"Everyone else, withdraw. The Twelve Demon Kings will remain."
"Yes," everyone answered, withdrawing from the hall.
Only the Twelve Demon Kings remained standing in the hall. All of them were trusted followers Zhou Qiong had promoted within the sect over the past two years.
Among them, the Demon Rat King and Demon Bull King had already reached Early Martial Emperor, while the other ten were all at Peak Martial King. Even ordinary Martial Emperors would have difficulty matching them.
It could be said that the Demon Sect's upper ranks far surpassed those of other factions in martial strength. The Elders' Council, the four hall masters, and the Twelve Demon Kings together numbered thirteen Martial Emperor Realm cultivators and ten at the Peak Martial King Realm, not even counting the forces of the Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow Four Divisions.
But to Zhou Qiong, their strength was now far too low. He wanted the Demon Sect to have the strength to sweep across the world, and they were still far from that.
"You twelve are my trusted followers, but your cultivation is still too low."
"Yes. We will strive to cultivate and never disgrace your mighty name, Sect Master."
With a wave of Zhou Qiong's hand, twelve brocade boxes appeared in the air. "These are Demon Ascension Pills. They can help you break through. In half a year, I do not wish to see anyone still in the Martial King Realm."
"As you command." The Twelve Demon Kings accepted the brocade boxes. Although they had never heard the pills' name, since the sect master said they could help them break through, they had to be top-grade pills.
Zhou Qiong had exchanged his remaining five hundred Villain Points for these Demon Ascension Pills. They could quickly help the Twelve Demon Kings break through. For the next half year, Zhou Qiong decided to thoroughly digest his cultivation techniques. Both the Gods and Devils Eye and the Heaven-Devouring Demon Art were techniques he needed to familiarize himself with as quickly as possible.
Jade Dragon Mountain was littered with wreckage, so desolate that not even a blade of grass remained. It was difficult to believe this had once been the Jade Dragon Sword Sect's grounds. Many gravestones stood in the central area, and a figure knelt before them.
"Master, you and my fellow disciples can rest in peace. I will avenge our sect, destroy the Demon Sect, and kill that bastard Zhou Qiong."
This was Zhao Li, the youngest disciple of Jing Kong, the Jade Dragon Sword Sect's sect master. He wore a white shirt and carried a longsword on his back. Coldness radiated from his entire body, and an oppressive presence filled the two meters around him. If Jing Kong were still alive, he would certainly have discovered that Zhao Li, who had only been in the Martial Master Realm two months earlier, had now reached Early Martial King.
Zhao Li had gone back to his hometown to visit his family. Unexpectedly, he found a ring beneath a corner of the wall in his family's ancestral home. There was actually an old grandpa inside, who guided his cultivation. In just two months, he broke through to Early Martial King. Unfortunately, before he could tell his master the good news, word arrived that the Jade Dragon Sword Sect had been wiped out.
Zhao Li forced himself to endure for two months before returning to erect gravestones for his master and senior brothers. He knew he did not yet have the ability to stand against the Demon Sect.
"Elder Fu, I've decided. I'm going to the Ten Thousand Demons' Cave."
A faint gleam flashed from the ring on Zhao Li's left hand, and an aged voice emerged. "If you've decided, then go. I will step in to save you if necessary."
Time flew, and half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
At the Demon Sect's headquarters, inside the Heavenly Devil Hall, Zhou Qiong sat upright on the demonic dragon throne. The upper ranks had gathered below him once again, but this time their imposing presence was even more magnificent. In particular, the grand elder at the head of the Elders' Council on the right wore purple brocade robes and kept his eyes lightly closed. He had clearly broken through to the Martial Emperor Realm.
The grand elder's past was quite legendary. He and Zhou Qiong's father, Zhou Shentong, had been fellow disciples and had competed for the position of sect master. Unfortunately, he later lost to Zhou Shentong. Too many duels against the righteous factions had also damaged his foundation, leaving him unable to break through to the Martial Emperor Realm for a long time.
