As far as War Violence was concerned, Yang Qi wasn’t a Demolisher and was therefore nothing but a serf. However, as soon as the words left his mouth, Titan Duelbringer started in shock and said, “Brother, this is a great benefactor of mine. In the lower world, I fell into the hands of monsters and only managed to escape with his help. His cultivation base makes him enigmatic and impossible to predict. Forget about the fact that he's not a Demolisher. He can already devastate immortal officers and immortal generals.”
“What?!” War Violence blurted, shooting to his feet and looking in amazement at Yang Qi. “He’s that strong? I find that hard to believe.”
“Please, be seated,” Yang Qi said. Not bothering to stand, he simply waved his hand in a downward motion.
RUMBLE!
Immense force suddenly weighed down on War Violence.
Crack!
War Violence’s bones began quivering and his true energy started evaporating. Letting loose a muffled exclamation of shock, he dropped back down into his seat and began to gasp for breath.
“You….” he murmured, staring at Yang Qi with a look of terror in his eyes. Facing Yang Qi felt like facing heaven itself, like staring into the eyes of a god. There was literally nothing War Violence could do to stand up to him, and it caused profound fear to rise up in his heart.
He didn't even have the courage to move his hand.
“Well, what do you think?” Titan Duelbringer asked, clapping his hands together in delight. “Brother War Violence, is this benefactor of mine incredible or not? Right now, what I lack is an official position. By the way, Brother, I'm no weaker than you now. Take a look at the level of my immortal body.”
“What?” War Violence said, his heart still pounding. Looking over at Titan Duelbringer, he realized that his immortal body was much stronger than before and was filled with seven-colored magical laws.
“You abandoned the magical laws of the Titan Emperor Heaven?” War Violence blurted in shock. “You reformed your immortal body?”
“That’s right,” Titan Duelbringer said proudly. “I used the magical laws of the Tusita Heaven. What do you think? Those magical laws surpass the local magical laws by so many times over I don’t even know how to quantify it. And my cultivation base puts me just on the verge of breaking through to the third stage of Thought-Demolishing.”
“The Tusita Heaven!” War Violence was completely bowled over. “That place is the stuff of legend! It’s far higher-level than the Titan Emperor Heaven. If they sent down an immortal, even our boundless emperor of heaven would treat them with the utmost respect.”
“You’re right about that. Well? Will you help me, War Violence? What if we gave you some of the magical laws of the Tusita Heaven? They would help your immortal body and ensure that you rise far higher than captain. You would likely become an immortal marquis or paragon.”
Titan Duelbringer was being sure to clearly lay out all the benefits he could bring.
“What do you want me to do?” War Violence asked.
“Simple. Get me into the local Department of the Imperial Clan so that I can grease whatever palms are necessary to have my criminal record expunged. And I also need to get an identity for my friend here, the benefactor. Furthermore, I need to get in touch with my old friends to try to get me a job working for Princess Jadefall. Preferably a bodyguard position.” [1]
Titan Duelbringer had thought things through already, and Yang Qi was very pleased with how he was handling things.
“Princess Jadefall? She’s important. Way too important for me to have any connections to. Wait. I remember hearing that you were friends with one of her stewards. Don’t tell me—”
“It's true. I'm actually a sworn brother of one of her stewards, and he owes me a favor. Right now, I have no official position so I can’t get into the imperial city. That’s what I need you for. Once I'm inside, I can get in touch with my friend in the Department of the Imperial Clan, who will help me expunge my record. After that, I’ll be in the clear.” Titan Duelbringer was being perfectly upfront.
“Seems like a good plan,” War Violence said. “So all you want is for me to take you into the imperial city? I can do that. Things are tense in the Titan Emperor Heaven now, and because of the threat of war the imperial city is under strict control. They question everyone that goes in and out of the city, and if they don’t like what they hear they arrest you. But I am a captain, after all.”
At this point, Yang Qi finally broke into the conversation. “Thank you for your trouble. Why don’t you take these immortal stones? I'm sure you could find a use for them.” He handed over a violet immortal stone that abounded with the aura of a king.
War Violence took it, and his eyes went wide. “Such immense levels of power! That’s got to be a royal-grade immortal stone at the very least! It must be worth a fortune.”
Of course, it was one of the immortal stones Yang Qi had brought from the lower world, which he had created from power from the Tusita Heaven. Even in the Titan Emperor Heaven, an immortal stone like this would be considered very high level.
“It’s a power stone from the Tusita Heaven,” Yang Qi went on to say. “Absorb it, and you’ll be able to make changes to your physique and fleshly body. With magical laws from the Tusita Heaven, you’ll be far stronger than any other immortal in the same level as you.”
“Brothers,” War Violence said, “come with me. I’ll make sure you get safely into the imperial city.”
