Beastmaster of the Ages

"What's a dragonspring? I don't know at all." The man smiled.

"Very well." The white-robed woman grit her teeth. The most frightening thing was a shameless man who stood above all others, breaking all the rules.

"Control the dragonsprings and you'll control most of Myriaddragon Mountains' formation. It's become part of your territory. Even if the Saintdragon Emperor and the others return, you have countless hostages in your hands. They'll choose to surrender and recognize the unification of the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect."

For any top sect, the formations built by their ancestors were their foundation. At this moment, the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect's foundation was in someone else's hands; their lifeline was at the sun emperor's disposal. Even if most of them had survived the attack, now that the sect was occupied and at least three dragon imperials had been captured, it was equivalent to constantly having a knife to their necks. Their lives were completely under the control of others. The Xuanyuan Dragon Sect still existed, but it was no longer the same. It no longer recognized the will of the dragon imperials, but the will of the sun emperor.

The sun emperor used the Imperial Ninedragon Tomb and rebellion as an excuse. And because the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect had obtained too many treasures, provoking the envy of the other sects, and most of the sect's experts were away, the sun emperor had led the Veildragon Palace in an attack and instantly controlled three dragonsprings. It was a fierce, decisive, and provocative battle.

"Number Seven, the unification of the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect's bloodline is a joyous occasion. You mustn't spread rumors, stir up public resentment, and provoke conflict between the Myriad Solar Sects and the celestial orderians. Do you understand? There's no benefit in doing that." The gold-haired man rose to his feet, his torch-like aura blazing against the white-robed woman. She felt as if her body was on fire.

"Then you'll have to see if the Myriad Solar Sects will allow you to make the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect your puppet!" The white-robed woman tightly clenched her fists, staring at him with her hollow eyes.

The sun emperor walked toward her step by step, his laughter reverberating in the fiery hall. "Alright, let's make a bet. I bet the other sects will turn a blind eye. After all, what has all of this got to do with them? Who'll take the lead in opposing me? The dreamless celestial emperor? He's busy raising little devils. Will the Voidword Shrine resist? They just hope to devote their lives working for the Skywolf Star. Do you think the wargodeans will be the first ones to oppose me? Think about it carefully.... Haven't the times changed? Hasn't the armistice turned these wolves into tigers or monkeys, each occupying their mountain? It doesn't matter. It's none of their business. They didn't acquire treasures from the Imperial Ninedragon Tomb. In fact, they're all eager for something to happen to the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect."

The gold-haired man stood in front of the white-robed woman, looking down at her. His fiery gaze burned her body, turning the powder on her face into golden dust. Stretching out his huge palm, he held the woman's head, just like an ordinary person holding an apple. Then, bending slightly, he whispered into her ear, "Number Seven, have you been overcome by your demons during all these years I spent recuperating? One thing has never changed. I am the emperor, the only ruler of the sun. If it pleases me, the so-called Myriad Solar Sects will be allowed to live, but if I want them dead, they will all perish. It isn't your place to ask questions. Go back to the Sky Palace and be Number Seven. I'm in a good mood today, so don't ruin my fun, got it? Otherwise, I might decide to head to your old lair and feed them to the fish."

The woman wanted to remove his hand, but trembled and put her arms down instead, her eyes widening like saucers.

"You know. You know everything...." She appeared defeated.

"Yes, and that's why I can act without the slightest scruple. Do you understand now?" He laughed.

"I understand."

The hall fell into deathly silence.

"You should know what to do."

Taking a deep breath, the white-robed woman nodded.

"The next time you want to speak to me, send Number One instead. You aren't experienced enough."

"Yes." She turned to leave.

"By the way—" The sun emperor sat on the throne once more.

"Your Majesty?"

"The next myriad sect ranking is about to be announced, right? The Xuanyuan Dragon Sect now has ten dragon imperials and an army of fifty million. They've overtaken the Dreamless Celestial Nation, haven't they? Let's bump them up to first place. How can you allow a foreign race to be at the top of the ranking? What were you all thinking? Where's your dignity? Xuanyuan Shenlong—that's what the Myriad Solar Sects are aiming for. Do you understand?"

"Then the first, fourth, and tenth place will all be yours," she said hoarsely.

"What? You're confused. How can you insult me like this? Am I that sort of person?" Crossing his legs again, the sun emperor shook his head.

"What should I say then?"

"Listen up—" He straightened his clothes, sat upright, and cleared his throat. Staring at the white-robed woman, he enunciated each word, loud as a bell. "All the lands in the world belong to me, and all living beings are my subjects. Do you understand?"

Number Seven understood. They were all his!

...

On the way to the Azuresoul Palace, Long Wanying received another transmission stone.

"What happened?" Everyone gathered around her, asking nervously.

After reading the message, Long Wanying had a strange expression on her face.

"What is it?" Jiang Qingliu asked.

"The battle is over. The Xuanyuan Dragon Sect hasn't suffered too many casualties. The dragon formation core was destroyed, but it can be repaired in the future," said Long Wanying.

"That's good news! It seems that the sun emperor is afraid to act recklessly. At most, he means to intimidate us. Perhaps the outcome from the return of the Imperial Ninedragon Tomb has made him a little unhappy so he decided to punish the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect to warn the Sky Palace and Myriad Solar Sects." Jiang Qingliu sighed with relief.

"It isn't good news." Long Wanying shook her head.

"No?" Jiang Qingliu asked dubiously.

"The three dragon imperials who remained in the sect have lost their dragonsprings and the Veildragon Palace has settled in the Myriaddragon Mountains. They have six dragonsprings, which means they're in control of most of the formations. Five million celestial orderian warriors are stationed there, and the three dragon imperials are being held as hostages. They've just met with the Saintdragon Emperor and two other dragon imperials and requested for the Veildragon Palace to return to the sect. The Saintdragon Emperor was forced to agree because of the hostages and the dragonsprings. So from now on, the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect and the Veildragon Palace are one, and all power will be in the hands of the latter." Long Wanying frowned.

"In other words, the Veildragon Palace has absorbed the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect… or perhaps it's more accurate to say that the celestial orderians have absorbed the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect," Tianming said.

"Yes."

"What about the Sky Palace and Myriad Solar Sects?" Tianming asked.

"I'm pessimistic about the other sects' response, even if the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect is destroyed and its people slaughtered. After all, the Myriad Solar Sects have been divided for too long. The fact is, the Veildragon Palace acted in the name of rejoining the sect and we only lost a few lives. The other sects know what's at stake, but without someone to take the lead they won't be able to keep the resistance going. Besides, the dreamless celestials are a foreign race. We can only rely on the Sky Palace!" Long Wanying rubbed her eyes.

"So the agreement you signed before is like a slow-acting poison? Like boiling a frog in warm water?" Tianming was speechless.

"That is a suitable analogy. Now that the water is boiling, trouble is here," she said helplessly.

"Since the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect is now under the control of the Veildragon Palace, we won't be able to return for the time being," Tianming added.

For Tianming, the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect meant cultivation resources. But now it had become someone else's territory. With the backing of the sun emperor, perhaps the Veildragon Palace wouldn't care about their identity as Sky Palace disciples. There was no point in returning unless the situation changed. After all, the Saintdragon Emperor was still dealing with them.

"Let's head to the Azuresoul Sword Mountain first...."