The Steward Demonic Emperor

Proofreader: Papatonks

Hum~

The calm lake surface rippled, whisking away the Heavenly Sovereign’s evil grin.

Zhuo Fan nodded, “That’s why the Heavenly Sovereign is so obsessed with destroying the world. His younger brother gave him that idea, the Supreme path is a path of destruction.”

“You can say that, but maybe it’s only because of the Heavenly Sovereign’s belief.”

“Belief?”

“He is of firm belief that the Heavenly Daos are ultimate. He looks down on the human path just like a lofty emperor does with his subjects.”

The old man nodded, “Even so, he never entertained the thought of destroying the world, until now. No matter how much you loathe someone, would you just kill him over nothing? The Heavenly Sovereign isn’t a lunatic, but ever since he saw his younger brother, it was like he was given instruction to flourish the Heavenly Daos by destroying humanity. This idea, neither good nor evil, got implanted so deep in his mind that it led to the following disaster.”

Zhuo Fan gave him a long look, “Neither good nor evil? Senior, you believe destroying the world is a good thing?”

“I’m unsure. All I know is that its end would come sooner or later, just that it wouldn’t be the Heavenly Sovereign but someone or something else. Why else would there be a path of destruction in this world? Zhuo Fan, you find destruction evil, due to your humanity or from being alive, but as a great path cultivator, putting aside your human origins, do you believe this world would be tainted by humans?”

The old man stared at Zhuo Fan with a deep gaze.

Zhuo Fan shuddered, lowering his head in thought, “As a human demonic cultivator, and I know how black humanity can become as I delved deeper in the matters of the heart.  Destruction might be the just way for the world. Maybe the Heavenly Sovereign is heaven’s envoy and the Sovereigns stopping him are defying heaven’s will.”

The old man had a grim look, struggling with his own matters.

“Senior!”

Zhuo Fan turned to him, “I want to keep looking, how the Heavenly Sovereign’s younger brother chooses.”

The old man nodded, “As you should, for this is what you came for…”

The old man waved and the lake reflected a new image. The old man said, “Ever since the younger brother gave up on forming the apocalyptic path, his heart was in a bind. He ventured out to train and look for answers. This trek took him fifty years, a time in which his feet carried him throughout Sacred Domain. Despite not being a Sovereign, as he touched upon the power of the Supreme Stage, he wasn’t any weaker than one. He was in fact superior to Child Sovereign, which is why he earned the name, the Uncrowned Sovereign, with the people calling the brothers the Heavenly Daos’ Dignitaries…”

“Elder brother, where are you?”

The young brother returned home to find the Heavenly Sovereign missing. He sensed something at the back of the mountain and went there to break its barrier with a mere tap. He witnessed flames everywhere unleashing incredible power.

The Heavenly Sovereign glanced over, “It’s far from the Supreme path, but he retained the trait of destroying everything. Sword Heart’s peak sword barrier was blown away like nothing. It would’ve been so much better if you formed your path.” 

“What are you doing here?”

The man in white stared coldly at the familiar power, “Thunder Phoenix’s Berserk Purple Lightning, Kunpeng’s Chaos Flame, why are the five great sacred beasts’ powers here?”

The Heavenly Sovereign smiled, only focusing on the wild energy. Sword Heart had no time to pay attention, weaving through gestures as he stared at the five-colored swirling energy in the center to refine it.

Hu~

A black flame lashed out from them, with a dreadful aura that made the Heavenly Sovereign and his brother pale.

[Apocalyptic thunderflame?]

Zhuo Fan’s eyes shook and the elder shouted, “The power of destruction?”

The Heavenly Sovereign looked on with excitement.

[I knew the five powers could unleash the same destructive force. By refining them, I can understand the path of destruction. Then I can purge the filth from this world and remake it anew, ha-ha-ha…]

Bam!

A sudden explosion echoed out and the black flame scattered. The five powers broke apart and entered the nearby mountain. Sword Heart grimaced and coughed blood.

