Chapter 1274
Chapter 1274:
As for the person behind the matter, the Azure Dragon King Xiao Chen, he was not as anxious or nervous as others imagined. He even looked rather relaxed.
Dark clouds churned above the peak that was exclusive to Xiao Chen. Thunder roared endlessly. Occasionally, electricity sparked in the air.
Lying on a rock, Xiao Chen gazed at the scenery with a tranquil expression as he toyed with the Lunar Shadow Saber with one hand.
The Lunar Shadow Saber would be on Xiao Chen's fingertip at one moment and bouncing between his shoulders in the next. It leaped about nimbly like it was another arm of his.
The Lunar Shadow Saber's graceful movements appeared very natural, displaying a simple beauty.
Suddenly, an invisible power split the dark clouds above in half like a knife. The clouds looked like soldiers moving aside for a general.
It was the Western Sea Dragon King, Ao Lang. As he walked over, step by step, he used his formless aura to carve a path for himself in Xiao Chen's Saber Domain.
"Western Sea Dragon King, you grace me with your presence. Please pardon this junior for not coming out to meet you. I was too impolite."
Xiao Chen rotated his wrist and caught hold of his dancing Lunar Shadow Saber, bringing it gently towards the ground. He did not get to his feet, merely sat up on the rock as he spoke indifferently while looking at the approaching person.
While Ao Lang was in Xiao Chen's Saber Domain, it was like he was in his own world, entirely unaffected by the Saber Domain.
Ao Lang sized up Xiao Chen, looking at Xiao Chen's white robes, long hair, and delicate appearance. Xiao Chen's eyes appeared like the still water in an ancient well, giving off an aura of calm and peace.
What a strong mental state! After seeing my true body, he is still so calm, not showing any rage, pride, or frustration.
However, Xiao Chen's words and actions incited the Western Sea Dragon King's rage.
Since you already know my identity, why are you not standing up to greet me but putting on airs before me?
"Seems like you know that you were impolite as well? You are probably the first quasi-Emperor to dare to remain seated and speak to me. Who taught you to be this arrogant?!"
Although the Western Sea Dragon King was angry, he did not move rashly. Instead, he caught hold of a detail and used it to pressure Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen smiled calmly. "You are a senior, a Seventh Heaven Sovereign Martial Emperor. You can kill me with just a thought. With such strength, I should be humble and bow in respect. However, you are the Western Sea Dragon King, and I am the Azure Dragon King personally conferred by the Martial God Palace's Thunder Sovereign.
"We are both dragon kings. If I lower my head to you, that would be equivalent to the Martial God Palace being weaker. You will not be able to take my bowing to you."
Ao Lang's expression changed slightly at the clever and eloquent turn of phrase. That "will not be able to take my bowing to you" made it impossible for him to come back with a rebuttal. Xiao Chen easily dealt with the pressure that came with his words, not giving him any opportunity at all.
Xiao Chen stood up and continued, "Senior probably came here became of the Dragon's Gate's reestablishment ceremony. What instructions do you have? Please speak freely."
Ao Lang narrowed his eyes. For the first time, he felt that this youth before him was especially tricky to deal with.
"Let me ask you this, then. Have you thought about the feelings of my Western Sea Divine Dragon Palace when reestablishing the Dragon's Gate in this Western Sea? If Heavenly Dragon City's Luck increases, my Western Sea Divine Dragon Palace's Luck will definitely drop in response. What makes you think you and I are on friendly terms?"
Xiao Chen narrowed his eyes and replied, "Of course, I have thought about it. Since the lowering of Luck is unavoidable, why not just go with the flow? If you follow whoever possesses great Luck, then, naturally, your Luck would not decline.
"After all, as the tide rises, the boat will rise along with it. If you are on an opposing end, of course, it would be hard to avoid Luck decreasing."
Ao Lang laughed loudly when he heard that. "You are truly boundlessly arrogant. You are just an insignificant Consummation quasi-Emperor, and yet you dare to say such words before me? You want me to go with the flow, getting the Western Sea Divine Dragon Palace to bow its head before you? You are too naive?!"
