “You are mohan?” aalim narrowed his eyes as he assessed the person before him. To be honest, rather than to pinpoint vipin as the root of the entire string of trouble that had happened in rosaat, it would be more accurately to say that it had all started with the fatty before him. “That’s right. Our Young Master happens to be out of rosaat at the moment,” mohan said. 


“He isn’t in rosaat?” aalim’s complexion turned even more awful. “Young Master and adarsh have left to apprehend the culprit behind Pavilion Master chandran’s death. In order to prevent the culprit from learning of their movements beforehand, they instructed us to maintain the act before others that they have gone into seclusion!” mohan explained. He knew that the Young Master was not truly in seclusion, and considering that the elder standing before him was a master teacher dispatched from the headquarters, he knew that it would be best for him to report the truth. 


“They have left to apprehend the culprit?” Hearing those words, aalim’s expression finally alleviated. He then continued asking, “Where’s rohan then?” It was understandable that vipin was not around, but what about the culprit who had killed maharaj sultan , rohan? Why didn’t he come here along with vipin’s butler? “He…” mohan hesitated for a moment before continuing. “He has left rosaat. I don’t know where he is at the moment.” “You don’t know where he is at the moment? 


What do you mean by that?” As aalim spoke, a powerful aura suddenly burst forth from him, causing the crowd to shudder involuntarily under the pressure he was emanating. aalim glared at the fatty before him intently, seemingly daring him to utter the slightest word of falsehood before him. 


mohan was alarmed by the sudden outburst of power as well, but recalling that he was rohan’s butler, he forcefully composed himself and replied, “Reporting to aalim, after accidentally killing maharaj sultan , rohan felt extremely guilty at his actions, so he left rosaat overnight discreetly. I honestly have no idea where he has headed off to.” What he was saying was the truth. 


After returning to the Combat Master Hall, mohan had quickly consoled rohan to calm him down before anxiously attempting to contact the Young Master. However, despite a night of trying, he was still unable to establish communications with vipin. By the time he realized it, rohan was no longer in the Combat Master Hall. He had left only a letter in his bedroom. “He left rosaat overnight? Hah, more like trying to flee from his crimes!” 


aalim’s eyes narrowed menacingly as he instructed, “Comb through the entire city and have that murderer apprehended… dead or alive!” “Yes!” A group of master teachers quickly left to carry out his orders. “On the other hand, as a mere butler, you disregarded the laws of the country and brought your men into the royal palace to poison the guards. You are as guilty as rohan! Men, throw mohan into the prison! I’ll judge him along with rohan once the latter is captured!” 


aalim bellowed. A group of master teachers swiftly stepped forward to grab hold of mohan. “You want to judge me and Young Master rohan?” Not expecting aalim to make such a decision, mohan’s eyebrows shot up in displeasure. “How dare you! Do you know who our Old Master is?”


 ------oOo------ 


Chapter 1231: - Rise and Shine! 


“Like I would care who your Old Master is! All are equal before the law. Take this fellow away!” aalim waved his hand impatiently, not giving mohan an opportunity to speak at all. Indignant, mohan wanted to argue, but a sudden surge of power had his cultivation completely sealed, preventing him from speaking a word. Following which, two master teachers stepped forward to have him taken away. 


“Wuuuuu!” mohan was so angry that he could have exploded, but he was still completely helpless before the situation. He was the butler of the great rohan, so how could a mere quasi 8-star master teacher treat him in such a manner? This was insubordination! “Have those poison masters captured too. Make sure to keep a tight watch over them so that they don’t escape!” 


Paying no heed to the furious fatty, aalim continuing issuing a series of instructions. Very soon, with the entire Master Teacher Pavilion mobilized, it did not take long for elder manish and the others to be apprehended and imprisoned. However, despite combing through the entire rosaat, rohan was nowhere to be seen. It was as if he had suddenly vanished from the world; there was not even the slightest trace of him to be found. … Several hours earlier, back at the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows, vipin was staring at the massive face right before him calmly. 


“Well, I have to admit that it’s a brilliant idea to have  sultan invite rohan to the royal palace to hold him hostage so as to threaten me. Just that, I am really curious to know why someone as esteemed as  sultan would end up pledging loyalty to you?” In truth, vipin was not the only one who was intrigued by this matter. The other master teachers and combat masters were also puzzled by  sultan’s betrayal. 


