The Steward Demonic Emperor

Proofreader: Papatonks

Whoosh!

On a clear night, a falling star crossed the skies and fell in a bush. Once the light faded, it revealed a hazy human shape.

“Where…”

Zhuo Fan looked around at the vegetation and quiet scenery. It felt like paradise, with not a trace of dirt marring its beauty. In the center of the meadow was a clear lake. The perfect surface instilled peace in him.

Zhuo Fan crouched and touched the water.

Hum~

A ripple spread through the clear lake and two people were reflected back.

One of them was a young master in white robes, eminent and elegant. The other was cruel in his features. As they played chess, they all had calm gazes, having already known how this game would end. 

He knew who this was, the Heavenly Sovereign!

Zhuo Fan gasped, “What is this place? The lake can monitor the Heavenly Sovereign? And he can’t sense it? What is going on? The Sovereigns have sharp senses. They’re connected to the world and will sense anyone looking at them…”

“Little brother, you lose again.”

The Heavenly Sovereign’s reflection placed one last piece and declared to the other, “This is your 99th round without a single win. Isn’t this enough?”

[Younger brother?]

[Did the Heavenly Sovereign have a younger brother? Didn’t he call me like that as well? How come there’s another? Or does he indulge in calling everyone that?] 

[You call yourself a brother when you’re killing the other with your bare hands?]

Zhuo Fan watched on.

The man in white smirked, shaking his hand, “I accept my meager skill and defeat, ha-ha-ha…”

“What meager? Reaching my stage and playing chess is a matter of skill?”

The Heavenly Sovereign stood up, “I play for the world, for the cosmos, enacting my path. We both comprehend the Heavenly Daos and I have reached the Sovereign Stage with it. Another eight have achieved their path as well. As the Heavenly Daos’ Sovereign, I’ll be honest. I can feel the world’s laws, and there can only be ten Sovereigns. When will you achieve your path and take the last spot?”

The man in white said, “When it comes, it comes.’

“Humph, when it comes. Your path is corrupted from all the emotions and will never succeed. To achieve your path, you need to be like me and cast out all interferences.”

“Oh, elder brother, you’re too dogmatic.”

The man in white stood with a smile, “Nine Serenities and the others have achieved their path despite all emotions, haven’t they? The Sovereign Stage has nothing to do with your emotions, ha-ha-ha…”

“Enough of your fake smiles!”

The Heavenly Sovereign glared and held his head high, “Heaven is supreme while the earth is below. The Heavenly Daos are ultimate. We comprehend the Heavenly Daos and must be heartless. All the others comprehended human paths. Humans live on the ground, beneath the Heavenly Daos. The difficulty is like heaven and earth. We are chosen by the world to grasp the Heavenly Daos. Don’t talk to me about those lowly Sovereigns!”

The man in white was solemn, “Elder brother’s void path is mighty, but you mustn’t deny the other’s paths. If the world were heartless, why would it contain all in creation? This proves it’s the people that do not understand the world’s love and emotions. The Heavenly Daos are not heartless, for that wouldn’t be the Heavenly Daos.”

“Humph, contain all creation? In your dreams!”

The Heavenly Sovereign mocked, “First comes the world and then everything else. The world is everlasting, while everything else isn’t. That means the world will always be here, operating by its own laws, while the beings within are merely props on stage. All beings depend on the world, while it is independent. The world is heartless, so stop trying to mingle the Heavenly Daos with humanity. This is why you’re stuck in reaching your path.”

The man in white stiffened, “And what if heaven has emotion?”

“Impossible!”

“I’m saying if.”

“Heaven with emotion means degeneracy. A world with emotions makes it no different from everything mundane and secular, unable to last forever.” The Heavenly Sovereign spoke with conviction, “One last reminder, there’s only one Sovereign spot left. Better hurry up.”

The Heavenly Sovereign left in a huff. The man in white hesitated.

Zhuo Fan frowned, “The Heavenly Sovereign is my nemesis, but he has a point. The world is heartless. Choosing the Heavenly Daos yet still sticking to emotions will only drag you down. But there’s someone with the hope of becoming Sovereign still around? To be regarded by the Heavenly Sovereign too… Speaking of, is the little brother kin or is he a stepbrother? It has to be kin. If he started saying younger brother left and right like he did with me, he’d have been sucked dry by now.”

Zhuo Fan shook his head.

[What were they hinting at? What a strange way of talking. What do you mean one spot left? Haven’t all the spots been taken?]

“You also believed the Heavenly Sovereign’s words?”

An aged voice came from behind. 

Zhuo Fan flinched and saw a man covered in black with a gray beard approaching. 

Zhuo Fan bowed at once, figuring the guy had to be some mighty expert coming in this mystery place.

The old man patted his shoulder to stop him, crouching by his side, “Youngster, there’s no need for that. We’re all mere soul remnants that could vanish any day now. What does courtesy do for us at this point? Let’s just see what the Heavenly Sovereign is up to, since that’s the only thing we can do, ha-ha-ha…”

“Uh, senior, you have a broad perspective, ha-ha-ha..”

Zhuo Fan’s face twitched, sitting by the lake and watching on while his mind was abuzz.

[Who is this guy? He’s quite chatty too. He’d rather watch someone else’s drama than look after his vanishing soul. I guess all dying people are chatty.] 

[Oh, where am I anyway? Why can I see the Heavenly Sovereign’s matters?]

Zhuo Fan cupped his hands, “Senior, what is this place? Why is the Heavenly Sovereign’s family drama conveyed?”

“You don’t know?” The man blinked.

Zhuo Fan shrugged, “I just got here without knowing. A friend brought me.”

“Oh, I see. You must have some great fortune. This is not a place where anyone can just waltz in. Just by coming here you have a high chance of being reborn, so long as you let go of one thing.”

“What?”

“Your memories, emotions, and everything else…”

The old man’s eyes shone, “This is the Heavenly Rebirth Lake, offering hope for all broken souls that they might be reborn. Any and all that succeeded left behind everything so that they could go on, broken souls included.”

[The Heavenly Rebirth Lake?]

Zhuo Fan looked around the quiet place, shouting, “The Rebirth Sovereign’s seat of enlightenment? Are you him, senior?”

“Ha-ha-ha, wrong. I’m just another broken soul.”

The old man smiled, “The Rebirth Sovereign doesn’t usually come here. All broken souls with deep feelings can leave the past and everything behind to be reborn. No Sovereign intervention required. It is our fortune.”

Zhuo Fan turned to the giddy old man staring at the lake, “Since that’s all it takes, what are you still doing here? You also mention vanishing. Can’t you be reborn?” 

“Did you not hear me? Rebirthing comes with a condition, to leave everything behind. Some things are more important than my life and I would rather vanish than be reborn.”

Zhuo Fan gave him a long look.

Zhuo Fan’s heart stirred, cupping his hands. 

[People would rather be destroyed from this world than ever let go of some memories.]

Few were those that held something else more precious than their lives. Fewer still those he met, worthy of respect.

Zhuo Fan rose from his gesture and the old man showed a nasty grin, “Besides, getting to see people’s drama is quite fun, better than the mundane world, he-he-he…”

Plop!

Zhuo Fan almost fell in the lake, his face twitching.

[Curses, it’s all because he’s dying for gossip. Here I was thinking you’re worthy of respect. Ugh, my poor heart…]