"Naive?"
Xiao Chen's lips curled up. With a flash, he appeared above a tall rock at the cliff, standing at the highest point of this place and looking down on Ao Lang.
"Dragon King, are you still unable to see the situation clearly? The world changed long ago. Soon, a golden age will descend. Large numbers of geniuses and outstanding talents will push open the Emperor's Door.
"All those who stick to their old ways and cannot change will end up smashed by the flood. If you succeed in going with the flow, even an old tree can blossom with flowers, bringing spring back to withered branches and improving further.
"Western Sea Dragon King, can you not see it?
"Or do you think that as a Seventh Heaven Martial Emperor, it is already enough for you to be termed as a Sovereign Martial Emperor? Do you feel proud enough that you do not need to take another step forward?"
A strong wind blew; this was the air of a king.
As Xiao Chen stood on the tall rock, the state of kingship suddenly radiated from his body.
The parted thunderclouds in the sky slowly melded back together. The Saber Domain that belonged to Xiao Chen forced the Western Sea Dragon King out bit by bit.
The Western Sea Dragon King frowned heavily. He did not resist, allowing himself to get forced out. In reality, as long as he wanted to, no matter what Xiao Chen did, Xiao Chen would not be able to force him away.
However, Xiao Chen's words blew the Western Sea Dragon King's mind, setting it abuzz. Ao Lang entered deep thought. This world had already changed. If he did not go with the flow, he would end up getting crushed by the currents.
The Western Sea Dragon King's original intent was to pressure Xiao Chen. Who would have imagined that Xiao Chen would turn things around and end up pressuring him?
"Boom!"
Suddenly, the Western Sea Dragon King startled to his senses. With a quick glare, a strong aura came out of his body. With this glare, the thunderclouds in the sky turned to nothing.
With the thunderclouds gone, sunlight immediately shone down intensely, bathing the entire summit in golden light.
What an Azure Dragon King! If he were a Martial Emperor, he would definitely have been able to convince me with such grace.
Ao Lang calmed down and said indifferently, "If you were actually a Martial Emperor, perhaps I would withdraw with just these words. However, although you may be filled with potential, tribulation clouds hover over your head. Your future is uncertain, and you want to convince me?"
After saying that, Ao Lang took a step forward and coldly said, "I'll give you one chance. Give up on reestablishing the Dragon's Gate, and in the future, my Western Sea Divine Dragon Palace will not seek trouble for your Heavenly Dragon City anymore.
"Otherwise, don't blame me for forcing others with my power. On the day of the Dragon's Gate's reestablishment ceremony, I will show you what true power is. Even gods will not be able to block it!"
Bathed in sunlight, Xiao Chen faced the Western Sea Dragon King's pressing aura and carefully enunciated every word in his reply. "In that case, I will welcome your glorious arrival. Show me the overwhelming power that you mentioned."
"Humph!" The Western Sea Dragon King stomped his foot and said coldly, "Goodbye. Don't blame me for bullying the weak and not giving you a chance!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The moment the Western Sea Dragon King turned around, the peak below Xiao Chen's feet crumbled, turning into countless rock shards. With the Western Sea Dragon King's stomp, the tall mountain peak easily crumbled.
"It would be rude not to reciprocate. Since Senior already destroyed this mountain peak, then how about you take it back with you?!"
Up above, Xiao Chen, whose white robes were fluttering in the wind, instantly drew the Lunar Shadow Saber.
"Whoosh!"
The Saber Domain that previously collapsed recovered in a heartbeat. The thunderclouds re-formed.
The instant the saber light flashed, the mountain peak, which had crumbled into countless pieces, regathered under the influence of the vast saber intent from Xiao Chen's Saber Domain.
However, this time, it no longer took the shape of a mountain peak but a saber!
This saber was more than three kilometers long. Its sharp blade flickered with purple electric light. As Xiao Chen swung his saber, this gargantuan saber shot towards the Western Sea Dragon King like lightning.
