The moment the order left his mouth, everyone’s expressions changed.
Freeing all the humans on the continent… This was tantamount to declaring war on the other three great empires in a roundabout way.
It was common knowledge that the four major empires were where human populations were the biggest. Meng Lei’s desire to free the human slaves was no different from interfering with the three major empires’ internal affairs.
How would the three empires possibly agree to that?
It went without saying what their responses were.
The Thunder Titan Emperor, the Beast Emperor, and the Fairy Empress’ countenances turned incredibly awful-looking. While they had been furious at Meng Lei’s impassioned speech earlier, they couldn’t be bothered to do anything about it and had adopted a disinterested attitude at things that didn’t concern them.
It was none of their business, no matter what kind of trouble Meng Lei wanted to make in the Dragon God Empire.
Yet he was actually clamoring about freeing the human slaves in their borders now. This move would completely uproot and destroy their empires!
“Envoys of the three major empires, please communicate my decision to your respective monarchs upon return!”
Meng Lei turned to the envoys and added, “I want results within a month!”
“Your Majesty!”
A valiant, heroic, and beautiful Fairy with a sword fastened at her waist spoke up at this point—it was Regimental Commander Azshara from the Fairy Empire. She gazed straight at Meng Lei and said, “The decision as to whether human slavery would be abolished or not is part of the Fairy Empire’s internal affairs. Your Majesty has no right to interfere!”
“I have no interest in the Fairy Empire’s internal affairs. The only thing I’m concerned about is the human race!”
Meng Lei said dispassionately, “The Meng Lei Empire is founded on the basis of the people, and our foundation is the humans themselves. Any matter that concerns the humans, concerns the Meng Lei Empire!”
“Your Majesty, forgive my impudence,” Azshara said coldly, “But the human population in Heaven’s Vault Continent is far vaster than just mere billions. You can only speak on behalf of the humans of the Meng Lei Empire, but you cannot represent the voices of all the humans on Heaven’s Vault Continent!”
Meng Lei was mildly taken aback. Seemingly rendered speechless by Azshara, he nodded slowly only after a brief moment. Then, he said, “Your words make sense. Indeed, I am only able to speak on behalf of the Meng Lei Empire’s humans and cannot represent the humans living in other places.”
At his words, the envoys from the three empires breathed a small sigh of relief. However, what Meng Lei said after that instead unexpectedly made them jump from their seats.
“If I integrate the entire Heaven’s Vault Continent into the Meng Lei Empire’s territory, would I then be able to represent the entire human race?”
“How brilliant, Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty is right!”
Bubbles, Puhaman, and the others immediately sang his praises—after all, they couldn’t wait to unify the continent.
“Be careful what you say, Your Majesty! Calamity comes through the mouth!”
His words caused Regimental Commander Azshara’s countenance to change drastically. She said icily, “Your Majesty, you’re currently representing the Meng Lei Empire as you speak. Every word you utter represents the whole empire’s will rather than your own. I hope Your Majesty can refrain from babbling nonsense. Otherwise, I will interpret what you’ve just said as a declaration of war on the whole continent—including on the other three major empires!”
“A declaration of war on the whole continent?”
Meng Lei couldn’t help but laugh. He said, “Your words have reminded me that the humans were the masters of the continent right from the start, though. If humans are to take back everything that once belonged to us, so what even if we must declare war on the whole continent?”
“Your Majesty…”
Azshara’s expression turned icy-cold.
“This is my second order—the Fairy Empire, the Titan Empire, and the Beast People Empire are to submit to the Meng Lei Empire at once!”
Meng Lei’s voice was cold and aloof as he declared, “Otherwise, everywhere the Meng Lei Empire’s troops go, the country shall fall and the people perish!”
“You’re going too far!”
The Thunder Titan Emperor, the Fairy Empress, and the Beast Emperor flew into a thundering rage upon hearing his order. They hadn’t expected Meng Lei to actually be this arrogant and presumptuous.
By immediately ordering them to submit after the empire’s founding, he clearly didn’t think much of the three major empires. This was simply too much of him!
