The figures of the five great Venerable Withered Dragons stood behind Long Bai. Every single one of these five terrifying existences that had appeared out of nowhere exuded a draconic aura that seemed as ancient and vast as the divine spirits of old.
The appearance of these five people also made everyone feel as if a gigantic ancient god had pierced the walls of space and time with five of its fingers, engulfing the entire world in a peerlessly dreadful oppressive might.
Behind the Venerable Withered Dragons stood the eight Dragon Gods, their faces grim and dark, and behind them stood all forty-three Dragon Sovereigns and three hundred and eight Master Dragons.
Very soon, the five great god emperors of the Qilin Realm, Emperor Chi Realm, Blue Dragon Realm, Hui Dragon Realm, and Myriad Manifestations Realm slowly stepped out, and following behind them were the auras of several hundred Divine Masters.
The Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm shook violently and it even seemed as if the entire Southern Divine Region was shaking violently along with it… and it continued unabated.
If they had not known the enemy’s array of forces in advance, just the five Venerable Withered Dragons would have been enough to scare all the Northern Region profound practitioners witless.
They had already tasted the despair, and yet they had sworn to give up their lives even in the midst of it. Under this heavy pressure, heavier than anything they had ever felt, none of them felt even the slightest bit of fear. They merely clenched their teeth and defiantly balled their hands into fists.
“Strange.” One of the Pure Dragon God’s eyebrows arched slightly. “They seem to be prepared for our arrival.”
The barrier was opened, the Deep Sea profound practitioners had clearly been dispersed, and the devils of the north were already in strict formation… This wasn’t something that could be accomplished within a few minutes.
The forces of the Western Divine Region had still been in the Dragon God Realm two hours ago, and the existence of the World Dragon City was something that had only been known to the successive generations of Dragon Monarchs and Dragon Gods. As such, there was no reason that these northern devils would be able to predict that they would descend on this place in a mere two hours.
The same suspicions were evident on the faces of all the profound practitioners of the Western Divine Region.
“To think that the forces of the devil race were actually this strong,” Long Yi said with an empathic sigh. These devils were entirely different from the devil race of the north that he had been familiar with.
“No wonder,” Long Er replied. He now knew why Long Bai had not hesitated to rouse them from their slumber. It might be easy to defeat the forces of the Northern Divine Region that were assembled before them, but it would require the power of the five Venerable Withered Dragons if they wanted to exterminate every last one of them.
“The situation seems to be quite different from what we had imagined. I can’t seem to sense Yun Che’s aura,” the Blue Dragon Emperor suddenly said in a low voice.
“…There’s no need for us to say any unnecessary things. Let’s leave everything to the Dragon Monarch,” the Qilin Emperor reminded her. However, a strange light flashed through his old eyes as he surveyed the scene before him.
He actually could not detect any despair or fear from these devils, whether he used his eyes or his spiritual senses. Instead, he sensed shocking malice and fiercely burning determination.
The Blue Dragon Emperor did not speak up again.
At the back of the Northern Divine Region’s formation, Chi Wuyao stared at the forces of the Western Divine Region but she did not step forward.
“What’s on your mind?” Qianye Ying’er asked.
“We will let Cang Shitian handle the first interaction with them. I’ve already taught him what to say and do,” Chi Wuyao replied.
Qianye Ying’er’s brow furrowed greatly as she exclaimed, “What!?”
“Don’t worry! He’ll definitely do an excellent job,” Chi Wuyao said as she gave a dry chuckle. “I can sense that he’s really enjoying the current times… and the following events are going to give him even more enjoyment. After all, this is a direct confrontation with the Dragon Monarch himself! There’s nothing else that can satisfy a true madman more than this current scenario.”
“Drag things out.” Her smile instantly vanished as she uttered those three simple words. “What we need more than anything right now is to do everything we can, no matter how underhanded, to buy time and drag things out!”
However, it was at this time that Cang Shitian’s laughter boomed across the skies of the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm.
“Hahahahahaha!”
Cang Shitian boldly stepped forward, as his god emperor voice cut through the oppressive might that seemed to fill the sky and shook the hearts and souls of all who heard it. He cupped his hands and there was a faint smile on his face as he said, “Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm King Cang Shitian has been waiting for the Dragon Monarch’s glorious arrival for quite some time now. However, I did not think that my lord Dragon Monarch would be so impatient to get here that you would actually use the World Dragon City, something which has lain hidden for many years, to travel all the way here. This Shitian feels both incredibly honored and incredibly afraid.”
