Three of the Fourteen Sons of Vast Sky have now gathered, with Chi Yu not counting among the fourteen, though he is more formidable than most of them.
Among the four present, Chen Xia naturally takes the lead, Qiu Li serves as the strategist, while Chi Yu and Emperor Capital are the muscle. Their roles are clearly defined.
They had previously mentioned finding Li Yang, but how to go about it and what reason to give was another issue.
It's not as if they could simply show up at her doorstep and shout:
"Li Yang of the Fourteen Sons of Vast Sky, fall in line!"
Emperor Capital pondered for a moment and felt this approach might actually work, as it was rather sincere.
As the ancient saying goes, sincerity is the only sure-fire technique.
Qiu Li, however, thought more deeply, furrowing his brow as he reasoned:
"The Li family has two Saints, making them a major power in the Star Region with great opportunities. If we recruit Li Yang, Li Yue will likely follow, greatly boosting our combat strength."
"But this also means recruitment will be much more difficult. To bring Li Yang on board, we must offer satisfactory terms, such as agreeing to help the Li family elevate their two Saints to Great Saints, or even Zhun Di!"
"Damn it!" Emperor Capital shouted angrily, sneering, "Why so complicated? The four of us can go together, each giving her two slaps. Let's see if she still acts up then!"
Qiu Li frowned at him, wondering if Emperor Capital was missing half a brain. This was recruitment, not a brawl. Besides, Li Yang and Chen Xia had some rapport; how could they just attack her?
Feeling he had nothing more to say to Emperor Capital, he turned to Chen Xia, waiting for the leader to speak.
Chen Xia stroked his chin, pondering for a moment before replying, "Let's go there first. We'll figure something out when the time comes. If all else fails, we can just stay at the Li family's place. We have plenty of time, so we can absorb their spiritual energy and snatch their opportunities. Four Saints can drain the Li family's spiritual energy dry!"
"Excellent!" Emperor Capital exclaimed in admiration, looking at Chen Xia with reverence. As expected of their leader, even his schemes were so unexpected.
"I'm fine with that. I'll definitely absorb the most," Chi Yu nodded in agreement. Whatever Chen Xia said, he would do. Even after twenty thousand years, he remained this steadfast.
Qiu Li was left frowning, still feeling that this approach was somewhat unorthodox. His gaze wandered between the three, truly unable to comprehend.
How did these three remnants end up together?
Clearly, an arm couldn't outmatch a leg, let alone Qiu Li's status in this team, which didn't even amount to that of an arm.
Emperor Capital once joked:
"In this team, Chi Yu and I are Chen bro's left and right arms, both indispensable!"
"Then what am I?" Qiu Li had asked.
"You're just a prick!" Emperor Capital had replied disdainfully.
After that, Qiu Li didn't speak to Emperor Capital for three consecutive days, harboring a deep grudge.
With more people around, things became livelier.
Emperor Capital and Qiu Li still argued frequently, but now there were two spectators. Chen Xia and Chi Yu would watch from the sidelines, even scoring their verbal sparring.
Qiu Li was clearly no match for Emperor Capital in arguments.
Because Emperor Capital had thick skin and was sincere.
"I'm an idiot, but so are you. You've been hanging around me for thousands of years, and I don't see you being any smarter," Emperor Capital had said, perfectly demonstrating why sincerity is the only sure-fire technique.
Qiu Li cared about his reputation, so he couldn't win against such tactics. He nearly became depressed because of it.
Fortunately, Chen Xia intervened, telling Emperor Capital to improve his manners, or else he'd have to refine Emperor Capital's body.
This scared Emperor Capital so much that for the next few days, he greeted everyone with a polite "hello," the very picture of civility.
Now with Chi Yu added to the mix, the team became a bit more harmonious. Chi Yu didn't talk much, but his strength was genuine, and his grasp of the second Dao was no simple matter.
Everyone knew Chi Yu's first Dao was the Fire Dao, but only the few of them knew about his second – the rare Nirvana Dao of the Star Region!
This wasn't just ordinary phoenix rebirth, but closer to the transformation of an ancient divine phoenix.
According to Chi Yu himself, he could die seven times. On the seventh death, he would undergo nirvana, transforming his bloodline and tracing back to ancient times.
