The Steward Demonic EmperorThe Steward Demonic Emperor
Proofreader: Papatonks
The two chuckled.
Nine Serenities was the one to continue the explanation, “You’re wrong to blame them. All of us were moved by your self-sacrifice to save every being, and would be willing to give up everything to save you. But for you to train in the Nine Serenities Secret Records, only I could’ve guided you.”
“Nine Serenities Secret Records?”
“As you’ve seen yourself, the moment you were the closest to the Supreme Stage power was when you fused nine paths. You used that power to wrest the wounded Sword Heart’s path and take it for yourself.”
Nine Serenities’ eyes gleaned, “I am confident your emotional Heavenly Daos is the pathway to reach the Supreme Stage through uniting the nine human Sovereign paths. Nothing is hopeless in this world, no matter how bad it looks. Even with the destruction path appearing, there will be another path to stop it. This path is your emotional Heavenly Daos. When you couldn’t form your Sovereign path, maybe it just needed the right timing for the ten daos to unite. The void path and the nine human paths will help you form the Supreme path and become lord over heaven and earth.”
“In other words, the younger brother chose to get the ten paths instead of forming the Sovereign path. Heaven’s Will didn’t wish for destruction, only leading to this path due to his broken emotion center.
“That’s how it is. But Heaven’s Will is hard to read, and we are only able to judge it with our own views. Who can say the real truth of the Dao? Even the Heavenly Sovereign can’t declare he represents the world. Only a Supreme, or maybe not even it…”
Nine Serenities’ shook himself from that line of thought, “Anyway, they’re out of our grasp and all we can do is follow our path in helping every being pass this crisis. You have what it takes to do it and I happened to make the art to help you integrate all paths. When you become Supreme, it will be like how the world can only have ten Sovereigns, but you will be the sole person, blocking the destruction of the Supreme Stage from appearing. Even if it does appear, you have what it takes to fight it.”
Zhuo Fan nodded, “To stop the Heavenly Sovereign from getting to the destruction path, you want to take over the world first. But won’t the Heavenly Sovereign try to stop me?”
“The Sovereign path shields your fate. Only my path guided you to seek the demonic path. But letting demons take you is easy, while overcoming them is hard. The hardest part of the demonic path is drifting from desire to desire before you can break free of your demons and reach the end of the path, seeing the hearts and minds of the world without desire. It’s easier said than done. There are countless righteous cultivators who couldn’t escape their demons and sank further into their grasp.”
Zhuo Fan nodded, “Master Nine Serenities, I’ve been a no-good demon once, shambling around without aim and witnessing all kinds of demons. Some are cloaked in righteousness, making escape all the harder. I had the fortune to be sharp enough and perceptive enough to be here today instead of living my meager existence as a petty criminal. Alas, guess I did have a knack for the demonic path, ha-ha-ha…”
“Knack my ass!”
Nine Serenities’ face twitched, “Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited here for you?”
“Right, about five thousand years?”
Zhuo Fan counted, “I spent a few centuries cultivating in Sacred Domain then got reborn five thousand years later and cultivated about a hundred years more, quite quickly I might say.”
Nine Serenities rolled his eyes and Rebirth Sovereign laughed, “That’s your current life.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? How many lives did I have?”
“Since the fall of the ancient era, thirty two lives in total. In most of them you were unable to get your hands on the Nine Serenities Secret Records, wasting even more time.”
“W-what, thirty-two? That many?” Zhuo Fan gasped in disbelief.
Nine Serenities said, “The Demon Transformation Art blends all the paths, which is why each life must be a clean slate. In other words, all previous paths had to be purged. So each reincarnation removes your memories. There were only around five times you got the Nine Serenities Secret Records. It’s lucky you made it all the way here this time around. The other times, humph, once you were too scared to train in it, the other time ending like your disciple, not willing to let go of your cultivation and dying from the backlash. The same petty demons you’re denouncing were you in a few lifetimes. Now ain’t that talent! Ha!”
“How can this be?”
Zhuo Fan blinked, “But I got the Nine Serenities Secret Records from your tomb. If someone found it already, who put it back?”
The two replied at the same time, “The Heavenly Sovereign.”
