Chapter 303: Wang Cheng Permissions, Looting Treasures, The Goods Have Shipped

Just as Zhao Xing began following the plan to search for the ancient Ting Wang Cheng.

Outside the Longmen of Heaven and Earth, the Fangwaizong Sect, the Nanman Wang Ting, and the Eastern Japan Kingdom entered in sequence.

In the Longmen area occupied by Great Zhou, a great hall surrounded by Xun Wind, Heavenly Thunder, and True Fire floated above the military formation.

The Jizi Palace is one of the twelve palaces of Great Zhou's mechanical divine artifact, the Xingshu Palace.

On the white jade steps outside the Jizi Palace, many powerful figures came and went.

There were military personnel reporting on the movements of all sides, as well as logistics personnel responsible for material dispatch.

Inside the Jizi Palace, the tall and spacious Tianquan Hall became a temporary military command hall, serving as the meeting hall for the military world's high command.

"Have all the people entered?" The phantom of Luo Wang appeared in a huge earth mirror and asked softly.

"Replying to the Grand Commandant, all our personnel have entered the Longting Ancient Land." Before the earth mirror, an old general wearing Jin Jia

and a dragon helmet on his head answered.

His name was Yang Qingyun, the Duke of Yang of Great Zhou, and also the supreme commander of the Jinwu Guard, one of the three elite guards.

In terms of age, he was older than Luo Wang, and his seniority was also greater than Luo Wang's.

The three elite guards of Emperor Jing did not fall under the command of the military world.

Yet when Yang Qingyun faced Luo Wang in the earth mirror, he still bowed in the posture of a subordinate official.

Because Luo Wang was not only the Grand Commandant, but also the master of the Wushen Hall and the dean of the Shenvu Academy.

In wartime, Luo Wang, holding these three posts, would be the supreme commander of the military world.

"Are there any unusual movements from the other factions?"

"There were some probing glances, but the Jinwu Guard has driven them away; no combat has occurred," Duke Yang replied.

Luo Wang nodded, then added: "Where is the Vice Minister of Works, Lu Ying?"

Lu Ying, the Second Rank Vice Minister of Works and controller of the Jizi Palace, soon hurried over.

"Grand Commandant." Lu Ying put on his hat before paying his respects.

"Lord Lu, is the operation of the Jizi Palace still normal?" Luo Wang asked.

"Replying to the Grand Commandant, everything is normal," Lu Ying reported. "The Jizi Palace is the array core of the floating stele on the sea; the formation radiates three thousand li. Judging by the current position, we can expand the range at any time to cover the entire Dragon Court of Heaven and Earth, including the areas where the Nanman Wang Ting, the Eastern Japan Kingdom, and the various sects are located."

"Subsequently, we can deploy the Sea-Calming Divine Needle and release ten thousand Jizi soldiers—"

Lu Ying spoke endlessly, outlining various contingency plans.

Lu Ying is a military engineer; his position as Second Rank Vice Minister of Works serves the military world, and his research focuses on how to use mechanical heavy weapons in warfare.

Lu Ying spoke in great detail; Luo Wang listened quietly, while someone behind him explained some technical terms.

After reporting for a long time, Luo Wang nodded and said: "Mm, well said."

"The Jizi Palace is the foundation of this military mission and took considerable time; you must remain vigilant at all times."

"Yes." Lu Ying nodded.

The journey to the Dragon Court has a maximum mission duration of 20 years.

High-rank missions are like this; large-scale missions often take decades as the unit.

After encouraging Lu Ying, Luo Wang switched the view and located King Tianyan in a secret hall within the Jizi Palace.

At this moment, inside the secret hall, besides King Tianyan, there were three First Rank officials, each holding a Zaohua Pan.

Vast amounts of text and images flowed before them.

Since the Liang Wang rebellion incident, the authority of the Zaohua Pan has been divided among many and is no longer held by a single person.

These three were also the officials in charge of the competitive selections in other regions back then.

However, though all are First Rank, their status is still slightly inferior to that of King Tianyan.

"Luo." King Tianyan opened his eyes and stepped out from the light pillar on the high platform, while the other three officials remained within the light pillar, continuing their calculations.

"How is it?" Luo Wang asked.

King Tianyan naturally knew what Luo Wang was asking; at this point, Luo Wang already knew the highest secret regarding Zhao Xing.

Because King Tianyan wanted those cultivating the first layer of the Yanshen Art to undergo large-scale re-cultivation, involving many high-ranking officials in the military world.

As the scale expanded, the secret was naturally revealed to Luo Wang.

"It still needs a little time," King Tianyan said. "The Dragon Court forms its own world; for the Zaohua Pan to reveal Zhao Xing's situation, it still requires some time."

"Two hours have passed; at least we should know if he is still alive," Luo Wang asked.

"Mm, he is still alive," King Tianyan nodded.

Seeing this, Luo Wang immediately asked: "As for the others, are there any deaths?"

King Tianyan said: "Among the mid-rank officials, the fate of three people has shown abnormalities; however, death cannot be confirmed, with a seventy-thirty probability."

"Another Third Rank official has a fifty-fifty probability of death or survival."

Luo Hou Wang nodded.

For this expedition of Great Zhou, a total of five thousand people entered; among them, three thousand five hundred were all high-rank officials.

