"Brother, feel free to state your requests. The Wu clan will make sure to contribute everything we can within our capacity."
The Wu Clan Leader was quick to agree.
He knew that Chu Kuangren's power was far more terrifying than the other clans.
The Wu clan was probably an insignificant orthodoxy in Chu Kuangren's perspective. If he wanted to, he could obliterate them at any moment.
The power difference was so big that the Wu Clan Leader did not even think of resisting at all.
If that was the case, there was no harm in playing along with Chu Kuangren's demands.
As Chu Kuangren had saved the Wu clan and his life, the Wu Clan Leader felt that this was a great opportunity to turn the situation around.
"It looks like you know how to play your cards well." Chu Kuangren nodded, content with the clan leader's attitude.
"First, I've got a few questions to ask. Is this the Emperor Road?"
The Wu Clan Leader was confused. He did not expect Chu Kuangren to pose such a question. However, the Wu Clan Leader was quick to recall an important fact and hastily answered, "Yes."
"Are you born and raised in the Emperor Road, or did you come from somewhere else?"
"We were born in the Emperor Road and are considered a local institution. However, there are also many powerful entities in the Emperor Road who came from the outside world."
The Wu Clan Leader could gauge Chu Kuangren's origin and did not intend to conceal any matter.
"Very well. Lastly, I require some information about the Emperor Road, including information about the region's power dynamics, sky-prides, and matters relating to the Emperor's Throne."
"Understood."
The Wu Clan Leader nodded and arranged a guest room for Chu Kuangren. He had never once mentioned the Divine Emerald Lamp throughout their conversation.
In the Wu clan's grand hall, several elders were congregating.
"Clan Leader, what should we do next?"
"Let's just stick to his demands and see what pans out."
"What about the Divine Emerald Lamp then?"
"If he's unwilling to return it, do you think we stand a chance in getting it back?" The Wu Clan Leader rolled his eyes and said.
Then, his eyes glimmered with a sense of excitement. "I believe you've heard that the Emperor Mountain has undergone a strange transformation. The Emperors' Thrones are reappearing. This means that the Emperor Road is now connected to the outside world. This person is likely a sky-pride from the outside world, who's participating in the fight for the Emperor's Throne. Nay, he must be!"
"Besides, you've also witnessed his capability, how he defeated the Sage Rulers with ease. Not even the outlawed sky-prides of the Emperor Road are capable of it. How strong must his orthodoxy be for it to birth such a formidable cultivator? It must be many times stronger than the Wu clan."
"The Wu clan has been suffering from a severe lack of talent these years. We're unfated to ascend into the Emperor Throne. We can only benefit from making his acquaintance. If this person manages to ascend into the throne, it'll mean that we've made the acquaintance of an Emperor. This alone will ensure that the Wu clan will prosper."
The council contemplated deeply at the Wu Clan Leader's explanation.
Although the likelihood of a person becoming an Emperor was slim, it was still possible.
Besides, there was not much they could do other than avoid getting at Chu Kuangren's wrong side at all costs.
"We understand now."
Then, the elders followed Chu Kuangren's demand and went on to prepare a list of intel about the Emperor Road.
In the Wu clan's guest room.
Chu Kuangren recollected his spiritual thought. "They're smart enough to avoid playing tricks on me."
He needed a local entity to prepare the information for him, and he could not ask for anything better than the Wu clan's allegiance.
"The Emperor Road's structure is built differently than the outside world. It looks like I may need some time to get used to it."
Chu Kuangren noticed that his spiritual thought was not his only ability that got restricted. His Spatial Conveyor Skill was just as affected as well, all because the Emperor Road's spatial structure significantly differed from the outside world. As such, Chu Kuangren needed some time to adjust himself.
Fortunately, his other combat strength still remained unaffected. This was enough for him to deal with what was about to come.
…
Stone City, Zhang clan.
The Sage Rulers who had just returned from the Wu clan were congregating.
"D*mn it. Our entire plan has been ruined by a person who just appeared out of nowhere. Now that we don't have the Divine Emerald Lamp, I wonder how that entity will punish us."
The Zhang Clan Leader said. At the mention of that entity, a sense of fear flashed in his eyes.
"It is unfortunate that we didn't get the Divine Emerald Lamp, but the youngster was just too strong for all of us. He could easily kill a Sage Ruler. With that level of ability, I'm afraid only the entity has the means to deal with him. This is out of our hands. It's best that we speak honestly with him."
Qian Clan Leader said as he attended to his severed limb.
A brief encounter with Chu Kuangren was enough to leave him traumatized.
"That seems like our only option now."
The Zhang Clan Leader took out a transparent crystal ball, which emitted a glow that manifested into an apparition in the void.
The apparition was blurry, but one could tell that the figure of the apparition was dressed in a majestic golden robe. Despite it being his apparition only, the figure still managed to exert an unbearable aura within the room.
"Greetings, Sword Daoist," the Zhang Clan Leader quickly bowed and greeted the person.
"Is the matter done?"
The entity that was known as the Sword Daoist spoke.
The clan leaders could only look at each other. None of them dared utter a word.
The Sword Daoist could induce the results from their silence and said furiously, "Speak. What happened?!"
"Everything was going as planned at first. However, just when we're about to get our hands on the Divine Emerald Lamp…" The Zhang Clan Leader narrated the entire incident to the Sword Daoist.
The Sword Daoist went silent for a moment before he screamed abruptly, "Useless!"
"Please forgive us, Sword Daoist."
"Hmph, I'm occupied by other matters for now, so I'll send a few swordsmen over to complete the affair tomorrow."
"If the Master Swordsmen will come to assist, then the matter should be considered done," said the Zhang Clan Leader as he quickly bowed.
"If anything funny happens again this time, it'll be the end of all your clans."
With a snort, the Sword Daoist vanished.
The clan leaders could not help but turn white when they heard the Sword Daoist's final remark.
"With the assistance from the Master Swordsmen, this shouldn't be a problem."
"That's right, let's not worry too much about it now."
…
In the Wu clan.
Chu Kuangren was toying around with the Divine Emerald Lamp when he noticed that the Emperor Weapon was damaged.
He noticed that there was no wick in the lantern.
"A damaged Emperor Weapon is of little use to me. If the Wu clan puts up a decent performance, I might just consider returning this to them."
Chu Kuangren murmured.
At that instance, the Wu Clan Leader knocked on the door to his room.
Chu Kuangren stored the Divine Emerald Lamp and said, "Come in."
"Greetings, Brother Chu."
"How's everything going so far?"
"This is the map of the Emperor Road and all the information about its sky-prides and powerful cultivators."
The Wu Clan Leader then took out a jade scroll.
Chu Kuangren activated his spiritual thought and glimpsed through the content. He noticed that there was a significant overlap between the information provided by the Wu Clan Leader and the divine predictor.
He pondered deeply. "It looks like the past ancient and even archaic orthodoxies had established their power foundations throughout the Emperor Road a long time ago. Interesting. So apart from the sky-prides, I'll also have to deal with these orthodoxies in the Emperor Road. No wonder the divine predictor has given me so much information about the Nine Heavens."