As the Scarlet Dragon King was a ninth step king, he wouldn’t die so easily. While his soul had been scattered to the four winds, he could still resurrect from the void.
What was more pressing was that he’d been decapitated in broad daylight and his dragon tendon extracted to brew a soup. This immense humiliation would extend to Dragonhollow Mountain as well.
However, equally terrifying was that the mysterious eminent ruler of Hopeless Major—the Empyrean King—was at the mountain. There were rumors among the social circles of high level kings that the Empyrean King had defeated the World King when the latter was armed with the Nineworld Origin Diagram. They’d fought each other in single combat, and Origin World was now sealed away because of her.
Qing Ting and Azureclad weren’t sure what to make of these revelations.
“Qing Yan, do you think the Empyrean King would ever be interested in you?” Qing Ting suddenly poked her brother’s waist. Azureclad swallowed hard, opened a crack in the earth, and crawled into it.
……
The three greatest heavyweights of Hopeless Major, the Profound, Yin Yang, and Soulmask Kings, were all present at Dragonhollow Mountain. Each of these peak ninth step kings rivaled the dragon lord. He wouldn’t enjoy a single advantage if facing any of them separately, much less all three together.
Profound and Soulmask took up protective stances on either side of Lu Yun’s residence, facing off against the eight old dragons. Meanwhile, Yin Yang began to skin and clean the scarlet dragon to brew him into a soup.
Mournful howls traveled out of the mountain, but no one—no dragon dared make a move. They’d insulted the enemy first, to which Hopeless Major responded by killing the Scarlet Dragon King. If this matter wasn’t handled properly, it might result in open warfare between Dragonhollow Mountain and Hopeless Major.
It was plain to see that Hopeless Major felt they had nothing to lose in the current situation. If battle did break out, they wouldn’t be the least bit concerned.
“You better avoid any brash actions, Dragon Lord,” suddenly came a femininely sinister voice. A young man enveloped in bloody light sneered coldly, “We attacked Hopeless Major because of instigation from others. It was also an internal ten valleys affair. But if you dare do anything to the Empyrean King…
“Then we’ll see if the Ten Valleys of Evil can take down Dragonhollow Mountain!” This young man within the bloody radiance was a heavyweight of Ingress Blood Island—the Night King. His position in the faction was on par with the Profound, Yin Yang, and Soulmask Kings. They were all peak ninth step kings.
The Night King’s words threw the dragon lord into glowering uncertainty.
“Hahahahahaha!”
“Hehehehe…”
“Hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk.” Strange laughter sounded from the void and filled the mountain’s seventh floor with an eerie atmosphere. Representatives from all ten valleys—including Origin World—had arrived. These were all people who’d once been falsely accused of villainy, but now took pride in the title. Their tempers were eccentric and they switched between happiness and anger at the drop of a hat.
If they weren’t satisfied in this matter, they might very well slaughter the mountain’s residents themselves. Although the dragon lord wasn’t necessarily afraid of them, Dragonhollow Mountain wouldn’t win anything if the two sides erupted in open hostility.
“Hmph.” Shenyu suddenly materialized next to the dragon lord. He sneered, “The degenerates of the ten valleys have finally shown themselves. The Dragonling Ranking is of paramount importance and connected to the future partition of the realm after the immortal dao arrives. This is a grave matter for the Hongmeng.
“Are all of you brave enough to be enemies with the entire world?”
“Runaway King?” cackled the Night King. “You better keep your head down and nose clean, or I might lose control and kill you on the spot. You and your master slunk through the valleys to sow discord between us, setting us at each other’s throats. If you keep talking in the Dao King’s absence, I really might…”
“Just try it, if you have what it takes.” Shenyu looked fearlessly at the Night King. “Just you alone is no match for me.”
“What about me?” the little fox suddenly interjected. “How about we go again, Runaway King?”
“The Illusion Immortal King? Or Intrance King?” Shenyu nodded at her. “I was caught off guard for a moment that day, which gave you space for your ambush to work. Do you really think that I can’t beat you?”
He waved a hand and manifested a flag in his grasp. Rays of hazy purple light immediately filled the air and dyed Dragonhollow Mountain’s seventh floor purple. This was an ultimate Hongmeng treasure!
Losing to the Intrance King and having his title revealed was the greatest humiliation of his life. Redemption through victory was the only possible way to erase this stain from his record. Though many kings from the valleys were in attendance, so had the Immortal Region sent a good number of kings. Under Shenyu’s guidance, they were drifting toward allying with Dragonhollow Mountain.
It was difficult to determine which side would win if a battle did break out. This was Dragonhollow’s home territory and they were aided by the Immortal Region. They also possessed their own signature faction treasure.
The crowd held their breaths; the Dragonling Assembly and Dragonling Ranking were no longer the main focus. With the arrival of these ninth step kings, the ranking was as if fleeting clouds in the sky—they would disperse with a simple puff of air.
But suddenly, a fragrance that gladdened the heart and refreshed the mind drifted through the immensely hostile scene. An enormous pot had been set up at some point and the Scarlet Dragon King’s dragon tendon and flesh placed inside. Fires of black and white burned beneath it, simmering the contents into golden-yellow soup.
The rich fragrance came from the pot, drawing mouthfuls of saliva from everyone.
The Yin Yang King didn’t seem to have noticed how metaphorical swords were unsheathed and bows drawn around him. All he knew was the dragon tendon soup brewing in front of him.
“They really did it… The Yin Yang King made soup out of a ninth step king of Dragonhollow Mountain…” someone murmured.
The Night King and other ninth step kings of the Ten Valleys of Evil were scared out of their wits. They’d thought that the Empyrean King was just making empty threats and that the Yin Yang King was only going through the motions. Flaying the Scarlet Dragon King alive, skinning and stripping his tendon was already pushing the limits of what could be done. Who would’ve thought that they’d really continue with making soup!
A violent tremor traveled through the Night King’s lips. There would still be room for mediation if they’d only killed a ninth step king and exacted cruel punishment on him. After all, the dragon king could still resurrect.
The two sides remained exchanging insults for the moment, no real blows had followed. The tense posturing was just a backdrop for dividing profits to come. But now that the dragon king was made into soup… This had developed into a great feud that would not be resolved until the death of one party.
“Is it ready is it ready?” The little fox followed her nose and ran over the pot, brandishing a large soup ladle. She retrieved an enormous spoonful of sparkling soup and sipped it daintily.
Eyes around her bulged with incredulity. One king dared make the soup, another dared to drink it… Hopeless Major’s audacity knew no bounds!
“H-how dddoes it taste?” someone asked through chattering teeth.
“Hmm… it’s lacking some flavor,” the little fox smacked her lips with some dissatisfaction. “Add some salt…”
“……”
