404 Establishing Order

The Four Divine Star System had been conquered!

…Is what Yaan would like to say, but to think that he had succeeded at this point would be a joke.

There were no 'enemies' in the star system, but there was still the Sage and her subordinates.

After sending his own subordinates around the star system to check up on everything, whilst letting the Sage's subordinates know that their headquarters was at Rainbow Mountain, Yaan finally issued the order.

Everyone, return to base!

Yaan's cultivation base body returned to Rainbow Mountain and fused with his dao body several days before giving this order. He then spent the next few days meditating on the dao in each layer of Rainbow Mountain, until he was satisfied with the degree of fusion in his body.

It still wasn't perfect, but nor was his digestion of his bountiful gains from the Boundless Dao Library. There were many things he could do to pursue greater perfection, but for now, this was good enough.

Yaan opened his eyes, looking out across the darkness of the space around Rainbow Mountain as he waited for the first to arrive.

Whoosh!

"Sect Master, we have returned from the Divine Beast Sector!"

Yaan glanced down the mountain at Love Empyrean, who looked as excited as ever to see him again. By her side, one of the Sage's bodies accompanied her, as did three Deities.

The Deities were all putting on strong faces, but Yaan could see their unease. The situation felt too strange, they felt like they were being schemed against, and now, Love Empyrean was addressing someone other than the Sage as 'Sect Master'?

All divinities had their information networks, so Yaan knew that he couldn't completely hide all news of what he had done. Instead, he used Love Empyrean and the others to spread various conflicting rumours about the state of the conquest. He also attempted to use the Sage for this end, however…

The Sage was the one that he felt wary of.

She said that she would become his 'Guest Elder', but who knew when she might change her mind. If she had revealed the truth to her subordinates, then many would definitely flee, unwilling to bow their head to a different leader.

Yaan learned as much as he could about each of the 15 Deities sent out by the Sage, then targeted them all according to their individual personalities.

To some, he directly informed of the true situation, then offered rewards to join him.

To others, he claimed that the Primordial Sage had created the Paradise Sect. He planned to deceive them right up until they entered the mountain.

This second approach was used by Love Empyrean as she rounded up the three Deities assigned to the Divine Beast Sector. They were confused about why another Empyrean had entered the fray without them being told, and they felt like they were being somewhat forced, but how could they go against Love Empyrean? Anyway, the Sage was also with them…but she didn't say much…

In the end, despite their doubts, they had no choice - they could only return to their newly named sect's headquarters for the 'conquest victory party'.

When forcing people, an excuse was needed on the surface, but the reason didn't actually need to make sense.

And so, after Love Empyrean urged the three Deities to enter Rainbow Mountain, Yaan immediately suppressed them, then provided them with three separate paths to reach him.

Amongst the three Deities, was Poison Deity, the only Heavenly Deity involved in the conquest. She wasn't overly nervous, even though she had already more or less discerned the truth.

She was loyal to the Sage, but since the Sage had also joined the Paradise Sect as a member, then why shouldn't she?

Before long, the three Deities lowered their heads and pledged their allegiance to the Paradise Sect. These were not dao oaths, but simple promises, none-binding and non-restrictive. It was more of a formality than anything.

Over the following month, various Deities from amongst the Sage's original 15 subordinates returned to Rainbow Mountain.

In the end, they actually lost two Earthly Deities during the conquest, one confirmed dead, the other believed dead. 

Aside from that, three others escaped before Yaan could coerce them into returning to Rainbow Mountain.

In total, he acquired 10 subordinates from the Primordial Sage! 

On top of that, he had the Sage herself, Love Empyrean, and the unconscious Shi. Then there were the four from the World Merchant Alliance, and also Typhoon Deity and Shadow Deity.

Yaan looked out across Rainbow Mountain, where he had gathered all of his subordinates in one place to address them properly. The Paradise Sect had truly exploded in growth - they were now one of the strongest groups in existence, and yet half of the world knew nothing about them!

Including Yaan, there were three Empyreans! There was also a Heavenly Deity, and 16 Earthly Deities!

But that wasn't all. He had captured Shi, putting another potential threat out of commission for now. Then there were the two Primordial Demon sisters, who ended up agreeing to Yaan's suggestion and remaining in the Four Divine Star System. They each swore a dao oath to not interfere with the Paradise Sect's business, so long as the Paradise Sect didn't interfere with them, their Infinity Lake, Spirit Palace, and the Primordial Star System.

Yaan casually explained all of this as he addressed the crowd of divinities stood on the podiums around him. He also made sure to inform everyone of their control over five Divine True Inheritances and three Primordial Treasures.

The matters with the Boundless Dao Library and Death Empyrean had been discovered by most, and the Chaotic Sector was an absolute no-go zone. They hadn't obtained everything they set out for, but they obtained most things!