“What?”
“Wipe that dumb look already. For thirty-two lives, the Heavenly Sovereign had been on us like a hawk, as well as Sacred Domain. You think he wouldn’t be cautious of the Nine Serenities Secret Records appearing?”
“He knew everything?”
“Of course!”
“Why didn’t he stop it?”
“Why?” Nine Serenities shrugged, “After he found the Nine Serenities Secret Records, you had already reincarnated a few times, and his sharp mind must’ve connected the dots. But our plan helped him as well. He couldn’t remove the bewitching placed on him by himself, nor could he force the Emotion Sovereign to do it. So he was looking forward to having your emotional Sovereign path do it instead. Bewitched, his void path was damaged 💔 so reaching the Supreme Stage was impossible. Why wouldn’t he be happy to have all ten paths gathered? Doesn’t that also further his plan?
“Besides, the void path can hold anything, even Sovereign paths. But to fuse them is beyond him. Seeing my Demon Transformation Art, he had to have been laughing so hard the first time he found our plan. There’s no way he’d stop us. You never noticed how you’ve been led all this time?”
Zhuo Fan frowned, “Couldn’t he have just taken the Demon Transformation Art if he wanted it so much? Why wait for me to get it?”
“What was Demon Transformation Art’s first warning? To remove your previous cultivation. In the case of the Heavenly Sovereign, he’d have to let go of his Sovereign Stage cultivation and even his Sovereign path!”
Nine Serenities raised his eyebrows, “The strongest Sovereign wasn’t ready to risk his chance at the Supreme Stage or his void path over some sketchy art. The ungodly risk aside, it might’ve been a trap. What would you do in his shoes?”
Zhuo Fan nodded with a sigh, “Yeah, great experts would never want to start from scratch again. Despite the journey being longer in this case, the risk wasn’t worth it. Even a Sovereign would falter.”
“He didn’t have the nerve to do it, nor is he hopeful of others, with their poor talents. Only you, his younger brother, are the best candidate. Just that thirty-two reincarnations proved your lack of talent in the demonic path. He could no longer take the wait and took action this time, guiding you. It did the trick and you got the gist on the spot, thanks to an awesome master, ha-ha-ha…”
Zhuo Fan’s face twitched, “Why don’t I feel the slightest difference between you and the Heavenly Sovereign. It’s like you’re in it together to mess with me!”
“Right you are. When masters fight, they do it in the open. You’re the pawn of all of us. Despite the different purposes, interests aligned for a while.”
“Then you also were ready to guide me?”
“Of course, we laid the groundwork throughout the world to guide you the minute you trained in the Demon Transformation Art.” Nine Serenities nodded, “The Sacred Domain was under the Nether Sovereign and the others’ care, leaving their remnant images in different realms. Sovereign Yun chose to bring his path to the mortal domain through a World Wind Tunnel and tell Kunpeng our plan. All that remained was for you to arrive. A cultivator is an adventurer first and foremost, and most of them in the mortal domain would visit the Allbeast Mountain Range at some point, including you.”
“And if I haven’t?”
“Since the first plan to guide you would be a bust, plan B would be in effect.”
“Plan B?”
“Yeah, being willing to give up your Sovereign path.” Nine Serenities smiled, “Demonic path is as selfish as it gets. If you could’ve relinquished it, that meant you rose above all the desires and demons, finishing the demonic path through the Demon Transformation Art. At that point your fate will be readable in the heavens and Sovereign Yun would send someone to lure you to receive our inheritances to reach the same conclusion.”
[So that’s why!]
Zhuo Fan sighed.
[These players had my life’s track in the palm of their hands, taking another stage the minute I passed the previous one.]
[If no plan worked, the lives will be spent in mediocrity until the moment they could use me again.]
“You used me like a toy!”
“No, toys are at someone’s mercy, while we merely guided you and didn’t dictate your every choice.” Nine Serenities spoke hard, “Just like now, we have no control on what your heart wants. Your choice is yours. You hold everything, including our hopes and the lives of everyone in the world.”
Zhuo Fan looked at the two then nodded, “Let’s begin then. I accept my previous life’s inheritance…”