“Your Majesty!”
Azshara said coldly, “You’re too arrogan—”
“Hmph!”
Meng Lei let out a cold snort, following which a fearsome force then pressed down upon Azshara. She was flattened to the ground at once, as though thunderstruck.
“If you weren’t the Fairy Empire envoy, you’d be a dead woman by now.”
A dispassionate Meng Lei said, “Return and tell the Fairy Empress this—withdraw from the Fairy Forest with the Fairies and get the hell back to the Goddess Lakeside. Otherwise, I don’t mind having the Fairies follow in the footsteps of the Dragons and become a thing of the past.”
“You bastard!”
Azshara was both furious and embarrassed. Yet, no matter how hard she struggled, she simply couldn’t resist the force. She could only lay flat on the ground helplessly, tormented by shame and humiliation.
“The same goes for the Titan Empire and the Beast People Empire.”
Meng Lei turned to the Titan Empire and Beast People Empire envoys. “I’ve already said what I should have. It’s your call whether or not you want to obey it. The war starts a month later!”
With Azshara serving as a lesson to them, even though the two empires’ envoys were infuriated and extremely spiteful, they could only grin and bear with it.
“That damned Horace! Why isn’t he here yet?” The Thunder Titan Emperor was gnashing his teeth in a fury. “What exactly is that bastard doing?”
As though the heavens had heard the Thunder Titan Emperor’s curses, a shrill whiz suddenly traveled over from the sky a great distance away.
“What’s going on?”
Everyone turned and looked over to see a black dot shooting toward them at lightning-quick speed.
“That’s…”
A huge shudder went through the Thunder Titan Emperor.
The Beast Emperor, the Fairy Empress, as well as all the Saint Domain experts and half-deities also shuddered all over.
He’s here! He’s finally here! He’s made us wait for too long!
“Master, it’s probably Horace!”
Bubbles, Puhaman, Nadja, and the others all came forward and formed a protective barrier around Meng Lei. All of them wore grave looks on their faces.
“No need to be nervous!”
Meng Lei’s gaze swept across the three empires’ envoys with a slight smile on his face as he scoffed. “Those guys—especially the Titan Empire—are all treating Horace as a straw to clutch at, hoping that he can kill me and save them from their crises.
“Little do they know that the more they get their hopes up, the further they’ll fall. With Horace cooperating with me as a supporting role in this show, the resistance I’ll face in my quest to conquer the three great empires and unify Heaven’s Vault Continent shall be greatly reduced!”
“How wise, Master!”
He’s near!
He’s near!
As the black dot approached, the booming whizzing sounds also became shriller, louder, and increasingly sonorous!
Gradually, the people could see clearer and clearer that a small and skinny figure riding on a greatsword was racing toward them.
He wore a black cloak and had a small, short, and skinny physique, which was completely unlike the usual tall, burly physique of most Titans. Neither was his body strongly-built.
In spite of that, no one dared to underestimate him. It wasn’t just because he was Horace, but because his high speed alone could already leave innumerable people in the dust.
Whoosh!
Horace came to an abrupt stop upon reaching the summit of Mount Dragon God.
“So, that’s Horace?”
“The one hailed as the most outstanding Titan after breaking through to Saint Domain at 57-years-old and breaking through the void and leaving Heaven’s Vault Continent 30,000 years ago?”
“That’s a historical figure!”
“That’s an old antique from 30,000 years ago…”
Everyone whispered among themselves as they watched Horace standing proudly in the sky. In their eyes were curiosity, anticipation, excitement, as well as unease…
Everyone was feeling a complex mix of emotions.
At this point, Horace opened his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping across everyone present. For a moment there, the people felt a wave of pain that felt like jabbing needles coming from their eyes, and they couldn’t help but shut their eyes in pain.
“Such weak and frail mortals!” Horace scoffed before he asked calmly, “Where’s Meng Lei, the young one?”
“Be careful, Master!” Bubbles hastily warned. “I can’t tell how strong that guy is at all. You have to take absolute care!”
