The Heavenly River Palace was situated in the northeastern region of the Upper Eight Regions. Among the eight first-tier sects of the Upper Eight Regions, the Heavenly River Palace was the most die-hard supporter of Pill Fire City.
Most first-tier sects would not lower themselves to the extent of openly attaching themselves to a great power. But the Heavenly River Palace was uniquely willing to abase itself. They made almost no effort to conceal the fact that they obeyed Pill Fire City's every command, taking their lead from them in all things.
As a result, the Heavenly River Palace had always cut a rather insignificant figure among the eight first-tier sects, and their voice in matters of consequence had always been a weak one.
The Heavenly River Palace, however, seemed not to care very much about any of that.
The Palace Master of the Heavenly River Palace had just received an urgent encrypted report, dispatched from Pill Fire City.
After reading the report, the Palace Master's brow furrowed deeply. "Great Emperor Dan Qi wants me to set out immediately for the Indestructible Heaven Capital to discuss urgent matters? I am to depart the moment the message is received, without a moment's delay? And I must arrive as quickly as possible?"
The Heavenly River Palace was located in the northeast of the Upper Eight Regions. The Indestructible Heaven Capital was, in truth, quite far from them.
Yet from the Palace Master down to the lowliest cultivator, the Heavenly River Palace had always followed Pill Fire City's orders without question.
This encrypted letter was marked urgent and classified, and it had been personally issued by Great Emperor Dan Qi himself. The urgency of the situation could not have been more clear.
The Palace Master dared not show the slightest negligence. He immediately took along one of the Heavenly River Palace's Grand Elders, and the two of them set off at once. Within the sect, only a single Emperor-realm powerhouse was left to stand guard.
The Heavenly River Palace possessed only three Emperor-realm cultivators in total. To dispatch two of them without hesitation spoke volumes about the extent to which the Heavenly River Palace obeyed Pill Fire City's commands.
…
At the same time, the Celestial Sound Temple had also received the encrypted letter from Pill Fire City.
The Celestial Sound Temple was somewhat different from the Heavenly River Palace. Although the Celestial Sound Temple also relied heavily on Pill Fire City, its methods were more hypocritical in nature.
On the surface, it still maintained the appearance of being an independent first-tier sect.
But upon receiving Great Emperor Dan Qi's encrypted letter, the powerhouses of the Celestial Sound Temple could not sit still either. They departed for the Indestructible Heaven Capital immediately.
The Celestial Sound Temple and the Indestructible Heaven Capital were not far apart—both lay in the heartland of the Upper Eight Regions, and they shared a border.
The Heavenly Dragon Sect, on the other hand, was located in the western part of the Upper Eight Regions, relatively far from Pill Fire City.
Great Emperor Dan Qi decided to handle this one personally.
The Heavenly Dragon Sect and the Indestructible Heaven Capital did share a border. On his way to the Heavenly Dragon Sect, Great Emperor Dan Qi first made a detour to the Indestructible Heaven Capital.
The Lord of the Indestructible Heaven Capital had once participated alongside Great Emperor Dan Qi in the joint assault against Great Emperor Peacock. Their relationship was therefore not unfamiliar.
When the Lord of the Indestructible Heaven Capital saw Great Emperor Dan Qi arrive in person, he was somewhat taken aback.
"Your Majesty Dan Qi, what wind has blown you here today?" There was a note of flattery in the Lord of the Indestructible Heaven Capital's tone.
Great Emperor Dan Qi smiled faintly and regarded the Lord of the Indestructible Heaven Capital with an amused look. "Daoist Luo Jue, the Indestructible Heaven Capital hasn't been having an easy time of it lately, has it?"
Luo Jue was the true name of the Lord of the Indestructible Heaven Capital.
In the Upper Eight Regions, very few people knew this name. But Great Emperor Dan Qi was no ordinary figure—he naturally knew it.
The Lord of the Indestructible Heaven Capital let out a soft sigh. "Your Majesty Dan Qi, have you come here to laugh at my Indestructible Heaven Capital as well?"
"Nothing of the sort." Great Emperor Dan Qi shook his head with cool indifference. "In fact, I have come to offer assistance."
"Assistance?" The Lord of the Indestructible Heaven Capital was somewhat surprised and cast a sidelong glance at Great Emperor Dan Qi, clearly not very convinced. Among the great powers of the Upper Eight Regions, there were no warm and touching relationships. He did not believe for a moment that Great Emperor Dan Qi was the sort to lend a helping hand to someone in distress.
Rather than offering assistance, it was far more likely that he had come to scheme against the Indestructible Heaven Capital.
"Daoist Luo Jue seems a little unconvinced?" Great Emperor Dan Qi's expression was somewhere between a smile and something less warm.
"Your Majesty Dan Qi, why don't you simply state your business directly? What I fear most of all is having to guess riddles." The Lord of the Indestructible Heaven Capital was no green youth who could be strung along by Great Emperor Dan Qi's theatrics.
He was well aware that while Jiang Chen was certainly a formidable enemy at present, Great Emperor Dan Qi was a power unto himself and by no means someone to be taken lightly.
The fact that Great Emperor Dan Qi had come during such a sensitive period meant he almost certainly had his own designs.