One thousand five hundred were mid-rank officials.

Most high-rank officials are not entering for the first time, while ninety percent of mid-rank officials are entering for the first time.

Entering the Longmen of Heaven and Earth for the first time involves random landing; unfamiliarity with the situation still carries a probability of death.

Even those familiar with the situation may still die.

Among the mid-rank officials, the fates of three people have shown abnormalities; a seventy percent chance of death and a thirty percent chance of survival—the possibility of death is already somewhat high.

That Third Rank official shows a fifty-fifty split; even if he is not dead, he has likely encountered danger.

Normally, after high-rank officials enter, the probability of showing as alive is as high as ninety percent.

Like Zhao Xing, whose survival probability shown on the Zaohua Pan exceeds ninety-nine percent.

"Has there been any significant fluctuation in the Dragon Duke positions of our dynasty?" Luo Wang asked another question.

The Ancient Dragon Court is where one can obtain the authority of a Dragon Peerage.

According to the status hierarchy of the Dragon Court, it is divided into: Dragon Soldiers, Dragon Generals, City Lord level, Domain Lord level, Dragon Kings,

Great Dragon Kings.

Dragon Soldiers and Dragon Generals generally correspond to the middle three ranks and lower three ranks of the human race.

City Lord level, Domain Lord level, and Dragon Kings correspond to the upper three ranks.

The Great Dragon King is the king of the Dragon Clan, usually in a state of slumber.

After the people of Great Zhou left the Dragon Court, it took a hundred years before they could enter again.

During that time, the Dragon Peerage position might be lost.

For instance, during the time of absence, the territory could be occupied by another Dragon Clan.

If the territory is gone, according to the rules of the Ancient Dragon Court, the peerage naturally ceases to exist.

"I do not know yet." King Tianyan shook his head. "As I just said, the Dragon Court is its own world after all; it is difficult for us to calculate everything precisely."

"What about Bai Yunwu?" King Luo said. "Among the four Dragon Peers of our dynasty at the King level, he holds the most critical position as a Dragon King."

"Luo, calm down. I will notify you once there is a result," King Tianyan said.

"Very well." King Luo also knew it was asking too much; after all, they had only just entered, and the appointed officials are not gods,

nor can they know everything.

"Remember to notify me immediately if there is any news about Bai Yunwu."

In the Kingdom of Gu Ting, on a wasteland.

Zhao Xing transformed into fire and flew through the air.

"The region of the Kingdom of Gu Ting is vast, mostly wasteland; it differs somewhat from my impression."

The Ancient Dragon Court has no Ministry of Agriculture, and the degree of great changes in heaven and earth is significant; if the time span is slightly longer, the situation of the seas turning into mulberry fields easily arises.

Even a fight between two High-Grade Dragons could drain a lake dry or destroy several mountains.

Of course, the reference point Zhao Xing was seeking was mainly the 【Dragon City】.

Dragon Clan cities are also protected by magical arrays; especially Wang Cheng and Dacheng, they are not easily destroyed.

"Meow~" The mountain cat flying alongside the fire suddenly let out a soft cry.

"I see it." Zhao Xing looked forward.

He saw that in the low air ahead, several dozen Dragons were escorting a prisoner cart forward.

The prisoner cart was similar to those in the outside world, just a cage of bars, only an enlarged version.

Zhao Xing looked and counted; there were three Dragon prisoner carts in total.

Two of them held Dragons, while the other held three humans.

"Judging by their appearance and clothing, it seems one of them is an official of Great Zhou?"

"Eighteen, High-Grade Dragon Generals, about a hundred Dragon Soldiers, holding one injured Dragon—Hmm? How can these mixed-blood Dragon breeds defeat Dragons? Oh, it turns out they are young Dragons."

Having intelligent beings lead the way is best; it can save a lot of time.

Zhao Xing immediately flew over.

Inside the prisoner cart, two of the three humans, black-robed Daoists, looked with hostility at the corner of the cart.

There stood a bald, muscular man carrying an iron hammer on his back.

"You fool! I told you not to fight, not to fight, yet you insisted on fighting. What did you think would happen?" A young man in a black Daoist robe with triangular eyes spat furiously, pointing at the bald man and cursing.

"Now look, we gained nothing and attracted this group of Dragon Generals."

"Evil outsiders from beyond the world, everyone has the right to execute them," Cao Qianyue sneered.

"Chu Yandan, stop cursing." The other, older black-robed Daoist clasped his hands over his Origin Dantian, sat cross-legged with eyes closed. "Hurry and recover; try to find a way to escape."

"Senior Brother Yu, I hate it! If that dog official hadn't chased us—"

Chu Yandan also sat cross-legged and cultivated, but his emotions were highly agitated.

However, they could only curse.

All three were now injured, their primordial energy greatly depleted, and suppressed by the Dragon prisoner cart; they had already lost the ability to move.

"Crack, crack~"

After cultivating for a while, they suddenly heard a crunching sound coming from the corner of the prisoner cart.

They saw Cao Qianyue chewing on a pile of iron slag that looked like metal chunks.

Chu Yandan and Yu Yuan's eyebrows twitched, because what Cao Qianyue was eating was nothing else.

It was the several divine weapons they had just broken.

