Chapter 553

"..."

"Patriarch?"

"Woah… don't sneak up on me like that!"

"I apologize, Patriarch, please punish this Zhang Zhi accordingly!"

"No… it's fine… what is the problem?"

Zhang Dong was deep in thought while Zhi approached him from the back. So much that he was startled by even someone like his retainer. The last few weeks had been nerve-wracking on his psyche. Even with the good old tranquil mind technique, he continued to worry and look over his shoulder.

To what extent the Overseer would act was unknown to him. Perhaps she was constantly watching him through some device he couldn't fathom. There were immortal grade items on the system store that perhaps the administrator could use. What if the brainwashing failure would be figured out sooner than he could gather the power necessary for his ascension?

Thoughts of an inevitable end clouded his mind and continued to drive him towards his next enemy. The faster he took care of the two remaining forces of the empires the better. Only after absorbing the Dao's they had would he be able to break through. Only with a newfound power could he ever hope to go against someone that broke this world's rules.

"I just wished to inform you about an unusual sighting at the shore line. A strange object that resembles an island had shown itself along with various sea creatures surrounding it. They are making it troublesome for our spies to approach."

"I see, they might be trying to establish a foothold to invade the lands."

"Our strategists are of the same mind Patriarch, they wish to observe further before sending out our forces that had been diminished but if you give the order, I will direct our brothers to battle myself!"

"No that won't be necessary, just keep watching from afar and I'll call for you when the need arises."

"As you wish."

Zhang Zhi clasped his hands but there was a look of disappointment in his eyes. Zhang Dong knew what the problem was as he was able to overhear some people talking his disciples included. Everyone was feeling that his position as Patriarch should be taken more seriously. The constant engagement with stealth missions was only one of the problems. They feared that one of these days he would put himself somewhere that he won't be able to escape from.

'They aren't wrong… strictly speaking, there is no need for me to join these battles anymore.'

His forces were evolving and advancing at a rapid pace. All the lands that the demi-humans and demonic cultivators occupied were now under his jurisdiction. Not even the Azure Emperor or the Heavenly Crane Sect could demand it back from him. His side had proven that they are capable of competing with the big boys.

Wang Long's death was a surprise to everyone. Naturally, the sects in power tried to spin it their own way. Either the person that they were fighting was injured or they themselves had become a demonic sect. The invasion of the city of demons and the subsequent absorption of the whole island was somewhat suspicious.

Without proper evidence, they could not pin anything substantial. This didn't mean that they couldn't find something to accuse them of. If they really wanted to start a war then claiming that he and his faction had become bloodthirsty demonic cultivators would probably be enough as a reason. It wouldn't be that easy however, his reputation of a magnanimous being had already spread through the whole empire and could actually benefit him.

"Before you go, were we able to get our fishy friends to talk?"

"No Patriarch, they have proven somewhat resistant to the mind-bending skills, and the more we prod the more their minds deteriorate."

It seemed that the fish people he had previously captured had some kind of mind-controlling spell cast on them. They were unable to speak whenever asked about their leaders, plans, and forces. The moment they tried to give out this information while under the usual techniques their minds would boil. Afterward, they would not be able to remember anything and their cultivation base was eradicated.

'Whoever puts such mind blocks on their commanding officers can't be the soft type, probably all of their forces will turn into berserkers to protect their leaders.'

It was a similar technique to what demonic cultivators used. No one would be able to go against the person performing the spell and if they tried their mind would be fried. Though it was disheartening to see that even the nascent soul-level masters were put under it. Whoever led these sea creatures must have been quite pedantic about them being loyal.

'It could also be some kind of racial skill, perhaps they have some type of hive mind mentality, like ants or bees?'

The being that he took for questioning had died during the interview and they had examined their body. The nascent soul ones that looked more human didn't actually have any human DNA in them. It was clear that they evolved from some other creatures entirely which made them different from the demi-humans that were changed through millennia of body refinement.

