Chapter 84: Dragon-Seizing Contest

"Supreme one, spare us!"

Faced with the supreme one out of legend, none of them dared so much as breathe too loudly. It was said that when he grew angry, corpses would lie strewn across a thousand miles. The Sin City had only remained intact because one such supreme sat in silent watch. Hence why all trembled at the mere mention of the title.

Regardless, lightning split the sky, carrying a power far beyond what they could endure. It came crashing straight down upon them.

"No!"

The five tried to flee, but mere mortals could not resist heavenly lightning. The bolt tore through them, and they could only watch in horror as their bodies disintegrated.

The five rulers of Slaughterblood City perished in an instant.

"

Pffft

!"

Not even Ning Tao was spared. Like a kite with its string cut, her delicate frame was flung aside, crashing hard into the distance. And that was only the aftershock. Her lips dripped scarlet, yet a sweet, almost girlish smile bloomed on her face.

"

Pfft!

Husband... are you giving your little wife a warning?" she murmured softly. "A man with such strength is worthy of me, Ning Tao!"

Her eyes gleamed with adoration. "Husband, you still care about me! This Origin Divine Technique can't hurt me, it must be because you wanted me to better comprehend its Origin, isn't that so?"

She looked all around her like a docile little bride.

Had Qi Yuan heard her ramblings, he would certainly have retorted, "Little girl, you have a wild imagination."

Unbeknownst to him, the once-childish girl with a soft voice was already older than him.

***

Meanwhile, atop the Seven-Colored Peak..

.

Qi Yuan was seething. "Damn game! Shameless game! You let an NPC keep calling me 'husband,' throwing herself at me, but won't even let me play?!"

With his soul power grown by a leap, he once again tried to break into the game's interface. The result was the same. His consciousness had barely brushed against the game icon when a terrifying backlash slammed into him, nearly blasting his soul apart.

In the end, he could only curse furiously.

Worse still, he occasionally overheard fragments of Ning Tao's inner thoughts. She was always calling him husband

.

His curses grew sharper each time.

"No, this won't do. I'll strengthen my soul and show this damn game who's boss!"

Thus, Qi Yuan threw himself into cultivation.

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

During those entire months, he had focused on soul-cultivation techniques, and practiced the Qi Yuan Scripture on the side. Regardless, every attempt to enter the game ended in bitter defeat.

In that span, he had heard Ning Tao's voice seven times. He answered four and ignored the last three. After all, she hadn’t called him husband those last few times. No point in throwing himself at someone who didn't even want to talk to him.

"Senior Brother, the Dragon-Seizing Contest is about to begin. You should get ready," Jiang Lingsu called out, light and crisp, like a spirit elf urging him to rise.

"Alright."

Qi Yuan glanced at his junior sister, bundled in thicker robes against the spring chill, then stepped out of his wooden hut.

***

Rong City...

Once, it had been nothing more than a mortal settlement under the jurisdiction of Divine Radiance Sect. However, in the past two months, it had transformed beyond recognition.

Mortals now often caught sight of immortals streaking across the skies, or of three-meter-tall towering stone giants, hauling timber and boulders to raise palatial halls. In less than sixty days, palace after palace rose from the earth, and what seemed to be a celestial paradise lay outside the city.

At this moment, three streaks of light cut across the sky.

Several voices drifted into Qi Yuan's ears.

"The rise of Great Shang, from a mortal kingdom to a cultivation realm, is closely tied to the opening of the Celestial Dragon Realm near its capital. Within that secret realm lie countless treasures. It was with those resources that Great Shang leaped to power," explained the white-haired Kang Fulu, ever knowledgeable. "But in recent years, as the Demonic Desire Sect grew stronger, Great Shang has long since lost its former glory."

Dong Xian, listening, remained unmoved. The decline of Great Shang had long been inevitable. He had no interest in reviving it. To him, strength of one's own was the only thing worth pursuing.

"Now, another Celestial Dragon Realm has been discovered outside Rong City. That is why the struggle has shifted here."

Kang Fulu's words were common knowledge. Had Qi Yuan not been ignorant, he wouldn’t have bothered to explain.

"So this Dragon-Seizing Contest is both a fight for the crown and a scramble for resources," Qi Yuan mused.

Yet, something puzzled him. Wasn't Rong City close to Divine Radiance Sect? Why hadn't the sect seized complete control of the new secret realm? Then again, that sect was riddled with rot: a sect master who was a spy, elders with shady dealings, and disciples with hidden allegiances. Even Kang Fulu, the sect master's own son-in-law, had his secrets.

As far as Qi Yuan was concerned, he could be the only clean one in the entire sect.

"This time, we face three main opponents," Kang Fulu continued, "first, the Crown Prince, backed by Xuanfu San Sect. Second, the Seventh Prince, supported by the Demonic Desire Sect. And third, the youngest, the Eighteenth Prince, backed by the Bright Palace."

Qi Yuan's eyes lit up. "Bright Palace?”