The boxes they carried with them were all being carried by those Dragon Generals.

Only these shattered weapons were casually thrown inside the prisoner cart.

"Devouring Art—this person cultivates the Devouring Art, and the level is not low." Yu Yuan's expression became solemn and heavy. "Cultivate quickly."

Chu Yandan did not dare to curse anymore; they knew how powerful the Devouring Art was.

Those who can eat divine weapons to recover are all fierce men!

Moments later, Cao Qianyue regained his ability to move.

He touched his lips, smoothed his beard, then picked up the iron hammer, eyeing the two men with ill intent.

Chu Yandan and Yu Yuan were startled; why did that gaze look as if it wanted to eat people?

"Y-you, don't do anything rash," Chu Yandan panicked.

"Young man, do not be impulsive. We are in a prisoner cart now; we should work together to escape from here," Yu Yuan also said.

Cao Qianyue held the hammer and smashed it down fiercely.

"Pfft!"

Chu Yandan forcibly circulated his qi, twisting his head aside, but he failed to dodge completely; his shoulder instantly collapsed under the blow.

"Whoosh~" The hammer returned to Cao Qianyue's hand. He stood up, walked over step by step, then smashed the hammer violently onto the other's crown.

"Scream. Scream some more."

"Wasn't cursing so satisfying just now?"

One hammer blow, then another.

After three hammer strikes, the pointed hammer was covered in blood, and Chu Yandan's appearance was unrecognizable.

Cao Qianyue hammered him to death, then searched his body for artifacts. Without a second thought, he tossed them into his mouth and bit them to pieces.

Light flowed over his body. He turned to look at Yu Yuan, revealing a cruel smile.

"My lord, do not act rashly—" Yu Yuan still tried to buy time.

But Cao Qianyue walked over quickly.

Just as he raised the hammer to deliver the killing blow,

suddenly—" (Dragon Tongue) Hila Shu Hou—"

The prison cart suddenly stopped, and an alert cry in Dragon Tongue rang out.

Yu Yuan and Cao Qianyue were disturbed by the cart's sudden emergency stop and separated.

Cao Qianyue and Yu Yuan immediately looked at the commotion occurring around them.

They saw a fire dragon flying over.

As it flew over, the eighteen High Dragon Generals immediately spotted him.

They shouted loudly, forbidding Zhao Xing from approaching.

"Aaaah~"

Zhao Xing immediately emitted the aura of fire and activated the Upper Dragon Tongue.

The dragon roar, filled with pressure, instantly drowned out all other dragon species.

"Kneel! (Dragon Tongue)"

Zhao Xing looked coldly at these dragon soldiers and dragon generals.

The weaker dragon soldiers immediately prostrated themselves, bowing their heads, daring not to resist in the slightest.

The eighteen dragon generals with human bodies and dragon heads could not resist either, yet they could still speak.

"Respected Lord Fire, we are the dragon generals of Lord Meng Yun. What are your orders?"

A High Dragon General is equivalent to the Fourth Rank Yuan Soul Realm among humans.

In terms of combat power, the dragon generals are generally stronger than human Yuan Realm cultivators.

All eighteen dragon generals are descendants of Jimeng. Jimeng was originally a great dragon general, possessing the powerful dragon bloodline that followed the Ancestral Dragon.

However, these dragon generals differed greatly from those Zhao Xing saw in the Myriad Transformations Cave.

Their human bodies still bore many scales, and their tails were very long.

But their overall height was only four or five meters, and they wore oversized armor to protect their fragile human bodies.

They also held long spears made of Sixth-Rank Divine Wood.

"Lord Meng Yun?" Zhao Xing pondered.

The Great Dragon King of the Gutin Kingdom must be in slumber. Dragon Kings are few in number and usually in slumber.

Typically, only one Dragon King guards the operation of the kingdom.

The Lord level corresponds to the Second Rank, basically the first tier.

The City Lord level is the Third Rank, the second tier.

"I am a close friend of your Lord Meng Yun. Explain carefully what is happening here," Zhao Xing asked.

"A close friend?" The dragon general was clearly stunned, but he dared not question it.

Not all powerful beings enjoy occupying cities or ruling.

There are also many powerful dragons living in the wild.

Under the suppression of bloodline, the dragon general could only explain.

"The Lice Dragon cub was captured by us and offered to Lord Meng Yun."

"This inferior foreign race was discovered on the road. We also intended to capture it and take it back for Lord Meng Yun to enjoy."

Zhao Xing quickly understood; this was a military operation by Lord Meng Yun of the Gutin Kingdom.

Dragons also slaughter each other, and it is extremely severe.

Because the Central Dragon Court is a forbidden area, entering and exiting is extremely difficult.

Since the glorious Ancient Era passed and the spiritual energy of the Upper Ancient Era dissipated,

the Ancestral Dragon (Dragon God) has already vanished.

Nowadays, the Dragon Court Ancient Land no longer has a Dragon God.

Even the Dragon Emperor has become a legend.

Because there is no Dragon God, the Dragon Emperor cannot be produced through the Dragon God's ascension path.

With no new Dragon Emperors born, it means the authority of the Dragon Kings below cannot be produced through the normal ascension path either.

They can only start wars, plunder the bloodlines within other dragons' bodies, seize territories, enhance their fortune, and produce new Dragon Kings through slaughter.

