Translator: CinderTL
Sword Qi filled the air!
The terrifying sharpness of even a single strand of this Sword Qi sent shivers down the spine of the eighth-tier celestial dragon.
Overwhelmed by fear, he frantically cried out, "No! Don't kill me! If you kill me, the Star Gate will be impossible to repair for a long time, and then..."
"I believe that while the Star Gate might struggle to operate without certain individuals for a while, you certainly aren't one of them."
With a light flick of his finger, Li Chunjun unleashed hundreds of Sword Qi strands that instantly struck Zhu Lin's manifested Heavenly Dragon Body.
Despite Zhu Lin's superior protective dao artifact and Ninth-Tier (or Quasi-Tenth-Tier) defense talismans, they shattered instantly under the relentless barrage of Sword Qi.
As the protective dao artifact shattered, a powerful surge of mental power erupted from within, manifesting as a phantom image of a Primordial True Dragon.
"Spare him!"
Though the phantom image of the Primordial True Dragon appeared grand but insubstantial, its Quasi-Tenth-Tier aura was unmistakable.
"This is my fourteenth son, the Northern Dragon King's heir. He possesses the purest bloodline among the younger generation of the Dragon Clan, most closely resembling the Great Void Ancestral Dragon. He is one of the ten heavenly dragons. I implore you to show mercy. If there has been a misunderstanding, we are willing to discuss and clarify it. If you kill him, you will become an enemy of the Northern Dragon King!"
This was a Heart-Mind Seal left by the Northern Dragon King on Zhu Lin's protective dao artifact.
Once the artifact was shattered, the seal would activate, allowing the Northern Dragon King's mental power to descend, warning the opponent while simultaneously imprinting an indelible Tracking Seal upon them.
"An enemy of the Northern Dragon King?"
Li Chunjun felt a slight disappointment.
He had expected the dragon king to mobilize the entire Dragon Clan for a life-and-death struggle.
But...
It didn't matter.
Zhu Lin had dared to interfere with the Star Gate's critical activation at this crucial moment. He would naturally have to pay the price for his choices.
In an instant, the sword qi storm, which had momentarily paused, surged forward, piercing through Zhu Lin's body.
"No! Royal Father, save me..."
"Stop!" the Northern Dragon King roared.
But as merely a Heart-Mind Seal—not the dragon king's true form—he could only watch helplessly as his fourteenth dragon prince was torn apart by the sword qi storm.
"There is no misunderstanding between us," Li Chunjun replied calmly.
The Northern Dragon King glared at Li Chunjun, his eyes blazing with barely suppressed fury. "Swordmaster Li, I have no desire to be your enemy. But your actions are utterly outrageous! You will face the consequences for everything you've done!"
With that, his figure vanished without leaving even a Heart-Mind Seal behind. He clearly believed that within the True Dragon Great World, Li Chunjun had nowhere to escape.
"So, you won't even bother to understand the full context?" Li Chunjun murmured.
He extended a void hand, gathering materials from Zhu Lin's shattered Dharma Aspect that still held some value.
"Or do you think that regardless of the reasons, regardless of who's right or wrong, since you've intervened and explicitly stated there's a misunderstanding, my refusal to stop is simply outrageous?"
He turned his gaze toward another Star Gate in the True Dragon Great World.
Often, minor incidents don't warrant escalating into major conflicts.
Zhu Lin's actions, for instance, posed no real threat to Li Chunjun.
This nonexistent danger was predicated on Li Chunjun's overwhelming strength.
But what if his power fell short of the Great Sun Dao Lord's, or the Quasi-Tenth-Tier experts who would soon arrive? If he desperately rushed to the Star Gate, intending to escape the True Dragon Great World through it, only to find the gate deliberately malfunctioning, what would that make him?
No different from an accomplice.
Especially since he already harbored the intention to eradicate all forces casting greedy eyes upon him.
If the True Dragon Great World had come knocking on his door...
He couldn't be blamed for what followed.
"Forget it. No use dwelling on it. In this world, there are only interests and positions, no right or wrong."
Li Chunjun turned to Supreme Sage Wu Chen. "Have someone repair the Star Gate. I'll be back soon."
"Understood," Wu Chen replied solemnly.
He added, "Swordmaster Li, please be extremely cautious. The True Dragon Great World is the Dragon Clan's Great Camp, and its dangers are beyond ordinary."
Clearly, Wu Chen had guessed Li Chunjun's intentions.
"I know what I'm doing," Li Chunjun said, stepping into the void. In an instant, he traversed the void, following his senses straight toward the palace where the Northern Dragon King resided.
Contrary to what Li Chunjun and Supreme Sage Wu Chen believed, the Northern Dragon King was not consumed by rage.
His expression remained remarkably calm as he commanded the ancient dragons and heavenly dragons to fully activate all Array Formations, placing the entire domain on maximum alert.
Now, even if I take action or provide opportunities for other Quasi-Tenth-Tier cultivators to hunt Li Chunjun, it would be perfectly justifiable, the dragon king mused.
How could he, as the Northern Dragon King, be unaware of Zhu Lin's actions at such a critical moment?
Yet...
He had his own considerations, unspoken but mutually understood.