When dust settled, before them were five 6th grade sacred weapons of dazzling colors.

“They’re the five divine swords that quelled the mortal domain.”

Zhuo Fan sighed, “They were actually failures made by the Heavenly Sovereign trying to combine the five powers.”

The Heavenly Sovereign looked hard.

Sword Heart apologized, “Heavenly Sovereign, I’ve given my all but the powers are hard to fuse.”

“No, they did fuse, but they are too opposite to stabilize. There has to be a way to enhance their engendering traits.” The Heavenly Sovereign sighed and looked in the distance. 

The man in white said, “You want the destructive power!”

“Yes, didn’t you say to find it ourselves?”

The Heavenly Sovereign said, “As the Heavenly Daos’ emissary, I pass its judgment. You don’t want to destroy the world and assume your duty as a Heavenly Daos cultivator, but I do!”

“Sword Heart, you’ve grown close to the five great sacred beasts over the years to get their powers. Now who among them can be used?”

“Heaven Sealing Sea Ao is simple. He helped me collect the powers of the other four…”

“No, simple people won’t do this. I don’t want just one of their powers, but all of them.”

“You want to take their powers?” Sword Heart gasped.

The Heaven Sovereign nodded, “These powers come from the sacred beasts. You used your sword to fuse them but it’s not right, for it’s just an object. So I will take their powers into myself to refine it…”

“You mustn’t! It will backfire and eat you alive!”

“It matters not. Everything is for the Heavenly Daos. Besides, I’m not so reckless as to take them all at once.” The Heavenly Sovereign grinned and asked, “Sword Heart, any other candidates besides Sea Ao?”

Sword Heart nodded, “Qilin is violent and dragon ancestor’s heart burns hot. Only Vaulting Kunpeng had been affected by humanity and grew shrewd…”

“Him. Be it Nine Serenities’ comprehending the demonic path, or my void path, we all understand that the simpler the people, the more in tune to Heavenly Daos they are and harder to create a disaster. The old fowl thinks of himself as mighty clever, making him the perfect target. He’ll have the five great sacred beasts clash among each other…” 

With an evil grin, the Heavenly Sovereign turned to his younger brother, “You won’t make it harder for us, will you?”

The man in white left, “I told you. What you do is not my problem.”

“His emotion center is broken indeed, not caring about grudges. The past him would’ve…”

“Gone against us, not because of his emotional Heavenly Daos, but his human side. He wouldn’t let the world be destroyed. Alas, without his emotion center, he’s no longer human, ignoring all that happens in the end, ha-ha-ha…”

The Heavenly Sovereign grinned, “It’s for the best, not butting in. I can trust him as well. Sword Heart, go ask for Kunpeng to come see me.”

Sword Heart left.

The Heavenly Sovereign agreed to help Kunpeng become a divine beast and the latter would help with picking off the sacred beasts one by one. Kunpeng followed his instructions like he was possessed.

The first to fall was the clueless Sundering Thunder Phoenix.

He fooled her to come to a valley where the two Sovereigns and sacred beast killed her. The deadly purple lightning became the Heavenly Sovereign’s eye power.

Kunpeng planned on continuing, but his betrayal leaked and he had to face off against the three remaining sacred beasts.

The Heavenly Sovereign found Kunpeng useless and planned on silencing him, but first came to take his power. However, he didn’t make it as the Emotion Sovereign and the other Sovereigns came to thwart him.

Kunpeng had no choice but to expose the Heavenly Sovereign’s plan to them all, that of destroying the world. 

Humanity and Heavenly Daos’ conflict degenerated into the ancient great war.

The Heavenly Sovereign wanted it done in secret but with his plan in the open, he went all out to fight against the eight Sovereigns.

As for the four sacred beasts, due to the world being at stake, they joined with the eight Sovereigns to stop the Heavenly Sovereign. Kunpeng, as the traitor, was not trusted, but because of the common enemy, the Nether Sovereign and Emotion Sovereign vouched for him, allowing him to join…