Chapter 095 – Proclaiming Emperor - Part 1

As dusk fell, Li Yuan left the demon enclosure. His day with the demon dogs had gone smoothly, with no obstacles at all.

Still, forming a true spiritual link wouldn’t happen overnight. It required time and regular interaction with the demonic beasts, until one day, the bond would simply fall into place on its own.

He decided to devote his time to the demon enclosure; after all, he was especially fond of those three ebony marquises. Perhaps the lingering instincts of his past as a hunter made him partial to dogs.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Three days later.

In the afternoon, another crate of eighth rank demonic beast meat was delivered to Li Yuan’s estate.

When Li Yuan returned that evening and saw the new shipment, he instructed Xiao Ju and Xiao Mei to send it over to Zhao Chunxin’s home the following afternoon—at twilight, too many eyes were roaming about, and he preferred to avoid drawing attention.

But secrets rarely stay hidden for long, and before anyone realized it, word of Li Yuan’s private deliveries had spread.

One day, the sky turned dark and a torrential downpour swept across the land. A sturdy horse-drawn carriage raced in from beyond the towering, black gates, rumbling to a halt in front of residence number 14. The door curtain flipped open with a smack as a tall, muscular figure leapt out. It was Fang Jianlong, one of the Blood Blade Sect’s top inner disciples.

His designated residence number alone revealed how close he stood to the top of the sect’s hierarchy. Only the sect master, deputy sect master, the four elders, and three enforcers outranked him, not counting the special facilities like the demon enclosure, puppet pavilion, and Blood Fury Hall.

Fang Jianlong had recently been running a martial hall in Parason Town, stationed right on the front lines in the Blood Blade Sect’s conflict with the Sun Family and Wei remnants. Many would have been killed in that crucible, but instead he seemed to have grown stronger. Though he hadn’t quite broken through to the seventh rank, he was only half a step away.

He stood there in the rain, towering like a living statue, anger burning behind his eyes. He didn’t move a muscle until, at last, he opened a large umbrella. With a forceful shake of his body, he scattered the water soaking his robes, then strode off toward Blood Fury Hall.

Upon arriving, Fang Jianlong closed the umbrella again, allowing himself to be drenched by the downpour once more.

“Sir Fang, the Sect Master isn’t here.”

“I’ll wait.”

“Sir Fang...it’s raining hard. Why not come inside?”

“No need.”

So he waited, motionless in the courtyard of Blood Fury Hall. It was only when the sky had turned fully dark—and he was soaked to the bone—that the white-robed figure he sought finally arrived.

Tie Sha stepped onto the covered walkway leading toward the main hall, stopping beneath the eaves. Stroking his curly beard, he regarded the younger man.

“Looks like you’re holding a grudge,” Tie Sha observed.

“I wouldn’t dare,” Fang Jianlong replied.

“Saying you wouldn’t dare doesn’t mean you can’t.” Tie Sha sank down on a wooden seat under the overhang and gestured. “Come here and talk.”

“All right.” Fang Jianlong sat beside him, water streaming from his clothes. He got right to the point. “My younger brother has just broken into the eighth rank, but he’s still short on eighth rank demonic beast meat. I was wondering whether the sect might have another supply for him.”

“You know the sect can’t spare any meat for...” Tie Sha paused for a moment, then nodded. “I see. You want the meat Li Yuan has.”

Fang Jianlong fell silent before speaking again. “He’s talented, yes. But is he better than Chengbao? If Li Yuan can have something, why not my little brother?”

Tie Sha’s expression cooled. “Do you know what Li Yuan’s been up to?”

“Taming.” Fang Jianlong spoke bluntly. “But, Sect Master, how many people over the years have successfully tamed demonic beasts here in Gemhill County? Neither the Wei Family nor the Sun Family ever pulled it off. We tried once, and that disciple never came back from the wild. All that was found was half his body; the rest was eaten. Li Yuan managed to tame a ninth rank demonic beast. But that’s hardly proof he can handle even stronger ones.”

Tie Sha’s tone turned sharp. “So you’d rather take the meat I allocated to him and give it to your brother?”

“I...I wouldn’t dare.” Fang Jianlong shot to his feet.

