‘I need to gather the sect elders and those closest to us. They deserve to know the truth’
Zhang Dong muttered aloud while his wife nodded a few times. The two had decided to start their plan with the main sect. They needed to awaken everyone to this truth and then empower them. The plan was straightforward: bring more people into the immortal realm, provide them with a simplified system, and enlist their help to take over the other stations alongside the other Zhang Dong clones.
At this juncture, Zhang Dong didn't feel confident enough in his current realm to pursue the truth. His power fell short compared to the godlike being that created all of this. He could only hope that whoever made this would remain preoccupied with other matters and not shorten his life. Nothing indicated that he was on the verge of being discovered by anything or anyone. Perhaps creating such a vast multiverse of small worlds had its drawbacks, and the person responsible was unable to govern it fully.
“Should I go get little Xiu?”
“Hah, she hates when you call her that but sure, I’ll have a word with our little Jun. Has he been doing well lately?”
“I’m not sure, after you left he had been working hard to keep the peace in the empire.”
“Were there some troubles?”
“Oh you know, the usual things that happen after a grand ancestor leaves.”
“I see…”
Zhang Dong smiled at his wife, who gave him one last hug. He could sense her distance, likely still apprehensive about the fact that he was a clone of her husband. Though this saddened him somewhat, he comprehended the peculiarity of their situation. Nevertheless, he needed to be strong and overcome the decrease in affection from his wife. Soon, he departed in the direction of his son, who was surprisingly not within the confines of any city.
‘I guess, there has been some trouble?’
His speed was tremendous, so it would only take him a few minutes if he pushed himself to reach the distant location where his son was situated. Even from afar, he could sense some commotion. As he drew closer, he discovered that his son was at the helm of their sect's armada, poised to clash with a large group of cultivators. The assembly was a mixed bag of individuals, including some demonic cultivators who had nearly been hunted to extinction.
‘I see, so these idiots think that after I’m gone, they can bully my sect and children into submission?’
Zhang Dong observed the situation from a distance, his eyes narrowing as he perceived the imbalance of power. Despite the odds seemingly stacked against his son and their sect, Jun stood confidently at the forefront, his eyes ablaze with determination. He presented himself with grace and looked like a proper Emperor.
‘Hah, my son sure is a sneaky little guy… he is pretending to be weaker, did he set this up to get rid of possible revolts in the future?’
Zhang Dong's eyes narrowed, and a smirk played on his lips. He could hear them whispering with each other to get down on their knees and beg for forgiveness. Their lies were apparent and somewhat amusing to a being of his current power.
“Testing, huh? Seems like a rather aggressive way to test someone's loyalty. I'm quite disappointed in you. I thought you had learned your lesson. But alas… there is no time for this, surrender yourselves, your lives will be spared but your cultivation will be lessened.”
To no surprise, some of the old masters didn’t like that trade. To a lot of them, having their cultivation stripped or restrained was akin to dying. Zhang Dong was floating close to the flagship of the enemy army and suddenly a group of cultivators charged at him.
“Don’t let them fool you, Zhang Dong has passed on to the other realm! This is probably some elaborate ruse, a fake! Attack with me brothers and sisters, we will rule the Empire, it is our time!”
A group of around fifteen great circle nascent soul masters charged at him. Behind them an explosion of spirit bullets and other elemental attacks. Zhang Dong sighed inwardly. It seemed that the rebellion was more deeply rooted than he initially thought. These cultivators were willing to risk everything for a chance at power, even if it meant going against the man who had once united the entire world under the banner of the Golden Empire.
With a wave of his hand, a powerful gust of wind emanated from him, extinguishing the approaching attacks like candles in a storm. The rebels were sent flying backward, their bodies battered and bruised. The fear in their eyes intensified as they realized the futility of their resistance.
“Enough of this foolishness!”
He declared, his voice resonating with authority.
“I have returned, and any attempts at defiance will be met with consequences. Surrender now, and perhaps you'll be given a chance at redemption.”
The rebel cultivators, now lying on the ground and nursing their wounds, exchanged glances. The reality of their situation had sunk in, and the allure of rebellion had faded in the face of overwhelming power. After a moment of tense silence, the leaders of the rebellion gritted their teeth and reluctantly dropped to their knees.
“We surrender, Great Ancestor. We were misled, and we beg for your mercy.”
There was no way of fighting overwhelming power and he disliked the fact that he was forced to act. The trembling men and women below didn’t bring him joy but just saddened him instead. None of them was aware of the bigger picture and all of them continued to murder each other for a little bit more prestige. He hoped to finally be able to break this cycle.
“My son you did well but we must have a few words, we will be returning to the main sect, I want you to assemble our most trusted sect members, there is something that I need to show all of you…”
The battle was over but a new war was on the horizon. Zhang Jun looked quite confused but he nodded.
“Yes, Father!”
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter