Sovereign of the Three Realms

“How wonderful! Honored master, this really feels wonderful!” Pill King Lu Feng was in an outstanding mood. He'd been posing as Jiang Chen's attendant for the past few days while they’d gone around wrecking pill shops. He was having the time of his life and couldn't help but shout his happiness. They'd visited all the pill shops belonging to the great clans, and even the ninth rank aristocratic houses under Great Emperor Shura, sent them tumbling head over heels and left in style afterwards.

A simple brush of the clothes after a done deed, an anonymous departure, their names still hidden. This was simply the peak realm of throwing his weight around. Lu Feng didn't feel like it was a crude sham at all. On the contrary, he felt it to be an amazing pleasure. It wasn't simply the pleasure of wrecking these shops. Even more than that, it was the joy of being together with his master and immersing himself in his teacher's divine erudition in the dao of pills.

Lu Feng had first thought his master to be a mere representative of the Deviant Pill Faction, a genius of the Deviant Pill Faction. Spending these ten days as his attendant had caused Pill King Lu Feng to deeply realize how thoroughly wrong he had been! This teacher was simply an phenomenal genius. The Deviant Pill Faction was merely a small fraction of his knowledge.

Lu Feng had spent the past couple of days watching the honored master duel pill kings and destroy their shops was like it was child’s play. All of his master’s pill dueling knowledge, all the various techniques and tricks... they’d utterly flabbergasted Lu Feng.

Truth be told, he had been a little apprehensive at first. After all, there were quite a few formidable pill kings holding down the fort in these pill stores. However, after becoming accustomed to the situation, he'd realized how absurd his worries had been. Those hadn't been any pill duels, simply utter trampling! After ten days, the adoration he felt for this master was boundless.

“Ol' Lu, even I have regrets now that I see how delighted you are.” The depressed Ji San said from the side. Young master Ji san had been eager to participate in the rampage, but it wouldn't have been suitable with his status. His identity was just too sensitive. It was bound to attract no end of trouble if by any chance someone were to see through his disguise. So Ji San had repressed his impulsive thoughts and refrained from going with them. As a result, listening to Pill King Lu Feng's hyperbolic recounting now, young master Ji San faintly felt he'd let a great time slip out of his hands.

Jiang Cheng merely offered a faint smile. “Ol' Lu, you're making a fuss out of nothing. Back then, when my own teacher taught me the art of pills, he used many surprising ways throughout the entire ten years. He taught me many petty ways to nitpick and find fault. Do you know what the old gentleman said back then?”

“What did he say?” Lu Feng brimmed with interest. Although he'd never seen his master's master, he was full of curiosity about this mysterious man, full of limitless reverence.

“The old gentleman said that he taught me these skills so that I can go ruffle other pill masters' feathers for no reason, so that others won't dare offend me. It was a self-preservation method.”

Pill King Lu Feng blinked. “It's also a self-preservation method?”

Jiang Chen laughed. “That's right, if someone is afraid of you nitpicking them, won't they be forced to ingratiate themselves with you?”

Lu Feng laughed out loud. “Excellent, how right that is! What an odd, brazen notion from the grandmaster. Why is even his teaching method so bizarre?”

Jiang Chen nodded. “Mhm. Next time I see him, I'll tell him what you said.”

Lu Feng's face froze as he scrambled for words, “Don't! Honored master, I didn't say anything, so don't you slander me now. I'm afraid the old gentleman will directly expel me if he gets angry.”

Ji San laughed. “Brother, even my own curiosity is piqued from the way you talk about your teacher. Such an eccentric person is deserving of reverence and fascination.”

Jiang Chen nodded with a smile. “Oh right, Brother Ji, how's the situation of late?”

“It's Great Emperor Shura's turn to be in a panic now. The seven great emperors have already informed each other of the situation. They're going to look for a way to settle the matter.”

Ji San said, “House Wei’s father and son will certainly be safe now, at the very least. Meanwhile, the Wang father and son might not escape unscathed.”

“Mhm. We have to bury that particular duo deep now that we've started.”

“Mhm. Leaving a snake alive would be akin to sowing the seeds of future disaster. The father and son are definitely done for this time. Only, it might not be a fatal blow for the Majestic Clan. Great Emperor Shura is certainly going to replace them,” Ji San said.

“But it's still a pleasant surprise for the Coiling Dragon Clan!”

Ji San laughed. “Indeed.”

If the Majestic clan lord and his son were done in this time, then the Majestic Clan would greatly suffer even if someone replaced them. Moving forward, they would naturally pose a much smaller threat to the Coiling Dragon Clan.

……

The Coiling Dragon clan lord was as happy as young master Ji San. After many twists and turns, this pleasant surprise seemed like a glimmer of light at the end of a long tunnel. The Majestic Clan had long since set their sights on the Coiling Dragon Clan as prey. But now, it’d all suddenly fallen apart, just like that. Moreover, there wasn't much hope left for them to rise from these ashes either. At the very least, there was certainly no hope left for their clan lord and his son.

Since the Peafowl Guard had already gone into action, the “ironclad evidence” they’d produced would definitely doom the Majestic clan lord and his son, even if the seven great emperors were to try and smooth things over. As for Lord Wei and his son, the fabricated evidence would naturally not stand up to scrutiny. So, nothing might happen to Lord Wei and his son, but Lord Wang and his son were bound for a wretched fate. Great Emperor Peafowl was certainly going to show a personal interest in the matter after coming out of seclusion. As soon as Great Emperor Peafowl went into action, everyone would have to give him an accounting.