Most importantly…

"In case you all haven't noticed, we are now the organisation with the most Empyreans in the world. Despite being newly formed, we don't need to fear the Divine Court, and since the Primordial Alliance has broken up…really, we should already be the strongest organisation in the world, don't you think?"

The responses were varied, from shock, to excitement, to those who were wondering just how they'd ended up joining such a massive sect that didn't even exist one month ago.

Yaan smiled, allowing their emotions to stew, as they gazed upon him and he back at them.

"For a period of time, we will firmly root ourselves in this star system. I understand that many of you were somewhat forced to join the Paradise Sect, and I can't prevent you from leaving…but I can offer you incentive to stay. You all understand the ideal behind the sect, so let's move on from that - the rewards. All achievements throughout the conquest have been noted and your rewards divided accordingly. Every divinity in the Paradise Sect will be rewarded with cultivation resources, the opportunity to cultivate on our Primordial Treasures, and the chance to attempt our Divine True Inheritances. In exchange, you need only remain in this star system and ensure that the cultivation world is defended and built back up. If you want more, we can assign other roles with more responsibilities and payment. How does this sound?"

Several of the Deities looked around with raised eyebrows and surprised expressions. They had been unsure about what to expect, but this…

The Sect Master…was actually a reasonable person?

Or at least, he was trying to be somewhat reasonable right now, which was better than many had expected! All they knew about Yaan were the rumours of the World Demon, and the World Demon's reputation was about as demonic and ruthless as it got.

When they only knew about all of his exploits of destruction and slaughter, seeing him acting like an actual Sect Master was a bit surprising. Of course, divinities were an astute bunch, they realised that in reality, they didn't know much about the World Demon's personality. The Divine Court had labelled him the Era's greatest evil doer, but who actually trusted the Divine Court? Even most members of the Divine Court didn't trust the Divine Court!

Just look at Love Empyrean, she was one of the Divine court's cornerstones, yet she defected so easily. 

After the divinities calmed down and thought rationally after realising that their new Sect Master could actually be reasoned with, they had a few concerns that needed to be voiced. Naturally, everyone was onboard with the rewards, territories and roles, but before then, they needed to settle their biggest worries regarding this newly established group.

"Sect Master, I do have one or two concerns that I would like to voice, if you would be so kind as to listen?" Poison Deity took a deep breath and decided to step up. Aside from the three Empyreans, she was certainly the strongest and most valued member of the Paradise Sect, so she felt it right that she be the voice for the Deities.

"Go ahead, please speak freely." Yaan nodded.

"Then I will be direct. Firstly, everyone should understand that a Divine Sect's Empyreans are their greatest foundation. I trust the Primordial Sage, and Sect Master brought us all together to begin with, but Love Empyrean…can she be trusted?"

After saying this, Poison Deity quickly turned to Love Empyrean, who sat on the highest podium, just below Yaan's own peak platform. She clasped her hands and added:

"I mean no offence, Love Empyrean, it's just that most of us are unfamiliar with you. I believe that in order to build this initial trust between the Sect Members, we need some form of assurance."

Love Empyrean glanced at Poison Deity and nodded back.

"I understand your concern, it would be strange if you didn't suspect me. Since Sect Master asked you to speak freely, you are right to question me and my true allegiance."

Poison Deity was pleasantly surprised that Love Empyrean was also so reasonable and even understanding, but this alone didn't settle her concerns.

Love Empyrean suddenly had a thought. Her eyes shone with a bright light and she quickly stood up, turning to face Yaan before he could even respond and defend her. He naturally expected for Love Empyrean to be suspected and he had prepared an answer, however, it turned out to be completely unnecessary.

"Yaan, World Demon, World Saviour, Sect Master…my future husband. From this day forth, I swear on my dao that I shall serve you however you see fit. Let my dao witness this declaration - your orders are my actions, I am yours to command."

A golden light erupted around Love Empyrean, briefly shrouding the entire peak of Rainbow Mountain. Everyone stared in shock as a series of golden symbols flew out from Love Empyrean's mouth, phasing through Yaan's body, before curving back around and fusing into her.

The sect watched silently as the dao oath imprinted itself onto Love Empyrean's body, her soul…and Yaan and the Sage also saw the binding of her Dao Soul itself.

After the lights dissipated, Yaan cast Love Empyrean a deep look. She beamed a smile at him, before casually sitting back down and not saying anything else.

Yaan turned back to Poison Deity to confirm that what they had just seen was indeed real.

"Love Empyrean has sworn a heavily binding dao oath to serve me, this cannot be broken without completely destroying her dao. Even without the oath, her love towards me is too powerful for her to overcome; she is bound by the chains of love and dao. Is this sufficient to rest your mind at ease?"

Poison Deity nodded dazedly. She was still staring at Love Empyrean, who was completely ignoring everyone else and focussing solely on Yaan.

'Love is a terrifying thing.' Yaan sighed in his mind. It made him wonder if she had sworn oaths such as this in the past. If she had done so, did she suffer because of it? He felt like the answer…was most likely yes.