Disdain flashed in the Western Sea Dragon King Ao Lang's eyes. He turned around and threw a palm strike. Seven layers of light appeared behind him, and a vast amount of Primordial Energy caused space to ripple like water.
Ao Lang blocked the saber with his palm strike as expected. However, the scene of the gargantuan saber turning into dust did not appear. Instead, it gave off a dull 'boom,' resounding everywhere like spring thunder.
Xiao Chen sheathed his saber and said with a smile, "I shall trouble Senior to take away this mountain!"
A grave look flashed in Ao Lang's eyes. He could tell that Xiao Chen's Saber Domain had already reached a certain level. He realized that when he glared at it earlier, his vast aura had not crushed the other party's Saber Domain.
It had merely followed Xiao Chen's intentions, hiding in the surroundings. The Saber Domain had always been around.
Hence, Xiao Chen could use the Saber Domain to form this strong saber in the shortest time possible.
"Excellent Saber Technique. You really made this king see you in a new light. I will temporarily take away this mountain, and I will return it during the Dragon's Gate's reestablishment ceremony!"
In this invisible struggle, Ao Lang lost the upper hand to a junior.
Feeling too embarrassed to remain, he withdrew on his own initiative. He suppressed the rage in his heart and glared at Xiao Chen before leaving Heavenly Star Island at lightning speed.
Xiao Chen slowly descended from the sky like a little bird. His eyes glinted as he muttered, "Saber Domain, Saber Domain. The saber in front and the domain behind. Of course, the saber is more important."
This clash with the Western Sea Dragon King allowed Xiao Chen to get a better grasp on his Saber Domain.
The comprehension of the Saber Domain could no longer follow the experiences of predecessors. Senior Lan had just introduced the concept to him, but Xiao Chen could only rely on himself to advance.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Wind whistled, and two figures descended. It was Mo Chen and Lan Shaobai rushing over together. When they saw Xiao Chen's exclusive peak reduced to nothing, their expressions changed drastically at the same time.
"What's going on? Who came earlier?"
Xiao Chen answered honestly, "The Western Sea Dragon King Ao Lang!"
When Lan Shaobai and Mo Chen heard this, their hearts sank at the same time. A shadow flashed in their minds. The storm created by the Dragon's Gate's reestablishment ceremony was already clear. In just a few days, the Western Sea Dragon King could not help coming over personally.
In that case, how much pressure would there be during the Dragon's Gate's reestablishment ceremony?
---
Ao Lang had a sullen expression as he returned to the Western Sea Divine Dragon Palace while carrying a gargantuan stone saber.
At this moment, the three Vice Palace Masters of the Western Sea Divine Dragon Palace were already hurrying to the other Divine Dragon Palaces. The Martial Emperor elders had also left for the many Holy Lands of the Heavenly Starry Ocean.
When Ao Yu, the Western Sea Divine Dragon Palace's Young Palace Master, saw Ao Lang returning, his face glowed with joy as he led people to welcome Ao Lang.
"Father, you must have taught Xiao Chen a miserable lesson, right?" Ao Yu said excitedly. The memory of being forced to kneel after one palm strike from Xiao Chen was still fresh in his mind.
Ao Lang remained sullen, not saying anything. Ao Yu was apparently somewhat bad at reading expressions, continuing to smile and rattling on without a care for anything else.
As Ao Yu sized up the three-kilometer-long stone saber, he said, "Father, this must be your war trophy. This saber is pretty good. What rank is it? That brat Xiao Chen must be feeling some heartache."
"Pa!"
After enduring his frustration for such a long time, Ao Lang simply could no longer hold it in, slapping Ao Yu across the face. "Trash! If you had even just a tenth of Xiao Chen's grace, I would not need to worry about him reestablishing the Dragon's Gate!"
With this, the people around realized that the Dragon King had suffered a disadvantage at Heavenly Star Island and was currently depressed.