Translator: CinderTL
A massive Star Gate loomed south of the True Dragon Great World.
Within the Star Gate, a ninth-tier ancient dragon was earnestly advising the fourteenth dragon prince, Zhu Lin.
"Your Highness, we truly shouldn't interfere in this matter. Neither Li Chunjun nor those Supreme Sage giants are opponents we can easily provoke. A single misstep could lead to incalculable consequences. Your Highness should repair the Star Gate as soon as possible and remain neutral."
However, his words fell on deaf ears. Zhu Lin, who spent most of his time in the Northern Dragon King's domain of the True Dragon Great World, dismissed the warning with a wave of his hand.
"I understand the risks involved, but you seem to have forgotten one crucial fact: this is the True Dragon Great World!" Zhu Lin said coolly. "This is the Dragon Clan's Great Camp. No matter how arrogant and domineering outsiders may be, they wouldn't dare act recklessly within our territory, would they? Do you think our four great dragon kings and three hundred ancient dragons are merely decorations?"
He added, "Besides, do you think only the Great Sun Dao Lord and Wu Tongtian's forces sent messages urging me to temporarily close the Star Gate? Thirteen powerful figures representing different factions issued the same command. With such overwhelming pressure, I had no choice but to comply!"
"Thirteen powerful figures?"
The ninth-tier ancient dragon was momentarily taken aback, but he quickly followed up with, "Then, Your Highness... between Li Chunjun and those powerful figures, you chose the latter?"
"Weighing the advantages and disadvantages, you don't understand the power behind those thirteen figures. Combined, they surpass even the Profound Yellow Sect, let alone the entire Profound Yellow Great World. The True Dragon Great World can't afford to offend them."
Zhu Lin sighed, a hint of helplessness in his voice.
Seeing the ancient dragon's concern, he added, "Rest assured, the Star Gate belongs to the Starry Sky Group. Especially interworld-tier Star Gates like this one are their most prized assets. Anyone who dares to cause a major conflict nearby that damages the Star Gate will face the full wrath of the Starry Sky Group."
"That may be true, but those top figures only sent messages. Li Chunjun, on the other hand, is right here in our True Dragon Great World..."
The ancient one said gravely, "An enemy nation is but a breath away."
"The Masters will arrive soon. Even if Li Chunjun acts recklessly, we're in our Great Camp and can hold out for a while. And if we just hold out for a moment..."
Zhu Lin glanced at the ancient dragon his father had assigned to protect him. "Do you really think Li Chunjun could survive being targeted by so many Masters and still return alive to the Profound Yellow Great World?"
"Well..."
The ancient dragon recalled the uproar Li Chunjun's status as an "innate divine being" had caused in the False God Realm. In the end, he didn't refute his Highness's words.
But he understood the truth.
His Highness stood firmly by the Masters' side for two reasons: first, he believed they would ultimately triumph.
Second...
His Highness had undoubtedly received considerable benefits.
Otherwise, even if the thirteen Masters issued orders, the True Dragon Great World—backed by the Great Void Ancestral Dragon and the Supreme Research Institute—wouldn't necessarily have to bow to their whims.
Seeing that further persuasion would not sway Your Highness's resolve, he said cautiously, "A wise man does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. Li Chunjun's threat is imminent. For your safety, Your Highness should return to the clan and temporarily avoid the conflict."
Zhu Lin was not one to ignore sound advice. After a moment's contemplation, he agreed, "Then I'll return to the clan first. I'll come back once the battle's outcome is clear."
Even if the worst-case scenario occurred—Li Chunjun, in his rage, destroyed the Star Gate—Zhu Lin would only face charges of dereliction of duty. Given his status, he could bear such consequences.
At that moment, the ancient dragon seemed to receive some kind of message. Its pupils suddenly contracted. "It's over?!"
"What's over?"
"Li Chunjun fought three opponents alone and utterly defeated the Great Sun Dao Lord, Wu Tongtian, and Yuan Guiyi! His true strength, just as the False God Realm predicted, has soared to nearly 800,000 after obtaining the Imperial Witchcraft Sect's Quasi-Immortal Artifact, the Heaven-Opening Divine Sword!"
"800,000 combat power?!"
Zhu Lin's pupils constricted sharply.
The four great dragon kings of the True Dragon Clan, who inherited the bloodline of the Great Void Ancestral Dragon, were formidable. Yet even the strongest among them, the Eastern Dragon King, possessed only 620,000 combat power!
The Southern and Western Dragon Kings' combat power didn't even reach 600,000!
Li Chunjun...
Was he truly this powerful?!
Suddenly, as if struck by a realization, he urged, "Hurry! Pack your things! We need to leave immediately!"
The battle had already ended. If Li Chunjun sensed the danger, wouldn't he force them to activate the Star Gate and retreat to the Profound Yellow Great World?
If the two sides clashed...
The consequences would be unimaginable!
News inevitably travels with a delay.
Moreover, Li Chunjun's battle against the Great Sun Dao Lord and the other two had occurred right outside the Star Gate. With just a few swift movements, he had already arrived at its entrance.
As Zhu Lin gathered his treasures to flee, a formidable mental power surged forth, instantly permeating the Star Gate.
"Where is the fourteenth dragon prince? Come out and face me!"