Legend says whoever unifies the Ancestral Land (Ancient Land), conquers the Ten Great Kingdoms, and commands the Four Seas (the four seas within the Dragon Court) can become the new Dragon Emperor.

Completely breaking the seals of the Central Dragon Court and rebuilding the Dragon Court.

War is the norm in the Dragon Court Ancient Land, but the strength of the Great Dragon Kings is roughly equal.

Fighting back and forth, it has remained the same for so many years.

Still the Ten Great Kingdoms and numerous small states; basically nothing has changed.

But advancements for Dragon clans at the Lord and City Lord levels were extremely frequent.

Even at the Dragon King level, a new Dragon King would appear roughly every hundred years.

"I am quite interested in these outsiders; hand them over to me."

"As a gift, I will escort you back to Meng Yun Dragon City." Zhao Xing spoke. Ripples floated from the air. The Eighteen Dragon Generals were powerless to resist; seeing that Zhao Xing did not want the dragon cubs but only the outsiders, they immediately chose to obey.

"Yes, the Eighteen Dragon Generals obey your command."

Immediately, two Dragon Generals ran to the side of the prison cart and thrust their long spears into several divine wood bars of the cart.

"Voom~"

Dragon patterns emerged on the divine wood, and two of them shrank directly inward.

Zhao Xing transformed into human form and appeared inside the prison cart.

The Eighteen Dragon Generals showed no reaction, for they identified beings by aura, bloodline, Dragon language, and identity tokens.

As for appearance, it was actually the least important factor.

The Ancestral Dragon's divine abilities were myriad and changeable; shape-shifting was merely child's play.

If they could not change shape, how could so many mixed-blood dragon breeds be born? They wouldn't even be able to mate.

Inside the prison cart, Yu Yuan had originally seen hope for life, because beside the Fire were also Mountain Cat, Cang Mao, and Dian Dao Yang.

With such a combination, Fire was definitely an outsider from the human race, no doubt.

However, after Zhao Xing reverted to human form, he revealed the Great Zhou's Marquis attire of the Qilin.

His heart instantly grew cold.

"Please, My Lord, spare me; I am willing to defect and serve you." Yu Yuan, having now regained his mobility, knelt down with a thud.

Zhao Xing's gaze swept over him, and upon seeing his black Daoist robe, he immediately understood his origin: "Are you a person of the Yuan Yin Sect?"

"Yes, I am a true transmission disciple of the Yuan Yin Sect." Yu Yuan said respectfully.

The Yuan Yin Sect was also a top-tier sect.

One branch that split from it became the Yuan Yin Academy, one of the Great Zhou's seventy-two academies.

The priest Zhang Yi, who had interned in Yun City with Zhao Xing back then, was from there.

The "Yuan Yin Sacred Classic" obtained in the Great Dream Academy was, in the Ancient Era, also a treasure crafted by that sect.

Zhao Xing did not answer him but looked at Cao Qianyue: "Are you an official of the Great Zhou? What is your name?"

Seeing Zhao Xing's Marquis attire, Cao Qianyue immediately said in a deep voice: "My name is Cao Qianyue. I belong to the Dragon Whale Army of the Western Extreme Legion, serving as a Reserve General under General Zeng Haiming."

Zhao Xing nodded. 【Reserve General】 was a military rank exclusive to major armies, generally an subordinate official of a Commandant, Commissioner, Regional Administrator, or Pacification Commissioner, mainly responsible for handling temporary dispatched matters.

This military rank required one to be highly capable in combat or possess special talents; ordinary people truly could not do the job.

"Pfft~" Zhao Xing casually executed Yu Yuan, then said indifferently: "Cao Qianyue, come with me."

"Yes." Cao Qianyue followed Zhao Xing out of the prison cart.

Although Cao Qianyue was only at the peak of the Fourth Rank, he obviously possessed special talents.

Seeing him, Zhao Xing felt a desire to cherish his talent and revealed his identity:

"I am the Marquis of Divine Might, Zhao Xing, concurrently the Grand Commandant Physician, a Doctor of the Five Classics at Shangluo Academy, a Doctor of Scriptural Governance at Xuantian Academy, and a Doctor of Scriptural Governance at Kunyuan Academy."

Cao Qianyue's eyes lit up: "You are the Marquis of Divine Might, Zhao Xing?"

"You know me?"

"Of course, your name is as thunderous as the heavens." Cao Qianyue said, "Industry and agriculture are not separate; I have even read the two commentaries on the classics and the Treatise on Material Laws that you wrote."

Zhao Xing also saw that Cao Qianyue was of the Artificer profession.

Artificer was a broad category with many professional branches: Smiths, Puppeteers, Array Masters, Armored Warriors, Array Ship Masters, Magical Weapon Envoys, and so on.

Classified by civil and military, there were also terms like Martial Artisan, Civil Artisan, Military Works Officer, and Civil Works Officer.

Cao Qianyue was a rather comprehensive Martial Artisan.

Zhao Xing smiled slightly: "I see you have cultivated the Gluttonous Devouring Method and have forged a High-Level Artisan Heart, replacing your leg bones and arm bones. Such talent is very rare even within the Western Extreme Legion."

