Chapter 18
Chen Luoyang got a shock when someone suddenly spoke, and he nearly jumped out of his chair.
Who could it be?
Since Chen Luoyang woke up as the Demon Cult Master in this world, apart from the time when his subordinates rushed into his room because they were worried about some mishap happening to their Cult Master during his seclusion, Chen Luoyang had never been caught unprepared like this.
After that incident, if his subordinates wanted to look for him, the Cult Master, they would have to seek approval through various channels. The cult members could only see him after obtaining his approval.
Today, someone didn’t go through any channel of communication and just suddenly appeared beside me! Who is this person? When did they arrive? What do they want?
Chen Luoyang forced himself to stay calm and didn’t show any surprise.
This person’s tone sounded rather respectful and shouldn’t be an enemy of the Demon Cult. However, this person sounded natural, and it didn’t seem to be their first time doing this.
Chen Luoyang was rapidly thinking.
As such, he put on a normal appearance as though it was a common occurrence.
Chen Luoyang might not have known when this person arrived, but he recalled that he didn’t do anything suspicious when he was alone. It meant that when he mumbled to himself earlier, it didn’t really matter.
He composed himself and sat on the chair without moving.
As expected, he heard the person continue to talk, “Led by the Great Xia Empire, and with the involvement of the Sword Pavilion and the Other Tribe, all of the representatives from the various sacred factions in the Central Divine Province had assembled for a secret meeting at the Great Xia Empire’s imperial capital.
“These factions are working together and going on an expedition to the south to attack our Divine Cult’s core region. They will be departing in a few days. Entering the Shu Prefecture to provide assistance is merely a diversion to distract our line of sight and conceal their true motive. The Shu Prefecture is just a bait to restrain Cult Master and our cult. They aren’t just trying to defend Shu Prefecture. They wish to turn defense into offense and destroy our cult’s foundation.”
While speaking, a figure gradually appeared in front of Chen Luoyang, but it was just a silhouette. The person seemed to be enveloped in the middle of a small tornado, and the entire person seemed like he was made of wind. It wasn’t possible to see the appearance clearly, but he could vaguely tell that it was a man.
Chen Luoyang muttered in his heart:
If this person is a member of the Demon Cult and still doesn’t reveal his appearance, doesn’t it seem a little rude? That natural attitude makes it seem like this is a common practice. What kind of attitude should I treat this person with? He wouldn’t possibly be an impersonator from a Demon Cult enemy, right?
Chen Luoyang sat on his high seat and used an indifferent tone to ask in return, “An expedition to the south to attack my cult’s core region?”
Chen Luoyang had also considered the possibility that the Great Xia Empire, the Sword Pavilion, and the others were creating a diversion by attacking his homeland to rescue the Shu Prefecture. However, the possibility was very slim.
Unless the Sword Sovereign had fully recovered, or if the Saber Sovereign had truly come out of seclusion to personally deal with the Demon Cult.
However, the two of them were both apprehensive of each other.
If the two sovereigns didn’t act personally, it would be hard to shake the Demon Cult’s foundation. Chen Luoyang, the Cult Master, might not be around, but there were experts overseeing the shrine.
Of the four hall chiefs, there was the Vermilion Bird Hall Chief that was also known as the Grand Hall Chief. He was publicly recognized as the number two expert within the Demon Cult that was only inferior to Cult Master Chen Luoyang.
Back then, he was a transcending demon who had once contested with Chen Luoyang for the position of Cult Master. He might be number two, but no one dared to despise him.
The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were the current pinnacle figures that stood at the top of the Grand Divine Province. Below the Three Sovereigns were the Five Emperors, and the Vermilion Bird Hall Chief was one of the Five Emperors.
That wasn’t all; the Demon Cult possessed two of the Five Emperors. Apart from the Vermilion Bird Hall Chief, there was also the leader of the Seven Elders, the Demon Cult’s Grand Elder.
When Cult Master Chen Luoyang went to fight with the Sword Pavilion Lord at the Snow Domain Plateau, the two Emperors remained in the shrine to oversee the place. Apart from them, the Demon Cult had other experts who were also at the Demon Domain.
In terms of strength, Chen Luoyang was still rather confident. However, in terms of tactics, there were still things to consider as the Great Xia Empire didn’t focus their strength on dealing with Chen Luoyang in the Shu Prefecture. Instead, they were detouring to the Demon Cult Shrine.
Within the Demon Cult, the Grand Hall Chief and the Grand Elder were both leading figures of the elder faction. After Chen Luoyang succeeded the Cult Master position and promoted plenty of new members, the elder faction’s dissatisfaction had been increasing.