Though it was merely mental power, Zhu Lin felt an indescribable sense of dread.
"Quick! Summon my Royal Father!" the fourteenth dragon prince commanded urgently.
"I already informed Your Majesty of the situation here when the Great Sun Dao Lord and the others retreated," a subordinate replied.
The ancient dragon immediately responded, urging, "Your Highness, you should go out and stall for time..."
"Go out? Why invite trouble? I'd rather hide first!" Zhu Lin, now thoroughly frightened by the defeat of the Great Sun Dao Lord, Wu Tongtian, and Yuan Guiyi, was adamant.
How could such a powerful Quasi-Tenth-Tier expert, with two top figures backing him, be defeated so easily? If that happened to me, I'd be...
"Your Highness, you mustn't! If you go out now and negotiate, explaining your predicament, you might still extricate yourself. But if you hide, you'll only expose your guilt! Li Chunjun will never let this go!" the ancient dragon pleaded urgently.
"My Royal Father will arrive soon. I can explain to Li Chunjun after he brings reinforcements!" Zhu Lin declared, preparing to flee to a nearby safehouse near the Star Gate.
But just then, a surge of Void Power erupted.
"Your Highness, watch out!" the ninth-tier ancient one cried out, activating a Dao Artifact on his person.
In the next instant, the Array Formation protecting Zhu Lin's palace was torn apart by the Void Power.
Without the Array Formation's concealment, the palace's precious materials crumbled like paper, collapsing into ruins.
Before the shattered structures could even fully collapse, the Void Power that followed crushed the stone debris, roof beams, and jade pillars into dust.
Had the ninth-tier ancient dragon not activated its Dao Artifact to create a defensive shield, even Zhu Lin, protected within, would have been injured.
"The Fourteenth Dragon Prince of the Northern Dragon King?" Li Chunjun's gaze immediately locked onto Zhu Lin, whom the ancient dragon was shielding. "What audacity! To deliberately sabotage the Star Gate structure at this critical moment, disrupting my journey!"
With a wave of his right hand, countless streams of Sword Qi erupted from the Void, surging like seawater seeping through the fabric of space to flood the Heavenly Vault.
Zhu Lin's heart trembled at the sight. "The Star Gate's structural failure was not deliberate sabotage," he hastily explained. "It simply reached the end of its service life and requires replacement..."
"Such blatant lies! These words might fool lesser cultivators, but you dare spout such nonsense before me?"
Li Chunjun clenched his hand toward Zhu Lin.
The Sword Qi that had materialized behind him instantly descended, multiplying exponentially as it fell—one became a hundred, a hundred became ten thousand, ten thousand became a million—until it coalesced into a terrifying sword qi storm that tore through the Void itself.
"Swordmaster Li, please calm your anger! The Star Gate truly malfunctioned; we had no intention of causing this!"
The ninth-tier ancient dragon beside Zhu Lin felt his scalp tingle. He immediately manifested his True Dragon Dharma Manifestation and activated a Dao Artifact to erect a protective barrier against the incoming Sword Qi.
He knew that truthfully explaining to Li Chunjun—that he had been forced to sabotage the Star Gate by others—might have earned him some leniency. But now...
Since His Highness had already declared it a malfunction, retracting his statement would undermine the prince's credibility. He had no choice but to maintain the deception to protect his lord.
Feigning weakness, the ancient dragon quickly added, "Thirteen top figures are currently rushing here at full speed. Swordmaster Li should immediately head to the nearest western Star Gate. I'll help you contact the gate's guardian to recalibrate the coordinates. If all goes well, you can return to the Profound Yellow Great World as soon as you arrive."
"Once you're entangled in this conflict, don't expect to remain unscathed."
Li Chunjun's Heart-Mind stirred, and the intensity of the sword qi storm surged to new heights.
Though the ancient dragon possessed Ninth-Tier strength and had cultivated the Primordial True Dragon Body, he was clearly no match for Li Chunjun.
With a slight increase in force, the dragon's protective barrier trembled violently and shattered instantly.
Realizing he was no match for Li Chunjun, the ancient dragon recalled his life's journey—the countless times the Northern Dragon King had saved him and entrusted him with vital missions. With a sudden surge of resolve, he soared into the air, deliberately charging into the howling sword qi storm.
"This was my sole decision, Swordmaster Li. Killing me alone is sufficient. Please spare the Dragon Clan..."
Boom!
In the next instant, his ancient dragon form was torn to shreds, transforming into a torrent of raw energy that scattered in all directions.
The shockwave of this dragon-infused energy sent tremors through Zhu Lin's entire body.
He killed a dragon!
How could he just kill a dragon?!
Zhu Lin had merely temporarily disrupted the Star Gate's activation. He hadn't directly attacked Li Chunjun. How could he...
How could he just kill a dragon?!
And right here, in the heart of the True Dragon Great World's Great Camp, slaying a Ninth-Tier ancient one of their Dragon Clan?!
Has he gone mad? Is he declaring all-out war on the Dragon Clan?!
"Foolish loyalty," Li Chunjun murmured, his expression unchanged.
With a casual wave of his void hand, the sword qi surged forth, roaring like a tempest, and engulfed Zhu Lin's Heavenly Dragon Body completely.
(End of the Chapter)
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