Armored Warriors were already quite niche; replacing parts of one's body with divine weapons could unleash tremendous combat power.

However, Armored Warriors generally did not cultivate the Gluttonous Devouring Method concurrently, as this technique conflicted somewhat with the Armored Warrior's weapon bones and weapon limbs, making them difficult to fuse.

The Artisan Heart could only be forged by cultivating the Smith's methods, similar to the 【Pure Yuan Soil】 and 【Solar Term Orders】 of the Ministry of Agriculture.

No wonder he could hammer a foreign demon to death inside the prison cart.

"My Lord flatters me." Cao Qianyue sheepishly rubbed his bald head. "I mainly love to eat, so I cultivated the Gluttonous Devouring Method. I originally did not intend to cultivate an armored body; I wanted to keep this stomach to eat food."

"Hahaha, loving to eat is good." Zhao Xing laughed. "However, you must follow the Ministry of Agriculture if you do not want to go hungry."

"Yes, hehe." Cao Qianyue nodded.

Since Cao Qianyue still did not understand his meaning after speaking to this extent, Zhao Xing simply made it explicit: "Cao Qianyue, are you willing to work for me?"

"If My Lord honors me, I am certainly willing." Cao Qianyue said somewhat hesitantly, "However, I am General Zeng's..."

Zhao Xing waved his hand: "Rest assured. After we get out, I will go and speak with him."

"You need not worry about the future; at least for now in the Dragon Court Ancient Land, follow me."

Cao Qianyue immediately hesitated no more and knelt on one knee: "Good, I am willing to follow My Lord."

"Get up quickly." Zhao Xing said happily. "What level is your Gluttonous Devouring Method?"

"Thirteenth level."

"?" "Isn't that already the top tier?" Zhao Xing glanced at Cao Qianyue's stomach.

He had guessed Cao Qianyue's Gluttonous Devouring Method level would be high, but not this high.

The Gluttonous Devouring Method had a total of eighteen levels, but only reaching the twelfth level counted as the top tier.

In the Era of Spiritual Qi, this secret method could truly achieve 【Devouring Heaven and Earth】.

In the Era of Primordial Qi, cultivating to a high level was simply too difficult.

Fourth-grade perfection, cultivated to the thirteenth layer; Lord Zhao could not help but sigh, "You truly possess extraordinary talent,

rare even among Fourth-grade martial artists."

Among the Mid-grade cultivators Zhao Xing has met so far, only Xia Jing has managed to cultivate the Gluttony Method to the twelfth layer.

He arrived in the first year of the Great Zhi era; how long ago that was now is unclear.

Unexpectedly, Cao Qianyue said, "There is. I have a good friend; she also cultivates the Gluttony Method to the thirteenth layer."

"Oh? Where is she?" Zhao Xing grew interested; for the Shangluo Academy to research derivative species later, such talent would be very useful.

"Her name is Li Muwan; she is a Sword Dancer in my army, but I have not found her yet." Cao Qianyue sounded worried, "I do not know how she is doing now."

Hearing Cao Qianyue speak this way, it seemed his friend was also in the Longting Ancient Land, but now entered randomly,

the two had been separated.

Zhao Xing immediately comforted him, "It matters not; once we enter the city and obtain permissions, finding her will be easy."

Upon entering the Longting Ancient Land, everyone's goal is to head to the Central Longting to plunder treasures.

Before long, this batch of entrants will all obtain certain permissions, allowing them to borrow treasures from Long City to make contact.

"According to the map, the journey from Meng Yun Long City to Gu Ting Wang Cheng is a full three months, though that is calculated based on a Dragon General's flight speed."

"If I unleash the Great Roc Transformation, I can shorten it to nine days."

"If I obtain the City Lord's permissions, I can reach Wang Cheng in three days," Zhao Xing thought silently.

In the Longting Ancient Land, the primary task is to obtain permissions.

Otherwise, just traveling is difficult; let alone finding treasures or spiritual energy; without permissions, many places cannot be entered.

Under the Dragon General's lead, two hours later, a mighty fortress came into view in the distance.

The city walls stretched for two hundred li, with vast dark clouds hovering above, and Lei Ting flashing in the sky.

Countless Dragon Seeds flew in the sky, though most were mixed-blood Dragon Seeds.

Huge prison carriages shuttled through the sky.

Since the Meng Yun City Lord launched a war against other territories and achieved victory, prison dragon carriages were visible everywhere.

Additionally, dragon turtles carrying Shanfeng on their backs entered and exited Long City, also in preparation for war.

Dragon warfare is simple and brutal: those who control water use rivers to flood; those who command clouds and thunder crush enemy cities.

At this moment, many dragon turtles carried Shanfeng, and some Shanfeng even burned with flames.

As they approached the city, Zhao Xing also saw a dragon boat shimmering with treasure light pass by.

"Aaaah~"

All the dragons were drawn in, looking toward the dragons returning from the east.

A group of Dragon Guards escorted dragon boats back.

They were piled high with shimmering dragon crystals, like mountains.

It was extremely heavy; hundreds of winged mixed-blood dragons dragged it from the front, iron chains around their necks, their wings flapping with great effort.

"Dragon Crystals!" Zhao Xing and Cao Qianyue simultaneously flashed with excitement.

However, Cao Qianyue wore an expression of wanting to eat them.