As an emperor of a Conferred Empire,  sultan was an individual who wielded great authority in his hands. However, the entire basis of his power was built upon humans, so it was counterintuitive for him to betray humanity to side with the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. One must know that if the Master Teacher Pavilion uncovered his betrayal, he would be killed on the spot. There would be no mercy whatsoever. “You want to know why?” Hearing those words, Vicious sneered coldly. 


“You will have to ask your own Master Teacher Pavilion for that!” vipin frowned but did not say anything. Vicious harrumphed. “As the monarch of a Conferred Empire, he should have wielded supreme power within his country. No one should have dared disrespect him or question his words. But with the existence of your Master Teacher Pavilion, what has become of his authority as the emperor? 


“Thanks to your Master Teacher Pavilion, he has to always consider how the Master Teacher Pavilion would view a matter before making a decision. No matter what he did, he would never be able to break free from your control, doomed to remain subservient to you lot for life. How could a man as prideful and lofty as him possibly accept this? “Making use this opening in his heart, it was not too difficult for me to place him under my control.” 


“This…” Hearing that, vipin fell silent. In truth, Vicious’ words had some truth in them. To the common populace, the presence of the Master Teacher Pavilion brought about some degree of equality and order, allowing them to live their lives in peace. It was also a platform where they could have their grievances redressed, allowing standing up against the powerful nobles of the country whom they would have been powerless against otherwise. 


On the other hand, to those who wielded great power, especially for those who donned the crown, the existence of the Master Teacher Pavilion was a major threat to their authority. No matter what they wanted to do, they had to take how the Master Teacher Pavilion would react into consideration, or else a swift sword might fall upon their heads. 


To have to remain subservient to another despite sitting upon the almighty throne… It was inevitable that dissatisfactions would pile up and eventually reach a point where it was no longer repressible. At this point, vipin shook his head and sighed.  sultan only saw how his power had been curbed, but he failed to see how the rosaat Empire could have very well been annexed by other empires or destroyed by the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe if not for the Master Teacher Pavilion’s protection. Without a strong foundation, how could an empire possibly survive the test of time? 


Despite the various restrictions that the Master Teacher Pavilion would impose on the regional monarchy, there was no doubt that its presence played a crucial role in making the country strong! Nevertheless, even though Vicious had put it simply, vipin knew that the truth was bound to be more complicated than that. Most likely,  sultan must have gone through some kind of traumatic event that resulted in him steering off the path, eventually causing inner demons to breed within him.


 Unable to overcome his inner demons, he had no choice but to become the puppet of the Qingtian Emperor and Vicious, heading down a path of no return. Not wishing to waste his breath any longer, Vicious uttered coldly, “Alright, I have already come to the limit of my patience. I don’t want to waste any more time on you. Hurry up and give me your answer, or else I’ll ensure that you, your students, and your kin will suffer tragic deaths!”


 At the same time, a powerful force suddenly rippled forth from Vicious, leaving vipin’s group swaying on their feet. It was a threat from Vicious to remind them how powerless they were before him. “You know, I do care for my students a lot. However, if you think that you can make me betray mankind and submit to the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe just by holding them hostage, you are really taking me too lightly!” vipin shook his head as his voice resounded clearly amid the powerful wind. 


“As their teacher, I have to conduct myself properly so that I can become a good role model to them. If I surrender to you easily, what kind of message would I be sending to my other students? How could I be qualified to preach to them about principles and values if so?


 I know that I can’t keep them under my wing and protect them forever, so I have worked hard to teach them everything that they might need… and if they are still to be unable to discern the situation themselves and end up being done in, I can only say that it isn’t meant to be.” As much as vipin did not want to see anything happen to his students, as a teacher, he knew that he could not possibly protect them for life. 


More importantly, he understood the respect and admiration that his students had for him, and he was not oblivious to the immense influence that he had on them. For this very reason, he could not bend his principles and values even for their sake, or else he would be sending the wrong message to them, possibly leading them down the wrong path. Often, the consequences of a decision were ambiguous.


