Scourcloud was uninterested in Devourcloudâs attempts to coax information out of him. This depressed the latter a little.
In fact, the entire Order was sensitive about the protector kingâs former identity. There were some internal rumors about it, but nobody could say anything for sure. The only prevailing sentiment was that this protector king was very mysterious indeed.
Devourcloud was mildly upset. His colleague wasnât giving him a lot of respect. They were both protector kings, werenât they? They were equal in status and position. Scourcloud should have been much more polite rather than distant.
âDaoist Scourcloud, you have a lot on your mind. Where do you think the supreme lord is taking us?â Not entirely satisfied, Devourcloud tried once more.
âThe supreme lordâs thoughts are beyond our knowledge. Iâm not sure either. Listening to his orders is good enough.â Scourcloud finally replied with a longish sentence.
Devourcloud sighed softly. âThe supreme lord is unreadable indeed. Iâm curious... I wonder if the supreme lord spoke true in his promise about empyrean opportunities?â
Scourcloud smiled, but didnât pick up the conversation.
Another order came from the back as they walked onwards. âProtector Kings, the Supreme Lord commands you to take to the southeast.â
Devourcloud blinked. âSoutheast again? This... weâre heading toward...â
His tone and expression both froze. The objective was almost immediately obvious once he thought about it! âDaoist Scourcloud, we... weâre going to Veluriyam Capital, huh?â
Veluriyam Capital was the only major city to the southeast.
âWhatever the supreme lord says,â Scourcloud retorted coolly.
Devourcloud took a deep breath, a glimmer of keenness appearing in his eyes. Finally, he nodded. âYes, as the supreme lord commands.â
Heâd actually been observing Scourcloud all this time. The latter had maintained undisturbed calmness throughout. Though Devourcloud was a bit angry, he also found reason enough to respect the man. The other protector kingâs composure was first-rate. Every protector king had his own personality, but most were impulsive and tooted their own horn far more than Protector King Scourcloud.
There was mutual competition between the eight protector kings for the sake of gaining the supreme lordâs favor. More favor meant more of a chance at the empyrean opportunity promised.
This rivalry for approval meant that there was plenty of unseen strife between the protector kings. This was the main reason for Devourcloudâs endless questioning along the way.
Scourcloudâs composure was unrivaled, however. Was he really this calm or was he pretending? Devourcloud found the other manâs indifference to power and glory incredible.
âDaoist Scourcloud...â he made to speak once more.
âDaoist Devourcloud, we are leading the vanguard. We have a lot of responsibility to prepare the way for the supreme lord. It would be very bad if we miss any scouting details due to idle conversation.â Scourcloud evidently had no interest in chit chat.
Devourcloud laughed dryly despite the curt response he received. âYes, yes, fellow daoist. Youâre absolutely right.â
Scourcloud actually wanted to propose that they split up, but he was concerned about the possibility of suspicion from his colleague. The supreme lord was far more paranoid about such things as well. He could only restrain himself and slowly press on.
What a pity that the two brothers arenât in the vanguard. Otherwise, I could have sent them to scout ahead and deliver a message. Protector King Scourcloud was bothered and irritated.
He was none other than Emperor Peerless whoâd been waiting for Jiang Chen at Agarwood Valleyâs entrance.
The young manâs trip had involved the emperor and the Jiao brothers waiting outside, disguised as wandering cultivators. Alas, Jiang Chen and company had lingered inside for a long time. Emperor Peerless and the Jiao brothers couldnât follow despite their worries.
While they tensely awaited his return, there had been a strange smell near Agarwoodâs entrance thatâd put everyone waiting there to sleep. The supreme lord of the Order had brought a group of diehard loyalists from Myriad Abyss Island, capturing all of them in one fell swoop.
Because Emperor Peerless had once fallen victim to the Moon God Sectâs Seven Emotions Poison, Jiang Chen had given the great emperor a little bit of his own blood essence way back when as part of the antidote.
The young manâs blood had an antitoxin attribute from his golden cicada bloodline, allowing Emperor Peerless to stay conscious despite the poison. Initially, there had been a chance for the great emperor to flee. However, before he did so, heâd noticed the absurd strength of their captors.
Even if he had taken that chance, he wouldâve had twenty percent success at most. Moreover, since the Jiao brothers had already been taken, he found it more prudent to pretend to be poisoned instead.
Thankfully, there had been no immediate probe into their identities before and during their trip back to the Order of the Wind and Cloudâs headquarters.