“Oh, that’s right! I can’t forget to greet my five seniors here. Greetings to the honored Venerable Withered Dragons. To think that all of you actually chose to come here instead of continuing to wither away in the Dragon God Realm. This special and unprecedented honor is something my tiny Deep Sea Realm finds incredibly hard to bear. Hahahaha!”
Everyone from the Dragon God Realm grimaced as he said those words. Even Long Bai’s impassive face twitched for an instant.
The World Dragon City, the Venerable Withered Dragons… These were things that even the five god emperors of the Western Divine Region were not aware of. All of them had been utterly convinced that the enemy forces would be in complete chaos and disarray when they descended upon the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm. They had expected them to fall apart like a sandcastle being hit by a massive tidal wave before the battle had even begun.
However, reality could not have been any more different.
The enemy had not only assembled in tight formation, they had even yelled out the names of the World Dragon City and the Venerable Withered Dragons. It was almost as if they had all of the Dragon God Realm’s secrets in the palms of their hands.
What was even stranger was that they actually had not chosen to retreat even though they already knew what was going to happen in advance! Instead, they had chosen to meet them head on with all of their might!
As he stared at the gathered Dragon God’s and Long Bai’s eyes, which were trembling with shock, Cang Shitian’s mouth crooked up yet again… He could not think of any better guests for him to entertain!
Long Bai stared into the distance as he blatantly ignored Cang Shitian and called out in a calm voice, “Yun Che, show yourself.”
However, Cang Shitian was the one who replied to him. He let out a low chuckle as he waved a hand, instantly causing water-like ripples to appear on the surface of the Deep Sea Barrier.
“My lord Dragon Monarch, if you want to see our Devil Master, shouldn’t you be asking this Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm for permission first!?”
“What a sad joke,” the Azure Dragon God said. Profound contempt and pity appeared in his grayish-blue eyes as he said, “To think that you’ve actually grown loyal to the devils who have made a lapdog out of you. For the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm to have a god emperor like you is truly a shame, a stain on all of your ancestors.”
Compared to Cang Shitian’s fearless demeanor, all of the Sea Gods and divine envoys were showing expressions filled with discomfort and unease… They had originally thought that Cang Shitian would grandly open the barrier to admit the Dragon Monarch and use this most opportune time to “atone for his sins”.
However, the reality of the situation was the complete opposite of their expectations. Every single word that Cang Shitian said caused their hearts to leap wildly in their chests and if the person speaking weren’t their Ten Direction Deep Sea Realm’s god emperor, they would be the first to leap out and pummel him to the ground to stop him from speaking.
Long Bai’s eyes finally went dark. He looked at Cang Shitian with calm eyes before he said, “Cang Shitian, you have one last chance… and that is on account of the relationship that I had with your grandfather.”
The gathered Sea Gods and divine envoys all turned to look at Cang Shitian. However, they saw Cang Shitian’s lips crook up as he replied in a languid and indolent voice, “I do not need that chance of yours.”
Those words left no leeway or room for misinterpretation.
“My lord!” a few Sea Gods cried out in unified shock and alarm.
“My lord Dragon Monarch!” the Overflowing Waters Sea God stepped out and said in an anxious voice. “My lord definitely didn’t mean what he just said. He’s just been bewitched by these devils…”
BOOM!!
A blue figure flashed through the air as space was instantly severed. Cang Shitian’s hand was wrapped in blue light as he delivered a heavy chop to the Overflowing Waters Sea God’s throat. A huge and dreadful explosion rang in the air as the Overflowing Waters Sea God’s voice was suddenly cut off. Cang Shitian’s terrifying blow had broken his neck.
His attack was as swift as flowing light and it was ruthless in the extreme. There was no way that Cang Shitian could have pulled off this attack on the fly and it was now clear that he had already prepared it in advance.
The Overflowing Waters Sea God had been severely injured by that surprise attack and the other Sea Gods and divine envoys were also greatly shocked by it. It had happened before they could even think of stopping Cang Shitian.
“My… My lord!?”
Several Sea Gods were just about to step forward but a sudden blue glow erupted from Cang Shitian’s body and caused them to shrink backward as their pupils contracted in shock.
That was the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm’s divine artifact, the Deep Sea Divine Pearl! It flowed with blue light as it rested in the palm of Cang Shitian’s hand, and it seemed as if a boundless ocean was hidden within it.
The same blue light was also radiating from the Overflowing Waters Sea God, who was currently writhing on the ground in agony.