…...

Sure enough, Great Emperor Shura was seething with rage.

“All of you, don't you know how to do anything? Can't you show a little brains? Since you already knew they were coming to wreck the shops, don't you know to prepare yourself in advance? You let him run amok for ten days, are you this helpless!?” The audible anger in Great Emperor’s Shura’s tone skewered everyone in the room.

The continuous shop wrecking didn't have a direct connection with Great Emperor Shura, but it was definitely an indirect slap to his face. None of the shops belonging to factions under the other great emperors had been touched. The shops involved all had belonged to those under his banner. None of the clan lords had anything to say in the face of such words. They had been dead busy with the Majestic Clan's matter when this pill master had gone to town, so they hadn't spared enough focus for the Farmer God Market. Who would’ve thought that every pill store would be wrecked one after another in the past ten days? It was an utter disaster!

“Moon Monarch, did you find out the identity of the pill master in question?” The great emperor asked, looking at the Moon Monarch.

The Moon Monarch was crestfallen. “They'd already disappeared without a trace by the time we’d sent out our men. What's left to investigate? There isn't even the beginning of a clue to be found.”

A great emperor's faction usually didn’t set foot in the mundane world. By the time the Moon Monarch's men had been dispatched, Jiang Chen had long finished his shop-wrecking and face-smacking already. He had also thoroughly cleaned up after himself and left nothing behind.

“Your Majesty, there's no need to investigate. It's certainly a pill king from Sacred Peafowl Mountain under a disguise who went out to wreck our shops.” One of the clan lords was bold enough to speak up.

“Do you have any evidence?” Great Emperor Shura asked, his tone cold.

The clan lord in question immediately shut his mouth. The lord of the Murong Clan suddenly spoke up, “Your Majesty, back then, the Majestic Clan and House Wei had a bet. In the end, it was that pill king from House Wei who’d come out the winner in some bizarre fashion. Even now, the origin of Pill King Zhen is unclear. Could it have been that Pill King Zhen's doing?”

“Pill King Zhen?” It was a name Great Emperor Shura had heard before, but never taken to heart. As one of the great emperors, of course he wouldn't have paid attention to a low-ranked pill king.

“Yes. That Pill King Zhen is very strange. Back then, when he defeated Taiyuan Lodge's Pill King Rong, he’d revealed quite a few abilities, all of them earthshaking in their own right. That fellow even knows the solution to the Ingenious Decan Pill Enigma and is also a representative of the Deviant Pill Faction...” As though he were pouring his heart out, Lord Murong talked on and on. It was obvious that he had carefully investigated Jiang Chen.

“Lord Murong, aren't you exaggerating? How strong is House Wei? How could they entice such a powerful pill king? The one who wrecked the shops this time is obviously a veteran and his ability in the dao of pills is beyond comprehension. None of the pill kings we had were his match. This person's pill dao is extremely profound. I'm guessing it must be an old monster recluse from Sacred Peafowl Mountain.” Another clan lord objected.

“How do you know that House Wei's pill king isn't an old monster? Maybe Sacred Peafowl Mountain and House Wei has been in concert all along! “ Lord Murong countered convincingly.

Seeing them argue without any coherent line of thought, Great Emperor Shura lost his temper and bellowed, “Why are you arguing!? State your proof if you have any! If you don't have any evidence, then why are you fighting amongst yourselves?”

The two of them didn't dare continue their dispute now that the great emperor had spoken. It

actually wasn't out of hostility, but after holding in their dismay for so long everyone merely wanted to display their abilities in front of the great emperor.

A powerhouse dressed in daoist robes who'd been sitting below Great Emperor Shura until now suddenly opened his eyes. Calm as a placid lake, he spoke, “Your Majesty, your servant is of the belief that we have to let go of this matter even if we have to suffer a loss.”

His daoist robe was embroidered with scattered five-pointed stars. This man was one of the three other monarchs beneath Great Emperor Shura, the Star Monarch. He was the wisest man in Great Emperor Shura's service, with overwhelming strength and outstanding intelligence. Moreover, he always kept the bigger picture in mind. He'd always served as a trusted adviser for the great emperor, offering plans and suggestions.

“Star Monarch, aren't you undermining our men's morale?” The Moon Monarch was quite unhappy at those words.

“Brother Moon, looking at the bigger picture, Lord Wang and his son are in a disastrous situation. We can't protect the Majestic Clan even if we stand firm behind them, and there’s the possibility that we even might even drag in others. Moreover, the Veluriyam Pagoda Ceremony is soon upon us. Our first priority should be to prepare for Pagoda's competition. That's our real path to dominating the landscape in the future. Embroiling ourselves in marginal battlefields doesn't hold real meaning for us.” The Star Monarch’s tone was calm and kind, as though he would never let his personal feelings affect his words. This was one of the reasons why Great Emperor Shura admired him.

Great Emperor Shura glanced at the usually taciturn Sun Monarch. “Scorching Sun, what do you think?”

“I follow Your Majesty's will.” The Sun Monarch was even more concise. He was loyal man who carried out his orders, a shadow following Great Emperor Shura.

Great Emperor Shura heaved a quiet sigh. “One thing the Star Monarch said is quite correct. The Veluriyam Pagoda's Ceremony is the real method to dominating the future. Everything else falls behind in comparison. Let us do as the Star Monarch said!"