Zhao Xing, on the other hand, wanted to use the dragon crystals to expand the Pure Origin Soil; in the Primordial Qi Era, few treasures could accelerate the maturation of high-grade plants.

Even fewer could be brought into the Pure Origin Space.

Dragon Crystals were one of the rarer and more precious types.

Because elsewhere in the Xuan Huang Realm, they were basically no longer produced.

Only the Longting Ancient Land had them.

They also had an expanding effect on Pure Origin Soil; after all, to make plants mature quickly, they must surely benefit the Pure Origin Soil!

"Outside, dragon crystals are sold by the piece, but in the Longting Ancient Land, they are calculated by the boat."

"Among the highest-grade dragon crystals, spiritual energy is also contained."

Zhao Xing's eyes burned with fire; his heart was filled with immense excitement.

He said to Cao Qianyue, "The Meng Yun City Lord won a victory; now is a time of great wealth."

"Yes, yes." Cao Qianyue nodded foolishly. "My Lord, shall we raid?"

"Raid?" Zhao Xing laughed. "How much could raiding get us?"

Cao Qianyue was puzzled. "Then what do you mean?"

"Naturally, to eliminate the Meng Yun City Lord and become the new City Lord."

Cao Qianyue nodded; he wanted to too, but he lacked the strength.

"A place of Meng Yun Long City's scale must have a Grand Arena established by the Longting."

"As long as one challenges Meng Yun in the Grand Arena and wins, one can become the new City Lord."

Back in the Cang Hai Divine Realm, Zhao Xing had experienced the 【Grand Arena】 and 【Dragon's Protection】 trials.

Fighting through one Long City after another, Zhao Xing could even become the new Lord.

However, there was one problem: one must be able to enter the Grand Arena within the city.

Under normal circumstances, upon discovering a strange powerful figure appearing in their territory, before they even entered, the Meng Yun City Lord would summon numerous dragons to besiege and beat the challenger.

How would they let the opponent walk to the Grand Arena and activate the Great Arena?

Zhao Xing grabbed Cao Qianyue and directly led him away from the Dragon General's formation.

His speed was extremely fast; in the blink of an eye, he vanished from the eyes of the eighteen Dragon Generals.

Whoosh? Swish~

Zhao Xing unleashed the Ruler of Ten Thousand Li, quickly bringing Cao Qianyue, one cat, one sheep, and one dog, appearing inside the city.

Quickly searching for the location of the Grand Arena.

"Hmm? It's actually not here? Impossible, I remember Meng Yun City must have a Grand Arena."

"Your Lordship, could it have been destroyed?" Cao Qianyue asked.

"Impossible." Zhao Xing shook his head: "Even if the city were destroyed, it could not be. This is the Heaven-Selection Grand Arena established by the Ancient Dragon Court."

"It is linked to the laws of heaven and earth. To destroy it, one would need at least the power of a Great Dragon King."

"Would a Great Dragon King, bored out of his mind, go destroy such a means of selecting talent?"

Zhao Xing searched invisibly in the sky; logically, a Grand Arena supplying the dragon clan's battles should be easy to find.

Yet he searched for quite a while and still failed to discover it.

"Hmm? I understand now. This current Meng Yun City Lord is truly a crafty old fox." Zhao Xing looked down at a specific location.

"Your Lordship, I don't understand." Cao Qianyue scratched his head; down below were just some ruins and debris.

"The Meng Yun City Lord, 'Pu', used a Water Thunder Sealing Curse to seal the Grand Arena, then placed much debris around it, disguising it as an abandoned scrapyard."

"I see." Cao Qianyue understood somewhat but not entirely.

"Truly a decline in times — even the great Dragon Clan resorts to such tricks." Zhao Xing quickly transformed into human form and landed on the debris-strewn ground below.

"Hoo~" He blew a gust of wind, instantly blowing away the ruins to reveal the dragon-stone floor beneath.

Dust swirled across the floor, then revealed a pattern of a thunder dragon skull.

As Zhao Xing and the others descended, rain continued to fall from the sky, while murky water seeped out from the ground.

"A Level Seven Water Thunder Sealing Curse, also utilizing corresponding Upper Dragon Clan blood, using their blood as the foundation for the seal."

"Ordinary dragons truly cannot unravel it."

Zhao Xing examined it and quickly determined the type of sealing spell.

"Can Your Lordship unseal it?"

"Hmm." Zhao Xing sighed.

"The Grand Arena was originally a path of ascent for the lower dragons: the capable rise, the weak fall, survival of the fittest."

"However, after the Dragon Court vanished, the nobles within the Dragon Clan sought every means to seal the arena."

"Nevertheless, I will unseal the spell; I can easily break this seal."

If he charged the City Lord's mansion openly to challenge, he would face the siege of many dragons.

He would also face attacks from many heavy artifacts of the Dragon Clan.

Even if he could win, chaos would likely ensue; if any dragons took the opportunity to grab treasures and flee, it would all be for nothing.

But by opening the Grand Arena, the Meng Yun City Lord could not refuse; the entire Dragon City would activate its barrier, and all dragons would have to wait for a new Lord of the Dragon City to be born!

This is a great rule originating from the ancient Dragon Court; only thus can one receive the Dragon Court's edict, ascend openly, and gain the certification of this heaven and earth.