He had even secretly concealed all traces of Zhu Lin's involvement and suppressed any information that shouldn't be leaked.
Self-interest moves the heart.
While pondering this, a strand of his mental power swiftly entered a special chamber, activating the Array Formation within.
As the formation's radiant light surged, a figure materialized from the glow.
"Lord of Ephemeral."
"Northern Dragon King? Have you made your decision?" the figure, clearly a construct of Divine Sense, inquired.
"Of course," the Northern Dragon King replied, bowing slightly. "My Dragon Clan is but a small, humble sect. We dare not refuse the Lord of Ephemeral's request, especially when you offer such an irresistible temptation."
"Then I'll await your good news," the Lord of Ephemeral said. "Just stall him for half a month, and I'll personally arrive."
"Understood," the Northern Dragon King nodded. "However, you witnessed Li Chunjun and the Great Sun Dao Lord's demonstrated combat power. Are you certain you can handle him?"
"I never doubted Li Chunjun's combat power would reach at least 800,000," the Lord of Ephemeral replied calmly. "If he weren't exceptionally skilled and daring, how would he have dared venture far from the Profound Yellow Great World, with countless eyes watching, to retrieve the Heaven-Opening Sword from the Imperial Witchcraft Sect?"
The Northern Dragon King's pupils constricted. "If you know he possesses 800,000 combat power, then..."
"I never said I'd be acting alone," the Lord of Ephemeral countered. "After all, besides directly refining innate divine beings, carefully studying their innate dao can yield immense cultivation benefits."
He glanced at the Northern Dragon King. "If you wish, you can join our team."
"I..." The Northern Dragon King found himself genuinely tempted.
But then, recalling his barely 600,000 combat power and the formidable strength of the Lord of Ephemeral, Li Chunjun, and their group, he quickly came to terms with his situation.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he said, shaking his head rationally. "Given Li Chunjun's power, I can't guarantee you'll be able to defeat him. For safety's sake, let's change our transaction method."
"Change the transaction method?" The Lord of Ephemeral frowned.
"Exactly. Use the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild's internal contribution points system to transfer the equivalent value of the treasure directly to my account. I'll redeem it myself later," the Northern Dragon King explained.
"Transactions have always been about exchanging goods for payment on the spot. You're asking us to pay in advance before we've even arrived, which isn't appropriate. Besides, even the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild, as powerful as it is, might not be able to acquire this treasure with absolute certainty. After all, it could drastically increase your strength, making you the leader of the four dragon kings," the Lord of Ephemeral countered.
"I'm just being cautious. As for whether the treasure can be obtained... I still have faith in the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild," the Northern Dragon King replied.
The Northern Dragon King spoke.
The Lord of Ephemeral remained silent.
The Northern Dragon King immediately added, "Given your esteemed position as Grand Elder of the Temporal-Spatial God Hall, I wouldn't dare deceive you on such a momentous matter."
"So you don't trust me?"
"Of course not," the Northern Dragon King replied earnestly. "If I didn't trust you, why would I choose you over the several Quasi-Tenth-Tier cultivators who contacted me? It's precisely because I trust your reputation."
The Lord of Ephemeral understood why the Northern Dragon King had specifically mentioned the "several Quasi-Tenth-Tier cultivators" who had contacted him.
If he refused to pay...
When they attempted to cross the Star Gate into the True Dragon Great World, the Star Gate there would likely malfunction again, delaying their passage.
After all, Li Chunjun was currently trapped in the True Dragon Great World by the Northern Dragon King.
With this trump card in hand, the Northern Dragon King held all the leverage in this transaction.
Considering the immense value of the dao integration opportunity, the Lord of Ephemeral abandoned any further haggling. "You'll receive a notification of the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild contribution points transfer shortly."
He also doubted the Northern Dragon King would dare to deceive him.
"Thank you, Lord of Ephemeral," the Northern Dragon King said sincerely.
As the Lord of Ephemeral's figure faded away, the dragon king immediately summoned a trusted aide. "Go," he ordered, "just in case. Have men infiltrate the other Star Gates, lie low, and monitor the critical components. Await my further instructions."
"Yes, sir!" The aide swiftly carried out the order.
Having issued this command, the dragon king quickly activated the Array Formation to contact the other three dragon kings stationed across the three sides.
As they were reaching out, it seemed the other three dragon kings were also trying to contact him.
Once the connection was established, the Eastern Dragon King, acting as the leader, immediately said, "Second Brother, that innate divine being and the Great Sun Dao Lord have clashed in a major battle. The battlefield is near your territory. Be cautious and absolutely avoid getting involved. This level of power struggle is far beyond the scope of our Dragon Clan's limited influence."
"Elder Brother, my brothers, I've failed you!" the Northern Dragon King said guiltily. "It's not that I wanted to intervene in this conflict, but the situation has spiraled beyond our control!"
He added mournfully, "Li Chunjun likely won't let me off easily now."
"What's happened?!" The Eastern Dragon King's expression turned grave as he looked over sharply.
"He killed Fourteenth!" the Northern Dragon King said grimly. "And his reason? Simply because Fourteenth refused to open the Star Gate early."
(End of the Chapter)
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