The Mortal World Must Not Be Without an Emperor

When Lord Venus finally woke up, his eyes landed on the pale, naked bodies sprawled across the VIP room carpet. His face went from bad to worse—ashen, mortified, lips trembling as he muttered, "I’m doomed! I’m doomed! If the Jade Emperor ever finds out I had relations with so many mortal women, I’ll be lucky to escape divine punishment with my skin intact!"

But even as panic gripped him, suspicion crept in. Sure, he was a bit of a lecher and had downed enough wine to drown a horse, but even he wouldn’t normally go this far off the rails. Piecing together his hazy memories, he realized with a jolt—he must’ve been set up!

And who else could have orchestrated this but Ian Song—the mortal cultivator who’d spent all night calling him "sworn brother" and acting as if they were long-lost pals?

Rage flashed in Lord Venus’s eyes, and murderous intent bubbled up inside him. That guy must be planning to blackmail me with this mess! If I kill him, he’ll have no leverage—and I’ll be free of this nightmare.

As for these mortals? Their memories could be wiped out with a snap—easy as pie.

With this plan forming, Lord Venus strode to the suite door and flung it open. The club manager, who’d been waiting anxiously outside, jumped to greet him with a smile so respectful it was almost comical. "Did everything meet your satisfaction, Mr. Venus?"

Lord Venus’s face darkened at the question. He snapped, "Where’s Ian Song?"

Even without unleashing his celestial aura, centuries in Heaven gave Lord Venus a pressure that hit the manager like a ton of bricks. The poor man scrambled to explain, "Mr. Song is in the tea room, enjoying his tea. He told me to bring you over the moment you were done!"

"Lead the way!" Lord Venus barked, waving impatiently.

"Absolutely!" The club manager didn’t dare hesitate, making a deferential gesture so dramatic it belonged on a stage.

Bang!

Inside the tea room, Ian Song was leisurely raising his teacup to his lips when, suddenly, the door was kicked open with force. Lord Venus stormed in, his face dark and hostile, glaring at Ian.

Lord Venus once again looked torn, his face cycling through a parade of emotions before he finally let out a long, defeated sigh: "The mortal world cannot be without an emperor."

"Who exactly are you?"

Lord Venus interrogated coldly, his tone clearly unfriendly.

Ian Song glanced at the club manager. "You may leave us."

"Yes, sir!"

Knowing that neither of these two was someone he could afford to offend, the club manager quickly bowed and left.

"Please, Old Brother Venus, have a seat." Ian Song gestured to the chair beside him, smiling.

Bang!

With a casual wave, Lord Venus slammed the door shut behind him, his expression still dark. "I don't care who you are, but if you think you can blackmail me over something like this, you're gravely mistaken!"

As he spoke, Lord Venus no longer bothered to hide his killing intent. Instantly, the temperature in the room dropped, turning the once cozy tea room into an icy tundra.

Seeing that Lord Venus was openly murderous, Ian Song remained calm and simply smiled. "Old Brother Venus, there's no need for all this. I arranged everything out of goodwill—there was never any intention to threaten you!"

"Still trying to deny it? Once I take you down, let's see if you keep up your lies!"

With a low shout, Lord Venus raised his hand and pointed. Instantly, a starlight formation appeared, shining brilliantly, and shot straight toward Ian Song.

As it flew through the air, the starlight formation transformed into a starry net, clearly meant to trap Ian Song.

"Hmph!"

Ian Song’s expression suddenly turned cold. He flicked his finger, sending a thread of green light into the starry net. Instantly, the net shattered, dissolving into scattered starlight that faded in midair.

Seeing this, Lord Venus’s face sank even further.

A pure white dust-whisk appeared in his hand.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

He gave the whisk a casual wave, and its snowy white threads suddenly stiffened, flying out toward Ian Song like dozens of sharp lines.

"You really don’t know what’s good for you!"

Ian Song curled his lip, then suddenly reached out and grabbed. Instantly, Lord Venus felt a tremendous force—he couldn’t hold onto the dust-whisk at all.

A moment later, the dust-whisk landed in Ian Song’s hand and returned to its original form.

"With cultivation like yours, you dare to show off in front of me?"

Ian Song toyed with the dust-whisk, his tone indifferent.

Lord Venus’s face turned ugly, and his eyes filled with fear. His combat strength might not be top-tier in the Celestial Court, but he was still an immortal. Yet Ian Song had defeated him so easily and even snatched away his life-bound Immortal Artifact.

"You... Who are you, really? What is it that you want?"

"Sit down and let’s talk," Ian Song said coolly.

After a moment’s hesitation, Lord Venus perched stiffly beside Ian Song, his whole posture radiating suspicion—like a cat forced to sit next to a wolf.

Ian Song’s voice sounded again: "You needn’t worry. I won’t breathe a word of today’s events to anyone in the Heavenly Court, and I have no intention of blackmailing you. Frankly, Old Brother Venus, your cultivation isn’t even worth my concern."

At these words, Lord Venus’s face shifted several times before he finally slumped a little. "So what do you want from me?" he asked.

Ian Song glanced at Lord Venus and smiled again. "You’re a close minister of the Jade Emperor, privy to all kinds of news. I simply want to know how the Heavenly Court views the current mortal world—and what its plans are for it."

"This..." Lord Venus gritted his teeth. "Even if you kill me, I won’t divulge the Jade Emperor’s secrets!"

Ian Song took another sip of tea before replying, "I possess a certain divine power. If I use it on a person, that person becomes my slave, mind and soul. The reason I haven’t used it on you is because I don’t wish to antagonize the Heavenly Court. Besides, what I’m asking isn’t a secret."

For a moment, Lord Venus fell into hesitation and inner conflict again.

Ian Song didn’t press him, simply waited in silence.

After a long while, Lord Venus finally spoke: "The Heavenly Court won’t interfere much in mortal affairs. I came down for three reasons: first, to survey the mortal world’s current state; second, to reconnect with minor gods; and third, to meet the human emperor."

"You may not know, Old Brother Venus, but there is no emperor in the East anymore," Ian Song replied.

"Impossible!"

Lord Venus exclaimed in disbelief.

"This is the history of the mortal world since Bowen Liu severed the Heaven-Pillar," Ian Song said, taking out his phone and opening the historical records he’d had someone collect.

An hour later, Lord Venus had finished reading over six hundred years of mortal history. He was filled with complex emotions, especially regarding the last century, which far surpassed anything he could have imagined.

Airplanes, cannons, missiles, atomic bombs, rockets, satellites—all these things left him stunned. When had mortals become capable of inventing such powerful creations?

"What do you think, Old Brother Venus?" Ian Song asked.

Lord Venus replied, "If the immortals of the Heavenly Court could see the mortal world now, they would all be utterly astonished!"

"So what will you do when you return to the Heavenly Court?" Ian Song asked again.

"I’ll report everything honestly to the Jade Emperor!"

"And what do you think the Jade Emperor will do?" Ian Song pressed.

"How could a minister like me presume to guess the Jade Emperor’s intentions?" Lord Venus replied awkwardly.

"Why play dumb when you know perfectly well?" Ian Song’s expression turned cold.

Lord Venus once again looked conflicted, then finally sighed, "The mortal world cannot be without an emperor."