In fact, if Zhou Qiong had not suddenly erupted and broken through to the Martial Emperor Realm after Zhou Shentong's death, the grand elder might have been leading the Demon Sect now.
Of the other seven elders, aside from the third elder, who was still facing the wall in repentance on the rear mountain, all the rest had reached Mid Martial Emperor. The second elder had even reached Peak Martial Emperor.
Among the four hall masters, Azure Dragon Hall's master Li Changsheng and Black Tortoise Hall's master Wan Li had both broken through to Peak Martial Emperor. White Tiger Hall's master Chu Kaishan and Vermilion Bird Hall's master Bing Li had also reached Late Martial Emperor.
The Twelve Demon Kings had made the greatest progress, all breaking through to the Martial Emperor Realm. The Demon Rat King, Chen Shu, had even broken straight through to Peak Martial Emperor, while the Demon Bull King had reached Late Martial Emperor. The other ten demon kings had all reached Mid Martial Emperor. Their talents had always been among the very best, and with the aid of cultivation techniques and pills, they naturally soared into the sky in a single bound.
Li Changsheng of Azure Dragon Hall stepped forward. "Reporting to the Sect Master. According to our count, the Demon Sect now has four Martial Sovereign-level cultivators, four Peak Martial Emperors, three Late Martial Emperors, fifteen Mid Martial Emperors, and no fewer than a hundred Martial King Realm cultivators. We are at least five times stronger than we were half a year ago."
Everyone looked excited. They had not paid much attention before, but only after hearing Li Changsheng's report did they realize how powerful the Demon Sect had become. Other sects could barely produce a few Martial Emperors, while the Demon Sect had more than twenty outright. As for Martial King Realm experts, who could establish their own sects outside, they had over a hundred.
Since the Demon Sect's founding patriarch, the Heavenly Devil God, had established the sect, it had gone more than a thousand years without having two Martial Sovereign-level experts at the same time, let alone four. This could already be called the Demon Sect's strongest era apart from the Heavenly Devil God's time.
"Very good. I have decided to abolish the title of Elders' Council and change it to protectors."
"What? How can this be?" The Elders' Council below immediately dissolved into a boiling pot of chaos. But Zhou Qiong's recent might had been so overwhelming that no one dared object. They could only keep signaling to the grand elder with their eyes.
The grand elder took a step forward and bowed to Zhou Qiong. "As the Sect Master commands. From this day onward, the Elders' Council is officially abolished. Henceforth, there will only be protectors."
The other elders all stared at the grand elder in disbelief. Even Zhou Qiong's diehard followers, the Twelve Demon Kings, wore disbelieving expressions. In truth, Zhou Qiong was surprised too. He had thought the grand elder would object, giving him the perfect chance to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys and let him know that even a Martial Sovereign was not invincible.
"Good. In half a day, we march for the shores of the East Sea. The grand protector, Azure Dragon Hall, and White Tiger Hall will remain to guard headquarters. All other forces will march with me."
"As you command."
Inside the grand elder's residence, several elders were anxiously saying something. The grand elder sat expressionlessly in his chair with his eyes closed. Only after all the elders had stopped did he open his eyes.
"Grand Elder, are we really going to abolish the Elders' Council?"
"Do you think the Elders' Council still needs to exist?"
"Why wouldn't it?"
"Apart from me, you cannot even defeat the Twelve Demon Kings who rose after you. How could you still call yourselves the Elders' Council? Having the title of protector is already very good. I advise you to know your place when you accompany the sect master this time. Otherwise, no one will be able to save you."
"Grand Elder," they called again, unwilling to accept it.
"Call me Protector Bai from now on." The grand elder waved his hand, gesturing for them to leave.
"After being called Grand Elder all these years, I've almost forgotten my own name. I, Bai Haotian-the name of Protector Bai will resound across the continent once again."