“Mad, Dragonhollow Mountain’s gone completely mad!” Dragonfeather and the others gasped inside their stronghold.
Dragonling Assemblies had always been an internal Azure Dragon Region affair. Though outsiders could participate, they could only do so if invited to. With this new rule, everyone could foresee the veritable storm of violence and bloodshed that was about to arrive.
Though historic Dragonling Assemblies also saw ghastly confrontation, the overall benefits of the gathering remained with Azure Dragon Region. It was selection of the fittest and fatal elimination of the weakest.
But this time, the region was destined to decline if an outsider was the final winner!
Despite that, Azure Dragon heavyweights didn’t dare say anything. The Dragonling Assembly belonged to Dragonhollow Mountain, after all. Whatever they said was the rule; there was no room for negotiation.
Rumble!
The doors to the Coiling Dragon encampment were kicked open as a young man dressed in azure robes walked in.
“Dragonfeather King, you piece of shit! You’re still a sixth step king even after several million years!” he declared coldly when he saw Dragonfeather. The youth’s left arm sleeve fluttered emptily in the wind—he only had one arm. However, his presence was the domineering one of a seventh step king!
“Crippled Dragon King, what are you doing here?!” Dragonfeather roared at their visitor. This was one of the three high level kings of Azure Dragon City, and it was due to these three kings that Azure Dragon City firmly occupied the seat of first in the region.
“Dare you come and kill people with me?” he shouted back.
“I wanted to go on a killing spree a long time ago!” Dragonfeather instantly grasped Crippled Dragon’s meaning and smiled a toothy grin.
“You piece of trash may not have improved in terms of strength, but your courage remains the same! Let’s go!” Crippled Dragon shot into the air and charged outside the city, closely followed by the Dragonfeather King.
A killing spree!
They were targeting the geniuses and kings from other regions!
Azure Dragon factions were perfectly willing to kill each other on the way to the assembly just for the chance to obtain another share of the profits for their own people. Now that outsiders were fair game, how would they remain unmoved?
Figure after figure barrelled out of Dragonsea City and clumped up in twos and threes, unleashing fierce savagery on foreign cultivators.
……
“C’mon, let’s go kill someone and get a spot for Little Ying!” Azureclad stood up with a shout.
“I don’t need your help, I can do it myself.” Crimsonclad glared at Azureclad and rushed out. Dismayed, he hastily flew out behind her.
Everything was beyond chaotic in the city; battles of the Dragonling Assembly weren’t measured in terms of single combat. Anything from ambush, plots, or outright mobs was acceptable. One was the victor no matter how they killed their opponent.
Three days.
There were three more days until the road to Dragonhollow Mountain appeared. Complete pandemonium would reign over these three days.
“Aren’t those of Dragonhollow Mountain worried that we’ll blow the city sky high?” A grin tugged at Lu Yun’s lips. “Half step kings with a title are on par with the battle strength of a titled king. Once large-scale pitched battle breaks out, this entire city might go down.”
“My brother and Crimsonclad might be surrounded given this mess, we need to go help!” Qing Ting hadn’t heard Lu Yun’s words, she was focused on the two who’d already left.
Leng Che and You Cang reacted as well; as titled dukes, they weren’t afraid of this melee.
Booooom.
A golden pillar descended from the sky and a golden longsword stabbed into the ground in front of Azureclad, blocking his path.
“Azureclad Duke, I hear that you are one of the foremost powerhouses beneath titled kinghood in the Hongmeng, that you are one of the banners of the younger generation.” The young man in golden robes from Crouching Dragon City slowly padded down from the sky, coming to a stop over the golden blade in the ground. “I am—”
“Piss off!” Azureclad flew into a rage when he saw that Crimsonclad had been swallowed up by the crowd. He slashed at the interloper without another word.
“Bastard!” The young man snarled to see that he was being attacked before he could finish his introduction.
Hummm.
The golden battle blade beneath his feet blossomed with brilliance and rushed at his opponent in the form of a golden dragon.
“Brother, go find Crimsonclad, I’ll take care of him!” Qing Ting arrived at this time and sent out her Azuresky Sword, forcing the golden dragon back.
“Alright!” shouted Azureclad. “Champion Duke, protect my sister. Leng Che, You Cang, come with me!”
He bounded upward and followed Crimsonclad’s traces.
“You…” The young man in golden robes didn’t think that the mighty Azureclad Duke would run off without engaging in battle. He took a step back and looked at Qing Ting.
“You are the Azureclad Duke’s genius sister?” he shouted. “I am Crouching Dragon’s—”
Humm!
Qing Ting couldn’t be bothered talking to him either and smashed her sword down on his head.
“You two!!” The young man was truly infuriated. He’d set foot into the world to challenge the Azureclad Duke and make his name known throughout the land. But this brother and sister duo didn’t even give him the chance to introduce himself or say his name!
Qing Ting had learned her battle style from the ghosts; she wasn’t used to engaging in useless chatter first. Her sword rose and fell with swiftness, projecting countless sword shadows that had a tiny azure dragon wrapped around each of them. They combined together into an image of dragons that would devour everything.
Jumping with shock, the youth quickly dodged to the side but was still blasted by the blow.
Boom!
His golden dragon shattered and he flew backward, landing heavily on the ground. Eyes round with incredulity, he couldn’t believe this!
His name was Golden Dragon and he was a secretly nurtured genius of Crouching Dragon City. He possessed the strength of a titled duke, and he’d emerged from seclusion for the Azureclad Duke.
He would defeat and kill that duke, then receive the title of the Goldenclad Duke!
But instead, he’d been defeated by a single move from the duke’s baby sister?!
Golden Dragon laid on the ground and stared at the murky blue skies, his thoughts a tangled gnarl. If Azureclad’s sister was this strong… how strong must the duke be?? He’d also told another person to protect his sister before he left!
“Hand over your identity token, kid, or I’ll kill you where you lie.” Lu Yun walked up to Golden Dragon and rested his Stellar Sword at the center of Golden Dragon’s forehead.
“It’s yours!” Golden Dragon immediately recognized the person in front of him when he saw the sword. After being injured by that stroke, he no longer had the ability to fight the Champion Duke.
He could only relinquish his identity token—one similar to the medallion that Qing Ting had given Lu Yun. The token was a symbol of the holder’s affiliation and their right to participate in the Dragonling Assembly.
