Shennong Dao Master

Emperor Qian Yin and Emperor Fu Zhi went in together, but only Emperor Fu Zhi came out, and the people outside immediately associated this with certain possibilities.

Emperor Chi Mei of the War God Hall and the other two Mechanical Masters immediately questioned, "Emperor Fu Zhi, may I ask where Emperor Qian Yin is?"

Emperor Fu Zhi wore a look of regret. "Emperor Qian Yin unfortunately triggered a True Spirit Tribulation during the inheritance trial and has already died."

"What?" The expressions of Emperor Chi Mei and the other two were shaken.

If it were a normal death, then there might still be a chance for Emperor Qian Yin to be revived. Her ability to join the War God Hall proved she had accumulated no small number of merits over the long years. If she died, the Empire would also request the Reincarnation Temple to resurrect her.

But dying under a True Spirit Tribulation? Then there’s nothing to be done.

No one had ever heard of anyone who died under a True Spirit Tribulation being revived.

"How could Emperor Qian Yin suddenly encounter a True Spirit Tribulation? As her friend, why have I never heard the faintest sign of it? Emperor Fu Zhi, do you have any proof?" The bald Mechanical Master stared fixedly at Emperor Fu Zhi, his expression extremely agitated.

Emperor Fu Zhi turned his face slightly, looking at this Mechanical Master. "Emperor Hai Gong, at that time I was fully focused on accepting the inheritance trial—how could I have had any spare energy to pay attention to Emperor Qian Yin? When I came back to my senses, I saw Emperor Qian Yin already turned to ashes."

"No evidence? Then let me ask you—did you obtain the inheritance?"

"Yes." Emperor Fu Zhi nodded.

Emperor Hai Gong’s tone grew colder and colder. "You, a Sword Dao Emperor, competing with Emperor Qian Yin, and in the end it’s you who obtained the inheritance, while Emperor Qian Yin instead died."

"It must have been you who took the opportunity to launch a sneak attack and killed her!"

Emperor Chi Mei and the other Mechanical Master listened, and immediately felt this made a great deal of sense. They at once unified their stance and said, "Emperor Fu Zhi, please come back to the War God Hall with us for a trip!"

"If it’s proven that you did not lie, we will naturally offer our apologies."

Standing on the steps, Emperor Fu Zhi swept his gaze over the three below, and also swept past Zhao Xing, his expression gradually changing as well.

"The reason I could obtain the inheritance is because I cultivate both Sword and Music. I have the qualification to take it!"

"I can explain myself to the Ancient Country Alliance, and I can explain myself to Elder Bo Wei, but I have absolutely no need to explain myself to your War God Hall!"

"Furthermore, under the Wilderness Exploration Convention, killing is free. Never mind that it wasn’t me—even if I really had killed her, what could you do about it?"

"You admit it?!" Emperor Hai Gong’s gaze turned icy. "Bo Wei truly is a wolf ambitious by nature!"

Hearing Emperor Hai Gong speak disrespectfully of Bo Wei, a flash of killing intent passed through Emperor Fu Zhi’s eyes. "Get lost. Don’t force me to make a move!"

Instantly, a suffocating murderous air thickened between Heaven and Earth, and even a layer of frost appeared upon the ground.

Zhao Xing frowned and retreated to stand behind Emperor Chi Mei and the others.

Emperor Fu Zhi came from the Ancient Country Alliance, but he spent most of his time in the Academic City, because he was one of Bo Wei’s followers.

What is a follower? In theory, everyone who has received a Cultivation Technique from a scholar can be called that scholar’s follower.

The followers were originally a loosely organized group.

Later, they gradually became a place where all major powers stuffed people in to study, treating it as a talent-training base, and once these geniuses grew strong, they would return to their respective forces to serve.

As an exchange, the powers of various nations would provide resources for the scholars to conduct their research.

However, from the later period of the Wisdom Heart era onward, the followers underwent some changes.

Bo Wei first proposed reforming the followers’ organization, demanding that followers must pledge loyalty to the Academic City and sever ties with their original forces.

At the same time, he shrank the scale of the followers, concentrating resources and focus on cultivating a small handful of talents.

The cultivation resources of the followers were to be provided by the Academic City, and the time they spent studying under scholars was extended.

Those who performed outstandingly might even inherit all of a scholar’s Secret Techniques!

Such a radical reform naturally met with opposition, because in this way it amounted to the Academic City possessing its own armed force, equivalent to leeching off the various major powers. Such rebellion against the Heavenly Gang—of course the powers of the nations would not agree.

There were also people internally who opposed it, because this would turn the Academic City from a neutral organization into a non-neutral one, contradicting the Academic City’s ideal of "detached from worldly disputes."

Wisdom Heart did not approve this reform proposal, but he did allow Bo Wei to select followers from lesser dynastic powers.

Since the Desolate Domain Era, the Academic City’s armed strength had indeed been growing, and ever since Bo Wei brought the Starry Historians under his command, the reform of the followers’ organization had also been put on the agenda.

Compared to incorporating the Starry Historians and opening the Transmission Building, reforming the followers’ organization seemed trivial and did not attract much attention.

Because Bo Wei was no longer as sharp and ostentatious as in his youth. Although he reduced the quota of followers that the Ancient Country powers and super forces possessed, the opening of the Eighth Dharma Realm increased the strength of the scholars, which in turn meant the overall strength of the followers also increased.

Their numbers decreased, but the elites increased. The Academic City asking for a bit more resources was therefore not something others could reasonably object to.

Using the resources obtained from the Ancient Countries and super forces, Bo Wei began cultivating followers from small countries, and gradually obtained the first batch of armed forces that were completely loyal to the Academic City. Emperor Fu Zhi was one of the outstanding figures among them.

Bo Wei concealed his God-making Plan within the followers’ plan.

He first tossed out the followers’ plan to test the reaction of the nations. If, in the end, Emperor Fu Zhi died, he still had two other people he could cultivate, and could proceed even more covertly.

Zhao Xing did not know whether the actions of these three had been ordered by the War God Hall, or whether they were merely personal actions blinded by greed.

In any case, Emperor Hai Gong, Emperor Chi Mei, and Emperor Xuan Si had truly developed killing intent now, planning to have a showdown with Emperor Fu Zhi.