Puhaman also had a grave look on his face as he said, “That’s right, Master. That guy is completely on a different level from the Dragon God just now. You have to take absolute caution!”
“Don’t worry! I know what I’m doing.”
Meng Lei waved them off. Then, he rose slowly into the air and went up to Horace.
“So, you’re Meng Lei?”
Horace looked over, his sharp, knife-like eyes gazing upon Meng Lei.
“The man himself,” replied Meng Lei calmly.
“Little did I think that Heaven’s Vault Continent would birth someone like you 30,000 years later. Truly impressive!”
There was a hint of approving admiration on Horace’s countenance. Then, he said, “But you shouldn’t have challenged the great Titan Spiritual God’s authority. His wrath is not something you can withstand!”
“Talents emerge from every generation in this world, and each of them excels in their own domain for years to come!”
Meng Lei flicked his fingers as he remarked, “Didn’t the Titan Spiritual God also challenge the Fairy Goddess’ authority back when she was ruling Heaven’s Vault Continent?
“Don’t forget that the Fairy Goddess was already a higher deity back then, yet the Titan Spiritual God had dared to challenge even her. On the other hand, I’m just challenging an intermediate deity’s authority. Compared to him, it seems like I’m far more inferior.”
“You sure know quite a lot. But it isn’t necessarily a positive thing to be so knowledgeable. Sometimes, it easily misleads one into making an incorrect judgment, causing one to throw away their lives for nothing.”
Horace said dispassionately, “Go on and attack. On account of your junior status, I’ll allow you to make the first move, lest people accuse me of bullying someone younger.”
“How presumptuous!”
“That guy’s too arrogant!”
“I’ll see whether he still dares to behave so arrogantly when Master beats him up so badly that he’s all but begging for mercy later. Goddamnit, he’s as haughty as a pea-brain. The sight of him pisses me off!”
Bubbles, Puhaman, and the others secretly broke into angry rants. They were extremely displeased with Horace’s tone and choice of words that seemingly placed Meng Lei at a lower position than him for nothing.
The others didn’t find anything wrong with that, though.
Horace was a legendary Titan from 30,000 years ago, as well as a peerless monster that had become a half-deity at 57-years-old. Now that he had returned 30,000 years later, just how strong must he have become?
So what even if he were a little wild and arrogant?
Compared to him, Meng Lei indeed was just a junior.
“What is Horace spouting so much superfluous crap for? Hurry and just cleave him apart with a knife!” The Thunder Titan Emperor was rather impatient by now.
“Allowing me to make the first move?”
Meng Lei’s lip corners quirked upward slightly as he remarked, “During the first time I stepped onto Dragon Island, that’s exactly what those arrogant and conceited Colossal Dragon half-deities had said. In the end, only one of them managed to get away.”
“Is that so?”
Horace raised an eyebrow.
“During the second time I went up the Titan Spiritual Peak and battled the Titan Empire’s temple half-deities, that’s also what those burly Titans had said.”
Meng Lei shook his head and chuckled, somewhat noncommittal to the statement. He said, “Among them were even existences older than you, but their outcomes were instead exceptionally tragic.”
“Are you comparing them to me?”
Horace shook his head and laughed. “Be it the Dragon half-deities or the temple half-deities, they are actually all the same as you—all of you are just frogs living in the tiny little well known as Heaven’s Vault Continent.
“Trapped in Heaven’s Vault Continent, all of you see the sky only from the bottom of the well and foolishly think highly of yourselves. How would you know just how big the world outside is when all you can do is only run about in this existential plane?”
“Oh?”
Meng Lei raised an eyebrow.
“Little fellow, the world outside is a vast one. Don’t be mistaken that you can do whatever you want just because you’ve made a small achievement or two in this existential plane.”
Horace said dispassionately, “I’ll give you one last chance and allow you to make the first move. Otherwise, I’m afraid you won’t even have the chance to attack.”
“Just as well, then. Since that’s the case, then it would only be rude of me to decline any further!”
Whoosh!