His white moonlight had arrived?

"The Bright Palace has deep roots in the Eastern Lands. This time, they have sent a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator named Po Lang. He's not here to play games. We must be cautious," Kang Fulu warned.

Qi Yuan, however, was already sharpening his blades in anticipation.

Great Shang was too poor, making it no better than a village. In all his time here, he had yet to see a single proper Profound-tier technique. However, Bright Palace's Zhu Lianhua—his first white moonlight—had carried one. He had died miserably in Great Shang, but now, a second white moonlight had come. Surely he would be even stronger and carry even better treasures.

Qi Yuan could hardly wait.

***

In the royal palace, the king of Great Shang lay pale and frail on his bed. He coughed blood, shaking all over.

The Eighteenth Prince's face twisted with worry. "Father...”

"Leave us," said the queen coldly. Draped in a regal violet-and-gold gown, she radiated authority. "Your father must rest."

Though reluctant, the prince withdrew. In the vast hall, only the king and queen remained.

"Zi Tong," the king rasped, "while I was in seclusion healing, you bore the burden of governance. You have worked hard..."

He reached out, yearning to clasp her hand.

However, the queen rose without hesitation. "Your Majesty should rest."

With that, she swept away. Other meetings awaited her. She had no interest in lingering with this hollow puppet of a man.

"

Cough...

cough...

"

The king's coughs grew harsher and his loneliness heavier.

***

The Eighteenth Prince returned to his temporary palace in Rong City. Before he even stepped inside, he heard the breathless gasps of a woman. His face darkened. That woman was his own princess consort.

He stood outside like a eunuch as someone called out in a mocking voice, "Since you've returned, Eighteenth Prince, come in. I like it when you watch."

Head bowed, the prince shuffled in with a sycophantic smile plastered on his face.

"Master Po Lang," he greeted softly.

On the bed, his princess consort lounged half-draped in sheer silk, eyes smoldering.

Po Lang, already dressed, sat beside her. His eyes gleamed with the cold edge of a venomous serpent.

"Well?" Po Lang asked.

"She... my mother... she refuses to speak with me," the prince stammered, lowering his head further.

Po Lang didn't even bother to hide his sneer. "Useless.”

Such a prince was beneath contempt but also the easiest to control.

"Since the queen will not cooperate with Bright Palace, so be it." Po Lang’s eyes narrowed, a trace of killing intent flickering. "Has the Divine Radiance Sect arrived yet?"

"They just entered the palace," the prince replied meekly. Then, hesitating, he whispered, "Master Po Lang... my Seventeenth Brother, he is a good man. In the Celestial Dragon Realm, could you perhaps spare him once?"

Dong Xian was the Seventeenth Prince. Like him, he was unloved, yet always kind. Their bond ran deep.

Po Lang's gaze softened only slightly. "For your sake, I'll let him live. But as for those two from Divine Radiance Sect..."

Bloodlust flashed across his eyes.

Zhu Lianhua's death in Great Shang had been a humiliation beyond bearing. Though the Divine Flower Society was responsible for his death, the Divine Radiance Sect wouldn't fully escape the blame. This grand scheme against the Hundred Nations had been orchestrated under his master’s guidance. If it succeeded, his master's standing within the Bright Palace would rise sharply.

"Which of the two from the Divine Radiance Sect is stronger?" Po Lang asked coldly.

"Five-Light Peak's Kang Fulu. He is also late-stage Foundation Establishment realm, the son-in-law to the sect master, and a closed-door disciple of the Peak Master. He is ranked top three among Great Shang's ten geniuses," Eighteenth Prince explained.

Po Lang smirked. "The ten geniuses of Great Shang?"

He was a man ranked within the top seven hundred of the Eastern Lands' Prodigy Ranking. Such "geniuses" were mere insects to him. He could cut them down with a single stroke.

"Go. I have a friend who will visit tonight, and he dislikes being disturbed," he said icily.

The Eighteenth Prince bowed, that same pitiful smile plastered on his face, and left obediently.

***

Qi Yuan lounged in the opulent palace. "This is better than my hut."

He eyed the golden goblets and jade platters, half-wondering if he could sneak some back to Seven-Colored Peak.

Kang Fulu maintained his composure. "We'll be meeting soon."

All the sects were here, and every prince had gathered. It was time to open the Celestial Dragon Realm and start the Dragon-Seizing Contest.

Qi Yuan nodded, eyes gleaming. Po Lang, his white moonlight, was near.

With time still to spare, boredom gnawed at him. He spread his consciousness into the Divine Flower Society’s jade slip, curious about the chat group.

Rogue Immortal: Good news, everyone. I've just entered the Eastern Lands' Junior Prodigy Ranking. Rank 300!

└Congratulations! └Congratulations! └Big bro, cover us!

The group chat buzzed with celebration.

Qi Yuan could only look on in awe. Here he was, barely scratching the top ten of his village-level Foundation Establishment realm cultivators, while his friends were climbing the kingdom-level genius rankings.