Tie Sha snorted. “There you go again with the whole not daring.”

Fang Jianlong clamped his mouth shut.

“Listen, Fang Jianlong,” Tie Sha said. “It’s chaos out there, and the Blood Blade Sect is just a small power carving out its own piece of Gemhill County. But the world beyond is vast. Have you thought about that? We need a beastmaster. True, their path is more demanding than traditional martial arts, but if they succeed, their power easily surpasses a typical cultivator of the same rank.

“You want meat for your brother, sure. But have you considered the sect’s future?” Tie Sha’s voice rose in anger. “You are the future of the Blood Blade Sect. So is Li Yuan. In my mind, both of you are future elders! So why let petty jealousy get in the way? Are you trying to tear our sect apart?”

Fang Jianlong’s head remained bowed. “I just heard he was giving away demonic beast meat to someone else—”

“Zhao Chunxin, yes,” Tie Sha cut in, voice like a whip. “That’s his business. It shows he’s loyal and upright. He’s a Blood Blade Sect disciple—just like you! Why take it out on him? He earned his share fair and square. So who are you to say you want it?”

Fang Jianlong swallowed his words. “I...I’m sorry, Sect Master. I never intended to stir up infighting. I just thought my little brother might rise to my level someday and benefit the sect more if he had those resources.”

Tie Sha sighed. “But what we really need right now is a beastmaster. Don’t just focus on our county. My push to unify Gemhill County is because the outside world grows more dangerous by the day. If the sect doesn’t expand and grow stronger, the threats coming our way will be impossible to face.”

His tone grew heavy, as if weighed down by bad news.

“Sect Master...did something happen?” Fang Jianlong asked.

Tie Sha gave him a long look, then spoke in a hoarse whisper, “We’ve lost contact with the Sacred Fire Palace. And the Red Lotus Rebels have besieged the imperial capital. The Son of Heaven has fled.”

Fang Jianlong’s eyes flared wide at this, shock robbing him of speech. At last, he muttered, “That’s...that’s like the sky falling.”

Tie Sha patted him on the shoulder, pulling him closer. “Worse than you think. But never mind that for now.”

He gently released Fang Jianlong, then continued, voice low and urgent, “Jianlong, keep the peace with Li Yuan. Don’t let anyone sow discord. We’re all on the same boat, and we’ll have to face the storm together. Look at me and Deputy Sect Master Yu. We’ve been butting heads for ages, but we still stand united against outside threats. Learn from that.”

Fang Jianlong took a deep breath and nodded. “Understood, Sect Master. I was being shortsighted.”

Tie Sha arched an eyebrow. “So, no more trying to grab Li Yuan’s demonic beast meat?”

A faint smile tugged at Fang Jianlong’s lips. “No, I won’t.”

Tie Sha nodded. “Your shadow bones should be nearly complete. Once you finish, come back to the inner district and consolidate your cultivation. Focus on perfecting your seventh rank skills.”

“Yes, Sect Master.” With that, Fang Jianlong rose, gave a respectful bow, and walked back out into the raging storm.

Before leaving the inner district altogether, he stopped briefly to speak with his younger brother, warning him not to bother Li Yuan over the demonic beast meat. Only then did he depart as swiftly as he had arrived.

Fang Chengbao was fuming. He had just broken through to the eighth rank, a point where he urgently needed eighth rank demonic beast meat. He’d been counting on his older brother to secure some for him, yet now...

Despite his handsome features, his face was drawn in frustration. Still, he knew better than to direct that frustration at Li Yuan. His only option was to scour the black market and intercept merchant caravans, hoping to lay his hands on precious eighth rank demonic beast meat.

But eighth rank meat was in extremely high demand. Since the Blood Blade Sect had so many new disciples, plus new enforcers from outside, the supply was tighter than ever. With even greater chaos looming over the land, everyone was desperate to shore up as much power as they could before the sky came crashing down—and resources meant power.

Prices for eighth rank demonic beast meat skyrocketed. What used to sell at 100 taels of silver for 15 kg soared to 300, even 400 taels of silver for the same amount. Yet in spite of such astronomical prices, it was often impossible to find any for sale at all.