Of course, there are those who break the rules, but that requires at least the power of a Dragon King.

If one violates it, one becomes a Sinful Dragon or a Rebellious Dragon, with severe consequences.

"Transform!"

Zhao Xing immediately activated the Fire Transformation, then spat dragon breath, melting all surrounding debris.

Hoo — a massive hurricane swept up the debris and cast it flying.

Revealing the original appearance of the arena.

"(Dragon Tongue) With my heart as the guide, with my thought as the key, with my blood as the sacrifice, with heaven and earth as witness, heed my spell!"

As Zhao Xing turned into fire, dripping blood to cast the Unsealing Spell.

In the Meng Yun City Lord's mansion, inside an oval palace resembling an overturned bowl on the ground.

The Meng Yun City Lord, who was sucking on a dragon crystal within the palace, suddenly raised his dragon head.

"Who, who is opening the Grand Arena?!"

Sharp dragon claws crushed the dragon crystal; the vertebrae behind him surged upward, dragon scales rippling, emitting a purple glow.

"What boldness!"

"Crack crack~" His sharp claws clenched, crushing the dragon crystal, then he flew out of the City Lord's mansion.

"Boom~" Dark clouds in the sky rapidly expanded, and a vortex appeared.

Rain poured down; the Meng Yun City Lord quickly ordered the Dragon Generals to head to the arena grounds.

"(Dragon Tongue) ——— Power of heaven and earth, gather here. Dragon Spirit of Wind, blow away the seal; Dragon Flame of Fire, burn the lock."

Cao Qianyue watched, understanding somewhat: "Wind overcomes Thunder, Fire overcomes Water; the Dragon Clan's Unsealing Spell still cannot escape the scope of the Five Elements."

"If Little Li were here, it would be good; he could see the world." Cao Qianyue missed his meal companion again.

The Wind-Fire Dragon Blood Unsealing Spell was also of the Seventh Tier. Zhao Xing, using the Fire Transformation, easily broke the sealing spell.

Yu~

A beam of light lit up the earth; across a radius of twenty li, a line of flame instantly ignited on the ground.

The flames took the shape of a dragon; soon countless phantoms rose into the air, flew into the sky, and vanished into the void.

Zhao Xing then chanted in Dragon Tongue: "Great Dragon God, your descendants pray devoutly; please witness the rise of the Dragon Kin!"

"I hereby issue a Grand Arena challenge to 'Pu', Lord of the Meng Yun Dragon City!"

The Dragon Clan's spells and language are quite simple; translated, they sound like a primitive tribe performing a shamanistic ritual.

However, the effect was indeed excellent; when the Meng Yun City Lord "Pu" arrived, he already sensed something was wrong.

An invisible great power between heaven and earth dispersed the Dragon Generals following behind him.

And guided him into the Grand Arena.

He now had two choices: First, turn and flee, not entering; he could keep his life, but he would no longer be the Lord of the Meng Yun Dragon City.

All dragons within the Meng Yun Dragon City domain would no longer pledge loyalty to him, but would instead pledge to the Dragon Kin who issued the challenge.

Second, enter the Grand Arena, accept the challenge; if he wins, he remains the Meng Yun City Lord.

"Roar~ Roar~"

"霍吼~"

All dragon clans halted, raised their heads, and roared toward the direction of the Grand Arena.

At this moment, Zhao Xing's figure emerged within the arena.

Cao Qianyue and all other lifeforms had been expelled; only Zhao Xing remained inside the arena.

And the figure of "Pu" at the edge.

"(Dragon tongue) Ignorant and vile inferior bloodline!" muttered Pu, Lord of Meng Yun City, stepping into the arena. "How dare you challenge my authority? I will make you pay with blood!"

Zhao Xing watched the dragon-headed, human-bodied Lord Pu fly in, and smiled faintly: "So familiar a tone, so familiar a scent—."

The moment Pu stepped into the Grand Arena, the duel began.

Descendant of Ji Meng, master of clouds and rain, he immediately manipulated the forces of heaven and earth, summoning a mass of dark clouds.

Zhao Xing chuckled—he had not chosen to come to Meng Yun City by chance.

Meng Yun, this dragon city's lord, was none other than one who controlled clouds and rain.

Compared to Si Nong in controlling the weather?

"Trivial trickery, daring to show off before an expert," Zhao Xing said, refusing even to change into fire. He faced his foe in human form.

"Cloud Gate!"

Golden light flashed—and beneath the eyes of the Third Rank dragon Pu, Zhao Xing's cloud art shattered the opponent's innate secret technique.

All the dark clouds were sucked into the Cloud Gate, which instantly glowed golden.

"Shiuu-shiuu-shiuu-shiuu-shiuu~"

From within the Cloud Gate, countless raindrops shot out like a horizontal downpour, rushing toward Pu.

His Cloud Gate technique was already highly advanced, granting extreme amplification to rain arts.

This was the Water True Meaning condensed from his top-tier Ten Thousand Arts Body: "Three Lights Divine Water."

His top-tier rain art, "Heavenly Erosion," had already reached the Fourth Turn.

Thus, each raindrop rivaled a full-power strike from a Third Rank beginner.

"Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap~"

Pu, descendant of Ji Meng, felt his body being pierced by the raindrops—he prepared to counterattack.

But he realized the enemy had reappeared behind him again.

"N-no, how is he everywhere?" Pu panicked completely.

He tried to raise his claw—but his movements were painfully slow. Unbeknownst to him, a strand of Lei Guang had already wound through his body.

Lei Ting Hun Yuan Lock!

A top-tier Sixth Turn technique, a classic thunder art secret skill!

Hundreds of figures cast it simultaneously, instantly restraining Pu.

"I don't even need to activate the Seasonal Edict," Zhao Xing thought.

"!"

Pu's body emitted a loud explosion, then collapsed onto the dragon-stone floor of the Grand Arena.

Held fast by the Lei Ting Hun Yuan Lock, his life and death hung by a thread.

Especially since there were hundreds of them.

Zhao Xing had instantly obliterated Pu.

"Om~"

From Pu's body emerged a golden dragon phantom, flying toward Zhao Xing.

"!"

Zhao Xing heard again the voice he had heard when cultivating the Ancestral Dragon Chant during the Opening of Heaven.

He involuntarily activated Fire Transformation, sensing the change—his Fire True Body felt stronger.

More aligned with the true form of fire!

"Shatter the barrier of perception, attain the Dao in the unseen."

"The celestial rules of the Dragon Court's ancient land have strengthened my Hou Bian Fa—and deepened my understanding of Dragon Edicts."

"This is one of the benefits of becoming Lord of Meng Yun Dragon City, gaining authority," Zhao Xing thought.

"Roar~"

He flew into the sky; all dragon soldiers and dragon generals bowed their heads, submitting to the new lord.

Zhao Xing then issued his first Dragon Edict as city lord:

"Bring all treasures to the Lord's Mansion."

"Recall all treasures en route to the Flame Dragon Lord!"

"Unseal the sixteen Dragon Springs, extract their essence—"

"Reserves of Dragon Blood Wood, Dragon Blood Fruit, Dragon Heart Grass—"

"All Meng Yun Dragon City dragon generals, immediately scour the surrounding lands for items matching the following descriptions—"

Cao Qianyue stood beside the Mountain Cat, the Gray-faced Hound, and the Inverted Goat, dazed.

He understood the meaning of these dragon words—but how could the Divine Might Marquis be so fluent?

He knew everything—from the grand situation to exactly where treasures lay hidden!

As if he'd been here countless times!

Yet he was only forty-four—clearly this was his first visit!

"Dunlie, don't stand there staring," Zhao Xing called out Cao Qianyue's courtesy name. "Find any usable mechanism arrays, and inventory them."

"Non-Supreme Dragon clans lack high intelligence; they can handle rough labor, but delicate work must be done by us."

"Go watch them; don't let them lose the treasures."

Cao Qianyue immediately reacted, his face brimming with excitement: "Yes, Your Lordship!"

He loved tasks like inventorying treasures the most.

Seeing Cao Qianyue fly off with a wagging tail, Zhao Xing couldn't help but smile slightly.

Many items the Dragon clans take for granted might be what they need; it is not uncommon for pearls to be buried in dust.

Cao Qianyue is a Mechanism Master; his familiarity with divine weapons and materials in the Military Engineering Bureau cannot be low.

"Ao Tian, Xiao Tian, Huan Tian, you three eat this descendant of Ji Meng," Zhao Xing said. "Dragon meat is a great tonic." "Meow!" The mountain cat's eyes instantly sparkled.

"Woof!"

The Pale Dog's tail immediately began to wag.

The Upside-Down Sheep also showed a smiling face and pounced forward.

"~" Zhao Xing activated the Ruler of the Ends of the Earth and released his clone, who also began to search extensively.

The true body arrived inside the City Lord's Mansion, within that oval-shaped palace.

"Whoosh~" The moment he entered, his eyes were stung by dazzling light.

"Tear~"

Inside the vast palace, a hot spring steamed, with a large quantity of Dragon Crystals paved beside it.

Surrounding them were piles of various miscellaneous tools.

"Dragon Crystal bedding, truly extravagant." Zhao Xing inhaled deeply, intoxicated. "Those kept by City Lord Meng Yun are mostly Grade Seven Supreme Dragon Crystals, with even a few Grade Eight ones."

"They are all good things."

"Take them all!"

Zhao Xing unfolded the Pure Yuan Projection and directly excavated all the Dragon Crystals.

The area beside the hot spring instantly became uneven.

"Ding~"

Zhao Xing began to inventory those glittering tools.

He was mainly searching for objects containing spiritual energy.

"Over seven thousand items in total!"

Zhao Xing quickly calculated the quantity.

He then proceeded to apply the 【Xuan Huang Xi Yuan Art】 to each item one by one.

He couldn't necessarily identify many things at a glance, so he could only rely on the most primitive method: testing them with the 【Xuan Huang Xi Yuan Art】.

Soon, over half of the seven thousand items had been scanned.

"Analyzed for nothing; not a single item dropped?"

Zhao Xing continued his sweep, and it seemed nearly all seven thousand items were about to be cleared.

Suddenly, a bright yellow light flared up from within a small bronze tripod.

"Hmm? Finally got a drop!" Zhao Xing immediately showed a look of joy.