6 Brains Will Get the Job Done

As the oldest of the Mortal Worlds, the Extreme Plateau had no shortage of Ancient Dynasties that, unlike the seven states of the Barbarian Lands, had managed to unify their territories into one cohesive force. But despite being one of the oldest dynasties, the Yin Dynasty was a terrible example of unification. There, royal power was highly decentralized, with the Great Dukes and Martial Halls having power that approached the king's.

Was it not for the existence of one man, it is no exaggeration to say that the Zi royal clan would have lost control of the Yin Dynasty thousands of years ago. That man was Wen Tianhua, Grand Preceptor of the Yin Dynasty, and in-law of the current monarch.

By relying on his ninth-level Six Paths Saint cultivation base, Wen Tianhua singlehandedly kept the Great Dukes and Martial Halls in check, preserving the peace on land without bloodshed, while leading the armies of Yin against the monsters of the neighboring Blight Sea.

For indeed, though the Yin Dynasty was one of the rare kingdoms where men and monstrous beasts lived in some kind of harmony, that only applied to land monsters. From time immemorial, sea monsters had made relentless attempts to topple the Yin Dynasty, and refused to stop despite the crushing martial superiority that Wen Tianhua displayed, instead relying on the vast expanse of the Blight Sea to carry out guerilla warfare.

The average citizen of Yin didn't understand how much they owed Wen Tianhua. To them, he was just another high-ranking official enjoying glory, splendor and wealth at the expense of the common folk.

But should Wen Tianhua die or see his cultivation base regress severely, the entire Yin Dynasty would find itself at risk of a disastrous civil war. A war that the sea monsters would rely on to exterminate them all.

Huan Yi didn't care about the consequences that Wen Tianhua losing his third eye could have on the Yin Dynasty. In fact, the resulting chaos and decline in national power would likely lead to catastrophic events that'd end up increasing the Demon Child's powers.

But despite how appealing it felt, he couldn't just go and rip out Wen Tianhua's third eye.

'But master, since all you want is Wen Tianhua's Eye of Revelation, why can't I just go and gouge out his third eye for you?' As the pair walked the streets of Linzi, capital of the Eastern Yin Province, Taotie asked.

The gluttonous demoness had made no change to her appearance. But Huan Yi now wore a pair of tattered black pants and shirt, trying to pass off as a struggling civilian child. Needless to say, the Demon Child also changed his hair and eye colors to the standard black and brown of the region.

"Simple, heaven exists. To the average cultivator, Wen Tianhua is the number one expert in the history of the Yin dynasty, and the foundation that keeps it standing. But older and more enlightened experts know that the most troublesome thing about Wen Tianhua is not his cultivation level.

Wen Tianhua is the bastard son of Taiwei, the Heavenly Emperor," Huan Yi said in a casual and disinterested tone.

'Nani?' Knocked off balance by those words, Taotie stumbled, falling face first. Thankfully for the gluttonous demoness, Huan Yi caught her by the collar, hoisting her up so fast that none of the bystanders managed to catch the move.

'No. Really? You were so shocked that you started speaking another language?' Feeling that Taotie overreacted, Huan Yi rolled his eyes. On the other hand, it was the gluttonous primeval that didn't understand where her master found the composure to speak such words so casually.

'It's really not that surprising. Ocular powers are the mark of extraordinary souls and unique spiritual abilities, both highly unusual traits in the human race. Also, Wen Tianhua has a Thunder Dragon Shadow, proof that he is a half-breed of the dragon race. Dragons are the most powerful and arrogant members of the six divine races. In this era where gods rarely interact with the mortal worlds, besides that lecherous Heavenly Emperor, what dragon would come all the way down here to get a human princess pregnant?'

The majority of demons and gods couldn't compete with the immortal race in terms of Spiritual Power potential, but this didn't mean that they didn't stand head and shoulders above humans in that regard. In fact, by relying on their Spiritual Powers alone, demons and gods could obliterate most human experts of the same cultivation level.

It didn't help that, though an uncommon Spiritual Power, the Eye of Revelation was an ability that only appeared in children of two bloodlines: the Shi Immortal race and the Heavenly Emperor's lineage.

Unless he stole it from someone else, Wen Tianhua's ownership of the Eye of Revelation was proof that he could trace his lineage back to either the Shi Immortal race or the Heavenly Emperor. Add to that the Thunder Dragon Shadow, and the truth became obvious. Even the name Tianhua, "heaven's magnificence," sounded like an ode to the sky.

'Aside from Divination and Precognition, the Eye of Revelation possesses three troublesome abilities:

One, it has no blind spot. Two, it can expose the true appearance and nature of anything it sees. And three, it automatically records all events in its field of view, slowing them down to mortal speed so its owner's soul can digest them. Lecherous as he might be, the Heavenly Emperor is a loving father. I find it highly unlikely that he wouldn't have put something in his son's soul to warn daddy dearest of life-threatening dangers.

So, to avoid any risk of alerting Taiwei, we not only need Wen Tianhua to offer the eye willingly, but we also need him to sever its connection to his soul.' Huan Yi explained, and finally understanding the troubles her master wanted to avoid, Taotie lowered her head, holding on her apron.

'What's with the sullen look?' Huan Yi asked.

'It's just…I'm so sorry, master. After that battle, the four of us got imprisoned as well and failed to protect your original body, forcing you to reincarnate through the Heaven Rejecting Blood Formation.

Was it not for our blunder, the current Heavenly Emperor would be no better than an insect in front of you. But instead, you now have to consider the thoughts and desires of an overgrown lizard by 10,000 epochs your junior before making your moves.

For someone as powerful as you to be forced to act so cautiously, you must be feeling frustrated. On behalf of the Four Perils…I would like to apolo—' Barely had Taotie reached this point that Huan Yi rose to his toes, extending as high as he could to pat his subordinate on the head.

But due to the height difference between his 12-years old body and Taotie, Huan Yi could only touch the forehead, patting it all the same.

'I don't see why you're beating yourself over that. If I didn't want that body destroyed, in the worst-case scenario, it would have just gotten sealed. No one would have been able to destroy it,' Huan Yi said, making Taotie's head tilt as her brows furrowed.

'Master what do you—' Taotie started, but before the voluptuous glutton could finish her words, several auras closed in on the two, causing a burst of killing intent to flash through Taotie's eyes.

'Master, we're being followed.'

'And why do you think that is?' Huan Yi rhetorically asked, and for the split of a second, bright silver flames flashed in his eyes. His lips curled into a wide, fiendish grin, stretching as his aura turned into a blast of sinister energies.

In that instant, Taotie no longer saw Huan Yi. Her mind returned to the primordial era, remembering the peerless demon lord that once made the universe's myriad lives surrender to despair.

'You see, Taotie, I have no reason to feel frustrated, because there is a unique thrill to relying on subterfuge over martial might to drive the masses into self-destruction.'