While everyone was still unconscious, Emperor Peerless had been decisive enough to destroy his facial appearance utterly, disintegrating his former identity. Because he had refined the kunpeng blood Jiang Chen had given him, his abilities concerning that bloodline had been gradually strengthening all the while.
This gave him the necessary preconditions to hide his former martial style and make his identity undetectable.
When the Order began to investigate their identities in more detail, he styled himself as the Wandering Kunpeng Master. No one in the wandering cultivator world had heard of that name.
Emperor Everviolet hadnât managed to provide much of a clue either. Because of Emperor Peerlessâs unrecognizable face and strange aura provided by his kunpeng blood, the other great emperor wasnât able to figure anything out. Though the two emperors had fought many times in the past, Everviolet had experienced only the original Peerless, rather than the one enhanced by kunpeng blood.
Because of the lack of flaws in Peerlessâ disguise, Everviolet had never even considered his real identity as the remotest of possibilities. Using his new identity as the Wandering Kunpeng Master, Peerless had leveraged his bloodline and martial strength to become one of the eight protector kings.
As for the Jiao brothers, theyâd received hints from Emperor Peerless after awakening to hide their strengths. As a result, the Order only knew them as emperor realm experts.
Because of the number of prisoners they had taken and the relative normality of the brothers, they had only been able to become Earthly Fiends â three levels below the supreme lord. Not many people paid attention to individuals at that rank.
All three were able to survive uneventfully, with no one the wiser about the true relationship between the three. Nevertheless, Emperor Peerless and the Jiao brothers had taken the Exultation Pill as well. Because of this layer of insurance, the supreme lord was unafraid of trickery or betrayal from anyone.
At the bottom of his heart, the seventh master treated the human domain with derision. He felt that everyone who lived here was disgraceful and cowardly. There was the stick of the Exultation Pill and the carrot of the empyrean opportunity, wasnât there? There was no way anyone could possibly be disloyal given these two incentives. Therefore, heâd never seriously considered the likelihood of anyone betraying him.
The only reason he was exercising caution this time was because of how important the offensive on Veluriyam was.
After realizing the supreme lordâs conspiracy, Peerless was very anxious. Though they were very distant from Veluriyam Capital presently, Jiang Chen wouldnât make it back to the city in time after being pulled to Ninesuns territory.
Moreover, doing so carried the possibility of being ambushed in itself.
No, I must think of a way to deliver a message to the city. They need time to prepare! Since first meeting Jiang Chen, Emperor Peerless had formed a deep friendship with the youth. Veluriyam Capital was where he felt he belonged. Plus, his dao partner Madame Yun was still in the city.
He had more than enough reason to protect it with his life, both professional and personal.
Emperor Peerless was someone who cared a lot about relationships. Though he hadnât known the Jiao brothers as a wandering cultivator, they were colleagues and peers under the same Sacred Peafowl Mountain banner. Emperor Peerless couldnât just leave them to rot.
This desire to take care of his peers and investigate the mysterious individuals had kept him from leaving when he could. Still, his attention to detail hadnât helped him find out the supreme lordâs identity and origins yet.
The lack of a way to send a message to Veluriyam made him suspect that Devourcloudâs incessant questions had been for the sake of watching his behavior. He could very well be planted by the supreme lord.
Peerless had no intention of revealing any flaws in his disguise right now.
The army neared Veluriyam Capital with the passage of time. It finally arrived within the cityâs demesne one day, which meant that the walls were within another dayâs travel. Thankfully, the supreme lord ordered a rest and break.
âSeventh Master, why not press the attack? Weâre already very close, arenât we?â Elder Peng asked.
âWeâre not in a hurry. Iâm waiting for news from the Ninesuns Sky Sect. When it is verified that Jiang Chen is indeed over there, I will give the order to besiege the city!â The supreme lord had a specific plan in mind.
He knew well that Jiang Chenâs presence gave Veluriyam Capital a spine. It would be much more difficult to take the city then. Without its young lord, a leaderless city was liable to fall into chaos. There was no way it would stand against his attacks.
Elder Peng nodded. âVery wise, Seventh Master. That kid is a pillar of the city; Veluriyam Capital is nothing without him.â
They werenât wary of Jiang Chenâs cultivation level, but of his effect on Veluriyam Capital as a whole. Furthermore, the eight stone golem brothers and the Vermilion Bird were very dangerous as well. Though they werenât scared, the eight stone golem brothers were clearly tough opponents. It was better to avoid them if possible!