And yet, because of love, she didn't hesitate to repeat her past mistakes. But, perhaps to Love Empyrean, these 'mistakes' were the most pure truths of her life.

"Continue." Yaan nodded to Poison Deity. He knew there would be more.

"Right…" Poison Deity regathered her thoughts, then voiced a concern that everyone in the Paradise Sect secretly shared.

"Sect Master…it's about Destruction Empyrean."

"Or what you mean to say is - it's about Defiance Sovereign." Yaan chuckled, to which she nodded wryly.

Yaan had made every member of the Paradise Sect promise to keep Shi's presence upon Rainbow Mountain a secret. He didn't force them to swear dao oaths, since dao oaths could be a hindrance to some individuals' cultivation, but he did make it clear that if they leaked this information to the outside world, he wouldn't rest until they were dead and made an example of.

This was similar to his approach in general towards the Paradise Sect members. He mentioned that if they wanted to leave, and they managed to escape his grasp, he wouldn't pursue it too heavily so long as they did not betray the sect. However, anyone who betrayed the sect in anyway would be hunted down and tortured to death, their crime would be used as an example to deter others.

But even so, the matter of Defiance Sovereign pursuing Shi over a life and death grudge had already spread in rumours throughout the world of divinities, so naturally, everyone was terrified of the fact that Shi was actually being hidden by their sect!

Actually, their terror was two fold. Firstly, they were terrified of Yaan, and the fact that he had somehow kidnapped and suppressed Destruction Empyrean even though she was being chased by Defiance Sovereign. He somehow did this without anyone outside of the sect knowing…

This was also why Yaan had revealed Shi's existence - to inspire a healthy dose of fear in his subordinates. If he didn't show off a bit and act mysterious here and there, they might consider betraying him later on if the sect suffered from any issues.

More importantly however, the Deities were scared senseless of Defiance Sovereign. Defiance Sovereign was definitely the divinity that everyone in this world least wanted to have any enmity with, and yet, they were withholding his hated enemy from him, preventing him from venting his rage!

"One day, news of Shi's presence in the Paradise Sect will spread. This will be an early warning sign of our weaknesses, and once I establish how the news leaked, we can mend that hidden weakness. As for what will happen when Defiance Sovereign comes looking for her? I will be frank - he will definitely deduce that Shi is potentially being held by our Paradise Sect. However, without evidence, he won't be able to confirm it. If it's only Defiance Sovereign's suspicions, we can deal with that much."

"But Sect Master, if you anticipate that he will eventually confirm Destruction Empyrean's presence here, won't that be bad for us?" Poison Deity asked uneasily, voicing the concern on everyone's mind.

"Why would it?" Yaan smiled. "Worst comes to worst, I will kill Destruction Empyrean, extract her Dao Soul, and hand it over to Defiance Sovereign. I'm not protecting her, she just has some use to me right now."

Everyone was startled by this response.

Kill her, extract her Dao Soul and hand her over? 

But with Defiance Sovereign, would it really be so simple?

Yaan understood their thoughts and explained his reasoning, but only partially.

"I do not have any enmity with Defiance Sovereign right now, he will not pursue this matter further so long as I don't go past his bottom line and give him what he wants. If he wants to attack the Paradise Sect, Defiance Sovereign will do so, Destruction Empyrean or not. Defiance is indeed powerful, and often unpredictable, but he does not have the power to destroy a Paradise Sect that he does not hate."

After fighting against Defiance, then witnessing his battle against the Heavenly Dao, Yaan understood that his power was relative to his hatred. The more Defiance Sovereign hated his enemy, the more power he could display.

The Deities showed pondering expressions, but most still felt somewhat confused. Anyway, it was clear that Yaan had thought this though and planned for the calamity known as Defiance.

"Anyway, if you're really scared of Defiance Sovereign, you can all just run away when he shows up. So long as you come back after the matter is resolved, I won't hold it against you."

Yaan paused, smiled, then reminded the more scheming of those present of his promise.

"Remember - do not betray the Paradise Sect. You can leave and hide if you lose faith in the sect, and I will even welcome you back should you decide to return. However, if you betray the Paradise Sect in any way, I will make an example of you. If you ever feel the urge to betray me, then please keep my reputation in mind, and ask yourself…do you really want to make an enemy of me?"

Yaan's almost teasing smile seemed to pierce through the few remaining schemes and malicious ideas in the minds of certain fellows. It was as if he could see through what they were thinking, as if nothing could escape his understanding…

A few Deities glanced at the Primordial Sage by Yaan's side and swallowed. They realised that the intellectual pressure they felt from the World Demon, was no less terrifying than that of the Primordial Sage.

In this moment, at least for now, all thoughts of potential betrayal were extinguished completely. If they really felt the need to, then maybe they would consider leaving if the Paradise Sect encountered disaster. However, no matter what, they could never betray the World Demon!