Sage Monarch

Just like that, Heaven Dancer began revealing deeply kept secrets to Yang Qi.

He couldn't resort to a psychic projection or a soulsearch, as it went without saying that Heaven Dancer's soul and memories were protected by defensive measures put in place by the future world. If he tried to force such information out, Heaven Dancer's mind would explode and Yang Qi would come out completely empty-handed.

The only way to get information was the old question-and-answer method.

When Yang Qi learned that information about his true identity wasn't public knowledge, he relaxed a bit. It would obviously be useless to kill Heaven Dancer right now if rumors about him being Proud Heaven's son were still going to spread.

He was convinced that he wasn't actually Proud Heaven's son, but had been born when the powers of primal-chaos broke through his mother's quintessence energy, making him a Fateless One. But in the end, a repeated rumor would be treated as fact, and if enough people suspected him then no amount of protesting on his part would do any good. They would capture him, interrogate him, and drag his secrets out of him. He would be finished.

"Who is the most important military person assigned here from the future world? Who's in charge? You're obviously little more than an errand runner, so is there some bigger fish out there?"

"Oh, yes, there's a bigger fish," Heaven Dancer replied, sounding like he was under the effects of some sort of truth serum. "The most powerful person assigned here from the future world is actually still on the way. He's a general appointed by August Patriarch Proud Heaven. The man is incredibly famous, and commands countless fleets back home. He's General Samman, and not even I come close to being as strong as him. If you describe him in terms of the dao of immortals, he's already an eighth division Buddha God. And he's at the peak of that level, just about to make another breakthrough. Oh, and he has at least one of King Immortal-Slayer's legacy medallions. He's prepared to come here to capture you and take you back to the future the instant I accomplish my mission."

"King Immortal-Slayer's legacy medallions? General Samman?" Yang Qi's heart was starting to pound. He desperately needed more of King Immortal-Slayer's legacy medallions, even just one. As long as he had a total of five, it would be almost impossible for anyone to come along and use remaining medallions to take his.

But if this General Samman was a Buddha God, then there was no way Yang Qi could openly fight him. Even just running away might be a problem. If the ordinary warriors from the future world were difficult to fight, how hard would it be to deal with a general? All of them were Future Ones, which meant that they gained huge power ups just from the journey alone.

"How did you know that Dragon Proudheaven was an assumed name and that I'm really Yang Qi?"

"My Cosmic Quantum Computer gets information from the military's highest-level photonic computers. I'm not sure how the information got into them. I just go on missions. General Samman would probably know. He's put together a special ops team that will be coming through the space-time passageway to strip you of your God Legion Seal and take you back to the future."

Heaven Dancer twitched a bit, as if he were trying to resist the interrogation.

In response, Yang Qi sent a stream of golden light out to him which caused him to go still. "So you're telling me that if I wipe out this special ops team and kill General Samman, my secret will be safe?"

"Theoretically, yes. August Patriarch Proud Heaven and the other nine magisters all went to the Primeval Age to get the God Legion Seal there. The highest-ranking members of the army now are the marshals, none of whom know your secret. Only General Samman knows. If he perishes, then no one will be able to reveal your secret until Magister Proud Heaven returns."

"Do you know exactly where my mother, Master, and aunt are being kept?"

"That's top secret, so no, I don't know. Only General Samman knows."

"Alright, the time has come for you to forget everything you know and serve me without question." Yang Qi placed his palm on top of Heaven Dancer's head, sending a stream of true energy into his sea of consciousness and wiping out all of his memories.

[Beep-beep-beep. Beep-beep-beep.]

The Cruiser of Civilization suddenly began to speak. [New information. New information. Outgoing radiation transmission intercepted on hidden channel. Block message?]

"Of course block it!" Yang Qi said, startled. "So, news of Heaven Dancer perishing was supposed to reach General Samman and his special ops team. But now it won't?" He looked over at the Cosmic Quantum Computer floating off to the side and realized that it must have been the source of the radiation transmission. Smiling coldly, he resolved to destroy the thing.

[Quantum computer detected] one of the photonic computers said curtly. [Technology from the ancient mechanical civilization. Repairs possible. Initiate repairs?]

"Go ahead," Yang Qi replied. Instantly, the Cosmic Quantum Computer began to glow with bright light as a host of seemingly crystalline magical symbols appeared on its surface. Spatial fragments and minor worlds could be seen inside of it as it began to spin, faster and faster until it finally exploded. Then the photonic computers of the Cruiser of Civilization sucked in all of the power, causing numerous systems in the ship to rise to a higher level.