Thus Yang Qi and Titan Duelbringer followed him into the city.
The city was immense and tightly guarded. But inside, it was like a different world. Planes of existence were connected to other planes of existence by means of a maze of corridors, streets, and roads. Paradisiac blessed lands were everywhere, and there was heavy traffic in every direction. Business flourished and just about everything imaginable was for sale, as long as you could pay for it.
There was one plane set aside for business, and others for residency. And there were some immense structures that were imperial yamens or military bases. [2]
Killing intent simmered everywhere, and the atmosphere was one of glory and majesty.
Eventually, they entered an immense memorial arch that led to a plane filled with pagodas and buildings, as well as streets patrolled by burly soldiers.
No one stepped forward to ask questions of Titan Duelbringer or Yang Qi.
However, as soon as they entered someone hurried over.
It was a gaunt, middle-aged man whose eyes glittered like torches. “Titan Duelbringer, what are you doing here? You committed a grave crime in the lower world, and now you dare to come back? Aren’t you afraid of getting sent to the Immortal Execution Block?”
“Calm down, Titan Shroudsun. Come on, aren’t we old friends? I know how things work in the Department of the Imperial Clan. So I made some mistakes in the lower world. Now that I'm back, all it’ll take is the right word here or there to clean my record. Look, let’s not waste words. I know what you want. I brought some great stuff back from the lower world. It should be enough to grease some palms, don’t you think?”
Titan Shroudsun chuckled. “Money talks, my friend. It's true, you made some mistakes, but you didn't commit any horrendous crime. A minor screw up—that's all, right? The fact that you even went down to the disgusting lower world should count as a big service. Come, let’s head inside where we can talk freely.”
Gesturing, he led them to a hall deep inside the Department of the Imperial Clan. As for War Violence, he was no imperial clansman, so he left.
The Department of the Imperial Clan was responsible for handling matters relating to imperial clansmen. When one of them committed a crime they wouldn’t stand trial in an ordinary court, but rather, come here for judgment.
Naturally, it was where Titan Duelbringer would come to receive punishment as well. However, as long as he had enough money, he could bribe his way out of any punishment and possibly end up getting a reward instead.
There was no question, the Department of the Imperial Clan was corrupt to the core.
Titan Shroudsun, Titan Duelbringer, and Yang Qi all sat down.
“Who might this be?” Titan Shroudsun said, looking over at Yang Qi.
“This is a benefactor of mine, who has incredible divine abilities at his disposal. His energy arts are invincible. Although he’s from the lower world, Brother, you absolutely, positively cannot underestimate him.”
“Don’t worry,” Yang Qi said. “As long as you handle everything smoothly, I can make it very worth your while!” He waved his hand, causing immortal stones to tumble out in a tiny, mountainous pile.
“Oh. My. God!” Titan Shroudsun’s eyes went wide and he very nearly passed out. “You never see collections of immortal stones like that, even here in the immortal world! Are they from a higher level plane?”
“Exactly. These immortal stones should take care of everything right? Including a new identity for my benefactor here? He needs to be an imperial clansman.”
“That’s easy. Thanks to the war, the Titan Emperor Heaven is in chaos. Many imperial clansmen have fallen from grace, and some have even had their clans exterminated. Getting your benefactor an identity shouldn’t be a problem, but the only problem is his cultivation base.” Looking a bit embarrassed, he continued, “It's too low! He's not even in the Demolishing level. As a serf, it will be very difficult for him to accomplish anything.”
“That shouldn't be a problem,” Yang Qi said coolly. “If I want to rise to Demolishing, then I’ll rise to Demolishing.” He waved his hands, causing a burst of immortal energy to seep out. After all, he had three primeval godworms who were all in the Demolishing level, and their aura was far stronger than that of an ordinary immortal.
“Oh, I see,” Titan Shroudsun said. “You’re hiding your strength. In that case, this will be easy.” With that, he left to handle certain particulars.
“Great,” Titan Duelbringer said, quietly so that only Yang Qi could hear. “Once our identities are taken care of, I’ll go find my friend who’s a steward of Princess Jadefall. Hopefully, I can arrange for both of us to work as bodyguards in her mansion. She’s one of His Imperial Majesty’s most favored granddaughters. Getting into her employ should get us a lot of great opportunities and could be our path to reaching the higher echelons.”
“So, we get into Princess Jadefall’s mansion, earn her trust, and perhaps end up getting an audience with the emperor and get answers directly from him?”
“Exactly!” Titan Duelbringer said. “Of course, most of it will be up to you, Milord. I can handle all of the initial stages, and maybe even get you into the higher echelons. As for what to do after that, it will be your decision to make.”
1. In ancient China, this title of princess was for the daughter of a crown prince or king, depending on the specific time period.
2. A yamen is essentially a government office in ancient China. More info here.
As far as War Violence was concerned, Yang Qi wasn’t a Demolisher and was therefore nothing but a serf. However, as soon as the words left his mouth, Titan Duelbringer started in shock and said, “Brother, this is a great benefactor of mine. In the lower world, I fell into the hands of monsters and only managed to escape with his help. His cultivation base makes him enigmatic and impossible to predict. Forget about the fact that he's not a Demolisher. He can already devastate immortal officers and immortal generals.”
“What?!” War Violence blurted, shooting to his feet and looking in amazement at Yang Qi. “He’s that strong? I find that hard to believe.”
“Please, be seated,” Yang Qi said. Not bothering to stand, he simply waved his hand in a downward motion.
RUMBLE!
Immense force suddenly weighed down on War Violence.
Crack!
War Violence’s bones began quivering and his true energy started evaporating. Letting loose a muffled exclamation of shock, he dropped back down into his seat and began to gasp for breath.
“You….” he murmured, staring at Yang Qi with a look of terror in his eyes. Facing Yang Qi felt like facing heaven itself, like staring into the eyes of a god. There was literally nothing War Violence could do to stand up to him, and it caused profound fear to rise up in his heart.
He didn't even have the courage to move his hand.
“Well, what do you think?” Titan Duelbringer asked, clapping his hands together in delight. “Brother War Violence, is this benefactor of mine incredible or not? Right now, what I lack is an official position. By the way, Brother, I'm no weaker than you now. Take a look at the level of my immortal body.”
“What?” War Violence said, his heart still pounding. Looking over at Titan Duelbringer, he realized that his immortal body was much stronger than before and was filled with seven-colored magical laws.
“You abandoned the magical laws of the Titan Emperor Heaven?” War Violence blurted in shock. “You reformed your immortal body?”
“That’s right,” Titan Duelbringer said proudly. “I used the magical laws of the Tusita Heaven. What do you think? Those magical laws surpass the local magical laws by so many times over I don’t even know how to quantify it. And my cultivation base puts me just on the verge of breaking through to the third stage of Thought-Demolishing.”
“The Tusita Heaven!” War Violence was completely bowled over. “That place is the stuff of legend! It’s far higher-level than the Titan Emperor Heaven. If they sent down an immortal, even our boundless emperor of heaven would treat them with the utmost respect.”
“You’re right about that. Well? Will you help me, War Violence? What if we gave you some of the magical laws of the Tusita Heaven? They would help your immortal body and ensure that you rise far higher than captain. You would likely become an immortal marquis or paragon.”
Titan Duelbringer was being sure to clearly lay out all the benefits he could bring.
“What do you want me to do?” War Violence asked.
“Simple. Get me into the local Department of the Imperial Clan so that I can grease whatever palms are necessary to have my criminal record expunged. And I also need to get an identity for my friend here, the benefactor. Furthermore, I need to get in touch with my old friends to try to get me a job working for Princess Jadefall. Preferably a bodyguard position.” [1]
Titan Duelbringer had thought things through already, and Yang Qi was very pleased with how he was handling things.
“Princess Jadefall? She’s important. Way too important for me to have any connections to. Wait. I remember hearing that you were friends with one of her stewards. Don’t tell me—”
“It's true. I'm actually a sworn brother of one of her stewards, and he owes me a favor. Right now, I have no official position so I can’t get into the imperial city. That’s what I need you for. Once I'm inside, I can get in touch with my friend in the Department of the Imperial Clan, who will help me expunge my record. After that, I’ll be in the clear.” Titan Duelbringer was being perfectly upfront.
“Seems like a good plan,” War Violence said. “So all you want is for me to take you into the imperial city? I can do that. Things are tense in the Titan Emperor Heaven now, and because of the threat of war the imperial city is under strict control. They question everyone that goes in and out of the city, and if they don’t like what they hear they arrest you. But I am a captain, after all.”
At this point, Yang Qi finally broke into the conversation. “Thank you for your trouble. Why don’t you take these immortal stones? I'm sure you could find a use for them.” He handed over a violet immortal stone that abounded with the aura of a king.
War Violence took it, and his eyes went wide. “Such immense levels of power! That’s got to be a royal-grade immortal stone at the very least! It must be worth a fortune.”
Of course, it was one of the immortal stones Yang Qi had brought from the lower world, which he had created from power from the Tusita Heaven. Even in the Titan Emperor Heaven, an immortal stone like this would be considered very high level.
“It’s a power stone from the Tusita Heaven,” Yang Qi went on to say. “Absorb it, and you’ll be able to make changes to your physique and fleshly body. With magical laws from the Tusita Heaven, you’ll be far stronger than any other immortal in the same level as you.”
“Brothers,” War Violence said, “come with me. I’ll make sure you get safely into the imperial city.”
