Chapter 288: The Reincarnated Sage
Hearing the Demon Lord Yang's words, the two demons' hearts tightened.
To take action for real? But they weren't prepared for that yet.
Demon Lord Yang didn't elaborate further. Instead, he took out three sticks of incense and lit them at the temple in the secret chamber.
He prayed devoutly.
Before long, a golden light appeared in front of the temple, and a young man in a silver-white robe emerged. He exuded a sacred and noble aura, and the edges of his eyes glowed a faint silver, reflecting an endless silver radiance.
"One year in the Sacred Land equals ten years in the human world."
A calm voice emanated from the young man. He scanned the three demons in the secret chamber, his expression cold. "How are things progressing here?"
"Your Highness, it's like this..."
Demon Lord Yang quickly knelt down, explaining the situation and their plans.
The Sacred Son listened quietly, his face growing colder.
"So, after waiting for decades and planning here for centuries, all your efforts have failed, and now you want to take direct action?"
Demon Lord Yang's body tensed as he lowered his head. "Your servant was incompetent. That human boy rose too suddenly, and we couldn't kill him in time. Now, we can't kill him at all."
Originally, they followed the Sacred Son's orders to avoid causing too much commotion, only slowly nibbling away at the Jiang family's influence. Although the divine dynasty had lasted over three thousand years, in the Sacred Land, that was only three hundred years.
And three hundred years was just a fleeting moment to the sages.
"I've already told you before, either kill in one blow or slowly nibble away. Don't get caught in a prolonged tug-of-war. Yet you still ended up like this."
The Sacred Son's eyes brewed with killing intent, lowering the temperature in the secret chamber.
He had planned to silently seize the Jiang family's incense offerings, so he had the three demons scheme here for centuries while he waited in the Sacred Land for decades.
Now, if they had to reveal their hand and fight openly, all the previous time spent would be meaningless. "Forgive us, Your Highness."
The three demons bowed their heads, trembling.
"Sixteen years old and already at this level. Are you certain?"
The Sacred Son's tone shifted, narrowing his eyes.
Demon Lord Yang nodded. "This has long been no secret. We now suspect he might be the reincarnation of a sage."
"The reincarnation of a sage..."
The Sacred Son's eyes flickered. "It's possible. In the Sacred Land, the sages are planning something significant, requiring the opening of all martial extremes. It might be a move left by a sage. But from what you said, his actions are too high-profile."
"Even though this is the human world, other sages might notice and kill him."
The three demons exchanged glances, feeling they had heard a great secret but dared not ask.
"If we had known this boy was so monstrous, we should have acted personally back then." Demon Lord Yang said softly, regretting deeply.
When Li Hao first rose to fame, they planned to take over Liangzhou and eliminate him in passing.
Yet, even with the Void Realm Dominator present, they couldn't kill the boy, who was only fifteen then!
Now, even if they acted, they had no guarantee of success. It felt as if he had emerged out of nowhere, unstoppable.
They had planned to eliminate potential threats secretly. The top talents of Dayu who weren't assassinated were not threats.
They cut off the new forces of the dynasty, letting it decay.
But now, a monstrous talent had suddenly appeared, shattering their schemes.
Had it not been for this, they wouldn't have risked alarming the Sacred Son.
"You seek my aid now?"
The Sacred Son asked coldly.
Demon Lord Yang lowered his head. "Your Highness, with our current strength, it's not enough. If that boy teams up with the true man..."
"Hmph!"
The Sacred Son snorted. "This dynasty secretly collects incense to revive their ancestor. Do you know why the five generals' cities have those formations? They reverse the flow of incense to the Jiang family."
"They are so cautious to avoid other sages discovering and ruining their plans."
"Whether the Jiang ancestor has enemy sages remains unknown."
"If we cause too much commotion, our efforts might be wasted!"
The three demons were stunned and turned pale.
"Requesting reinforcements is out of the question. Besides, even with reinforcements, you might still fail. I'll handle this personally and leave no hope!"
The Sacred Son's eyes were decisive, not intending to delay any longer.
Like a storybook villain sending slightly stronger opponents for the hero to overcome, growing stronger until invincible, such things wouldn't happen.
He intended to crush with overwhelming power, leaving no chance.
"You focus on the Daoist palace. When the merit treasury appears, martial artists in Dayu will grow stronger through the River of Souls' merit."
The Sacred Son said, "If the ancient holy tribes of the Great Wilderness learn of this, they might interfere. The merit treasury is a divine gift."
The three demons were stunned. The Sacred Son was to act personally. Before, he had stayed hidden to avoid exposure. Now, it seemed he didn't care.
"Your servant failed, causing Your Highness trouble."
Demon Lord Yang was full of guilt.
"Enough with useless apologies. Fail again, and I won't spare you."
The Sacred Son's eyes flashed coldly. "Luckily, the boy killed the Buddha Lord, saving us the trouble. He thought to compete for incense with me? How laughable!"
They had collaborated with the Buddha Lord, both knowing the other's intentions. The Buddha Lord wanted their help to seize the divine order and become a sage.
They aimed to seize the Jiang family.
Conflict was inevitable.
Both had been confident.
Now, with the Buddha Lord dead, although they lacked an insider in the Buddhist sect, it also meant one less opponent.
"We won't disappoint Your Highness."
Demon Lord Yang said seriously.
...
...
Liangzhou, Tianmen Pass.
In the small courtyard, reports kept arriving.
When Li Hao heard of the emperor's decree, he was stunned. It differed from their earlier discussion.
Subsequent demon attacks made Li Hao realize the emperor hadn't chosen the discussed path.
But this way, too many cards were exposed.
Was it worth it? Li Hao fell silent.
"Heh, seems my brother views you as the future divine order. After all, with over three thousand years of incense, our ancestor should soon revive. Future incense will help you become a sage."
Jiang Lichen sat in the courtyard, enjoying his wine, looking relaxed.
Seeing him so carefree, Li Hao asked:
"You said you'd strike him down. Why did you run when he came?"
Before the emperor arrived, Jiang Lichen seemed to sense it and left, saying he'd take a walk.
He returned silently after the emperor left, making Li Hao curious.
"Hmph, I will strike, but I said I'd help you return from the River of Souls first. I don't go back on my word!"
Jiang Lichen said proudly.
But to Li Hao, it sounded like a child's bravado.
"Are you scared? Did you sense the emperor's realm?"
"Nonsense!" Jiang Lichen roared.
Li Hao smiled. "Don't get worked up."
"Why wouldn't I dare? He promised I could strike. Why wouldn't I?"
Jiang Lichen grumbled.
Li Hao thought, "True."
Jiang Lichen calmed. "When my swordsmanship is complete, I won't need incense. I'll sacrifice my sword to the Dao. Even a sage, I'll cut down!"
"But you're still far off."
Li Hao was blunt. "You mentioned reviving the ancestor. Is it a royal secret?"
"Why not? Even if revealed, what of it? I said I don't care about anyone."
Jiang Lichen sneered.
Li Hao raised an eyebrow. No wonder he was called the Sword Demon.