Divine Dragon Realm. The Celestial Garden.
Jiang Chen walked out of the Incubator Chamber with a spring in his step. Perched on his left shoulder was the newly hatched Void Glutton—a round, black furball with large, hungry purple eyes. He named it Little Purple.
"Now," Jiang Chen dusted off his robes. "Time to introduce you to the hierarchy."
He walked into the garden. Little Dragon (The Golden Realm Spirit) was floating in the air, looking majestic. Below him, sleeping on the best sun-warmed rock, was Little Black (The Void Lizard).
Little Black had grown. It was now the size of a wolf. Its scales were matte black, absorbing all light. But what made it terrifying was the faint, crimson aura pulsating around it. Having devoured the Python Ancestor and bathed in the Realm's dragon energy, Little Black's bloodline had evolved. It possessed Pure Ancient Dragon Blood.
"Hey! Wake up, you lazy gecko!" Little Dragon shouted, trying to sound authoritative. "You are drooling on my Spirit Grass! Move!"
Little Black opened one eye. The pupil was a vertical slit of liquid gold. It didn't hiss. It just released a pulse of its Bloodline Aura. BOOM.
It was the pressure of a True Dragon. Little Dragon (who was just a Spirit Form) stiffened. He felt an instinctive fear—the fear of a subject facing a King. "O-Okay," Little Dragon stuttered, flying back. "You can keep the rock. I didn't want it anyway."
The Hierarchy was clear:
Little Black (The Boss): Pure Dragon Blood. The Apex Predator.
Little Dragon (The Manager): High status, but fears the Boss.
Little Purple (The Newbie): The chaotic tank.
The Review of the Monster Army
Jiang Chen left the pets to bond and flew to the Parade Ground. It was the last day of the six-month deadline. (Inside the Realm, Six Years had passed for the core members).
The Hellfire Protocol, combined with the unlimited resources of the Tomb (True Spirit Stones) and the 5x Gravity training, had produced impossible results.
Jiang Chen stood on the podium next to Elder Xing (Head of Discipline). Below them stood the Divine Dragon Army.
"Report," Jiang Chen commanded.
Elder Xing stepped forward, his iron mask gleaming. "Patriarch. The transformation is complete."
The New Power Structure:
The Standard Infantry (50,000 Disciples):
Former Level: Qi Condensation / Foundation Establishment.
Current Level: Foundation Establishment Level 9 to Golden Core Level 3.
Equipment: Star-Steel Armor, Mass-Produced Flying Swords.
Note: In the Southern Region, a Golden Core used to be an Elder. Now, they were common foot soldiers.
The Elite Battalions (3,000 Disciples):
Role: Shock Troopers.
Current Level: Peak Golden Core.
Trait: Trained in the [Titan Body Art]. They don't use shields; their skin is the shield.
The Core Disciples (100 Disciples):
Role: Commanders / Generals.
Current Level: Early to Mid Nascent Soul.
Note: These were the geniuses of the former sects. Under the Time Dilation and Dragon Blood baths, they had reached the level of Sect Leaders.
The Holy Sons (3):
Ye Kai, Su Ling, Wei Wu.
Current Level: Peak Nascent Soul (Half-Step Spirit Severing).
Jiang Chen looked at the sea of disciples. Their aura wasn't just "strong" for the South. It was an anomaly. Even in the Central Continent, 50,000 Golden Cores would be considered a terrifying force.
"Good," Jiang Chen smiled. "The neighbors think we are sheep. Show them we are wolves."
The Barrier Falls
CRACK.
The sound came from the sky outside the realm. The Great Regional Barrier shattered. The mist cleared.
[System Alert: Map Updated.] [The Four Regions (South, North, East, West) have merged.] [The Battle Royale has begun.]
The landscape shifted violently. To the North, the lush mountains of the South suddenly met a wall of white snow. The Frozen Wastes had merged with them. To the East, the land dropped off into a roaring ocean. The Endless Sea appeared. To the West, a sandstorm raged. The Golden Desert appeared.
And from the North... they came.
The Standoff
A horn blew. From the snowy treeline of the newly merged Northern Region, an army emerged. The Blood Soul Sect. 100,000 Disciples. They rode Snow Wolves. They wore furs stained with dried blood. They radiated a savage, killing aura.
Leading them was the Blood General (Nascent Soul Peak). He looked down at the Twin Peaks Valley with contempt. "The Barrier is gone," the General sneered. "Time to harvest the Southern sheep. Their highest cultivation is Void Treading Level 1. This will be a massacre."
"Advance!" he roared. The vanguard of 10,000 Wolf Riders charged forward.
"Open the Gates," Jiang Chen ordered calmly from the wall.
CREAAAK. The Star-Steel Gates opened.
The Blood General expected to see frightened peasants. Instead, he saw a wall of black steel. He saw 50,000 Disciples standing in perfect formation. He felt their aura.
The Blood General pulled the reins of his wolf so hard the beast skidded to a halt. "Halt!" he screamed, his voice cracking. "HALT THE ADVANCE!"
The Northern vanguard stopped, confused. "General? Why stop?"
The General's face was pale. He pointed a shaking finger at the Divine Dragon Army. "Use your senses, you idiots!" "Look at the front line! That isn't Foundation Establishment... that's Golden Core!"
"Golden Core?" The Lieutenant squinted. "General, you mean the Captains?"
"NO! THE GRUNTS!" The General roared. "Every single one of them is Golden Core! There are 50,000 Golden Cores down there!"
Silence fell over the Northern Army. 100,000 Northern soldiers stared at the 50,000 Southern soldiers. The Northern Army was mostly Foundation Establishment. The Southern Army was mostly Golden Core.
"That's... that's impossible," The Lieutenant whispered. "Even the Central Continent doesn't have an all-Golden Core army! What kind of resources does the South have?!"
The Retreat
On the wall, Elder Xing (Void Treading) stepped forward, releasing his pressure. Behind him, the Four Spirit Severing Elders released their auras. And behind them, the Three Holy Sons (Peak Nascent Soul) released their killing intent.
The Blood General did the math instantly. If we charge, my 100,000 wolves will be slaughtered by 50,000 Golden Cores. I will be killed by their five High Elders. This isn't a battle. It's a meat grinder.
He looked to the East (Sea) and West (Desert). He saw scouts from the Sea Demon Tribes and the Vajra Temple watching. They were also frozen in shock. They had planned to raid the South too, but seeing this monstrosity of an army, they didn't dare move.
"Retreat," The Blood General hissed. "RETREAT!"
"But General, the Emperor said—"
"I don't care what the Emperor said! If we fight that, the Blood Soul Sect ceases to exist today! Fall back to the snow line!"
The massive Northern Army turned around and fled. They didn't just retreat; they ran. The sight of 50,000 Golden Cores had shattered their morale before a single arrow was fired.
The Stalemate
On the wall, the Divine Dragon disciples cheered. "They ran! The Barbarians ran!"
Jiang Chen raised his hand. The cheering stopped.
"They ran because they aren't stupid," Jiang Chen said coolly. "They saw your cultivation and realized they couldn't win."
"However," Jiang Chen turned to look at the sky. "Do not get arrogant." "To the Blood Soul Sect, 50,000 Golden Cores is a nightmare." "But to the Central Continent..."
Jiang Chen's eyes darkened. "In the Central Continent, a Golden Core is barely qualified to be a servant." "We scared off the neighbors. But the Landlord is still coming."
"Maintain the formation," Jiang Chen ordered. "We have bought ourselves time. Now, we prepare for the real war."