Chapter 1117: Blood Rain |
Jin Miaolin had once slain the Adamant Nymph Emperor before—although, back then, it was with the support of the Ancestral Tree's power.
Or… was it?
At this moment, Xu An'yu suddenly had a giant question mark in his mind.
Just now, when he pierced through the body of the Tenebrous Demon Emperor with a single spear, he hadn't felt the slightest resistance. And before that, the Tenebrous Demon Emperor had turned to flee, only to somehow be blocked by Jin Miaolin. What kind of power was it that could render even an Emperor utterly immobile? Only now did Xu An'yu finally realize: Back when they fought at the end of the Battle for the Throne, his new tree friend hadn't gone all out against him. If he'd still felt a bit unconvinced back then, now he was entirely convinced.
And it wasn't just him who felt it was unbelievable. Mei Gongzi looked at the Asura Shadow Sword in her hand, then at Tang San, who was smiling and nodding at her. Did… did I just slay an Emperor? The Tenebrous Demon Emperor just…
The darkness in the sky gradually faded, replaced by blood-red clouds. As had happened not too long before, with the fall of an Emperor, a torrential blood rain poured down, and waves of sorrowful dragon roars echoed through the air.
The dragon race's sole remaining Emperor had just been slain above Crystal City.
This battle was witnessed by all, by the entire dragon race. The three Crown Princes who had just won the top three spots in the Battle for the Throne had worked together to kill an emperor.
Even the dragon race's Grand Elder Liu Weichao stood dumbfounded, unable to believe what he was seeing. As for the Tenebrous Dragon clan's powerhouses, they were all struck dumb, and their faces filled with dread. The Emperor they once believed invincible… was gone? Dead?
Xu An'yu caught the drifting Misfortune Pearl and the demonic saber. At that moment, Tang San had already appeared by his side. "Brother Xu, congratulations."
Xu An'yu gave a wry smile. "To be honest, I'd thought countless times about how I might one day deal with him… but I never expected I could actually do it. Brother Jin, from this day forward, you are a great benefactor to my dragon race, and a true comrade to me. On behalf of the dragon race, I thank you. City Lord Mei, I thank you as well."
Mei Gongzi simply nodded to him and then turned into a streak of silver light, vanishing on the spot. She disliked the feeling of blood rain falling from the sky.
Tang San said solemnly, "Though the dragon race now lacks an Emperor, unifying under a single voice is what matters most for the future of your race. From here, you'll be busy handling both Crystal City and Black Dragon City. You must become an Emperor soon to keep things under control. And speaking of that… I think this counts as fulfilling the promise I once made you."
Xu An'yu blinked, then realized what Tang San meant by that last sentence.
After the Battle for the Throne ended, Xu An'yu had asked Tang San to leave some room for him when they ascended to Emperorhood, and Tang San had agreed without hesitation. And now, another Emperor had fallen, one ranked higher than the Adamant Nymph Emperor. The opening was his to take.
For the dragon race overall, the fall of an Emperor was a massive loss. But Jin Miaolin was right: For the clan's future, unification was what mattered most. Emperorhood would soon follow.
Tang San continued, "I won't stay much longer. I'll send two Demon King elders later. By the way, when you take control over Black Dragon City, I hope you can recover the remains of my clan's elder there and return them to Skytree City. After that, I'll head to Kali City to formally propose marriage to City Lord Mei. Our two cities will be united, and the wedding will likely be held at the Ancestral Court. Of course, I hope you'll come and drink our wedding wine."
By now, Xu An'yu had largely regained his composure. With a smile, he said, "Of course. I'll prepare a grand gift to celebrate your union. Brother Jin, though 'thank you' is far from enough to express my gratitude, I must still say it from the bottom of my heart. For all that you've done for the dragon race, we will never forget. From today forward, you are the honorary Lord of Crystal City. At any time, you may call upon the full strength of our race."
Tang San laughed heartily. "You're too kind, Brother Xu. I wouldn't dare speak of giving orders. Let it be as we decided: May our two races forever watch over each other. Please bid farewell to the Grand Elder on my behalf."
With that, he waved to Xu An'yu, and the Scourge Dragon beat his wings and carried him swiftly away.
As he watched Tang San disappear into the distance, Xu An'yu's emotions remained turbulent. Suddenly, he realized something and opened his mouth toward the departing figure—but it was already too late.
Jin Miaolin had helped him kill a mortal enemy, but both the Misfortune Pearl and the demonic saber had ended up in his own hands. That loot should rightfully have gone, at least in part, to Jin Miaolin. No, if anything, Xu An'yu felt like he wasn't worthy of keeping any of it.
At that moment, Grand Elder Liu Weichao and numerous other powerhouses rose into the sky and gathered around Xu An'yu.
All of their expressions were somewhat complex.
An Emperor, and one of the dragon race at that, had fallen. If before they had merely judged the three Crown Princes as having strength near that of an Emperor, then now, they had proven capable of slaying one.
Defeating an Emperor and killing one were not the same at all. Even a stronger Emperor was not guaranteed to kill a weaker one. Yet the three of them, working together, had slain the Tenebrous Demon Emperor. This meant that even before ascending to Emperorhood, they could contend with weaker Emperors by themselves!
Suddenly, Liu Weichao called out loudly, "We pay our respects to the Dragon Lord!"
With those words, the other elders quickly followed suit, all bowing to Xu An'yu and shouting, "Greetings, Dragon Lord!"
When the Tenebrous Demon Emperor was still alive, Xu An'yu had only barely qualified as the Lord of Crystal City. But now, with the Tenebrous Demon Emperor dead, and Xu An'yu as an Emperor seed, he was without question the foremost figure in the dragon race. He was the Dragon Lord in name and in fact.
Xu An'yu took a deep breath to steady his emotions, then said to the gathered elders, "Thank you all for your years of support. I, Xu An'yu, shall not fail you. I will lead our race to even greater glory."
At this moment, his heart surged with resolve. Though there was still much aftermath to address, especially at Black Dragon City, the obstacles within the dragon race had been cleared away. The great mountain pressing down on him for so long had scattered into dust. The path ahead was now open.
The Tenebrous Dragon clan's forces would temporarily remain in Crystal City under guard. After consulting with Liu Weichao, Xu An'yu resolved to take over Black Dragon City as soon as possible, ensuring the complete submission of the Tenebrous Dragon clan. He would also need to report to the Ancestral Court; the fall of an Emperor was impossible to keep secret.
***
"You're going to the Ancestral Court now?" Mei Gongzi asked Tang San in surprise.
Tang San nodded. "The Ancestral Court will learn of theTenebrous Demon Emperor's death immediately. I need to go make a good impression. You return to Kali City first. After I'm done, I'll come straight there."
"All right," she said. "I still can't believe it… I really have the power to slay an Emperor now. But… you used Unpredictable Storm just now. Won't the dragon race realize something?"
Tang San smiled. "Even if they do, it doesn't matter. For one, it's a divine technique unconnected to bloodlines and whatnot, so what can they even know about it? For another, we've done Xu An'yu and the entire dragon race a great favor. He's still not an Emperor, and with the dragon race currently without one, they'll be under huge pressure. In this situation, they'll be eager for our support. Even on the off chance that they think something's weird, they will not say a thing to anyone, least of all to the Ancestral Court. The situation is now well within our grasp."
Mei Gongzi sighed with emotion. "I really didn't expect we'd be able to challenge an Emperor so soon."
Tang San smiled faintly. "This is only the beginning."