As the divine artifact of the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm, the Deep Sea Divine Pearl had two functions. It served as both a medium to contain the divine legacies of the Deep Sea Realm and also possessed a dreadful ability that was very similar to the one possessed by the Brahma Monarch God Realm’s Brahma Soul Bell. The ability to forcibly restrict or even withdraw the Deep Sea divine power that rested in a Sea God’s body.
This was also the main reason why Cang Shitian, who had already had a notorious reputation in the God Realm, faced no resistance or defiance from the denizens of the Deep Sea Realm at all, even when he had been the first to submit to the devil race.
As he sensed the Deep Sea divine power swiftly draining out of his body, the Overflowing Waters Sea God barely managed to croak out a few words in spite of his broken neck. “My lord… spare…”
BOOOM!!
Cang Shitian stomped down, his foot burying the Overflowing Waters Sea God’s head into the profound stones which paved the roads of the Deep Sea Divine Region. Only the grotesque sight of his body twitching and spasming remained.
Bright red blood swiftly pooled at his feet, but Cang Shitian didn’t move. His foot continued to press down on the Overflowing Waters Sea God’s head as his lips curved into a small smile, a smile which sent shudders through the heart of every Sea God. “To think that this servant of mine would actually be such a traitorous thing. What a pity.”
He turned around and looked at the ashen-faced Sea Gods as he said, “If such a thing happens again, I want you to simply kill the transgressor. I don’t expect to have to tell you to do it either. Do you understand?”
“…Yes!” All the Sea Gods barely managed to grunt out that word and it was as if all their necks had been broken as well.
“My deepest apologies,” Cang Shitian said with a hearty laugh as he looked up at the Dragon Monarch once more. “I had to deal with a traitorous fool and I’m sorry that my lord Dragon Monarch and my honored guests had to witness such an ugly sight.”
“God Emperor Shitian.” Zhou Xuzi’s voice rang out. “Your actions are not only harming the Sea Gods under you, they are also burying the Deep Sea bloodline that has continued for hundreds of thousands of years. What are you thinking!?”
“Heh!” Cang Shitian gave a low chuckle. “Eternal Heaven God Emperor, I may be a loyal dog, but you are a defeated one. Since we belong to the same kind, we should be sympathizing with one another. Why do you feel compelled to come out and bark at me like a mad dog?”
“…” Zhou Xuzi gave a deep sigh. “It looks like you are beyond all hope. As such, I can only bury you together with these dark wretches!”
“Do you really think that you’re up to it!?” Cang Shitian sneered.
Long Bai raised his head and no longer bothered to look at Cang Shitian. His voice shook the world as it boomed out like an oracle from the heavens themselves. “Yun Che, get out here!”
Now that this time had finally come, the Dragon Monarch had not called for the attack to begin or the barrier to be destroyed. Instead, he sought out Yun Che directly.
“It looks like my lord Dragon Monarch truly is getting on in age, because it seems as if your ears aren’t working too well anymore.” Cang Shitian’s bold words shocked and scandalized the Sea Gods as he continued. “If you want to see the Devil Master, you’ll have to get past this Deep Sea Barrier first!”
“Come!” He lifted a hand to point at the gathered Dragon Gods. “Why don’t you let this king see just how long it will take for you so-called Dragon Gods to break this Deep Sea Barrier! I eagerly await it!”
“Heh!” The Crimson Destruction Dragon God gave a cold snort of contempt. “Is a lousy barrier like this even worthy of our personal attention?”
“My lord?” he asked as he looked towards the Dragon Monarch.
The Dragon Monarch gave a very small nod of his head.
BOOOM——
The Crimson Destruction Dragon God immediately gave the order and the forty-three Dragon Sovereigns standing behind him attacked at the same time. The roiling draconic energy that was released in that instant immediately caused a dreadful spatial storm to form.
BZZZZZZZ————
In the Dragon God Realm, only those who had reached the eighth level of the Divine Master Realm could qualify as Dragon Sovereigns.
Among these forty-three Dragon Sovereigns, nineteen were level nine Divine Masters and twenty-four were level eight Divine Masters. So when their attacks smashed against the barrier at the same time… it felt as if a billion heavenly bells were ringing in the Southern Divine Region.
The Deep Sea Barrier violently shuddered as dozens of distorted ripples appeared on its surface.
After the Dragon Sovereigns finished their attacks, it was the Master Dragons’ turn. Three hundred and eight attacks at the level of the Divine Master Realm streaked toward the barrier and struck it with a soul-shattering impact.
However, Cang Shitian still did not move and Yan Tianxiao quietly raised a hand to stop anyone from advancing… He also did not understand why the Devil Queen had told them specifically that they were not to solidify and support the barrier when it was being fiercely assaulted by the enemy.