'This could be more troublesome but I shall cross that bridge when I get there…'

Now he had to make a decision, would he use his sect for what it was created for or endanger himself alone like he always did? His forces had just gone through some rest and their healing arts were one of the best in the whole empire. The golden palace that was half destroyed was quickly being restored. This was all thanks to the corrupted spirit vein that was slowly being converted into spirit points and repairs.

It wouldn't be totally out of the picture to continue with his attack. The biggest problem was the field the enemy appeared in. The sea creatures had the advantage over his flying ships and anyone that tried to fight underwater. Some of the battle formations needed some tuning and testing as well.

His forces were growing but it was clear to him that without the Golden Dragon around they wouldn't be taken as seriously. Even though the number of nascent soul masters had increased thanks to his system and continued to grow, they were mostly only ones in name. It took many years of study to get to that level, battles between such masters would usually go to the one with more experience if the power difference wasn't that drastic.

'I might not always be here, they need to learn to take care of themselves without me around.'

He might have been looking at it in a pessimistic way but he had no idea of knowing what would happen in the future. The last time he vanished for five years his sect was almost destroyed by Wang Long. Even if they eradicated all the invaders the Azure Emperor or the Heavenly Crane Sect could begin to see them as an eye sore. It was important to secure the safety of his children and allies, for they needed to take some of the responsibility off his hands.

The recent attack proved that they were able to contend with powerful beings themselves. There were many masters under Wang Long's influence that were world-class fighters. Perhaps if the army was more tightly knit they could have pushed for a stalemate. The moment their leader was down for the count they just fled the scene and were in hiding even now.

'A slower approach might be in order, if I rush into it then that woman might come for me…'

A decision had been made and growing his forces came first. He would not totally abandon the rush for power but some concessions needed to be made. The people that showed the most promise needed to be gathered up and further groomed into proper warriors. This batch would include some of the nascent soul masters while also some core formation experts that did well, his disciples included.

'I should give Kuo a call…'

Thankfully he didn't really need to go through much to find people that were talented. His faction part of the system would do that for him. He could even order it depending on potential and loyalty towards him and the sect. Only trustworthy people would be helped to reach a new height. It would take some time but even both of his disciples could soon reach the nascent soul level as long as he retained the system. While his dependency on it never went away it was a necessary evil.

'It won't help me that much with understanding the Dao though, without that cube I might have to get it myself.'

The world here was not made with the intention of giving the system holders that much insight. Just as Wang Long proved it just injected the base knowledge that the user most of the time didn't fully grasp on their own. Perhaps if he went through this journey the correct way he could even skip battling the remaining two or three Emperors.

But such an endeavor required time and probably a lot of it. Luckily with Wang Long's death came some peace. Locking himself in a cultivation chamber at this point in time could do him some good. He had been going through the motions of rushing towards the next big battle without really understanding what he was sitting on. Understanding the power that was slowly budding inside of him could be very beneficial.

The fighting within the Empire was also dying down. The sea people were trying to establish forward bases which he was planning to counter. To the east where the Emerald Phoenix Empire had invaded people had already either submitted or fled to the lands of the Long clan. Even without him interfering that area would probably be fine.

Lord Lucius and Argus didn't come along for the demonic extermination but were still looking for the holy weapon parts. They weren't true enemies and didn't really push into the cultivator-owned cities. It wasn't a given that they would remain neutral but for now, it was safe to assume that they would.

He had already allowed them access to the lands that were under his new jurisdiction. It wasn't that hard, they just needed to imprint the characters of the United Element Sect onto their armor. This way they would not be attacked and everyone would be fine with cooperating with their relic searching efforts. If they wanted to delve into the other side of the empire then they would need to face off against the other invaders, which was all up to them.

'I guess taking a backseat for once won't be such a bad thing…'

After glancing at his faction window that could be used as a hub between his faction members he decided to head out towards the sea region. He would at least see what the ocean people were up to before fully deciding on his next action.