All of a sudden, the photonic computer began to deliver more information.

[Additional fragment of the Cruiser of Civilization detected. Fragment possesses vivicreation systems. Fragment is piercing through space-time and will arrive in the current time period shortly.]

Trembling, Yang Qi said, "I want to see that ship. Draw on all power reserves if you have to!"

Moments later, the power levels began dropping as the photonic computers produced a detailed image.

A wormhole appeared that was many times larger than any wormhole Yang Qi had ever seen before. And in the middle of it flew an enormous spacecraft.

Within the depths of the wormhole, light was twisted and distorted and time seemed broken. It was as if the magical laws from the other side were spurned by the dao of heaven and couldn't enter. Either that, or the other location was one of complete rot and desolation.

For some reason, Yang Qi was certain that an enormous head existed on the other side of the wormhole, something that could devour millions upon millions of immortal worlds. In contrast, this side of the wormhole had a heart.

'Brahma's head and Brahma's heart,' he thought. That wormhole was the passageway to and from the future world. And now a piece of the Cruiser of Civilization was coming through, crewed by a special ops crew and captained by the legendary General Samman.

The photonic computers in Yang Qi's Cruiser of Civilization suddenly retracted their sensors.

"How long until that ship gets here?" Yang Qi asked.

The photonic computers performed some calculations. [Approximately one month. Travel through the passageway is slow, although the return trip will be slower, approximately three years.]

'A month,' he thought. 'That's not enough time. There's no way I'll be a Godmyth by then.' He shook his head. 'General Samman is coming here specifically to deal with me. He's so strong that there's no way I could deal with him in a fight. And he has some of King Immortal-Slayer's legacy medallions. But how many, I wonder? As if that wasn't enough, he also has a fragment of the Cruiser of Civilization? I wonder what this General Samman looks like.'

All of a sudden, Yang Qi addressed the photonic computers again. "Perform any calculations necessary to show me General Samman."

Whirrrr.

An engine roared to life somewhere deep in the Cruiser of Civilization, and moments later the image of a young man appeared on one of the screens.

He had an aquiline nose and wore dark green military garb, including a beret. He had knee-length leather boots and looked like the intelligent, capable type of officer. He even had white gloves that somehow made him seem like both a seasoned killer and a capable leader.

Thump!

Almost as soon as the image of the young man appeared, the photonic computer suddenly crashed.

[Scanning connection detected and jammed] said the emotionless photonic computer. [Enemy spacecraft contains high-level vivicreation systems. If we meet, our systems would likely come under their control. The best method of defense would be the Engine of the One God.]

"The Engine of the One God?" Yang Qi said, his jaw dropping. "What's that?"

[The most powerful system built into the Cruiser of Civilization. The Lord of Civilization, a Paramount God, received direction from the Sovereign Lord to create the culmination of the scientific and technological civilization. It was a god item called the Engine of the One God. With it, one can control all other fragments of the spacecraft and absorb all other systems. With it, the full Cruiser of Civilization can be restored.]

"Where is this Engine of the One God?"

[Unknown. Perhaps in primal-chaos debris, perhaps in the Primeval Age, perhaps in the present. Most likely, it is not in the future world, otherwise General Samman would have it and our spacecraft would automatically set a course for his location.]

"So, if I want to deal with General Samman, I should find this Engine of the One God first. Otherwise I'm going to be in a very bad situation." Yang Qi shook his head. "I have to get stronger, but simultaneously search for the Engine of the One God, and also draw the enemy toward me…."

All of a sudden, he thought about Young Master Leaf.

Perhaps Leaf Dao-Denier would be the perfect tool to use against General Samman. Right now, Leaf Dao-Denier was undergoing his Essence Trial in the Tusita Heaven. If he succeeded, his cultivation base would advance by leaps and bounds. He had lost one of King Immortal-Slayer's legacy medallions, but now, more were coming into play.

'The time has come to use my pawn, Young Lady Green Blaze.'

The thought caused a cold grin to appear on his face. Young Lady Green Blaze was the younger sister of one of the seventy-two brethren, the Berserk One Green Blaze. Perhaps he could use her to alert Young Master Leaf that some of King Immortal-Slayer's legacy medallions were coming from the future.

1. Young Lady Green Blaze was originally introduced in and , and he forced her into his service in .