 It was easy to look back retrospectively to say what could have been better done, but it was not as easy when one was put into the same position, looking upon an uncertain future. Nevertheless, there were still some things that one should do and one should never do. Principles and values were what set humans apart from beasts, so those were things one should never compromise! 


This was what vipin deeply believed in, and he felt that it was something that all master teachers should persist in as well. “Is that your answer? Very well. Since you have made up your mind, you can die now!” Looking at the resolve in the young man’s eyes, Vicious knew that there was nothing he could say or do that would sway the other party. Thus, he decided not to waste his breath anymore. Boom! An overwhelming might rippled forth from Vicious, crashing down upon the group like a tsunami. 


Standing at the very front of the group, adarsh and Hall Master jagdish hurriedly drove their zhenqi furiously to reinforce the barrier they had put up to protect the others. However, under the immense pressure, it did not take long for their faces to redden, and fresh blood spurted from their mouths. The disparity in strength was simply too great! They did not stand a chance at all. Gritting his teeth furiously to persist even a second longer, adarsh bellowed desperately, “Principal vipin, hurry up and leave!” 


“There’s no need for that.” A soft chuckle escaped from vipin’s mouth. “I know that he’s biding his time, but who’s to say that I’m not doing the same?” Raising his head, he gazed at the massive face before him and asked, “Do you think that you have won?” “What do you mean?” Realizing that the young man’s eyes were calm, devoid of worry or fear, Vicious’ eyebrows shot up. An ominous feeling sprouted within him. 


He quickly looked back at everything that had happened, but he was certain that he hadn’t left any opportunity for the young man to turn the tables on him. “What do I mean? Isn’t the meaning obvious? Just like how you were stalling time to gain control over the little island, I was playing along with you to buy some time as well,” vipin replied with composure. Were it not to stall for time, even if he had many questions in his mind, he would not have bothered to talk so much at this critical moment! 


“You were buying time, too? Don’t bother putting on a front before me; it’s meaningless. We both know that there’s nothing else you can do in this situation!” Vicious replied coldly. The Qingtian Emperor had engaged countless celestial designers and blacksmiths and devoted countless precious resources in order to forge this head. While taking control of it had only granted him a cultivation realm of Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle, in terms of true fighting prowess, he could match even an average Grand Dominion realm 1 expert easily! 


Of the cultivators before him, the two strongest ones were only at Leaving Aperture realm primary stage. On the other hand, while vipin possessed strength far beyond his current cultivation realm, he was only barely able to match the Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage Qingtian Emperor even when he utilized all the means in his possession. The disparity in strength was not something that could be breached in a moment no matter how much time vipin bought!


 The only fate possible for them was death! “Why would I bother putting up a front before you at this moment? Alright, since it has come to this, it’s time for me to show my hand as well. Haven’t you rested long enough now? It’s time to do your work!” vipin’s voice echoed in the surroundings with a unique melody to it. Surprised by vipin’s words, Hall Master jagdish and the others quickly looked around them, but beneath the starry night sky, there was not a figure to be seen. 


“I was wondering what kind of formidable ally you could have prepared on your side. It seems like it’s just a mere front after all!” Vicious sneered coldly. Previously, that fellow had used this method once against the Qingtian Emperor, resulting in the impaling of the latter’s bottom. If that fellow thought that the same trick could work twice, he was dreaming! If the other party really had an ally hidden in the shadows, he would have gotten them to appear long ago. There was no reason to have waited so long!


 “I have had enough of your farce. Let’s end it once and for all!” Harrumphed coldly, a compelling might far stronger than the previous ones rippled from Vicious, swiftly crushing its way down upon the group. However, before the might could reach them, the massive head in the air suddenly staggered. Following which, as if the little island had gone out of control, it began trembling non-stop. “What is going on? How can I possibly lose control over this head?” Vicious widened his eyes in horror. 


He shot his glance down upon vipin and screeched, “You! It can only be you! Speak, what did you do to my head?” “It’s nothing much, really. All I did was to enchant the little island!” vipin replied with a casual smile. Back when he was at the bottommost level of the little island, he had used the Library of Heaven’s Path to check on the surrounding walls. 


Perhaps it was because he was at the very center of the little island, but he astonishingly found out that the entire island was actually a massive manmade structure, forming a gigantic entity by itself. Upon realizing that, he swiftly recalled what he had seen upon stepping on the Ghost Cavern and mentally traced the path he had walked. Once a full picture was formed in his mind, he immediately realized what was going on. 


Thus, he spent two hours in the underground cavern secretly enchanting the entire little island. His movements were very discreet, and Vicious’ will was still trapped in the altar back then. As such, the latter had failed to realize what he was doing. After which, he released Vicious and allowed the latter to take control of the little island. From the start to the end, vipin knew that Vicious was intentionally stalling for time, but he was more than happy to grant the latter all the time he wanted. 


After all, the more deeply fused Vicious was with the little island, the more intricately attached he would be with the dormant spirit that he had enchanted into it. Before Vicious knew it, there would already be two consciousness within him. Just like the situations with Hall Master jagdish and vipin liaoshi back then, he would be forced into a tough battle for supremacy with the spirit. “Enchant? You are telling me that you enchanted my entire head?” Vicious shrieked in disbelief. 


He was aware of the spirit awakener occupation, but even 9-star spirit awakeners were only capable of enchanting spirits into stronger and larger artifacts. Furthermore, each enchantment would exhaust them greatly, and they would have a long downtime after each enchantment session. On the other hand, the head that was forged for him was roughly six li 2 in diameter. How many times would one have to enchant the head in order to produce enough sparks to bestow it with a spirit? 


Was it even humanly possible? “It seems like the Qingtian Emperor has neglected to tell you about how I managed to enchant the building of the Spirit Awakener Guild,” vipin scoffed. Due to the previous incident, he had been afraid that Vicious might have noticed his plan in advance and guarded against the spirit.


 However, from the looks of it, it seemed like the latter was oblivious to it as well! While the Qingtian Emperor and Vicious appeared to be close allies on the surface, they had been trading blows with one another beneath calm waters.Information asymmetry 3 could often prove to be a powerful weapon in crucial circumstances, so there was no way the Qingtian Emperor would have told Vicious everything he knew! 


This worked to vipin’s advantage. Completely unguarded against his abnormal capability in spirit enchantment, Vicious could not have anticipated such a move. Otherwise, vipin would not have succeeded so easily. “Humph, so what if you have managed to enchant my head? It makes no difference to the situation at all! I’ll still be able to kill all of you easily!” Roaring furiously, Vicious forcefully wrestled control over the head from the spirit and maneuvered the head to kill the young man before him. 


However, the young man simply shook his head with a derisive smile before uttering softly, “Rise and shine, spirits!” Boom! Right after those words were spoken, it was as if spring had sprung upon the face-shaped little island. In the blink of an eye, countless plants sprouted out. Cactus, green foxtail, and flowers of all shapes and sizes… They densely covered every inch of land on the little island. ”


 Ahhh! ” Under the forceful intervention from the spirit, Vicious’ consciousness began descending into chaos. As if two personas struggling for supremacy, he began to lose control over his own strength. “This…” Watching the inconceivable drama unfold before their eyes, adarsh, Hall Master jagdish, and the others could not help but gulp in fear. All along, spirit awakeners had been a synonym for ‘weakness’, playing nothing more than an auxiliary role to other cultivators. Who would have thought that their aptitude could actually be used in such a way? 


Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for them to defeat this Otherworldly Demon. Yet, just by enchanting a spirit into the other party’s head, vipin had actually managed to send the other party into a state of disorientation, effectively incapacitating the other party. While struggling with the spirit within him, Vicious roared furiously, “Do you think that a mere spirit you have enchanted into my head will be able to defeat me? 


Dream on! Once I get rid of this spirit, it’ll be your doomsday next!” vipin’s capability in spirit enchantment was unnatural, but Vicious’ proficiency in soul arts was no joke either. At the very most, the spirit would only prevent Vicious from controlling the island and place his consciousness into a state of disorientation temporarily. With just some time, there was no doubt that Vicious would be able to eradicate the spirit. 


“I have no doubt that you have the ability to kill the spirit I have enchanted into your head. However…” vipin shook his head before continuing. “It will be too late then.” Hu! A book materialized in vipin’s palm. Vaguely, one could see a finger and a heart imprinted on it. 


------oOo-----


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