If there was any bit of accident during the decisive battle between the Demon Cult Master and the Sword Pavilion Lord, the elder faction might just strike. Now that enemies were surrounding Chen Luoyang in the Shu Prefecture, the Demon Cult’s elder faction might also be observing and waiting to pick up the loot.
As a result, the young generation faction might, in turn, be dissatisfied. If the Cult Master didn’t suppress everyone, the Demon Cult might just erupt into internal strife.
But if the Demon Cult Shrine was attacked, then in order to face the pressure from the enemy, the Demon Cult’s two internal factions might just temporarily put down their differences and work together to repel the enemy.
As such, when Chen Luoyang heard the news of the alliance going on an expedition to the south, his first reaction was astonishment.
The man enveloped in wind said, “It is absolutely true. When the opposition made the decision, it could also be said they had no choice. In order to invite the East Sea King to make a move, the target could only be our cult’s shrine.”
“East Sea, Wang Clan…” Chen Luoyang was in deep thoughts.
Within the Great Xia Empire, there were plenty of influential and prestigious clans. Previously, there had been the most-reputable Six Major Clans.
However, after generations of rule, the Great Xia Empire had weakened many of the prestigious factions within its borders, and the Six Major Clans had also turned into history. Right now, there were only the Three Major Clans left.
By the classification of the Azure Dragon Hall, they were all A-class factions. The most noteworthy faction was the head of the Three Major Clans, the East Sea’s Wang Clan.
The current head of the Wang Clan had astonishing ability and was known as the number one sword dao individual who was only inferior to the Sword Sovereign and had been given the title of Sword Emperor.
The Great Xia Empire’s current ruler, the Xia Emperor; the Other Tribe’s Left Sage King; the Demon Cult’s Grand Hall Chief; the Demon Cult’s Grand Elder; and the Wang Clan head were collectively known as the Five Emperors. Right now, in the Grand Divine Province, they were the strongest individuals under the Three Sovereigns.
Not considering the Demon Cult, Sword Pavilion, and the Other Tribe, the Great Xia Empire had two Emperors. But the existence of the Sword Emperor was undoubtedly an awkward situation for the Xia Emperor.
It was fortunate that the Wang Clan head was devoted to the sword dao and didn’t interfere with worldly affairs. He was only protecting his own portion of land. The Great Xia Empire that was having trouble on both the inside and the outside had simply closed one eye to them.
However, the Three Major Clans supported each other mutually, making it hard for the Great Xia Empire to continue oppressing these influential clans. The Grand Divine Province’s eastern Lu Prefecture and the East Sea had basically turned into an independent nation for the Wang Clan. They were merely serving the Great Xia Empire in name.
As such, the Wang Clan Head also had the name of “East Sea King”.
But why would the East Sea King attack the Demon Cult Shrine? Who does he want to find?
Chen Luoyang was still rather puzzled.
Chen Luoyang maintained his unchanged expression while he sat high up and quietly looked at the man enveloped by wind.
As expected, the man continued talking, “The East Sea King is only pursuing the sword dao as he has for his entire life. When he found out that the Grand Hall Chief’s self-created new absolute art to challenge the Cult Master is a sword art, he had the intention to go south and challenge the Grand Hall Chief. The source of the East Sea’s Wang Clan information is uncertain. I will continue to investigate.”
Chen Luoyang had this urge to ridicule.
Since that is the case, why doesn’t he challenge the Sword Sovereign? That person is the number one sword in the Divine Province. Is he going after the weak and afraid of the strong? Or does the Sword Sovereign and the Sword Emperor have a deep and good relationship? Or could they be sparring frequently, but the outside world doesn’t know?
While Chen Luoyang was ridiculing, he was also silently rejoicing.
It seems like the Cult Master is supposed to know that the Vermilion Bird Hall Chief has created a new sword art. It is fortunate that I didn’t talk too much earlier, or I might have exposed myself. I have been receiving all sorts of information during this period of time, but I still missed out on some things.
Chen Luoyang looked at the man enveloped in a tornado and was gradually enlightened. This person might be another source of information that the Demon Cult Master had. Apart from the Demon Cult’s own information provider, there was another secret information system that was dedicated to the Cult Master alone.
As both sides carried out investigations, information would be verified and complemented. It could even serve as mutual supervision. It was to ensure that the Demon Cult Master was knowledgeable about everything in the world and wouldn’t be deceived.
“It is rare that the Wang Clan is willing to venture outside the East Sea. The Great Xia Empire is just taking advantage of the situation and is colluding with others to invade my sacred domain in the south. However, this is obviously not enough.” Chen Luoyang asked in an indifferent tone, “What about the Other Tribe?”