Thus Yang Qi and Titan Duelbringer followed him into the city.
The city was immense and tightly guarded. But inside, it was like a different world. Planes of existence were connected to other planes of existence by means of a maze of corridors, streets, and roads. Paradisiac blessed lands were everywhere, and there was heavy traffic in every direction. Business flourished and just about everything imaginable was for sale, as long as you could pay for it.
There was one plane set aside for business, and others for residency. And there were some immense structures that were imperial yamens or military bases. [2]
Killing intent simmered everywhere, and the atmosphere was one of glory and majesty.
Eventually, they entered an immense memorial arch that led to a plane filled with pagodas and buildings, as well as streets patrolled by burly soldiers.
No one stepped forward to ask questions of Titan Duelbringer or Yang Qi.
However, as soon as they entered someone hurried over.
It was a gaunt, middle-aged man whose eyes glittered like torches. “Titan Duelbringer, what are you doing here? You committed a grave crime in the lower world, and now you dare to come back? Aren’t you afraid of getting sent to the Immortal Execution Block?”
“Calm down, Titan Shroudsun. Come on, aren’t we old friends? I know how things work in the Department of the Imperial Clan. So I made some mistakes in the lower world. Now that I'm back, all it’ll take is the right word here or there to clean my record. Look, let’s not waste words. I know what you want. I brought some great stuff back from the lower world. It should be enough to grease some palms, don’t you think?”
Titan Shroudsun chuckled. “Money talks, my friend. It's true, you made some mistakes, but you didn't commit any horrendous crime. A minor screw up—that's all, right? The fact that you even went down to the disgusting lower world should count as a big service. Come, let’s head inside where we can talk freely.”
Gesturing, he led them to a hall deep inside the Department of the Imperial Clan. As for War Violence, he was no imperial clansman, so he left.
The Department of the Imperial Clan was responsible for handling matters relating to imperial clansmen. When one of them committed a crime they wouldn’t stand trial in an ordinary court, but rather, come here for judgment.
Naturally, it was where Titan Duelbringer would come to receive punishment as well. However, as long as he had enough money, he could bribe his way out of any punishment and possibly end up getting a reward instead.
There was no question, the Department of the Imperial Clan was corrupt to the core.
Titan Shroudsun, Titan Duelbringer, and Yang Qi all sat down.
“Who might this be?” Titan Shroudsun said, looking over at Yang Qi.
“This is a benefactor of mine, who has incredible divine abilities at his disposal. His energy arts are invincible. Although he’s from the lower world, Brother, you absolutely, positively cannot underestimate him.”
“Don’t worry,” Yang Qi said. “As long as you handle everything smoothly, I can make it very worth your while!” He waved his hand, causing immortal stones to tumble out in a tiny, mountainous pile.
“Oh. My. God!” Titan Shroudsun’s eyes went wide and he very nearly passed out. “You never see collections of immortal stones like that, even here in the immortal world! Are they from a higher level plane?”
“Exactly. These immortal stones should take care of everything right? Including a new identity for my benefactor here? He needs to be an imperial clansman.”
“That’s easy. Thanks to the war, the Titan Emperor Heaven is in chaos. Many imperial clansmen have fallen from grace, and some have even had their clans exterminated. Getting your benefactor an identity shouldn’t be a problem, but the only problem is his cultivation base.” Looking a bit embarrassed, he continued, “It's too low! He's not even in the Demolishing level. As a serf, it will be very difficult for him to accomplish anything.”
“That shouldn't be a problem,” Yang Qi said coolly. “If I want to rise to Demolishing, then I’ll rise to Demolishing.” He waved his hands, causing a burst of immortal energy to seep out. After all, he had three primeval godworms who were all in the Demolishing level, and their aura was far stronger than that of an ordinary immortal.
“Oh, I see,” Titan Shroudsun said. “You’re hiding your strength. In that case, this will be easy.” With that, he left to handle certain particulars.
“Great,” Titan Duelbringer said, quietly so that only Yang Qi could hear. “Once our identities are taken care of, I’ll go find my friend who’s a steward of Princess Jadefall. Hopefully, I can arrange for both of us to work as bodyguards in her mansion. She’s one of His Imperial Majesty’s most favored granddaughters. Getting into her employ should get us a lot of great opportunities and could be our path to reaching the higher echelons.”
“So, we get into Princess Jadefall’s mansion, earn her trust, and perhaps end up getting an audience with the emperor and get answers directly from him?”
“Exactly!” Titan Duelbringer said. “Of course, most of it will be up to you, Milord. I can handle all of the initial stages, and maybe even get you into the higher echelons. As for what to do after that, it will be your decision to make.”
1. In ancient China, this title of princess was for the daughter of a crown prince or king, depending on the specific time period.
2. A yamen is essentially a government office in ancient China. More info here.
