The quick responses provided by the patriarchs only served to convince Yang Qi that they were troublemakers who had all sorts of tricks up their sleeves.

Proud Heaven was also inwardly surprised.

These patriarchs were profound experts and expert schemers. That much was obvious, otherwise they wouldn't have accomplished what they had accomplished in life. Proud Heaven was wildly arrogant and immensely powerful, but not even he would dare to be anything but cautious and careful around people like this.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’ll keep things simple,” Proud Heaven said. “This fourth dynasty, the Sage Monarch Empire, is expanding rapidly. We need to strike quickly before it siphons away too much of our destiny. If that happens, the consequences will be too horrible to contemplate. Dividing the dao of heaven in thirds is enough. If this fourth dynasty disturbs the balance we've created, we’ll undergo untold hardships. That’s why the patriarchs of the Central Dynasty have already agreed that we three dynasties should all send troops to crush them.”

“We completely agree,” said the Heaven-Extinguishing Dugu,...