What Next?

The other two Supreme Sovereigns were furious.

Though they weren't brothers, they've always has each other's backs for 200 years and yet a brat not older than 20 years took his live.

The second chancellor was in pain, the ancestors of their clan was now gone, even if he were to win today, the damages suffered were too much.

He had to come out with something at least, He clasped his hands and said, "Ancestors please take revenge for my ancestor" he said whiles bowing.

"You don't need to, Today we'll make sure to bury all this troops alongside our brother, he'll have a lot of companions to accompany him"

One of the old man in green robes said, 

Gu Shang looked at him as if he was looking at a retards.

Bury his troops? Was he capable?

"You old men could have enjoyed your lives and cultivate in peace, yet you don't value it.

Since you value your friendship so much, why don't you accompany your brother" Gu Shang mocked.

"Your confidence comes from that subordinate of yours right? Then I'll just have to crash him and watch you as you despair with no one to rely on, then crush you bit by bit" said the old man frostily.

The onlookers couldn't help but feel goosebumps on their bodies as they heard his frosty voice.

He nodded at the other sovereign before the two surrounded the first emissary.

The emissary stood there and faced the two old men, looking tall and proud.

There was no panic or fear in his eyes, the two old men were also at the fourth stage of the Sovereign stage just like him.

The old men became more vigilant, they knew he was strong and weren't willing to underestimate him.

The first emissary lifted his sword and pointed it at them, before he disappeared from were he stood.

The old man in grey robes immediately stomped on the ground with his legs.

"Rise!" he shouted, Spiritual Qi in the surrounding roared and came to life, the spiritual Qi formed a large earth dragon that rose from beneath the ground and coiled around him giving him protection.

"That's the Fu Clan, Coiling dragon technique, it gives the users absolute defense, making it impossible to receive any damage in battle, it was said that after reaching grand master level one could summon a dragon made of Spiritual Qi. The Fu Clan ancestors seems to have mastered it to a grand master level"

One of the high ranking officials from a noble family said, his eyes was glowing with excitement, with this they could defeat the emissary.

The old man in grey robes took out a long silver staff after fortifying his defense.

The emissary appeared just in front of him planning to stab him, the same move he used on the other sovereign, but at that exact moment a golden halberd appeared in front of him aiming for his chest.

The emissary twisted his body in a 360 degree way, turning his back on the old man in grey robes.

From the corner of his eyes, the emissary saw the halberd pass him by a hair breath, cutting a few strain of hair.

The surprised attack was carried out by the other sovereign in white robes, he was shocked and stunned.

This his stunt had always worked, even if he did not hit the target, it would heavily injure the target diminishing his fighting prowess.

This was the first time someone had survived his surprise attack unscathed.

Such reflex! Such agility and flexibility were never seen.

The first emissary saw his chance, the old man was exposed after the move, 

The old man held his halberd with both hands thrusting forward. Because he had full confidence in succeeding, he didn't protect his abdomen.

Because the emissary had dogged the attack without stopping, he was very close to the old man in white robes.

He twisted his sword backwards and with blue light on the edge of the sword, he pierced it through the old man in white robes.

He pulled out the sword with the old man guts falling out, the old man in white robes fell down dead.

Another Sovereign had died so simply.

The emissary did not stop and proceeded his attack, unleashing sword energies in the surrounding.

A silhouette of a sword formed behind him as he approached the old man in grey robes.

The sword and the staff clashed causing sparks and dust to fly around the main entrance.

The old man in grey robes took two steps back, whiles the emissary took one step back.

The coiling dragon around the old man in grey robes roared and attacked the emissary.

The emissary clapped his hands together and thrust it forward, a sword made of spiritual Qi appeared behind him, before shooting forward fastly at the approaching dragon.

The battle was in it's final stage, the winner of this battle would be determined by their mastering of Qi.

Everyone expected the dragon to swallow the sword and proceed to attack the emissary, but to their surprise, 

The sword met with the dragon, but sliced through it with no resistance or whatsoever. The sword continued to pass through the old man in grey robes before dissipating.

"You... This is sword intent, not Qi" no wonder the dragon made of Qi lost. 

The old man in grey robes coughed out blood after his earth dragon was destroyed. He supported himself with the staff as he stood there.

His internal organs were damaged, it was always advisable to not use spiritual Qi to fight because loosing would cause severe injuries to the practitioner.

"Who are you?" He asked whiles coughing, he knew he was no match for the young man in front of him, in the empire there was yet to be anyone with sword intent.

"I'm the first emissary" he simply replied before pointing his sword forward.

"That's enough!" Gu Shang finally spoke up.

"Old man, I'll give you two choices" Gu Shang said as he approached the old man supporting himself with a staff.

"You can bend the knee and submit to me, or you can join your brothers, which is your choice?" Gu Shang said as he stood in front of the old man.

Just then, seven cavalry men appeared on their dragon horses, like the first emissary they also had golden Qilin on their shoulders with a golden cape and golden ponytails attached to their helmet.

They were actually Four young men and three women, they got down on their knees and clasped their hands towards Gu Shang the moment they arrived.

"The emissaries of the Grand General report to his grace" 

Gu Shang signalled them to rise.

After they got up, they stood behind Gu Shang quietly.

The old man in grey robes almost fainted, those around could not tell, but he could sense all the cultivation of the newly arrived emissaries, they were all Supreme Sovereigns.

That's eight supreme sovereigns if you were to add the one who defeated him to them.

When did breaking through the Supreme Sovereign realm become so easy?

How was this even possible? even the imperial family didn't have that much supreme sovereign, but yet the prince of the north actually controlled eight.

It was important to know that, the entire empire had 12 Supreme Sovereigns including him, now two were dead leaving only 10.

Gu Shang could actually battle the empire with his military strength.

He glanced at Gu Shang, he couldn't help but laugh about his previous statement of burying Gu Shang along with his brother.

Now he had lost two, and his life was hanging by a thread. If they had really known how powerful Gu Shang forces were, they would have never agreed to come even if they were promised eternal life.

That left him wondering, what was Gu Shang's actual cultivation. From what's he's seen today, even if you slap him to death he won't believe that Gu Shang was just a sky lord.

There was no way in the three heavens that Gu Shang a sky lord could command a dozen sovereigns.

He had to be higher.

He sighed to himself in regret, he should have never underestimated someone who subdued all the prefectures and lower regions.

He dropped his staff and knelt down on his knees. 

"I submit to you, your grace" he said in a booming voice.

Gu Shang looked at him, and shot a white ray of light into the spiritual conscience of the old man.

A purple Qilin pattern appeared in the old man's spiritual root.

The spiritual root was one of the most essential reason for cultivation. 

The reason why humans cultivated was to build small worlds within themselves.

The spiritual root was cultivated from the elementary stage onwards. As one cultivation begins to rise, a spiritual root was created in their conscience, the root formed a small world in the human conscience and with every breakthrough the world grew.

The root was what formed a connection with the heavens and the spiritual Qi.

Cultivators were able to bend nature to their will because they had small worlds within them, and as a result the heavens consider cultivators as part of nature and the heavens.

The Spiritual root was the most secure place in a cultivators body, even a sovereign couldn't force his way to access the root of an Earth Master or Elementary stage expert.

But Gu Shang broke through his spiritual root without any resistance.

He looked at the purple Qilin pattern covering the sky in his world in a daze.

"I'll remove it, if you become trust worthy enough" Gu Shang simply said.

"Yes your grace" he responded before standing up.

Gu Shang turned and faced the high ranking officials and with his mouth slightly raised into a sneer asked, " What next?"