But these seven deaths couldn't be casual. Each had to be a life-or-death battle involving both soul and body. Only then could he be reborn through nirvana, using the Nirvana Dao to reach the realm of Great Saint.
This was considered a rather unique Dao. Throughout history, few Saints had comprehended such a Dao, so it was hard to say whether it was strong or not.
After all, one would have to die first to see its true power.
Emperor Capital's Dao was easier to understand – the Star Dao. He could manipulate constellations and command starlight, considered a superior Dao that was also formidable in combat techniques.
Qiu Li's Dao was relatively complex – the Mystic Dao. It focused on the esoteric, allowing for divination, insight, formation arrangement, and even touched upon some temporal abilities to predict future events.
With proper preparation, the Mystic Dao could be considered a top-tier combat Dao. Without preparation, however, it was rather useless.
In layman's terms, it excelled at planning fights but was weak in actual combat.
These were the Daos of the three, and Chen Xia had a rough understanding of them. He then curiously asked:
"What are Li Yang and Li Yue's Daos?"
Qiu Li paused briefly, then turned to look at Emperor Capital.
"Why are you looking at me?" Emperor Capital frowned.
"Didn't you fight with Li Yang before? Surely you know what her Dao is?" Qiu Li replied.
"The Sun Dao and Moon Dao, of course. What's there to say? Their names already tell you," Emperor Capital rolled his eyes.
"Really?" Qiu Li asked again, seeking confirmation.
"It should be. If you don't believe me, go fight them yourself," Emperor Capital waved dismissively.
The two then began to stare at each other.
Chen Xia shook his head, "Never mind. Let's wait for Chi Yu to stabilize his realm, then we'll all go together. Given my relationship with them, it shouldn't be a problem."
Qiu Li frowned. The more Chen Xia mentioned their relationship, the more he doubted. He feared it might turn out to be not a meeting of the Fourteen Sons of Vast Sky, but a brawl.
For now, they would wait patiently, in no rush.
During this time, Emperor Zhou came to see him once, with an exceptionally respectful attitude. He waited outside the small cabin, not even daring to knock, just standing there with his head bowed.
"Come in," Chen Xia naturally sensed his presence.
Emperor Zhou gently pushed open the door, his body bent low, not daring to raise his head to look at them. He spoke respectfully:
"Greetings to the Saints."
Emperor Capital crossed his arms, showing utter disdain for Emperor Zhou. If not for Emperor Zhou's acquaintance with Chen Xia, he would have long since slapped Emperor Zhou half to death.
Qiu Li and Chi Yu remained silent, as this matter didn't concern them.
"Is there something you need?" Chen Xia asked.
"Ah, I've recently acquired some gains – exceptionally good divine abilities and treasures. Remembering your care for the Great Zhou Dynasty recently, I thought to offer them as a token of gratitude."
The room fell silent.
Emperor Capital and Qiu Li's expressions were somewhat disdainful, seeing through Emperor Zhou's intentions – he simply wanted to curry favor with Chen Xia.
Emperor Zhou's body trembled, and he couldn't help but swallow hard, his mind beginning to panic.
"Mm, leave them here," Chen Xia nodded slightly, giving Emperor Zhou a way out.
"Thank you, thank you so much!" Emperor Zhou excitedly kowtowed, not daring to put on any airs despite being the ruler of a nation.
Chen Xia's fingers lightly tapped on the table as he spoke calmly:
"Senior Sister Zhou Jia showed me kindness, so I can help your Great Zhou Dynasty once. But only once. I hope you remember that."
Emperor Zhou was overjoyed and quickly kowtowed again:
"Thank you, Saint! Thank you, Saint!"
Chen Xia's words were essentially giving the Great Zhou Dynasty a chance to rise to the pinnacle!
After his excitement, Emperor Zhou noticed Emperor Capital's impatient expression and dared not linger any longer. He hurriedly took his leave.
He bowed his head humbly as he closed the door.
His peripheral vision swept across the room.
In the small cabin, Emperor Capital and Qiu Li were on the left, Chi Yu on the right.
Chen Xia sat in the center, like the moon surrounded by stars. Though without any visible aura, he appeared so radiant at that moment.
He was the center of the Saints!